Hey, Daniel, a little behind the scenes info for you. Tad & Pat Rothfuss & myself all have the same literary agent. And this particular agent specializes in large epic fantasy with well-written prose. So good on you for spotting the high high level of quality writing in both Tad & Pat.

I have a soft spot for Tad Williams. He wrote another series called 'Otherlands' and it was refreshing and nice to see characters from South Africa portrayed in the way he did.

I read this nearly 30 years ago. I loved it so much, I and named my son Josua.

Finally Memory, Sorrow & Thorn

I admit I was hesitant to watch this since The Dragonbone Chair is one of my favorite fantasy novels ever, so I am glad you liked it😆📚 I hope you enjoy the rest of the series enough to make a series review down the line. Thanks for doing this!

I never got around to getting into Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn but man oh man his Otherland series was so so good.... :D

Tad William's is one of the best writers working today. He takes so many influences from non-fantasy works, lots of historical fiction love.

Fun fact: I looked up when this was published and it was released on October 25th 1988 which was my 9th birthday

Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn is definitely one of my favorites. Once you get into the sequels you will be able to see how it expands and becomes more than your usual classic story. I must say that the pacing of the first book is rather slow and does turn people off. On the other hand, one of my favorite things about Tad William's are the characters. Even the side characters get a great arch. I think once you get into the series more, the characters will grow on you.

My dad read me this trilogy when I was 10 years old-my mind was literally blown because it really change did a lot about what I knew of fantasy-the classic Good vs Evil dichotomy, etc. since my only prior exposure was Harry Potter and LOTR-and it honestly established a lot of my taste. I probably didn’t understand most of it, and I should definitely reread, but it really was foundational for me and my taste in fantasy :)

The Iron Throne, The Dragonbone Chair... Can't wait for the Mythril Couch.

I know a lot of authors and other creators have described the Hero's Journey and we all have our favorites (Luke Skywalker, Frodo Baggins, Rand, etc, etc....), but Simon's growth in this trilogy from a lowly kitchen boy to grown man is a work of art, I found myself going back to the first book again and again to remind myself of how humble Simon's beginning really was. I consider it the gold standard for this well-established but still meaningful trope.

Guy Gavriel Kay might be another author worth looking into for amazing prose. I just finished reading Tigana a couple months ago and it was absolutely fantastic.

This is probably my favorite epic fantasy series from start to finish. I love the cultures Williams created and how they interact. Glad you’re enjoying it!

PLEASE continue with the individual reviews for Malazan!

I read this 16 years ago while riding the school bus and listening to my first Underoath cd. Any time I want some nostalgia, I play Underoath and I swear I can smell the book book glue, feel the bus rumbling, it’s wild.

Yay!!!!! FINALLY!!! Ok, So hang in there on the character work. Apart from Nynaeve, Simon ended up being my favorite character ever. This is very much a growth. Also be mindful these were published in the late 80’s....soooo not really “modern” times then but today’s standards. Lastly, Williams is SOOOOOO NICE and would almost def do an interview. He’s literally behind Jordan and Sanderson on my favorites list. 3rd.

This Review makes me so happy. I have a soft spot for this series. It was basically my introduction into epic fantasy. But your review actually mirrors the feelings I had after first reading. It truly gets even better in future. Just an example: I almost cried when I began reading the following Series, set 30 Years after the events of the first Books, just because of meeting the old characters again.

Also, those side plots definitely become emotionally impactful and wonderful.

I am SO glad you finally got around to reviewing this series. It’s one of my favorites and highly under-appreciated.

Thanks for the review. I really enjoyed this book and I've collected a couple more Tad Williams books from another series. This is the kind of fantasy I like best. I promise to start reading WOT soon.

So excited to finally hear your thoughts on this! Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn was the first non-Tolkien Fantasy I read as a kid and it directly turned me into the Wheel of Time (Tad Williams was cited as a comparison in a NY Times review if I remember correctly). Thanks for posting this; criticism and all. I think you’ll be surprised at how much the next book opens things up...

I'm so glad you're doing Tad Williams. His books are what got me into epic fantasy. I would love you're take on Otherland but they are dense books :) highly recommended though

When I read this, a long time ago, it became my favorite. It had a very satisfying build to a truly epic conclusion. Very satisfying!!! Looking forward to you talking more about this great series.

Hell yeah, MS&T needs more love!

