Stone of Farewell (Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, #2)

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Stone of Farewell (Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn #2)

4.06 of 5 stars 4.06 · rating details · 17,020 ratings · 190 reviews

Der untote Elbenprinz Ineluki ist zurück und will sich für vergangenes Unrecht an den Menschen rächen. Für seine grausamen Ziele hat er sich mit Elias verbündet, der die Herrschaft auf dem Hochhorst übernommen hat. Josua, Elias' Bruder und Konkurrent um die Thronfolge, ist nur knapp einem Anschlag entkommen.

874 pages

Published (first published 1990)

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Feb 22, 2010 David rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2010

Stone of Farewell picked right up from the abrupt ending of Dragonbone Chair. I was extremely pleased that all of the characters managed to find themselves in a variety of interesting situations, always keeping me turning those pages. I found this book to be considerably more entertaining than the first. It wrapped up with a satisfying conclusion. I'm jumping right in To Green Angel Tower (Part 1).

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Aug 07, 2008 Jason rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I wondered how Williams could advance the story, given the ending of the first book and knowing that he had three books left in the trilogy (yes, that's right, three left in the trilogy - because book 3 is split up into two parts due to its length and heft).

He did a fine job of advancing the story, adding to its complexity and still keeping the reader invested in the characters. It left me hanging a little bit, and I might have to go and get Part 1 of book three just so I can see what happens n...more

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Sep 28, 2011 Kyleigh rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Better than I was expecting. I know that when I finished the Dragon Bone Chair (the first in the series) I was way excited about the next book after a long and mostly boring book, but I didn’t get around to reading it for quite a while. This book was pretty much the same, but that might be because I spent a good portion of the book trying to remember what had been going on and who these people were. Once I figured out what was going on though, the book was great. When it ended I was once again v...more

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Jan 05, 2011 Brian rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

1/18/2003 - 7/10
started off very slow, but ended well with lots of twists. kind of predictable in terms of the big picture, but with lots of suprises in getting there.

Series 3/2/2003 - 8/10
Memory, Sorrow and Thorn is a fantasy series somewhat similar to George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. It's kind of a Martin-lite, but it does get some props for coming out earlier. If I had read this before aSoIaF, I think I would have liked it a lot more. MSaT is well written with good politic...more

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Apr 07, 2013 Jesse rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

This book is easier to read than the first in the series. That being said, it still took me a couple months to get through it. It just feels like its all over the map plot wise, so much so that its hard to get in to a groove with reading it. Yet I still had to give it four stars. The last fifth of the book is really great stuff that hits hard. I feel our many character Simon is finally starting to crystallize into a person rather than your traditional "why is this happening to me" fantasy protag...more

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Oct 16, 2012 Eric Smith rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: epic-fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 24, 2012 Cheryl Lawson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In this second book in the series called "Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn" we continue following the adventures of Simon as he grows from boy to man, and from a frightened "mooncalf" to a hero to be reckoned with.

The story follows several characters and groups of characters who have been scattered to different parts of Osten Ard due the the huge onslaught of the evil Storm King and his minions. It seems that evil is having free reign and the northern part of the world has been plunged into permanent...more

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Dec 24, 2010 Aleah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, epic-fantasy

Readers of fantasy know that, quite often, the second book in a trilogy suffers from the dreaded "black sheep" syndrome. Book two is the slightly overlooked middle child. Less respected than the first and less spoiled than the last -- but necessary nonetheless. Characters often go on long journeys in the second book and think about things ad nauseam, all in preparation for whatever climax awaits in book three.

Luckily for us, Tad Williams is a master of the genre and handles this unfortunate yet...more

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Sep 25, 2007 Duchess rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

While more exciting than the first volume of the Memory Sorrow & Thorn books, I still found Stone of Farewell to be pretty bland (for a Tad Williams book).
Thankfully, Simon is becoming a more interesting & developed character but I don't think it should have taken almost 1,600 pages for me to start to feel that interest.
In any case I'll continue to trudge through 'til the end & keep up hopes that the following volumes are better than their predecessors.

