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.