Reviews
Tad Williams' books have made the bestseller lists for both the Otherland and Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn saga. Williams deals with epic fantasy, however, which isn't to everyone's tastes. Most of his books run around 700 pages, and his plots are always complex, involving many characters. Below are some selected reviews, good and bad alike, for these two series.
Otherland
City of Golden Shadow
Kirkus Reviews
Another doorstopper fantasy from Williams (The Dragonbone Chair, 1988, etc.),
book one of a projected tetralogy large enough to satisfy the most gargantuan
appetite. In the near future, a conspiracy of the super-rich and super-powerful
has created an exclusive and impregnable virtual reality called Otherland, where
the participants adopted the appearance and attributes of Egyptian gods. This
Grail Brotherhood seek a McGuffin, the key to whose location is bewildered Paul
Jonas, a man plucked—apparently—from the battlefields of WW I. Even though he
can't remember anything and has no idea what's going on, Jonas plunges through
various weird computer realities, somehow just evading capture. But the
Brotherhood's split into factions, one of which is stealing children's minds
from ordinary cyberspace. Teacher Renie Sulaweyo—her brother is a victim—and her
Bushman friend, !Xabbu, along with various others stumble across the conspiracy
and force their way into Otherland. And who is mysterious, crippled old Mr.
Sellars, now a prisoner on a military base? Well, after 782 pages of flabby
confusion, readers, like most of the characters, will have only the vaguest idea
of what it's all about.
If, for whatever reason, you intend to absorb the entire tetralogy, you'll need your reading spectacles, a cool hundred bucks, a prodigious memory, and unlimited patience.
Publisher's Weekly
When Renie Sulaweyo's younger brother, Stephen, returns from the Net after
visiting Mister J's, a virtual reality equivalent of the Hellfire Club, she's
worried about him. When his next Net trip leaves him in a coma, Renie is
terrified and angry. Soon she discovers evidence that other children have lapsed
into comas under similar circumstances. A professor of computer science and an
adept user of the Net, Renie retraces Stephen's trail and enters Mister J's but
barely escapes with her own mind intact. After her adventure, she discovers that
someone has downloaded into her computer the impossibly complex image of a
fantastic golden city. Then her apartment is fire-bombed, she loses her job and
another professor whom she has recruited to help her decipher the mystery is
murdered. It's clear that Renie has angered someone with almost unlimited power,
but she remains determined to save her brother. In the first book in what is
projected to be, in effect, a single, enormous four-volume novel, Williams
(Memory, Sorrow and Thorn) proves himself as adept at writing science fiction as
he is at writing fantasy. His 21st-century South Africa, where blacks run the
government and pursue careers but where whites control most economic power,
rings true. His version of the Net, although obviously indebted to Neal
Stephenson's Snow Crash and other novels, is detailed and fascinating. Best of
all, however, are Williams's well-drawn, sympathetic characters, including Renie
and her family, her student !Xabbu, the mysterious invalid Mister Sellars and a
host of other folk, all of whom hope to solve the mystery of the terrifying VR
environment called Otherland. (Nov.)
VOYA - Kevin S. Beach
This futuristic fantasy tale is a true mind bender. The author acknowledges in
his preface that it was "hideously complicated to write," but it is a pleasure
to read. I was intrigued by the surreal first chapter that opens with a World
War I doughboy, trapped in the trenches somewhere in France, who is transported
into a fairytale land after an explosion. Many other stories are introduced that
are so far removed from each other it seems they will never come together, but
they do. The main story line follows a black South African teacher, Renie
Sulaweyo, who teaches the used of virtual reality equipment in the near future.
