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mrgrinth's review against another edition
5.0
Tad's world building is second to none and Osten Ard is one of the best fantasy worlds out there. This is a wonderful story that fills out some of the lore, while leaving me wanting at least a couple more books about certain events that have only otherwise been referred to by characters in the books. A must read if you liked his Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series. If you haven't read those, start there first.
mankan's review against another edition
4.0
Förbannat bra. Kanske diggar jag den mest för det täta världsbygget. Tveksamt om den är en bra första Williams-bok. Eller, det är den inte. Endast för de redan frälsta.
annieb123's review against another edition
5.0
Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
Brothers of the Wind is a new novel set in the world of Osten Ard by Tad Williams. Released 2nd Nov 2021 by Penguin Random House on their DAW imprint, it's 272 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
There are so many tie-ins to the other books set in this richly imagined and amazingly detailed world, that while it would be *possible* to read and understand this book out of context, much of the detail would be lost. I heartily recommend reading the other books in the Last King trilogy starting with The Witchwood Crown. Much of the action in this book foreshadows parts of the other books (the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy) and the world building is so well wrought that they form a cohesive whole mythology to rival Tolkein. Every part of the world is well thought out and three dimensional.
This is a solemnly written book which I found quite melancholy in places. The prose is masterfully wrought, however, and I found it moving.
The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 12 hours and 17 minutes and is capably narrated by the author himself. Sound and production quality were high throughout the recording.
Four and a half stars. Beautifully written and often grim, but ultimately a wonderful read.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Brothers of the Wind is a new novel set in the world of Osten Ard by Tad Williams. Released 2nd Nov 2021 by Penguin Random House on their DAW imprint, it's 272 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
There are so many tie-ins to the other books set in this richly imagined and amazingly detailed world, that while it would be *possible* to read and understand this book out of context, much of the detail would be lost. I heartily recommend reading the other books in the Last King trilogy starting with The Witchwood Crown. Much of the action in this book foreshadows parts of the other books (the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy) and the world building is so well wrought that they form a cohesive whole mythology to rival Tolkein. Every part of the world is well thought out and three dimensional.
This is a solemnly written book which I found quite melancholy in places. The prose is masterfully wrought, however, and I found it moving.
The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 12 hours and 17 minutes and is capably narrated by the author himself. Sound and production quality were high throughout the recording.
Four and a half stars. Beautifully written and often grim, but ultimately a wonderful read.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
thomas_hense's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is a stand alone prequel to the Osten Ard series which takes place about a thousand years before the events of the Dragonbone Chair and six hundred years before the creation of Osten Ard. Not as interesting as the Osten Ard books, which for me us a very high standard to meet.
chrstn's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Not the story I was expecting and after having read it not the story I wanted
bibliocat's review against another edition
adventurous
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
I'm ashamed to say I waited so long to read this book. Normally, I will run out and buy a brand new Tad Williams hardcover the day it is published, then devour it. Fantasy hasn't been my greatest interest lately.
Having said that, I found this book engrossing.
Brothers of the WInd is a short novel that fleshes out the story of the brothers Hakatri and Ineluki, the sons of the rulers of the Zida'ya people (think Elves, with a more oriental culture). I was a big fan of Williams' Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn Trilogy from the '90's, a huge epic fantasy taking place in the land of Osten Ard. From that sweeping story, we already know what happened to Hakatri from the lore, and why it caused Ineluki to be the Big Bad antagonist in that trilogy.
I always enjoy it when a story is so layered, that you can take a piece of it out and write a whole other book. This is what happened when Hakatri slayed the dragon. It was an interesting decision to make the main point-of-view character not Hakatri himself, but his faithful servant, Pamon Kes. Pamon himself is an interesting and engaging character, even if he is entirely too faithful at points.
The structure of the book seemed to flow well. It was divided into five sections, the first two being the longest. They set up learning about the ancient black dragon, Hidohebhi, and how the brothers' company strategized to trap and kill it. Things, of course, do not go according to plan, and the rest of the book deals with the fallout to Hakatri, and how they tried so hard to find knowledge to heal him.
Throughout the remainder of the story, Williams takes us on a journey through Osten Ard long before the days of our familiar Simon Snowlock and Princess Miriamele and all the beloved characters and places from Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn. Pamon Kes is the caretaker, and he gets a bit of a "found family" storyline with Hakatri treating him with respect despite his servant status and his birth as one of the Tinukeda'ya - the Ocean children. In his story, Pamon's father never wanted him to learn about his heritage after his mother died, and Pamon had some learning to do throughout his interactions with other Ocean Children he meets along the way. I think this is setting up some plotlines that are going to become important in the last book of the series.
This book is part of The Last King of Osten Ard Series, in which Williams revisits what happened to King Simon and Queen Miriamele decades after the events of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn . Here's another interesting thought about the book- in publishing order, it's an interlude between all the action going on in LKoOA. Why go back to ancient history and interrupt the flow of what was happening in the other books? I'm HOPING that some things that Hakatri learned on his journey to heal himself are going to play out in the later books. He has "a choice to make".
