The Fionavar Tapestry has always been one of.my favorite trilogies and my recent reread of this series simply reaffirmed that fact.

I read the final 200 pages of the last installment of the trilogy, The Darkest Road, through my tears. So much pain, so much joy. This book, and the series, embody the meaning of "bittersweet"--heartwarming and heart-rending at the same time.

The Darkest Road, and the trilogy as a whole, is really about the many faces and facets of love, the various shadings and forms of love--parental, filial, romantic, idealistic, fraternal, unbidden, unknown, sacrificial, generous, remorseful, forgiving, unyielding, ever-changing, ever-constant. The story is multi-layered, familiar as a friend relating the events of a recent trip, distant as an ancient myth or legend.