The Witchwood Crown
Book One of The Last King of Osten Ard
-
-
4.4 • 22 Ratings
-
-
- £3.99
-
- £3.99
Publisher Description
'Fawless epic fantasy . . . An instant fantasy classic' - Kirkus
************
Thirty years ago Ineluki, the Storm King, was destroyed and his armies scattered. Osten Ard has been at peace ever since, ruled by Simon Snowlock, kitchen boy made king, and Miriamele, King Elias' only child. But now age weighs upon their reign. Simon's dreams have deserted him, old allies die and betrayal and assassination threaten. His son and heir John Josua is years dead and his grandson, Morgan, is a wastrel. A journey of redemption and discovery beckons in the darkening world.
And in the frozen North, in Nakkiga, the mountain fortress, Ineluki's ally, the Norn Queen, wakes from her deep, decades-long sleep and tells her followers that she will sleep no more. Humanity must be destroyed. Her sorcerers will bring a demon back from death, her warriors will seek the world for living dragon's blood...
And finally the greatest artefact of all, the Witchwood Crown, will be hers.
With a cast of hundreds - humans, giants, dragons, trolls, Sithi and Norn - The Witchwood Crown is epic fantasy as it used to be: classic, grand and sweeping and evidence that Tad Williams is the greatest living writer of the form.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Williams seems to think that readers unfamiliar with his Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn epic fantasy trilogy will still be able to enjoy this novel, set about 30 years later in the land of Osten Ard, but many newcomers will find themselves bewildered. The text is followed by an appendix with 14 pages of characters (over 300 of them!) and place names; a brief introductory summary of previous events would have been far more helpful. There are numerous references to the Storm King's War, but the nature of that conflict is only hinted at, and first-timers are also left to try to sort out Osten Ard's theology, which encompasses archbishops and hymns to a Christ-like redeemer as well as pagan deities. The story line featuring King Simon, who rose to power from humble beginnings and is struggling with the death of his son, is the easiest to get into, but the sprawling scope of the book and the dense exposition get in the way. There are superficial similarities to George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire (including a wedding that turns unexpectedly bloody), and fans of Martin may pick this up knowing that Williams's earlier work inspired him, but the student has surpassed the teacher.
