To Green Angel Tower (Memory - and Thorn Book 3)

What a fun series! My only issue was that the editing wasn't very good. Words spelled incorrectly, or broken up with spaces, periods, or dashes. Other than that, I was pleased with the ending and how things wrapped up. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough!

This book, no this series, was probably the best series I've ever read. Every chapter was action filled and Tad Williams did a great job writing! There is a saying: you know you've read a great book when you feel a little like you've lost a friend. This book and series definitely fits it! I recommend this book to anyone!!!

tad wiliams is an amazing author with a talent for creating likable characters and immersive stories. this is the first part of the last book in the memory, sorrow and thorn series and it was an amazing read. you wont be dissapointed.

This was a fantastic conclusion to an awesome series. Tad Williams did a great job of character development and world-building throughout and for anyone who has read the first two books, this one is a must-read.

I'm 95% sure George RR Martin took a lot of his ideas from this series. Like, more than a little sure. BUT in any event, if you like one, you'll like the other. It's a sprawling, epic fantasy with magic, fantasy, politics, romance, violence, and realism that puts Tolkien to shame (in movie form, at any rate). It's fantastic and encompassing, without dragging on for a dozen books too many or being bogged down by unnecessary detail. A+

The book itself is wonderful, and incredibly well-written. A great conclusion to the trilogy. Unfortunately, however, the e-book version is riddled with typos. Not the end of the world, but very distracting.

Clearly a great admirer of JRR Tolkien, Williams has labored mightily to reinvent that which has already been brought to more vivid life. I kept with it through dogged persistence, but mostly wondered why I was doing so. The writing style is not bad (although I got pretty tired of "scintillant" after a while) but many of the characters' whiny philosophizings started to really get on my nerves. Read it at the library and save your money to buy LOTR; the original and still the greatest.

One thing that kind of irks me about this trilogy is it is really a four part book series. The first two books are fine; then you come to this one. If you notice at the bottom of the title, it says Part 1. Yes, there is a part two, and it is actually longer than this book. Talk about contrived, this book series is a beautiful example of people running off to various places with much ado about nothing (with apologies to Shakespeare). The author has a number of characters running around chasing down various things, much of which is useless in the context of the main plot. Simon, the main character, shares a lot of time with other characters, the princess, and Prince Joshua, amongst others. I'm afraid shallow is the main word that comes to my mind when I think of this series.

The trilogy is a long reed but a good one. Tad has built up a world with a deep history.

It is very distracting reading the Kindle version. It makes it so much harder to read because of a large number of editing mistakes. The number 1 in place of a capital i or lower case L. Paragraph breaks in the middle of a sentence.

Exciting and very well-written series, but the kindle version doesn't come with the part 2! It looks like I have to buy the paperback version to finish the series. I see a lot of reviewers saying they only got part 2 and not 1. What is going on Kindle????

This is a fraud. DO NOT BUY THE KINDLE EDITION! It is only half of the book, and the second part is unavailable. I expect better of the store. For crying out loud, this is a freaking 20 year old book, and we can't get the second part on kindle? To be fair, the store refunded me when I complained. I encourage everyone to request a refund as well. Maybe they will take notice.

The first part of To Green Angel Tower hooks the reader from the first page with suspense, action, growing tensions that are unique to particular characters, and mysteries both solves and still unanswered. Tad Williams begins the finale of his series Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn with major characters still separated throughout the vast terrain of Osten Ard, but through course of the events bring many of them together only to separate them once again. The majority of the action takes place in and around the Stone of Farewell as newly knighted Simon Snowlock joins the battle for the survive of the town of refugees that had sprouted on the ancient Sithi site as Prince Josua begins to openly challenge his brother's rule.

The journey of Miriamele to the Stone of Farewell along with the dubious Cadrach brought together Isgrimnur, Tiamak, and the mentally lost Casamir in a journey through the dangerous Wran and enemy held borderlands. The reunion of nearly all the major characters results in very interesting dynamics and sometimes annoying with Simon and Miramele's interactions varying on the situation. The situation in Hernystir sees the Sithi ride to war and Maegwin lose her mind, which is neither improves or worsens her character development instead of just continuing to make it frustrating as usual. And Williams turns his attention to Pryrates, Elias, Rachel the Dragon, and blind Guthwulf to give the situation in the Hayholt.

To Green Angel Tower (Part 1) builds on the first two books in the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series as well establishing the endgame for entire story. Part 1 ends just as important things look like they are about to take place, especially as Simon and Miriamele separate from Josua's ragtag army on a mission only Miriamele knows the objective. It's an ending that makes the reader want to go straight to Part 2.

This is book 3 of the 4 book trilogy from Tad William. Book 1 and 2 had a multitude of characters going different way and in this book they start to get back together for what I believe will be a grand finale. The quality of the story and the writing continues from the prior two books. There are surprises, some who made me happy and some made me sad and the character's actions are sometimes predictable because that is exactly what that character would do. No one the "surprises" felt that they came from left felt and were a shocker for the sake of being a shocker. Although the god protagonists are making progress, I found the mood to be darker and more sinister than in the prior two books. That darkness makes sense as some characters are closer to the edge than ever. This is very good literature and I cannot wait to find out how Tad Williams concludes this masterpiece.

Updated March 2017. Originally posted at Fantasy Literature.

To Green Angel Tower (1993) is the third book in Tad Williams’ MEMORY, SORROW & THORN trilogy, following The Dragonbone Chair and The Stone of Farewell. This is an extremely popular trilogy, which is why the arrival of a fourth book published a few weeks ago (23 years after To Green Angel Tower was published!) is such a noteworthy event in the fantasy community. In preparation for the new book, The Heart of What Was Lost, Penguin Audio finally released audio versions of the original trilogy last fall.

To Green Angel Tower, at 1083 pages in the hardback version, is one of the longest, if not THE longest, books I’ve ever read. Some editions, such as the one I read two decades ago, are actually divided into two volumes. Penguin Audio’s version is over 63 hours long (though I listened to it at double speed) and narrated by Andrew Wincott who does a great job, though his low-pitched voice can’t handle many female characters. Fortunately (for him, but not for us) there are few female characters in this series.

The story begins where The Stone of Farewell ended. Simon has finally arrived at The Stone of Farewell where Prince Josua’s forces and their allies are gathering to plan how to defeat King Elias and his evil advisor, Pryrates. With help from some visions, prophecies, and an ancient text, they figure out that (as readers have guessed by now), they need to acquire the three magical swords named Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn. Simon procured Thorn back in the first book. King Elias has Sorrow. Memory, they think, is buried with the old king, Prester John. Someone (Simon, of course) will need to dig it up.

To Green Angel Tower by Tad Williams epic fantasy audiobook reviewsThe allies continue to be attacked by their enemies, but one big advantage they have, besides moral authority, is the help of Camaris, an ancient hero. Unfortunately, he seems to have amnesia and maybe other intellectual deficits. They are hoping that he will soon come back to himself and help them win the war.

Miriamele and Cadrach are still on a ship where Cadrach is imprisoned and Miri is also essentially the prisoner of the icky Aspitis who plans to force her to marry him. Duke Isgrimnur is still traveling around looking for her. Meanwhile Maegwin, affected by the Sithi, continues acting weird in the caves but she will have a crucial and tragic role to play. Guthwulf (now blind) and Rachel are hiding out, with an awesome cat, in the dark winding corridors under the Hayholt. Eventually all the major players will end up there for a final battle.

As with the previous book, The Stone of Farewell, this story moves so very slowly and readers need to be patient. I admit that I skimmed some sections (this was a re-read for me) though I don’t think I did that when I first read the book 20 years ago, at a time when I tended to be a lot more patient with these types of epic fantasies. Coming of age stories were a lot more appealing to me back then and I recall feeling like I had escaped for days into another world. Twenty years later, I do not feel quite so generous with my time, though I still admire Tad Williams’ craft, especially at world building, and I love some of his characters.

Fortunately, there’s a lot more action and excitement in To Green Angel Tower than there was in the previous book and the last part of the story is quite thrilling with several scenes that are truly frightening, poignant, tragic, or triumphant. I vividly remembered a few of them from my previous experience with the trilogy — they had left an impression on me that stuck all these years.
I’m looking forward to reading the new OSTEN ARD book, The Heart of What Was Lost, very soon.

