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Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn #2
小泻械谢褟 袩褉芯褖邪薪薪褟
袣褍谢褜褌芯胁邪 褌褉懈谢芯谐褨褟 芯写薪芯谐芯 蟹 薪邪泄锌芯锌褍谢褟褉薪褨褕懈褏 褍 褋胁褨褌褨 邪胁褌芯褉褨胁 鈥� 邪屑械褉懈泻邪薪褋褜泻芯谐芯 锌懈褋褜屑械薪薪懈泻邪 孝械写邪 袙褨谢褜褟屑褋邪 芦袩邪屑鈥櫻徰傃�, 小泻芯褉斜芯褌邪 褨 楔懈锌禄 褋褌邪谢邪 械褌邪谢芯薪芯屑 卸邪薪褉褍 械锌褨褔薪芯谐芯 褎械薪褌械蟹褨 薪邪褕芯谐芯 褔邪褋褍. 小邪屑械 褑械泄 斜械褋褌褋械谢械褉 薪邪写懈褏薪褍胁 袛卸. 袪. 袦邪褉褌褨薪邪 薪邪锌懈褋邪褌懈 褋胁芯褦 褋械屑懈泻薪懈卸卸褟 芦袩褨褋薪褟 谢褜芯写褍 泄 锌芯谢褍屑'褟禄.
小锌芯褉褨写薪械薪褨 泻芯谢懈褋褜 薪邪褉芯写懈, 薪芯褉薪懈 褨 褋懈褌褏懈, 褉芯蟹谢褍褔懈谢懈褋褟 薪邪蟹邪胁卸写懈 斜褨谢褟 小泻械谢褨 袩褉芯褖邪薪薪褟 褨 锌褨褕谢懈 褉褨蟹薪懈屑懈 褕谢褟褏邪屑懈. 楔谢褟褏 薪芯褉薪褨胁 锌褉懈胁褨胁 褩褏 写芯 薪械薪邪胁懈褋褌褨 泄 泻褉懈胁邪胁芯褩 卸芯褉褋褌芯泻芯褩 胁褨泄薪懈. 袧邪褌褏薪械薪薪懈泻 胁褨泄薪懈 锌褉邪谐薪褍胁 蟹薪懈褖懈褌懈 褋褜芯谐芯褔邪褋薪懈泄 褋胁褨褌, 褟泻懈泄 泄芯屑褍 薪械 锌芯写芯斜邪褦褌褜褋褟, 褨 泄芯谐芯 屑褍写褉邪 屑邪褌懈 褋褍屑薪芯 褋泻邪蟹邪谢邪: 芦袉薪械谢褍泻褨 卸懈胁械 褍 褋胁褨褌褨 屑懈薪褍谢芯谐芯禄. 袧邪 斜褨泄 蟹 芯斜褉邪卸械薪懈屑懈 薪邪 胁械褋褜 褋胁褨褌 褎邪薪邪褌懈泻邪屑懈 褋褌邪谢懈 谢褞写懈 褨 褋懈褌褏懈.
啸褌芯褋褜 锌褉芯褔懈褌邪褦 褑械 蟹邪褏芯锌谢懈胁械 胁懈谐邪写谢懈胁械 褎械薪褌械蟹褨, 褖芯斜 褉芯蟹胁邪卸懈褌懈褋褜 褨 胁褨写胁芯谢褨泻褌懈褋褟, 邪 褏褌芯褋褜 锌芯斜邪褔懈褌褜 褍 薪褜芯屑褍 邪褋芯褑褨邪褑褨褩 褨蟹 褋褍褔邪褋薪褨褋褌褞 褨 薪械写胁芯蟹薪邪褔薪褨 褨褋褌芯褉懈褔薪褨 锌邪褉邪谢械谢褨.
孝褉懈谢芯谐褨褞 芦袩邪屑鈥櫻徰傃�, 小泻芯褉斜芯褌邪 褨 楔懈锌禄 褋泻谢邪写邪褞褌褜 泻薪懈谐懈: 芦孝褉芯薪 褨蟹 写褉邪泻芯薪芯胁懈褏 泻褨褋褌芯泻禄, 芦小泻械谢褟 袩褉芯褖邪薪薪褟禄, 芦袙械卸邪 袟械谢械薪芯谐芯 携薪谐芯谢邪禄.
小锌芯褉褨写薪械薪褨 泻芯谢懈褋褜 薪邪褉芯写懈, 薪芯褉薪懈 褨 褋懈褌褏懈, 褉芯蟹谢褍褔懈谢懈褋褟 薪邪蟹邪胁卸写懈 斜褨谢褟 小泻械谢褨 袩褉芯褖邪薪薪褟 褨 锌褨褕谢懈 褉褨蟹薪懈屑懈 褕谢褟褏邪屑懈. 楔谢褟褏 薪芯褉薪褨胁 锌褉懈胁褨胁 褩褏 写芯 薪械薪邪胁懈褋褌褨 泄 泻褉懈胁邪胁芯褩 卸芯褉褋褌芯泻芯褩 胁褨泄薪懈. 袧邪褌褏薪械薪薪懈泻 胁褨泄薪懈 锌褉邪谐薪褍胁 蟹薪懈褖懈褌懈 褋褜芯谐芯褔邪褋薪懈泄 褋胁褨褌, 褟泻懈泄 泄芯屑褍 薪械 锌芯写芯斜邪褦褌褜褋褟, 褨 泄芯谐芯 屑褍写褉邪 屑邪褌懈 褋褍屑薪芯 褋泻邪蟹邪谢邪: 芦袉薪械谢褍泻褨 卸懈胁械 褍 褋胁褨褌褨 屑懈薪褍谢芯谐芯禄. 袧邪 斜褨泄 蟹 芯斜褉邪卸械薪懈屑懈 薪邪 胁械褋褜 褋胁褨褌 褎邪薪邪褌懈泻邪屑懈 褋褌邪谢懈 谢褞写懈 褨 褋懈褌褏懈.
啸褌芯褋褜 锌褉芯褔懈褌邪褦 褑械 蟹邪褏芯锌谢懈胁械 胁懈谐邪写谢懈胁械 褎械薪褌械蟹褨, 褖芯斜 褉芯蟹胁邪卸懈褌懈褋褜 褨 胁褨写胁芯谢褨泻褌懈褋褟, 邪 褏褌芯褋褜 锌芯斜邪褔懈褌褜 褍 薪褜芯屑褍 邪褋芯褑褨邪褑褨褩 褨蟹 褋褍褔邪褋薪褨褋褌褞 褨 薪械写胁芯蟹薪邪褔薪褨 褨褋褌芯褉懈褔薪褨 锌邪褉邪谢械谢褨.
孝褉懈谢芯谐褨褞 芦袩邪屑鈥櫻徰傃�, 小泻芯褉斜芯褌邪 褨 楔懈锌禄 褋泻谢邪写邪褞褌褜 泻薪懈谐懈: 芦孝褉芯薪 褨蟹 写褉邪泻芯薪芯胁懈褏 泻褨褋褌芯泻禄, 芦小泻械谢褟 袩褉芯褖邪薪薪褟禄, 芦袙械卸邪 袟械谢械薪芯谐芯 携薪谐芯谢邪禄.
744 pages, Hardcover
First published August 7, 1990
1,454 people are currently reading
15.3k people want to read
About the author
Tad Williams
339听books7,576听followersTad Williams is a California-based fantasy superstar. His genre-creating (and genre-busting) books have sold tens of millions worldwide, in twenty-five languages. His considerable output of epic fantasy and science fiction book-series, stories of all kinds, urban fantasy novels, comics, scripts, etc., have strongly influenced a generation of writers: the 鈥極therland鈥� epic relaunches June 2018 as an MMO on steam.com. Tad is currently immersed in the creation of 鈥楾he Last King of Osten Ard鈥�, planned as a trilogy with two intermediary novels. He, his family and his animals live in the Santa Cruz mountains in a suitably strange and beautiful house. @tadwilliams @mrstad
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July 14, 2023
Stone of Farewell is all about preparation for the grand conclusion.
Before I start my review, I want to say Tad Williams has been setting the correct example of what to include in sequels since the 90s. Stone of Fareweel begins with a recap of key points of events that happened in The Dragonbone Chair, and I find it a bit crazy that this hasn鈥檛 become a standard in epic fantasy series. Including this shows that the authors care and understand readers sometimes do not have the time to reread. And at the same time, this will be beneficial in making readers remember crucial moments from the previous book, which usually enriches the reading experience of the specific sequel. Did I need it? Not really for this one because I just read The Dragonbone Chair, but it is good to have it there for those who need it. If you have been following my reviews recently, you will know I鈥檓 a recent fan of The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams. The first book in Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy, or the entire trilogy, is a series beloved by many epic fantasy readers but doesn鈥檛 seem to get the recognition it deserves. Especially when it has inspired several popular and highly acclaimed fantasy series like The Kingkiller Chronicle and A Song of Ice and Fire to reach their eventual stardom. Considering how much I loved The Dragonbone Chair, it should be believable that I was so looking forward to reading its sequel: Stone of Farewell. And here it is, my full spoiler-free thoughts on it. I don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 as good as The Dragonbone Chair, but it was certainly another great book from Tad Williams that made me excited to read To Green Angel Tower ASAP.
Stone of Farewell is the second book in Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy. The story continues from where the previous book left off, and it was easy for me to feel immersed in the writing again. It is a delight and a joy to be reading Tad's writing. I have mentioned it several times; we fantasy readers need to spotlight Tad Williams' writing skills more frequently. Lyrical, beautiful, carefully crafted, and melancholic. It is not often I read a fantasy book that can conjure the same feeling of melancholia and nostalgia I get from reading Tolkien's writing, and that is what is delivered by Tad's prose. Added with a sense of modernity. And for the writing alone, it goes without saying that I had a wonderful time reading Stone of Farewell. But to go back to what I said earlier, let me get the things that did not work for me out of the way first, Stone of Farewell did suffer from a middle book syndrome occasionally encountered in epic fantasy trilogy.
