Customer Reviews

The Dragonbone Chair (Memory, Sorrow, & Thorn (Prebound))

5 star:		(149)
4 star:		(83)
3 star:		(38)
2 star:		(23)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

People who have picked up this book fall into two categories: those who gave up after 100 pages or so, saying that it was too slow and didn't hold their interest, and those who stubbornly stuck it out through the slow parts and to their delight, found themselves in the middle of one of the best epic fantasies written so far. Yes, the beginning of the series is a bit long and drawn-out, but it is really worth sticking with.

The basic plot of this book - of this entire series - is nothing new. Those who have read a lot of fantasy will find a lot of familiar elements - the standard young hero coming of age, a mysterious nonhuman race driven out of the land when men first arrived, an ageless wisewoman who seems to know everything, a king corrupted by evil, and magical artifacts of all sorts. The brilliant thing about Tad Williams is that he rises above the cliches to create a story that is more original and less predictable than it should be.

The world of Osten Ard is detailed and very real, and the characters even more so. The cast of characters is very large, yet somehow easy to keep track of (and if the reader gets confused as to who is who, there is an appendix at the end of the book listing all of the names with tips on how to pronounce them). Simon, the main protagonist, grows and changes in the time-honored fashion of kitchen-boys-turned-heroes everywhere, yet the story never feels old or cliched.

Williams is a master storyteller. I would recommend this series to any fan of epic fantasy.

The first time I read this series (on the advice of a friend), I found it hard to get through the first half of 'The Dragonbone Chair'. At the time, the only fantasy I had read was Tolkien and a select few mixed series. I was ready to read an epic fantasy, with all the battles and magic to match. What I found Myself reading was a less-than-epic story of the mundane exploits of a kitchen-boy. Or so I thought.
After I got the "feel" for the book It really opened up. For the first time I found Myself actually caring for the characters I was reading about (something even Tolkien's Masterpiece didn't entirely do for Me). Tad Williams writes with a very personal style, actively and effortlessly making you a part of his tale, while bringing such a sense of reality to the unreal it's uncanny. Almost nothing in this series seems completely unbelieveable. From the undying Sithi, to the little folk of the 'Troll-Fells', every character in these books seem like someone you know (or wish you knew). How they act. How they think. You're in their heads for better or worse. And the reality of it is dazzling!
All My Gung-ho loyalties aside, this was an amazing series. As afore-mentioned, What really hooked Me with this series was the realism. I'm sure for some of the die-hard fantasy readers out there, this may sound like an affront on the flashy/Magic-laden fantasy that has been a staple of their literary cuisine. But with Mr. Williams in the kitchen, fantasy and reality mesh into a most enjoyable morsel that goes down easy and leaves you ravenous for more. And yes this series does contain magic. But even magic is given a realistic twist (for the most part). Usually being referred to as "the art", and being applied through the means of natural law. Nothing terribly new, but executed with beautiful precision.
In all, this is the best Fantasy series I have read to date. But, I must urge anyone who picks this series up to fight through the first half of "DBC". It is slow, yet at the same time very rich. This is where you meet the players that will entertain you for the duration of your stay in 'Osten Ard'. Get to know them. Don't blow through looking for 'the good parts'. It is all 'the good parts'. You just won't realize it until it's over.
So before I really get carried away...just try it!
What have you got to lose?

This is one of the better of those epic fantasy sagas that are out there. Strong writing, good characters and superior world-building are marred only by a lack of originality in the plot.

The story is essentially the same as in most other fantasy trilogies since Lord of the Rings. The invincible evil guy is back from the dead and out for revenge, so the lowly, unknowledgeable kid is suddenly thrust out, aided by a cadre of unlikely characters, to find some sort of talisman to stop the evil dude before he destroys the world, or at least messes it up too badly. However, this same-old story comes off very well due to the author's skill.

The world-building in this story is very good. The entire population of the world doesn't all speak the same language, or have the same religion, or get along with each other. The author doesn't use the same old mix of elves and dwarves and goblins so frequently encountered in other stories of the sort. Rather, we get new races which are essentially the same as the familiar, but with some differences.

The characters are also superb. Simon, the boy, is likable, believable, and pitiable, and his characterization is not only good, but it's consistent. The characters grow logically and believably in this story. Of course, there are some of the compulsory characters as well. There's the witch-woman who's the equivalent of Tolkien's Tom Bombadil, the mentor-figure who dies before he can reveal too much, and the travelling companion who seems to know everything.

The story proceeds logically, but at times it difficult to get through. The names of people and places are exotic and unneededly difficult to pronounce. And the story doesn't even really take off for more than 200 pages. But that was okay, because in that time we got familiar with the land, the politics, Simon, the religion, and it didn't get boring at all. The religion is also familiar. It's called Aedonism (presumably lifted from EDEN), and is essentially the same as christianity, except the martyr-figure was hung upside-down as well as crucified. Also, there are pagans who practice Udunism, which is the same, of course, as real-world Odinism.

