(94 ratings) Submit Review / Comment More reviews by author A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z

Submitted by Mr J Hughes 
(Jun 04, 2002)

Tad Williams has a very good style of writing, his style is deep and intense, and not to mention original.
The Dragonbone Chair is high fantasy fiction at its best. The characters are an incredible strength among many. The world of Osten Ard is highly credible. I am often amazed when people say it is "too slow" or "takes a long time to start", that is ridiculous. The book has depth, enjoyable depth and the pace at which the novel goes is suitable to introduce us to the characters and understand how they work. It says a lot about the reader really, if they complain about such a thing. But the Dragonbone Chair is certainly a good read, as is the rest of the series, strong characters, an excellent plot, wonderful descriptions and great originality. Simon is likeable and irritating, I can relate to him, Pryrates is villainous and odious, Duke Isgrimmnur is gritty and adorable, Dr Morgenes is fussy and old and adorable too, Binabik is brilliant, with his pigeon English, or Erkynlandish, reminds with me of Hercule Poirot is some respects.
All in all a very good book, Williams is certainly the best fantasy novelist of the day, better than rest.

Wonderful beginning of "Memory, Sorrow and Thorn" series.

Truly believable characters, excellent world and interesting, classic-fantasy plot.
The only problem is that the book is sometimes too slow.

Sometimes, when I read a book, I end up skimming it slightly, especially if the author allows the plot to go sour or off route. With the Dragonbone Chair, Tad Williams simply did not allow me to do this. The writing itself was so good that I couldn't help but read every single word. The way that he writes makes every sentence memorable. His writing isn't the only thing, though; the way he uses medieval history and our own religion to influence that of his own world is perfectly done and wonderful. The characters are great, the plot intriguing, and I can't wait to read the next book!

The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams as well as the following series are works of art.  Tad Williams presents a world as rich and immersive as anything written by J.R.R. Tolkien, Anne McCaffrey, Melanie Rawn, C.J. Cherryh or Jennifer Roberson.  To say that it is a work of brilliant Fantasy is not enough. The Dragonbone Chair of the series Memory, Sorrow and Thorn, while fairly ordinary in storyline, is so rich in detail and diverse but believable characters that it fairly springs from the pages and flies about the room. 

In the broad genre of fantasy, Memory, Sorrow and Thorn is a series to own in leather binding so as to withstand repeated readings and page turning abuse.

Travis Scheiber

I hadn't read much fantasy, but found this book in a thrift shop.  When I started it, I couldn't put it down!  This is a fantastic book, and the rest of the series is well worth the read.  I read the whole set in 3 weeks!