NOTE: This review pertains to the whole book, not just this one volume.
This book is definately the best of the three, and a damn long one, too. The Dragonbone Chair sets it off to a good start. Stone of Farewell was the worst; it suffered from the Middle Book Syndrome-lack of action or anything important going on that makes a middle book only serve as a connection between the introduction and conclusion. That one kind of depressed me, but I kept hearing that TGAT was worth it. Guess what? They were right. They were right to give the advice, I was right to take it, I'm right to give the same advice and you'd be right to take it as well. Keep reading. If you liked TDC and turned your nose up at SoF(that's me), you will enjoy this book. If you were mildly satisfied with TDC and hated Sof, you should still enjoy this book, because it is the best of the three. If you hated TDC and hated even more SoF then you're probably screwed either way so I wouldn't bother.This book is divided into four parts. The first part is The Waiting Stone. The word "waiting" pretty much sums it up. This book is definately the most action-packed of the three, but I won't lie to you - the first 300 pages is more of the same from SoF. After the drudgery, though, the action picks up and slowly builds throughout the novel. Part 2 starts speeding things, Part 3 gets things going even faster as well as introduces a little romance (actually a lot), and Part 4 is pretty much action packed the whole way through. (Warning: Make sure you buy both volumes at the same time; Volume 1 ends on a cliffhanger and if you don't have Volume 2 handy you will pull your hair out.) The climax was about 150 pages long, no joke, and the ending will definately throw you for a loop. Good ending. For those of you who are saying that the ending wasn't cataclysmic enough, I honestly don't know what the hell you're talking about. Seriously. Most of the questions you've been herding in your brain, some from the very beginning, some you've probably forgotten, will be answered, mostly in the last 150 pages. I did say that most questions are answered, not all. The ones that aren't answered aren't necessary for the resolution. It's good to have a little mystery at the end of the novel; just as in real life, some questions remain unanswered.
There are, however, a few shortcomings. The first is the way he ends chapters on cliffhangers. He'll end a chapter on a cliffhanger, go to a new POV and spend a chapter there, and then begin the next chapter exactly where the previous chapter left off. This didn't happen in his other two books. I think he said in an interview that the cliffhangers serve to keep the reader interested, but I think it has the opposite effect. Just when I'm getting into it, picking up momentum, I have to slow down and stop in order to read the next chapter, and by the time I get to the same situation one second later, it's lost some of its tension and dramatic effect.
My other gripe is his writer's voice. I'll try to explain this as best I can. There's something about his prose that affects both characterization and description in such a way that I was never able to completely immerse myself into the story. It's hard to explain, but I think it's in the way he can overly describe some things(in a lot of ways similar to Jordan), and simultaneously summarize parts that should be spoken of in more detail. I'll try to give an example: in the book, say two people are fighting, the description would go something like this: "After a brief struggle, such-and-such did this..." It's the 'after a brief struggle' that I'm talking about. That kind of writing doesn't put you in the character's head, you don't get fully immersed into what's going on, because it doesn't really tell you what the character is feeling and thinking at that moment, it just kind of summarizes. Pick up a book by Terry Goodkind, George Martin, or Stephen King and contrast the two styles of writing and you may get a clearer picture. If I pick up a book by one of those afore-mentioned authors, I can't put the bastard down until it's finished! In this book I was never able to completely immerse myself in what was happening. I tried, but even during the action sequences I was never quite able to get into it; something held me back. This problem was in the other books as well, but to a lesser degree, I think.
Despite its shortcomings, though, TGAT is still a very good book. Hats to Mr. Williams for a COMPLETELY ORIGINAL plot, excellent climax, diverse and believable heroes and villians alike, great action, great characterization, and a great, surprising, shocking ending. This is a long review, but it's a long book too, so it should deserve no less. This book is worth checking into.

An 800-page monster comes and goes as Williams begins to converge the several plot threads to what will hopefully be a stunning conclusion. This is the first of two parts to the third book of the trilogy. Apparently Williams didn't move things along in the two prequels as quickly as he'd hoped, so there was too much to wrap up in a single book and he had to split it into two parts. I can see that; the position of Josua and the good guys looked pretty desperate at the end of Stone of Farewell. Williams takes 1600 pages or so to turn it around.

This first half of that 1600 pages contains a couple pivotal moments and victories for the main characters Simon, Josua, and Miriamele. Fengbald's siege of Sesuad'ra and its dramatic resolution is probably the highlight of the novel. But other scenes suggest that the Storm King and the Norn Queen have a master plan at work that won't be disrupted much or at all by any setbacks that King Elias suffers.

Certainly well written and what helps keep the pages turning is the fact that Williams is highly competent at rendering scenes in vivid detail. Yet this makes the ratio of number of pages to events unfolding quite high. So in 800 pages the plot progresses about as much as the average author would manage in perhaps 350 pages.

Let's hope the final book is worth the buildup.

This series is pretty decent, though I have to admit it has taken me a long, long time to complete each book. "To Green Angel Tower" part 1 alone took over 3 months. There are, of course, the excuses of a busy life, but I know I make time for books that truly engage me. Somehow, "Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn" doesn't keep me coming back for more.

The quality of writing is quite good, and the characterizations have improved immensely since book 1. Even Simon has developed into an interesting man. The battle scenes, traditionally my bugaboo with fantasy fiction, are quite well described. Simon's baptism by blood is particularly engaging.

Of particular note are the development of Miriamel and Tiamak. Each character survives harrowing experiences which change them: I think one thing I appreciate about this series is that instead of just *overcoming* series of obstacles to get to a goal, Williams' characters *learn from* these experiences (and just as in real life, the lessons might not be the ones we'd like them to learn).

So... Good characters, good writing, and good battles (plot, too). Why am I not engaged? Why can I not give this book 5 stars?

I suppose I don't connect with the world of Osten Ard, and for no reason I can readily identify. Other readers may have a set of experiences which make this world appealing to them: I, however, don't find it nearly as rich as Martin's Westeros, or even the world of Jordan's Wheel of Time. I suppose I could equate my experience to that of reading Donaldson's Thomas Covenant books: I enjoy reading about the characters, but find the land quite bland. YMMV.

Still: recommended.

To Green Angel Tower concludes the tale set in the fictional world of Osten Ard.

As the evil minions of the undead Sithi Storm King prepare for the kingdom-shattering culmination of their dark sorceries and King Elias is drawn ever deeper into their nightmarish, spell-spun world, the loyal allies of Prince Josua desperately struggle to rally their forces at The Stone of Farewell. And with time running out, the remaining members of the now-devastated League of the Scroll have also gathered there to unravel mysteries from the forgotten past. For if the League can reclaim these age-old secrets of magic long-buried beneath the dusts of time, they may be able to reveal to Josua and his army the only means of striking down the unslayable foe.

But whether or not the League is successful in its quest, the call of battle will lead the valiant followers of Josua Lackhand across storm tossed seas brimming with bloodthirsty kilpa, through forests swarming with those both mind- and soul-lost, through ancient caverns built by legendary Dwarrows and to the haunted halls of Asu'a itself--the Sithi's greatest stronghold, and now the seat of mankind's power in Osten Ard.

To Green Angel Tower by Tad Williams is the conclusion to the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy. I read this book as one story, where as other have this 3rd book in two parts. Reading it as one story makes sense but creates for a mammoth book of some 1,100 pages and 2.5 pounds of material. This will never be considered a light read, in more ways than one.

The plot of this book continues with that of the first two, in that it centers around Simon and the choices he makes. However, there are countless other characters that are discussed in some detail, yet the story always returns to Simon. In the first two books we see Simon's progression from kitchen scullion to that of someone in the army. In the 3rd book this progression is pushed further. The main plot line of this book is the upcoming battle between Josua and his brother King Elias. This is made more interesting with the wizard who is Elias's right hand and the emergence of the Storm King and what that means to the battle. Add to that that each side has their own `immortals' the Sithi and the Norns. This truly has the making of an epic battle and one that could have very well helped shape the fantasy genre, yet sadly I was disappointed in the ending of this book. It seemed rushed and at time disjointed. That is not to say Williams left any loose ends, rather that they were all so nicely tied up it left the reader little chance to `dream' about what happened after everything was over. Add to that the fact that Williams spent over 900 pages leading up to the battle and took barely 60 pages to start the battle, fight the battle, come to a climax with in the story, and start tying up the ends of the story. It just seemed rushed to me. If he was running short on space there are several places within the book he could have easily cut back. Of course this is merely my opinion, others may liked that rushed feel to the ending.

I think I need to say this was a good story, just some things about HOW it was written that I didn't like all that much. One other complaint I have is that at the end, the final battle is recounted by someone, we don't get to read everything that happened it is more of two characters talking and one telling the other everything that happened after a given point.

The character development within this book is fantastic. Williams has a knack for not only writing believable characters, but giving them qualities that we can all see in ourselves. Simon is both smart and self-doubting at the same time. Others around him know he is capable of good things, yet Simon himself is always doubting that. Other characters are equally interesting and this speaks to Williams writing ability. It is one thing to have a good story, but if good characters are not there the story will falter. This is certainly not the case with these books. If you like a series of books where there is a lot of character development on multiple levels, you will really enjoy these books.

Yet one more area to give Williams praise is his ability to construct a world that seems to be both rich in history and believable at the same time. All too often, fantasy authors try to cram a multitude of things into their universe leaving the reader trying to remember everything that is going on. While there is no shortage of information for this world, Williams does a good job of giving the reader small pieces of it at a time so as not to overwhelm the reader.

When all is said and done, I would recommend these books to serious fantasy fans. If you are looking for a light easy read, these books are probably not what you want. This is a complex world and characters that forces the reader to always pay attention. If you are looking for lots of magic use and lots of fighting, again this is probably not for you. That's not to say those elements are not present, but they are not the driving force behind the books. This is a very good story and one that I hope people will continue to enjoy, but if you decide to embark on this journey, be prepared for a long demanding ride.