Her teenage brother explores a forbidden area of cyberspace and cannot return,
his body in real time lying in a coma state. Renie's quest for her brother's
safe return leads to the layered unfolding of a global plot by a secret society
that is systematically peopling a virtual world with young people's minds. Renie
and one of her students, a bushman named !Xabbu, are joined in the quest for
answers by an unusual collection of web surfers: a fourteen-year-old boy dying
from a premature aging disease who exists in cyberspace as Thargor the
barbarian, an alter ego comic book guise; a deformed elderly man confined to a
wheelchair on a military base; a serial killer known as Dread; and Paul, the
young soldier from World War I. All begin to find their way to a city on the web
and join forces to unlock the mystery of the secret society's plan. The book,
part of a planned trilogy, ends just as the group escapes a deadly encounter in
the city. At an imposing seven-hundred-plus pages, only the most die-hard
SF/computer tech fans will stick with it, but the research, writing, and
character development are all remarkably well done. VOYA Codes: 5Q 3P S (Hard to
imagine it being any better written, Will appeal with pushing, Senior
High-defined as grades 10 to 12).
River of Blue Fire
Kirkus
Reviews
Second chunk of Williams's vast four-part doorstopper about Otherland (City of
Golden Shadow, 1996), an exclusive and impregnable virtual reality created by
the evil Grail Brotherhood. Various good guys—amnesiac WWI soldier Paul Jonas,
teacher Renie Sulawayo, blind researcher Martine Desroubins, the strange,
crippled, mysterious old Mr. Sellars, etc.þhave banded together to try to
prevent the Brotherhood from doing, well, whatever it is that they're planning
to do, with the control of everything (both real-world reality and the
anything-goes cyberspace of Otherland) at stake. Patience, patience. The author
apologizes for not providing proper endings for each individual entry, but he's
actually writing one single book, thousands of pages long, that's broken up into
chunks for practicality's sake. Now you know. For the rest, even with Williams's
helpful synopsis, it's a dreadful struggle to remember who, what, where, when,
and especially why.
Publisher's Weekly
In his first work of SF, Otherland: City of Golden Shadow (1997), bestselling
fantasist Williams (To Green Angel Tower) introduced one of the most impressive
virtual-reality landscapes ever created. Otherland, a gigantic realm consisting
of untold numbers of virtual universes, is the creation of the mysterious and
evil Grail Brotherhood, a cabal of billionaire capitalists, ruthless gangsters
and corrupt government officials. Bent on discovering the secret of eternal
life, they will stop at nothing to achieve their goal, even the deaths of
hundreds of children whose minds have been trapped on the Net. City of Golden
Shadow told the story of a small band of virtual explorers who dared to enter
Otherland without permission, some for adventure, others to save the children
ensnared on the Net. In this second volume of a projected four-book series, the
quest continues. As often happens with middle entries in a series, there are a
few problems. Despite a six-page summary, readers unfamiliar with City of Golden
Shadow may have trouble figuring out the complex backstory. Further, with little
to tie the various plot threads together at either end, the book lacks an
obvious structure. Still, Williams is an exciting and endlessly inventive writer
whose character development is particularly strong, and his fans should roundly
enjoy this volume while looking forward to the remaining installments. Editors:
Betsy Wollheim and Sheila Gilbert. (July)
VOYA - Kevin Beach
Tad Williams, popular author of another fantasy series entitled Memory, Sorrow
and Thorn, has his own Web site where readers exchange theories and trivia about
his characters. This series is projected to fill at least four volumes. Volume
two picks up where the original book (Otherland [DAW, 1996/VOYA June 1997]) left
off, with the various 21st-century characters caught in a cyberspace dreamscape
presumably controlled by a secret society known as the Grail Brotherhood. Unable
to go off-line, the rag-tag group, each with his or her own reason for being
there, follows the river that takes them from one grid to another in Otherland,
each landscape more bizarre than the one before. They seek answers to why they
or their relatives lie in coma states as their minds remain trapped in the
virtual realm. The main character is once again a confused Paul Jonas who is
relentlessly pursued through the various scenarios. The other main characters,
including two Africans, a teacher, and a bushman, lead the rest of the
personalities through other fantastic panoramas. Add to this plots involving a
serial killer, the world's oldest human, the host of a children's TV show, an
old man who secretly monitors the activities on-line, and the efforts of the
various cybernauts' family members who watch over the characters' real bodies.
