Customer Reviews

Stone of Farewell (Memory, Sorrow & Thorn S.)

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Though the series as a whole is wonderful and highly-recommended, Stone of Farewell led me on an unexpected emotional journey. William's number one strength is his characters - Miriamelle aside (I almost gave this book four stars because she annoys me so much) However, reading it through for a second and third time and skimming through her passages made this a perfect read. Secondly, he has a great sense for the visual. Mists, flowers, groves, hills, towers...his visions fill my mind for days after I put the book down...

Though all the sub-plots are engrossing, especially those involving Maegwin and the journey of Prince Josua, I found the journey into the Sithi-stronghold some of the most amazing story-writing I've ever encountered. The Sithi come to life in a magical, three-dimensional way with me striving to understand like some whacked-out, hungry anthropologiest. It's been a long time since I've wanted to get the 'heck' out of this world or ours and jump headfirst into another - but this is where I would go if I could find it. Like a shot. I'm also an adult reader, so if you're a kid looking for massive amounts of sword-play and 'cool' magic (though I think these things DO lie here-in), this isn't the book for you. But if you enjoy a depth to your story, striking characterizations and dialogue that is actually enjoyable to read (read: NOT Goodkind) then you will enjoy this series and especially this volume.

This is also one of the only series - and certainly the first since I was TWELVE - that I find myself concocting alternate stories in my head before I fall asleep in the eve or even day-dreaming during my day (fan-fiction of the mind, if you will!).

I cannot emphasize what a cut above the rest of fantasy-schlock this triology is. It even gets better on a second read. But I do believe you have to have a certain tolerance for steady pacing, emotional complexties, drawn out descriptives (which I adore), and the bittersweet undercurrents of beauty lost beyond retrieving.

This book is a fitting successor to the Dragonbone Chair. Tad Williams continues with his fine work in the previous book. Again, this is a story of epic proportion, with numerous subplots and lots of character development. Osten Ard again is a vibrant,believable world in the process of being overwhelmed by a seemingly unstoppable ancient evil. The heroes are a scattered, ragtag bunch running for their lives, having a vague notion of how the evil should be stopped, but having very few options at their disposal. It just seems that there is no way in the world that good will prevail here, although here and there there are hints as to how it might occur. The despair of the main characters in the story is almost palpable. I found myself identifying many times with characters, many of which are memorable. Characters grow and develop in the book and in the reader's mind. This book is more fast-paced and has more action than the previous title, but character development and interaction are not sacrificed. Magic is referred to more than in the previous title. The enemy strikes with magic in places the reader would never expect. This book again contains much in the way of kingdom politics, intrigue, betrayal, loyalty, dark scheming, and much, much more. This book kept me up very late some nights so I could learn what happened next. Again, much of what will probably be important is not revealed early in this epic tale. I felt like my understanding of the Sithi was very inadequate and grew very slowly, just as Simon's did. Like the mortals in the books, it is difficult so far for me to truly understand the culture of the Sithi and its timeless ways. I'm looking forward to finding out more.

"The Stone of Farewell" is an amazing book. I have not found a better epic piece of fantasy since J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings." Tad Williams has crafted a fantasy of epic proportions that imerses the reader in rich details. The story catches at you and compels you to read on. The first book of the series, "The Dragonbone Chair", is a little slow to start but if you can stick with it this series is worth it! This is a must for anyone who enjoys Tolkien and good fantasy novels.

Stone of Farewell, the second volume of Tad Williams' trilogy Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, is amazingly good, easily surpassing in almost every way (except length) the first book in the saga. It starts with the technical details. The pretty frequent typos and grammatical errors found Dragonbone Chair are virtually eliminated here. And the story itself has become much more unique and self-defined, drifting out of the standard Tolkien rut the first book was in.

The characterisations continued to advance believably, enjoyably, and sympathetically, and some of the characters not focused on from the first book enjoy a much more prominent role here. The action and interactions are superb, the pacing excellent, and the author wisely chooses not to show the POV of the characters with twisted minds or royal blood.

The Sithi society is interesting, not too human but not so inhuman that we can't relate, either.

This is one of the best fantasy works that I have seen in years, and I'm very much looking forward to reading the third book in the cycle.

Perusing the bookshelves at a local bookstore, I once overheard a conversation between two women about the novels of Tad Williams. Hefting the first part of TO GREEN ANGEL TOWER, one of the women mused, "He writes such nice long books, if only he wrote better." Sadly, this is a very accurate description of Williams's fantasy series MEMORY, SORROW AND THORN.

The second book in his New York Times best-selling series, STONE OF FAREWELL, continues Williams's tale of the scullion Simon and his adventures in the land of Osten Ard. The darkness is spreading, Ineluki the Storm King and his Norn minions move across the land, and the forces of good must retreat to the Stone of Farewell, their only sanctuary in these perilous times. The charismatic Prince Josua Lackhand hatches plans to reclaim his kingdom from his brother, the mad King Elias and the evil sorcerer Pyrates, while Simon and the dwindling number of the League of the Scroll seek to fight their battle on a different front.