It's also a decent book even if you don't know all the history from all the previous books.
Overall, there's something special in reading a new Williams book for the first time, because the FIRST time comes around only once. The language of the story, how Williams writes, was so lyrical, I wanted to read it out loud.
I'll be looking forward to reading Into the Narrowdark soon, and I believe The Navigator's Children, the last book in the series will be out by the end of 2023.
Having said that, I found this book engrossing.
Brothers of the WInd is a short novel that fleshes out the story of the brothers Hakatri and Ineluki, the sons of the rulers of the Zida'ya people (think Elves, with a more oriental culture). I was a big fan of Williams' Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn Trilogy from the '90's, a huge epic fantasy taking place in the land of Osten Ard. From that sweeping story, we already know what happened to Hakatri from the lore, and why it caused
I always enjoy it when a story is so layered, that you can take a piece of it out and write a whole other book. This is what happened when Hakatri slayed the dragon. It was an interesting decision to make the main point-of-view character not Hakatri himself, but his faithful servant, Pamon Kes. Pamon himself is an interesting and engaging character, even if he is entirely too faithful at points.
The structure of the book seemed to flow well. It was divided into five sections, the first two being the longest. They set up learning about the ancient black dragon, Hidohebhi, and how the brothers' company strategized to trap and kill it. Things, of course, do not go according to plan, and the rest of the book deals with the fallout to Hakatri, and how they tried so hard to find knowledge to heal him.
Throughout the remainder of the story, Williams takes us on a journey through Osten Ard long before the days of our familiar Simon Snowlock and Princess Miriamele and all the beloved characters and places from Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn. Pamon Kes is the caretaker, and he gets a bit of a "found family" storyline with Hakatri treating him with respect despite his servant status and his birth as one of the Tinukeda'ya - the Ocean children. In his story, Pamon's father never wanted him to learn about his heritage after his mother died, and Pamon had some learning to do throughout his interactions with other Ocean Children he meets along the way. I think this is setting up some plotlines that are going to become important in the last book of the series.
This book is part of The Last King of Osten Ard Series, in which Williams revisits what happened to King Simon and Queen Miriamele decades after the events of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn . Here's another interesting thought about the book- in publishing order, it's an interlude between all the action going on in LKoOA. Why go back to ancient history and interrupt the flow of what was happening in the other books? I'm HOPING that some things that Hakatri learned on his journey to heal himself are going to play out in the later books. He has "a choice to make".
It's also a decent book even if you don't know all the history from all the previous books.
Overall, there's something special in reading a new Williams book for the first time, because the FIRST time comes around only once. The language of the story, how Williams writes, was so lyrical, I wanted to read it out loud.
I'll be looking forward to reading Into the Narrowdark soon, and I believe The Navigator's Children, the last book in the series will be out by the end of 2023.
wildblackberrydays's review against another edition
2.0
I love Tad Williams, and Sorrow, Memory Thorn was a favorite of mine when younger. This one fell quite flat. It felt more like reading a monotone journal than an account of numerous adventures. I was quite disappointed.
pidgevorg's review against another edition
2.0
'A tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing'... they made me memorize that Shakespeare quote in 8th grade, and what do you know, it finally became handy, as a perfectly apt description of this story.
The narrator Pamon Kes is not just an idiot, his idiocy is of the worst kind--self-induced. He is not stupid, but he is basically a house elf. Not only in the potterverse sense of elf servant brainwashed into enjoying his enslavement, but also in the sense of house slave as opposed to field slave, because he is so slavishly grateful to his masters for elevating him above his laborer fellows that he will take the side of the oppressors every time. Sure, as the story goes on people try to gently point him in the right direction, and he shows signs of beginning to think for himself, but he never quite gets there. Despite (or possibly even because of) Kes' excessive and nonstop bootlicking his 'masters' all come off as not just unrelatable, but also snooty, stupid, indolent, useless, apathetic, and/or corrupt (read the book to find out which character is which ;7 ) And sure, it's kind of amusing to watch him try so hard to make his 'masters' look so wonderful only to have it backfire and make them look like even bigger assholes. But it also makes for a book almost devoid of any interesting characters and makes the story really hard to get into or care about.
The 'sound and fury'--the awesome Tad Williams' brand of evocative, atmospheric descriptions--are here, but take some time to get started. The beginning of the book is kind of stilted, but that wears off eventually and the book becomes very readable. But that's not enough to make it a satisfying read, because these places and events, as beautifully described as they are, are all pointless. Epic-sounding adventures begin but then culminate in (literally) stick-in-the-mud underwhelming action. People go searching for miracle cures, find something that works partially, and then instead of investigating further why it works and why it doesn't, just wander off like moody toddlers. Urgent visions from the future appear and then turn out to be messages so generic and pointless that hallmark would consider them too dumb to put on their cards. It's very puzzling why anyone would waste the effort of sending such a vision across time and space. And ultimately no one learns much of anything and no character growth or change happens. I mean, we are told that so-and-so was changed after such-and-such, but actually everyone is the same asshole they were before, it's just that their dysfunctional lives, families, and societies are catching up to them.