What I meant by this is that the majority of Stone of Farewell revolves around the main characters being separated and located at a different place from one another, and each one of them is trying to get to their destination: Stone of Farewell. Because of this, Stone of Farewell is heavily filled with traveling montages and getting the characters to their respective destination so the story can presumably proceed toward an explosive ending in the next book. Although I don't usually mind characters being placed in different locations, it can be a bit of a struggle sometimes here because my favorite characters (Simon and Binabik) of the series don't share a scene together for hundreds of pages. In some sections of the book, we don't even get to read some of the other main character's POV chapters appearing for a long time. And then there were also Miriamele and Maegwyn (the M&Ms) chapters that often felt like a slog to get through. I am generally not a fan of seafaring portions in my fantasy books, and here, approximately half of Miriamele's story takes place on a boat. It made her chapters feel more stagnant. As for Maegwyn, other than learning about the lore and world-building in her chapters, I did not find myself invested in her story. All of these, combined with the slow-pacing nature of the narrative, decrease my enjoyment of Stone of Farewell.
Fortunately, as I said, Stone of Farewell remain another superb installment in Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn thanks to the lovely writing, tremendous world-building, and likable main characters. The themes of friendship, love, legacy, responsibilities, leadership, good and evil, were strongly evident. Simon and Binabik may not share as many scenes as they did in The Dragonbone Chair, which is unfortunate and yet necessary, but the powerful scenes they shared together intensified my affection for the two of them. They are becoming one of my favorite duos or brotherhood in the genre. Simon, as a reluctant hero, went through many hardships and defining moments in his journey here. Sorrow, rage, regret, loyalty, and more. Tad showcased how much of a big deal it is to have a friend like Binabik in his life. And the same situation, for reasons I cannot mention due to spoilers, can be applied the other way around for Binabik, too.
Of course, these two are not the only saving grace of the novel. Joshua was awesome. Jiriki's friendship with Simon was intriguing, Sludig is even more likable now, Cadrach surprisingly developed into a complex character, and some fascinating new characters like Aditu were introduced. In a time of darkness, dread, and ultimate testing for the realm of Osten Ard, where terrifying minions of the undead Sithi ruler, Ineluki the Storm King, are spreading their seemingly undefeatable evil across the kingdom, alliances and friendships need to be formed. And these characters be integral to the fate of Osten Ard. Where their story stopped in Stone of Farewell made me incredibly excited to read To Green Angel Tower.
Lastly, the world-building in Osten Ard is starting to feel more expansive and immersive. We get to learn, quite extensively, further about the cultures and lore of the world. I loved how connected the past is to the present conflict. As I mentioned in my review of The Dragonbone Chair, the world of Osten Ard feels intricate, fantastical, and yet believable. I always consider it a positive sign when I read a fantasy book or series, and what I get to read in the present timeframe makes me eager to find out more about what happened in the past. This has been achieved stupendously in Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn. I mean, there were several times when the events of the past long gone made me want to read about them more than the current conflict. Especially when we're talking about Ineluki and the three great swords.
There were revelations regarding one of the great swords, Memory, in this book, and it felt like a thing I should've seen coming but did not. That's a testament to how immersed I was in the story and world that I forgot to think about this detail for a second. Speaking of Ineluki the Storm King, I did wish to witness more of his overwhelming hatred and vengeance in Stone of Farewell. But it seems like this is being saved for the next book. Some readers have told me I should read Brothers of the Wind prequel novel for this, too, and I think I will do that after I finish reading To Green Angel Tower. Also, it was interesting to read the name Navigator's Children for the first time here. The Navigator's Children is the title of the upcoming fourth and final book in The Last King of Osten Ard series.
Despite a few personal hiccups with the pacing and story structure, I still highly enjoyed reading Stone of Farewell. Lovable characters, detailed world-building, and beautiful prose remain strong as the main highlights of this sequel for me. No doubt about that. Depending on To Green Angel Tower, Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy might become one of my favorite series. Maybe even the entirety of The Osten Ard Saga because I plan to read all the published books in the series. But first, let's finish Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn. To Green Angel Tower is a 520,000 words beast, and although it is intimidating, I am undeniably to find out how the first part of Osten Ard Saga concludes.
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鈥淥ld cities and old stories were now part of his very life. It was strange how the future seemed tied inseparably to the past, so that both revolved through the present, like a great wheel...鈥�
Before I start my review, I want to say Tad Williams has been setting the correct example of what to include in sequels since the 90s. Stone of Fareweel begins with a recap of key points of events that happened in The Dragonbone Chair, and I find it a bit crazy that this hasn鈥檛 become a standard in epic fantasy series. Including this shows that the authors care and understand readers sometimes do not have the time to reread. And at the same time, this will be beneficial in making readers remember crucial moments from the previous book, which usually enriches the reading experience of the specific sequel. Did I need it? Not really for this one because I just read The Dragonbone Chair, but it is good to have it there for those who need it. If you have been following my reviews recently, you will know I鈥檓 a recent fan of The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams. The first book in Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy, or the entire trilogy, is a series beloved by many epic fantasy readers but doesn鈥檛 seem to get the recognition it deserves. Especially when it has inspired several popular and highly acclaimed fantasy series like The Kingkiller Chronicle and A Song of Ice and Fire to reach their eventual stardom. Considering how much I loved The Dragonbone Chair, it should be believable that I was so looking forward to reading its sequel: Stone of Farewell. And here it is, my full spoiler-free thoughts on it. I don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 as good as The Dragonbone Chair, but it was certainly another great book from Tad Williams that made me excited to read To Green Angel Tower ASAP.
鈥淣ot everyone can stand up and be a hero, Princess,鈥� he said quietly. 鈥淪ome prefer to surrender to the inevitable and salve their consciences with the gift of survival.鈥�
Stone of Farewell is the second book in Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy. The story continues from where the previous book left off, and it was easy for me to feel immersed in the writing again. It is a delight and a joy to be reading Tad's writing. I have mentioned it several times; we fantasy readers need to spotlight Tad Williams' writing skills more frequently. Lyrical, beautiful, carefully crafted, and melancholic. It is not often I read a fantasy book that can conjure the same feeling of melancholia and nostalgia I get from reading Tolkien's writing, and that is what is delivered by Tad's prose. Added with a sense of modernity. And for the writing alone, it goes without saying that I had a wonderful time reading Stone of Farewell. But to go back to what I said earlier, let me get the things that did not work for me out of the way first, Stone of Farewell did suffer from a middle book syndrome occasionally encountered in epic fantasy trilogy.
鈥淗ope鈥� is like the belly-strap on a king鈥檚 saddle鈥攁 slender thing, but if it snaps the world turns topside-down.鈥�
What I meant by this is that the majority of Stone of Farewell revolves around the main characters being separated and located at a different place from one another, and each one of them is trying to get to their destination: Stone of Farewell. Because of this, Stone of Farewell is heavily filled with traveling montages and getting the characters to their respective destination so the story can presumably proceed toward an explosive ending in the next book. Although I don't usually mind characters being placed in different locations, it can be a bit of a struggle sometimes here because my favorite characters (Simon and Binabik) of the series don't share a scene together for hundreds of pages. In some sections of the book, we don't even get to read some of the other main character's POV chapters appearing for a long time. And then there were also Miriamele and Maegwyn (the M&Ms) chapters that often felt like a slog to get through. I am generally not a fan of seafaring portions in my fantasy books, and here, approximately half of Miriamele's story takes place on a boat. It made her chapters feel more stagnant. As for Maegwyn, other than learning about the lore and world-building in her chapters, I did not find myself invested in her story. All of these, combined with the slow-pacing nature of the narrative, decrease my enjoyment of Stone of Farewell.
鈥淭oo often it is that men think those who serve are doing it from inferiorness or weakness鈥� Folk who have those beliefs should ride a mount like Qantaqa, who could eat them if she chose. They would then be learning humbleness.鈥�
Fortunately, as I said, Stone of Farewell remain another superb installment in Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn thanks to the lovely writing, tremendous world-building, and likable main characters. The themes of friendship, love, legacy, responsibilities, leadership, good and evil, were strongly evident. Simon and Binabik may not share as many scenes as they did in The Dragonbone Chair, which is unfortunate and yet necessary, but the powerful scenes they shared together intensified my affection for the two of them. They are becoming one of my favorite duos or brotherhood in the genre. Simon, as a reluctant hero, went through many hardships and defining moments in his journey here. Sorrow, rage, regret, loyalty, and more. Tad showcased how much of a big deal it is to have a friend like Binabik in his life. And the same situation, for reasons I cannot mention due to spoilers, can be applied the other way around for Binabik, too.
鈥淎re you still my friend, Binabik?鈥� he said at last.
The troll took the flute from his lips. 鈥淭o death and beyond, Simon-friend.鈥�
Of course, these two are not the only saving grace of the novel. Joshua was awesome. Jiriki's friendship with Simon was intriguing, Sludig is even more likable now, Cadrach surprisingly developed into a complex character, and some fascinating new characters like Aditu were introduced. In a time of darkness, dread, and ultimate testing for the realm of Osten Ard, where terrifying minions of the undead Sithi ruler, Ineluki the Storm King, are spreading their seemingly undefeatable evil across the kingdom, alliances and friendships need to be formed. And these characters be integral to the fate of Osten Ard. Where their story stopped in Stone of Farewell made me incredibly excited to read To Green Angel Tower.
鈥淣ever make your home in a place鈥� Make a home for yourself inside your own head. You鈥檒l find what you need to furnish it鈥攎emory, friends you can trust, love of learning, and other such things. That way it will go with you wherever you journey.
Lastly, the world-building in Osten Ard is starting to feel more expansive and immersive. We get to learn, quite extensively, further about the cultures and lore of the world. I loved how connected the past is to the present conflict. As I mentioned in my review of The Dragonbone Chair, the world of Osten Ard feels intricate, fantastical, and yet believable. I always consider it a positive sign when I read a fantasy book or series, and what I get to read in the present timeframe makes me eager to find out more about what happened in the past. This has been achieved stupendously in Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn. I mean, there were several times when the events of the past long gone made me want to read about them more than the current conflict. Especially when we're talking about Ineluki and the three great swords.
