The Tree of Swords and Jewels

Arafel #2

by C.J. Cherryh

They said that Ciaran Cuilean was fey-that he had the touch of the Sidhe on him, and on his lands. And it was true. Elvish blood ran in his veins, and he had been to that other world-that parallel and magical land of Eald, where Arafel, the Lady of Trees, held dominion. But what should have been a blessing was as much a curse--for jealousy and fear grew in the lands of men. Shadows of newly awakened evil swarmed across both landscapes threatening to bring the clang and reek of war from the warm hearthstones of the mortal world keeps to the silvery heart of Ealdwood. And Ciaran knew that he must once again put his humanity aside and reclaim his haunted weapons from the Tree of Swords or see both his worlds fold into darkness!

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Speculative Fiction, Science Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Adventure

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Currently resident in Spokane, Washington, C.J. Cherryh has won four Hugos and is one of the best-selling and most critically acclaimed authors in the science fiction and fantasy field. She is the author of more than forty novels. Her hobbies include travel, photography, reef culture, Mariners baseball, and, a late passion, figure skating: she intends to compete in the adult USFSA track. She began with the modest ambition to learn to skate backwards and now is working on jumps. She sketches, occasionally, cooks fairly well, and hates house work; she loves the outdoors, animals wild and tame, is a hobbyist geologist, adores dinosaurs, and has academic specialties in Roman constitutional law and bronze age Greek ethnography. She has written science fiction since she was ten, spent ten years of her life teaching Latin and Ancient History on the high school level, before retiring to full time writing, and now does not have enough hours in the day to pursue all her interests. Her studies include planetary geology, weather systems, and natural and man-made catastrophes, civilizations, and cosmology…in fact, there's very little that doesn't interest her. A loom is gathering dust and needs rethreading, a wooden ship model awaits construction, and the cats demand their own time much more urgently. She works constantly, researches mostly on the internet, and has books stacked up and waiting to be written.

Reviews

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay I got through Dreamstone...it wasn't the worst book I ever read. This one isn't either...but together they may be in the running.

When I started this one I hadn't realized it was "Arafel 2". Had I, I might not even have tried it, in spite of the short blurb that sold me on it.

Of course I realized it was within 2 or 3 words, it starts out with a synopsis of the first book. Once the book starts we get another interaction with the "fey" the "Sidhe". And it starts off just as airy-fairy as the last one. Dragging on we meet some "old acquaintances", characters we know from The Dreamstone. My life passed before my eyes...a cold sweat broke out...I felt a panic attack coming on, another slow draggy book eating away at my precious reading time, stealing hours from the time I have left in this world. I mean there is only so long I will be in this veil of tears (does anyone else notice that "veil" is another of those words that breaks the "i before e except after c" rule?) anyway, I only have so much reading time left and as I sank again into the misty slow moving prose of this world a small voice in the back of my mind screamed "NO! Save yourself! Get out! Get out now!"

So I did. Slow, boring, misty, airy-fairy....unfinished, unrecommended and in my sell or trade (as quickly as possible) books.

I'm coming to the conclusion that Ms. Cherryh wrote some books in the late 70s and early 80s that just aren't to my taste. If this is for you, I'm so happy for you, enjoy!

[Michael Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this young, in high school, and was knocked out by it. Have come back to it again and again over the last 35 years and still find it to be one of the best fantasy novels I've ever read.

Obviously a lot of the critics here don't feel the same.

Good thing most great writers were recognized as such before all the wannabes and never-weres were allowed to rate books.

[stormhawk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much like the first book of the series, the pacing is very uneven. The action of the Tree of Swords and Jewels plods along through the first three-quarters of the book, and then rushes along through the last few chapters.

[William Leight · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cherryh’s Arafel stories, of which this is the second, start with a good idea: Arafel is the last of the Sidhe, hanging out in her forest and watching it and, when they intersect with it, the humans. Her powers remain considerable, but they are diminished and still diminishing; she is detached from the ordinary doings of capital-M Men, but can still be persuaded to intercede on occasion. The first part of “The Dreamstone” captures the mood perfectly, elegiac but with a bit of hope for the future: Arafel is no longer capable of solving human problems single-handedly, but perhaps with a bit of help from her they can do it themselves. But Cherryh subsequently moves away from this premise: rather than being the last of the Sidhe, Arafel is more like the first, as more and yet more are introduced. No longer the only one of her kind, Arafel becomes less interesting, since her decisions matter less: as for the human characters, trapped in a conflict that is increasingly happening in a dimension they have no access to, between forces that they cannot affect or even understand, they end up not really mattering at all. By the time that “The Tree of Swords and Jewels” culminates in a massive and not particularly interesting battle between the (vastly outnumbered) forces of good and evil, the reader is left simply wondering how on earth Cherryh is going to allow the good guys to come out on top. In the end, the Arafel books squander an interesting idea to become just another Celtic-influenced fantasy.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5
Interesting and imaginative, but also at times confusing and seemed to skip key elements of exposition. Perhaps part of that was supposed to be assumed knowledge from book 1? I didn't realise this was a sequel rather than a standalone until I looked it up online after commencing!

