The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams

Review Part One

Originally published on June 2nd, 2021 on Instagram.

The Dragonbone Chair is the first part of the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy by Tad Williams. Osten Ard, the world in which the events of the series take place, is a world not unlike our own medieval Europe. There’s Rome-like Nabban with its fading glory, Rimmersgard, where the Vikings come from, there’s Usyres Aedon, who died on a tree to ransom the sins of mortal men and is worshipped as the son of God, and then there’s whatever the hell it is that Hernystir’s supposed to be. Hey! What’s Hernystir supposed to be?

Doesn’t matter. The point is, Tad Williams has made sure that, at first glance, Osten Ard already is the world you know, and now, all he needs to do is make it the world you love. He has frontloaded all the information that would otherwise have made for inorganic exposition, and can now take you on a magnificent journey, as you yourself become a traveller, a traveller in the land of Osten Ard!

And what a magnificent land it is, from the lofty Hayholt overlooking the ocean to the icy wastes of Frostmarch, from the rolling hills of Wealdhelm to the warm marshes of Wran, every square meter is a new country to explore and lose yourself in. Every character, every step you take is a new story filled to the brim with verdant joy and wonder. Reading this book, I truly felt transported to all those magical places, and I can honestly say that I have never enjoyed a book’s journey so much as I have enjoyed visiting all the places Tad Williams showed me in his world…

Review Part Two

Originally published on June 4th, 2021 on Instagram.

Years ago, Prester John slew the dread dragon Shurakai and freed the castle Hayholt, which he made the seat of his new kingdom, uniting for the first time all the lands of Osten Ard under one High King.

Longer still before, the elf-like Sithi ruled the Hayholt and indeed all of Osten Ard, their beautiful cities and wondrous magic suffusing the very land they overlooked.

Times change, and just as the Sithi, after thousands of years of peace, were slaughtered and driven out of their lands by iron-wielding men, so must the kingdom of Prester John end, for the king lies dying in Hayholt, and long past are the days of his glorious deeds.

And as the king lies dying, forces around him vie for power, tearing apart his once-proud realm, and preparing the doom of all its peoples.

What I love the most about The Dragonbone Chair is the way Tad Williams tells the story. From page one, he was there with me, his wonderful language and colourful descriptions echoing through the halls of the Hayholt, compelling me to breathe its air and feel the cool stones of its chamber floors beneath my feet. I mentioned in my last post how I truly felt like a traveller in the lands of Osten Ard, and that is largely due to the way Tad Williams described his world.

The story is slow-moving and takes its time setting up various characters and their routines, to the point where we know them so well that important character moments hit hard. Simon, the orphaned boy who is the protagonist of the story, is not the smartest of kids, and often gets in trouble for not being able to pay attention to anything for longer than seconds at a time. He’s not a character I would usually like, but when he suddenly lost everything, I realized just how much I cared for him. And those moments are always beautiful, no matter how painful.