Tad Williams

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Tad Williams Williams Tad

#1 Maark Abbott

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Posted 08 December 2014 - 05:59 PM

So it occurs to me that of the books I inherited from my grandpa, the one I've never come to that looks intriguing is a bible sized (well, more like Brood's hammer's head sized) Dragonbone Chair.

So.

Is it any good? Is it worth me giving a tickle?

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#2 QuickTidal

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Posted 08 December 2014 - 06:19 PM

It's quite good in a classical fantasy sense (I only read it the first time recently). As was told to me, it's not reinventing the wheel or anything, but it's good, solid fantasy with believable characters and a decent plot.

The only thing to note is that Williams gift lay in immersion. In that vein they are long and dense. So you might find it wordy, but he sets the scene almost like no one else I can think of.

I really, quite enjoyed it.

"When the last tree has fallen, and the rivers are poisoned, you cannot eat money, oh no." ~Aurora

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#3 worry

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Posted 08 December 2014 - 09:28 PM

There aren't many authors named Tad, and you only live once, so this is basically your chance.

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#4 Solidsnape

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Posted 08 December 2014 - 10:08 PM

I read the first book in the Otherland series, Otherland.
It was fairly decent, I'm not sure why I didn't chase the second instalment. Probably started a re-read of MBoTF. Haha.
Give it a chance I say.

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#5 Illuyankas

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Posted 08 December 2014 - 10:44 PM

The Otherland series can be best summed up as an inflatable librarian, slowly deflating.

Hello, soldiers, look at your mage, now back to me, now back at your mage, now back to me. Sadly, he isn’t me, but if he stopped being an unascended mortal and switched to Sole Spice, he could smell like he’s me. Look down, back up, where are you? You’re in a warren with the High Mage your cadre mage could smell like. What’s in your hand, back at me. I have it, it’s an acorn with two gates to that realm you love. Look again, the acorn is now otataral. Anything is possible when your mage smells like Sole Spice and not a Bole brother. I’m on a quorl.

#6 Gwynn ap Nudd

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Posted 09 December 2014 - 12:45 AM

Illuyankas, on 08 December 2014 - 10:44 PM, said:

The Otherland series can be best summed up as an inflatable librarian, slowly deflating.

I thought The Otherland series had some great ideas, but was slooooow. I gave up before the last book.

#7 Andorion

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Posted 09 December 2014 - 01:38 AM

I have read the Wheel of Time and came out safely. Think I could handle the Otherland?

#8 Gwynn ap Nudd

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Posted 09 December 2014 - 02:53 AM

Andorion, on 09 December 2014 - 01:38 AM, said:

I have read the Wheel of Time and came out safely. Think I could handle the Otherland?

I started the Wheel of Time around when book five came out and read them in order, while waiting for books to come out. I didn't finish Otherland.

#9 Abyss

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Posted 09 December 2014 - 04:11 AM

Andorion, on 09 December 2014 - 01:38 AM, said:

I have read the Wheel of Time and came out safely. Think I could handle the Otherland?

Yes, but be prepared to get annoyed in between stretches of enjoyment.
OTHERLAND is a brilliant series with massive scope and a glorious depth of imagination. There are some great, truly human yet exceptional characters, some solidly evil villains, and some of the worlds the series goes to are breathtaking. It's also hideously padded and has huge series-long plots that go nowhere useful and become at best annoying and at worse barely worth skimming thru.
It's basically a great trilogy unnecessarily drawn out into four books. I think it's worth a try because the good outweighs the bad. As Tad Williams' books go, I thought it was vastly better than MS&T even with its flaws.

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#10 Stormcat

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Posted 09 December 2014 - 04:21 AM

I have read everything Tad has written. I just finished, Sleeping Late on Judgement Day. I enjoy his books a lot. Tailchaser's Song is one of my favorites. (although I last read it a very long time ago and it may not stand up to my more mature reading requirements now)

I recommend anything from him. :The Force:

This post has been edited by Stormcat: 09 December 2014 - 04:21 AM

#11 worry

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Posted 09 December 2014 - 05:55 AM

Abyss have you read Tailchaser's Song? It's like cat-apalooza.

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#12 Abyss

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Posted 09 December 2014 - 07:13 AM

Briar King, on 09 December 2014 - 05:27 AM, said:

Abyss will sing the praises out of The War of the Flowers as well when he sees this thread.

I would have but we were talking about OTHERLAND and I can't even say that WAR is a good way to assess whether Williams is for you because it's radically different from pretty much everything else he's written.
That said, it's by far my favourite of his works.

worry, on 09 December 2014 - 05:55 AM, said:

Abyss have you read Tailchaser's Song? It's like cat-apalooza.

I managed about ten pages... Found it too ~~meta~~ YA.

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#13 Maark Abbott

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Posted 09 December 2014 - 07:25 AM

Aright, I'll have a look into it. And if for some reason I don't enjoy it, the book is large enough to kill a man with...

(the version I have seems to be an obscenely big paperback with the front cover depicting an unhappy man holding a dwarf who took an arrow in the knee)

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#14 QuickTidal

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Posted 09 December 2014 - 11:57 AM

Maark, on 09 December 2014 - 07:25 AM, said:

He's an ogre. Ogre's are kind of like dwarves in MS&T...prepare yourself to be through the looking glass....mwahahahaaaaa!

Wait, what?

"When the last tree has fallen, and the rivers are poisoned, you cannot eat money, oh no." ~Aurora

“Someone will always try to sell you despair, just so they don't feel alone.” ~Ursula Vernon

#15 Maark Abbott

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Posted 09 December 2014 - 02:52 PM

I read that 'through the looking glass' part in James LaBrie's voice.

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#16 QuickTidal

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Posted 09 December 2014 - 02:54 PM

Maark, on 09 December 2014 - 02:52 PM, said:

I read that 'through the looking glass' part in James LaBrie's voice.

LOL. Fair enough, though I intended it like this:

"When the last tree has fallen, and the rivers are poisoned, you cannot eat money, oh no." ~Aurora

“Someone will always try to sell you despair, just so they don't feel alone.” ~Ursula Vernon

#17 Maark Abbott

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Posted 10 December 2014 - 07:38 AM

But he's not an Ogier, I take it.

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#18 acesn8s

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Posted 10 December 2014 - 06:08 PM

I enjoyed the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series. I plan on rereading it in the next year or two. I'm currently on book two of his Shadowmarch series. It's good. Like MS&T I can't just sit down and blow through a book. I pace myself, don't do a lot of skimming, and just enjoy the read. I'll be reading War of the Flowers soon and probably the Otherland series as well. Oh, and I need to get caught up on the Bobby Dollar books as well. I loved book 1.

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