Rating: 
Summary: Fabulous!
Review: I just want to get one thing clear before I begin: DON'T LISTEN TO THE NAYSAYERS! Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn is one of the best series I have ever read in my entire life! Sure, there may be a FEW slow parts, but a book this good is bound to have a few slow moving parts. I loved every second of this book, and I've read it over and over. It's got a great setting (if a little borrowed), but the thing that I think I liked best (aside from characters that I can relate to as if I know them) is the fact that Williams takes his story to all the reaches of the world with his characters. He leaves no stone unturned, and the twists in the plot are fantastic. Take my advice as a fantasy reader and DO NOT MISS OUT ON THIS ONE! It was worth every moment of my time and more!
Rating:
Summary: The Book That Got Me Started Reading Fantasy
Review: Before I picked up this book, the only fantasy novels that I had read were the ones in the Terry Brooks "Magic Kingdom" series, and I read them three years ago. Since then, all I read were spy novels and military techno-thrillers. A friend of mine who is really into fantasy recommended that I start reading Tad Williams. So I followed her advice, went to the bookstore, and picked up The Dragonbone Chair.I read the book in just under two days. This is one of the most captivating novels that I have come across. While I admit that it starts out slow, Williams does an excellent job in creating his fantasy world in the mind of the reader. Vivid imagery is a turn off for a lot of people, but it is the exhaustive descriptions of Osten Ard and its people that separates this book from other ones in the fantasy genre. In terms of characters, I found that each one, no matter how big or small their role, had a certain quality that made them interesting to the overall story. I liked Simon, the main character, because I could relate to his personality as a teenager who is disgusted with the prospect of doing menial labor all his life and wants to do something more exciting. Impatient but intelligent, he is not the invincible hero that saves the day for everyone. He must rely on the help of others while going through the ups and downs of life. I look forward to seeing his adventures in the next book of this very long trilogy. Judging from the reviews of the rest of the series, it appears that Tad Williams is second to only Tolkien. I hope the next two books are as good as the first. Perhaps after I finish, I'll read the epics of Robert Jordan and Terry Goodkind, fully remembering that had I not read The Dragonbone Chair, I would be missing out on a fascinating genre. I wonder if other readers started out on the same path with this book.
Rating: 
Summary: I Really Wanted to Like This Book
Review: A few months ago, I read an interview with George R.R. Martin on Amazon. Martin is the author of the famous Song of Ice and Fire series which is one of my favorite fantasy reads of all-time so you can bet that I will avidly follow any recommendations he makes. In this same interview, Martin mentioned the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorne series as one of his inspirations before writing his own series. After reading this, I jumped at the chance to buy "The Dragonbone Chair" and even purchased the second book because I just knew that I would love the series. Sadly, I now regret that decision. I've run into fantasy books before that get off to S-L-O-W starts and this appears to be one of them. I'm at page 150 and honestly, I don't know if I can bear to continue anymore. I think my main problem is that the main characters, Simon, is about as interesting as cardboard, and the history of the land is not much of an improvement. The supporting characters are dull, the author goes into far too much detail to describe every minute detail, and I still have no idea where any of this is leading. I might try to endure it and continue on because after reading many reviews at Amazon, it appears most readers were bored to tears in the beginning as well. But this is one title I've been trying to read for months now and I don't know if I'll ever find the inspiration to continue.
Rating: 
Summary: Worthwhile, with a promise to be better
Review: 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 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".
Rating:
Summary: Rousing adventure story with complexity and good prose
Review: This book was excellent and a breeze to read despite its nearly seven hundred pages. Its vivd, engaging prose swept me right up into the scenes and made them come alive. I also enjoyed the lively dialogue and charming characters, especially the whining protagonist, Simon. Though sometimes lacking emaotional depth, the relationships between characters are satisfylingly complex, and plenty of romance, heroism, and betayal is included in the mix. The land of Osten Ard and its people have a complete, intruiging background. The ages-past invasion of the Rimmersman and their defeat of the Sithi and Hernystiri provide a reallistic backdrop for the current ill-feeling between Rimmersman and other peoples including the Yiqanuc, much as the tradgedy involving the two princes and the woman they loved sets the stage for their conflict in this book. The author provides motivations for every action and by doing so makes us believe in his characters and plot. However, a few things about the novel bothered me. After the amount of hints given to the readers about the nature of the enemy, the reality is a bit disappointing, and not as deliciously shocking as I had hoped it would be. The appendix in the back, including lists of characters, translations of passages in native languages, and guides to pronunciation, was very helpful in sorting everything out. The Tolkienesque use of songs and poems was another nice touch. Also, the author has stuck surprisingly close to the reality of our world when crafting his own. Names of months and holidays are nearly close identical to the ones used here, and the Norse, Celts, and Anglo-Saxons are easily identified in the ethnic groups created by Willliams. He writes of a Church differing from the Christian one mainly in the names of its symbol, a Tree instead of a cross, and its messiah, called Usires Aedon rather than Jesus Christ. Perhaps Williams wanted to use a historical setting without the restrictions of reality or actual events, but I think he could have been slightly more creative in doing this. But these slight imperfections hardly detracted from my enjoyment of a well-wriiten and expertly crafted adventure that all fantasy junkies should read.
