The Witchwood Crown
Ratings6
Average rating4.7
15
Ratings6
Average rating4.7
'Fawless epic fantasy . . . An instant fantasy classic' - Kirkus ************ Thirty years ago Ineluki, the Storm King, was destroyed and his armies scattered. Osten Ard has been at peace ever since, ruled by Simon Snowlock, kitchen boy made king, and Miriamele, King Elias' only child. But now age weighs upon their reign. Simon's dreams have deserted him, old allies die and betrayal and assassination threaten. His son and heir John Josua is years dead and his grandson, Morgan, is a wastrel. A journey of redemption and discovery beckons in the darkening world. And in the frozen North, in Nakkiga, the mountain fortress, Ineluki's ally, the Norn Queen, wakes from her deep, decades-long sleep and tells her followers that she will sleep no more. Humanity must be destroyed. Her sorcerers will bring a demon back from death, her warriors will seek the world for living dragon's blood... And finally the greatest artefact of all, the Witchwood Crown, will be hers. With a cast of hundreds - humans, giants, dragons, trolls, Sithi and Norn - The Witchwood Crown is epic fantasy as it used to be: classic, grand and sweeping and evidence that Tad Williams is the greatest living writer of the form.
Series
4 primary books6 released booksThe Last King of Osten Ard is a 6-book series with 4 primary works first released in 2017 with contributions by Tad Williams.
Series
6 primary books9 released booksOsten Ard Saga is a 9-book series with 6 primary works first released in 1988 with contributions by Tad Williams.
Reviews with the most likes.
SO. MANY. WORDS. to say a horse and a rider went through a forest listening to the sounds and smelling the smells. No wonder this brick is 880 pages. I can't do it.
It was so wonderful to be back in Osten Ard and to see what has changed and, interestingly, what has remained the same. The Heart of What Was Lost and Brothers of the Wind turned out to be great primer novellas to the start of this new series.
I felt a certain Star Wars: The Force Awakens vibe from this book – similar story beats as the original Osten Are trilogy, a familiar foe, characters we know and love, and a new group of dynamic, young upstarts.
I was pleased to see Williams's writing style has become somewhat less opaque than in the decades old original trilogy. And while this book does not work at all as a standalone (nor does it try to), I have full trust that Williams will neatly tie everything together when all is said and done. I am fully on board for the ride.
See this review and others at The Speculative Shelf.
I originally quit reading this halfway through because it was such a slog but it just kept looking at me from my shelf demanding to be finished. So I figured I'd give it another shot and the very next chapter ramped up the story and I was hooked. Such a great beginning to a new series and in typical Tad fashion it is an extremely slow and character/world building story with a masterful ending with fantastic descriptions of creatures and characters.
You don't have to read the original trilogy but you'll vastly appreciate it more if you have since you get most of the original characters back that you love and you're already familiar with Ostend Ard, one of the best fictional lands to read about. The story follows Simon and Miriamele, still king and queen of Osten Ard but older and have a grandson named Morgan who is heir to the throne. The problem with Morgan is he's childish, entitled and a bit of a dumbass. Simon is torn between keeping his heir safe or risking his life to make a better man out of him.
Utuk'ku is back like she never left and more powerful than ever and she's ready to open up a can ‘o' whoop ass on the human race. There's also some hints to possibly a certain evil sorcerer that is still alive to claim vengeance over Simon??
Featured Prompt
48 booksMemorable characters can leave an impression as long as the story or plot. What characters stand out to you the most? These could be characters who you were able to identify with, ones that inspire...
