The Dragonbone Chair: Book One of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn

by Tad Williams

Paperback, 1989

Status

Available

Call number

PS3573.I45563 D7

Publication

DAW (1989), 800 pages

Description

In the peaceful land of Osten Ard, the good king is dying-and a long-dreaded evil is about to be unleashed. Only Simon, a young kitchen boy apprenticed to a secret order of wizards dedicated to halting the coming darkness, can solve the dangerous riddle that offers salvation to the land.

User reviews

LibraryThing member justchris
Next on the list is the fantasy trilogy by Tad Williams. This author's debut novel, Tailchaser's Song was quite well received. It was similar to Watership Down in terms of being an animal story, in this case cats, that involves dialogue and a certain amount of animal society, but without completely
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anthropomorphizing the critters. I thought it was okay, but not worth acquiring.

Then Williams came out with The Dragonbone Chair. Friends of mine attended a convention where Michael Whelan was a guest artist, and they were kind enough to get me a prepublication copy signed by my favorite cover artist (still is, but I am apathetic these days). I read this story and was blown away. I was similarly impressed with the rest of the trilogy (itself called Memory, Sorrow and Thorn): Stone of Farewell and To Green Angel Tower. It remains among my all-time fantasy favorites and I reread it at regular intervals (as it's appearance in this list demonstrates).

Keep in mind that at the time I was well into my period of swearing off fantasy, since I was sick and tired of repetitive knock-offs built around medieval European cultural elements and generally being Tolkein derivatives. And this book has all of the classic fantasy tropes: a small band of heroes who begin separately but come together for a good cause, an evil threatening the land, a quest to save the world so lots of moving around the landscape fleeing bad guys and seeking the key to defeating evil, battles, the inevitable romance, and happy ending. And it has all of the standard fantasy characters: a hero of humble origins who turns out to be more than first appears, a wise old mentor who guides our heroes and has some share of magic, princesses in disguise, elves, dragons.

It is also entertaining to match up the cultures that appear in the book to the real-world inspirations. The elves and the Norns are clearly inspired by Asian cultures (Japanese probably, among others). The Rimmersmen are Vikings, the Hernystiri are Welsh (or maybe more generic Celts), the Thrithings are horse-riding nomads (Scythians? Mongols? more of an eastern European feel), the Erkynlanders are Anglo-Saxon, the Nabbanai are Italian/Holy Roman Empire, with Perdruin being Sicily, the Wrannamen may be Irish or another marsh-based culture, but I tend to think more of the bayous of the American South (perhaps the Seminoles?), and the Yiqanuc trolls are like the Inuit or perhaps the Sherpas in the Himalayas. Now that I'm writing it all down, the fact is that all of the humans in this story are white, and any people of color are represented by nonhuman cultures. And of course there's no black folk here.

While this trilogy has all of the standard, well-trodden features, many that can be correlated directly to The Lord of the Rings, it is still original and fresh, perhaps because in many ways it subverts the standard tropes, and perhaps the many, many secondary characters that provide dimensions and depth and bring the world and its many cultures to life. The narrative is filled with stories and songs, and the characters speak in a range of dialects reflecting their cultural differences. The dialogue is quite good, as is the prose in general, and the character development. It is, ultimately, a very long coming-of-age story, as a teenager matures into manhood and learns wisdom in the process of surviving many harrowing crises. It is also a meditation on love, loss, grief, despair, sacrifice, longing for peace/annhilation/the end of existence, honor, legends, human limits, and all of that good, big stuff.
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LibraryThing member mattries37315
The first book of Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy on the surface looks like a cliché, however Williams puts his own original spins on those standard elements that in The Dragonbone Chair the reader is confronted with a fantasy that is familiar yet very different. The main character
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is the young Simon, a scullion orphaned from birth, who becomes the assistant to the castle's doctor as old heroic King John's long life is coming to an end and his son, Elias, succeeds him. Then as larger events that Simon only takes note of start effecting his life in the castle, he finds an open door in the floor. From that moment Simon's takes him from the ancient castle of his birth to the reaches of the known world, not that he really wants to and doesn't prevent him from complaining.