Stories enticingly criss-cross as the plot slowly beings to thread together. The
characters are interestingly drawn as they divulge their secrets. Attention to
plot twists and the unexpected keeps the reading entertaining; still, the
typical YA reader may not want to invest energy in a series that is already over
1,600 pages in two installments. Excellent, imaginative writing definitely make
this a must for the audience of fantasy and cyber-fiction readers. VOYA Codes:
5Q 3P S (Hard to imagine it being any better written, Will appeal with pushing,
Senior High-defined as grades 10 to 12).
Mountain of Black Glass
Kirkus
Reviews
Third chunk of Williams's enormous four-part doorstopper (City of Golden Shadow,
1996; River of Blue Fire, 1998) about the eponymous virtual reality. Otherland
was created by the rich, powerful, and ruthless Brotherhood, who have plans to
rule the real world too. After various children enter VR, only to become
ensnared, assorted good guys—a WWI soldier, a teacher, a blind researcher, a
mysterious renegade, etc.—have hacked into the supposedly impregnable Otherworld
in search of the children. But they too end up trapped. Worse, they're being
stalked by the Brotherhood's assassin, Dread, not to mention another mysterious
entity known as the Other, possibly Otherland's sentient operating system.
Williams's synopses are as abstruse and overcomplicated as the yarn itself. So
if by this point you have even the vaguest idea of what's happening, why, and
who's involved, then keep reading and good luck. Newcomers: try
something—anything—less absurdly overblown, labyrinthine and inconsequential.
(Author tour)
Publisher's Weekly
Epic in scope and size, this near-future cyberspace adventure has likable
characters, heinous villains, a plethora of classical references and a slew of
powerful action sequences that propel its many-tiered plot forward. Paul Jonas,
a mysterious man with no clear memory of his past, is trapped and hunted inside
the Grail Project, an artificial intelligence network run by the ultra-wealthy
Grail Brotherhood. This third installment of the Otherland series (City of
Golden Shadow; River of Blue Fire) reveals that the Project has been designed to
provide cyber-immortality to its rich owners: it does this, at least in part, by
stealing essential elements from children's psyches and leaving them comatose.
Renie Sulaweyo has lost a sibling to the Grail Brotherhood's machinations. While
Renie's body is watched over in the real world, her consciousness has been
transferred inside the network, where she works with a motley band of reluctant
adventurers trying to save the children and themselves. Stalking them is the
brilliant psychopath Johnny Dark, who knows secrets about the Project and has
his own evil mental twist that can hurt it. While Williams has a rather
conventional take on power and prejudice in his "real" world, he lets rip inside
the network, working with environments that include Homer's Odyssey, an ancient
Egypt where the gods are somewhat less than omnipotent and a gigantic House in
which Linen Closet Sisters are kidnapped by boys from Cutlery. As his "real"
characters encounter computer-generated simulacrums who express compassion and
have their own dreams and desires, the line between reality and fantasy blurs.
Though the sheer weight of the series is daunting, Williams fills his pages with
the sort of stories and characters that readers of epic fantasy are sure to
love. (Sept.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.
Library Journal
Trapped in the exotic virtual simulation known as Otherland, Paul Jonas, Orlando
Gardner, and Renie Sulaweyo continue their separate explorations into the heart
of the reality that surrounds them. As they confront puzzles and obstacles in
re-creations of ancient Egypt and Homeric Greece, they come closer to the black
glass mountain that may offer them the key to the mysterious Grail Brotherhood
that controls the passages to and from Otherland. Synopses of the previous
volumes (City of Golden Shadow; River of Blue Fire) of Williams's ambitious epic
provide enough information for newcomers to the series, but the entire story is
best read in sequence. Filled with complex plot threads, a wide variety of
virtual and "real" characters and vivid descriptions of numerous worlds, this
series belongs in most sf collections. Copyright 1999 Cahners Business
Information.