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

C. J. Cherryh is a great author. This book created a great atmosphere, but the writing style was more opaque than is usual. The complex writing style is often a strength of Cherryh's but in this case seemed to obfuscate the plot. Still a good book, but this very prolific author has better books.

[Jax · Rating 5 out of 5]

rad book, really created and kept a stark atmosphere.

[Bianca Isherwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love this cover.

Great ideas and concept, beautiful prose, lots of quotes jotted down in my reading journal.
For only a 256 page book, it's been a slog!
What made it a slog, is that a lot of things were eluded to, so I wasn't sure at any point if I actually understood what was going on. Not a lot goes on in the middle and majority of the book, then the end picks up, but by this time I was so over it I wasn't even sure who was who, and it felt very rushed.
Also the word 'aprick' please enlighten me someone as its not in the dictionary anymore.....
I haven't read the first part. But have since purchased it, I will read it one day and then give this another go.
I will look go on to read more booms by this author as I did enjoy the writing style.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heart-tugging duology. From 1983. Celtic twilight on top of the passing of Faery. Helpful glossary with pronunciations in Old English, Welsh, and Gaelic. Echoes of early D&D, echoing into the world of Deverry and related neo-Celtic settings. Cherryh excels at setting moods through all the senses, even the sixth. Characters are flawed and human. You will fear for them, mourn them, and rejoice with them in turn.

[David · Rating 1 out of 5]

First novel of the year is just bad, boring, and bad. I have enjoyed many of Ms. Cherryh's books, but I couldn't finish this one.

(Razor hissed at the book and walked away.)

[A room full of books~ :) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nah, couldn't be bothered; the same problems that were present in the first book are not only also here but actually magnified. DNF. 🤷‍♀️

[Astra · Rating 1 out of 5]

Noioso come pochi. Ma dato che sono caparbia, mi sono costretta a finirlo. Quanti bei libri avrei potuto leggere nel mentre!
E invece ho continuato, pagina dopo pagina alla ricerca di un avvenimento interessante, che è accaduto dopo più di 2/3 del libro. La maggior parte dei personaggi sono lagnosi, deboli senza una vera risoluzione, buoni solo a lamentarsi, con nomi che che volevano solo essere più fantasy ma che invece neanche te li ricordavi.

I due grandi nemici vengono sconfitti alla fine in 5 frasi (e questo libro ha le doppie pagine, quindi ancora meno parole di quello che ti aspetti), facendoti perdere tutto il senso di pericolo che ti davano.

Non saprei descriverlo ulteriormente, davvero. Tante cose scritte erano fini a se stesse, allungate in un brodo estenuante di descrizioni inutili e ripetitive solo per dirti che qualcuno si sedeva su una sedia.
Quindi non leggetelo, davvero, solo se vi sentite un po’ masochisti o perché avete un amore per le copertine fantasy brutte che poco centrano con la trama.

[Ruhegeist · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn't realize this was book two and Cherryh can be hit or miss for me so I was a little unsure going into the book. I really enjoyed it though. The story was good and I really loved the language. Glad I picked it up.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is so much similarity between the charactors Arefel and Morgaine ... this is a favorite despite the sadness

[Helen Fleischer · Rating 1 out of 5]

a tough, dreary slog

[Thea Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much that I still think about it years later.

[Jake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice atmo.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

She writes so well. Enjoyed it.
A bit bitter sweet?

[Arlene Salceda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love the characters and the plot :D

[Mark Lacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Difficult to understand the last part of the book.

[Jonathan Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Make sure you read Dreamstone first. Yes, there is a recap at the beginning, but still. This one has a much more defined plot, and it does a good job of bringing closure to the stories setup in Dreamstone. There are quite a number if faery terms used throughout with which I was not familiar, but I managed to stumble through.