Stone of Farewell

by Tad Williams
589 pgs  (Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series #2)

Stone of Farewell is the second book in Tad Williams' original Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy. I say "original," because he's currently writing another trilogy (along with some shorter individual stories), which also take place on the continent of Osten Ard, years after this one concludes. There is a lot going on in this series, and while both books so far have had everything I hope for in epic fantasy, they've each played their own unique role in the series as a whole.

The Dragonbone Chair did an excellent job of introducing Osten Ard and the different races and characters who live there. It also got Williams' story off to a strong start, introducing Simon, the orphaned kitchen scullion who serves in Hayholt Castle, who finds himself in the middle of the fight against Pryrates and the evil forces of the Storm King., which have started to take over Osten Ard. In The Dragonbone Chair, Simon is among a group on a quest to locate the three swords: Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, swords believed to be the key to destroying the Storm King once and for all.

Stone of Farewell picks up right where it left off, but it goes much deeper into the lives of the several main characters. As the book begins, Simon is in the troll city of Yiquanuc, recovering from his battle wounds. While there, he has a dream in which he's instructed to find the Stone of Farewell, a mythical place he's told he, and all who travel there, will be safe for a time, as they rally together and prepare to make their stand against the Storm King.

That's a very short summary of a 589-page, densely-packed book, but with so much going on, it's hard to do it justice briefly. Ultimately, the book left me ready to start book three: To Green Angel Tower. But with it being roughly twice as long, I'm going to wait at least a couple of months before I start it.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