Rating: 
Summary: What's all this stuff about ENDER'S GAME being perfect?...
Review: "Ender's Game" falls flat when I compare it to "Stone of Farewell." Ender has conflicts that are not really quite conflicting development-wise. Hel-loo! He is six years old at the beginning of the book with the mentality of a 30 year old. "Stone" leaves us with characters that we can watch as they develop. Besides that, its a darn good read.The beginning of it takes place with Binabik and his people, and its not boring. No, its fun. (Not just because Binabik's one of my favorite characters!) Williams knows how to write, unlike some other people out there. And he gives us thousands of pages per series -- I'm all for the gargantuan novel thing. He doesn't pointlessly babble. He is as worthy of note as George R. R. Martin -- by the way, Martin read MEMORY, SORROW, AND THORN, and even picked up a few tips from Tad. (The comet = the Conqueror Star, the Dothraki = upside down Thrithings-men,...and whose to say that Qantaka (sp?) didn't inspire the direwolves!., etc.) Begin with "The Dragonbone Chair" -- pull through the fifty or so introductory pages -- and READ THIS SERIES. Then get your copy of OTHERLAND, vols. 1 and 2, and enjoy. Unfortunately, you will have to wait for vol. 3. Sigh. Of course, you can read "Child of an Ancient City" while you're waiting, and pick up a copy of "Caliban's Hour" at your library or used bookstore. I will shut up now. I think that you get the idea.
Rating:
Summary: Tad Williams is the current Tolkien
Review: The work of Tad Williams can easily seat with honor beside the Lord of the Rings on my shelf. I have yet to find a Fantasy writer this good. Even though it's size is intimidating, I found I just couldn't put it down. I kept looking with dread at the amount of pages left to read wishing the book will never end. When I try to analyze and evaluate a Fantasy story, I consider the following: Characters, Plot and the Fantasy world build around them. Williams scores a perfect 10 in all categories. His characters are dynamic, as the plot evolves around them they evolve. Simon changes from a clumsy daydreaming boy to a clumsy hero. The Bad guys are not whole black, they have their shades of gray also the good guys have their share of skeletons in the closet. The plot is captivating, the choices made by the heroes make the difference. Unlike many other writers, Williams doesn't leave us with unfinished subplots or holes in the story. The world of The Memory, Sorrow and Thorn Series, it is the strongest essence. We have Religion and we have Magic. We have History true or false one (depends on who's looking). We have mysteries unsolved from the past and much much more. But to my opinion the best job Williams have done was with the different races. In regular Fantasy story books the Elves are treated as Humans with pointy ears, the Dwarves/Gnomes/Halflings (Williams trolls) as short humans. The races in most books suffer from sever Tolkien stereotype (Elves are noble keepers of the forest, Hobbits are shy etc..) Williams races on the other hand are completely alien. They follow a different set of rules, has a foreign civilization structure, has a set of customs, history and bounds of honor. They share a world with suspicious medieval human society, and so when they get with humans, conflict usually arises (Which is the foundation of our story). To sum it all up, this series is a great reading, leaves you with a taste for more. Thumbs up Tad Williams
Rating: 
Summary: A Little "Out of Character" in Places
Review: I love this series, and true to form, Williams makes a great story of the second book. However, there were parts of the narrative that were slightly disappointing. In Dragonbone Chair, the plot emanates from the characters like a harmonic reverberates from a plucked string. That quality is what made the book so believable. History, after all, is like a quilt and our decisions/behaviors etc. the patches that make up the pattern. The Stone of Farewell is not quite as realistic in its flow. At times I found myself becoming slightly suspicious and cynical of the plot turns, and feeling like Williams was trying too hard to work certain details into the "big picture" and forgetting the moment at hand and, ultimately, betraying his characters. At these times the characters would often succumb to witless/irrational moves that would leave me thinking, "what in the world did he do THAT for??" It's hard to imagine such clever characters making such flagrant mistakes (or asking stupid questions). Why did Binabik, Sludig and Simon not question the appearance of a strange child on a deserted road? And why did none of them seem to recall that Sludig saw him a long time before the meeting and mistook him for a troll? How did a child, poorly clad for the weather and on foot out pace men on horses??? Some how I find it hard to imagine soldiers and deep thinkers suddenly not thinking of these things. Also, if Josua needs Geloe to explain why the Farewell Stone creates strategic advantage for those that the top, he's not quite the commander Williams makes him out to be. Also, if it truly was Fengbald and his cronies chasing the ragamuffin bunch across the grasslands (as was initially thought), why would they announce their presence with torches? Surely they would be accustomed to riding in the dark for "stealth." Shouldn't a war-hardened, strategic thinker at least question these things before simply reacting? Some of these inconsistencies in the characters made the story less believeable than Dragonbone. Simon, however, is the most consistent character (his irrational moves are almost expected) and Williams does an excellent job of taking him through his various "growth" stages--mentally, emotionally etc. I really like the fact that the straggling bands of "good guys" aren't always triumphant and supernaturally prevailing in everything. I like the fact that they make mistakes, I just think the characters need to be a bit more true in the mistakes that they make. I like a story where the characters really have to work for the final outcome. There are very tense moments in the narrative that are exciting and well done. Overall, I think this book is a great read and does a nice job of tying the "big picture" together more clearly and building toward the ultimate climax. My hope for the next installment in the series: I'd like to see a little more philosophical grappling with the spiritual content, since the theme of good vs. evil is so pronounced. Williams is very relational and "shows" the reader about spiritual nature through the character traits like those of Pryrates vs. the Lector but I'd like to see a little more thinking about it on the part of the characters. Josua alludes to Aedon in his challenge preceding the battle with the Thrithing that is slightly reminiscent of Old Testament bravado, but it feels more like a manipulation than personal ownership of "the good." Simon does have his moments (as does Maegwin...sort of), but they pass quickly. Binabik's answers are a little bit too pat for a deep thinker. New information about the origins of the Sithi (and others) comes to light and Williams alludes to a Garden where the nature of the race was somehow corrupted, thereby giving rise to the Shadow that arose among them. I hope he intends to delve into this a little more deeply. If he is going to make assertions about the nature of evil and being (if there is a state of Unbeing-as the Sithi allude to-what, exactly is it's opposite state: Being?), I'd like to see him go all the way with it and present plausible philosophical "discourse" on the subject. The pace at which he introduces these moral conundrums in the minds of the characters is a bit slow for my taste. They seem to have a deep seated sense of duty and worry much about what to do, but little (in comparison) about the deep nature of existence from which all things (and therefore decisions) arise. But, in defense, I suppose that's pretty typical of humanity as a whole, and therefore another "realistic" element to the story.