I was looking through the books at the library to see if I could find something that looked interesting. I found The Dragonbone chair and read it whith in five days, I was hooked and went in search of the next book in the series only to find out that it had not been publshed yet...Finally I was able to get my hands on a copy of Stone of Farewell, I was in A.I.T. in the military at the time and kept getting into trouble for reading his book instead of the military books I was supposed to be reading. after finishing that book (another masterpiece) I again went in search for the next book in the series...again not yet publshed. I finally found a copy in a local bookstore. I read the book like a madman. I have told everybody I know and now, some I don't know that this series is unbeatable, and looking at the other reviews, it seems that I am not the only one that thinks so. I would reccomend this book to anyone that likes vivid, intense books wth a storyline that blends in so well you never even notice that you have read 2485 pages(total series) and like some have written before me, unbelievably not long enough

To Green Angel Tower: Siege is the third volume in Memory, Sorrow and Thorn (started with The Dragonbone Chair and The Stone of Farewell, and ending with To Green Angel Tower: Storm).
After meeting with Josua's party and exiles from the plains on Sesuad'ra, the Stone of Farewell, Simon is knighted by the prince for having recovered the legendary sword Thorn. But soon they learn that Josua's brother, the High-King Elias, has sent an army led by Duke Fengbald.
They have to prepare for a desperate war. With a makeshift army of exiles, and even with the unexpected help from the trolls, they know they'll be greatlty outnumbered.
To the south, Princess Miriamele, pretending she's daughter of a minor nobleman, has unwillingly given in to Lord Apsitis. He soon tells her he knows her true identity and plans to marry her, for political purposes. She'll have to escape.
In this book, Tad Williams manages to keep us reading avidly without revealing too much of the final plot, digging deeper into each character's personality, making them seem so real. I just can't wait to read the next and last one!

"To Green Angel Tower, Part 1" begins the two-part conclusion to "Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn" series and follows all the characters plus a few of the more mysterious characters. The author's brilliant writing compliments gripping action and ideas with thorough expression of emotional and physical exertion.

Simon matures significantly, presenting a marked improvement from the initial installment. But the greatest element has got to be the impact and influence of the legendary Camaris. His unwitting contribution as a humble yet awe-inspiring figure provides Simon a persuasive standard by which to improve as an individual. Unfortunately as a counterpoint, Miriamele's lacking maturity and responsibility diminishes her character potential. Her decision at the novel's end, even if true to character and somewhat honorable, is a surprise given one would think she has learned her lesson from prior exploits.

While at times seeming long, the storyline blends the many cultures smoothly and rarely offers a dull moment. More is revealed connecting the history between the humans, Sithi, and Norns at a practical pace.

Sufficiently detailed maps precede both of the two sections relating to Prince Josua's military position. Conventional characters and races inhabit the vivid realm, such as the Sithi or Fair Folk containing Tolkien's Elven traits and mannerisms. The great assortment of royal characters might leave one hoping for a more comprehensive appendix, perhaps a section in alphabetical order or with a genealogical chart.

I highly recommend this series to any fan of the fantasy genre.

Thank you.

One thing can definitely be said for Tad Williams: in comparison to other fantasy writers, who start big and then peter out, his writing improves in leaps and bounds with each passing work. All the threads he wove together so cleverly, beginning with 'The Dragonbone Chair' and continuing in 'Stone of Farewell', are revealed to their fullest extent in this majestic conclusion. Typical fantasy this is not. Throw your predictions out the window when you read this series--Tad knows cliches when he sees them, and avoids them masterfully until the very end.
Toward the end, the story begins to take on the quality of a lush piece of music: marching in ever-twining threads which like strains of melody, spiral upward, constantly adding new threads of power and beauty whenever the tune starts to become familiar. There are moments so moving that they are transcendant, and so imaginative that one is tempted to predict that this is an epic that will last after many others have faded with the years.
The characters only get better, Simon in particular, who literally goes to hell and back. Tad Williams does not put his hero to minor tests and allow him to earn his status as the hero with the swing of a sword; rather, like Winston Churchill, he demands "blood and toil, tears and sweat" in relentless profusion. Yet rather than being an orgy in pain and suffering, the story is uplifting in its depiction of boy who begins as 'ordinary', and in overcoming tremendous suffering and tests of courage, becomes a hero worthy of the name.
There are some drawbacks to this otherwise perfect book. For one thing, Tad Williams is lacking in his portrayal of women, primarily Miriamele and Vorzheva. The latter is constantly whining and irredeemably selfish--it's difficult to understand how a great guy like Josua got stuck with her, let alone risked his life for her sake. The fact that the author is obviously in love with her does not make liking her any easier.
Miriamele is well-realized character, but toward the end she becomes sulky, and the problems that exist in her relationship with Simon are never resolved, let alone discussed, since any such discussion deteriorates into cuddling. This makes the abrupt resolution of their relationship at the end hard to swallow--so they slept together. Maybe it'll put off their problems for a night--but what about the rest of their lives?
I also thought that some very dramatic events at the end should not have been narrated by Tiamak after the fact--it took away any sense of immediacy, and belittled the importance of Cadrach's wrenching sacrifice.
Other than that, though, what is there to say? This is an epic that actually lives up to its length and delivers. The author obviously knew where he was going from page one, and his intent drives the story home by the end with stunning power. Not by any means a light read--but deep and immensely satisfying.

...Williams' high writing standards. This book has a lot of good action and battles, reunions, new characters and breakthroughs, questions answered and more questions raised, everything that I expected. Unfortunately, there are also a few of the old errors from book one popping up here again; for instance, calling Josua Joshue semi frequently.
While the book for the most part upholds the level of excellence of its two predecessors, my enjoyment of it was severely hampered by the fact that when I picked it up, I was only getting half of the book, and at that time my bookstore didn't have part 2 in stock.
Well, I read it anyway, and I'm beginning to wonder, because halfway through the final book in the trilogy, the story doesn't really seem and closer to closure than it did in the middle of the second book. There are more questions than answers, the characters are certainly not ready, or even yet moving towards, any kind of confrontation or resolution. Indeed, I am left to wonder how the author plans to tie everything together in the seperate second half of the novel.
However, it is still an exceptionally good bit of fantasy, and eminently worth reading; just don't pick it up unless you've got To Green Angel Tower (Part 2) ready to go.
And a final note -- the cover format and paper grade have changed from the previous books. This has nothing to do with the story, but the world is in the details and I like consistency throughout a series. Just a note. Still -- read the book.

This is is one of my favorite all-time books. What Williams lacks in originality he makes up for in the intricasies of this plot (or plots as you will discover.) This is no mere story, it is the twisting, weaving, and intertwining of several small stories that rivals even Tolkien in detail. It is this intertwining that is one of the major themes of the book. This is a wonderful series to read if you have a couple of weeks (or months). The best points of the book: 1. The best bad guy around. (pryrates is perhaps the slimiest bad guy ever) 2. Politics, conflict, age-old hatreds, stereotypes, and religion, in perfect detail. (all of these lacking in the lord of the rings) 3. A great climax with just enough explanation at the end to keep you wondering, "well what about..." 4. Magic is not used blatantly as in most fantasy, but is more subtle and "art"istic. 5. Seoman. (In the true spirit of Taran from Lloyd Alexander's series) 6. The little sayings of the Quanc "Winter is not being the time for naked swimming", etc.

Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series is certainly derivative. A young scullion with dreams of grandeur finds himself embroiled in an epic struggle to save the land of Osten Ard from the dreaded Storm King... Stop me if you've heard this before. Even so, "The Dragon Bone Chair" (book one in the so-called four book `trilogy'), was a compelling return to the undying genre of high fantasy, and fueled my interest in the series that ultimately lead me to the second offering, "The Stone of Farewell" - a book that was slow, ponderous, and anti-climactic. "To Green Angel Tower: Part 1" is an improvement over the middle volume, but might have been equally disappointing were it not for the later chapters.
This book moves at a glacial pace that's unfortunate. If you found "The Stone of Farewell" to be unexciting, but you've decided to persevere, then the first portion of this follow-up will have you second guessing your decision. Very little happens of any consequence, and many subplots are pointlessly integrated into a story that sometimes forgets its true goal, and its true nemesis. One particular adventure, which sees some of our heroes rescuing a friend from an insect-like menace, is overwrought, overlong, and underwhelming. Though this "side quest," so to speak, does have a minute connection to the Storm King at the heart of the story, it's thin at best and serves as nothing if not filler. This is but one example of Williams' divergence from what's important, and what keeps his readers... well, reading.
Passionless as the first chunk of this thickset tome is, it finally recaptures the urgency of book one as it progresses into the latter chapters - and it's a very welcome thing, because the world of Osten Ard is a beautifully conceived and richly textured place, and the threat of the Storm King is suitably menacing and ominous. Even better, many of the novel's characters grow into maturity (literally as well as figuratively). Eolair, who before seemed like just another waste of space, comes into his own as a living, breathing, and ultimately likable character. Miriamele stops behaving as a spoiled brat, and actually begins to grow into a woman. The main character, Simon, even gets a bit more relatable, though I still cannot help but wish someone else was the hero of the story. Even knighted, he still behaves as a naïve, whiny child. Still, Jiriki, Aditu, Binabik, and Isgrimnur are as likable as ever, and Camaris takes a pleasant turn as well - even if he displays an implausible recovery from that which plagues him.
As a whole, the negatives and positives make "To Green Angel Tower: Part 1" a decent read, and nothing more. Too often this is a bit of a `skimmer,' where you can leap and bound over several paragraphs and miss absolutely nothing of significance. Then again, as you progress things improve so dramatically that you'll want to pour over each and every word. Despite suffering from too much filler, and sometimes too little character building, this belongs to a series that could have been a classic were it not for its poor, uneven pacing. Still, the series is good and surprisingly well-written, and stands out in an overcrowded genre. If the dull moments ultimately lead to the joy of the exciting ones, then I say it's worth the price.