STONE OF FAREWELL can be easily summed up as being "more of the same" of THE DRAGONBONE CHAIR. Williams admirably moves the reader through what is a commonly tedious section of the fantasy novel, the development to the climax. Fast-paced action interspersed with moments of introspection, Williams's characters are well-rounded and identifiable. The plot is somewhat predictable, but readers will enjoy it nonetheless. Reading MEMORY, SORROW AND THORN is almost like hearing a more detailed retelling of a story everyone knows. Political intrigue and the courage of man are delved into during the calmer parts of the story. Morality is a constant theme in the series, what is right and what is wrong, what is good and what is evil.

For readers who worked their way through THE DRAGONBONE CHAIR, it is highly recommended that they read STONE OF FAREWELL. If the first novel in the series left you feeling empty, you might not be as well served working through the rest of this series. However, for avid readers of fantasy, with the amount of detail in Williams's epic, it should be enough to keep them coming back for more.

Stone of Farewell - one really excellent book. A great, fully-realized sequel to Dragonbone Chair. I originally read this book before Dragonbone Chair because as usual the excellent (hardcover)cover had caught my eye and the first book wasn't immediately accessible. The way this one plunges into the story straight away helped me read the Dragonbone Chair later without finding it tedious or being impatient with the slow development of plot. Osten Ard and especially the forzen mountains of the troll-folk were excellently described. This book isn't the normal action-packed, paperback fantasy with sword-fights and ripped-guts galore, (which can be fun in its own way, I grant you) but a very special, very real classic. A lot happens in this book on a grand scale and the author isn't afraid to kill characters, which kept me holding my breath and not daring to form predictions. I really like his characters. I love Simon, not because he's a great hero, because he isn't; nor because he's cool: he isn't. I like him because he feels real and because Williams makes us understand him and feel the story. The supporting characters are great! I love adorable Binabik and his hilarious troll quotes and his funny speech. Duke Isgrimnur is a bear of a gem. Prince Josua is intriguing and his queer humor and scholarliness sets him apart from the usual run. The only main character that I'm not all that crazy about is Princess Miriamele, but she's no where as bad as some of Robert Jordan's female creations!

The action really picks up here. What with siege of Naglimund, and the adventures that follow, Tad Williams proves his ability as a master of plot development. The writing becomes more evocative with every passing scene and description, and as a result, more terrifying. The power of language is utilized to the fullest extent to breathe life into nightmare. Few other writers have the courage to plunge into blackest despair as Tad Williams does here; and one cannot help but imagine that it is hopeless, that all is lost. Evil is no longer a bed-time story, but a full-blooded, horrifying reality. There is no respite, no sugar-coating of the consequences. Although the author truly cares for his characters, he gives them no quarter in escaping from suffering.

As to the characters themselves--now they have started to truly develop and grow, in the readers' hearts as well as on paper. Simon is growing up the hardest way imaginable, by being forced to deal with the harshest realities possible. Josua is a wonderful character, a leader whose last desire is to lead. One of my favorite scenes in this book is his wonderfully choreographed sword-fight in the Thrithings. Maegwin takes a strange turn, and Miriamele is tested to her limits. The only drawback to this book are the segments with Tiamak, which are rather dull and easily skipped or skimmed.

No hope is extended here for how the conflict will end--the atmosphere of hopeless despair is staggering. The reader's only assurance is that surely something good must be coming, else why would there be another two books following? For those who think this series has possibilities at this point, all I can is, you ain't seen nothin' yet. Stay tuned.

"Ender's Game" falls flat when I compare it to "Stone of Farewell." Ender has conflicts that are not really quite conflicting development-wise. Hel-loo! He is six years old at the beginning of the book with the mentality of a 30 year old. "Stone" leaves us with characters that we can watch as they develop. Besides that, its a darn good read.

The beginning of it takes place with Binabik and his people, and its not boring. No, its fun. (Not just because Binabik's one of my favorite characters!) Williams knows how to write, unlike some other people out there. And he gives us thousands of pages per series -- I'm all for the gargantuan novel thing. He doesn't pointlessly babble. He is as worthy of note as George R. R. Martin -- by the way, Martin read MEMORY, SORROW, AND THORN, and even picked up a few tips from Tad. (The comet = the Conqueror Star, the Dothraki = upside down Thrithings-men,...and whose to say that Qantaka (sp?) didn't inspire the direwolves!., etc.)

Begin with "The Dragonbone Chair" -- pull through the fifty or so introductory pages -- and READ THIS SERIES. Then get your copy of OTHERLAND, vols. 1 and 2, and enjoy. Unfortunately, you will have to wait for vol. 3. Sigh. Of course, you can read "Child of an Ancient City" while you're waiting, and pick up a copy of "Caliban's Hour" at your library or used bookstore. I will shut up now. I think that you get the idea.

The work of Tad Williams can easily seat with honor beside the Lord of the Rings on my shelf. I have yet to find a Fantasy writer this good. Even though it's size is intimidating, I found I just couldn't put it down. I kept looking with dread at the amount of pages left to read wishing the book will never end. When I try to analyze and evaluate a Fantasy story, I consider the following: Characters, Plot and the Fantasy world build around them. Williams scores a perfect 10 in all categories.