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Nov 06, 2009 Shivesh rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: high fantasy fans

Shelves: fantastical

When compared to the first volume in this series, this book is a welcome sequel. Though I clearly feared the "second book syndrome" when I started, Williams takes up a good pace at the beginning and does not let the narrative lag in the middle. There is plenty of formula here: Simon, Binabik, Sludig, Josua, as well as a huge cast of accumulated characters find themselves separated and cast into the wilderness before the spreading terror of the undead Ineluki the Storm King and the human High Kin...more When compared to the first volume in this series, this book is a welcome sequel. Though I clearly feared the "second book syndrome" when I started, Williams takes up a good pace at the beginning and does not let the narrative lag in the middle. There is plenty of formula here: Simon, Binabik, Sludig, Josua, as well as a huge cast of accumulated characters find themselves separated and cast into the wilderness before the spreading terror of the undead Ineluki the Storm King and the human High King Elias. Each has their own missions and corresponding narratives, but invariably they must gather together at the Stone of Farewell on the eastern border of a vast forest before they can decide what to do next. This volume deals exclusively with these struggles, and the various adventures of the League of the Scroll. It also describes the aftermath of the fall of Josua's stronghold, the wanderings of Miriamele, and introduces yet more wrinkles into the story of the Sithi, the Norns and even a new set of creatures known as dwarrow.

It is easy to summarize the plot but it would be a disservice to give away details that might be considered spoilers. The best thing I can suggest is to read this yourself immediately after "Dragonbone Chair" so the arcs of the story will be fresh in your mind. Williams continues to throw different takes on traditional fantasy conventions, so that the sketch of the story is comforting and familiar, but has much more originality that you would expect. The story is occassionaly slow moving but it is certainly a lot more breakneck than its predecessor. There is more than a hint of convenient deus ex machina throughout, especially in the handful of times Simon escapes certain death, or when Binabik is saved from execution at the very beginning. But this is written in almost a cinematic manner, so with disbelief suspended, I found myself hanging on each development and not always sure where these characters would end up. The path each takes is unpredictable and ultimately very well thought out. However, as in "Dragonbone Chair", Williams lets the character dictate the path they would take. For example, when Simon finds himself stranded in the winter wastes in deep snow, he finds himself quickly losing hope and his sanity. In a last ditch effort, he calls (or maybe whines) for help from his supernatural companion, Jiriki. This is wholly consistent with the character as we know him up until this point: Simon has grown much from his cowardly scullion days in the Hayholt, but he remains a boy inside, completely unsure of himself and his destiny. If I would have guessed before I read this passage, Simon would somehow find the strength inside to dig his own way out of the wilderness, perhaps in a miraculaous way. However, this would be completely at odds with his nature as Williams created him. The growth must happen gradually, without convenient leaps in development that would be de riguer in lesser fantasy. To the reader, the author seems to be pleading "patience, and you will be rewarded." This episode among many struck me as reminiscent of the endless plodding of the first third of "The Dragonbone Chair", where a quick resolution was apparent but it probably was the lazy way to developing the plot.

I continued to have faith that Williams had a satisfying resolution in mind that wouldn't be contrary to what we expect from these individuals. He succeeded remarkably well, putting aside all those annoying literary inconveniences we grown-ups hate to see in our fiction. Somehow all the players in this grand game found their places at the end of this book, and the stage is set for the final conflict yet to come in "Green Angel Tower". Perhaps that was one of the major goals of "Stone of Farewell", so we can't expect much more than that from this volume. However, Williams takes his sweet time to develop the facets of each of the adventurers, and even explicates some of the motivations of the dark king Elias and his mad monk Pyrates. We get the feeling that once these pieces are readied, the action will come fast and furious in the concluding volume. It is very well done, and the second half of the book moves quickly to reach its fever pitch. I couldn't imagine how much Williams must have cut out of his manuscript even though at first glance this volume looks fearsome.