well I just finished the series for the 2nd time, or is it the third? at any rate I hadn't read it in probably ten years. I have to admit I'm more critical of it now than before but still think highly of it. for me maybe the main problem of the trilogy is that the main characters who have risen to prominence at the end of the series Simon and Miri are fairly dull whilst worthier figures have fallen along the way and characters who are fading into oblivion, the Sithi, are endlessly fascinating in comparison. now for some more indepth whining, yes these are spoilers... Simon and Miri running away from Josua is a pretty awful plot development because Simon has just been in a war and killed many people and therefore hopefully grown up at least a little and Miri has just been reunited with her uncle after being kidnapped, raped, nearly killed etc after running away from him the first time. what they did was inexcusable and Miri being "so" sure that telling her dear old dad that she knew all it really was about was reaching her dead mother was pretty silly. the first time she tried to tell Josua that she needed to talk to dad in private he should have reminded her that her father killed all but a handful of people at Naglimund and she would have been part of that if she hadn't already run away. dad was way past redemption at that point. Williams obviously wanted to get the two away from their elders so they could bond and feel like they were making grown-up decisions before he made them the rulers of the continent but this was a poor way of doing it. one of the most unfortunate consequences of this plot choice was Binabik being reigned in one last time to bail the idiot dishwasher out of another dumbass decision jeapordizing the peaceful future with Sisqi that he so richly deserved thousands of pages earlier. Binabik is nothing short of a saint in his treatment of the "heroes" of the series, though he was a deadly saint with his poison darts. and of course even his wolf was forced to save the main characters at least ten times. Yet what recognition does he get in the end, a visit from the great Seoman two years later maybe. King Binabik anyone? just to look at the development of Simon. He was a dishwasher/janitor of limited capability. He learned how to read and write at the age of 15, not very well. He got on his own and nearly starved. Binabik saved his ass. He managed to get Thorn up in front of a dragon that was going to crush Jiriki and Thorn cut the dragon's eye. He got lost in the forest and the Sithi rescued him from certain death. his nightly training from sludig and hastean somehow prepared him to fight off the best fighting men in the land the Erkynguard and mercenaries at the stone of farewell, maybe the most unbelievable part of his story, that he actually beat someone in a fair fight. He was made a night by a rogue political figure whose entire fighting force other than Deornoth was destroyed a few weeks earlier (desperate man). He deserted his Prince to be with an idiot princess determined to get herself killed. He nearly brought on the end of the world taking a great sword to pryrates at green angel tower. He became King of all the lands. Does this sound remotely natural or plausible to anyone?

By the end of the book, the moral seems to be that the shallow, simple, and short-lived shall inherit the earth. most of the interesting characters are killed off along the way. Morgenes who it is hinted has lived an unusually long life some how and definitely has magic ability is of course the first casualty. The learned hardy Jaurnaga died saving the survivors of Naglimund or so he thought. Apparently the norns would have let the handful go anyway although the reasoning for that was never really explained. Amerasu the loveliest deepest figure in the series was unceremoniously killed off along with the up till then invincible Jegger and his really big dog. The niskie dies after saving Miri and Cadrach (they should have forced her to come with them, and they should have killed Aspitis when they had the chance), Geloe who it is hinted has been alive longer than many Sithi dies. Geloe... was definitely one of the most enigmatic characters. when she died Aditu revealed that she was one of Ruyan's own, a Tinukedaya. this seems like a pretty interesting development but was it ever mentioned again? hell no, we needed to spend more time talking about tunnels, swords, and eating worms and moss to survive said tunnels. Leleth, who seemed to be the only person who didn't have to die to figure out that the messenger was false but couldn't tell anyone because she had been bitten by a dog and quit talking (couldn't she write it down?) finally succumbed to her misery after Geloe died but not before trying to enlighten the unenlightenable Simon, Maegwin died, which means Eolair might as well have been dead as we know he will never be happy, pretty depressing outcome for the only Hernystiri characters we get to know. the dwarrows, after saving Miri, Binabik, and Cadrach are cast aside as the plot devices they always were. Cadrach, the only mortal who knows how to use "the art" at that point, dies after saving our heroes. Killing off Isorn was certainly cruel after all he went through in the series, tortured by Skali, barely survived Naglimund, survived the stone of farewell, survived Naglimund again this time alongside the Sithi, and then unceremoniously killed by a flick of the wrist from the uber powerful Pryrates. speaking of pryrates he was easily killed by the newly formed elias/storm king with some sort of magic but then the newly formed creature was killed off by an arrow after pryrates had withstood such a wound himself only moments earlier, inconsistency? Camaris might as well be dead at the end, nobody knows what the heck happened to him. Utuk'Ku is apparently alive but somehow lost her power along with her people, and the Sithi? back hiding in the forest having their one or two births every 100 years surely fading into oblivion taking with them their magic powers and knowledge of arts and craftsmanship humans can not even begin to imagine. honestly, I'm not sure at the end it wouldn't have been better for Ineluki to triumph in erasing mankinds mastery of Osten Ard as it doesn't seem to be an improvement over the Sithi culture in any way shape or form. The sithi had a weakness to Iron or else it seems they would have had no trouble keeping homo-sapiens in check while maintaining their far advanced culture. in retrospect, the entire resistance to Elias reign including the reclaiming of Nabban by Camaris seems to have been in vain as the meeting of the swords was going to happen regardless and that was where the battle for osten ard was fought. In fact if Elias could have managed to be a half-way decent ruler whilst working out the bargain for immortality with the storm king instead of betraying Lluth, Isgrimnur, and Josua in his haste to alienate his entire kingdom he probably could have made it through his two or three year reign fairly secure with the people not blaming him for the damnably cold weather and whatnot. But of course that wasn't how it went. In summation, Sithi VERY GOOD, Geloe & Morgenes, very good, Binabik, great hero with much wisdom, Simon & Miri, not so much. Tad Williams series? worth the price of admission for the side characters alone

I was not planning to offer my comments about this publication, but the review posted on April 30th of 1998 unintentionally makes a good point which needs further explication.
The review implies that the critic began this final volume without reading its predecessors, and consequently felt overwhelmed. I would urge readers to read the first two works prior to the final volume. The simple actions and dialogue that appear in To Green Angel Tower are augmented by nearly 2000 pages of prior development; each page is a revelation to the reader, a progression that crackles with tension. To begin with this book would be overwhelming indeed. Start where the story starts--The Dragon Bone Chair, which you can buy right now at this site. Do not, however, begin here and ruin one the greatest potential literary experiences a reader could hope to encounter.

Unoriginal, boring, long winded? Unfortunately, we live in an "instant" society, instant gratification, instant highs, instant food, if something lasts for longer than an instant, we've been trained to find it boring. Fashions come and go in a year, sales are always high as we strive to be "un-boring", movies must perpetually keep viewers on the edge of their seat... That's why I read. "The book is better than the movie" syndrome occurs around 85% of the time, usually because the story as presented in the book is too slow, can't be packed into 2 hours, etc. This gives the movie a rushed, unfinished and undetailed impression, in comparison to the book. If you prefer movies to books, then this series is not for you. Unfortunately, however, this "perpetual action" syndrome has crept into literature, fantasy being no exception. Writers must churn out one pulp novel per year, keeping books to a healthy length and be madly full of action at every turn to gratify the baser whims of the less sophisticated readers. Tad Williams put a lot into this trilogy, more than his publishers anticipated when the work ran sorely overtime, more than the readers expected when we hassled the local bookshop for news of release dates, all in the name of art. If you want heads rolling, magic flying, a formula being strictly adhered to and a stock-standard cast of non-complex characters wandering around aimlessly and killing trolls, then this series is not for you. Tolkien wrote of a dragon, elves, small men, trolls, treasure, magical artifacts, rites of passage and a journey - so did many other authors. Are all works of fantasy to be compared to his? Yes, he was brilliant! Yes, he was original, but are all works of fantasy to be labeled "unoriginal" because they use an element of his work? It is almost impossible to name five works of fantasy since that don't contain any common element with Tolkien. So too with all writers hence, must a new book necessarily be judged in the light of all works preceding it, some small-minded critic not tolerating a common element or two with another work? We might as well cease reading. "There is nothing new under the sun", but sometimes a great story rips us off our seats and plunges us into an intricate and ALIVE world, spun from the imagination and rhetoric of the author, history, previously read works, current affairs, dreams and aspirations. This is one such series, and I can not recommend it strongly enough to any who would appreciate what is one of the most intricately woven and spellbinding trilogies set in a fantasy world. The momentum of fifteen hundred pages of pure art sweeps the reader of their feet and carries them through to the spectacular ending. When I awoke from this saga, I felt as if I'd woken from a pleasant dream.

