Memory, Sorrow, & Thorn series

[kaneda]

Originally Posted by GOLLUM

Yeh well you can't have everything but I agree Pyrates was the best element of the series and I certainly didn't spot that twist.

Overall you'ld have to say worth reading though right?

Well it did make my train journeys to work much easier! I did like them a lot, not enough magic for though!

[GOLLUM]

Yeh true but a very well written story by Tad and a pretty decent tale to boot..

Glad you enjoyed it overall...

[elvet]

I read these last year. I am a fan of Mr. Williams. I first experienced his work through War of the Flowers, on a recommendation from a friend.
As a few have already mentioned, this is an epic fantasy. I liked the slower pace, having much of the first book center around the Simon's childhood. It helps ground the rest of the tale - starting with a solid foundation.
I also like how he has a 'Gandalfian' character as a guide to the novice (Simon). This was a memorable read, and got me started on the hunt for the Otherland books (loved them too).

[GOLLUM]

Originally Posted by elvet

I read these last year. I am a fan of Mr. Williams. I first experienced his work through War of the Flowers, on a recommendation from a friend.
As a few have already mentioned, this is an epic fantasy. I liked the slower pace, having much of the first book center around the Simon's childhood. It helps ground the rest of the tale - starting with a solid foundation.
I also like how he has a 'Gandalfian' character as a guide to the novice (Simon). This was a memorable read, and got me started on the hunt for the Otherland books (loved them too).

Assuming you possibly like cats based on your avatar you may want to check out Tad's books Tailchaser about the magical adventures of a cat, I recommend it....

[elvet]

I have the book sitting in my 'to be read' pile :-).

[Kailana]

I just got this series the other day with some book credit I had at a second-hand store. It looks interesting, hopefully I will make it to book one soon but I have so many books I want to read... and so little time.

[Anubis]

Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn is probably my favorite fantasy series of all time. It is brilliantly written, it is full of amazing characters, great adventure, and dark magic. True, most of the time magic in MS&T is only hinted at (until the fittingly apocalyptic final battle), but I think the real magic in these books is Tad William's writing.

[Jack]

They are very good, not the best I have ever read but way up their with my fav's as books go. As said I did sometimes get a bit annoyed at the main character Seoman very much so at the beginning of the book, but it really did pick up quite quickly and I love how he mixes old myth and makes it his own in a way similar to the vaulted Tolkien but with more skill with story telling and novel writing. I truly enjoyed the end, it was not overdone or expected so that it became clichéd as so many others are.
I'm truly looking forward to the second of Shadowmarch and Otherland was equally brilliant, he is a good writer to start reading.

[LadyKnight]

I loved the MS&T series. At first i was a lil mad that it took so long to actually get to the rising action. When you finish the book theough, it was worth it to read all of the beginning of the first book. I thought Tad Williams made Simon seem younger than he really was while he was at the castle, but he did grow up a lot in the course of the books. It did embaress me a lil the way he acted around the princess, though i guess thats what we all act like at some point in our life.
Currently i'm reading the Otherland series. It's intresting, but i like the MS&T better. That's me though. I'm into the historical type eras, with swords and wars (though Orlando as Thargor does have a sword)

[Rahl Windsong]

Originally Posted by Disnatured

I've had the series here for about a fortnight now and started it the other day and wasn't able to stop. I'm about halfway through the second one now and don't see myself taking very long to finish this one either. Amazing writing everything is vivid and well thought out I find. Did anyone else find Simon a very easy character to relate to?

Aye well Seoman I found easy to relate to because basically he is a boy who grows up as the story is told. As an adult you can forgive the impatience of youth and many times as I read about Seoman (Simon) I found myself thinking that is exactly how a young person would see the situation, yet with Seoman there was nearly always something that allowed him to get past his mistakes.

The Memory, Sorrow, Thorn series is a classic fantasy story and I see it in the very same "light" as I do with Tolkien's The Lord of The Rings. In fact I would go so far as to say that if LoTR had never been written then Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn could easily taken its place and the Fantasy genre would not have suffered from that at all. Yes, it is that good and there you have my honest opinion.

Rahl

[Bup]

I quite liked this series, particularly how the sithi were depicted, and the idea of how someone tries to bend the entire universe askew to correct a grievous wrong. That said, I found it hard to swallow the ending. It just seemed so off, and then a pair of smaller cruelties thrown in for seemingly no reason at all.. ?

[Osprey]

Almost finished this series. I am a huge fan of his writing ability. If only all of us could use the English language with such skill. The story has been really great so far. All the separate plots going at once. Will look at his other works after I am done with this series.

[Cloud]

This is one of my all-time favorite fantasy stories. It's really the only set of Williams' work I've been able to get into, but I've recommended it liberally. Even staying with the traditional antecedents of fantasy, it's different enough to keep one's interest, and the characters are engaging. A true hero's journey.

[BradtheImpaler]

Originally Posted by Rane Longfox

I much prefered Otherland to MS&T, actually. Both are huge, and qite complicated, but Otherland has that extra little bit of imagination I soimehow found lacking in MS&T... Maybe it's just me?

It's not just you Otherland has more than a "extra little bit" of imagination by comparison - it's as if it was written by a different author! I found Otherland incredibly engrossing, not only immensely imaginative and original but with wonderful character development. On the flip side, I have actually set the Dragon Bone Chair aside (for now) after getting thru 500 pages. I can't take it anymore right now. Perhaps I'm just tired of the fantasy genre's predictability, but that doesn't excuse the lack of depth in the characters. I really don't find any of them interesting. I find I don't even care about Simon

With Otherland I thought I had found my favorite author, however, after reading Tailspinner (thought it was very average) and my current disappointment with MS&T, I'm thinking maybe Otherland is just William's one live round in a chamber full of blanks?

[Frozeninja]

I guess it's true that The Dragonbone Chair starts off with quite a slow pace, but I would recommend persevering with MS&T, as it really does improve as it goes on. Predictable isn't really a word i'd use to describe the majority of this story, as it surprised me on numerous occasions. Overall one of my favourite reads.

Haven't checked out Otherworld however, might have to judging by the opinions of it here.