ScribblerWorks Reviews

by Tad Williams

The final volume of Williams’ Memory, Sorrow and Thorn unrolls the climactic confrontation with the hostile immortal Storm King, whose spirit rages against his exile from all living things. This pending confrontation has loomed over all three volumes and now the author brings it to the forefront. The vast canvas of Williams’ world and his many subplots are pulled together where the story began, within the walls of the fortress, the Hayholt.

Crucial to the wrap-up of this epic adventure is the final transformation of Simon into a leader and hero. Because Williams rightly knows that victories come with costs, Simon endures torture and the struggles of being lost in a subterranean maze. He gains wisdom into human nature by being pared down to his own essential nature.

If there is one minor flaw to this volume, it is that many of the key moments that explain or reveal the signifincance of events are told after the fact rather than experienced as they happen. However, considering that Williams tracks a large number of characters and several threads of action, using the “telling, not showing” method to wrap up some details is not a deal-killer. He builds the actions and emotions of the chaacters to an exciting climax.

The trilogy is no small endeavor for the reader, but it is worth the time spent. Vivid characters, distinct cultures, unique creatures, all are well crafted for a satisfying reading experience.

by Tad Williams

The second volume of Williams’ Memory, Sorrow and Thorn has to deal with all the problems of being “the middle.” Everyone knows it is the middle and will not have a full resolution to it. The object then is to finish the volume with at least some sense of resolution. Williams does a good job of setting a primary goal to be reached for this section of the story – the title location, the Stone of Farewell. But he also makes use of his vast canvas and large cast of characters to expand the reader’s experience of his world.

Simon, the epic’s main character, had ended the last volume defeating an ice dragon and “winning” the Great Sword, Thorn. But he quickly discovers in this second book that the sword seems to have intentions of its own and they don’t include being one of Simon’s possessions. Since Simon is well aware that the sword is needed for the greater conflict, he accepts this easily. Instead, his focus shifts to the new goal of getting to the Stone of Farewell.

Williams takes the reader into new territories, showing a wide variety of cultural pockets, both intriguing and horrifying. His vivid characters are always distinctive and unmistakable. The unfolding complexity of his story is never lost in a cloud of confusion. He stays clear about each plotline’s goal and continues weaving them well.

This book is dependant on its being part of a larger story, the middle part. However, rich characterizations and well-realized locations give it a strength that many middle volumes lack. It is well worth the time spent reading it, to be sure.

by Tad Williams

I had had the volumes of Tad Williams’ epic tale, Memory, Sorrow and Thorn sitting on my bookcase for some time. It seemed about time to catch up on some fiction reading.

Williams has quite the knack for fleshing out the details of his world. I did feel that he spent an awful lot of time showing us the mundane existence that his main character, Simon, lives in the vast corridors of the High King’s castle, the Hayholt. I felt it might have taken a bit too long to set the main plot into motion, but I also realize he has used the space to introduce many of the players who will populate his vast canvas. Additionally, since the scope of the three volumes shows the transformation of Simon from a dreaming, restless scullion boy into something quite different, the long opening does serve important story purposes.

Simon has barely begun his education under the wizardly Doctor Morgenes when the ominous king’s advisor Pyrates causes the death of Simon’s mentor, forcing the youth to flee the Hayholt and head out into the wide world. Simon sets himself to seek the company of Prince Josua, who is reluctantly accepting the necessity of opposing his brother, High King Elias. Magic is let loose on the land, as it suffers first a harsh drought and then an unbreakable winter, which holds on throughout the year.

Simon’s quest gains him unusual allies – not merely companions of nations and tribes that usually battle each other, but also friends from other peoples such as trolls and Sithi. He is given charge of one specific quest – to find the legendary sword, Thorn. The volume follows him to the fulfillment of that quest, which works out rather differently than Simon imagined.

In spite of the hefty size of this volume, it is well worth working one’s way through it. Williams has taken the effort to fully realize his world. He puts more substance into the nature of his story beyond that of mere action-adventure. It may require a little bit of patience to get through the beginning, but Williams rewards the reader with a well-shaped world of unexpected sights. And as part one of three, this volume does end with a sense of accomplishment of the first part of the over-all task. The major dire threat does still looms in the background, to compel the reader on to the next volume. But The Dragonbone Chair ends with one mission complete and a sense of growth in Simon.