TLDR: Nowhere near the quality of Tad William's other novels. No epic action, no wonder or mystery, no heartwarming moments, no interesting characters. Nor does it add anything significant or new to the lore of the world of Osten Ard.
The narrator Pamon Kes is not just an idiot, his idiocy is of the worst kind--self-induced. He is not stupid, but he is basically a house elf. Not only in the potterverse sense of elf servant brainwashed into enjoying his enslavement, but also in the sense of house slave as opposed to field slave, because he is so slavishly grateful to his masters for elevating him above his laborer fellows that he will take the side of the oppressors every time. Sure, as the story goes on people try to gently point him in the right direction, and he shows signs of beginning to think for himself, but he never quite gets there. Despite (or possibly even because of) Kes' excessive and nonstop bootlicking his 'masters' all come off as not just unrelatable, but also snooty, stupid, indolent, useless, apathetic, and/or corrupt (read the book to find out which character is which ;7 ) And sure, it's kind of amusing to watch him try so hard to make his 'masters' look so wonderful only to have it backfire and make them look like even bigger assholes. But it also makes for a book almost devoid of any interesting characters and makes the story really hard to get into or care about.
The 'sound and fury'--the awesome Tad Williams' brand of evocative, atmospheric descriptions--are here, but take some time to get started. The beginning of the book is kind of stilted, but that wears off eventually and the book becomes very readable. But that's not enough to make it a satisfying read, because these places and events, as beautifully described as they are, are all pointless. Epic-sounding adventures begin but then culminate in (literally) stick-in-the-mud underwhelming action. People go searching for miracle cures, find something that works partially, and then instead of investigating further why it works and why it doesn't, just wander off like moody toddlers. Urgent visions from the future appear and then turn out to be messages so generic and pointless that hallmark would consider them too dumb to put on their cards. It's very puzzling why anyone would waste the effort of sending such a vision across time and space. And ultimately no one learns much of anything and no character growth or change happens. I mean, we are told that so-and-so was changed after such-and-such, but actually everyone is the same asshole they were before, it's just that their dysfunctional lives, families, and societies are catching up to them.
TLDR: Nowhere near the quality of Tad William's other novels. No epic action, no wonder or mystery, no heartwarming moments, no interesting characters. Nor does it add anything significant or new to the lore of the world of Osten Ard.
brents's review against another edition
4.0
I was reading this book eyes only and despite only being 258 pages it took me a long time to read. That's not because the book was bad. It was actually quite good. It was because despite its length it is quite dense. The book serves as a prequel to Memory Sorrow and Thorn and is about two brothers who set out to slay a dragon. Any more than that would be spoilers, but this book is so much more than that basic premise. It is told from the perspective of a squire of one of the brothers who is of a different and subservient race. The perspective is what really makes it an interesting story.
By telling the story from the perspective of a squire who is an outsider who was brought up with the ruling class Tad gets to bring in a lot of themes of service, loyalty, and self-identity. With the brothers themselves we see themes of family, fealty to oaths, and destiny. But besides those interesting themes you also get a compelling story with dragons and magic and visions that should make any fantasy fan happy. And of course it provides some insight into events that happen in Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn and why they happen. And finally it's Tad Willams so the writing and prose are phenomenal.
So if I liked it so much why did it take me so long? Well thematically it's dense, but I think it is a book that took me longer to read and process mostly due to the worldbuilding. Even as a veteran of Memory Sorror and Thorn and having some background with Williams' Sithi characters, this book was challenging because there are very few human characters and a ton of complex Sithi names, families, and locations. It becomes a bit overwhelming for my eyes and brain to process. You'll notice I didn't use any of them in this review because even though I read them with my eyes there's no way I could spell them correctly. It doesn't detract much from the experience. Just know that going in and take it slow.
Overall, I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who has finished Memory Sorrow and Thorn.
By telling the story from the perspective of a squire who is an outsider who was brought up with the ruling class Tad gets to bring in a lot of themes of service, loyalty, and self-identity. With the brothers themselves we see themes of family, fealty to oaths, and destiny. But besides those interesting themes you also get a compelling story with dragons and magic and visions that should make any fantasy fan happy. And of course it provides some insight into events that happen in Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn and why they happen. And finally it's Tad Willams so the writing and prose are phenomenal.
So if I liked it so much why did it take me so long? Well thematically it's dense, but I think it is a book that took me longer to read and process mostly due to the worldbuilding. Even as a veteran of Memory Sorror and Thorn and having some background with Williams' Sithi characters, this book was challenging because there are very few human characters and a ton of complex Sithi names, families, and locations. It becomes a bit overwhelming for my eyes and brain to process. You'll notice I didn't use any of them in this review because even though I read them with my eyes there's no way I could spell them correctly. It doesn't detract much from the experience. Just know that going in and take it slow.
Overall, I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who has finished Memory Sorrow and Thorn.
syllareads's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75