In the three novels that make up the Fionavar Tapestry trilogy collected in this omnibus edition (The Summer Tree, The Wandering Fire, and The Darkest Road), five University of Toronto students find themselves transported to a magical land to do battle with the forces of evil. At a Celtic conference, Kimberley, Kevin, Jennifer, Dave, and Paul meet wizard Loren Silvercloak. Returning with him to the magical kingdom of Fionavar to attend a festival, they soon discover that they are being drawn into the conflict between the dark and the light as Unraveller Rakoth Maugrim breaks free of his mountain prison and threatens the continued existence of Fionavar. They join mages, elves, dwarves, and the forces of the High King of Brennin to do battle with Maugrim, where Kay's imaginative powers as a world-builder come to the fore. He stunningly weaves Arthurian legends into the fluid mix of Celtic, Nordic, and Teutonic, creating a grand fantasy that sweeps readers into a heroic struggle that the author makes all the more memorable because of the tributes he pays to past masters.

The trilogy is a grand homage to J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, but while the echoes of Tolkien's masterwork are very real, the books offer the wonderful taste of a new fantasy writer cutting his teeth at the foot of a master. Kay has a very real connection to Tolkien--as Christopher Tolkien's assistant, Kay was invaluable in helping to wrestle Tolkien's posthumous The Silmarillion into shape for publication. Kay is undoubtedly one of the Canadian masters of high fantasy, and The Fionavar Tapestry is one of his most enduring works. Readers, however, should also check out Kay's Tigana, A Song for Arbonne, The Lions of Al-Rassan, and The Sarantine Mosaic to truly experience a master at work. --Jeffrey Canton

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

Regina Public Library Releases Books “Into the Wild”
as part of 100th Anniversary Celebration

August 22, 2008

REGINA – This weekend, Regina Public Library will release the first of 100 books to be placed “in the wild” as part of its 100th anniversary celebration.

Regina Public Library has registered 100 books with bookcrossing.com, and identified them as part of the Library’s 100th Anniversary activities. The special book plate in each book asks anyone who picks it up to visit Bookcrossing.com to journal its travels. A complete list of the books that will be released is available by visiting www.bookcrossing.com/mybookshelf/RPL100 or following the link from www.reginalibrary.ca/anniversary.

Many of the books have been purchased or donated by RPL staff, so they reflect the diverse interests of people who love to read.

“We’re really curious to see where these books end up after they’re released,” Library Board Chair Darlene Hincks said as the first books were released across Regina. “This project also reminds us that the best books are on our personal bookshelves and some of them need to be shared with other people, even total strangers.”

Hincks will help to secretly “plant” 25 books across Regina this weekend. Each book will be left in a unique or especially appropriate public location and is clearly marked with “I’m not lost, I’m free!” The remainder of the 100 books will be released between August 22 and Labour Day.

Regina Public Library is celebrating its 100th Anniversary with a series of events between March 2008 and January 1, 2009. The first library, housed in three rooms in City Hall, first opened its doors to the public on January 1, 1909.

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For further information, contact:

Bill Armstrong - Acting Communication Manager
[email protected]