A review by josiah17
The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

"He who is certain he knows the ending of things when he is only beginning them is either extremely wise or extremely foolish; no matter which is true, he is certainly an unhappy man, for he has put a knife in the heart of wonder."

I was extremely excited to read this, but I was also worried I wouldn't like it. I wasn't sure if the notoriously slow pacing would feel dragging for me, or if Tad's flowery prose would feel perhaps overly flowery. But by the rating I'm giving, that obviously wasn't the case. I'm very glad I enjoyed this as much as I did. 

Tad certainly takes much inspiration from Tolkien with the structure of the narrative and his slow and thorough worldbuilding. But he's also clearly very influential for many of the well-known fantasy authors out there, and I don't think he receives enough recognition for that. Considering Robin Hobb, GRRM, and Robert Jordan are some of the writers he's inspired, more people should be talking about Tad Williams. I think I'm also boosting the rating a bit just for his impact on the genre, and it was fun to spot elements that other writers took influence from.

As for the actual book, as I said, I did quite enjoy it. The pacing is very slow, but Williams is one of those writers who makes mundane scenes captivating with his prose. He's a fantastic writer, easily up there for the best prose I've read as far as lyrical and flowery goes. I also loved so much of the worldbuilding. The different races and vast land he's built is extremely impressive. The world feels lived in, and it's magical to simply take in the surroundings that Simon (the mc) encounters wherever he goes. 

As for the plot, there's not much motion for the first 200 pages or so. But once things start to get going with trickles of answers and clues, I was definitely invested. And the same happened with Simon. He's the primary POV and takes up majority of the page time. I was able to care about him soon enough that I trusted Williams to get the plot rolling eventually, and from then on I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent with Simon. The other POV's, besides Binabik, Isgrimnur, and Josua, were a bit of a drag to read, but towards the end I started to feel engaged in them once they became more frequent. It's a good sign for the rest of the series. And I have to mention how much I loved Binabik and his wolf Qantaqa. As soon as Simon stumbled upon them, the book remained a treat to read. 

And the ending was really great. Can't wait to see where the series goes from here. Lots of promise for the antagonists, as well as the conflict this story is building up to. Tad is a wonderful writer and captures the enchantment of the fantasy genre. 

"Books are a form of magic... because they span time and distance more surely than any spell or charm."

Although this might not be a book for everyone, I would implore fantasy fans to give it a shot. Especially if you're a fan of the aforementioned writers influenced by Tad. 
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