The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams is book one of an epic fantasy trilogy called Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series. The trilogy has since been expanded and is part of the Osten Ard Saga, consisting of 9 planned books for now. The Dragonbone Chair starts with an unlikely hero thrust into the hero role despite being odd and gawky. This fantasy book like hundreds of others is heavily influenced by Tolkien’s Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. The world-building is intense as the first hundred pages are slow and a bit exposition-heavy, but once the story gets going it focuses on its characters. The characters of Simon, Josua, and Binabik are very well-written and drive the story in the second half of the book. Miriamele is a strong female that is not just a damsel in distress. The novel is full of twists, turns, and betrayal. There are not many battle scenes though few are action-packed and have dire consequences. The novel is not afraid to kill its side characters, which is exciting for the reader. The novel ends on a cliffhanger with many fates in the balance. The ending managed to feel like a proper ending for the book, as some characters grow and are in a different place, and it hints at the danger that some characters are in at the moment and further danger down the line. The pace of the story could have been better, I feel a hundred or so pages could have been knocked off and told the same story. When the story settles on the three swords of power, and this is what the heroes need to defeat the enemy the story gets good. This is my second time reading this book, as I have completed the original trilogy before. When Williams started adding more stories to the universe I decided to go back. I forgot a lot which was fun for me as a reader and a reviewer. The Dragonbone Chair was published on October 25, 1988, by DAW.

Plot Summary: Simon is a scullion in a huge castle that has been his whole world. He has never ventured out beyond the castle walls into the world of Osten Ard. Doctor Morgenes likes and sees Simon’s curiosity and even though he has an apprentice he takes Simon on and teaches him healing, languages, and spells. Osten Ard has gone through an upheaval as King John died and kept the peace for many years. Elias the oldest heir has changed after losing his wife many years ago and blames his younger brother Josua who lost a hand defending her but could not save her. Elias has changed and seeks a council of Pyrates a rouge priest as his top adviser. Simon likes to explore and go places that he shouldn’t ends up finding a passage he did not know existed and can’t help but follow it, he almost gets busted by Pyrates but avoids detection. He follows it to find that the younger brother of the new king Elias, Josua, who was reported as heading up north, is tied up under the castle. Simon has to risk his life to save Prince Josua. Simon is pushed on a quest he is not prepared for to save the world of Osten Ard.

What I Liked: The relationship between Simon and Binabik has a lot of great moments. I loved the battle scenes, they are a highlight of the entire series, but I forgot how good and brutal they are. I liked the twists and turns in the story it led to a couple of shocking moments. The story with Simon and Miramele was good and unexpected. I loved the lore of the three swords of power and that Elias has Sorrow which makes the loss of his wife so much more. I liked the climax and what changed in Josua and his attitude towards ruling. I like the world-building and the different races and creatures. Pyrates is a great bad guy when he kills the dog you want him to pay. I liked the strained brother relationship and how it is used in the story.

What I Disliked: The Pace is very slow at times, especially at the beginning of the story. This is a reread for me and I did not remember it being so slow as I think fondly of the series as a whole. The novel could easily cut 100 pages and be fine, there’s a lot of fluff that is at times interesting but a lot that is not necessary to move the plot along.

Recommendation: Overall I think this is a great world-building fantasy, but man is the beginning slow. If you get past the first hundred and fifty pages the book gets remarkably better, and then it adds the lore of the three swords of power, making it great. I recommend this book for readers who have patience in reading fantasy. I think the original trilogy is in my top five fantasy trilogies. I put that series in the category for me with The Lord of Rings, The first three books in the Wheel of Time series, The first Mistborn trilogy, and the first three Dune novels.

Rating: I rated The Dragonbone Chair book one of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy 4 out of 5 stars. My rating has not changed since I read it 13 years ago.