鈥淭here was little inspiration in the crumbling ruins of Enki-e-Shao鈥檚aye. They seemed only to demonstrate that even the Sithi were bound within the sweep of time; that any work of hands, however exalted, must come at last to ignoble result.鈥�
There were revelations regarding one of the great swords, Memory, in this book, and it felt like a thing I should've seen coming but did not. That's a testament to how immersed I was in the story and world that I forgot to think about this detail for a second. Speaking of Ineluki the Storm King, I did wish to witness more of his overwhelming hatred and vengeance in Stone of Farewell. But it seems like this is being saved for the next book. Some readers have told me I should read Brothers of the Wind prequel novel for this, too, and I think I will do that after I finish reading To Green Angel Tower. Also, it was interesting to read the name Navigator's Children for the first time here. The Navigator's Children is the title of the upcoming fourth and final book in The Last King of Osten Ard series.
鈥淚neluki has changed鈥� He has become something the world has not seen before, a smoldering ember of despair and hatred, surviving only to redress those things which long ago were injustices and mistakes and tragic underestimations, but now are simply facts. Like ourselves, Ineluki dwells in the realm of what was. But unlike his living kin, Ineluki is not content to wallow in memories of the past. He lives, or exists鈥攈ere is a place the mortal language is too inexact鈥攖o see the present state of the world obliterated and the injustices made right, but his only window is anger. His justice will be cruel, his methods even more horrible. 鈥�
Despite a few personal hiccups with the pacing and story structure, I still highly enjoyed reading Stone of Farewell. Lovable characters, detailed world-building, and beautiful prose remain strong as the main highlights of this sequel for me. No doubt about that. Depending on To Green Angel Tower, Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy might become one of my favorite series. Maybe even the entirety of The Osten Ard Saga because I plan to read all the published books in the series. But first, let's finish Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn. To Green Angel Tower is a 520,000 words beast, and although it is intimidating, I am undeniably to find out how the first part of Osten Ard Saga concludes.
鈥淚t has always been the same world, Prince Josua鈥� It is only that in these troubled hours things are seen more clearly. The lamps of cities blur many shadows that are plain beneath the moon.鈥�
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May 4, 2024
Beautiful, slow burn fantasy. Tad Williams is a wordsmith!
4.5
4.5
December 23, 2014
My review of did not do the novel justice. It was written in haste, a few quickly typed lines before I launched into The Stone of Farewell. See, The Dragonbone Chair ended on such a note that I just did.not.have.the.time to think about a decent review. I simply had to know what happened next.
The first novel went to great pains to establish the world, so there wasn鈥檛 such a lot of exposition required for The Stone of Farewell. This freed the author up to do what he apparently does best: write awesome, and remarkably cinematic, fantasy. There is an epic sweep to Memory, Sorrow and Thorn that does both Tolkien and David Lean proud. is on record saying that this series inspired him to write A Song of Ice and Fire.
Simon is a great reluctant-hero type. He is often resentful and bitter as he is swept along in the story. He rarely comprehends the significance of events and he never volunteers, but is unable to remove himself from the forefront of the stage. He often alternates between self pity and self loathing, which makes him pretty believable given the circumstances. And yet, ever so slowly, the reader starts perceiving the subtle changes, because among all the other things this novel aspires to, it is also a bildungsroman. As for Binabik the troll: he has to be read to be believed. There is some truth to the 鈥渄ynamite in small packages鈥� saying. The Miriamele/Aspitis sequence frustrated me to the point of orthostatic hypotension, but I have a niggling feeling that this was exactly the author鈥檚 intention. I could go on and on: the characters in here are as real as it gets in genre fiction, and there are many of them.
At times touching, at times amusing, but always rousingly epic - this is the series to read if you鈥檙e into high fantasy. I don鈥檛 have the next book close at hand (it is still in the mail), which is a pity, since this one also ends on such a fever pitch that I would have loved to launch straight into , without losing momentum. Alas.
Note: Jumping into a river to attack a crocodile is probably the second stupidest thing you can do (I鈥檓 reserving judgement about the first). It didn鈥檛 affect my rating, but you might want to bear it in mind.
The first novel went to great pains to establish the world, so there wasn鈥檛 such a lot of exposition required for The Stone of Farewell. This freed the author up to do what he apparently does best: write awesome, and remarkably cinematic, fantasy. There is an epic sweep to Memory, Sorrow and Thorn that does both Tolkien and David Lean proud. is on record saying that this series inspired him to write A Song of Ice and Fire.
Simon is a great reluctant-hero type. He is often resentful and bitter as he is swept along in the story. He rarely comprehends the significance of events and he never volunteers, but is unable to remove himself from the forefront of the stage. He often alternates between self pity and self loathing, which makes him pretty believable given the circumstances. And yet, ever so slowly, the reader starts perceiving the subtle changes, because among all the other things this novel aspires to, it is also a bildungsroman. As for Binabik the troll: he has to be read to be believed. There is some truth to the 鈥渄ynamite in small packages鈥� saying. The Miriamele/Aspitis sequence frustrated me to the point of orthostatic hypotension, but I have a niggling feeling that this was exactly the author鈥檚 intention. I could go on and on: the characters in here are as real as it gets in genre fiction, and there are many of them.
At times touching, at times amusing, but always rousingly epic - this is the series to read if you鈥檙e into high fantasy. I don鈥檛 have the next book close at hand (it is still in the mail), which is a pity, since this one also ends on such a fever pitch that I would have loved to launch straight into , without losing momentum. Alas.
Note: Jumping into a river to attack a crocodile is probably the second stupidest thing you can do (I鈥檓 reserving judgement about the first). It didn鈥檛 affect my rating, but you might want to bear it in mind.
October 21, 2023
The most middle middle to ever middle. It's not even a middle. It's an iddl.
There's a season of The Walking Dead where, after the heroes have been holed up in a prison that is attacked by enemies, they are then scattered in many directions. And the show spends episodes upon episodes upon episodes dealing with them all separately wandering around until they get to the point in which they all meet again.
This 800 page book is an elongated version of those episodes, but if every character stopped and talked about the history of every town and zombie and raccoon they wandered by.
I was gonna try to finish this trilogy before the end of the year, but I need a break. I'll read To Green Angel Tower next year.
Can someone tell me an attribute of Simon? Any attribute. Not being picky here. I can't think of anything. Alive? Is being alive an attribute?
There's a season of The Walking Dead where, after the heroes have been holed up in a prison that is attacked by enemies, they are then scattered in many directions. And the show spends episodes upon episodes upon episodes dealing with them all separately wandering around until they get to the point in which they all meet again.
This 800 page book is an elongated version of those episodes, but if every character stopped and talked about the history of every town and zombie and raccoon they wandered by.
I was gonna try to finish this trilogy before the end of the year, but I need a break. I'll read To Green Angel Tower next year.
Can someone tell me an attribute of Simon? Any attribute. Not being picky here. I can't think of anything. Alive? Is being alive an attribute?
February 22, 2022
I still really enjoyed the characters, and character interactions, the worldbuilding and lore is still fantastic, and Tad's writing is still very good, I don't love it as much as some do, but it is still very good. (even if I sometimes get annoyed by the sheer quantity of adverbs). This book also just feels like the poster child for middle book syndrome. The main plot of this book feels like it is just to get people in a situation where they can start the final book, and most of the conflict of the book is driven by sub plots along the way.
So it's a 4 star, but it is a mildly disappointing 4 star given the skill and talent of the author.
7.3/10
So it's a 4 star, but it is a mildly disappointing 4 star given the skill and talent of the author.
7.3/10
March 15, 2024
10/10猸�
袩芯褌褍卸薪邪, 谐邪褉薪邪, 写懈薪邪屑褨褔薪邪, 械锌褨褔薪邪 褌邪 薪械泄屑芯胁褨褉薪芯 褑褨泻邪胁邪 褨褋褌芯褉褨褟. 袧械 写懈胁谢褟褔懈褋褜 薪邪 胁械谢懈泻懈泄 芯斜褋褟谐, 泻薪懈谐邪 写褍卸械 褕胁懈写泻芯 褔懈褌邪褦褌褜褋褟, 斜芯 锌芯褋褌褨泄薪芯 褖芯褋褜 胁褨写斜褍胁邪褦褌褜褋褟, 泻薪懈谐邪 斜械蟹褍锌懈薪薪芯 薪邪斜懈褉邪褦 芯斜械褉褌褨胁 褌邪 褌褉懈屑邪褦 谐褉邪写褍褋 薪邪锌褉褍谐懈 写芯 泻褨薪褑褟. 袘邪谐邪褌芯 锌械褉褋芯薪邪卸褨胁 褟泻懈褏 褉邪蟹泻懈写邪谢芯 锌芯 胁褋褨泄 泻邪褉褌褨 褋胁褨褌褍. 校 泻芯卸薪芯谐芯 褋胁褨泄 褕谢褟褏 褌邪 褑褨谢褜. 袣芯卸薪邪 芯泻褉械屑邪 褋褞卸械褌薪邪 谐褨谢泻邪 褑褨泻邪胁邪 褌邪 胁邪卸谢懈胁邪 写谢褟 褉芯蟹胁懈褌泻褍 谐谢芯斜邪谢褜薪芯谐芯 褋褞卸械褌褍, 薪邪胁褨褌褜 褟泻褖芯 褋锌芯褔邪褌泻褍 蟹写邪褦褌褜褋褟 褖芯 褑械 薪械 褌邪泻. 袩芯写芯褉芯卸褍褞褔懈 褋胁褨褌芯屑 谐谐 胁褨写胁褨写褍褞褌褜 薪芯胁褨 屑褨褋褑褟, 芯写薪褨 斜褍写褍褌褜 薪械泄屑芯胁褨褉薪芯 谐邪褉薪褨, 褨薪褕褨 屑芯褌芯褉芯褕薪褨 褌邪 锌芯胁薪褨 薪械斜械蟹锌械泻懈. 孝邪 蟹褍褋褌褉褨褔褨 蟹 褨褋褌芯褌邪屑懈 锌褉芯 褟泻懈褏 褦 蟹谐邪写泻懈 褌褨谢褜泻懈 褍 谢械谐械薪写邪褏. 袛褉褍谐邪 褔邪褋褌懈薪邪 褌褉懈谢芯谐褨褩 斜褨谢褜褕 锌芯褏屑褍褉邪 褌邪 屑褨褋褑褟屑懈 薪邪胁褨褌褜 写械锌褉械褋懈胁薪邪, 斜芯 屑芯谐褍褌薪褨褋褌褜 胁芯褉芯谐邪 写褍卸械 胁械谢懈泻邪, 胁褨薪 褋懈谢褜薪懈泄, 褏懈褌褉懈泄, 斜械蟹卸邪谢褜薪懈泄 褌邪 锌械褉械胁邪卸邪褦 泻褨谢褜泻褨褋褌褞, 邪 锌褉芯褌懈褋褌芯褩褌褜 泄芯屑褍 薪械胁械谢懈褔泻邪 谐褉褍锌邪 褏芯褉芯斜褉懈褏 胁芯褩薪褨胁, 褟泻懈褏 薪邪卸邪谢褜 褋褌邪褦 胁褋械 屑械薪褕械 胁 褑褜芯屑褍 卸芯褉褋褌芯泻芯屑褍 褌邪 薪械褉褨胁薪芯屑褍 锌褉芯褌懈褋褌芯褟薪薪褨. 袗谢械 薪邪写褨褟 褦, 屑邪谢械薪褜泻邪, 邪谢械 褦. 孝邪泻芯卸 褦 褌褨 褏褌芯 写芯锌芯屑邪谐邪褦 褟泻 锌芯褉邪写邪屑懈 褌邪泻 褨 写褨褟屑懈. 孝芯卸 褋褍锌褉芯褌懈胁 褌褉懈胁邪褦. 袙懈褉褨褕邪谢褜薪邪 斜懈褌胁邪 锌芯锌械褉械写褍.
