Customer Reviews

To Green Angel Tower: Book Three of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn

5 star:		(65)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

One thing can definitely be said for Tad Williams: in comparison to other fantasy writers, who start big and then peter out, his writing improves in leaps and bounds with each passing work. All the threads he wove together so cleverly, beginning with 'The Dragonbone Chair' and continuing in 'Stone of Farewell', are revealed to their fullest extent in this majestic conclusion. Typical fantasy this is not. Throw your predictions out the window when you read this series--Tad knows cliches when he sees them, and avoids them masterfully until the very end.

Toward the end, the story begins to take on the quality of a lush piece of music: marching in ever-twining threads which like strains of melody, spiral upward, constantly adding new threads of power and beauty whenever the tune starts to become familiar. There are moments so moving that they are transcendant, and so imaginative that one is tempted to predict that this is an epic that will last after many others have faded with the years.

The characters only get better, Simon in particular, who literally goes to hell and back. Tad Williams does not put his hero to minor tests and allow him to earn his status as the hero with the swing of a sword; rather, like Winston Churchill, he demands "blood and toil, tears and sweat" in relentless profusion. Yet rather than being an orgy in pain and suffering, the story is uplifting in its depiction of boy who begins as 'ordinary', and in overcoming tremendous suffering and tests of courage, becomes a hero worthy of the name.

There are some drawbacks to this otherwise perfect book. For one thing, Tad Williams is lacking in his portrayal of women, primarily Miriamele and Vorzheva. The latter is constantly whining and irredeemably selfish--it's difficult to understand how a great guy like Josua got stuck with her, let alone risked his life for her sake. The fact that the author is obviously in love with her does not make liking her any easier.

Miriamele is well-realized character, but toward the end she becomes sulky, and the problems that exist in her relationship with Simon are never resolved, let alone discussed, since any such discussion deteriorates into cuddling. This makes the abrupt resolution of their relationship at the end hard to swallow--so they slept together. Maybe it'll put off their problems for a night--but what about the rest of their lives?

I also thought that some very dramatic events at the end should not have been narrated by Tiamak after the fact--it took away any sense of immediacy, and belittled the importance of Cadrach's wrenching sacrifice.

Other than that, though, what is there to say? This is an epic that actually lives up to its length and delivers. The author obviously knew where he was going from page one, and his intent drives the story home by the end with stunning power. Not by any means a light read--but deep and immensely satisfying.

I'll try to keep this short, yet still explain the multitude of reasons why you should (wil) buy this book. I am a student of biochemistry, and reading (everything i get my hands on) is my most important past time. The first time I read this series I read it in German (I live in Austria). Since then I have bought the English Paperback Version of all books, read it one more time in german, and three times in English; and now plan to buy the hardcover books (only few books get the "hardcover award" from me, since I couldn't afford it else - Lord of the Ring has, so do the Simarillion and LOTR, as well as a book about the roman law and its development until today...). Bought three times, read 5 times.....within 7 years... Anyway the whole series is ended with this book, wich in itself is as long as the previous two. The pace gets faster, the story more tense, the characters develop and are finally taking action themselves, the plot finally gets solved (...), a love story developing, a happy-end with a slightly bitter taste, you may dwell on the world you have grown to love on 1600 more pages. Problem is: it's too short! (whine, whine, i wan't more) Of course it isn't the perfect story/book. But that is as good as they get. Trust me-READ THIS BOOK. I'd be proud of you....(probably doesn't help you in any way, but still)

