Kevin's Watch

Is there a thread on this yet? Apologies if so.

Tad Williams is going back to Osten Ard!

I just finished "The Heart Of What Was Lost" which continues the story from the original 80s-90s trilogy The Dragonbone Chair, Stone Of Farewell, and To Green Angel Tower (collectively known as the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series).

Now I'm starting The Witchwood Crown, which is book 1 of the new Osten Ard trilogy.

Anyone else reading this?

Tad Williams can be up or down. From the up (Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn; the Otherland series) to the down (the awful Shadowmarch books). So far the new Osten Ard stuff is a return to form. Love to hear any other opinions out there.

Never read any of his stuff. Sounds like I should keep an eye out for MST and Otherland then.

--A

I thought that the MST trilogy was reasonably good but, gosh, the guy overwrites in a way that makes SRD look succinct. Otherland had a lot of promise but I thought it kinda fizzled. I am not sure I'm up for more TW.

Otherland was good but there was waaaaaaay too much in it. It was huge. I remember liking Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, but it was so long ago I can't remember anything about it and don't know how good my judgement was. I remember liking War of the Flowers and being very strongly apathetic about Shadowmarch.

I've been meaning to reread MST for a long time, but where do I find the time for rereads?

Otherland is four massive books, it's true. But I would put that series up aganst any virtual reality/computer world/matrix/tron/neuromancer-type stuff ever written. Even if the ending was a little "WHA?"

Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn is definitely over-written as you say but it delivers some of the best scenes in epic fantasy. I mean the ending is a bit meh...but some of the stuff that happens in those books really stays with you.

Shadowmarch was complete derivative crap. No idea what he was thinking. I hear sales fell off a cliff - which hastened him back to Osten Ard.

I'm usually pretty much alright with massive books.

--A

Avatar wrote:I'm usually pretty much alright with massive books.

--A

Me too. For example, my two favorite Stephen King books are his two longest: It and The Stand.

As for Tad Williams, each Otherland book (City of Golden Shadow, River of Blue Fire, Mountain of Black Glass, and Sea of Silver Light) is 800 pages, give or take. So starting book 1 is the beginning of a 3200 page journey!

A mere novella when you think about things like the Malazan books.

--A

Avatar wrote:A mere novella when you think about things like the Malazan books.

--A

True, and the Malazan Book of the Fallen was awesome, although I didn't care for some of the choices Erikson made in the last book.

Let me know what you think if you ever read City of Golden Shadow. I recommend it highly.

Cool, have found the series on one of my online sources. Next time I've got money to spend on books, it will be on my list.

--A