The Dragonbone Chair Review

This is a book review based on a fantasy saga written by Tad Williams. He takes the Tolkien tropes and puts a very distinctive spin on them, with the undead Lord whose people were slaughtered by the reaving humans, the elf-like, immortal Sithi with white hair, golden skin and golden eyes, and the hobbit-like trolls who are like miniature eskimos and live in the mountains. The aesthetics of this saga are beautiful, with lyrical prose that makes skillful use of metaphor and simile to describe the vistas and people. Its rife with complex history, from the conflict between the sithi and rimmersmen that spawned the Storm King, to the conflict between the Sithi and the Norns. There is no self righteous superiority for the heroes, as the enemy was formerly a noble sithi prince who sacrificed himself to destroy the rimmersmen who invaded his home, becoming an undead spirit of burning hatred. The structural racism of fantasy is also absent, as the humans are responsible for the creation of their nemesis and there's no monstrous race of orcs or non-europeans to act as evil caricatures.

The story begins at the Hayholt castle, where the King of Ostern Ard, Prester John has passed away and his sons Josua and Elias have gathered to mourn him. Elias inherits the throne, but he and his priest Pryrates, who is secretly a sorcerer, abduct Josua and imprison him, intending to sacrifice him to Ineluki the Storm King. The scullion Simon discovers Josua being held captive, and with the help of his friend and mentor Morgenes he frees Josua and sends him to escape through secret tunnels beneath the hayholt leading to the countryside. Pryrates discovers their trechery and kills Morgenes, and Simon must flee through the tunnels that Josua used. This first act is full of learning as Simon is instructed by Morgenes on the history of the nations. It also shows the gradual decline of the kingdom as the weather worsens and Elias runs his people into the ground.

Simon travels north to Naglimund, and enroute he saves a Sithi from being murdered and meets a troll called Binabik and his pet wolf called Qantaqa. They encounter a boy Simon met at the Hayholt called Malachais and his sister Leleth and help them to fight off hounds who are chasing them. The heroes are pursued by the huntsman Ingen Jegger, who shoots Binabik with an arrow and incapacitates him. He almost kills them but when he is galloping over a bridge to reach them when it collapses and casts him into a river. Simon discovers that Malachias is really the princess Miriamele in disguise. Simon is almost killed by a giant outside Naglimund but he is saved by Prince Josuas gaurds, who are hunting the giant.

Simon begins his training as a soldier, and prince Josua holds a meeting with the various lords disenfranchised by Elias' rule to decide what must be done. An old man called Jarnauga has arrived, and he claims to be one of the league of scroll members. He tells them of a prophecy delivered at the green angel tower in the hayholt that speaks of three swords coming again. The prince decides that an expedition must be sent into the north to find one of the legendary swords, which formerly belonged to Camaris, the greatest knight of his age. Simon is to accompany Binabik, who is to be lead expedition.

Naglimund is preparing to defend itself from Elias' forces when Simon sets out with his party on their quest for the sword Thorne. While in the north they encounter a party of sitha, and the one simon rescued is amongst them. His name is Jiriki and he is a sithi prince. They continue north together, despite the rimmersmen having issues with the sitha due to their distrust of magic faeries. The huntsman who pursued Miriamelle follows them and they fight, reducing simons parties numbers. When they finally reach the dragons lair where the sword lies, the dragon attacks and kills several men. Simon takes up the blade and wounds the ice dragon, causing it to flee. He is splashed by dragons blood and has visions of his friends predicaments.

Back at Naglimund they are besieged by a huge host of enemies from the north, though these enemies are of the supernatural kind. Giants and norns, and diggers assail their walls and overcome their defenses, slaughtering those taking shelter behind the fortresses walls. Josua escapes with a few others into Aldheorte, and Miriamelle fled earlier seeking to meet with Leobardis, the duke of Nabban, and gain an alliance for Josua.

The story is an epic conflict between two princes and also a quest for three magic swords in response to an ancient prophecy. It parallels LOTR by having the hero begin in his peaceful home until his life is upended and he is forced to flee. Then he is hunted paralleling the nine riders, and there is a meeting between the lords who are against the king, but that is where the parallels end. From that point on Simon quests for the sword while Josua and handful of others escape the massacre at Naglimund when Elias reveals who his allies are.

The characters are great, and the protagonist Simon is given a first hand view of the great events of this age. The world bears a strong resemblance to medieval England and Europe, paralleling the cultures and religions. Simon is an everyman hero, who begins as a naive boy but grows and becomes brave and noble and tolerant of other races. His relationship with Binabik teaches him a lot about friendship and helping each other to survive, and he begins to become enamored with Miriamelle. He also befriends the Sithi prince Jiriki, though there is a vast gulf of racial division for them to cross. The story is has a pretty simple plot with plenty of twists, and the characters are very grounded, and aren't Mary Sues who excel at everything. They must struggle hard for every victory they win, and make many sacrifices along the way. The cast is massive, as you follow many separate characters leading up to the major events. The characters and settings are painted so vividly with colorful descriptions that their highly engrossing, and the author cuts rapidly between characters during high stress junctures to make the action more exciting. This is a story very much in the Tolkien tradition, and the stories as complex and as interesting as Tolkiens with richly detailed characters that its easy to identify with. With so many Fantasy sagas being highly abstract and alien, this is a saga for fans who love deeply grounded and familiar characters and classical good vs evil stories that still manages to subvert the conventions to tell an interesting tale. Truly spellbinding.

If ever there was a fantasy saga with massive mainstream appeal and could be a contender for the next Lord of the Rings this is it. If it could be done to the same standard as LOTR or Game of Thrones then i guarantee it will be a huge success.