Finally, the long awaited conclusion looms on my horizon. I'm looking forward to "Green Angel Tower".(less)

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Jan 09, 2013 Dirk Grobbelaar rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, fantasy, favorites

My review of The Dragonbone Chair did not do the novel justice. It was written in haste, a few quickly typed lines before I launched into The Stone of Farewell. See, The Dragonbone Chair ended on such a note that I just did.not.have.the.time to think about a decent review. I simply had to know what happened next.

The first novel went to great pains to establish the world, so there wasn’t such a lot of exposition required for The Stone of Farewell. This freed the author up to do what he apparently...more My review of The Dragonbone Chair did not do the novel justice. It was written in haste, a few quickly typed lines before I launched into The Stone of Farewell. See, The Dragonbone Chair ended on such a note that I just did.not.have.the.time to think about a decent review. I simply had to know what happened next.

The first novel went to great pains to establish the world, so there wasn’t such a lot of exposition required for The Stone of Farewell. This freed the author up to do what he apparently does best: write awesome, and remarkably cinematic, fantasy. There is an epic sweep to Memory, Sorrow and Thorn that does both Tolkien and David Lean proud. George R.R. Martin is on record saying that this series inspired him to write A Song of Ice and Fire.

Simon is a great reluctant-hero type. He is often resentful and bitter as he is swept along in the story. He rarely comprehends the significance of events and he never volunteers, but is unable to remove himself from the forefront of the stage. He often alternates between self pity and self loathing, which makes him pretty believable given the circumstances. And yet, ever so slowly, the reader starts perceiving the subtle changes, because among all the other things this novel aspires to, it is also a bildungsroman. As for Binabik the troll: he has to be read to be believed. There is some truth to the “dynamite in small packages” saying. The Miriamele/Aspitis sequence frustrated me to the point of orthostatic hypotension, but I have a niggling feeling that this was exactly the author’s intention. I could go on and on: the characters in here are as real as it gets in genre fiction, and there are many of them.

At times touching, at times amusing, but always rousingly epic - this is the series to read if you’re into high fantasy. I don’t have the next book close at hand (it is still in the mail), which is a pity, since this one also ends on such a fever pitch that I would have loved to launch straight into To Green Angel Tower, Part 1, without losing momentum. Alas.

Note: Jumping into a river to attack a crocodile is probably the second stupidest thing you can do (I’m reserving judgement about the first). It didn’t affect my rating, but you might want to bear it in mind.
(less)

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Mar 10, 2013 Theshrewedshrew rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So yes, the book is colorful. Yes it conveys the setting of an epic fantasy. However, there is something this book fails miserably at, and mostly its back pacing...

This book is well... its exactly like the last book, it builds up this world, the after the death of the king, celebration of his life, the celebration of the new king... He has the control of the world, he is the "high" king. And yet... for some reason, he was willing to kill his brother, give his daughter away to a friend, and thro...more So yes, the book is colorful. Yes it conveys the setting of an epic fantasy. However, there is something this book fails miserably at, and mostly its back pacing...

This book is well... its exactly like the last book, it builds up this world, the after the death of the king, celebration of his life, the celebration of the new king... He has the control of the world, he is the "high" king. And yet... for some reason, he was willing to kill his brother, give his daughter away to a friend, and throw the entire world into ruin... to be king of the waste?

I dont get it. I am sure its "to bring back his wife." But still.

This is ridiculous that its taken this long for us to get motovations, or plans. What was Sorons plans, to kill/enslave the world... What was Saurmans plan, to gain more power. What is Elias's plan... I am powerful. What is the evil priest's plan... "Knowledge?" What is the Storm Kings plan... What is Lady Silver Masks plan?

Ok. this is what I am talking about there are more than 4 bad guys in this book... Ultimate level baddies... Thats too many. Robert Jordan pulled it off, because he could tell a story, Tad can't. His main character is lacking of anything resembling motivation...

