Rating: 
Summary: Great fantasy Tolkien-like adventure
Review: It's a story of a day-dreamer kitchen boy who is bored and would like to learn of mystical magical things. He meets a local "wizard" who takes him on as what he thinks is an apprentice, but turns out he mostly serves as a janitor. It's through unexpected shady event's and a power struggle for the throne that he learns about how he has been living amongst magic all along and how much of an effect it has on the life of the kingdom and how much the kingdom's survival depends on it. Elf-like sithi. Dwarf-like Troll. Undead digger's. Evil currupting mages. Drunken priests with secrets. And lost swords. It might sound overplayed, but the surprising thing is that Williams brings the characters to life so well that it doesn't matter if you've read about magic elves before - these are of a civilization of their own with their own history and personalities! I would read 100 pages at a time into the wee hours without regard for sleep. It was that well sewn together a story. If you are reading this and think 800 pages is too much, think again, you will flip the pages unlike ever before! Easiest (and one of the most enjoyable) 700+ pages I've read.
Rating:
Summary: Wowee !!!
Review: I had already been introduced to Williams with Tailchaser's Song when I picked up this book.I had enjoyed my previous interaction with his work,but was slightly disappointed.I had expected it to be a lot better than it actually was.But then I picked up this book I expected it to just a moderately pleasurable read Tailchaser's song.But what a surprise!The main character had much more of a thourough personality,and it was also much more complete as far as culture goes.Many more languages,trolls,giants,dragons,everything a fantasy lover should want is here!
The quest is not something where you immediately what know the purpose of it is.You just gradually learn more of what's going on as the story proceeds.
Anyone who appreciates,Jordan or Feist should like this if they are in there right mind.
P.S.The adventure doesn't begin for the first one or two hundred pages,so don't be appalled.
Rating:
Summary: williams vs. tolkien
Review: Tad Williams' Dragonbone Chair sets the stage for a saga which rivals even Tolkien's Ring trilogy. And, it tantalizes us even more. The setting is medeival, and achingly like our own history, with parallels to Viking conquest, the advent of Christianity, and much more, with the addition of a very real elven kingdom, Trolls, dragons, and more.
If readers enjoy the tale of a simple child set adrift in the warring of mighty forces, as Tolkien did with his hobbits, then this is the best item on the menu. Dragonbone Chair is the first in an epic series of vast tomes, and is not for those who love light reading. Book One lays a foundation only, and is answered by massive volumes of equally weighty stories, each monumental in its own right. If some producer has, at some time, a billion dollars to throw around, this will be the best cinematic series ever created.
Rating: 
Summary: Grade A Fantasy Adventure
Review: "The Dragonbone Chair," published in 1988, remains one of the best "Lord of the Rings" clones ever written. While the similarities between that which Tad Williams has given us and that which J.R.R. Tolkien pioneered are more than coincidental, fans of high fantasy who have not yet stepped into the world of Osten Ard will feel as though they are walking in a beloved, familiar place, and yet at the same time it is not a place they have been before, despite the parallels to what they know. The first book in the "Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn" trilogy, "The Dragonbone Chair" chronicles the tragic adventure of Simon, castle scullion and immature youth, who finds himself apprenticed to the mysterious Dr. Morgenes - who is more than he appears to be. When a battle between brothers, sons of the late King John, escalates ominously, Simon is ripped from the life he knows and forced into the world beyond. In time, he discovers that things in Osten Ard are even worse than they appear, for the dreaded Storm King, deathless renegade of the elf-like Sithi race, is returning to the world, and bringing ruin in his wake. To say that this setup is "traditional" would be a kindness - but despite the clichés, Williams injects a life and passion into his world and characters that is considerably more impressive than the norm. On top of that, his writing is vivid and beautiful, almost poetic. Williams knows how to set the scene, and he has atmosphere to spare. If things are bleak in the novel, prepare to shiver as you read it. The parallels to Tolkien's Middle-Earth are easy to find, but Williams borrows more than he steals. The trolls of Osten Ard, for example, parallel Tolkien's hobbit-folk, for they are small in stature and child-like in appearance - but if hobbits are rural Englishmen, then Williams' trolls are miniature Eskimos. The Sithi certainly owe their existence to Tolkien's elves, but they also parallel the natives of the Americas, and harbor a bitterness toward humanity (or the European settlers, perhaps) that makes them considerably darker in nature than Legolas and his ilk. It is this bitterness that creates the Storm King - so is this "Dark Lord" a creation of the Sithi, or a creation of the humans who wrongfully cast them from their lands? Williams offers less black and less white, and more gray than most. Unfortunately, the pacing of this massive tome is inconsistent. A less committed reader might toss this one aside after the first 100 pages, since very little happens that could not have been greatly condensed. To be blunt, the opening chapters can be a bit of a bore. Patience is certainly a virtue in this instance, though. When the plot begins to thicken, the pages virtually turn themselves. Sure, there are temporary lulls here and there, and I suspect that Williams got a little bit sloppier as he neared the finale, but when that finale comes, and you have read the final chapter, you will long for part two. In the end, "The Dragonbone Chair" may be conventional, but it is immensely compelling, and you will fear the Storm King's wrath. Any fan of high fantasy who has not been treated to "Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn" should remedy that at once.
