Stone of Farewell (Osten Ard, #2) (Memory, Sorrow & Thorn, #2)

by Tad Williams

Jeff Brown (Illustrator)

Following a brutal civil war, Osten Ard has been crushed under the rule of the two villainous High Kings. A single hope remains: if the rebels can find the three swords of legend - Memory, Sorrow and Thorn - they might be able to bring the Storm King and evil King Elias down.

Once but a humble kitchen-boy, Simon is now Simon Snowlock, dragonslayer and bearer of the mythical sword Thorn. But Simon is more alone than ever before: his friends have been imprisoned and his liege lord, Prince Josua, has been exiled. And the Storm King may also be in possession of one of the swords...

A single chance remains: if Simon can deliver Thorn to Joshua and lead his followers to the Stone of Farewell, the rebels may be able to muster the forces necessary to rise up against Elias and the Storm King. But no one knows where the Stone of Farewell is. Or, indeed, what it is...

In STONE OF FAREWELL, Tad Williams sets his characters against impossible odds - and proves that the beloved, internationally-bestselling DRAGONBONE CHAIR was no fluke, but one of the greatest fantasy novels of all time.

• Publish Date: November 2024 (first published 11 October 1990)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
• Imprint: Hodderscape
• Edition: Broken Binding Exclusive
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 896
• Language: English
• Special: Exclusive Design Numbered Signed Sprayed Edges

Reviews

[celinenyx]

Stone of Farewell, the sequel to The Dragonbone Chair and the second book in the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn epic fantasy series continues the journey of our cast of main characters - quite literally.

Simon and his friends might have found the sword Thorn, but a single sword is not enough to bring down King Elias. Meanwhile, Prince Josua flees from the Norn that have destroyed his army and his city. Miriamele and the mysterious Father Cadrach try to reach her uncle to appeal to him and get his to support Josua in his cause.

In Stone of Farewell almost all of the main characters are on some kind of trip or mission. I wouldn't want to say that this novel suffers from being a second book, but it is clear when reading that this is a middle book. It deals with the repercussions of the events that end The Dragonbone Chair, and follows the main characters as they start to get ready for their final stand against Elias in the final novel of the trilogy. For the longest time I felt that everything would go wrong. The situation for almost all parties is precarious. But in the end Mr Williams pulled it off admirably, never resorting to the unbelievable to bring everyone together.

What struck me when reading this is how many similarities there are between the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn books and those of the Song of Ice and Fire series. Tad William's trilogy predates Game of Thrones by several years, and it's clear that George R.R. Martin has read these books and found them inspiring. Where Martin keeps reminding us that "winter is coming", winter in Stone of Farewell already has come. Under influence of the Storm King in the north, huenen have left their lairs and are coming south with winter in their wake. Sound familiar? Additionally, the way Williams uses many points of view to tell his story is further developed by Martin in his infamous endless points of view. I got to admit, all of the characters are way easier to keep track of in Williams' books.

For me Stone of Farewell hit all the spots. It has everything I look for in epic fantasy. A reluctant hero who grows up throughout the story, competent female characters, an unspeakable evil that threatens the world order, and a whole cast of people with unclear allegiances. I have no doubt the evil will be defeated by the end of the trilogy, but the journey comes with a price.