Tad Williams does not write series, he writes 5000 page novels that the publisher simply chooses to break up into three of four parts. Memory, Sorrow and Thorn is a compentent and often compelling novel with a few memorable characters, and well developed world.
The main problem with this book is that the world that Williams creates stoped developing and coming up with new suprises after the first book. To key to keeping a good fantasy series going is much the same a planning a good vacation. The fun is not so much in what you do, but in living and seeing the different lifestyles in the cities you visit. The culture of the characters was suprisingly monotone, and to make it worse the mythology behind the story was weak. Sorry, but the storm king couldn't make it anywhere near my fireside storytelling list.
I give this series three stars because of the good characters and the often compelling trials that they are put through. But ultimately the book draged too much for me to give it any better.

You know when you read a series, and the ending is a total let down, the fight with the bad guy is just over quick and not epic like the ending should be, Well this is not this series Williams rewards you for reading almost 3,000 pages, the ending is very satisfying and worth for time.

I'm always the one who figures out where they are going with the story before it get there in the book, but not this one it kept me guessing till the end. The ending is very clever and worth all the praise for the series, it has that Holy crap moment that just blows you away. I highly recommend this Trilogy.

As always with a Tad Williams book you get a lot of distribution so be prepared for environments that are so keenly described you could cut them with a knife.
Simon "Snowlock" is just starting to come into his own as a great warrior and it is wonderful to watch him and his friends mature and grow as the book goes on. The heroes lose and gain more and more allies as the book goes on(some of these the reader will grow really attached to
If you want a long description of the plot you can read the back of the book and it is a good plot and story that will keep you guessing. However as with all Tad Williams books you must understand that these books are BIG so don't read them if you are one of those people who reads a book and puts it down.

'To Green Angel Tower' is book three of Tad Williams 'Memory, Sorrow & Thorn Trilogy'. Originally one hardcover it was split into two parts for paperback, this being the review of part 1 (sometimes known as Siege) only. There are basically two major story arcs in this segment: the journey of Miriamele from the Wran and the the siege of Prince Josua's forces at Sesuad'ra.
Although this is enjoyable novel it has a very high words to action ratio. There are some books you wish were fleshed out a little more- this isn't one of them.It really could be half as long with little loss. Having said that I did enjoy it and am looking forward to the conclusion.

I "ummed and ahhed" over whether to give this book 4 stars or five stars - I wish I could give it 4.5 stars. The only thing that kept it from being a definite 5 stars is the ending. But... I always said that it is the content of the book and not how it ends that counts, and I have that philosophy simply because I am hardly ever happy with the endings of books or series, and I have decided against letting that ruin my view of the work. (The only ending I ever liked for a series was the Coldfire Trilogy, but then again I have started way more series than I have finished).
The problem with the ending (hopefully without giving anything away here--) is that it was too easy. I was actually starting to think that they were actually going to lose to the Storm King. It seemed impossible to defeat him, but then it was so easy - too easy, I just don't buy it.
With that being said - I loved the book, best I've read in a while. I have been reading the series since February (It is now the beginning of October), but it only took me three weeks to read "To Green Angel Tower" (I lugged that massive book everywhere with me ;) The series starts off very slow, but it actually picks up in this novel, as if Williams realizes that he has too much to say in too little space (he shouldn't have wasted so much paper on the first two books).
If you are reading the first or second book, and wondering if you should continue, yes, you should, it is worth the read! (If not the ending).

My library isn't the most impressive, but I have hit most of the high points. I just finished the Wheel of Time, finally, I've read Tolkien, Lewis, King, Koontz, Friedman, Weis and many many others. For my money no other series can top Memory Sorrow and Thorn and no other author, save perhaps Gaiman, can top Tad Williams. In addition to this you should also pick up the Otherland series which is another epic read that you will never regret.

My library isn't the most impressive, but I have hit most of the high points. I just finished the Wheel of Time, finally, I've read Tolkien, Lewis, King, Koontz, Friedman, Weis and many many others. For my money no other series can top Memory Sorrow and Thorn and no other author, save perhaps Gaiman, can top Tad Williams. In addition to this you should also pick up the Otherland series which is another epic read that you will never regret.

This has to be the best series i have ever read. Highly imaginitive cultures, well developed characters, legends within the story, tons of battles, interesting dialogue, and one of the best twist endings ever written. This was a series I could barely put down. I spent most of my waking hours either reading it or thinking about it, trying to figure out how it might turn out. I read it as fast as I could, because I couldnt wait to see how it ended, yet once I finished it I wished that there was more. It was probably the most unpredictable story I have ever read. I highly recommend the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy to anyone.

After finally finishing Memory, Sorrow and Thorn, I conclude that Mr. Williams is a very talented writer.

His story contains many elements that are far too familiar in high fantasy today, such as a humble kid out to save the world, a race of powerful immortal elf-like beings, a great evil poised on the edge of destroying the world, a strong willed runaway princess etc. However Williams gives the clichés fresh twists that make them his own. The result is a deeper more thoughtful tale than the works of most contemporary fantasy authors.

Other positives include-
The characterization- though Mr. Williams juggles a myriad of different characters he succeeds in making them separate and distinct from one another-especially in dialogue.

His adolescent protagonists- Miramelle and Simon act exactly like what they are - teenagers. It's a common mistake in fantasy stories to make the young people act either ridiculously stupid and naïve or uncommonly intelligent and brave. Williams creates a more realistic blend in the coming-of-age element to his story.

The dream sequences- I have never read such disturbing and powerful dream sequences. Dreams can be very dull to read about but in Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn they compose some of the most compelling parts of the trilogy.

However, Williams has a terrible problem with pacing. His books are excruciatingly detailed and rarely skip over or narrate anything. This makes for a highly realistic approach, but a tedious read.

Finally during the last two hundred pages of this last book, To Green Angel Tower, things begin to pick up. At last it transformed into the kind of gut-wrenching action-packed reading I couldn't put down (after all, I had been waiting for thousands of pages).
A lot of the mysteries and puzzles are answered at last in the final chapters of the book. However, it's been so long since the original prophesy or hint that it almost seems too late to finish them up by cramming them togther at the end of the novel.

Also though the final confrontation with the Storm King was full of sound and fury, the resolution was astonishingly quick and simple. I won't spoil the ending, but it was remarkable that no one planned for or foresaw the possibility of such an event taking place. This leap in logic was disappointing and uncharacteristic of the rest of the books.

Overall, I enjoyed the series and I'm glad I read it, but I can't help but wonder how much sharper and more powerful the trilogy would be, had a more stringent editor gotten his hands on it. If you're a patient reader and enjoy spending months investing yourself in the characters and world of a story, then these are the books for you. Everyone else might want to steer clear and pick up something shorter.

This series is a true epic which will go down in memory as one of the finest yarns to ever grace the pages of fantasy. William's undaunted prose and fully realized characters mix to create a tale that will make you cheer. Williams takes that classic fantasy beginning of a young boy and his trials and tribulations on his way to greatness and he adds a new twist that the fantasy genre has not seen in years: HE DOES IT RIGHT. The story is great, the setting realistic, the characters palpable, and most improtant of all for legitimate fantasy readers, the magic is realistic and believable. This is one tale that you will not want to miss, and the entire series is done being written and in paperback print. Williams is one of this age's finest fantasy authors and deserves the praise to be mentioned along with other greats such as David Feintuch and George R.R. Martin. Bravo!

No matter what anyone else says, I still say that this was a great book (especially for you *romance readers* out there). Many questions are answered, and many battles fought, though not only sword-on-shield battles. For all of you who have been following me through my reviews of the books, I love these books, and I've read them four times each, going on another round. (Why on earth would *anyone* do that if the books weren't good?) But in this book, there is a dreaded discovery... "Beware the false messenger!" Will it lead to total ruin? Watch as the deadly confrantation takes place... witht the Storm King

"To Green Angel Tower" is the culmination of what I consider the best fantasy series by a living author. He has created a world as fascinating and detailed as Tolkein's, blending European history and mythology into a seamless whole that creates a land both familiar and strange. His bad guys are every bit as creepy as anything I've read, and the hero has just the right blend of courage and confusion to make him utterly believable. If you haven't yet discovered Tad Williams, you owe it to yourself!
One word of advice - buy the whole third book in the hardcover if you can - they had to split the paperback version up into two parts, which is awkward.