His characters are dynamic, as the plot evolves around them they evolve. Simon changes from a clumsy daydreaming boy to a clumsy hero. The Bad guys are not whole black, they have their shades of gray also the good guys have their share of skeletons in the closet.

The plot is captivating, the choices made by the heroes make the difference. Unlike many other writers, Williams doesn't leave us with unfinished subplots or holes in the story.

The world of The Memory, Sorrow and Thorn Series, it is the strongest essence. We have Religion and we have Magic. We have History true or false one (depends on who's looking). We have mysteries unsolved from the past and much much more. But to my opinion the best job Williams have done was with the different races. In regular Fantasy story books the Elves are treated as Humans with pointy ears, the Dwarves/Gnomes/Halflings (Williams trolls) as short humans. The races in most books suffer from sever Tolkien stereotype (Elves are noble keepers of the forest, Hobbits are shy etc..) Williams races on the other hand are completely alien. They follow a different set of rules, has a foreign civilization structure, has a set of customs, history and bounds of honor. They share a world with suspicious medieval human society, and so when they get with humans, conflict usually arises (Which is the foundation of our story). To sum it all up, this series is a great reading, leaves you with a taste for more.

Thumbs up Tad Williams

This is the second time I have read Tad Williams epic fantasy series, "Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn." The first time through, when I was fifteen years old, and the series had only been out for a couple years, I didn't understand that I was reading a unique, and unprecedented series. I wasn't aware that many of the other series I would read in the next thirteen years would be only pale shadows of this series in terms of quality and originality - all I knew at the time was that I couldn't put the books down.

I've learned a lot in the thirteen years since I first read the series. I've learned that the fantasy genre is a chaotic, fickle ocean of "literature", filled with terrible novels, surrounded by shores mediocre novels, with only a small island of great stories in the center. I've read hundreds of fantasy books and series, and while some were great, and many were good, a vast majority were underwhelming - even some that many critics consider greats, I can barely make it through the first or second book in the series.

I picked up "The Dragonbone Chair," the first book in the series, a few weeks ago, with the intentions of just browsing a little bit while I was bored. Little did I know that this act would take me back in time, and once again, I wouldn't be able to put the book(s) down until they were done. However, I'm reviewing the second book, "Stone of Farewell," because I just turned the last page this morning, and it is freshest in my mind.

Farewell picks up literally where Dragonbone left off, with one group of heroes fleeing for their lives, and the second group in an uncertain scenario after besting the villains atop Ursheim mountain. We immediately get a feel that this novel will not only be continuing the important main sequence, but will also be expanding on other important characters as new plot lines, new information, and new characters are introduced. It is these new characters that I believe I was so fascinated with. Every single one has his or her own personality, with quirks and annoyances, as well as heroic and comforting properties. One character who we have had no reason up until now to believe is anything other than a rogue and scoundrel shows a side that helps us understand his predicament, and even gives us some sympathy towards him. Other characters, who seemed infallible and unbreakable are shown to have human flaws and weaknesses that truly make us empathize with them. The characters learn from their experiences and actually grow because of them.

Stone of Farewell is where Tad Williams begins to really pick up the plot, and show that the stakes are high. He is not afraid to kill of a character just because we love him, and he is not afraid to show evil at its worst. The villains have true motivations that slowly begin to become apparent, but all their motivations are their own, and unique. The Storm King wants something different from the Norn Queen, who in turn wants something other than what Pryrates wants, who's goals have nothing to do with Elias. Webs of intrigue are sewn masterfully, and the twists are surprising, while at the same time logical.

The different cultures and kingdoms really stand out as well. It is extremely obvious that sithi society is nothing like that of the Erkynlanders, and that Qanucs are not just short Rimmersmen. All the cultures have their own religions, societies, arts, crafts, languages, and lifestyles, and each is as real as the next. It is almost hard to believe this is written about a fantasy world, and not just a past version of Earth.

Tad's writing itself seems to also have made a few leaps by this book. It is perhaps a little-known fact that "Dragonbone" was his breakthrough into the fantasy genre, and many readers could tell this - I couldn't, the first time I read, but I could this time around. However, by the second chapter of the second book, I could swear I was reading the works of someone so established in the genre, that I thought, "How could this series not be one of the most popular, well-known fantasy series around??" This book is also where we see a true break from the standard Tolkien-esque fantasy, and the plot takes real, unique directional leaps that have never been seen before or since.

I was able to stop turning pages long enough to write this review, but "To Green Angel Tower" is calling me, and I fear I must come to beck. I don't know if I will ever read this series again, ten or twenty years from now, but I know that the world of Osten Ard is a great place to visit, and I wouldn't mind coming back to hear the stories again. If you're looking for a great fantasy series to read that is different in style and plot from Tolkien, Eddings, Feist, and Jordan, then I highly recommend giving this series a try. Many people have said that the first 150 pages of Dragonbone are too slow, but I just think it's a slow acceleration to a non-stop joyride, giving you all the background information you need to jump headlong into the series. You won't regret picking this book up.