Stone of Farewell by Tad Williams

Check out the review of The Dragonbone Chair (Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn #1).

Review Part One

Originally published on March 21st, 2021 on Instagram.

As I open Stone of Farewell, the second part of the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy, and the mists split to reveal the looming hill of the approaching mountain island of Perdruin, it feels like Tad Williams is pulling aside a curtain, and inviting us, once again, to follow him as he takes us to a journey through his beloved land, inviting us, for a second time, to be wanderers in the lands of Osten Ard.

Tad dedicates the series to his mother, who introduced him to such magical places as are „Toad Hall, the Hundred Aker Woods, the Shire, and many other hidden places and countries beyond the fields we know“, and it seems to me that it is his love of these places what makes him one of the greatest fantasists we have ever seen.

You don’t feel like a whole lot is happening, as you flip through the pages of this book. In fact, at times, it feels like the plot isn’t moving at all. This, of course, isn’t true. Many small events are happening right before our eyes, in the background. Instead of witnessing them ourselves, we witness them through the eyes of the characters experiencing the world. Always the world. You see, Tad never lets Osten Ard slip out of focus. He describes it with language so beautiful and precise, so needle-sharp, that it animates his story so that I can see it right before my eyes. I say animate, and I think it is a very appropriate word for these books. Whenever I crack open a book set in Osten Ard, I am, in my mind, transported to a world animated in the old-school style of The Sword in the Stone, or some other fantastic Disney classic. I see scenery painted by Eywind, a vibrant paysage of rolling hills, snow-covered wastes, and chilling stone halls.

A friend asked me how come I was reading it so slowly, so I pulled up an excerpt from The Dragonbone Chair and read it to him. He instantly understood. It is not something you skim through or try to fast-read. Every sentence is like a journey, arranged with great care, that takes you to lands almost like ours, fantastic yet so similar, that it feels they could be right there, just short of the reach, beyond the fields we know…

Review Part Two

Originally published on November 14th, 2021 on Instagram.

Osten Ard: A snapshot in time

The city of Naglimund, where those opposing the High King Elias made their stand, has fallen, overrun by the forces of the Storm King whose hand reaches across Osten Ard, the dark clouds of it spreading further south with every day, as the hour of reckoning draws near.

As the dust settles around the broken gates and towers, the last survivors of Naglimund make their way through the Oldheart forest, pursued by the enemy. They are a strange company of minstrels, soldiers, court ladies, and knights, all looking to Prince Josua, the younger brother of the High King, for guidance. His hope, however, is with a faraway band of unlikely heroes trudging their way through the snowy wastes in search of a magical sword.

In the north, having found the ancient sword called Thorn, and having fought the great iceworm Igjarjuk with it, Simon, along with his band of adventurers, is healing amongst the trolls who are holding his friend Binabik prisoner for his crimes against his people. When all is made clear and they are finally able to leave, Simon receives a vision from Geloe, one of the wise ones, telling him they must go to the Stone of Farewell, the Stone of Leave-taking, where centuries ago the races of Hikeda’ya and Zida’ya last parted ways and swore never to cross paths again.

The skies darken and cultists worshipping the dark faith of the Storm King burn themselves alive in town squares; heads of servants and noblemen alike adorn the spikes outside the High King’s Hayholt, its chilly halls flickering with images of ancient Asu’a, the magnificent Zida’yan city that preceded it, as Rachel the Dragon, the mistress of chambermaids, plans the murder of a mad priest.

Across the land, the wise ones are starting to make themselves known. The League of the Scroll, whose members have long kept watch seeking for signs of dark times and preparing for them, is moving against the enemy before it becomes too late. Before the icy dagger pierces the heart of summer.