Rating: 
Summary: Slow, but be patient!
Review: The book starts off slow, and never really picks up any pace. If you like the story at all though, stick with it, "To Green Angel Tower" makes it all worthwhile :)
Rating: 
Summary: good read
Review: At the risk of offending, I will say that, while Tolkein probably must be credited as the greater story teller, Tad Williams' beatiful writing style is a treasure that not even Tolkein can rival.
Besides a slow start, which is forgivable given the solid foundation that is created, this book is awesome. Having read the entire series, I can assure you that you will be so captivated by the story before the end, you may forget to read slowly enough to relish Williams mastery of the language. A must read.
Rating:
Summary: I loved this series
Review: Though some might call it formulatic, this is the kind of fantasy I love. Magical swords, sorcerors, mythical creatures, and dragons (my all-time favorite fantasy creation) all wrapped up with a ever-twisting story line and believable characters. I found myself enthralled in the story that didn't let up until the series was finished. And I loved the characters (Simon being my favorite). My only complaint with the series was the jumping from one character story to the next. This reached it's climax in The Stone of Farewell with 11 seperate stories at one time. But even this couldn't put a hamper on great writing and story telling. My advice: read this only if you want your free-time monopolized for the next few weeks with an enjoyable series that has a nice happy ending.
Rating: 
Summary: I Was Robbed! (spoilers)
Review: I finished reading Green Angel Tower (Part 2) last night. What a waste! Never have a read about such a bumbling, incompetent, irrelevent group of heroes in my life! Only Prince Josua's decisions affected events in any meaningful way. The battle for Sesuad'ra and Miriamele's bow shot at the end were the only instances where the heroes took the initiative and made a difference. Everyone else was dragged around by the swords. If it wasn't going to be them, the swords would have found someone else. Pathetic! About halfway through the last book, I realized I was witnessing the horrifying transformation of Star Wars into The Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. If I had to read one more line about a sword-nick-here and a bumped-knee-there, I would have screamed. I'm surprised we didn't get a full account of Doctor Morgenes' paper cuts! But I'm sure Tad Williams thought about including them. I also posted this under Green Angel Tower, but want to stop anyone else from considering these books, which is why I posted it here. Stick with Jordan, even though he may never finish...
Rating: 
Summary: Formulaic, but still a good read
Review: Tad Williams really digs deep here to mine every cliche known to fantasy writers, starting with the kitchen-boy-turned-accidental-hero (Simon) who is (surprise!) "more than he seems," and continuing with a cast of prerolled characters that could have come from a musty AD&D campaign. The story progressed slowly at first, but it got moving about a third of the way through, and continued at a fair clip thereafter. The problem was, there was too much reliance on "cue card" characterizations. For example, did we really need to see a character coldheartedly crush a little dog's back to be certain he was truly evil? The author might as well have held up a sign reading "Boo! Hiss!"Still, I liked the book well enough, and I plan to read the next one. The plot is formulaic, but Tad Williams does a good job of trotting the old horse out for one more turn around the track. Besides, there are so many good reader reviews for this series, Book 2's got to be better. I hope you guys aren't letting me down!
Rating:
Summary: We're talkin' Rich Adventure, here, folks.
Review: Sure it starts off slow, but so do rollercoasters... and, like the first climb of a rollercoaster, or a raised weight, a coiled spring, or a supercharged battery, you'll find this adventure soars when it takes flight. The 'slow' start, is a tool for getting to know the world Simon lives in, what has taken place in Osten Ard, and gives a taste of what is to come. I don't think 'slow' is the word... a wonderful set up, is more like it, though fairly clean of events. An old king is dying at the beginning of this book, along with the old way of living. This all-too important transitional period cannot be rushed along... that would do the story, as a whole, a great injustice. With the adventures of Simon, and the fantastic world of characters with their own respective adventures, you'll be saturated with the surrounding world. I not only became familiar with the poignant characters, but truly feared for their welfare. From his 'scullion' days as a kitchen boy in a kingdom, through a time of great change, Simon meets the world on a most personal note, and grows more familiar with a perilous life at every turn. His maturing personality is seen is his talk, his manner, and his dealings. Other characters are just as personable and intriguing. I do the book no justice in this review, but I make it anyway. The genius of Tad Williams is subtle, yet overpowering. I'd recommend this book to the die hard fantasy reader, and any who are interested in exploring the wealth of intrigue fantasy can offer, as a first time venture.
Rating:
Summary: A True Saga Begins Here
Review: The Dragonbone Chair is a wonderfully written, character
driven novel that really draws you in and won't let got
until the final page.
After hearing my friends talk about Tad Williams I decided
to check out one of his books for myself and was very happy
I did. This novel really gets you compfortable with the main
characters through the first number of chapters, and instead
of using sword-play as a crutch(like so many other novels)it
saves it for when it's necessary and advances the plot. These
battles put you on the edge of you seat, and because you know
these people so well you really understand thier motivations
and care if they live or die! Fans of TOLKEIN will like this
novel and it's varied character classes:Humans,Trolls, Hunen,
Bukken, and my favorite the Sithi, a cross between Elves and
Native American Indians. this book takes you all over the
land of "OSTEN ARD" and introduces you to many different life
styles. It also has 4 good maps to help you follow the the
travles of the characters and a full glossary.
This is a Well thought out, and well written novel. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Captured me
Review: I picked up this book because it's thick, and I like thick books. But it is also captivating, and swept me along into the next two. I found myself looking forward to time I could devote to reading, not just trying to finish just to finish. Wonderful fantaqsy.
Rating:
Summary: I loved this book.
Review: the title of my review is self-explanatory. tad williams' characters, esp. in this series, are excellent. my favorite are the Sithi, and of them, An'nai (sigh...). Anyway, please give this book a chance. you won't regret it.
Rating:
Summary: Don't Give Up On This Book!
Review: I've become a harsh critic of fantasy, evidenced by my struggles to finish each of Jordan's latest books and my dissapointment in Weis and Hickman's new War of Souls, so I started The Dragonbone Chair looking for reasons to throw it out. And at first there were lots of them. The pace was lethargic and the main character, Simon, was almost comic in his ineptitude. Even worse, I had no inkling of the looming trouble for the land of Osten Ard, which most fantasy novels give you in a nicely packaged prologue. But something kept me reading. Maybe it was the power of Williams's narration, his elegant prose and startling descriptions. Something else happened as well. Even though Simon was a bungling "mooncalf," I was becomming attached to him. Despite his passive nature, I noticed I was watching him grow and wanted to know how he ended up. Then trouble does hit, and we are taken on a dazzling adventure through the land. Simon meets new, more interesting character, and finally becomes active. The evil manifests itself an the quest is defined, and from there on, I couldn't stop reading. So if you're patient enough (about 120 pages of elaborate setup) definitely pick up this book. And if you're an impatient reader, pick this up anyway and suffer through those first slow sections because the rest is an adventure definitely worth being a part of.
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