The biggest problem in this book was really the editing. Often the character Josua's name was misspelled Joshua, and there were frequent other misspelling and grammatical mistakes. Another slight problem is that the problems were to obvious. "John went to face the dragon carrying only a spear and a shield...and came out, dragon claw slung over his shoulder, holding the sword Bright-Nail ahead of him." For some reason the characters don't see the problem immediately.

Still, this was an extremely enjoyable, remarkable, real, vivid, and strong fantasy world, and I am absolutely looking forward to reading the rest of the series. Though the book deserves five stars, I give it four for lack of originality.

I really am surprised this series is so popular. It took me three tries to get through all three books, and I'm no stranger to the long fantasy series. (I've read all of the current Jordans and RR Martins, read Goodkind and Hobb, etc., all of which are far more engaging.)

The first book starts achingly slow, and it stays that way pretty much through all 3000 some pages. That said, the story of the boy-who-becomes-a-man never pays out. I kept reading and waiting for Simon to transform from the goofy star-eyed boy into a man with a little bit of guts. Instead he remains indecisive and over emotional throughout, with no real growth, and constantly acting on impulse. Williams then tacks on the happy ending when all is said and done, and poof suddenly Simon is a man, despite having never done anything even remotely adult-like, let alone king-like.

Which brings me to another point. Williams fooled me at the beginning of the book with his warning for the reader not to assume he knows the ending. So I kept reading thinking he was going to surprise me with some crazy twists and turns, but the story remains linear throughout. I never once said 'Wow, didn't see THAT coming.'

And let's talk about over-use of devices. He constantly uses dream sequences to foreshadow and lend a sense of evil foreboding, but it gets old quick, and Simon, who is afflicted with the most dreams, never even learns how to use them effectively. Williams just keeps on throwing in dreams again and again as if to say BEWAAAARE, but there are only so many times you can listen to someone whispering WOOOOOOH in a scary voice before you get annoyed. Not to mention all the tiring scenes underground beneath the castle, lost in the dark, oh I'm going to die, I can't remember my name, are those ghosts over there or have I gone mad. God just hurry up and tell me something that moves the story just one little foot forward. A famous writer once said that every word should count. This is definitely not true here. Fans of this series will say that every scene is necessary to progress the characters, but as I hinted before, none of the characters undergo any significant change, especially not the main character. They're all static for thousands of pages.

And of course there is the great amorphous evil that never does ANYTHING.

This story could have been told in 1000 pages. Save your time. There are plenty of gripping and well told fantasy stories out there, like Stephen King's Gunslinger series, George Martin's Ice and Fire series, etc. Williams' series is like wading through smelly mud, which only makes the ending worse because you put so much time into a tired story that the climax would have to be the best climax in recorded history to make it worthwhile, which it's certainly not.

This isn't a book you read, it's a book that you sink into and get absorbed by. The story starts slowly with a castle scullery boy named Simon who is a bit of a loser (they say Calfmoon, but it's the same thing) who wanders around getting out of his duties in the kitchen and generally goofing off. He doesn't do anything dramatic or exciting, in fact there is an entire paragraph about him toying with a beetle he found in the castle.

The characters are real and interesting, the images are crystal clear. The pace is slow, but eventually accelerates when Simon gets mixed in with the court wizard. Eventually, everything is moving along quickly and into the second book, which is also well worth reading.

I found this book entertaining, but frequently got reviews from friends who found it slow and boring. It definitely is for people who enjoy long and winding stories that introduce everthing slowly. If your typical fantasy is dragonlance or forgotten realms (not bad, just a different style), you may be dissapointed.

Just a little backround on authors I've read - Jordan, Eddings, Brooks, Goodkind, Haydon, and others. My two cents is that all the reviews aren't too precise on how slow the beginning of the book is. The first 160 pages is of Simon's boring life in a castle. The next 150 pages is his boring journey. Then afterwards, it gets slightly interesting. I must emphasize the word "slightly" because there was not much action. I mean, action doesn't necessarily make the book interesting, a surprise or out of the ordinary event would help. But unfortunately, none of that until the last 50 pages of the book. Add other people's criticism and there you have the book. Since I've started, I am compelled to finish the series since I don't like to leave things hanging. My word of advice is to read this book only if you are extremely bored and have nothing else better to do.

I've become a harsh critic of fantasy, evidenced by my struggles to finish each of Jordan's latest books and my dissapointment in Weis and Hickman's new War of Souls, so I started The Dragonbone Chair looking for reasons to throw it out.