To Green Angel Tower is the massive concluding volume to Tad Williams' epic fantasy trilogy Memory, Sorrow, Thorn. The novel weighs in at just over a thousand pages and the paperback edition has frequently been published as two volumes. Here Prince Josua has gathered refugees from this brother the King Elias and the Red Priest Pyrates at the Stone of Farewell (also the title of the second volume). At this point Josua and the good guys have an idea of what they are up against. Not only is Elias a bad king and under the influence of the evil Pyrates, they are also up against the The Storm King who has been dead for 500 years but whose spirit is still strong and full of hatred and the Norns. The Norns are the cousins of the Sithi, a long lived race of near immortals of great power. The Sithi once held all the land the humans now hold. The Sithi have accepted humanity's right to live and live in exile from their former homeland. The Norns seek to take their lands back and destroy the humans. To say that the odds are stacked against Prince Josua and his allies is to downplay the situation. The situation appears to be nearly hopeless.

The hero of our story is not Josua, however. The hero of our story is a young man named Simon. Simon started in The Dragonbone Chair as a kitchen scullion in the caste Hayholt and before long is on the run and finding his true destiny. By the beginning of To Green Angel Tower Simon, now called Seoman Snowlock for his slaying of a dragon and recovering one of the three legendary swords, has become a major player in his world. He has befriended the Sithi, some of the trolls, a princess, become a warrior, slain a dragon, recovered the sword Thorn, and has become part of Josua's inner circle. Still, Simon is a young man just discovering who he is and he has not yet grown as confident and mature as he will.

To Green Angel Tower brings the story to a crawling conclusion. At some point Josua and Simon and the allies will make a push to claim the throne and before that to claim the two missing swords Minneyar and Sorrow. They will face the great conflict from the Norns and will seek to bring healing to the land. They do not know how and neither does the reader. Tad Williams has one thousand pages to wrap the story up, so there is plenty of time. Tad Williams uses every page in the book to get us there, and by that I mean that he takes a really long time. One would think that after the first 1200 pages or so covering the first two volumes that we would be farther along, but in a very real sense the story has a long way to go because Josua does not know how to get the swords and has no idea how to overcome the enemy. One thing the reader has to understand is that the story moves slowly. Creeping along slow. Slow like the author doesn't quite know what to do next so he will keep writing more and more until he figures it out. Eventually he does.

So, here's the thing: Memory, Sorrow, Thorn is a very traditional high fantasy story. This is what is typically called "kitchen boy" fantasy because the hero is usually a servant of some sort, often a kitchen boy like Simon, with no parents and real hope to be anything more than what he is. He dreams, of course, but no real hope of becoming more. Something happens and the kitchen boy goes on a grand adventure and learns that he has a great skill or power, gets involved with the powerful men and women of the land who accept him as an equal, and more often than not finds something out about his own heritage which involves some sort of grandeur. This is a staple of the high fantasy genre and this is exactly what Memory, Sorrow, Thorn is. That's fine. It is what an author does within the genre that matters, not the trappings of the genre. This series is both very ordinary, but also well done up until the end. Williams gives us such a slow build that many readers would have quit a thousand pages ago and it is recommended that new readers give the first book at least two hundred pages before making a judgment on the book. There is some promise in the story as Williams makes some of the familiarity seem new. If one gets to the meat of the story, there is an exciting story here. With a good editor Williams could cut several hundred pages out of this book (and from previous books) and really make a moving, tightly paced story that still gets all of the detail (unlike what Terry Brooks is doing with his most recent novels which is all pace and no detail). Still, when I got deep into each novel and especially To Green Angel Tower I was wrapped up in the story and shortly before the end Williams makes some bold moves for such a traditional novel and does a couple of unexpected things to characters which is true to the story and characters and I was impressed.

Then we got to the coda and Williams betrayed the sacrifices of what came before. Note how I am trying not to spoil exactly who made these sacrifices or what the sacrifice entailed. Right before this coda of an ending which wraps everything up I am sold. Williams hammered home a great ending and then he went and undid everything that came before with one more chapter. He revealed too much, gave the reader too much and the ending lost all the power it had up to that point. One thing had been hinted at for a while regarding Simon, so I understand even though I wish Simon's fate could have come about without the family history. The other couple of characters who sacrificed at the end meant nothing after the coda. Betrayal by the author who apparently needed an extra happy ending to close out the trilogy.

If Williams did the same thing with the Otherland series I might be done with him.

Final Analysis: Slow moving traditional fantasy that has a strong story buried in with the lazy river of a plot but a feckless tacked on ending after the final battle which invalidated the power of said final battle.

-Joe Sherry

I just finished a marathon reading of the "Memory, Sorrow and Thorn" trilogy-- all 3000 plus pages-- and I am totally knocked out! I loved the books on several levels: first, the character development. All the characters were multi-dimensional, really human in their responses to situations and to eachother. Many evoked strong empathy-- the reader really cares what happens to them. Simon's coming-of-age journey from innocent, somewhat goofy "mooncalf" to mature young man is beautifully and sensitively drawn. His relationship with Miriamele--halting, tentative, gradually growing stronger and deeper, blossoming finally into fully realized love, is written with real delicacy. The noble friendship between Simon and Binabik is gratifying. Josua's character is also one I came to care a great deal about, one of the truly good and noble forces of the books. The villains are truly nasty and quite vividly evoked. The pacing of the plot is excellent; nothing is flabby about this story, from start to finish. All details are important, and one must read with steady concentration. Everything is woven together with much skill. The dialogue is a real treat to read; one can fairly hear the characters as one reads their words. I was totally immersed in the story throughout the four volumes (the third part of the trilogy is so long that it is broken up into two books) and begrudged the time I had to spend doing mundane things. I was faced with the dilemma of wanting to go on reading while also wanting to put off reaching the very end! Getting to the end was satisfying yet also upsetting, and I found myself thinking about the story and the characters for days after. I HIGHLY recommend the entire trilogy, and also strongly suggest that anyone interested begin with "The Dragonbone Chair" and proceed in order. Don't skip any part of this fantastic work of literature!

Those who comment that Memory, Sorrow and Thorn is heavily influenced by Tolkien are missing the point. The book has to be close to standard Tolkien-clone fantasy because this is the type of book it subtly parodies. Can't give away too much but lets just say that the prophecy in this book is not as helpful as the ones in Eddings. Also, the nice happy ultra-good race (read Elves) are not ultra-good at all. They abused their servants (Niskies) and bicker and fight like anyone else and are also extremely paranoid. Likewise, the 'dark lord' is far from the incarnation of evil he appears. Black and white, morally transparent plotting and character writing is one of the biggest faults in modern fantasy, but Williams avoids this easily. The only real 'bad guy' is Pryrates, and that is still slightly debatable. Apart from these deviations from the norm, the book is also more than competently written fantasy, the only fault being that Williams has a tendency towards an almost Jordanesque weight of prose, though To Green Angel Tower suffers less from this than the first two volumes. Overall, a highly interesting and well-written spin on old material. Two thumbs up.

This is one of my favorite series by far of the fantasy genre. I read this for the first time when I was in high school and still checking books out at the local Library, and have recently purchased and read them again for the 4th time. I have repurchased The Dragonbone chair multiple times in paperback because I give the book away to friends because the series is just THAT good. This is a must read series in my opinion and if you enjoy these books Williams' Shadowmarch series is even better. Tad Williams is, and always will be, one of my favorite authors.

I absolutely loved this book. I know a lot of people think this series is too much like Lord of the Rings, but that's part of the reason why I love it. It combines the best elements of Tolkien with much better writing. Also, there are strong female characters in the series.(Still a little weepy though, why do men think girls are constantly crying?)

This book is, however, a bit dangerous. I was about half way through when I sat down to read it one day, then about seven hours later I looked at the clock realizing that not only had I forgotten to do my homework, but I had also missed two meals. I quickly fed myself, did a horrible job on my homework, and promptly returned to the book until 1am the next morning, when I collapsed in exhaustion. I literally could not put it down. I started to get the shakes even thinking about it. I never felt tired nor hungry while engrossed in this book.

So, a warning to other readers, keep an eye on the time and don't forget to eat and sleep. Needless to say I was an emotional wreck when I finished the book, but it was totally worth it. I love you Tad Williams.

All of the Memory, Sorrow & Thorn series is excellent, and this final volume is, in my opinion, the best. After finishing it, I am left wondering why the series is not mentioned more often among the great epic fantasy series. Despite its imposing length, I didn't want it to end. The conclusion does not disappoint, and every step the characters take on their way to Green Angel Tower is a delight to follow.
Memory, Sorrow & Thorn was my first experience reading Tad Williams, but I'm already putting together a list of his other works to read in the future. He is an amazingly creative world-builder, with an eye for the details of plot and character development as well.

