Kay, Guy Gavriel (1954– )
Although the Canadian writer Guy Gavriel Kay
had previously worked with Christopher Tolkien to
produce The Silmarillion(1977), a posthumous ex-
tension of the world of the Lord of the Rings series
by J. R. R. TOLKIEN, he wrote no fantasy of his own
until several years later, and his original fiction was
not noticeably derivative of Tolkien’s work. Kay’s
career as a novelist began with the Fionavar
Tapestry, a trilogy, which includes The Summer Tree
(1985), The Wandering Fire(1986), and The Darkest
Road(1986). The setting is what at first seems a
typical fantasy world but that is eventually revealed
to be a kind of prototypical reality from which vari-
ous mythological systems are drawn. As a conse-
quence, it is a sometimes chaotic mix of conflicting
images including a patriarchy and a rival matri-
archy. Five college students from our world are
dropped into this setting on the brink of a war that
threatens to bring eternal winter to that world.
Although the trilogy was a very strong debut,
Kay’s subsequent work has been even more im-
pressive. Tigana(1990) is a very long novel set in a
land that has been conquered by an enemy so pow-
erful that even to speak the former name of that
country is impossible because of the evil magic em-
ployed by the aggressors. The revolutionaries even-
tually prove irrepressible, but only after a complex
and quite intelligently plotted series of events and
escapades. A Song for Arbonne(1992), which also
deals with the conflict between matriarchal and
patriarchal systems, minimizes its fantastic content
and feels more like a historical novel set in a his-

tory that never happened. This last tendency has

been repeated in all of Kay’s subsequent work.

The Lions of Al-Rassan(1995) continues that

trend, with very little overt fantasy content, al-

though the setting is an imagined world. An en-

counter with a mythical creature plays a pivotal

part in Sailing to Sarantium(1999), which is other-

wise the story of an architect summoned by an em-

peror to oversee construction of an enormous

edifice symbolic of his power. The story is contin-

ued in Lord of Emperors(2000), as the emperor’s

ambitions turn toward a neighboring nation. Kay’s

most recent novel, The Last Light of Day(2004), is

a story of Vikings and intermingled fates. It is set in

the same world as Kay’s three previous novels, al-

though the characters differ. Kay’s fiction, particu-

larly his most recent work, is thought provoking,

complex, and provocative, mixing intellectual dis-

cussions with sometimes very explicit violence. He

is certainly one of the less predictable fantasy writ-

ers, but also one of the most rewarding.

“Kecksies” Marjorie Bowen(1949)

Marjorie Bowen was one of the pseudonyms used

by Gabrielle Margaret Campbell, a prolific British

writer of thrillers, mainstream novels, biographies,

and supernatural fiction, more than 150 books in

total. “Kecksies” is one of her best stories, drawing

from historical settings and incidents, as did much

of her work. Two travelers, Crediton and Bateman,

suffering from an excess of drink, are riding across

Kent one evening, hoping to find an inn or other

K

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