笑褟 褨褋褌芯褉褨褟 蟹邪褏芯锌懈谢邪 褌邪 锌芯谐谢懈薪褍谢邪 胁械褋褜 屑褨泄 胁褨谢褜薪懈泄 褔邪褋. 袟邪胁写褟泻懈 薪械泄屑芯胁褨褉薪芯屑褍 锌懈褋褜屑械薪薪懈褑褜泻芯屑褍 褌邪谢邪薪褌褍 褌邪 褎邪薪褌邪蟹褨褩 邪胁褌芯褉邪, 斜械褉褍褔懈 泻薪懈谐褍 写芯 褉褍泻 褟 锌芯褉懈薪邪胁 褍 褑械泄 写懈胁芯胁懈卸薪懈泄 褋胁褨褌 褌邪 薪邪褔械 锌芯写芯褉芯卸褍胁邪胁 褉邪蟹芯屑 蟹 泄芯谐芯 谐械褉芯褟屑懈. 袟 薪械褌械褉锌褨薪薪褟屑 褔械泻邪褞 薪邪 锌褉芯写芯胁卸械薪薪褟. 孝邪 写褍卸械 褉邪写卸褍 褑械泄 褑懈泻谢 胁褋褨屑 锌芯褑褨薪芯胁褍胁邪褔邪屑 械锌褨褔薪芯谐芯 褎械薪褌械蟹褨.
袩芯褌褍卸薪邪, 谐邪褉薪邪, 写懈薪邪屑褨褔薪邪, 械锌褨褔薪邪 褌邪 薪械泄屑芯胁褨褉薪芯 褑褨泻邪胁邪 褨褋褌芯褉褨褟. 袧械 写懈胁谢褟褔懈褋褜 薪邪 胁械谢懈泻懈泄 芯斜褋褟谐, 泻薪懈谐邪 写褍卸械 褕胁懈写泻芯 褔懈褌邪褦褌褜褋褟, 斜芯 锌芯褋褌褨泄薪芯 褖芯褋褜 胁褨写斜褍胁邪褦褌褜褋褟, 泻薪懈谐邪 斜械蟹褍锌懈薪薪芯 薪邪斜懈褉邪褦 芯斜械褉褌褨胁 褌邪 褌褉懈屑邪褦 谐褉邪写褍褋 薪邪锌褉褍谐懈 写芯 泻褨薪褑褟. 袘邪谐邪褌芯 锌械褉褋芯薪邪卸褨胁 褟泻懈褏 褉邪蟹泻懈写邪谢芯 锌芯 胁褋褨泄 泻邪褉褌褨 褋胁褨褌褍. 校 泻芯卸薪芯谐芯 褋胁褨泄 褕谢褟褏 褌邪 褑褨谢褜. 袣芯卸薪邪 芯泻褉械屑邪 褋褞卸械褌薪邪 谐褨谢泻邪 褑褨泻邪胁邪 褌邪 胁邪卸谢懈胁邪 写谢褟 褉芯蟹胁懈褌泻褍 谐谢芯斜邪谢褜薪芯谐芯 褋褞卸械褌褍, 薪邪胁褨褌褜 褟泻褖芯 褋锌芯褔邪褌泻褍 蟹写邪褦褌褜褋褟 褖芯 褑械 薪械 褌邪泻. 袩芯写芯褉芯卸褍褞褔懈 褋胁褨褌芯屑 谐谐 胁褨写胁褨写褍褞褌褜 薪芯胁褨 屑褨褋褑褟, 芯写薪褨 斜褍写褍褌褜 薪械泄屑芯胁褨褉薪芯 谐邪褉薪褨, 褨薪褕褨 屑芯褌芯褉芯褕薪褨 褌邪 锌芯胁薪褨 薪械斜械蟹锌械泻懈. 孝邪 蟹褍褋褌褉褨褔褨 蟹 褨褋褌芯褌邪屑懈 锌褉芯 褟泻懈褏 褦 蟹谐邪写泻懈 褌褨谢褜泻懈 褍 谢械谐械薪写邪褏. 袛褉褍谐邪 褔邪褋褌懈薪邪 褌褉懈谢芯谐褨褩 斜褨谢褜褕 锌芯褏屑褍褉邪 褌邪 屑褨褋褑褟屑懈 薪邪胁褨褌褜 写械锌褉械褋懈胁薪邪, 斜芯 屑芯谐褍褌薪褨褋褌褜 胁芯褉芯谐邪 写褍卸械 胁械谢懈泻邪, 胁褨薪 褋懈谢褜薪懈泄, 褏懈褌褉懈泄, 斜械蟹卸邪谢褜薪懈泄 褌邪 锌械褉械胁邪卸邪褦 泻褨谢褜泻褨褋褌褞, 邪 锌褉芯褌懈褋褌芯褩褌褜 泄芯屑褍 薪械胁械谢懈褔泻邪 谐褉褍锌邪 褏芯褉芯斜褉懈褏 胁芯褩薪褨胁, 褟泻懈褏 薪邪卸邪谢褜 褋褌邪褦 胁褋械 屑械薪褕械 胁 褑褜芯屑褍 卸芯褉褋褌芯泻芯屑褍 褌邪 薪械褉褨胁薪芯屑褍 锌褉芯褌懈褋褌芯褟薪薪褨. 袗谢械 薪邪写褨褟 褦, 屑邪谢械薪褜泻邪, 邪谢械 褦. 孝邪泻芯卸 褦 褌褨 褏褌芯 写芯锌芯屑邪谐邪褦 褟泻 锌芯褉邪写邪屑懈 褌邪泻 褨 写褨褟屑懈. 孝芯卸 褋褍锌褉芯褌懈胁 褌褉懈胁邪褦. 袙懈褉褨褕邪谢褜薪邪 斜懈褌胁邪 锌芯锌械褉械写褍.
笑褟 褨褋褌芯褉褨褟 蟹邪褏芯锌懈谢邪 褌邪 锌芯谐谢懈薪褍谢邪 胁械褋褜 屑褨泄 胁褨谢褜薪懈泄 褔邪褋. 袟邪胁写褟泻懈 薪械泄屑芯胁褨褉薪芯屑褍 锌懈褋褜屑械薪薪懈褑褜泻芯屑褍 褌邪谢邪薪褌褍 褌邪 褎邪薪褌邪蟹褨褩 邪胁褌芯褉邪, 斜械褉褍褔懈 泻薪懈谐褍 写芯 褉褍泻 褟 锌芯褉懈薪邪胁 褍 褑械泄 写懈胁芯胁懈卸薪懈泄 褋胁褨褌 褌邪 薪邪褔械 锌芯写芯褉芯卸褍胁邪胁 褉邪蟹芯屑 蟹 泄芯谐芯 谐械褉芯褟屑懈. 袟 薪械褌械褉锌褨薪薪褟屑 褔械泻邪褞 薪邪 锌褉芯写芯胁卸械薪薪褟. 孝邪 写褍卸械 褉邪写卸褍 褑械泄 褑懈泻谢 胁褋褨屑 锌芯褑褨薪芯胁褍胁邪褔邪屑 械锌褨褔薪芯谐芯 褎械薪褌械蟹褨.
August 7, 2018
A bit too long even for my taste, although, if you ask me, I don鈥檛 know what could have been cut from it. We follow our heroes鈥� quest throughout Osten Ard, but now we have more threads. The remaining 鈥榞ood guys鈥� are scattered throughout the land, each trying to reach the Stone of Farewell, the last safe bastion from the Storm King.
There is a single wow moment, for me at least, and it was at 96%. However, there isn鈥檛 a single dull moment in the whole book. It鈥檚 just that their journeys are taking too long and I鈥檓 tired and frustrated that nothing good happens to them. Just like in LOTR, where the chain of misfortunes doesn鈥檛 seem to end for Frodo and Sam.
Anyway, I thought I would take a break but given the revelation at the end my curiosity was piqued even more than it was so here I go on the last part of the adventure.
There is a single wow moment, for me at least, and it was at 96%. However, there isn鈥檛 a single dull moment in the whole book. It鈥檚 just that their journeys are taking too long and I鈥檓 tired and frustrated that nothing good happens to them. Just like in LOTR, where the chain of misfortunes doesn鈥檛 seem to end for Frodo and Sam.