Rating: 
Summary: Skimming is your friend
Review: For whatever reason, I am drawn to Tad Williams' books. This was no exception. The thing is, I KNOW I will be depressed at the end. He does not do 'happy' endings. But if you are patient, this book is a good long read, and is entertaining enough to warrant reading the rest of the series. If you are not patient, skimming can also be rewarding. I also find it amusing that the last book was long enough that it had to be published in two volumes as a paperback.
Rating:
Summary: Masterful Fantasy Epic
Review: Tad Williams' The Dragonbone Chair is a true masterpiece of the genre, comparable only to Tolkien's Ring Trilogy. A great shame the hardback is no longer available, because this book needs to be read over and over, together with its sequels. Not that it is difficult or obtuse as some other fantasy works can be, but because there are small but significant details that can best be appreciated with repeated reading.
Rating:
Summary: Good series, with a few faults
Review: Rather than review each of the individual books, I'll just review the series as a whole now. It was pretty good, but it did have a few problems. I don't care overmuch about world-building, so the fact that Osten Ard is a fairly standard world didn't bother me much. It was still interesting. Characters and story are what I care about, and Memory, Sorrow and Thorn had plenty of both. The pace does drag a bit here and there, but for the most part it keeps moving along. The beginning of The Dragonbone Chair didn't have much action, as many have complained, but it was still good. I certainly wasn't bored for the first 200 pages or so, but then, I've always been a sucker for exposition. Really, my only problems are fairly small ones, in the scheme of things: 1)Characters, most especially Simon, pass out way, way too much. It seems like once Simon is on his quest, he passes out/is knocked out at the end of every chapter he's in. This isn't exaggeration, at least not by much. The others do it quite a bit as well, but none so much as poor Simon-boy. After the first dozen times, it gets pretty grating. 2)He switches perspective way too often. I love this device, it's great for creating tension, and maintaining suspense, as well as not letting any of the characters fade too much from memory. I use it myself, in my own writing. But in this case the perspective shifts way too often. By the time you get to the third book, hardly an entire chapter is spent on a single character. Usually, a single chapter splits into three or so different characters' stories. Just as you're getting interested in one, you get dragged into another character's storyline. Then, when you're just getting back into that storyline, lo and behold, you're pulled into yet another one. All the storylines are good, but none of them get lingered on for long enough. It does create tension, but when overused (and misused, in many cases) it's just irritating. But, excepting those two things, I didn't really have any problems with the series. All in all, it was a fun, emotionally involving work, and I'm very glad I read it. You should too. At least the first book, to see if you like it. But even if it seems you won't like it, ACTUALLY FINISH THE FIRST BOOK, not 3 chapters, not 200 pages, not 3/4, FINISH it. Chances are, you'll be glad you did. NO book is good when left only half-read.
Rating:
Summary: Painful and rewarding
Review: Reading this book is similar to bludgeoning yourself in the head with a hammer and then getting it repaired and improved. You need to be on the same level with the pain if you are going to get a 5-star read out of this sucker, but with alot of patience you can get this 4-star rating out of it. The foremost thing you should know is that in the end of the book, you feel fulfilled. Even though things don't pick up until about page 500, it is still enjoyable before this point. In truth, I stopped reading this book 200 pages into it, frustrated with all the lucid and lush adjectives forcefully shoved into sentences appearing before nouns. Any nouns. This book took me much longer to read than it should have. I ususually read a book a week, despite length (the longer the book, the more i read a day), but this book took me nearly 3 weeks to complete. You need to be very patient with this book and it will reward you. Once you get past the endless descriptions, there is something there. This book is a test of endurance, but I can not encourage patience any higher than I am. The story is interesting and worthwhile.
Rating:
Summary: More Like Historical Fiction
Review: I was not very impressed with William's writing style or characterizations for the first 50 pages but then suddenly everything blossomed with an exuberant flair and I was deeply drawn into this unbeatable work of fantasy. It took me three months to get through the first 50 pages and three days to finish the book. I am an avid historical fiction reader and I must say that The Dragonbone Chair reads more like a piece of historical fiction than a fantasy novel. As with real "historical fiction" this book is a great looking glass into the heart and nature of humanity. It's easy, with the many parallels to the "real world", to forget that it isn't real. But that, I suppose, is part of the imprisoning force of the book. I was very impressed with the many faces of spirituality and wisdom Williams uses, however, I was slightly put off (initially) by the obvious and pervasive flavor of Catholicism in the Aedonite religion. Overall, the book is very well written, believable, rich in characterizations and delightfully detailed.
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