Rating:
Summary: awesome
Review: in three words: the best ever.
its true
tad williams has an exception writting style that enables the reader to actually believe this stuff! some people accuse him of copying jordan, who wrote after this book already came out....but it is obvoisly much more different. in wot the magic is more tangible and can be used in a fairy tale sorta way. williams makes magic an art, in which it is much more subtle and grander. the magic is in wisedom and age, not just waving ur hand about. well thers that kind also, but its not seen as much. secondly, the storm king has an incredible bitter sweet history which adds to this already awesome plot. infact, after reading the series about 4-5 times, i can say that williams has entered the door that tolkien opened. my only regret is that he is currently writing huge nice fat books that seem interesting, yet i just cant pick them up (otherworld).
in all williams has revived a familiar road buy adding unsuspecting twists and turns and much much more scenery.
Rating:
Summary: TAD is Da Man!
Review: Tad Williams can create and interesting and entrapping story line. Simon and the other characters create a great backdrop to the storyline in which an ancient evil is on the rise again and wants to destroy all man kind. This is very Raymond Feist like. Good work Williams!
Rating: 
Summary: Carbon copy.
Review: A good book should add something to the literary world to set it apart from the thousands of other books on the shelves. This book and the one's that come after are all great copies of other peoples work. We have a young boy in the kitchens who is befriended by a wizard and turns out to be a noble. We have a single female lead that will fall in love with the hero since she is the only possible love interest. We also have a bunch of short fuzzy footed people running around not to mention a group of elves acting exactly the way you would expect elves to act if you were following the well beaten path to Tolkens door. Martin, Tolken, and Jordan all created the worlds they write about. Reading this book I felt that Mr. Williams had simply moved into a 'standard fantasy world, no assembly required' and put his story into it. I stuck with the book all the way through GAT just to see if I could guess the outcome of all the plot threads. I did, and if you have read much in this book you will find many things that have been done better elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Good read!
Review: Enjoyed the book. Seemed the plot and ideas were not completely put together as well as I would of liked. Williams himself claims as such...His Otherland series is great and he proves his writing skills in them. However, MST is great anyways.
Rating:
Summary: dudes.........
Review: this is absolutly the best series ever written.
it has the likes of elvish history and tradegy from tolkien, the huge cast like robert jordan, the intruiging plot and story like brooks and lewis.
unlike most authors who copy off the big writters, tad here seems to complimet them.
the only thing i regret is that its 3 books, i wish it was as long as wot, especially since its much better
well, this book is a must read have and is just....incredible
Rating:
Summary: Great Fantasy Reading
Review: I have read the "Lord of the Rings" and the "Hobbit" five times since I was in middle school. At 50 years old, I am still looking for good fantasy books to read. To my pleasant surprise, the "Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn" books are among my favorites. The first book "The Dragonbone Chair" starts out a little slowly. It is your chance to get to know Simon, the main character of this series. Be patient, it is more than worth it. Simon's character grows along with the story in a way that I have not seen in other novels like this. The action picks up in the second half of this novel and continues unabated through the rest of the series.
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