Anyway, I thought I would take a break but given the revelation at the end my curiosity was piqued even more than it was so here I go on the last part of the adventure.
June 21, 2022
Re-read.
I definitely liked this book better the second time. I suppose it's just one of those things. It seems slow-going only because I kept expecting something else.
In point of fact, I loved the land of the Sidhe here, the hints and the worldbuilding, and the great, deep tragedy.
The epic part of this fantasy is not in the battles, although they are there, but in how the fantasy deeply diverges from the normal tropes. It swerves rather far from normal expectations and does it in a deep way. It's not surface level. The corruption of Osten Ard, the way we keep coming back to it with a truly surprising PoV, the Dragon (NOT an actual Dragon, mind you), really gives us a sense of how bad things are getting while the true storm brews in the background, threatening to overrun all the lands.
As I said in the previous book's review, these books are detail-rich, deeply grounded, and never overpowered. The same is true here. Simon is always out of his depth. He's such a sweet kid, trying so hard. I really like him. And I feel for him, too. Even though there was a lot more time spent with different characters, I really got into the Sidhe sections.
I still remember what happens in the next book, so this is pretty much the lull before the storm.
I definitely liked this book better the second time. I suppose it's just one of those things. It seems slow-going only because I kept expecting something else.
In point of fact, I loved the land of the Sidhe here, the hints and the worldbuilding, and the great, deep tragedy.
The epic part of this fantasy is not in the battles, although they are there, but in how the fantasy deeply diverges from the normal tropes. It swerves rather far from normal expectations and does it in a deep way. It's not surface level. The corruption of Osten Ard, the way we keep coming back to it with a truly surprising PoV, the Dragon (NOT an actual Dragon, mind you), really gives us a sense of how bad things are getting while the true storm brews in the background, threatening to overrun all the lands.
As I said in the previous book's review, these books are detail-rich, deeply grounded, and never overpowered. The same is true here. Simon is always out of his depth. He's such a sweet kid, trying so hard. I really like him. And I feel for him, too. Even though there was a lot more time spent with different characters, I really got into the Sidhe sections.
I still remember what happens in the next book, so this is pretty much the lull before the storm.
June 24, 2018
Such a great second book in a series.
Plenty of characters, great characters, challenges which showed more of the main characters reactions and humanity.
Amazing plot, properly written and developed. Just the right amount of cliffhangers.
Also, great female characters, stronger than average and annoyed by being contained in a stereotype.
I felt completely immersed in the story and invested in the characters.
Plenty of characters, great characters, challenges which showed more of the main characters reactions and humanity.
Amazing plot, properly written and developed. Just the right amount of cliffhangers.
Also, great female characters, stronger than average and annoyed by being contained in a stereotype.
I felt completely immersed in the story and invested in the characters.
January 14, 2013
I hate this book. Here, let me sum it up for you so you don't waste all the time I did hoping this monstrosity would get better.
Some people walk through a forest. A fight happens. Someone falls down and has a prophetic dream that they never tell anyone about. More walking through the forest.
Repeat ad nauseum.
Yes, that was the entire book. People 'falling senseless' or whatever the heck every ten pages, a lot of whining, and the occasional anticlimactic pointless battle followed by more passing out and walking through the forest. What a waste of time and space.
Some people walk through a forest. A fight happens. Someone falls down and has a prophetic dream that they never tell anyone about. More walking through the forest.
Repeat ad nauseum.
Yes, that was the entire book. People 'falling senseless' or whatever the heck every ten pages, a lot of whining, and the occasional anticlimactic pointless battle followed by more passing out and walking through the forest. What a waste of time and space.
December 29, 2024
4.0 Stars
This was a solid sequel with the same quality of writing and character work. I look forward to seeing how this all comes together in the final volume.
This was a solid sequel with the same quality of writing and character work. I look forward to seeing how this all comes together in the final volume.
May 31, 2017
This is book #2 in the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series and it's a pretty classic fantasy series. I find that classic fantasy often tends to fall into some of the tropes I don't love very much (sloooooow pacing and not so developed characters were the two major complaints with this book) but when I am in the mood to read a classic fantasy series I do enjoy a good one and I think this one is that :)
Simon is the main character for a lot of the first book but I feel like in book two we start to branch off into a few different plot threads and follow more people in detail. Simon is our young 'chosen one'. The boy who used to sleep in the kitchens, until he was sent off on the most important quest of all time...to find Memory, Sorrow and Thorn (3 magic swords) and hopefully fix THE WORLD :)
We also have Binabik who is a personal favourite of the series for me. He's a troll, and he lives in a land full of trolls (well, normally he would but up until now he's been on a quest with Simon). I loved getting to see him with his people (even though they're pretty mean to him) and seeing ALL the trolls - They're kind of like cute little trolls rather than big scary ones!
Jirki is a Sitha, one of the ancient magical races of the world who might be able to help if only they would stir themselves into action and actually worry about the destinies of mortals (can you tell I've read a few books where this happens?!)
Prince Josua is an exiled Prince by this book and he's on the run and in hiding from the evil Norns and the others who would seek to do him harm (that's most people). He's the land's best noble chance for redemption so must be protected at all costs.
Miriamele was the worst developed character in my opinion, she's the daughter of the crazy King (he's the reason so much of the world is an issue - or one of them) and yet ALL she seems to do is be scared, flirty, weak or whiney... I have to say from experience there's a lot more than that to a lady and she's just not a convincing character. A lot of her plot felt forced and anti-climatic to me in this book which was a shame as I think she could be great when used properly...
Maegwin is probably one of the most far-off from the rest of the characters and the most intriguing to me. Her plot just keeps picking at me and making me wonder where it's going and how she fits into everything. She's a princess who's in hiding as the last of her line with the last of her loyal followers...
The plot of this book certainly had some wonderful moments but equally it suffers from the slow pacing that this sort of book is known for. I don't mind a slow read when I am audio-booking (which is what I did with this one) but sometimes this felt like a lot could have been shortened/cut.
In terms of the book as a whole I did enjoy it even though I have issues with it. It's one of the better classic fantasies I've read and I have fun being in the world, I just think it doesn't hold up alongside some of the other more modern books. It's a good adventure and I'm committed to seeing where it goes, so I am diving straight into book #3 and will report back. 3*s for this one.
Simon is the main character for a lot of the first book but I feel like in book two we start to branch off into a few different plot threads and follow more people in detail. Simon is our young 'chosen one'. The boy who used to sleep in the kitchens, until he was sent off on the most important quest of all time...to find Memory, Sorrow and Thorn (3 magic swords) and hopefully fix THE WORLD :)
We also have Binabik who is a personal favourite of the series for me. He's a troll, and he lives in a land full of trolls (well, normally he would but up until now he's been on a quest with Simon). I loved getting to see him with his people (even though they're pretty mean to him) and seeing ALL the trolls - They're kind of like cute little trolls rather than big scary ones!
Jirki is a Sitha, one of the ancient magical races of the world who might be able to help if only they would stir themselves into action and actually worry about the destinies of mortals (can you tell I've read a few books where this happens?!)
Prince Josua is an exiled Prince by this book and he's on the run and in hiding from the evil Norns and the others who would seek to do him harm (that's most people). He's the land's best noble chance for redemption so must be protected at all costs.
Miriamele was the worst developed character in my opinion, she's the daughter of the crazy King (he's the reason so much of the world is an issue - or one of them) and yet ALL she seems to do is be scared, flirty, weak or whiney... I have to say from experience there's a lot more than that to a lady and she's just not a convincing character. A lot of her plot felt forced and anti-climatic to me in this book which was a shame as I think she could be great when used properly...
Maegwin is probably one of the most far-off from the rest of the characters and the most intriguing to me. Her plot just keeps picking at me and making me wonder where it's going and how she fits into everything. She's a princess who's in hiding as the last of her line with the last of her loyal followers...
The plot of this book certainly had some wonderful moments but equally it suffers from the slow pacing that this sort of book is known for. I don't mind a slow read when I am audio-booking (which is what I did with this one) but sometimes this felt like a lot could have been shortened/cut.
In terms of the book as a whole I did enjoy it even though I have issues with it. It's one of the better classic fantasies I've read and I have fun being in the world, I just think it doesn't hold up alongside some of the other more modern books. It's a good adventure and I'm committed to seeing where it goes, so I am diving straight into book #3 and will report back. 3*s for this one.
October 18, 2017
听 The apocalypse that has befallen the world of Osten Ard is fully unveiled. It might be a slow unravelling but it is a very satisfying one. The worldbuilding is tremendous. Our view of the world expands and its full of magnificent places, people and their stories. Especially the various subraces of the elvenkind are awesome. Apart from the Middle Earth this is the only place that I can say that I love the Elves. They share the grandeur and the drama of their Tolkien counterparts but they are at the same time very original and unique.
听 I also liked a lot the horror and darker elements that appeared in bigger numbers. The enemy is spreading like a plague and the world is turning fast to a menacing and dangerous place.
听听 I dont know if that kind of storytelling would appeal to everyone. Especially to people who prefer faster and action oriented stories but if you like a more romantic and adventurous approach u ll probably appreciate these books a lot.
听 I also liked a lot the horror and darker elements that appeared in bigger numbers. The enemy is spreading like a plague and the world is turning fast to a menacing and dangerous place.
听听 I dont know if that kind of storytelling would appeal to everyone. Especially to people who prefer faster and action oriented stories but if you like a more romantic and adventurous approach u ll probably appreciate these books a lot.
March 21, 2017
As I look back on the reading experience for Stone of Farewell, I wonder exactly why I enjoyed it so much? I mean, not an awful lot happens. Simon returns to being a pouty, immature boy more often than not. There鈥檚 an awful lot of walking, while keeping a look-out for the bad guys. In fact, you could probably sum up the whole book in one sentence: Most of the good guys get to the Stone of Farewell.
I guess what made it worthwhile for me was learning quite a bit more about the Sithi (Williams鈥� version of Elves). Plus getting some back-story for Ineluki, the Storm King, to find out what turned him into the vengeful creature that is threatening all of Osten Ard. There鈥檚 also a peek into Troll culture and a love interest for poor, patient old Binibik.