Williams' story further populated by other intriguing characters, both friends and foes of Simon. The troll Binabik who becomes Simon's travelling companion thanks to a secret message from Simon's mentor, Miriamele the only daughter of the corrupted new king who runs away under disguise only to join Simon, and Prince Josua who must confront and fight his older brother King Elias are but a few of the individuals that Williams makes the reader want to learn more about in future books. But Williams' unique take on the "standard" elf was a pleasant surprise for those accustomed to the Tolkien version.

Coming to my first Tad Williams book, I had read and told various things to expect about his writing. The most frequent was that he started slow and frankly this is correct, though once the action really kicks into gear all the events previously thought as tedious at the start to be seen by a different light. Though overall not perfect, the storytelling is engaging and the worldbuilding top notch.

After finishing The Dragonbone Chair I am fully committed to seeing how story will play out over the next two (three if you have the Mass Market Paperback) books. Yes, the book does start slow but as I said above once the action starts everything read about before will take on a different light as you along with Simon traverse Osten Ard.
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LibraryThing member Drellesh
This is the first book of Tad Williams that I have read, and on the whole, I found it satisfying, but not great. Although some central characters are memorable, this is not necessarily true for all of them. We meet Simon, the young kitchen boy who spends his time daydreaming in order to escape the
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dullness of castle life, and Binabik, a noble and endearing troll, who later in the book becomes Simon's most faithful companion throughout his adventure. With the exception of Pryrates (who is Elias's dark and sinister advisor), the rest of the characters seem to lack the necessary depth to make them noteworthy. Nevertheless, they are enjoyable.

I found the fist 200 pages to be tedious and arduous to read through, but then the pace picks up considerably. Simon's flight underneath the Hayholt is nothing short of memorable. It is here that Tad Williams shines as a writer. He succeeds in bringing to life the fascinating and unexplored glimpses of the realm of the Sithi, a culture Simon knows very little about, yet it becomes a central part to his existence. Thus Tad slowly sets the scene to this epic story. At times though, I got the feeling that Tad tries too hard to be like Tolkien, as there are obvious resemblances to "The Lord of the Rings" in certain passages of book.

I loved Tad's use of Simon's name with regards to his development as a character throughout the book. In the opening chapter Simon is described as "Simon Mooncalf", then proceeds to bestow upon him various other titles as he develops and matures: Simon Pilgrim, King Simon of the Tunnels, etc. The book ends with Simon being called "Seoman Snowlock", which leaves us with a taste of things to come in the sequel.

On the whole, Tad Williams is a talented writer; the story is enjoyable, even if at places it is a bit bland. Notwithstanding, Tad has done enough to wet our appetite for the sequel "Stone of Farewell".
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LibraryThing member AdrianGHilder
They say it is the fantasy equivalent of War and Peace - War and Peace was never this long!

In opening The Dragon Bone Chair, you step onto the threshold of one of fantasies grandest tales - and yet, a 5 star read it is not... quite.
This is the first of four books George R R Martin credits with
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providing some of the inspiration for his A Song of Fire and Ice series beginning with A Game of Thrones - you know, that fantasy series even people who don't normally read fantasy read.

With Simon, Tad Williams creates a hero who is not an orphaned farm boy meant for a greater destiny, but a kitchen scullion meant for a greater destiny. Mmm, OK.
But it is fun in the early part of the story watching over this inquisitive youths shoulder as he explores the "Hayholt" - an ancient castle (well more than a castle) with a dark past. Simon endures the types of problems teenagers have - liking the wrong girl, not focusing on what he is meant to be doing and so on. Simon gradually sinks into this world and the events set in motion by the death of the king, Prester John, the dragon slayer.
By the end of this book Simon is in the thick of nation-changing events as his knowledge of the Hayholt and the intriguing world of the League of the Scroll he enters into as a result of his apprenticeship to Doctor Morgenes (a wizard) always puts him in the right place at the right time to get himself into trouble - real trouble.
And so Simon's, and many other heroes quest begins. Yep, after roughly 800 pages of this first book the quest properly begins.

