Book Review: The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams (Book 1 of Memory, Sorrow and Thorn)

The Dragonbone chair is the first book to the trilogy, Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn. This book is a fantasy novel, authored by Tad Williams and published in 1988. Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn was very popular in the late 80s/early 90s. Furthermore, this trilogy is a source of inspiration for many modern fantasy series. For example, Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini, and A song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin are both influenced by this trilogy. Today, I will review the first book in this trilogy, titled, The Dragonbone Chair.

Synopsis:

Under the reign of King Prester John, the land of Osten Ard has enjoyed peace for many years. The aging king is dying. Tension exists between King John's 2 sons, Prince Elias and Prince Joshua, though Elias is the rightful heir to the throne. Following King John's death, Elias inherited the throne and became the new king. Open conflict ensued between Elias and Joshua, sending Osten Ard into a troubled time. Behind these struggles, awakens the Storm King, a vengeful, undead entity. The Storm King made an unholy alliance with the royal bloodline, seeking to retake what was once his. The only hope for Osten Ard lies on Simon, a castle scullion apprenticed to a secret order. Simon was charged with a quest to find 3 powerful swords; namely Memory, Sorrow and Thorn. Can Simon thwart the coming darkness?

What I think about this book:

The Dragonbone chair is a classical, high fantasy novel like Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. It is a story about good versus evil, an epic conflict where a lowly, seemingly unimportant individual became the hero to save the day. In the sea of fantasy literature, the theme of a peasant boy becoming a hero to save an entire kingdom, is not uncommon. But The Dragonbone Chair manages to distinguish itself from the rest, by presenting to readers a very well written, character-driven story.

Characterization is the main strength of this book. There are many characters in this book, each character has his/her own distinctive personality, strengths, and weaknesses. There is plentiful of character development in this book. Readers journey with Simon (a very likable character) as he slowly transitioned from a lowly castle boy into an unlikely hero. The character development feels natural and unforced. In this book, the supporting characters are memorable, full of colors of their own.

This book also excels in world building. The world of Osten Ard is rich with lore, history, and culture. This book introduced its readers to Osten Ard at a gentle pace, with well knitted and detailed narratives. This also means the first 200 pages of this book moves at a slow pace. In other words, if you find the pace in The Lord of the Rings slow, then you will also find The Dragonbone Chair a slow read. However, if you decide to read this book, I would recommend that you remain patient with the first 200 pages in this book, because the beginning of this book lay the foundation to the story as it unfolds. Beyond the first 200 pages lies one of the most remarkable stories that heavily influenced the genre of fantasy.

The Dragonbone chair is a good fantasy novel. It took me two weeks to read it, but I enjoyed it. After reading this book, it seems to me The Dragonbone Chair is the beginning of an unforgettable story, so I am eager to find out what's in store for Simon and Osten Ard, in the next installment to this trilogy, titled “Stone of Farewell”. Meanwhile, if you enjoy Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, David Edding's The Belgariad, or Christopher Paolini's Inheritance cycle, then you will probably enjoy The Dragonbone Chair too.