The character who really gets left in the lurch in this volume is Miriamele, King Elias鈥� daughter. I would be reading book three regardless, but it is her fate that really is pulling me along at this point. I must know what happens!
This is pretty standard fantasy fare and if you enjoy high fantasy, you are likely to enjoy the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series. Those who don鈥檛 like elves, trolls, and magic swords should definitely pass this series by!
Book 250 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy reading project.
I guess what made it worthwhile for me was learning quite a bit more about the Sithi (Williams鈥� version of Elves). Plus getting some back-story for Ineluki, the Storm King, to find out what turned him into the vengeful creature that is threatening all of Osten Ard. There鈥檚 also a peek into Troll culture and a love interest for poor, patient old Binibik.
The character who really gets left in the lurch in this volume is Miriamele, King Elias鈥� daughter. I would be reading book three regardless, but it is her fate that really is pulling me along at this point. I must know what happens!
This is pretty standard fantasy fare and if you enjoy high fantasy, you are likely to enjoy the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series. Those who don鈥檛 like elves, trolls, and magic swords should definitely pass this series by!
Book 250 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy reading project.
January 4, 2018
Ok first review of 2018 and what do you know its 5 stars out of 5
Anyway this book is a huge improvement on the previous book which was already fantastic, I think what stood out for me in this book was the pace and tension kept building as it wasn't like in the great hunt where it starts all over again for each book. I felt the story moved much more here than in Dragonbone chair and I was invested into what the characters were up to as they got on with there tasks set for them in Osten Ard.
That is another thing I loved about this book the number of characters is just amazing and it was such a joy to revisit some (Rachel) and I was invested in all of the POV's as not only did I feel attached to the characters I was fascinated because I was learning of the huge world that is Osten Ard whether it is the mythical sites our heroes visit or the history behind certain places I loved learning about this world and being a part of it along with the characters. Simon still has a way to go but he has definitely evolved from the mooncalf back in Hayholt and I can't wait to see what he will do next because I see great things for him as he begins to mature to the Snowlock he is especially in the ultimate 1600 pages (split into 2 books of course) finale that is green angel tower
I love this series so much the writing is exquisite, the details are so fascinating and matching it with its pace is probably the main reason why I love this book much better than the first 2 books of the wheel of time as I personally rank Osten Ard as one of my favourite fantasy world along with Roshar. I'm so glad I finally returned to this series after 9-10 months and getting into it felt like a breath of fresh air or more like cold air for this case.
I would recommend everyone to give this series a try with , if you want a classical fantasy story with great worldbuilding and fine details I would start here and like I said earlier I personally enjoyed this series more than the first 2 books of the Wheel of Time series.
Anyway this book is a huge improvement on the previous book which was already fantastic, I think what stood out for me in this book was the pace and tension kept building as it wasn't like in the great hunt where it starts all over again for each book. I felt the story moved much more here than in Dragonbone chair and I was invested into what the characters were up to as they got on with there tasks set for them in Osten Ard.
That is another thing I loved about this book the number of characters is just amazing and it was such a joy to revisit some (Rachel) and I was invested in all of the POV's as not only did I feel attached to the characters I was fascinated because I was learning of the huge world that is Osten Ard whether it is the mythical sites our heroes visit or the history behind certain places I loved learning about this world and being a part of it along with the characters. Simon still has a way to go but he has definitely evolved from the mooncalf back in Hayholt and I can't wait to see what he will do next because I see great things for him as he begins to mature to the Snowlock he is especially in the ultimate 1600 pages (split into 2 books of course) finale that is green angel tower
I love this series so much the writing is exquisite, the details are so fascinating and matching it with its pace is probably the main reason why I love this book much better than the first 2 books of the wheel of time as I personally rank Osten Ard as one of my favourite fantasy world along with Roshar. I'm so glad I finally returned to this series after 9-10 months and getting into it felt like a breath of fresh air or more like cold air for this case.
I would recommend everyone to give this series a try with , if you want a classical fantasy story with great worldbuilding and fine details I would start here and like I said earlier I personally enjoyed this series more than the first 2 books of the Wheel of Time series.
September 7, 2024
A filler, but a gloriously good one :)
March 10, 2021
I listened to this entirely on audio while doing things around the house, and it was the perfect companion. I'm still holding out hope for certain characters to come back, but I feel like I'm setting myself up for failure LOL
February 20, 2025
Offf ci臋偶kie mi to oceni膰. 3.5 pewnie bo tak - weszlo duuu偶o, du偶o lepiej ni偶 pierwsza cz臋艣膰, ale jak mi zosta艂o jakie艣 50 stron do ko艅ca to zorientowa艂am si臋, 偶e nie by艂o tu za bardzo jakiejkolwiek fabu艂y opr贸cz tego, 偶e wszyscy maj膮 ostatecznie si臋 dostac do Kamienia xD rozw贸j postaci i 艣wiata by艂 w mi臋dzyczasie, a jak偶e, ale ca艂o艣膰 to bardzo, baaaaardzo rozci膮gniete przygotowanie do fina艂u (kt贸ry przeczytam, 偶eby nie by艂o).
Z dalszych lu藕nych przemy艣le艅 powt贸rz臋 to co ju偶 pisa艂am przy kolejnych aktualizacjach. Wspania艂e jest to umiejscowienie 艣wiata i fabu艂y w pewnym okresie historycznym, gdzie pewne rzeczy ju偶 przemin臋艂y i pozosta艂a po nich pami臋膰 i smutek (tak, to celowe), a nostalgia i t臋sknota siedz膮 w czytelniku troch臋 jak zadra (albo cier艅). To jest absolutnie pi臋kne i to co艣, co kocham w klasycznym fantasy, bo tego jest te偶 pe艂no u Tolkiena.
Nie ma postaci, kt贸ra w tej ksi膮偶ce wkurwia艂aby mnie bardziej ni偶 Miriamele, no偶 do licha, dziewczyno, get over yourself.
Odkry艂am te偶 kolejn膮 inspiracj臋 Christophera Paoliniego i jest to ta seria xD
Bardzo mnie cieszy艂 w膮tek Joshuy i Vorzhevy, i to jak bardzo wida膰 tam by艂o rozw贸j. Zreszt膮 Vorzheva to super bohaterka i strasznie j膮 lubi臋.
Z dalszych lu藕nych przemy艣le艅 powt贸rz臋 to co ju偶 pisa艂am przy kolejnych aktualizacjach. Wspania艂e jest to umiejscowienie 艣wiata i fabu艂y w pewnym okresie historycznym, gdzie pewne rzeczy ju偶 przemin臋艂y i pozosta艂a po nich pami臋膰 i smutek (tak, to celowe), a nostalgia i t臋sknota siedz膮 w czytelniku troch臋 jak zadra (albo cier艅). To jest absolutnie pi臋kne i to co艣, co kocham w klasycznym fantasy, bo tego jest te偶 pe艂no u Tolkiena.
Nie ma postaci, kt贸ra w tej ksi膮偶ce wkurwia艂aby mnie bardziej ni偶 Miriamele, no偶 do licha, dziewczyno, get over yourself.
Odkry艂am te偶 kolejn膮 inspiracj臋 Christophera Paoliniego i jest to ta seria xD
Bardzo mnie cieszy艂 w膮tek Joshuy i Vorzhevy, i to jak bardzo wida膰 tam by艂o rozw贸j. Zreszt膮 Vorzheva to super bohaterka i strasznie j膮 lubi臋.
August 13, 2020
Iako je po prirodi onaj klasi膷ni spojni deo bez mnogo stvarnih narativnih, a sa puno karakternih pomaka, drugi deo Vilijamsove trilogije sasvim radi svoj posao pripremanja scene za klimakti膷ni okr拧aj. Mali a zna膷ajni trenuci pojedinih likova je ono 拧to ovde nosi radnju, kao i daleko ve膰i fokus na vilenja膷ku rasu u svetu Osten Arda. I dalje je stilska rasko拧 najupe膷atljiviji deo ovih romana, kao i potpuno jedinstveno shvatanje sveta i likova koji ga populi拧u. Tre膰i deo sledi posle kra膰e pauze.
4
4
December 18, 2024
Phenomenal 馃憦
Will definitely be moving To Green Angel Tower up on the TBR 鈥硷笍
Will definitely be moving To Green Angel Tower up on the TBR 鈥硷笍
June 15, 2024
Old cities and old stories were now part of his very life. It was strange how the future seemed tied inseparably to the past, so that both revolved through the present, like a great wheel
鈥淪tone of Farewell鈥� is the second instalment of the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy in the greater Osten Ard Saga. Told in three parts: Storm's Eye, Storm's Hand and Storm's Heart, the sequel diverts from Simon's perspective, introducing more characters.
Back in Asu鈥檃 we follow Pyrates, King Elias and Rachel. King Elias seems to descend into madness and those who believed themselves his friends, now seek to escape his company. The best of these parts was Rachel. She believes Simon to be dead and the way she rallied those under her, seeking to protect them while dealing with her grief, was so inspiring. Still, it was hard to watch her grieve for her adopted son.
She had been almost a mother to the boy, had she not? Raised him鈥攚ith the help of her chambermaids, of course鈥攕ince his first hour, when his mother had died in childbirth despite all Doctor Morgenes鈥� attempts to save her. So shouldn鈥檛 Rachel know if he was truly gone? Shouldn鈥檛 she feel the final severing of the cord that had bound her to that stupid, addle-pated, gawky boy?
Princess Maegwin in her grief, is slowly descending into madness and Eolair is helpless in aiding her. She seems to hate him now and when she sends him away, he has to obey. I honestly don鈥檛 care about the two of them but I found their parts enjoyable nonetheless. Miriamele, daughter of King Elias, continues to think she knows better than everyone else and strikes off on her own, which lands her in trouble, again. One thing about Tad Williams is that his female characters are just as well developed as his male ones.