The fact that you came out of The Dragonbone Chair as positively as this is a great sign. I think much of his purpose with it was to emphatically ground the reader in the peaceful, apparently benign state of Osten Ard, so that it's deconstruction over further books is that much more powerful. He is very interested in Arthurian myths here, especially the Fisher King.

Why do have a desire to read every book with dragon in the title

I was *_ecstatic_* to see you review this book for several reasons, first and foremost because it is one of my all time favorite books of all time, and the trilogy is one of my favs as well. I was also extremely pleased to see a review of an older book, something that was older than a decade. I fully agree with you that Tad Williams' prose is top notch; I've been saying for years now that this trilogy is the _most_ _beautifully_ _written_ _Fantasy_ I have ever read (yes, Rothfuss is up there, and gives Williams the run for his money, and probably _does_ beat him out, but I've read this trilogy three times and "Kingkiller" once, so I am probably a little biased, having sort of "grown up" with this one). I do understand most of your "negatives" of this book, and one or two of them seem to stem more or less from the fact it is the first book in the trilogy, and I think once you've completed the set you will feel differently (this will especially be true of the "cutting away to another side story" aspect you discussed"). I found a bit of synchronicity in the fact that you reviewed this at this time, as I am currently reading *The* *Witchwood* *Crown,* the first book in the follow-up trilogy "The Last King of Osten Ard" (there's also a novella that takes place between the two trilogies, right after the end of "Memory, Sorrow and Thorn" titled *The* *Heart* *of* *What* *Was* *Lost.* ) Unfortunately, I haven't gotten around to other stuff by Williams, but they are on my TBR for 2020.

Not related at all, but you really need to read the licanius trilogy. I know you didn’t think much of the first book, but the third is sitting at nearly 4.5 on goodreads and it absolutely deserves it. It has one of the most spectacular endings to a series in recent memory. I would love it if you could give it a second chance.

I just ordered the series, exited for them to come in. Hopefully covid19 doesn’t mess with the delivery date 🤞🏼

Really appreciate the thoughtfulness you show at the end. I think doing First Book reviews and WYSRs/series reviews is a good idea. Usually I go back and watch the reviews of other sequels in a series if I am catching up but I typically avoid sequel reviews until I do. You’re very good at stating when you are about to drop a spoiler and good at avoiding them in non spoiler reviews. Appreciate you and your channel.

Glad to see you finally review this book. A little salty that my review of it will get next to no views but I love your reviews so this will be a fun listen when I get off work! :)

Daniel, I'd definitely recommend the audiobook for this read by Andrew Wincott. Not only is the narration good but background music/soundscapes are added which helps draw the listener in even more. Not up to the level of a graphic audio production, but it definitely adds to the experience.

Memory, Sorrow and Thorn are amazing. If you've enjoyed the first book it's a really positive sign as the large amounts of setup done in it allows for more emphasis on plot and character in the subsequent books. I'm not a big lover of Otherland, but I love Shadowmarch, and if you want prose that bridges the gap between fantasy and literary fiction it's a must. I also have a soft spot for War of the Flowers.

Funny you should mention recommending this to people who don't like WoT. I've tried to read WoT twice and both times never made it to the end of the third book. I'd put the book down intending to get back to it but wouldn't ever pick it back up again. I didn't care about any of the characters. With Williams' series, his wonderful prose immediately sucked me in and I adored almost all of the characters. I sped through books one and two and am now happily reading To Green Angel Tower. ❤

Glad to see a book review for the first in a series.

I know I am 2 years late, but I just came across this video, and you have no idea how happy I am to find someone on booktube who has read Memory Sorrow and Thorn. I am glad you enjoyed it, and I hope you enjoyed books 2 and 3. I know you said you don't typically do a sequel video, but I hope I can find one of your videos where you maybe mentioned how you liked them. I am currently re-reading the trilogy, ( lost track of how many times I've read them) and tackling the beast that is To Green Angel Tower.

