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A review by bibliocat
Brothers of the Wind by Tad Williams
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.