This whole series is so amazing. Unlike some popular fantasy series out now like the Wheel of Time and Sword of Truth, Memory, Sorrow and Thorn never misses a step. Actually, throughout the series it just keeps picking up steam and getting better and better. The characters are so amazing and real. The world is fully realized and detailed. The plot has so many twists and turns yet you never get lost in the threads. In this the first part of the final book, you can see many of the threads that Williams has introduced begin to come together. Many fantasy books get bogged down with too much magic, too many superheroes, and too many unbelievable events and it starts to lose its authenticity. Not so with this series. When the fantasy elements are introduced, they are truly fantastic since they are not so commonplace you feel like you are playing D&D. Overall this is one of the greatest fantasy series ever written.

when i first got this book, i kept glancing at its thickness(i had the hardcover single volume kind) and wasnt sure i felt like reading a huge brick. well, i was absolutly wrong. unlike most authors, who seem to just re write tolkien or lewis, williams compliments tolkien, and adds his own sense of style. ofcourse all books relate to tolkien, lost homeland in the west and such, or elves or whatever, but williams really makes it seem his own, he really brings out the characters, like simon and jeeriki, and although meagwin gets pretty tedious with her crazyness, it still adds up because everything matters! who would have thought, the thing they wanted was the thing to destroy them?? nisses and his whole sword thing. williams even has his own religion! this is tolkien like detail, and color, which i wish all books had.
williams curse u for writting only a trilogy of probably one of the best fantasys there are!

I have to admit that the reason I even began to read this series was the cover art for this book. It absolutely jumped out and grabbed me at the bookstore. I didn't start with this one, though. I started at the beginning and worked my way up to this marvelous ending to a marvelous story. Having loved the first two books in the series, I couldn't wait to read this one. I was not dissapointed. Rarely have I become so engrossed in a story. I felt every emotion with them. And the rewards at the ending were worth waiting for. This is a wonderful love story; both between a young man and a young woman, and between that girl and her father. I found that part of the story especially sad and moving. It is also a wonderfully told magical tale of good and evil, darkness and light, common valour triumphing over power and oppression. I recommend the entire series to anyone who enjoys seeing the good guys win.

Yes, I have read LOTR, but i consider this better than that overall, though nothing can compete with LOTR history. Memory Soorw and Thorn by Tad Williams is a masterpiece. It's world and the charecters that call it home are totally believable. Everything about the story speaks at so many levels that I know that I will reread this series many times. There is no way that I can explain the book in under a thousand words. He takes many stereotypes and completly breaks them. Without ruining the story, all i can say is that by the end, I felt sorry for the storm king. Also, there is a twist that occurs at the end of this book, that puts the previous pages in a new light. if you are a fan of epic fantasy, or personal conflict, this series covers both and so much more.

This is really getting scary. I have read Jordan's WOT series from a recommodation from my brother, grabbed The Sword of Truth of of the shelf at random, and then later found out it was like WOT, and now I found this book by mistake, and it, too, is liked by readers of WOT! I'm getting scared. Anyway, the library by my house is terrible, and like always, they get the last in the series before the first. I read To Green Angel Tower before the Dragonbone Chair or Stone of Farewell. Oops.
I loved it. Absolutly loved it to death. It is not confusingly stuffed full of new characters like Jordan does. Jordan is constantly throwing around his huge cast of characters, so you forget who is who and who they are. But, To Green Angel Tower is stunning, and Tad's characters are 4-D and like onions, every time you think you know somthing, you discover another layer underneath. The ending is 7 out of 5 stars, and suprising, even though, when I read it again, I thought, "I should have known that was coming!" I love how Tad portrays his characters, especailly Simon and Josua. Both are weak induviduals who become strong and misterious. I love Geloe to death, and I nearly cried when she died. I love owls. The only part I don't like is how Miriamele treats Simon is the third quarter. Half of the time she is kind, and the other half she is vicious and mean. But that is the only flaw in the whole book, and it's not that obvious to take it down a star. This book was very good in the beginning, and it just got better as it went along. It had the perfect mixture of all fanasy , and it had suprises around every corner. I loved it. VERY highly Recommended.

This is THE series ... I just can not describe the beauty of this series ... It is just so well written and put together from the characters to the plot to the emotions of the character. I can not describe how good and well written this series is. Just remember this is NOT lite reading, this is a series with some serious thoughts and imagination that will leave you spell bound and wanting for more... unfortunately, this is a trilogy. I'm hoping for him to go beyond that.

The first thing I would like to say about this series, something which I almost couldn't believe I had found on the science fiction/fantasy bookshelves (especially after the shock I took with the Robert Jordan books) is that . . . and this is really quite amazing . . . the characters on the COVER of the book looked *exactly* like their DESCRIPTIONS *IN* the book! Besides this amazing feat, what struck me most about the whole series was the development of the main character. Williams succeeds wonderfully in absorbing the reader in his realistic depiction of Simon's growth from a clumsy, dream-filled boy to a clumsy, love-struck adolescent to a slightly more mature (but still clumsy) young man. Also, he masterfully transforms the tired old formula of disguising the standard fantasy races by giving them a different name. He imbues these characters with such incredible detail that you barely notice the gimick. Altogether a great read, worth the hours it takes to get through the dictionary-sized tomes

To Green Angel Tower is a terrific ending to a great fantasy series. I read Fantasy novels religiously, and I can tell you that Tolkien himself would have been proud to have written this. Sure, it's derivative in its way. It's even almost predictable. But the characters are so engaging (and for ANY Fantasy to work, characters, and not setting, must come first) you won't care. The only other work I've read in the last decade that compares is Tigana, by Guy Gavriel Kay. In this novel (split into two books for the paperback version - it's just so thick) Simon the scullion boy becomes a man, Princess Miriamele comfronts her father, King Elias, and his evil, and the monk Cadrach reveals his secrets. With a cast of hundreds, this series is as sweeping as any Doctor Zhivago or Gone With The Wind. In fact, it would be easier to compare this work to those, rather than Lord of the Rings. People who aren't fans of Fantasy would actually do better to pick this series up FIRST, before LOTR. Yes, you heard me correctly. LOTR is the greatest Fantasy work ever written, but more people could actually relate to the themes of MST. Everyone grows up, and there are not many stories about Rites of Passage that are as good as this one. If you are a Fantasy fan and haven't read this series, you're missing out. Read and enjoy.

I originally became interested in Tad Williams' trilogy after reading his short story "The Burning Man" in Legends, and then discovering on the Internet that this series was very popular. What intrigued me most was that his fantasy world has a version of the Catholic Church -- in his books, Jesus Christ becomes "Usires Aedon," the Cross becomes "the Tree," etc., and priest and monk characters (some holy, some fallen) play a significant role.

That said, I actually found it very difficult to get into this series. I never felt like I really empathized with the main character, Simon -- and I think the author realized his failure in the second book, when he began to transform some of the background characters into main characters -- all of whom were more satisfying to read about. I think the most troublesome thing, though, was that the author tended to be extremely verbose, and constantly repeated the same information to the reader, over, and over, and over -- from a different character's viewpoint, for example. Very often -- even up to the very last pages -- I found myself skimming over large sections of redundant information.

(Possible spoiler warning:) Although I found the ending rushed and generally unsatisfying, it did have an interestingly unique message: that hatred and revenge are ultimately useless. At the end, the Sauron-like enemy is defeated when Simon and Camaris *forgive* him. It's a powerful moment, but ultimately marred by the author's inability to integrate their choice with the series' earlier pseudo-Christian moral messages.

TO GREEN ANGEL TOWER marks the conclusion to one of the best fantasy series ever. Though a little on the long side, it is well worth the effort to read. If you read the first two books and enjoyed them, then you can't afford to miss this one. If you have not read the first two books, you need to. The characters in the series will grow on you, and you will become fully emersed in Tad William's magical land of Osten-Ard

I can't believe how many pick this book over The Wheel of Time series! The only other highly rated series i hate more is The Sword of Truth (books 2 to 4) because TG copies Robert Jordan, but back to Tad Williams. I though that for an epic fantasy series this book was lacking. 1600+ pages in 1 book that didn't have the proper ending that an epic should have - he didnt do anything cateclysmic (no doubt spelt wrong). Over all the series could have been better if it didnt die after 200 pages in The Dragonbone Chair.

I'll try to keep this short, yet still explain the multitude of reasons why you should (wil) buy this book. I am a student of biochemistry, and reading (everything i get my hands on) is my most important past time. The first time I read this series I read it in German (I live in Austria). Since then I have bought the English Paperback Version of all books, read it one more time in german, and three times in English; and now plan to buy the hardcover books (only few books get the "hardcover award" from me, since I couldn't afford it else - Lord of the Ring has, so do the Simarillion and LOTR, as well as a book about the roman law and its development until today...). Bought three times, read 5 times.....within 7 years... Anyway the whole series is ended with this book, wich in itself is as long as the previous two. The pace gets faster, the story more tense, the characters develop and are finally taking action themselves, the plot finally gets solved (...), a love story developing, a happy-end with a slightly bitter taste, you may dwell on the world you have grown to love on 1600 more pages. Problem is: it's too short! (whine, whine, i wan't more) Of course it isn't the perfect story/book. But that is as good as they get. Trust me-READ THIS BOOK. I'd be proud of you....(probably doesn't help you in any way, but still)

Tad Williams has done it again. I could not put this immense book down. Other than having a cramp in my neck from carrying the book around I cannot think of a disadvantage to having spent a lot of time devouring this wonderful conclusion to his Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy. Keep them coming Tad and keep them long. -Rand al thor :)

In a genre that seems to becoming overwhelmed with cliche'd, trite drivel,(ie. romance novels diguised as fantasy, BLECH). Old hardcore SF/Fantasy readers such as myself get a thrown a bone. A rather big bone considering the massive tome that this series is. I would like to thank Tad Williams for saving our little corner of the universe.