Edit: Sorry for language-mistakes, my native language is German. Really nice to see a review of one of my alltime favourites. Williams is a big deal here in Germany. (I think it derives from the fact, that the is published by the same publisher like the German translation of Lord of the Rings over here but that is just a guess.) Considering his huge buildup I love to see Williams'works as a promise. Neraly every fact mentioned over this 1000 of pages will pay of in one way or another. Especially in his first books, which can be quite hard to read for some sections (I mean the Dragonbone chais is like 1/4 just the childhood of Simon) this is a goodthing to remember. I also agree on Daniels take on Wiiliams's prose. His novels are not just good fantasy, the are also good literature in general. (I read them translated, but the language still comes throuh). As a historian I also love the authentic feel of Osten-Ard as a wold. Just the words he uses to describe his more fantastic elements make me believe in legends of Sthi-elves in the forests, I love how grounded in history structures, speach patterns and way of thinking can be. I have to admit, that his caracters are no the deepest ore most oroginal one might ever encounter. Simon and Miriamael are straight out tropes, Binabik breaks with some mentor/fried clishees but still remains classic, the prince can be a by the book edgelord but honestly, it never bothered me that much. Williams' world just "feels" and the cahras for me were more vessels to show me, how the world feels. What I personlly was annoyed by in the dragonbone chair, was the depiction of female characters. I don't want to strat some internet culture war here, but i could feel a lot of (unintended) sexism thrue the book. Most females make emotional, not rational decisions, they take more time to grow and their mistakes are portraied much more severe. (Compare Simons and Miramales journey). Also the last book had some conflict, concerning sexual purity, that i consideres kinda poorly handled. I don't mean, that a medieval world has other stands on these points than our present society, but the fact how it was expressed in a way, that felt just weird and not sure, if it was about innerworldly or general morals. In William's defence, i never ahd such issues with his books again ald loved especially Otherlad for its female chars.

Ah, 90s nostalgia. Love this series :) In my opinion it also just keeps getting better. Definitely read the whole series! Guess I know what I'll reread once I've finished Warbreaker :)

I am totally interested in picking this up, I have a long backlog of classic fantasy to read.

This is the series I read in high-school, not long after I read LotR, cementing my love of fantasy. Binabik (Binbinaqegabinik?) is still one of my top 10 favorite characters, along with !Xabbu from his Otherland series. The over-all plot was slow to develop and only had a few climactic moments, yet so many poignant scenes throughout the series are ingrained in my mind as examples of what good writing is. His attempts to raise the standards of fantasy was appreciated after having to pour through dozens of simple D&D derived stories. Instead of ripping off Tolkien's ideas, he respectfully created new races, cultures, and even languages akin to the master. Also, the original cover for the third novel is still one of my favorite monitor wallpapers - top-tier book cover art for sure.

Daniel, are you doing a fantasy standalone top 5 books? as much as I love reading long series sometimes a good one and done is refreshing. Thanks!

one of the first I read when i was a wee fantasy newbie in my early teens, always evokes fond memories

I'm really glad to see you getting into this series. I read it about the same time as I was reading the Wheel of Time series and I was glad that this wrapped everything up in just 3 books. There was no slog just a great story. I've recently started his sequels to the original trilogy, and I envy your opportunity to read this for the first time. I look forward to a series review in due course.

*timidly raises hand* But what about “The Dragonbone Throne?” Too rhyme-y?

@Daniel Greene, where did you get your WoT map in the back of your videos by the book set??

Thank you for this review, I was considering reading this book and now I know I should move it higher on my TBR list.

The first time I'd even heard of Tad Williams was from one of your unboxing videos and looked the guy up only then to realized how prolific he was in the genre. I really like discovering new (well in this case, legendary) authors thru your channel 📖

The comparison of Tad Williams prose to Patrick Rothfuss' writing, sold this for me.

Always like watching ur videos!!! thanks for the book review!!

Hey I was intrigued and interested in this series but I’m not sure the order in which to read the entire Osten Ard chronicles Do I have to read the short stories as well?

Read this a couple months ago and I’m going to pick up the second book soon. Wanted to read some classic fantasy and this hit the spot. I wasn’t gripped with the story, but intrigued to see where it develops.

Love this series, can’t wait to see more about these books on your channel!

Glad you finally got to this series. I’ve actually just started rereading this book this week since been 15 years. Character wise Simon becomes one of my favorites. Just have to keep on reading. This series has always been in my top 5 behind The Belgariad (#1) by David Eddings and WoT (#2). For WoT I still remember driving to the store with the flu to get the last book since I had to wait years for it to come out. Nothing better than having that last book finally. Finished the last book and went back and reread it all again!! Great review!

Love this series! I actually picked up the first book almost entirely because of the title. One of the best titles for a fantasy book!

The Swedish translation of this book becomes "The Throne of Dragonbone"... I think it's because it's used as a throne in the book, maybe....?