He lived in a village of sithi... for a month or so, and couldn't be bothered to learn their language, or their history, or the game, or wood craft... or appreciate the fact he was warm, and got his wish. A HOME. But does he ever say, I have a home, but I am caged, and don't like this. No. Simon isn't that deep. Simon as a main character is Tad's constant snubbing his nose at the reader.

Because we are blundering through the story, just happening to be at the thick of things, and still managing to be unimportant.

Its one of those reasons I hate authors like this. I get that a character can't be the best at everything. I get that people can't grow if they don't start out low. But as a reader, it is completely stifeling to sit behind a character who can not think, can not do for himself. We are in a world where things like wood craft could save your life, and you are traveling a long road. Do you learn how? YES!

Does our main character... No..

Does the princess realize whats happening? No...

Do I know why I am still reading this series... No... Its awful, the only reason i don't give this a 1 star. The only reason is because I have the appreciation for the world. As a reader I despise the author's way of carrying out the story, but I like the world, I also hate his definitions... He is like a computer program overloading words. At times they mean one thing, at other times they mean something different... Our magic keeps his magic from effecting the weather. But its not magic, but his is. But our magic isn't magic its just... well its our nature...
"hence... magic" duh. But he wants to make it better. (less)

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Sep 21, 2012 Kyle rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Stone of Farewell is the second book in the "Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn" trilogy. This is an epic fantasy novel that I found very slow although there were a few exciting scenes mixed in and a real surprise at the end of the novel.

It almost feels like the author is trying too hard. There are at least 11 major story lines, and the author spends an excruciating amount of time describing minute details for each setting. It also felt like there was an overall lack of action as characters -- take S...more

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Jul 25, 2010 John rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, fiction

Admittedly, my rating is based on my read through the book twenty years ago, and a look at a summary to refresh my memory.

Here's my review of the series from my comments on the first book:

I picked up this book at the same time I picked up the first book in another epic fantasy series: the first book in the Wheel of Time series.

The best thing I can say about this book and the rest of the series is that as slowly paced and overwritten as it and the rest of the trilogy is, at least it stopped afte...more

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Dec 19, 2010 Troy G rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed

This book moves at a much faster pace than the first book in the trilogy. There are several very interesting set pieces that were very memorable (the battle on the frozen lake). Simon becomes less of a cypher, and in some ways is developed along a more realistic line than similar characters present in epic fantasy stories.

This book isn't great though. The prose is too descriptive, and damages the pace of the story. The characters in the story sometimes feel like they belong in separate books.

I...more

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May 25, 2010 Yellowcake rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Stone of Farewell is the second book of the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy and unfortunately it has the familiar issues associated with such in-between books. If you felt the pacing of The Dragonbone Chair was slow, this one is slower. And that is the main issue with this entire series: its glacial pacing. Like the first book, much of Stone of Farewell is used to describe characters who are traveling; it's as if Williams considers the journey much more important than the destination.
Furth...more

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Sep 25, 2011 Ben rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: calibre

Summary: Another solid volume of enjoyable fantasy fair. Nothing too bad and occassionally really good bits. But it's only half way through the story and I'm not sure I have another 1600 pages in me.

Standout feature: The scene where something is scratching at the door ...

Things I liked:

Atmospheric writing (view spoiler)...more

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Jun 13, 2011 Bearcatmark rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Though Tad Williams is still a bit wordy at times this particular chapter of Memory, Sorrow, Thorn moves much quicker than The Dragonbone Chair. Our characters are under distress from the beginning and then throughout the rest of the book. At times this tale splits off into a number of different threads which sometimes break up the action too much (though this is common in epic fantasy, I'm not sure Tad had the flow exactly right). Still there are some great scenes early involving Simon and his...more

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Jun 29, 2007 Adam Oleksa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: stuffiveread

Williams' series Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn continues in this, the second volume. As far as plot goes, there's a lot of running around, but few truly memorable moments, which is why I'm not giving this the full five stars. Setting is, as always, fantastic.