Sea of Silver Light
Publisher's Weekly
This stunning finale to the gigantic Otherland tetralogy (City of Golden Shadow,
etc.), a brilliant fusion of quest fantasy and technological SF, is sure to
please Williams's many fans. Otherland, a complete universe co-existent with the
real world, incorporates elements of the Arabian Nights, the Alice and Oz books,
the Neanderthal Age, the Trojan War, rewritten Roman history (Hannibal returns
three centuries after his death to crush Rome, without elephants), as well as
numerous nursery rhymes and fables. An enormous cast of courageous humans
confronts monstrous insects, unimaginable dangers and all the appurtenances of
fantastic adventure. At nearly 700 pages this is a mighty mouthful to swallow,
but a well-crafted if convoluted plot sustains interest through the lengthy
climax, which explains the inexplicable. Those scenes grounded in a recognizable
world are the most compelling. Individuals may live in both worlds, despite
Otherland being only made of "light and numbers." Characters dead in real life
can still be alive in the virtual world, as in the poignant plight of a young
woman, whose dress and manners are 18th century, who's in love with a young man
snatched, apparently, from the trenches of WWI. Are they real or "sims"
(simulations)? Generously, the author supplies two master villains: one for whom
we may begrudge some respect; for the other, no mercy. The Otherland books are a
major accomplishment. Agent, Matt Bialer. (Apr. 10) Forecast: Williams should
enjoy another run up the genre bestseller lists with this strong concluding
volume. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn
Dragonbone Chair
Library
Journal
As war threatens to rip apart a once peaceful land, a young kitchen boy turned
magician's apprentice embarks on a journey that could save his world from the
dark machinations of a king gone mad. The author of Tailchaser's Song draws on
many mythologies for the background of his fantasy epic, creating a solid story
spiced with political intrigue and strong, appealing heroes. Highly recommended.
JC
School Library Journal
YA-- Williams, author of Tailchaser's Song (NAL, 1986), scores with the first
book in another fantasy trilogy. Simon is an ordinary kitchen helper who is
taken under the tutelage of the magician Morgenes. When King John Presbyter dies
and his son Elias ascends the throne, the way opens for a long-dormant evil to
enter the realm. Elias, a pawn of the black magician Pyrates, moves to eliminate
his brother Josua, and the brother-against-brother, good-versus-evil clash
begins. Simon is thrown in with Josua and muddles through adventure and peril,
maturing into a hero by book's end. Williams weaves all of the classic
ingredients of fantasy into his tale--trolls, giants, elf-like sithi, and
dragons. Simon must travel from drought-stricken lands to ice-bound peaks as he
follows his far-seeing dreams. The land of Osten Ard is well created, and
readers quickly become immersed in the story. Unfortunately, despite the high
adventure and excitement, The Dragonbone Chair leaves many loose ends, so
readers, like Simon, are left waiting--for book two.-- Margaret Sloan,
Willowridge High School, Sugar Land, Tex.
Stone of Farewell
Publisher's Weekly
In this panoramic, vigorous, often moving sequel to The Dragonbone Chair , the
scattered allies opposing the pirate Elias, high king of Osten Ard, and Ineluki,
the Storm King, struggle toward a meeting at the Stone of Farewell in the
ancient, deserted city of Enki-e-Shao'saye. The boy Simon, the troll Binabek and
their companions carry Thorn, one of three swords critical to the defeat of the
forces of evil. After surviving many perils, Simon becomes the only mortal to
enter Jao e-Tinukai'i, last refuge of the elven Sithi, seeking their support. A
small band follows Prince Josua, leader of the resistance against his brother
Elias; they are betrayed by the chieftain of the nomadic Thrithings-folk. As
Elias consolidates his power with the aid of the Norns, the Storm King brings
permanent winter to a stricken land. Williams adroitly weaves together the tales
of these journeys, heralding a suitably epic and glorious conclusion. (Aug.)
