Party in Fionavar

So, there seems to be a party afoot.

Blame Chris Szego, the manager of Bakka Phoenix Books, Canada’s oldest Science Fiction and Fantasy bookstore (since 1972!). And blame HarperCollins Canada while you are at it. Do not blame me. That needs to be very clearly understood.

It seems that somehow, inexplicably, this autumn marks 30 years since The Summer Tree was published, beginning my career as a novelist.

I have used various calculators, an abacus, and fingers, toes and forks (don’t ask) to make the number come out smaller, but it don’t work. Thirty years. Ye gods and little fishes, as they say, when they aren’t really swearing.

And I have made my joke about being 14 years old at the time too often. Won’t do it here (well, sort of won’t).

The truth is, in a culture where the newnewnew is king and queen, where books disappear (off shelves, out of print) with increasing and alarming speed, I feel deeply grateful and profoundly honoured that Fionavar has remained out there, throughout the English-language world (and in many other languages) all this time.

So even curmudgeons sometimes say yes to a party.

There will be music from Martin Springett (backed up by Sam Alex Kay). The absurdly multi-talented Sue Reynolds, who did the map for the trilogy (and the maps for Tigana, too, in fact) has promised to attend ‘with bells on’. Linda McKnight, who acquired the trilogy when she was Publisher at McClelland & Stewart Canada (and later became my agent) will be there, rather pleased with her early judgement. (She likes to be right.)

We hope John Rose, the original founder/owner/god of Bakka Books will join us. He hosted the original launch for The Summer Tree in the store. My publishers brought me a tree as a gift. There were jokes about binding me to it. There may be a photo of that night. It may be on display. I will look younger in it.

There will be gifts and door prizes, Martin’s original cover paintings will be on display, with signed posters available. Add food, drink, wild carousing and glasses smashed on the – no, scratch that last.

So, original launch to thirty year anniversary at Bakka. All are invited if you can get to Toronto on the evening of September 19th. Here’s the evite.

 

GGK_ecard

 

 

 

8 thoughts on “Party in Fionavar

  1. I’ll be there with my 3 little friends – 25 year old Fionavar Tapestry paperbacks, battered and beloved, with Martin’s cover art (oddly missing from the invite?)

  2. I’ll be there with my 3 little friends – 25 year old Fionavar Tapestry paperbacks, battered and beloved, with Martin’s cover art (oddly missing from the invite?)

  3. Will sadly be absent from such auspicious festivities, but distance and obligations are annoyingly onerous. Please accept heartfelt congratulations from the far-flung west, with hopes of finding my way east again before too much longer.

  4. Will sadly be absent from such auspicious festivities, but distance and obligations are annoyingly onerous. Please accept heartfelt congratulations from the far-flung west, with hopes of finding my way east again before too much longer.

  5. So wish I could be there! Let me say thank you for the incredible gift of your writing which has been instrumental in shaping my philosophy (Is there something in control or do we seek patterns to make sense of this chaotic world) and my theology (especially in regards to the importance of symbols, ritual and myth)

  6. So wish I could be there! Let me say thank you for the incredible gift of your writing which has been instrumental in shaping my philosophy (Is there something in control or do we seek patterns to make sense of this chaotic world) and my theology (especially in regards to the importance of symbols, ritual and myth)

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