The Darkest Road: Book Three of the Fionavar Tapestry

Like the other books in the series, for me, this is a hard slog at the beginning, but once I get into it I soar right to the end. Even knowing what happens, I still get swept away in it every time.

Gave this four stars because there was one death that actually made me cry (no, not the death that resolves the "how do you kill the super immortal all-powerful evil dude", though that one was quite neatly done). Without spoilers, it was unexpected and heroic in a great way - choosing to do something that he didn't have to do and which gave other people new options that they otherwise wouldn't have had.

Otherwise, very readable but oh-so-subTolkien. He has the equivalent of elves, actual dwarves, riders on the plain, and a noble city stuffed full of history. No hobbit-equivalents, but Kay's "elves" go across the sea in boats when their time comes, to a world that only they can reach. Etc. I am particularly exercised by his use of time - the original defeat of Morgoth Maugrim only happened a thousand years ago, which surely to immortals like Maugrim should be hardly any time ago, and even to quasi-immortals like the lios alfar elven people should hardly count as much time. Why name a time-span at all, when you choose such a human time span?

The final book of the Fionavar Tapestry is, unsurprisingly, the longest. After the long build up of the first two books, the war finally really gets underway. It's still very Lord of the Rings, with all the races joining up and wars and a lone person making his way into the heart of darkness, etc. In another way, it's completely not like Lord of the Rings at all. For one thing, not everyone lives. Boromir aside, most of the main characters in Lord of the Rings survive. Not so with Fionavar. Guy Gavriel Kay, as I have observed before, does not go gently. I kind of want to shake him and curse him, at the same time as admiring what he does with it, and how much he's made me care about the characters.

There are also some beautiful, fitting conclusions that make me very happy.

There are also some rather strange conclusions that baffle me. I think I've observed before that GGK is not so great with intentional romance. I don't feel Paul and Jaelle at all, for example -- I can see what he tries to do with them, and I understand why he thinks they'd be suited to each other in one way, but when it comes down to it, I really don't feel anything about them getting together. Same thing with the hint of romance between Kim and Dave (that follows through into Ysabel). Just... why? Where's it coming from? And yet something that could have been good, like Kim and Aileron -- don't tell me I was the only one? -- doesn't happen at all. These, however, are minor flaws.

Throughout the trilogy, GGK's writing is beautiful. Some of the scenes in this book are so very vivid that they stick in even my very-much-not-visual kind of brain. The image of Leyse floating down to the sea, for example. The death scenes are all lovely in a painful way, especially (for me) the one after the large urgach has been killed. They're like punches in the gut.

I still don't feel like my reviews have managed to capture how much I love this trilogy. Forget the flaws: I love it. I love the characters and the world, and the writing. If you can't get past the flaws, fair enough, but there is a real gem here, I think.

Reread in February 2010. Loved, more than ever, wept over, also probably more than ever. I was reluctant to read the last ten pages because that means my glorious weekend of visiting Fionavar is over. I'm sure I'll be back before too long, though. Fionavar is very rereadable, as I've proved this weekend. It's this, the fact that it breaks me anew every time and makes me love it more than ever, that gets these three books five stars. There are definitely flaws, things that jar, things that don't quite work -- I'm still utterly baffled at the romantic conclusions, and why the hell does Sharra disappear from the narrative the minute her romantic plot ends? -- but it draws me back in every single time.

In this finale, Kay is finally marshalling his newfound techniques. This book was the first in the series where I had those wonderful moments forgetting I was reading, because I was submersed in the world. The scenes in the dwarves' kingdom; the scenes with Lancelot and the Lady; the final battle sequence. It's not often that an author grows in ability and execution as a trilogy perspective, this one definitely does.

Third and final book in The Fionavar Tapestry. Still derivative, but reaching power at the end.

We reach the end of Guy Gavriel Kay's Fionavar Tapestry with The Darkest Road. As in most high fantasy, everything comes together at the battle to end all battles, when every resource of the Light is thrown against the power of the Dark and it still doesn't seem like enough. Kay isn't done world-building and adds several new cultures and characters to this story as events continue to build up to the final confrontation. I especially liked the way Matt's story unfolds and the contest for the kingship at the Crystal Lake of the Dwarfs. Much of this story focuses on Darien, the son of Rakoth and Jennifer, and how he develops. Balanced finely between Dark and Light, between his evil father and his beautiful mother, what will he choose? Jennifer is adamant that Darien not be influenced by her to join their cause against Rakoth, but the others aren't so sure. Can they risk the power of this quickly maturing child being used in service of their enemy? But if they influence him for their cause, is he really theirs? The discussion of free will (and how the Great Hunt, with its randomness outside the pattern of the loom, makes it possible) is interesting, but slightly pat. Lancelot, by the way, is great. It's hard not to root for someone who spends himself so freely for others. I liked how Kay works in the story of Elaine through Leyse, though I can't say I'm really a fan of the lios alfar, Kay's rendition of Tolkien's Elves. They seem insubstantial and effeminate; he missed the majesty and reality of their Middle-earth kindred. They seem a little too eager to please and serve the humans, somehow. All in all, this was a fairly good fantasy cycle and I enjoyed it. But despite all the reviewers' blurbs, no, it does not compare favorably to The Lord of the Rings. I'm not sure if I will be tempted ever to reread the Fionavar Tapestry, but I'm glad I have finally read some of Kay's work. I've been assured it only gets better from here.

This is the last book in the trilogy and in some ways it is the simplest (which is not to say that it is simple). It is, after all, the tale of the final battle that all the rest of the tale has been leading us towards. There will be skirmishes and surprises and a final contest of epic proportions. There will be moments of heroism and cowardice, of tragedy and joy. And there will be deaths. Kay neatly and seamlessly brings together the threads of his story and ties them off, one by one. This book will break your heart and will uplift you. It will remind you why you love all the old tales in all their old forms and all their new ones. This is a great story, well-written - read it. You won't be sorry.

