The Dragonbone Chair - Tad Williams

Published by Arrow Books Limited/Legend: London, Great Britain, 1990 (1988).

I found this book in an Op-shop last week, bought it for $2, and enjoyed it enough to hunt out its sequels to read later on. I also read it over a week, which is far too quick for a book of 918 pages. I may mildly regret spending that much time reading in this last week, but at least I'm on holiday for a few weeks. Its not that The Dragonbone Chair is the most original work I've ever read, but it hooked me in easily. 

We begin by following Simon, a lowly kitchen-boy working and living in the Hayholt, which is the seat of power for the High King of Osten Ard. This first portion of the book is almost entirely from Simon's perspective, and we learn as he does about the machinations of power in this land, the rivalry between the sons of the High King, and the growing influence of the sinister priest Pyrates. At a certain point Simon is forced to leave the Hayholt, and as he does the scope of the book begins to expand. We still mostly follow Simon, but other perspectives are gradually introduced so that we get a larger sense of what is going on in this world.

As I said above, what is going on this world does remind me of various other fantasy epics, but it is hard to have something wholly original these days: there are elf-equivalent species slowly fading into obscurity, there are sorcerer-mentor-figures to guide our hero on their quest, there are items of great power to be quested for. There are also numerous moments and some creatures (particularly the Norns and Bukken) that remind me of Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire (not a series I've seen or read, but one that I have enough knowledge of to get the similarities), but this may be because, according to the cover of one of the books, GRR Martin considers himself a fan of this series. Tad Williams also chooses to base his world and cultures on various elements of our history, so the days of the week, the months of the year, some holidays, and even ancestral homelands are similar to ones that we recognise from 'real' history, a feature I like to a degree, and also occasionally found distracting.

But if there are similarities to other historical events and works of fiction, The Dragonbone Chair still manages to engage the reader. Also, considering the large number of characters, I found it relatively easy to keep track of the various figures (something that the next book I have started is having a harder time doing). The pacing does feel a little odd at times, with some chapters taking place over short periods and others jumping past significant events to cover a lot of ground - I was a bit sad to have missed out on finding out what happened to the son of a particular king before he ends up being killed by the villains, but I guess that would have made the book even longer than it is.

Simon is a great character to follow, and the supporting cast is also interesting and investing. Although I feel I should read a few other things before moving on to the sequel (just to pace myself) I am eager to find out what happens next.

Recommended for fantasy fans.

Completed 22 April 2021.

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