This book kept me hooked till the very end.. I recieved the first three as gifts ( thankyou Ananda) and I am on to buy part two. I love the characters and appreciate some the fantastic female roles!!!!!! I almost don't want to read the last book because the story will be over. Well, Read the books, they are superb!

This book was wonderful; the conflict is perfectly believable, characters all have pasts, futures and all are important. There are no throwaway characters, just to fill up the ranks. Everyone has a distinct personality. The battle between good and evil is a real struggle, not just a predictable nothing. The "bad" guys have as much personality as the "good." They are all complex individuals. One of the death scenes was that of my favorite character. I actually went through the five psychological stages of coping with death (denial, anger, etc.) When I finished the book, I felt angry I had to leave the world. That has never happened with any other book.

This book (and the others in the series) went far beyond my expectations. I have reccommended it to all my friends. The plot was... awesome, just when you think you have the answer Tad goes along and changes it all, putting twists in that you never expected. You grow with the characters and you feel their pain when they do something really stupid or embarrasing or painfull, and you just want to give them a big hug, Yes you get THAT into it. I could not put it down until I had finished it. Loving it and waiting for more.

Indeed Tad Williams has written a series so unique that it is almost difficult to follow for readers of traditional Fantasy. An enthralling series that is not comparable with any other. In my opinion, one of the top storytellers of today, with one of the most real epic fantasy's of all time.

bk#3 in William's epic MEMORY, SORROW, AND THORN trilogy. A writer who you can tell loves words, how they sound, how they flow together. I have never anticipated the release of a novel more so than this. I haunted the bookstores for years awaiting its arrival

I,v read alot of complaining that the trilogy was rushed and long winded. That Williams "bit of more than he could chew"and others,the books were a prime example of a large, knowlegable mind. He described the characters well and the ongoing subplots kept me reading till the morning hours.I wished that the adventure would never stop and that the conclusion would take another book. His fantasy writing style has no comparison to Tolkien,Jordon or Brooks,his writing is not better or worse than anyone else it's strikly HIS, just as the three writers I mentioned have there very own style of writing.So complainers, read the trilogy again and find out what I mean.

When I started this series I didn't expect much from it. Boy how wrong I was. This was a great story. But it was so much more as well. The depth of his characters, the strenght of his ideas, the power and depth of his symbalism make this a truely profound read. Not just a great work of fantasy, but of literature as well.

I must say that I spend close to a year reading this trilogy. I'm not a fast reader, and this story kept me going until the end. The thrid book is the best by FAR. The battle is so intense that I felt I was right there with Simon. Like Saving Private Ryan, the story puts you in the middle of the battle. When I was done reading, I felt that a part of my life was over. I felt like I had lost a friend when it was over. GREAT, GREAT, GREAT.

I have been a huge fan of this series. The story gets 5 stars, easy. However, it drives me crazy when publishers release a series on the Kindle and don't release the entire series. Even more crazy is to release the last book first!

If the publishers (and the store) truly want e-books to become a viable market, please provide releases of the full series and, even more importantly, make sure it is a good quality translation. Nothing says you're being treated as a 2nd class citizen more than the feeling that the book was just pulled off the shelf, scanned (with numerous typos, no book cover or maps) and slapped onto the Kindle bookstore.

The writing reminds me a bit of Dickens with his need for words (payed by the word...) but it is a fun adventure. I came to have a "need" to find out what happens to our hero and will he make it home. What is home? It was not as much fun as "The Name of the Wind" but Mr. Williams does paint a pretty picture. I look forward to more from Mr. Williams in the future.

I picked up and completed a fantasy trilogy after a long time. The last time I was engrossed in fantasy was when I started on George Martin's Song of Ice and Fire although the 4th book in that series has considerably dimmed by ardor. Tad Williams has done a decent job. The parallels with Tolkein are everywhere - the Sithi (elves), the swords (rings), trolls (dwarves) etc. For most part, the books are enjoyable page turning fun. Williams does get carried away on occasion in almost interminably long dream and solitary wandering sequences which I started to find boring and a drag.

This novel is one of the best books I have read, and I have read many books, most of whichare fantasy and sci-fi. To Green Angel Tower is masterfully written, and Tad Williams has done an outstanding job of making 800 pages seem like maybe 100. Thoughit is definately the longest bokk in Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, I think that it is the greatest among them!

I love this series! I finished Book 3 in 15 days, and 7 days for The Dragonbone Chair. I often feel like I am in the book, running, laughing, crying and eating with the characters. If you have't read this, DO!! This is my most favorite saga ever, and I read TONS of fantasy!

The Dragonbone Chair was 1/2 snooze fest 1/2 o.k. Stone of Farewell was a vast improvement and really got me hooked into the story. It only gets better with this one and continues on thru the final book. A definate must read series in my opinion.

When I started this series, I had no idea what I was getting in to. The sheer amount of content was amazing, but at no time did the series lag. Every scene was needed and I never felt like it was dragging on. I would recommend this book to anyone who has the time to read it...they will enjoy it!

The story of Tad Williams' books are usually quite good, but the characters that he creates are the most annoying that I've ever seen. From their actions, to stupidity, to the annoying way that they talk, its all you can do to keep from gouging your eyes out. If you can cope with your desire to burn the book everytime you are faced with the annoying characters that you'd like to pummel with your fists if only you were there, then you may enjoy the underlying story.

I read it a while back.
Book 2 was well written and built up the conflict. The names were as inspiring as those employed by Tolkein.
To Green Angel Tower felt ponderous, meandering, and poorly paced. The chapters where Simon were tortured were more painful for the reader. The romance between Simon and the lead female was not believable. By the end, I didn't like any of the main characters.
Overall, it was flaccid.

This is one of the most outstanding books I have read. Yes, it is in the common fantasy mold, but the ending has the most wonderful little twist that will assuredly put you on your head!
Characters and plot are magnificent!
A most entertaining read!

Huge book, but worth the weight of this trilogy-ender. No loose ends; no predictable endings; just great reading. I love that there is brief synopsis of the prior 2 books at the beginning of the volume and therefore not pages upon end dedicated to rehashing previous story lines within the body of the book itself.

Are you kidding me? This is what I waited for? Long before I was half way through this book I starting skimming some chapters and completely skipping others. Don't have to worry about skipping anything important, the author has thoughtfully provide a work around for that by repeating any important events that have occurred, again, and, again, and, yet again, all but killing the flow of the narrative. At no time in this volume do I find the sort of edge-of-your-seat tension that I would expect from a story with so many intersecting plot lines. I should have taken a hint about how this series was going to go by the two-hundred odd pages it took to get Simon from scullery hand to Doctor Morgenes' assistant way back in volume 1. I just skimmed my way through the last half of volume 3 and don't feel as if I cheated myself. By the time I finished I felt I had wasted my time.

I have a great idea for writers who wish to delve into the worlds of fantasy and magic; create characters that readers actually care about. It is high time that fantasy writers stopped writing about endlessly selfish and self-absorbed characters that seem to ignore rational thought and literally run off into the unknown without thinking, planning, or seemingly even caring about whether they live or die. By the time I made it to book three, I was resigned to the fact that there weren't any characters I cared about. They weren't just selfish and rudely inconsiderate, worse; they were also dangerously foolish and irrational. By the end of this book, I no longer cared about magic, I no longer cared how the story ended, or, about anyone's fate. The only question I had left in my mind is: Are all of these people insane? Outside of the troll Bibinak, there doesn't seem to be a single character that has a rational mind. The rest of the characters are busy doing or saying whatever is most obviously stupid, careless, or inconsiderate. I am willing to accept a World filled with magic, I am not willing to accept one that is void of rationality. This isn't a world filled with magic and wonder, this is a world filled with impulsive, self-destructive nut jobs running amok.

This is really a general review of the series as a whole. First of all, it is great! Any fan of fantasy will love these books. Unfortunately I can't give it five stars, because the leangth of the books is not justified.

Simon, Prince Joshua and Simon's old friend Binabik, the troll realise
there is a bit more to all of this fancy sword business than meets the
eye. There are actually three of these fanastic artifacts, and one of
them had been somewhere obvious all along. The old beaten up sword of
King John is actually one of them, Doh.

4 out of 5 (1 out of 5 for georestrictions)