Unoriginal, boring, long winded? Unfortunately, we live in an "instant" society, instant gratification, instant highs, instant food, if something lasts for longer than an instant, we've been trained to find it boring. Fashions come and go in a year, sales are always high as we strive to be "un-boring", movies must perpetually keep viewers on the edge of their seat... That's why I read. "The book is better than the movie" syndrome occurs around 85% of the time, usually because the story as presented in the book is too slow, can't be packed into 2 hours, etc. This gives the movie a rushed, unfinished and undetailed impression, in comparison to the book. If you prefer movies to books, then this series is not for you. Unfortunately, however, this "perpetual action" syndrome has crept into literature, fantasy being no exception. Writers must churn out one pulp novel per year, keeping books to a healthy length and be madly full of action at every turn to gratify the baser whims of the less sophisticated readers. Tad Williams put a lot into this trilogy, more than his publishers anticipated when the work ran sorely overtime, more than the readers expected when we hassled the local bookshop for news of release dates, all in the name of art. If you want heads rolling, magic flying, a formula being strictly adhered to and a stock-standard cast of non-complex characters wandering around aimlessly and killing trolls, then this series is not for you. Tolkien wrote of a dragon, elves, small men, trolls, treasure, magical artifacts, rites of passage and a journey - so did many other authors. Are all works of fantasy to be compared to his? Yes, he was brilliant! Yes, he was original, but are all works of fantasy to be labeled "unoriginal" because they use an element of his work? It is almost impossible to name five works of fantasy since that don't contain any common element with Tolkien. So too with all writers hence, must a new book necessarily be judged in the light of all works preceding it, some small-minded critic not tolerating a common element or two with another work? We might as well cease reading. "There is nothing new under the sun", but sometimes a great story rips us off our seats and plunges us into an intricate and ALIVE world, spun from the imagination and rhetoric of the author, history, previously read works, current affairs, dreams and aspirations. This is one such series, and I can not recommend it strongly enough to any who would appreciate what is one of the most intricately woven and spellbinding trilogies set in a fantasy world. The momentum of fifteen hundred pages of pure art sweeps the reader of their feet and carries them through to the spectacular ending. When I awoke from this saga, I felt as if I'd woken from a pleasant dream.

Yes, I have read LOTR, but i consider this better than that overall, though nothing can compete with LOTR history. Memory Soorw and Thorn by Tad Williams is a masterpiece. It's world and the charecters that call it home are totally believable. Everything about the story speaks at so many levels that I know that I will reread this series many times. There is no way that I can explain the book in under a thousand words. He takes many stereotypes and completly breaks them. Without ruining the story, all i can say is that by the end, I felt sorry for the storm king. Also, there is a twist that occurs at the end of this book, that puts the previous pages in a new light. if you are a fan of epic fantasy, or personal conflict, this series covers both and so much more.

To Green Angel Tower: Siege is the third volume in Memory, Sorrow and Thorn (started with The Dragonbone Chair and The Stone of Farewell, and ending with To Green Angel Tower: Storm).

After meeting with Josua's party and exiles from the plains on Sesuad'ra, the Stone of Farewell, Simon is knighted by the prince for having recovered the legendary sword Thorn. But soon they learn that Josua's brother, the High-King Elias, has sent an army led by Duke Fengbald.

They have to prepare for a desperate war. With a makeshift army of exiles, and even with the unexpected help from the trolls, they know they'll be greatlty outnumbered.

To the south, Princess Miriamele, pretending she's daughter of a minor nobleman, has unwillingly given in to Lord Apsitis. He soon tells her he knows her true identity and plans to marry her, for political purposes. She'll have to escape.

In this book, Tad Williams manages to keep us reading avidly without revealing too much of the final plot, digging deeper into each character's personality, making them seem so real. I just can't wait to read the next and last one!

Those who comment that Memory, Sorrow and Thorn is heavily influenced by Tolkien are missing the point. The book has to be close to standard Tolkien-clone fantasy because this is the type of book it subtly parodies. Can't give away too much but lets just say that the prophecy in this book is not as helpful as the ones in Eddings. Also, the nice happy ultra-good race (read Elves) are not ultra-good at all. They abused their servants (Niskies) and bicker and fight like anyone else and are also extremely paranoid. Likewise, the 'dark lord' is far from the incarnation of evil he appears. Black and white, morally transparent plotting and character writing is one of the biggest faults in modern fantasy, but Williams avoids this easily. The only real 'bad guy' is Pryrates, and that is still slightly debatable. Apart from these deviations from the norm, the book is also more than competently written fantasy, the only fault being that Williams has a tendency towards an almost Jordanesque weight of prose, though To Green Angel Tower suffers less from this than the first two volumes. Overall, a highly interesting and well-written spin on old material. Two thumbs up.