Rating:
Summary: An Epic
Review: Stone of Farewell - one really excellent book. A great, fully-realized sequel to Dragonbone Chair. I originally read this book before Dragonbone Chair because as usual the excellent (hardcover)cover had caught my eye and the first book wasn't immediately accessible. The way this one plunges into the story straight away helped me read the Dragonbone Chair later without finding it tedious or being impatient with the slow development of plot. Osten Ard and especially the forzen mountains of the troll-folk were excellently described. This book isn't the normal action-packed, paperback fantasy with sword-fights and ripped-guts galore, (which can be fun in its own way, I grant you) but a very special, very real classic. A lot happens in this book on a grand scale and the author isn't afraid to kill characters, which kept me holding my breath and not daring to form predictions. I really like his characters. I love Simon, not because he's a great hero, because he isn't; nor because he's cool: he isn't. I like him because he feels real and because Williams makes us understand him and feel the story. The supporting characters are great! I love adorable Binabik and his hilarious troll quotes and his funny speech. Duke Isgrimnur is a bear of a gem. Prince Josua is intriguing and his queer humor and scholarliness sets him apart from the usual run. The only main character that I'm not all that crazy about is Princess Miriamele, but she's no where as bad as some of Robert Jordan's female creations!
Rating:
Summary: Just keeps getting better....
Review: The Stone of Farewell is the second book in the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series. It is the story of Seoman Snowlock, formerly Simon Mooncalf the Kitchen Scullion and his friends Binabik the troll and Princess Miriamele. This is a great follow up to the Dragonbone Chair which if you haven't read, you need to read before reading this. In this, the second of the series, the forces of the rebel Josua Lackhand are beginning to organize. But the dark powers that have been ranging throughout the land will do anything to stop them. This is a great book that any fan of fantasy will thoroughly enjoy. Williams expands on already fleshed-out and memorable characters and introduces some more. No other series except maybe Lord of the Rings has such an epic feel to it. You really feel the enormity and difficulty of the task that is before the characters. Loaded with intrigue, battles, mystery, and romance this book and the rest of the series are a requirement of any fantasy fan.
Rating:
Summary: Haiku Review
Review: Develops conflict.
Elves are not going gently
Into that good night!
Rating: 
Summary: Middle Volume Blues
Review: It's no mystery that Tad Williams draws much of his "Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn" series from the J.R.R. Tolkien well - and most contemporary fantasists drink from these same waters, point of fact - but what Williams does not replicate is the intensity of "The Two Towers," the middle volume in Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings." "The Stone of Farewell" is a bloated tome that rambles more often than it compels. Even so, the characters introduced in "The Dragonbone Chair" are strong enough to warrant the effort spent on "Farewell," and the concluding volume ("To Green Angel Tower") promises a resounding conclusion. I can't help but think that "Farewell" just runs on too long, especially during those times when nothing of any real consequence is actually taking place. To be curt, it can be very boring. On the other hand, there are some very moody and inspiring sequences - they just happen to be trapped in the tangle. As a bridge between "The Dragonbone Chair" and "To Green Angel Tower," "The Stone of Farewell" is definitely worth the hike - but even books in an ongoing series should, to some extent, satisfy on their own. "Farewell" suffers from the middle volume blues. Still, my interest in the series continues despite the drudgery of this particular journey, and that says a lot.
Rating:
Summary: excellent sequel
Review: In answer to the Dragonbone Chair, Williams tells the tale of poor Simon, and others, after the fall of his good Prince's stronghold. More hints tug at our imagination, showing again the vast scope of Williams' research in writing his books. Good is crippled by evil, but hope is not lost. The promise of prophesy wars with the reality of evil's victory on many fronts, and the teasing hints at history's play in current events continues. Enjoy Book Two -- it sets the stage for a mind-blowing third installment.
Rating:
Summary: Tad Williams is going strong.
Review: In the second book Semon finds himself in the troll community in which Binabik left long ago. From there he ends up a sort of prisoner of the Sithi. Along with the king's daughter who is stuck on a boat which is owned by an Earl who is under the direct control of her evil father's councilor. So many points going on at once but Tad Williams keeps going strong.
Rating:
Summary: Great Epic!
Review: Here's one for all you that "happen" upon this book and haven't read the first book in the series --- you really don't need to read the first book. There's a synopsis in the beginning that gets the reader up to speed on what's happened, and then the reader can just jump right in. Granted, I would like to read the first book and the third book, and I probably will (actually, I know I will), but I just want to let anyone and everyone know that Williams has made it possible for anyone to pick up Stone of Farewell and jump right into it. I felt that Williams did an excellent job in creating an epic story that covers so many characters and locations. The plot was interesting all the way through, and the ending, while not really an "ending" in the literal sense, it is very satisfying regardless.
|