I read this series and felt pretty similar to how you described your first book experience. I will say that for me, his "Otherland" series is a pretty epic sci/fi read. And as far as s/f authors go, HIGHLY recommend Alistair Reynolds..... Really, read "Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days", small book of stories in his universe that will let you know if you want to read his bigger stuff :-)

Enjoyed this review...Binibik (troll character) is one of my favorite fantasy characters. I agree with your thoughts on the other characters. Simon's cool, but I also had trouble with the pacing. I look forward to your future reviews of this series!

I've heard those comments about the characters in TDBC consistently. I always tell people to keep reading. A lot of people say TDBC is boring in the beginning. I love that about it. The day to day life stuff in the beginning is soothing to me.

This book should have been in the Fantasy books titles tier list video. And it should have been an S tier

Besides the book talk I really look forward to these morning videos just to hear that beat drop at the end lol

THE! episode Ive been waiting for since I found and subscribed to your channel. My favorite fantasy by my favorite author.

Dragon Bone Chair was one of my first fantasy book series after reading The Chronicles of Narnia, I need to go back and read it again. I remember it being very good.

I am excited to see how your reviews develop as you go through this trilogy. I loved it, I don't judge those that don't. I did find out that he is writing NEW books for this world.

I read it around the time it come out and enjoyed it at the time but had all but forgotten about it until this review. Had to google Tad Williams to get a refresher on it and may put it on my TBRe-read list.

I will say the sequels do focus a lot on more on character, particularly with the princess from the first book who becomes one of my favorite characters. If there’s one thing I feel tad Williams excels at it is letting you be in a world and explore it with the characters. However, that does make it a bit jarring whenever there is significant progress with the plot. Still an amazing trilogy that I really want to read the sequel series for. Have fun, Daniel!

I'm so excited to see you are reading this series. The first book was my least favorite because Simon is young. I get annoyed with young characters. I hope you stick with it because It really picks up in the next books. I think you'll start to connect with the characters soon :) I even had a couple of book slam/walk away to collect myself moments...and that doesn't happen often for me.

Will most certainly be giving this a try when I can pick it up.

I read Dragonbone Chair a few years ago and still need to continue it. I highly enjoyed Dragonbone Chair, definitely a slow burner at the beginning but man does the action and epicness pick up!

Man, I look forward to you getting to the rest of the "trilogy". The raw enjoyment skyrockets exponentially.

I haven't read these since high school, But the Tad Williams book I seem to remember the most was the cat one. Tail Chaser's Song, maybe? Because in middle school, I was all about Watership Down and the Red Wall (at the time) Trilogy.

Have your tried Shadowmarch at all? It's one of my favorites and merges fantasy with a touch of cosmic horror! I haven't gotten to this series yet but I have the first two bought and sitting on my tbr.

Another one of my favorite series! Love this trilogy! It is in my top 5 along side WoT, LoTR, Dark Tower and one you really need to read, The Deathgate Cycle. It is what got me into reading in fantasy.

I and my flatmates were fortunate enough to spend a few hours with Tad WIlliams when he visited New Zealand sometime around 1990. I am so glad you enjoyed his work, I do too, he is a pretty damn good wordsmith. I know it doesn't mean much about his works, but he's also a really nice guy.

Wow. I am rereading this book now! Thanks. Agree with your review.

I read this series when I was 12, and it was my first non-YA fantasy series. I absolutely loved it and it got me into the genre.

It is interesting how newer readers of fantasy (and in terms of your reading life to mine you "newer" but very well read) that magic SYSTEMS are so important. I don't mind them, but don't require them. Magic is a tool, but I don't need a deep system to cling on to for me to like fantasy. Story, characters, plot matter far more.

I did get attached to the characters! You gave me ideas to think about when I reread it. I read it 9 years ago but it feels like a lifetime since.

My all time favourite series, first read it in 2004. Well it was, I recently finished The Realm Of The Elderlings by Robin Hobb and that surpassed it for me, and right now I'm reading Wheel Of Time (I'm on The Shadow Rising) and loving that too

Which covers are better, The Wheel of Time covers or the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn covers (1990's cover versions) ?

I read a bunch of Tad Williams books when I was younger and loved them, but they never really stuck with me. I don't even really remember much about Memory Sorrow Thorn. I still have them on my bookshelf, along with a stand alone novel by him about cats called Tailchaser's Song, and someday I'll dive back into them to see if they still grab me. The one series he did called Otherland, however, I have read through a bunch of times and it's so good. It's a sci-fi book about virtual reality and it is definitely up there with my favorite sci-fi books list.