...Williams' high writing standards. This book has a lot of good action and battles, reunions, new characters and breakthroughs, questions answered and more questions raised, everything that I expected. Unfortunately, there are also a few of the old errors from book one popping up here again; for instance, calling Josua Joshue semi frequently.

While the book for the most part upholds the level of excellence of its two predecessors, my enjoyment of it was severely hampered by the fact that when I picked it up, I was only getting half of the book, and at that time my bookstore didn't have part 2 in stock.

Well, I read it anyway, and I'm beginning to wonder, because halfway through the final book in the trilogy, the story doesn't really seem and closer to closure than it did in the middle of the second book. There are more questions than answers, the characters are certainly not ready, or even yet moving towards, any kind of confrontation or resolution. Indeed, I am left to wonder how the author plans to tie everything together in the seperate second half of the novel.

However, it is still an exceptionally good bit of fantasy, and eminently worth reading; just don't pick it up unless you've got To Green Angel Tower (Part 2) ready to go.

And a final note -- the cover format and paper grade have changed from the previous books. This has nothing to do with the story, but the world is in the details and I like consistency throughout a series. Just a note. Still -- read the book.

The first thing I would like to say about this series, something which I almost couldn't believe I had found on the science fiction/fantasy bookshelves (especially after the shock I took with the Robert Jordan books) is that . . . and this is really quite amazing . . . the characters on the COVER of the book looked *exactly* like their DESCRIPTIONS *IN* the book! Besides this amazing feat, what struck me most about the whole series was the development of the main character. Williams succeeds wonderfully in absorbing the reader in his realistic depiction of Simon's growth from a clumsy, dream-filled boy to a clumsy, love-struck adolescent to a slightly more mature (but still clumsy) young man. Also, he masterfully transforms the tired old formula of disguising the standard fantasy races by giving them a different name. He imbues these characters with such incredible detail that you barely notice the gimick. Altogether a great read, worth the hours it takes to get through the dictionary-sized tomes

Memory, Sorrow and Thorn is the best fantasy series I have ever read, toppled only by the Lord of The Rings. In the first part of the third volume, Tad Williams really begins to wrap things up, moving the characters into their final places for the ultimate battle. Simon finally gets his maturity, along with other characters who experience some pretty rough stuff. I like how everything starts to come together in this volume, however, I didnt like the fact that besides that, not a whole lot happens, and most of the book is set in one location, and one of the things I have always admired about fantasy writing is the adventures that the characters have in overcoming their struggle...well this one is more politics than adventure, although there are a few welcome surprises added to the mix...a good start to a great conclusion overall, keep reading, its worth it, believe me...

This series is pretty decent, though I have to admit it has taken me a long, long time to complete each book. "To Green Angel Tower" part 1 alone took over 3 months. There are, of course, the excuses of a busy life, but I know I make time for books that truly engage me. Somehow, "Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn" doesn't keep me coming back for more.

The quality of writing is quite good, and the characterizations have improved immensely since book 1. Even Simon has developed into an interesting man. The battle scenes, traditionally my bugaboo with fantasy fiction, are quite well described. Simon's baptism by blood is particularly engaging.

Of particular note are the development of Miriamel and Tiamak. Each character survives harrowing experiences which change them: I think one thing I appreciate about this series is that instead of just *overcoming* series of obstacles to get to a goal, Williams' characters *learn from* these experiences (and just as in real life, the lessons might not be the ones we'd like them to learn).

So... Good characters, good writing, and good battles (plot, too). Why am I not engaged? Why can I not give this book 5 stars?

I suppose I don't connect with the world of Osten Ard, and for no reason I can readily identify. Other readers may have a set of experiences which make this world appealing to them: I, however, don't find it nearly as rich as Martin's Westeros, or even the world of Jordan's Wheel of Time. I suppose I could equate my experience to that of reading Donaldson's Thomas Covenant books: I enjoy reading about the characters, but find the land quite bland. YMMV.

Still: recommended.