Tad William's writing style is impressive but hardly fast paced. His descriptions are incredibly artistic. At times he won't just paint a picture of the scene, he will go on to animate that picture in his writing. In this way, it is possible for Tad to spend a page and a half or more describing what it is like standing next to a river... before more page space is used describing the landscape beyond it.
There are great characters in here and a decent plot with some surprises, and some twists and turns, there is just a whole lot of words to get through to find it.
For me, this is what costs it the 5th star - too slow paced. The descriptive elements go too far and burden the plot.
But it is a classic, so perhaps you should persevere with it. At the time of writing this review, I have completed the entire 4 book series.
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LibraryThing member fuzzi
I read this book when it first was published, back in 1989 or 1990, and have reread it at least once since, but not in a while.

As I recall, the beginning chapters are slow going (just as "The Fellowship of the Ring" opens incredibly slow!) but once the protagonist, awkward 'mooncalf' Simon, leaves
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his home, it picks up.

Williams has a way of grabbing you and immersing you in the story. Like few other authors (C.J. Cherryh and Roger Zelazny come to mind), Williams does not spoonfeed you all the background, but lets it trickle to you, gradually, and this technique might annoy some. I appreciate not having endless explanations in my reading, but want the author to just "get on with it!"

It was a delight to reread it again, after about 15 years or so. Some books I have loved in the past no longer attract me, or leave me disappointed, but "The Dragonbone Chair" is not one of them.

If you are a serious SciFi/Fantasy fan, you might enjoy this.
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LibraryThing member Andorion
At first this book seems like a very traditional fantasy. A kingdom in crisis. A young man of humble origins. A dark force on the horizon. A desperate quest. Shadowy fantasy races. They are all very stock tropes.

But then you look at the date - its in the 80s. This series precedes the Wheel of
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Time, The Wars of Light and Shadow, Malazan, A Song of Ice and Fire - this puts a different perspective on things.

The two strong points of this book are characterization and world-building.

The world is a solid one with breadth and depth. It has a history and a mythology, it has ruins and memories, it has texture.

Characterization is a slow burn. We see it develop gradually, first focussing on only one character and then slowly branching off. Its done well, extremely so .

The weakness of the book is pacing. The middle part is slow, and it feels like it has one travelogue too many.

The big strong point of this book is the ending. The series is a trilogy, but the book does not end like a first book. At all. It ups the stakes and takes things to a different level. Its an ending that compels the reader to the second book.

I confess I am intrigued. Also I think readers of ASOIAF will find some familiar themes here.
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LibraryThing member aleahmarie
Simon is a kitchen boy in the sprawling and ancient stronghold of Hayholt. Happy, but too much a teenager to realize it, Simon spends the days avoiding chores, exploring his castle home and begging stories from his friend, Morgenes. What could this awkward 14-year-old have to do with an ancient
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battle, a dying king, and princes at war?

A standard coming-of-age story, the plot is still more engaging than most fantasy tales. What really makes this story shine is the way in which Tad Williams tells it. He is one of the most gifted writers of epic fantasy I've had the pleasure to come across in some time. The details of Simon's youth and subsequent adventures are intricate enough to satisfy any fantasy lover while an involving cast of characters leads the way.

