The Summer Country

by James A. Hetley

Book Overview

Maureen Pierce has led a fairly ordinary life, maybe a slightly tough one for a woman her age, growing up on the wrong side of the poverty line in Naskeag Falls, Maine. But everything changes when she meets Brian Albion. If she can believe him, she carries a blood legacy that goes back to the old country. Only this is the really old country, the land of Mordred and Merlin, where deadly battles are still fought with magic, and a woman who carries the...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0441009727
• ISBN13: 9780441009725
• Release Date: October 2002
• Publisher: Ace Books
• Length: 361 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.3" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Just my kind of book!!!

James A Hetley grabs your attention, then never drops it for a second. I read one of his books, was hooked, ordered all the others I had not read.

Good read worth your time

Well, I must say at first I was a bit skeptical about this book. It has quite a few good reviews, but there is one in particualar that caught me off gaurd. He throws around accusations about the author and the talent the author has. I read his other reviews and realized this was just an imbecile who writes reviews as if he had any inkling of what was really going on. Fascinated with the'Tolkien world' he compares all other fantasy fiction novels to this. Imbecile, I say. Pay no attention to what he says. Most authors will pale in comparison to the Tolkien craze that has happened not too long ago. So, I read this book and was thoroughly captivated by this author. Fresh new outlook on Celtic lore and good story line. I will be reading the Winter Oak.

WOW! So good I'll have to buy my own copy now!

I borrowed this book from my local library. It's so good that I know I'll want to read it again someday!This is story of a quartet of characters drawn into amazing circumstances - Maureen, Jo, Brian, & David. The main character is Maureen. She remembers stories told to her of the old country, the summer country, told by her departed grandfather. She assumes those are stories of Ireland. Maureen also talks to trees and sometimes hears things and sees things that no one else hears or sees. Maureen believes she is insane. She lives with her sister Jo who also believes her sister is insane. By some unspoken agreement with her highly dysfunctional family, Jo keeps watch over her sister. In the beginning of the book Maureen is stalked by a large man on her way home from work. He corners her in an alley and as he approaches is hacked to bits by Brian. Though dressed in ordinary clothes, he is actually a Pendragon - a knight who protects human's from the "old ones." Maureen believes Brian must also be insane until she sees her would-be attacker consumed by blue flames and disappear. Initially she believes in him, then later does not trust him, blaming her suspicions of her own insanity for creating the deadly scene. Her sister Jo and boyfriend Brian are lovers who live under the same roof with Maureen. Their relationship irritates Maureen. She believes Jo stole David from her.As the story progresses Maureen is drawn into the summer country by one of the "old ones" by magic. The summer country, once a wonderful placed, is twisted and full of hate and fear, and terrible violence. Jo sees her sister disappear before her eyes. She stands still and closes her eyes and wills herself to find her sister. Both Maureen and Jo are of faery blood, but don't know it. Jo opens her eyes and finds herself in the summer country in the middle of an enchanted, dangerous forest. Brian and David discover that both women have disappeared into the summer country and go there after them.What follows is not a sweet faery tale. It's a fearsome faery land filled with terrors beyond belief and dangers that stretch the bonds of love. To tell more would ruin the story. This book is so well written that the characters seem real to the reader and you actually learn to care what happens to them. Scenes are so well crafted that you can picture everything. As you close the last page of the book and the story ends you feel like you are saying goodbye to an old friend. Not many books can evoke that feeling. I sincerely hope the author comes out with another book. I would stand in line to buy one. I'll be buying this one for my own shelf as it is one of the most engrossing, wondrous stories I have every read!

Myth and legend meets modern day Maine

I found this book on accident at the bookstore, and I almost put it down, if not for the great cover art. I started the book on a Tuesday night, and by Thursday morning, I was done with it. The only problem with that was after it was over, I wanted more! If you like fantasy, but are in the mood for a some 'real world' as well, this is your book. Maureen finds herself with a new and very different friend after he saves her life from someone who wants more from her than her wallet. She has had problems since childhood trusting men in particular, so even though he does try to protect her, she cannot let herself trust him. There is also an interesting sub-plot involving her sister and her sister's boyfriend.The only thing I would have changed with this book was that we did not really get a lot of character detail about Brian after the beginning. He is still in the story, but I just thought he could have been more developed and/or changed at the end like the other characters.Bottom line: if you don't mind some violence (read: there is rape, although not explicit, murder, and plenty of blood) accompanying an enveloping story, this is a great read!

Marvelous Blending of Fantasy and Real World

Jim Hetley does a marvelous job of blending modern day Maine to his Celtic Fantasy universe "Summer Country." Hetley starts the book having us follow Maureen who seems quite paranoid; it turns out that she has reason to be! Shining knight Brian comes to her rescue and vanquishes her foe...oh, wait...he isn't a knight. Maureen lets him walk her home, where she dumps him upon finding her "boyfriend" in bed with her sister Jo. Hetley's characterization is phenominal and true to life. His settings are detailed, but not intrusive. If you like extraordinary fantasy, dragons, magic and a good read, you will like this book. I did. I've already read it twice! Candy