My intention in starting the Summer Reading series was to review current or semi-current books that someone might want to add to their summer reading shelf. Although that is still my goal (and I have some publisher goodies upcoming for pre-publication reviews), I would be in the wrong not to mention this wonderful fantasy book, the introduction to a series, that took me by surprise.
While I was in Ecuador I read about fifteen books. That is considerably under my normal three month average, but, you know, I was in Ecuador. Most days there was a thing or two to do. There were two books that I read while I was down there that I carried around wherever I went and would often delay my jumping into the ocean or hiking to some ruins. One of those books was William Somerset Maugham’s “Of Human Bondage,” and the other was Tad Williams’ “The Dragonbone Chair.”
The only other Tad Williams I that I have read is the excellent The Hobbit-meets-Watershipdown-with-cats Tailchaser’s Song. Considering I don’t adore cats, my love of it is high praise indeed.
The Dragonbone Chair might be one of the best introductions to a fantasy series that I have ever read. It does not include any of the normal gripes* that I find in most fantasy and it does possess many of the elements** that I feel are necessary for good fantasy.
*Includes but not limited to: Rushed protagonist development, asinine character decisions for the sole purpose of skipping the story ahead, weak villain, terrible dialogue, gushy romance, and anything that has to do with derivative elves.
**Pretty much the opposite of the above.
The story in The Dragonbone Chair follows a young and hapless kitchen aid called Simon who lives in the famous Hayholt Keep in the world of Osten Ard. Simon is a goof, a dreamer, and constantly gets in trouble for not doing his work (usually because he finds something in the pond or garden that draws his attention). Simon knows only peace and prosperity under the rule of the great King John Presbyter.
Simon’s supervisor is the matronly Rachael the Dragon (known as such for her fierce tongue, not any dragon blood in her veins). Rachel gives Simon a hard time and he is often determined to get around her rules, but at the same time she shelters and looks after to poor hopeless boy.
One task that Simon enjoys are any that gives him reason to visit the good Doctor Morgenes. Morgenes is the castle healer, an advisor – old acquaintance of the King, and rumored to be something of a wizard. Due to a chain of lucky circumstances, Simon ends up being apprenticed to the Doctor and has high hopes for the doors of magic to be thrown wide open.
It’s not to be, though, for Morgenes wants Simon to read and read and read some more. History, science, and more history is the sum of Simon’s lessons. His dream apprenticeship is quite boring, really. Simon sets about these tasks and his still relevant duties under Rachael the Dragon, but still finds time to sneak around the castle and into places he should not be.
To be fair, Morgenes has other things on his mind. After a heroic life, the sickly King has succumbed to a long illness. The elder son and heir, Elias, is a strong and ruthless man who is liked by the people – initially. His younger brother, Prince Joshua, has no designs on the throne, but is an idealist and strategist. Elias and his brother do not like each other at the best of times (and boy is there a complex history there that is slowly revealed), but this is not the best of times and now King Elias’ ears are owned by his advisor, the dark and ominous Priest Pryrates.
And then Joshua disappears and the tension builds as taxes, levies, and talk of war elevate.
Simon finds himself in the middle of kingdom shaking events by proxy when it seems the old Doctor knows a thing or two and may be more important than Simon could have ever dreamed. Meanwhile, those looking for stability and fearing the increasingly unstable King must be wary of the ever watchful Pryates who does not have to be nearby in order to See.
The curious and snooping Simon stumbles upon important information, eavesdrops on the malevolent Pryates, and discovers the fate of Joshua. Don’t expect for Simon to suddenly tap into a wellspring of power, though, as this most excellent of opening books draws to a close with a breathtaking chase as Simon flees from all that he has known.
The Dragonbone Chair is a long and thoughtful book; it does not rush development or action. We are given time to get to know Simon the serving boy as not that smart, not that special, and only moderately clever. The supporting characters and the rich history are revealed in good time at such a pace to allow the reader to absorb and appreciate the detailed and character driven world of Williams’ creation. It is not until the very end that some future promise for our protagonist is revealed, and by that time we are completely infatuated by the character that we have witnessed stumble and fumble from a young boy to a young man trying his best, as futile as it seems.
The Dragonbone Chair is not for fans of quick moving derivative fantasy or Harry Potter easy-to-read simplicity. It’s detailed and complex with characters that pop off the page and into the readers’ mind. Williams never rushes his prose or takes shortcuts to further the story. Character reasoning is sound and true to established personalities, dialogue is realistic, and The Dark creeping across the land crackles with danger and foreboding. It’s a great book for diehard fantasy lovers or those that only dip into the genre to consume an original and well written entry.
A warning though: You may have to delay other activates until you’re done. You will not want to put this one down.
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A friend of mine gave me her paperback copies of this series a while back, when she replaced them with hardbacks, and I promised to read them once the massive series I was in the middle of had finished. Now that I’m nearly through the very last book, I may be joining you in making these my summer reading!
I like the new banner.
How many new fonts have you downloaded? *heh*
I dig for fonts often. So many are free – why not?
Oh, and based on your criteria above, I recommend Robin Hobb’s FarSeer books. There’s a trick to them, though. Read books 1-3 (the ones that all have “Assassin” in the title), then books 7-9 (the ones that have “Fool” in the title), and then, only if you feel like spending more time in that world, read 4-6 (which all have “Ship” in the title and totally interrupt the storyline taking place in the aforementioned first and last trilogies, as they have nothing whatever to do with those characters or that part of the world).
Also, I am NOT a fan of zombies, but anyone who can seamlessly and plausibly include them in a high fantasy series in a totally new way gets some cred from me. There is some Tolkien-esque world-building, meaning there are Mountain People and dragons and such, but Hobb is really good at reimagining and doing things in a way that hasn’t been done a million times before.
It’s been years, but I read the Assassin series and really liked it (though or some reason – and I can’t remember – I didn’t care for the very ending). I was unaware that 7-9 was more the sequels and not 4-6. I tried reading 4, became disinterested, and thought that was the end of it.
Cool. I’m glad that there are more. But since it has been 15 years (I think) since I read the first trilogy, I might have to break my rule of not re-reading a book. Or there is always the wikis I suppose.
RT @MrsTad: @popbunker’s terrifiec review of Tad & ‘Dragonbone Chair’: http://www.popbunker.net/2010/07/summer-...
I haven’t read the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series in YEARS, but I remember that what I liked most about it is that Simon is exactly what he seems – a goodhearted, none-too-bright kitchen. He’s not the lost heir to the throne, he has no special talents – he’s just this guy, caught up in massive, world-changing events.
For sure. he was definitely a goodhearted, none-too-bright kitchen. I just got book two, so that will go in line.
It’s a good series. Williams is a solid if not spectacular writer, and he creates his universes with care. I wait for the paperback versions, but I always pick his books up eventually. The Otherland series is unique, but probably not as enjoyable as this one.