A must read for fans of epic fantasy.
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LibraryThing member Karlstar
The first book in the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy. This is a creative, wonderful piece of fantasy. Deep forces are stirring, and somehow the kitchen boy, Simon is involved. Simon gets involved via his mentor, a member of a mysterious group of individuals that write to each other, and who may
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or may not be wizards of some sort. However there is evil in the ancient castle, built on the ruins of an even older structure. While this may seem like the usual fantasy story of a youngster pushed into larger events, its much more than that. Very good!
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LibraryThing member kungfuquaker
The story of Simon, teenage bastard son of a deceased scullery maid, who finds himself cast into an adventure which calls up strengths and maturity he never dreamed he possessed. with richly described characters and setting, this is a wonderful tale for those who like Lord of the Rings.
LibraryThing member rocalisa
The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams (10/10)
Fantasy. This was a reread and I loved it as much as the first time, if not a bit more. I know some people find Williams a bit too wordy, but in this case it works for me. I've put Stone of Farewell on the TBR as now I need to reread the entrie trilogy.
LibraryThing member Nikkles
This was my favorite book for many many years. Its a great coming of age story. Its also a sprawling epic in the vein of Tolkien. So, obviously people who like fantasy epics will probably like this one. The characters are dynamic and interesting to read about. The plot is fairly simple with the
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main characters spending most of their time trying to full fill various tasks to save everything they hold dear. The series is particularly interesting due to the character growth shown. People who don't like epics may not like this book, but since the characters are so well written you may still want to give it a try.
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LibraryThing member FionaCat
First book in the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy. A bit derivative of Tolkien, etc. but Williams hadn't hit his stride as a writer yet, in my opinion. One of my favorite authors.
LibraryThing member CKmtl
A serviceable fantasy series. William's characters are interesting, as are his settings.

I found some elements distracting, however. Some of his characters' names are unpronounceable, and the land's main religion is a lazy copy of christianity.
LibraryThing member Bombadillo
Other reviewers mention a slow start. I agree. This book came recommended by someone who'd seen my Library Thing shelf and I am glad. Eventually this fantasy becomes epic in scope and the characters are increasingly engaging. This is a trilogy with the third book being over a thousand pages. Quite
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an investment of time, but Williams writes well and the story promises to surpass most Tolkein imitators. I'll add here, re the second book, that his description of the Sithi city surpasses that of Lothlorien by Tolkein (I never thought I'd say that). Some of the characters develop through the story and I expect the final book to be an interesting resolution of this complex but captivating story.
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LibraryThing member LisaMaria_C
This is highly thought of by fantasy authors. Tamora Pierce rates it five stars on GoodReads and this was the series that inspired George RR Martin to try his hand at epic fantasy.

This first volume of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn consists of 766 pages of such tiny print I feared for my eyesight. It's
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the kind of book with maps up front and an appendix and glossary in the back, written in omniscient point of view, populated with elves, giants, dragons and trolls, and studded with songs and poems. It took a long time to get into--for 170 pages in the paperback edition we pretty much just follow, Simon, the 14-year old orphan scullion, dodge his duties about the castle before Something Happens. He acts fourteen--a flighty, whiny annoying pain--but does grow in the book. My favorite secondary character was the Yoda-like Binobik and his wolf--once he shows up on page 252 the book was a lot less of a slog.

Despite reviews calling the writing "beautiful" I didn't find the prose lovely: convoluted sentence structure, overdescriptive, overuse of italics and bold. The only other place I can ever recall seeing bold used for emphasis is bad fan fiction. Although good enough to keep me reading, I didn't find the style graceful compared to fantasy writers such as Peter S. Beagle, Tanith Lee, Ursula Le Guin, Mary Stewart or T.H. White. Moreover, the book could and should have been half the length; a great deal of the material was repetitive and unnecessary for world-building or character development. (And I would have appreciated far fewer dream sequences.)

I looked on my bookshelves for my fat fantasy books: Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel's Dart is 912 pages; George R.R. Martin's A Game of Thrones is 835 pages; Terry Goodkind's Wizard's First Rule is 820 pages; Rowling's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is 734 pages. Did I feel the weight with those books? No. But Dragonbone Chair definitely needs a diet. With Carey and Goodkind the length of the first books and those that followed didn't daunt me--I eagerly pounced on their next books. But I look at the equally fat Stone of Farewell and then at the conclusion To Green Angel Tower--split into two books and each still over 700 pages--and I whimper. Don't know when or if I'll get the nerve up to finish this four book "trilogy," despite Dragonbone Chair ending on a cliff-hanger.
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LibraryThing member DinadansFriend
this is a pretty good series, with a nice balance of human and alien characters. The Hobbit types are just a little too twee, but the market was what it was in 1988.
LibraryThing member Khali
I reread this after quite some time and I am pleased that the series is as good as I remembered. Williams has a deep sense of empathy for his characters and because of that he's able to show us how each character meets the challenges put before them - even the inhuman ones to a degree. Really, I
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just like Simon. He's such a mooncalf in the beginning that it's wonderful to see him grow with each experience. That is my main problem with a lot of fantasy that's on the shelves these days: the characters are so static or one dimensional, but you will not be disappointed with Soeman.
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LibraryThing member EJStevens
This book literally flew off my tbr bookshelf at me so I decided that the Universe must want me to read it now rather than later.I usually devour Tad Williams' books but I'm finding this book to be a bit slow going so far. Ah well, slow and steady wins the race, eh? I will endeavor to read on....
LibraryThing member Tcubed
I have always Relished Tad Williams style. Having read this book a few times now, I definately recomend it.

