| The Dreaming Tree | 
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Avg. Customer Rating:   (based on 24 reviews)
Sales Rank: 624449
Category: Book
Author: C. J. Cherryh
Publisher: DAW
Studio: DAW
Manufacturer: DAW
Label: DAW
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 464
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 6.9 x 4.2 x 1.3
ISBN: 0886777828
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780886777821
ASIN: 0886777828
Publication Date: December 1, 1997
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Journey to a transitional time in the world, as the dawn of mortal man brings about the downfall of elven magic. But there remains one final place untouched by human hands--the small forest of Ealdwood, in which dwells Arafel the Sidhe, who has more love of the earth than any of her kind. This is a moving, compelling tale of the last stronghold of immortality struggling to survive the rise of man. Ads in "Locus".
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| Customer Reviews: Read 19 more reviews...
 Tragic tale of the last of the Sidhe, and the end of the Age of Faery January 31, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
The dreaming tree is a combined version of CJ Cherryh's masterful Arafel stories.
This isn't a book with a lot of action; it is a thoughtful and thought provoking tale of the last of the Sidhe, the great race before the age of Man.
If you are not familiar with CJ Cherry, this book may be a chore to read, as it is so full of introspection and sorrow. If you already are familiar with her third person intense internal prose, you will love this tragic tale, where loneliness and alienation are palpable.
Utterly believable, powerful, wonderful!
Beautiful January 12, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
In short: this has to be one of the most beautiful books I've read, a truly magical book. It makes you wish you'd find anything, even a pooka in a nearby river trying to coax you to death, just to see that Ealdwood once was...
The book consists of two books, as has been said, and I will deal with them as one. Anyway, I barely even noticed where the first book ended and the second began.
Cherryh paints in this book an absolutely lovely fairytale - a fairytale that feels like real life. It is sad and gloomy at times, and dark, but there is hope and love in it as well, and in the end the sad times only make it more beautiful. The characters are real, full of feeling, and all their feelings come across to the reader quite vividly. The story spans over quite a long time - in fact, we see four different generations in it. There is no single main character in the book for its whole duration - unless that is Arafel, the Sidhe lady.
One thing people have complained about this book is that it's slow. Well, this accusation hardly comes as a surprise to those who are familiar with C. J. Cherryh's other work... isn't that what she's always accused of by some readers? I wouldn't say this is slow, though. Let's just say it's not fast - at least most of the time. The story goes on at its own pace and keeps you in its grip through the quiet days of farming and everyday life, through the battles and hunts, as well as the magical encounters with the mystic world of Eald - or at least, this is what happened to me.
I don't know what else I can say about this book. To me, it is one of the most charming books I've ever come across, and I think I'll remember it for a long time. Originally I got it from the library, but it didn't take a long time for it to find its way into my bookshelf.
 Pros and cons June 27, 2006
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
This book is a collection of two titles, The Dreamstone and The Tree of Swords and Jewels.
I found The Dreamstone to be a wonderful read. Very concise in its form, the pacing worked well, and the story unfolds over a period of years, which is important to the central focus of the novel being on Eald and its relationship with humans. This first book comes in at under 200 pages, I believe, and really feels right.
Now, the second book is where things fall down. Somewhere along the way someone must have suggested that this story needed more words. Because there's a lot more words. And they're not all necessary. Gone is the conciseness of the story, gone is the mystery of Eald, as we focus more on humans and their squabbles over the kingdom. This book loses focus from the first one, and really drags through the final half. It is too long, it is too wordy, it is too complicated... it is just too much, frankly.
A shame, really, since The Dreamstone was really a wonderful read in itself.
just too slow June 17, 2006
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
After reading Fortress in the Eye of Time I was eager to savour this celtic effort by the same author.
I found the same neat, accurate writing, the same fastidious attention to detail, the same unconventional characters.
Mr/Ms Cherryh (I still have not found out which) shapes a fascinating twilight world were dimming elves, more inhuman than I have ever found them in a fantasy, are fading leaving their place to humans. There is no sense a fulfillment, nor predestination. Just sadness.
It is not easy to create a novel out of these ideas. The author managed it in Fortress in the Eye of time, but this time unfortunately there is no plot. Nothing really happens in this book. Absolutely nothing. Characters do not come to life. You never connect with them. The atmosphere is fascinating but the final effect is boring.
A disappointment.
 Interesting but odd April 8, 2006
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
I really like Cherryh's stuff but this was a little convoluted. A good read but hard to keep track of characters.
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