And at first there were lots of them. The pace was lethargic and the main character, Simon, was almost comic in his ineptitude. Even worse, I had no inkling of the looming trouble for the land of Osten Ard, which most fantasy novels give you in a nicely packaged prologue.

But something kept me reading. Maybe it was the power of Williams's narration, his elegant prose and startling descriptions. Something else happened as well. Even though Simon was a bungling "mooncalf," I was becomming attached to him. Despite his passive nature, I noticed I was watching him grow and wanted to know how he ended up.

Then trouble does hit, and we are taken on a dazzling adventure through the land. Simon meets new, more interesting character, and finally becomes active. The evil manifests itself an the quest is defined, and from there on, I couldn't stop reading.

So if you're patient enough (about 120 pages of elaborate setup) definitely pick up this book. And if you're an impatient reader, pick this up anyway and suffer through those first slow sections because the rest is an adventure definitely worth being a part of.

The Memory, Sorrow & Thorn Trilogy is by far the best Fantasy series that I've read to date (actually, I've read it three times). The depth and complexity of the story and characters, combined with superb writing makes this trilogy a "must" for any serious fantasy reader. The only possible down-side may be the slow pace at the beginning, in The Dragonbone Chair, to the extent that even some accomplished readers found the book "hard to get into". My reply to them, and anybody who reads the book and finds it "boring" is that the beginning of the trilogy sets the foundations for the best Fantasy saga the world has seen. Any perceived "slowness" is definitely well worth it. This trilogy should be savoured like a good wine, however there will always be those few who prefer soft drinks...

It takes a certain amount of originality and talent to make an epic fantasy series worth reading. Tad Williams has that originality and talent in his richly-written "Dragonbone Chair," but his glacial plot and prose could use some speeding up.

The High King Prester John is dying, and the land of Osten Ard is just waiting for the inevitable. Down in the kitchens, dreamy scullery boy Simon drifts through his work, and sometimes goes to the wizard Dr. Morgenes for lessons. But those visits allow Simon to see that not all is well: the new king Elias is weak-willed and petulant, and his advisor is the evil priest Pyrates.

When Simon learns that Elias has imprisoned his tormented brother Josua, and helps the prince to escape, he becomes a hunted man -- all the worse when his closest ally is killed. Desperately, Simon tries to find a sanctuary. But now Pyrates is resurrecting the evil Sithi monarch Storm King, and no one may be safe...

Tad Williams gives a lofty spin to the old favorites in his fantasy: smallish trolls (more like hobbits), elvish Sithi, a strong-willed princess, and a kitchen boy who blossoms into a hero. By mixing in some real civilizations like Vikins, and a parallel version of Christianity, he adds to the realistic flavor of his invented world. There are even references to the old Norse and Celtic religions, when someone refers to the old gods.

Williams has an undeniably lovely way of writing -- rich, detailed, and with a kind of medieval grandeur. Unfortunately it moves VERY slowly. It takes hundreds of pages for major events to happen, at which point Williams seems to realize that he needs to get moving, and hits the gas. We even get a detailed stagger-by-stagger description of Simon bumbling through some caves.

Simon is a bit immature and annoying at first, just as he should be. But his painful ascent to manhood is delicately handled by Williams. Dr. Morgenes is a pleasant spin on the wise-old-kindly-wizard type, and even minor characters like the Sitha Simon rescues are given individual personalities. The villains are a little less interesting, since Elias is a childish pain and Pyrates is pure evil.

Tad Williams' "Dragonbone Chair" is a richly-imagined, beautifully-written epic fantasy that leaves you wishing for more. If only Williams had pared down a couple hundred pages and gotten the plot moving faster.

That was my reaction, anyway, to the MS&T series as a whole. Just when I had come to the conclusion that modern fantasy books had become nothing more than cheap rip-offs of Tolkien and popular movies.

This series is not for the faint of heart or the inexperienced fantasy reader. As other reviews say, it creates a world of such magnitude as I have never seen crammed into three (four)books before. Unlike in most fantasy, stuff does not happen just to entertain you . . .90% of the time is spent on character and plot development. But the excitment when it comes seems incredibly richer and more intense as a result. (Also unlike in most series, the sword does not spare a character just because he is a good guy, or hasn't said his line yet). The detail was insightful and powerful. Sure, it wasn't necessary, but it adds a lot of flavor if you have a subtle enough mind to appreciate it.

Better, than LOR in my opinion, but not better than Middle Earth. The principal difference between Osten Ard and Middle Earth, in my opinion, is that Mr. Williams made his world for his books, whereas Tolkien made his books for his world. It is incredibly high quality, but if anything, the ending seemed to wrap up too much for my taste. I would order you to read these books, but that would be rude, so instead I will strongly, strongly, strongly * 10 recomend it.