As much as I really like this series, I can't rate this book any higher. If you liked the first two, you'll like this one. Its actually quite a bit longer, though most of the action takes place in the first two books. The ending is a bit predictable, and very, very sweet. Good, but really overly sweet.

A WONDERFUL series. Something I believe will be considered a classic.

In the final chapter of the Fionavar Tapestry, Guy Gavriel Kay (GGK) manages some good endings but still manages to annoy me. Don't get me wrong, I'm giving it three stars, and it's worth a read, but I can't give it a strong recommendation. Once again, the repetitive storytelling style (that has symbolic significance but STILL) and treatment of one of my favorite myths irritates me. However, the treatment of the importance of free will is interesting, if a bit apologist. The ending is mostly satisfying, and there are a few good surprises in store.

I have mixed feelings about this book (and the entire trilogy). I've re-read it a few times over the years, and once I start re-reading, it's definitely quite addictive.This doesn't mean it doesn't have flaws though, the most major one being that the entire series seems to be a modernised, 'how-I-would-have-written-the-LOTR-if-I-were-Tolkien'. Indeed, if you read the entire series with that as the caveat, it is quite an entertaining one.The Darkest Road itself has quite a few weak points, the Arthurian thread being my major pet peeve. I found it extremely irritating with how Kay tells - not shows - over and over and *over* how terribly tragic the whole thing is - I get it already! I love the Arthurian myth cycle, and have read a good deal of material from there, and Kay doesn't even begin to do it justice. In effect all he has done is lift the names.There are three moments in this book that stand out with crystal clarity for me though - I'd say these three are the ones that make the book worth reading. So, one star each. ;)(Warning: spoilers.)1) Diarmuid's last battle with the urgach Uathach. This one was beautifully done - with Kay having the courage to kill off a very engaging, major character in a memorable, meaningful way.It's a pity he seems to lose his nerve for doing such things in his later works - in the Lions of Al-Rassan, there's no contest really. It's so much more obvious that Ibn Khairan is going to live. Which on the one hand is great, because I found him much more engaging than Belmont... but on the other hand...2) Kimberly's refusal to bind the crystal dragon - and the cost of that choice at the final battle.Although here I have reservations because I find it hard to swallow that one tiny unicorn with an even smaller rider, blessed by a goddess or not, can take down a dragon. And Tabor doesn't even die.3) The Lios Alfar as bait for Rakoth at the final battle.This one was a brilliant stroke for me - I never could buy that Sauron would bother with an army of 7,000 at his gate, led by Isildur's heir or not, and a chance of the Ring.Using the Lios as bait though, and counting on Rakoth's hatred of them to make him unable to restrain himself given the opportunity to wipe them out entirely... that rings far more true with me than Tolkien's, 'Oh look, my great grand-grand-grand-ad-infinitum-daddy cut off your finger a millennia ago, won't you come get me now, nyah!' approach.All in all, if you've read the other 2 books and liked them, then read this one. It's not one of the books I'd recommend as superb fantasy, but it's definitely entertaining, especially if you found yourself unsatisfied with how Tolkien handled some things...

Well, I think Kay pulled it off. After my reservations halfway through the trilogy, I did find the outworking of the story to be compelling reading, and the final outcome was effective and affecting. The tale is a lot more self-consciously 'psychological' than Tolkien (is Stephen Donaldson an influence here?), but this adds human depth to the narrative, and does something to make up for Kay's comparative lack of interest in scenic description. The way in which the actions of the gods are circumscribed reads almost like an answer to questions raised about the powers and motivations of Tolkien's Valar.I'm still a teeny bit underwhelmed by the Arthurian thread, and the narrative parallels with Tolkien do, once or twice, shout so loudly that they can't be ignored (a small, overlooked character sneaks through the gate to the Dark Tower while the armies of the Dark and Light face off on the battlefield; and after the victory, there is a great harvest, which after the recent climatic disturbances is simply implausible). But all in all, I think this deserves to be placed in the first rank of large-scale fantasies. MB 31-xii-2007

Initially, I was very disappointed with this book. I absolutely loved The Wandering Fire, the second book in the trilogy. I came to care deeply for these characters; they had depth, despite the archetypes in play, and I wanted to see how everything turned out for them.And so I snatched The Darkest Road up the second it arrived in the mail... and that connection seemed to be gone. Things happened, true, but none of them seemed to have the same depth as the events in the previous volume. They felt a bit superficial. I had a lot of trouble getting into the book. I think I might have abandoned it had it not been the third volume in a trilogy.The last hundred pages, however, were excellent. I felt that I regained that sense of the characters that, for me, is so essential to a good book. I couldn't put it down. I read as quickly as I could, desperate to see how everything turned out. The archetypes began to disolve as the characters broke away from their proscribed roles. There were some truly heartwrenching surprises as the final battle unfolded. And the end, in which the surviving members of the five must decide who is to stay in Fionavar and who will return to our world, was just perfect.I get the feeling that I'll enjoy this book a lot more the second time through. I think it really relied on momentum. I had a gap of a little more than a week between the time I finished The Wandering Fire and the time I started The Darkest Road. I don't think I would've had as much difficulty getting into it if I'd been able to proceed right from one book to the other, relying on the momentum I'd already built up to carry me through. I still recommend the series, but urge you to read them back-to-back if you possibly can.

My favorite fantasy series. The Celtic-tinged world created here is filled with heroes, magic and myth and best of all modern people thrown into the mix.

classic high fantasy done very well indeed. a nice conclusion to the trology.