Review: The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams

Blurb:

Kitchen-boy Simon is bored, restless and fourteen years old - a dangerous combination. It seems, however, that his life has just taken a turn for the better when he''s apprenticed to his castle''s resident wizard. As Simon''s learning to read and write under Doctor Morgenes'' tutelage, forces greater than he could possible imagine are gathering: forces which will change Simon''s life - and his world - forever.

Following the death of Good King John, Osten Ard is plunged into civil war as his sons battle for control of the fabled Dragonbone Chair - the country''s throne as well as the symbol of its power. Simon is forced to flee the only home he has ever known, a journey which will test him beyond his worst nightmares.

With THE DRAGONBONE CHAIR, Tad Williams introduced readers to the incredible fantasy world of Osten Ard and kicked off the beloved, internationally bestselling series Memory, Sorrow and Thorn.

Review:

Revisiting what is often considered a genre “classic” is always a tricky task. What may have worked in the era in which it was published may not always stand the test of time, and what is acceptable in one era may not always age well in another. Revisiting Tad Williams’ The Dragonbone Chair in 2025, nearly forty years after its initial publication, had me keeping that thought in mind at the outset.

But as it turns out, I needn’t have worried one bit. The Dragonbone Chair is a classic for all the right reasons, and it continues to stand as tall in 2025 as it did in 1988.

Prester John, the High King of Osten Ard, lies on his deathbed, the era of peace for which he fought soon to come to an end with his passing. His eldest son, Elias, is to inherit the throne, but the darkness whispered into his ears from his red priest adviser Pryrates heralds the return of the undead Storm King. Simon, a troublemaking orphan working in the kitchens of the Hayholt, apprentices himself to the castle doctor Morgenes. But, when fate runs afoul, and he comes upon the vile truths that the new King Elias tries to hide, Simon must leave his home behind and embark upon a quest to save the land of Osten Ard, a quest centered upon three long-lost swords of great power: Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn.

From the outset, it is clear that, yes, The Dragonbone Chair plays heavily on the classic trope of “an orphaned boy accepts the call to adventure.” It’s a simple premise, but in Tad Williams’ hands, it’s executed masterfully. Simon’s story through the first volume is gripping, even from the halcyon days of him avoiding his tasks in the Hayholt like a true teenager, all the way to the book’s explosive finale. He’s a well-rounded character, immature but curious, wanting more from life than the mundanities of castle life but also overwhelmed when such an opportunity presents itself.

This is set up perfectly from the slow beginning, which focuses more on the worldbuilding of Osten Ard and carries a slice-of-life tone over the course of the first two-hundred pages or so. It takes quite some time for inciting events to finally happen in The Dragonbone Chair, true, but the journey to get to that point is well worth it. As Simon wanders around the Hayholt, shirking his cleaning tasks to learn about the world from Morgenes, we get firmly rooted in the complexities of his character, and it enables us to watch him grow from there. In a sense, Williams has almost personified the reader as Simon himself, with a childlike innocence and ignorance toward the world, a world that is gradually opening up before the eyes of both Simon and the reader.

This approach means that in the slower beginning when Williams is establishing the world, not once does it feel like a lore dump. The long expositions are woven into the narrative as stories-within-stories, captivating us just as they do Simon, all the while the game pieces are put on the board for the explosive events to follow. Very little technically “happens” in the first long stretch of The Dragonbone Chair, but the setup is immaculate: the imminent conflict between the new King Elias and his younger brother Josua Lackhand, the return of the Storm King, the treacherous inclinations of the red priest Pryrates, and even the mystery of Simon himself and the importance of his parentage. And the payoff is worth it—when the veil is lifted from both Simon and the reader’s eyes toward the end of the book’s first part, it’s full steam ahead from there.

The world of Osten Ard feels real and lived-in, the major players on filled with depth and strong motivations. Whether noble or nefarious, whether for power or for knowledge, the supporting cast carries the plot along beautifully, even if certain periphery characters tended to blend together for me at certain points. On the whole, this is Simon’s story, but it would not have been nearly as strong without the contributions of other terrific characters such as Elias, Josua, Binabik, Morgenes, Pryrates, Miriamele, and so many more.

Reading through The Dragonbone Chair was proof enough that I’ve slept on this series for far too long. This is an epic fantasy of the highest order, one that has stood the test of time and should be spoken in the same breath as Tolkien, and I’m very much looking forward to continuing this grand series.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go under some bridges and hope to find my own Binabik to lead me on a grand adventure.