I read this at 15 or 16, it was the first adult fantasy I ever read and I loved it. It's the book/series that started everything!

glad you liked it. i read this series half my life ago and have been meaning to give it a re-read. tad williams, between this series and "the war of the flowers" is one of my fave authors for nuanced prose who's worked in fantasy. the others are probably leguin and maybe chabon (if you can squeak "the yiddish policemen's union" into your def of fantasy, as alternate history with some heavy religious mysticism).

Peace... Just discovered your channel and liking it! A query... Have u made any reviews on the dragonlance series? I bought almost of the series but havent read except for the first three..i have all of WoT but havent read a single of them..haha

I loved the first book but the later books starting dragging for me and I never finished the series. My question is: have you ever read Robin Hobb?! The Farseer Saga is my favorite fantasy ever. Super complex characters you care deeply about and the magic system is so complicated I never fully understand it after 9 books.

Read this back in college before Wheel of Time and A Song of Ice and Fire were a thing and it really got me into reading fantasy.

Nice way to add the green lights to reflect the book’s cover!

Do you feel like a song of ice and fire and name of the wind might have been a little too influenced by the dragon bone chair? Maybe I’m just finding what I’m looking for but it seems like there are so many parallels between king killer and a song of ice and fire.

Your comment about the transition is spot on from classical fantasy from 70s and 80s to being bolder and different with fantasy like Martin, Sanderson, etc. The series will continue to follow the traditional fantasy plot and use classic tropes. But each classical character archetype and trope is subverted. Everything feels familiar to other classical fantasy and so the reader makes assumptions that are later destroyed by the author. It's a great read with a very satisfying ending.

Oh, finally, Daniel reviews Tad Williams! The lack of his work on this channel was very disturbing...(settles in to watch)

I’m nervous to start wheel of time but I just got gentleman bastards book 1 cause of your recommendations. So I’m very intrigued to check out this series too

I've been looking forward to this review to see how you liked it. Can't wait to see how you like the other books in my opinion it just gets better.

Hopefully this gets the film or TV treatment at some point, such an underrated series.

Tad Williams’ Otherland is my absolute favorite sci fi book series

Tad's Bobby Dollar series is modern and approachable but with his same legendary level of prose. Everyone needs to read that series. Today.

I've only read one of Tad Williams books, but I really enjoyed it and have been meaning to pick up more.

One other thing I should mention, this book was written in an era when almost every Fantasy series/book had what Sanderson calls a "soft magic system" (I think the closest to a "hard system" at that time was in David Eddings' "Belgariad" and "Malloreon" series with "the Will and the Word" but even _that_ was rather "soft"). Yes, magic is _involved_ in the _final_ resolution (not giving any spoilers as to who, what, where, when, how or why), but magic is not the go-to solution throughout the series; it is not a crutch for the characters as magic seems to be in so much of modern Fantasy these days (something I lay at the feet of Robert Jordan, as much as I love and respect him and "The Wheel of Time"). There seems to have been a shift in Fantasy over the last couple of decades from main characters that were (using D&D style terminology here) primarily Fighters and Rogue to characters that were Mages and Sorcerers. I'm wondering if in the next couple of decades we will see a shift towards Clerics and Druids (I know that in my own writing there is some religious aspects to some of the main characters, and I have seen that influence in some characters in Fantasy, but some of those are older books, namely Elizabeth Moon's "The Deed of Paksennarion" series showcasing a woman who becomes a Paladin; I've also gotten the impression that several other modern Fantasy series have main characters that are parts of religious orders of some sort, or so it seems from the discussions/reviews I've watched).

I'm currently reading Gene Wolf (The Book of the New Sun) and I'm for the most part gobsmacked by his prose. It's restrained and purposeful yet is capable of painting beautiful pictures and creating a very peculiar, elevated atmosphere. The best prose I've read in a while.

Reading MST and Malazan at the time same time. Two of my favorite series at once!

I really enjoyed The Dragon Bone Chair but it was definitely the slowest and least interesting of the trilogy for me, it only gets up from here! Personally I find the magic in this series to be the textbook example of how to have magic impact the plot in a satisfying way while maintaining the sense of wonder and mystery. We slowly learn guiding heuristics, but concrete rules are only sparsely given. Thus my imagination is engaged with puzzling out how it works, each new use in the story serving as a precious morsel to be mulled over again and again!