Library Journal
The advancing might of Ineluki the Storm King and his undead minions threatens
to lock the world in eternal winter unless the tattered forces ranged against
him can discover the secrets of the League of the Scroll and unite humans, Sithi
elves, and Qanuc trolls. Continuing the story begun in The Dra gonbone Chair (LJ
9/15/88), Williams fleshes out the familiar themes of epic fantasy with vivid,
likable characters and exotic cultures. Recommended.
To Green Angel Tower
Publisher's Weekly
This sprawling, spellbinding conclusion to the trilogy that began with The
Dragonbone Chair weaves together a multitude of intricate strands, building to a
suitably apocalyptic confrontation between good and evil. Prince Josua wins a
first victory against the forces of his brother, Elias, who rules as High King
in Osten Ard. Elias has the help of the dark priest Pryrates and of Ineluki the
Storm King, onetime ruler of the immortal Sithi (the race that preceded humans).
But others defy him, including Elias's own daughter, Princess Miriamele, the
scullion turned knight Simon, and Camaris, once one of the greatest knights of
Osten Ard and wielder of the sword Thorn, one of the three weapons that may
effect a victory over Elias's hordes. As Josua's forces-- augmented by those
Elias has wronged and by friendly Sithi--approach the king's stronghold, a
secret battle takes place in the underlying caverns. It will affect not only the
conflict's outcome, but also the futures of many races. The main caveat to
Williams's engrossing epic is its length. A tetralogy might have been more
easily digested, although that format might have drained some of the
extraordinary tension built up in the book's closing pages. (Mar.)
Library Journal
As Ineluki the Storm King and his undead minions gather strength for their war
of conquest, Simon and his companions race against time to puzzle out a prophecy
that can save their world. Multiple plot lines converge in a surprising final
confrontation as Williams concludes his panoramic trilogy in grand style. Fans
of The Dragonbone Chair ( LJ 9/15/88) and The Stone of Farewell ( LJ 6/15/90)
will not be disappointed in this well-written extravaganza.
School Library Journal
YA-This culmination of the trilogy is incredibly long and carries, besides the
story, a dictionary of names, places, and other necessary information. It tells
of the final battle between the forces of good and evil in the land of Osten Ard,
a mythical place not unlike medieval Europe. Clearly, the author has been
influenced not only by Tolkien, but also by Wagner's ``Ring'' story. Everything
in Williams's narrative is larger than life-the individuals, the battles, the
mysticism and magic. Yet his painstaking detail ensures that the world he
creates is as believable and immediate as readers' everyday lives. The main
character, Simon, is a reluctant hero. He is a superior warrior, yet he hates
violence. He has been chosen as a seer by mystical beings who wish to aid his
human counterparts, but he is never sure of his own worth. He understands cosmic
truths, but considers himself ignorant. All action spins around Simon, but the
book is replete with many other interesting characters, all fully developed.
Enjoying the story's wealth of entertainment can literally take months, but for
the author's fans it will be a treasure. It can also stand on its own.-Jessica
Lahr, Edison High School, Fairfax County, VA
BookList - Sally Estes
If you thought "The Dragonbone Chair" (1988) and "Stone of Farewell" (1990) were
sprawling, wait till you see this concluding volume of Williams' epic Memory,
Sorrow and Thorn trilogy; it's only 141 pages short of equalling the first two
together. Not only heavy to hold, but also heavy to read by dint of the
continuing convoluted plot with its multitude of characters, human and nonhuman.
Some of the scenes in the maze of tunnels and the castle's foundry below the
Green Angel Tower and in the skirmish with abhorrent chitinous swamp creatures
are reminiscent of the Dante-like scenes in Williams' "Tailchaser's Song". Other
scenes drag on way too long, filled with more soul searching or detail than
needed. However, readers caught up in the story of Simon, the scullery boy
turned knight, will, by this time, have the important people sorted out and will
eagerly follow the further exploits of the brave young man as well as the
adventures of other of his stalwart companions. And there are adventures aplenty
as the various factions opposing the evil legions of Ineluki the Storm King
converge, along with the legendary three swords, at the Green Angel Tower for
the final awesome battle.
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