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Aug 21, 2012 Becca rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

For a start, don't read this book without having read the first one (Dragonbone Chair), as it will probably make no sense. This is an amazing book, as long as you can bear the periods of excessive description. All the characters are three dimensional and well developed, and though there are a lot of them you come to know every one, and hate some just as much as you love others, or are confused by them. I love the relationship between Earl Aspitis and Princess Miriamele, and more particularly, th...more

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Jul 23, 2012 Alice Bridgwater rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Sono all'incirca a met�, ma che sofferenza.... Avendo letto il primo libro della serie, ero decisa a concludere la trilogia, ma con tutti i libri potenzialmente interessanti da scoprire nel mondo non posso permettermi di perdere secoli per finire un mattone come questo! Ma lo voglio finire, devo vedere se � davvero scarso come sembra, ho una sottile speranza, magari l'autore prima della fine prende una botta in testa e il libro diventa un capolavoro, che ne so. La storia � il racconto delle incr...more Sono all'incirca a met�, ma che sofferenza.... Avendo letto il primo libro della serie, ero decisa a concludere la trilogia, ma con tutti i libri potenzialmente interessanti da scoprire nel mondo non posso permettermi di perdere secoli per finire un mattone come questo! Ma lo voglio finire, devo vedere se � davvero scarso come sembra, ho una sottile speranza, magari l'autore prima della fine prende una botta in testa e il libro diventa un capolavoro, che ne so. La storia � il racconto delle incredibili (oooh) peripezie di questo giovane, orfano (maddai??), che ha sicuramente un'ascendenza misteriosa e importante, di cui lui ancora non sospetta nulla (mamma mia, sto col cuore in gola), costretto a scappare di casa (no!!! poverino) e a cercare delle spade strada facendo (spade hai detto? gulp, non l'avevo mai sentita questa!). E lungo il cammino si imbatte in un troll/nano con un lupo che gli far� da guida (cavolaccio, sono basita) e in un ragazzetto che � in realt� una principessa in incognito (wow! giuro che non me lo sarei mai aspettato!). Naturalmente non potevano mancare gli elfi, che per� qui si chiamano Sithi (che creativit�!) e i draghi (che invece si chiamano sempre draghi, ma vuoi mettere, son talmente insoliti nei fantasy che non serve nemmeno inventare un nome nuovo). Ma la trama originale non � l'unico punto di forza di questo fantasy colossale, sono le descrizioni inutili e ridondanti, i fatti scontati che non si perde mai l'occasione di sottolineare, i racconti superflui e pedanti che arricchiscono il lettore di pattume, ecco, sono questi i fattori decisivi che mi fanno dire: questo libro fa proprio davvero davvero c*gare, ma fa c*gare in maniera noiosa, non in una bella sana maniera eclatante che uno dice "che cesso � questo libro, mo' lo butto nella spazzatura e non ne voglio pi� sentir parlare", no, � di una bruttezza strisciante, subdola e meschina, che ti si insinua dentro e ti soffoca nella melma delle banalit�. Non so se si � capito, ma non � una lettura che consiglio a pi� sospinto. Poi fate quel che vi pare. :)(less)

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Apr 06, 2012 Jerry rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Prince Josua rallies his forces against his brother Elias the king and pawn of the Stormking, Ineluki. Elias, unable to defeat Josua calls upon an ancient race-minions of the Stormking, the Norns, who descend upon Josua and his followers.

Meanwhile, Simon and Binabik embark on a quest to find three swords that hold the key to defeating the Stormking. Their quest leads them to the realm of the Trolls where Binabik is found to be a traitor and imprisoned to be tried, and if found guilty, to suffer...more

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May 19, 2009 Parcoast rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is part of a great series that I am happily revisting after many years. It was one of those books that years after I read it, I could remember bits and pieces of the story, but didn't remember which book they came from. Reading it again I am running into those bits and pieces that are fondly familiary. It is like running into a friend that you haven't seen in years, and you instantly rediscover all of your common interests, so you walk away wondering why you didn't keep in touch.

