kutterek's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed returning to Osten Ard for this second series and the mix of characters both old and new. I feel like there were too many character perspectives and that this whole book felt more like it was just setting things up. It was a long book for just prepping you for the rest of the series. That being said, it is still a good epic fantasy. There were many parts I found very interesting and am intrigued enough to keep reading.
firefly99's review against another edition
3.0
Good lord, it took me forever to read this one. I think because I read it on Kindle. I want to strangle Morgan, he’s such a brat. I’ve never read a character who needed a good adventure to grow up a bit… except for Simon from the first trilogy. Which I suppose is the point. :) The last few chapters were riveting, revelation after revelation, characters showing their true nature or identity, so good. I wasn’t sure about reading more of this series, and now I’m hooked. Still not as good as the first trilogy, but worth the read if you like epic fantasy, world-building, and lore. Plus a fun “where are they now” look at some of my favorite characters.
brittaniethekid's review against another edition
SO. MANY. WORDS. to say a horse and a rider went through a forest listening to the sounds and smelling the smells. No wonder this brick is 880 pages. I can't do it.
syllareads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
regula92's review against another edition
4.0
As with ''The Heart of What Was Lost'', Tad Williams writing is better than ever. A stronger start to a new series than ''The Dragonbone Chair'' was, but like it, this one is mostly setting up the pieces for the bigger story. Looking forward to (and dreading) what book two brings.
mezito's review against another edition
adventurous
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
emmascc's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
I think this is better than the memory, sorrow and thorn series. The characterisation, plot and writing was improved, which is not much of a surprise considering the author wrote the first series a few decades (?) ago. Will definitely be continuing with this series.
I think this is better than the memory, sorrow and thorn series. The characterisation, plot and writing was improved, which is not much of a surprise considering the author wrote the first series a few decades (?) ago. Will definitely be continuing with this series.
jwels's review against another edition
4.0
This took me a while to get into which I was surprised about as usually [a:Tad Williams|6587|Tad Williams|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1191183065p2/6587.jpg] grabs my attention right for the beginning. After getting through the whole book, I understand why it was such a slow burn and of course I'm hooked and can't wait for the next book in the series. I'm still not a fan of Morgan but I don't think that you are supposed to be at this time. *grin*
elenajohansen's review against another edition
3.0
Because Goodreads has no half stars, call this a 3.5 rating.
It's good. I'm not abandoning the series after the first book like I did last year with Shadowmarch, which was an incredible disappointment. But this did feel a little lackluster.
It's big, it's complex, it's intricately plotted and I see where some of the plot threads are (possibly) headed in the future. All those things were true of the original Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy. But here I feel like it was almost needlessly complex, with far more POV characters than necessary, and far too few things resolved. More than any other Williams novel-from-a-series I've read, even the Otherland novels, this feels like it's only setup, that very little actually happens and nothing of any import is resolved. Yes, it's only the first book. But there's not even the smallest sense of closure to make it feel like a story in its own right, rather than merely the opening to a larger tale.
So that's one major problem I have. The other is that for all the familiar names on these pages, I feel like I don't recognize these characters. Count Eolair and Binabik are the only ones who feel like natural extensions of who they were--Binabik is basically unchanged, despite the thirty years that have passed, and Eolair is still fundamentally the same person, with the added perspective and exhaustion of his years. But Simon and Miriamele, the main characters and now the High King and Queen, are nothing like I expected them to be; they're constantly quarreling, fretting, or having sex. Sex was not absent from the original trilogy, and neither here nor there was it ever romance-novel-style explicit sex, but I was honestly surprised at how often important conversations between our monarchs needed to happen in bed; do they not see each other anywhere else besides formal audiences? It felt strange and repetitive.
As for the new characters, they're all over the place. Because there are so many and they need to share page time with the returning characters, some of them may not have gotten enough development (yet) to make them shine; because I don't know where all these newly established plot threads are going, I may appreciate their associated characters more after the story continues. I don't dislike any of the individual characters or their subplots in the same way I hated a few from Shadowmarch, but there are only a few I feel truly invested in, primarily Tzoja, Nezeru, and Jarnulf. I wanted to either like, or at least be more interested in, our princeling Morgan, but even once the plot kicks him in the pants, he's still a remarkably spoiled brat, and he doesn't get his "oh shit now I'm alone and in danger" moment until the end of the book, where Simon had to go through that (thus starting his resulting growth arc) comparatively much sooner. I was getting impatient for Morgan to grow up, and that apparently doesn't start until the next book.
I'm complaining a lot, I know, but this had really big shoes to fill. It's entirely possible I'll like it better once we have the whole thing; on the other hand, I loved The Dragonbone Chair unreservedly from the start, so as good as this is and might someday be with added context, it's not quite the smashing return to Osten Ard I was hoping for.
It's good. I'm not abandoning the series after the first book like I did last year with Shadowmarch, which was an incredible disappointment. But this did feel a little lackluster.
It's big, it's complex, it's intricately plotted and I see where some of the plot threads are (possibly) headed in the future. All those things were true of the original Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy. But here I feel like it was almost needlessly complex, with far more POV characters than necessary, and far too few things resolved. More than any other Williams novel-from-a-series I've read, even the Otherland novels, this feels like it's only setup, that very little actually happens and nothing of any import is resolved. Yes, it's only the first book. But there's not even the smallest sense of closure to make it feel like a story in its own right, rather than merely the opening to a larger tale.
So that's one major problem I have. The other is that for all the familiar names on these pages, I feel like I don't recognize these characters. Count Eolair and Binabik are the only ones who feel like natural extensions of who they were--Binabik is basically unchanged, despite the thirty years that have passed, and Eolair is still fundamentally the same person, with the added perspective and exhaustion of his years. But Simon and Miriamele, the main characters and now the High King and Queen, are nothing like I expected them to be; they're constantly quarreling, fretting, or having sex. Sex was not absent from the original trilogy, and neither here nor there was it ever romance-novel-style explicit sex, but I was honestly surprised at how often important conversations between our monarchs needed to happen in bed; do they not see each other anywhere else besides formal audiences? It felt strange and repetitive.
As for the new characters, they're all over the place. Because there are so many and they need to share page time with the returning characters, some of them may not have gotten enough development (yet) to make them shine; because I don't know where all these newly established plot threads are going, I may appreciate their associated characters more after the story continues. I don't dislike any of the individual characters or their subplots in the same way I hated a few from Shadowmarch, but there are only a few I feel truly invested in, primarily Tzoja, Nezeru, and Jarnulf. I wanted to either like, or at least be more interested in, our princeling Morgan, but even once the plot kicks him in the pants, he's still a remarkably spoiled brat, and he doesn't get his "oh shit now I'm alone and in danger" moment until the end of the book, where Simon had to go through that (thus starting his resulting growth arc) comparatively much sooner. I was getting impatient for Morgan to grow up, and that apparently doesn't start until the next book.
I'm complaining a lot, I know, but this had really big shoes to fill. It's entirely possible I'll like it better once we have the whole thing; on the other hand, I loved The Dragonbone Chair unreservedly from the start, so as good as this is and might someday be with added context, it's not quite the smashing return to Osten Ard I was hoping for.