Prince Josua has escaped the siege with his life and a few survivors. When he is told of the Stone of Farewell, he makes it his mission to reach there and rally a resistance against his brother. I find Josua such an interesting character. He has serious self-esteem issues which can be seen with his self-deprecating comments but those who follow him will not let him suffer in silence. The friendships in this book are so good. The men are allowed to cry and seek comfort from each other and it鈥檚 so beautiful. I can鈥檛 help but highlight just one heartwarming moment.
鈥淚t is just as well, I suppose, that I am not left to stand guard alone,鈥� Strangyeard said. 鈥淢y sight is not good, you know鈥攁nd that is in my one remaining eye.鈥� He chuckled apologetically. 鈥淭here is nothing more frightening than to see the words in my beloved books growing fainter every day.鈥�
鈥淲hen we are safe, Strangyeard,鈥� Deornoth began suddenly, 鈥渋f you cannot read, I will come and read to you. My eyes are not as quick as yours, nor my mind, but I am stubborn as an unfed horse. I will grow better with practice. I will read to you.鈥�
Simon, Sludig, Jiriki and Binabik are held prisoner with Sludig and Binabik being held accused of crimes against the Qanuc. We are introduced to more of the Qanuc but of importance is Sisqinanamook, or Sisqi as Binabik calls her. Tasked with returning one of the legendary swords, our team struggles to reach the Stone of Farewell, where they wish to reunite with Prince Josua and his people.
Simon really had his faith shaken in this book. His childish views of war have been overturned and he is angry. 鈥淚 thought that it would be like a story. That we would find the sword and it would be a powerful weapon, that we would destroy our enemies and things would be right again. I didn鈥檛 think any more people would die!鈥� He finds himself snapping at his friends, overwhelmed with all that鈥檚 happening but he is quick to apologise. Binabik, his closest friend, is understanding and helps him understand his emotions while Sludig helps him transition from his beliefs as a boy to those of a man.
鈥淎re you still my friend, Binabik?鈥� he said at last.
The troll took the flute from his lips. 鈥淭o death and beyond, Simon-friend.鈥� He began to play once more.
The world is changing. War tears the country apart and those who survive the brutality of Elias and his rule, seek refuge elsewhere. But no place is safe. Everyone, of ancient race and men, find themselves leaving their homes to escape. Nothing shows the brutality of this as when Simon observes the Qanuc.
鈥淲hy do they look so sad, Binabik?鈥�
鈥淲e are having a saying on Mintahoq,鈥� the little man explained, 鈥溾€斺€楳ourning is for home.鈥� When we are losing one of our folk on the trail we bury them in that place, but we save our tears until we are safe in our caves once more. Nine of our folk died on Sikkihoq.鈥�
鈥淏ut you said 鈥榤ourn at home.鈥� These people are not home yet.鈥�
Binabik shook his head, then answered a quiet question from Sisqi before returning his attention to Simon. 鈥淭hese hunters and herders are making ready for the coming of the rest of Yiqanuc鈥檚 folk. The word is even now flying from one mountain to another: the highlands are not a place of safety and spring is not coming.鈥� The little man smiled wearily. 鈥淭hey are home, Simon-friend.鈥�
But even as the world seems to be crashing down, there are still moments of hope. When one person makes a choice to help instead of hurt, it makes all the difference. As said: 鈥淎nd bravery is by no means the province only of soldiers and nobles鈥� and it is these common people, who wish for things to be better, that make all the difference.
鈥淲e are very small,鈥� Simon said between swallows. The kangkang seemed to be flowing in his veins like blood.
鈥淪o are the stars, kund毛-mann毛,鈥� Sludig murmured. 鈥淏ut they each one burn as bright as they can.鈥�
Despite not having enough of Duke Isgrimnur, this was an amazing sequel that expands the world of Osten Ard. The world feels so massive with a history so rich and full of life. There are times I think it鈥檚 a real world with how well-loved the world is. I can鈥檛 wait to start book three. It鈥檚 over a thousand pages long and I know it鈥檚 going to be epic.
鈥淧erhaps. But if we are not trying, then there is no chance of anything but this antlike crushing, so we must try. There is always something beyond even the worst of bad times. We may die, but the dying of some may mean living for others. That is not much to cling to, but it is a true thing in any case.鈥�
February 9, 2023
The Stone of Farewell was a continuation of everything that was great about The Dragonbone Chair, while also improving in some of the areas where I felt the first book was weaker. Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn is shaping up to truly be one of my all-time favorite fantasy series.
Once again, the world of Osten Ard is the star of the show. It鈥檚 deep and fascinating, and Tad reveals its secrets at a nearly perfect pace. It reminds me of some of the best parts of Middle Earth, while still being different enough to be a world I want to revisit and learn more about.
The characters just feel....real. None are perfect, and the majority of them are remarkably grey in their motivations (i.e. Cadrach). And for a book written in 1990(ish), there is a pretty amazing amount of female representation, which I love. Yes, they may be princesses or chief鈥檚 daughters, but Tad makes it clear that they are competent and will be important to the defeat of the Norns and the Storm King.
The writing continues to be beautiful, but slow, (though not at the plodding pace of the first 200 pages of The Dragonbone Chair). It is more reminiscent of, say, Robin Hobb. Williams is a beautiful writer and he clearly revels in slowly revealing the details of Osten Ard. And here he proves that he can actually speed things up for a good chase or fight scene, and when he does - I鈥檓 on the edge of my seat.
Overall - Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn continues to be an effective bridge between the writing and world-building of Tolkien, and the characters and plotting of GRRM, Jordan, and Hobb.
It is an amazing combination - I can鈥檛 wait to begin the finale!
Once again, the world of Osten Ard is the star of the show. It鈥檚 deep and fascinating, and Tad reveals its secrets at a nearly perfect pace. It reminds me of some of the best parts of Middle Earth, while still being different enough to be a world I want to revisit and learn more about.
The characters just feel....real. None are perfect, and the majority of them are remarkably grey in their motivations (i.e. Cadrach). And for a book written in 1990(ish), there is a pretty amazing amount of female representation, which I love. Yes, they may be princesses or chief鈥檚 daughters, but Tad makes it clear that they are competent and will be important to the defeat of the Norns and the Storm King.
The writing continues to be beautiful, but slow, (though not at the plodding pace of the first 200 pages of The Dragonbone Chair). It is more reminiscent of, say, Robin Hobb. Williams is a beautiful writer and he clearly revels in slowly revealing the details of Osten Ard. And here he proves that he can actually speed things up for a good chase or fight scene, and when he does - I鈥檓 on the edge of my seat.
Overall - Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn continues to be an effective bridge between the writing and world-building of Tolkien, and the characters and plotting of GRRM, Jordan, and Hobb.
It is an amazing combination - I can鈥檛 wait to begin the finale!
August 26, 2024
4.75/5
Stone of Farewell, the second book in Memory Sorrow and Thorn, is another densely packed, beautifully crafted fantasy adventure that further contextualizes the world, and further characterizes all playing pieces within the realm of Osten Ard.
All of our characters are given lots of time to develop even more on their quest to safe haven within The Stone of Farewell, Simon, Miriamele, Josua, even Rachel, and Guthwulf being some of the key highlights in this book.
Themes of belonging, criticality of religion, and friendship stood out the most to me in this entry, and I can鈥檛 wait to see them explored more in the final installment.
And I cannot stress enough how beautiful and vivid Tad William鈥檚 prose is, some of his quotes and descriptions making me misty eyed off of beauty alone.
鈥淣ever make your home in a place,鈥� the old man had told him that day. 鈥淢ake a home for yourself inside your own head. You鈥檒l find what you need to furnish it鈥攎emory, friends you can trust, love of learning, and other such things. That way it will go with you wherever you journey听.听.听.鈥�
My only complaint about this book is that sometimes the pacing would slow to a halt right when things were about to pop off with one of the other povs. This works a lot of the time in fantasy, but because this book is already so densely packed, it would somewhat kill my momentum from the last pov. These feelings are short lived though, because I would very quickly become entranced once again with the current character I was reading.
The ending really made me excited to read To Green Angel Tower, so much so that I am still currently debating on if I should pick it up right this second. Regardless of when I do, I know that Tad won鈥檛 let me down.
鈥淭here鈥檚 work to be done, and no rest this side of Heaven.鈥�
Stone of Farewell, the second book in Memory Sorrow and Thorn, is another densely packed, beautifully crafted fantasy adventure that further contextualizes the world, and further characterizes all playing pieces within the realm of Osten Ard.
All of our characters are given lots of time to develop even more on their quest to safe haven within The Stone of Farewell, Simon, Miriamele, Josua, even Rachel, and Guthwulf being some of the key highlights in this book.
Themes of belonging, criticality of religion, and friendship stood out the most to me in this entry, and I can鈥檛 wait to see them explored more in the final installment.
And I cannot stress enough how beautiful and vivid Tad William鈥檚 prose is, some of his quotes and descriptions making me misty eyed off of beauty alone.
鈥淣ever make your home in a place,鈥� the old man had told him that day. 鈥淢ake a home for yourself inside your own head. You鈥檒l find what you need to furnish it鈥攎emory, friends you can trust, love of learning, and other such things. That way it will go with you wherever you journey听.听.听.鈥�
My only complaint about this book is that sometimes the pacing would slow to a halt right when things were about to pop off with one of the other povs. This works a lot of the time in fantasy, but because this book is already so densely packed, it would somewhat kill my momentum from the last pov. These feelings are short lived though, because I would very quickly become entranced once again with the current character I was reading.
The ending really made me excited to read To Green Angel Tower, so much so that I am still currently debating on if I should pick it up right this second. Regardless of when I do, I know that Tad won鈥檛 let me down.
鈥淭here鈥檚 work to be done, and no rest this side of Heaven.鈥�
July 7, 2024
I forgot how many memorable scenes this second instalment had. Maegwin and Eolair in the tunnels, Simon in the Sithi village, Miriamele still on the run, the Prince in Fikolmij's camp.. and as always, a great cliffhanger-end to this book. It made me pick up part three right away, even though my eyes were nearly falling shut and I had already been reading for hours.
It's long, but that's why I love it!
It's long, but that's why I love it!
