[QuickTidal]

In news that should surprise absolutely no one….Last King Of Osten Ard has been split into 4 volumes instead of 3.

Tad always does this so I actually expected it.

3rd book out this July.

[QuickTidal]

My re-read of EMPIRE OF GRASS (in prep for INTO THE NARROWDARK) is going swimmingly. And since I never commented on it here while I read it the first time, I'll note a few things here.

This book 100% solidifies that this series is better than MS&T and possibly the finest thing Tad has written.

The plot strands from WITCHWOOD stretch out here and breathe, and the characters come even more alive than they did. The beginning of learning more about the Garden and the Gardenborn is completely engrossing, and now that we know that:

Spoiler

Josua and Vorzheva's kids are separated (for many years and in completely different places; Derra is actually Tzoja (mortal from Witchwood who is concubine to a somewhat benevolent Norn) and gets involved with the Hidden, and Deornoth is a Clan leader in Thrithings) it makes those two characters even more compelling and adds a new dimension to Nezeru as Tzoja/Derra's kid. Remenevring that these are the "prophecy twins" as per Aditu when they were born in the end of MS&T, so they are going to be a part of something big.

I love all the characters plot lines really. There's no slog to this book at all. It's all cream and almost punishingly entertaining.

Oh and knowing that I'm about to see another siege if Naglimund, but this one will succeed....excellent.

I'll chime in more as I go. I'm only about 200 pages in so far. I'm taking my time and if I can push it to two weeks I will line up BotW (which I've never read) as a stormking/Hakatri refresher as my next cottage read before heading into INTO THE NARROWDARK.

[T77]

Just downloaded ItN audiobook from my library last night. Thought about a reread of the first two books, but decided against it. I want to dive in, but I want to finish my current read first.

You will love BotW! It was my favorite book last year.

[QuickTidal]

 T77, on 13 July 2022 - 01:10 PM, said:

Just downloaded ItN audiobook from my library last night. Thought about a reread of the first two books, but decided against it. I want to dive in, but I want to finish my current read first.

Yeah, and you'll be great too since Tad puts those helpful "The story so far" for each previous book at the beginning!

 T77, on 13 July 2022 - 01:10 PM, said:

You will love BotW! It was my favorite book last year.

Oh good to know! I'm excited to read it.

[Tiste Simeon]

I'd quite like to read Otherland again. I read it a few times back when I was around 20 years old or so and really enjoyed them.

However my tastes and what I look for in a book have changed a lot since then and I wonder if I'd still like them. Especially as a few years ago I read the Memory Sorrow Thorn series and more or less hated most of it.

[T77]

 QuickTidal, on 13 July 2022 - 01:21 PM, said:

 T77, on 13 July 2022 - 01:10 PM, said:

Just downloaded ItN audiobook from my library last night. Thought about a reread of the first two books, but decided against it. I want to dive in, but I want to finish my current read first.

Yeah, and you'll be great too since Tad puts those helpful "The story so far" for each previous book at the beginning!

 T77, on 13 July 2022 - 01:10 PM, said:

One of the reasons why I didn't do a reread.

[QuickTidal]

THREADSURRECTION!

Spoilers for up to INTO THE NARROWDARK

QuickTidal, on 14 July 2017 - 12:27 PM, said:

Nearing the last 100 pages of WITCHWOOD, and it continues to be really enthralling. The table setting in this book for the whole trilogy is IMMENSE. You can feel him setting upon LOT of plot points to cover and unfold throughout the series.

And I think one I guessed at early on:

Spoiler

Morgan and Tanahaya becoming an eventual mortal and sithi relationship.

may be coming true.

NOPE. You were wrongo wrongo QT. After EMPIRE OF GRASS and especially the first 200 pages of INTO THE NARROWDARK it's clear that said relationship is not

Spoiler

Sithi Envoy/scholar Tanahaya and Morgan....as Tanahaya is not only in a relationship with ya boy Jiriki, but is pregnant with his child. So I'm thinking her relationship with Morgan is more going to be more like a "badass Aunt".

And the Morgan love interest is instead very likely to be....Nezeru. Now....we should be clear, Nezeru being the love child of the union between a Norn (Viyeki) and Tzoja/Derra (who was the daughter of Josua and Vorzheva) means that Nezeru and Morgan are DISTANTLY related being that his grandmother (Miriamele) and her grandfather (Josua) were Niece and Uncle respectively....1st cousin once removed I think? So there is blood shared, but it's watered down enough for this medieval world I think.

Anyways, that's what I'm calling right now...but I could still be wrong. In my defence of the Morgan / Tanahaya thing, Tad hid her relationship with Jiriki till about the 3/4 point way of EMPIRE OF GRASS, so I can't be blamed...and her being pregnant isn't revealed till her opening chapter of INTO THE NARROWDARK.

QuickTidal, on 13 July 2022 - 12:36 PM, said:

My re-read of EMPIRE OF GRASS (in prep for INTO THE NARROWDARK) is going swimmingly. And since I never commented on it here while I read it the first time, I'll note a few things here.

This book 100% solidifies that this series is better than MS&T and possibly the finest thing Tad has written.

The plot strands from WITCHWOOD stretch out here and breathe, and the characters come even more alive than they did. The beginning of learning more about the Garden and the Gardenborn is completely engrossing, and now that we know that:

I will line up BotW (which I've never read) as a stormking/Hakatri refresher as my next cottage read before heading into INTO THE NARROWDARK.

So life got away from me and I never read INTO THE NARROWDARK till now, and by the time I had a copy of it (this past summer) I already knew that THE NAVIGATORS CHILDREN was coming out near Christmas this year so I waited.


Now I'm 300 pages into NARROWDARK and it's exquisite. Everytime I think I'm going to be bored by a chapter or POV something crazy happens and I absolutely am not. It's been a wonderfully riveting book thus far.