As far as fantasy goes, it conforms to some stereotypes, but shatters others. Dragonbone chair allows Tad to take readers on a varied journey, through a new land of fantasy and war-torn strife.
LibraryThing member EJStevens
This book literally flew off my tbr bookshelf at me so I decided that the Universe must want me to read it now rather than later.I usually devour Tad Williams' books but I'm finding this book to be a bit slow going so far. Ah well, slow and steady wins the race, eh? I will endeavor to read on....
LibraryThing member TheLostEntwife
I am not gonna lie to you – this is some hardcore fantasy. I mean, I consider myself to be fairly well-read at this point in the whole fantasy genre thing… but this was nearly out of my league. It was like stepping into this room filled with all sorts of fantastic, historical facts and then
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made to watch a movie that assumed you had a passing knowledge of at least 50% of those facts. History lessons filled the pages in this first novel, and add into that a fair amount of world-building, in addition to some pretty heavy politics happening and it makes for a book that packs a helluva punch.

What kept me going though was Simon. I loved that moonfaced boy, and I wanted to know what will happen to him. I loved the myth of the three swords, Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn – for whom the series is named after. And I ABSOLUTELY adored the Sithi – seriously, I haven’t felt that much love for a race of fantasy creatures since I was introduced to Tolkien’s elves. Loved, loved, loved them.

If you are a fantasy reader, and want a definite challenge – but one that is worth the challenge just for the Sithi and Simon alone, I recommend this series. I do plan to finish it – but first.. I need to recover a bit. I’m telling you, this was a helluva read.
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LibraryThing member queencersei
Prester John, High King of Osten Ard has died. His eldest son Elias has claimed the throne and sits in the Dragonbone Chair. But Elias’ reign immediately descends into chaos. Beguiled by an evil advisor, Elias strikes out against his younger brother Josua. His people are crushed under the harsh
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new taxes levied, Elias’ daughter flees her father in fear and the unspeakable evil only seems to grow.

Simon, a simple kitchen boy, is initially taken under the wing of a powerful wizard. Soon Simon is forced to flee the castle and the only home he has ever known as he is drawn ever deeper into events he cannot begin to comprehend. Eventually Simon makes his way to Prince Josua just as the battle between royal brothers boils over. Only one thing is certain, the struggle over the Dragonbone Chair has just begun.
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LibraryThing member Crowyhead
Excellent high fantasy -- Williams knows his stuff, and he makes the conventions of the genre feel exciting and fresh. His characters and the cultures they come from are intriguing, and he's built a very believable history for Osten Ard and the surrounding lands. The weak point, at least in this
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volume, is really the "quest for the magical object" aspect of the whole thing -- it seems like it comes in a little late, and feels a bit flat after so much creativity. But of course, this is the first book in a very long trilogy, which gives Williams time to build things up a little more.
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LibraryThing member sarradee
This book started off really, really slowly and it took me a long time to get into the story. I am reading this book for an online book group so I didn't want to give up on it. It's a good thing that I didn't because once the story started moving, it really took off and got more and more
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interesting. By the end, which is left on a cliff-hanger, I am dying to start the next book to find out just what happens next.
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LibraryThing member davisfamily
Well, that was better than expected...

Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

1988-10-25

Physical description

800 p.; 4.19 inches

ISBN

0886773849 / 9780886773847
Page: 1.6833 seconds