February 12, 2025
I always have thought of myself as a "slow burn" literature type of reader: some of my favorite authors in this genre and others can be described as this type. But this book challenges that original thought, as this was one of the slowest books I think I've read, and the further I got into the book, the less I enjoyed it. I really enjoyed the first book, despite being critical of the plotting-namely that the non-Simon POVs felt felt forced and like tokens in the work-so I was pleasantly surprised to see the beginning of this book Williams employ an ever-changing point of view kind of narrative.
And at first, I enjoyed it... until it became a slog. At about the 3/4 point of the book I honestly had no desire to finish it. The story at that point in 10 or 11 different places by my count, and by the end I honestly only found one of the storylines interesting. My biggest concern going into the final book is that I honestly feel very little connection with the story or any of the characters; if I weren't leading a read along, I honestly wonder if I'd be reading the finale at all.
There were some great moments in this book, but barely enough to be above the "liked it" range for this book. I do hope that To Green Angel Tower works for me, as I do like his writing style, even if the beginning of this series I find extremely slow and inconsistent.
And at first, I enjoyed it... until it became a slog. At about the 3/4 point of the book I honestly had no desire to finish it. The story at that point in 10 or 11 different places by my count, and by the end I honestly only found one of the storylines interesting. My biggest concern going into the final book is that I honestly feel very little connection with the story or any of the characters; if I weren't leading a read along, I honestly wonder if I'd be reading the finale at all.
There were some great moments in this book, but barely enough to be above the "liked it" range for this book. I do hope that To Green Angel Tower works for me, as I do like his writing style, even if the beginning of this series I find extremely slow and inconsistent.
June 24, 2024
Stone of Farewell started exactly where The Dragonbone Chair left off and we follow several different POVs - some repeating from book one, some brand new.
A lot happened and I was a bit confused for a big chunk of the book, but by the end, the author managed to reveal quite a few secrets, one of which shocked me quite a lot.
I have to say, the book moved really slow to the point that it was almost painful to read. Tad Williams writes really beautifully and knows how to build a character and a great story, but he also doesn't let go of a scene until he has fully sucked every once of life out of it, and that becomes a bit tedious at times.
As a side note, kudos to the author for providing a detailed summary of book one before the beginning of the story. It really helped to get back to speed and I think more authors of big epic fantasies should start doing that.
A lot happened and I was a bit confused for a big chunk of the book, but by the end, the author managed to reveal quite a few secrets, one of which shocked me quite a lot.
I have to say, the book moved really slow to the point that it was almost painful to read. Tad Williams writes really beautifully and knows how to build a character and a great story, but he also doesn't let go of a scene until he has fully sucked every once of life out of it, and that becomes a bit tedious at times.
As a side note, kudos to the author for providing a detailed summary of book one before the beginning of the story. It really helped to get back to speed and I think more authors of big epic fantasies should start doing that.
May 13, 2023
83/100
tad. tad, tad, tad, tad, tad. (said while shaking my head in a disappointing gesture.)
this one coulda been better paced. some true middle book syndrome in this installment. it's almost solely characters travelling to a big rock and dives deeper into the history and lore of the world and the big bad, all while making me like (or dislike) many of the characters even more than i already did. ( is the GOAT character here.) it's not entirely devoid of interesting things that move the plot along, but the slow pace and lack of exciting events (there are only a handful) didn't have quite the payoff i was hoping for by the end of the book. the climax here was good, but really lacked the grandeur that was present in the first book.
luckily, tad's infectious and wholesome writing was enough to pull me through this one in a relatively timely manner and i still enjoyed it despite the problems i had. im super excited for To Green Angel Tower to see how this first Osten Ard trilogy is wrapped up
tad. tad, tad, tad, tad, tad. (said while shaking my head in a disappointing gesture.)
this one coulda been better paced. some true middle book syndrome in this installment. it's almost solely characters travelling to a big rock and dives deeper into the history and lore of the world and the big bad, all while making me like (or dislike) many of the characters even more than i already did. ( is the GOAT character here.) it's not entirely devoid of interesting things that move the plot along, but the slow pace and lack of exciting events (there are only a handful) didn't have quite the payoff i was hoping for by the end of the book. the climax here was good, but really lacked the grandeur that was present in the first book.
luckily, tad's infectious and wholesome writing was enough to pull me through this one in a relatively timely manner and i still enjoyed it despite the problems i had. im super excited for To Green Angel Tower to see how this first Osten Ard trilogy is wrapped up
February 10, 2017
It has been about 7 years since I read the first book - and it took me quite a while to get back into the story. Once I remembered the multitude of characters, I was quickly sucked in again.
On the one hand I really enjoyed the story - on the other hand it was veeeery long in places. A lot of description, that didn't feel entirely necessary in some scenes - while at other places it felt perfectly balanced, even though it had some minute details.
What bugged me (as everyone knowing me will expect) was that there was quite some being in love in this one. Thankfully not a full love story, but a princess in love with someone, a prince in love with someone, and a mooncalf boy in love with someone. Or other. It wasn't overly much - but mentioned quite often, and I simply hate romance in my fantasy- especially if it doesn't really feel like a natural part of the story.
I very much enjoyed the different characters - I liked how the different races and cultures actually felt different to each other, and not just like "Smaller human", "human with magic" and such! (Special Kudos to the audible narrator who manages to give them different accents, and ways of speaking who fit perfectly!) I also liked the richness of the world and the way you don't feel like if you look behind a tree there would be a blank wall, but as if you were in the world, and the world was real. (And yes, I think that would still have been possible with some less flowery descriptions here and there.)
I thought some of the characters actions overly naive, and it had quite an episodic feel to it in places - also the fight scenes were a bit predictable and I had a deja vu of LOTR - and they are walking (or sometimes riding in this one) and walking, and still walking, and more walking and how surprising - even more walking! ;)
All in all definitely still a good series, and I will try my best not to wait 7 years again before I will pick up book three!
On the one hand I really enjoyed the story - on the other hand it was veeeery long in places. A lot of description, that didn't feel entirely necessary in some scenes - while at other places it felt perfectly balanced, even though it had some minute details.
What bugged me (as everyone knowing me will expect) was that there was quite some being in love in this one. Thankfully not a full love story, but a princess in love with someone, a prince in love with someone, and a mooncalf boy in love with someone. Or other. It wasn't overly much - but mentioned quite often, and I simply hate romance in my fantasy- especially if it doesn't really feel like a natural part of the story.
I very much enjoyed the different characters - I liked how the different races and cultures actually felt different to each other, and not just like "Smaller human", "human with magic" and such! (Special Kudos to the audible narrator who manages to give them different accents, and ways of speaking who fit perfectly!) I also liked the richness of the world and the way you don't feel like if you look behind a tree there would be a blank wall, but as if you were in the world, and the world was real. (And yes, I think that would still have been possible with some less flowery descriptions here and there.)
I thought some of the characters actions overly naive, and it had quite an episodic feel to it in places - also the fight scenes were a bit predictable and I had a deja vu of LOTR - and they are walking (or sometimes riding in this one) and walking, and still walking, and more walking and how surprising - even more walking! ;)
All in all definitely still a good series, and I will try my best not to wait 7 years again before I will pick up book three!
February 23, 2017
++SPOILERS++
Whereas the first book was a nice comfort read, this one gave me anxiety through much of it.
Lots of stuff going on, a bit more conflict but few resolutions, which I expect will come in the last book.
There is alot of back and fourth with different characters POV's as they all strive to their own purposes.
I have grown to dislike Mirabele, who in the first book seemed strong but has now turned to a stupid shallow child. I hate that she gave herself to the earl..little whore.. I also hated the slut sithi who kept hanging all over Simon..but at least he turned her away.
Men just have no clue how to write romance. This author also seems to have a low opinion of women for all the women characters are dreadful. They all seem pitiful, shallow and weak.
I am hoping this changes in the next book.
I do still love Simon, and it is his character that keeps me going.
The pace in this book is a little faster, but the author still over does it with flowery descriptions and I found myself skimming at times, I just wanted to scream..get on with it!
It also seemed there is alot of writing about crap that doesn't reveal much. I can't really explain it but I read paragraphs and paragraphs and find the characters don't learn anything new or go anywhere.
I know this sound negative considering I gave 4 stars, in truth it was a good book, but perhaps it is just that the writing style is a little outdated. The story itsself is good so I will continue.
Safety: Blood, violence. No cursing. Sex implied for Mirabele.
Romance peeps: Mirabele who is supposed to end up with Simon, sleeps with another. Simon is tempted by another but resists. Josua still doesn't love his woman but she loves him. They marry because she is pregnant. Binabik marries his love but has to leave her behind.
Whereas the first book was a nice comfort read, this one gave me anxiety through much of it.
Lots of stuff going on, a bit more conflict but few resolutions, which I expect will come in the last book.
There is alot of back and fourth with different characters POV's as they all strive to their own purposes.
I have grown to dislike Mirabele, who in the first book seemed strong but has now turned to a stupid shallow child. I hate that she gave herself to the earl..little whore.. I also hated the slut sithi who kept hanging all over Simon..but at least he turned her away.
Men just have no clue how to write romance. This author also seems to have a low opinion of women for all the women characters are dreadful. They all seem pitiful, shallow and weak.
I am hoping this changes in the next book.
I do still love Simon, and it is his character that keeps me going.
The pace in this book is a little faster, but the author still over does it with flowery descriptions and I found myself skimming at times, I just wanted to scream..get on with it!
It also seemed there is alot of writing about crap that doesn't reveal much. I can't really explain it but I read paragraphs and paragraphs and find the characters don't learn anything new or go anywhere.
I know this sound negative considering I gave 4 stars, in truth it was a good book, but perhaps it is just that the writing style is a little outdated. The story itsself is good so I will continue.
Safety: Blood, violence. No cursing. Sex implied for Mirabele.
Romance peeps: Mirabele who is supposed to end up with Simon, sleeps with another. Simon is tempted by another but resists. Josua still doesn't love his woman but she loves him. They marry because she is pregnant. Binabik marries his love but has to leave her behind.
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