Unfortunat...more

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Aug 18, 2011 Christian Medina added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-summer

This book was structured similarly to The Two Towers: the groups are split apart and all over Osten Ard, so you keep jumping around between places. This didn't bother me, though, as Williams is very careful to weave in wonderful details, so you always know where you are, and which characters you're with. The second in this wonderful fantasy epic by one of my favorite authors Tad William. It wonderfully shows the confussion and desperation of trying to win a war that's already been lost. Briliant...more

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Aug 21, 2012 Earl Grey Tea rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

After reading the first book of this series, The Dragonbone Chair, I was a bit hesitant going into this book. The majority of the first book of the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn Trilogy was a bit of a slower world building book. While there were many other characters mentioned in the first book, the entire story seemed to follow the main character Simon's 'Hero Quest'. Additionally, these side characters didn't really seem connected to Simon.

In the second book, the foundation of the world has been su...more

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Sep 20, 2012 Robert rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bloated, slow-moving

It would be a lie to say that I haven't enjoyed reading this book. Tad Williams is not a bad writer, in fact he is a very good writer. He is able to elicit an emotional response from the reader (well, me anyway) towards his characters due to his descriptions of their feelings and emotions which arise in certain situations. Feelings of attraction, lust, awkwardness, anger, grief, sorrow, loneliness and many others are represented well, and the characters deal with these feelings in a believable w...more It would be a lie to say that I haven't enjoyed reading this book. Tad Williams is not a bad writer, in fact he is a very good writer. He is able to elicit an emotional response from the reader (well, me anyway) towards his characters due to his descriptions of their feelings and emotions which arise in certain situations. Feelings of attraction, lust, awkwardness, anger, grief, sorrow, loneliness and many others are represented well, and the characters deal with these feelings in a believable way which allows us to empathise with them. Particularly impressive to me were Simon's grief following the loss of a friend, and Miriamele's confused feelings during and after continuous unwanted romantic/sexual advances. Simon's emotions at being a prisoner in a large and beautiful prison, with passive and intelligent captors, were also very believable and interesting. The mixture of friendliness and anger felt towards his regretful jailors was a nice touch, which went well with the unusual situation.

Williams also has an ability to drop you in the centre of an intense action scene. More than once I found myself completely immersed in the scene being described to me. It almost becomes as if you are watching the action play out through your mind's eye, rather than reading words from a page in front of you. The book is there, but at times you almost forget the physical form of the book entirely. Instead you see the action which is written on the page, and find your heart rate rising correspondingly.

On the negative side these action segments were too short, and too few and far between for my taste, which is one of the things that brings this down to a 3 star rating for me. The plot is also quite weak. Most of the main characters are trying to reach the Stone of Farewell, but it is not really clear why they need to reach it, or how doing so will aid them in their battle to defeat King Elias or the Storm King and their followers. The wise and mysterious woman says they need to reach it, therefore they set out to reach it.

Much of the plot is pretty generic fantasy, to be brutally honest. Evil dark lord threatens the existence of all life. Main characters have odds stacked heavily against them, but you know that in the end they are going to prevail anyway. This is not George RR Martin. You know none of the main characters will die here, and everything is quite black and white in terms of who is good and who is bad, who is right and who is wrong (with the possible exception of King Elias). There's also the typical items of great significance which will aid the heroes in their quest, which in this case happen to be 3 legendary swords. Making another appearance is the generic immortal, highly intelligent, graceful race - who like to keep to themselves and are quite haughty.

There is just not enough about the story to get me very interested. A lot of the material here has been done to death. I would rather read something more original.

My other gripe is that this book does not advance the plot nearly enough to warrant it's very large size. It feels mostly like padding. There are action scenes and things do happen, but by the end of the book no-one really seems to be anywhere nearer accomplishing the ultimate goal than they were at the start.

The writing here is excellent at times, and the characterization is very good. The characters have emotions that most people will be able to empathise with, and other characters may seem like people you know in real life. However, the plot here is too weak and the advancement of the storyline is not enough for a novel half it's size. The plot is almost what you might expect from just the first half of an installment in an epic fantasy trilogy, before the real action begins. One feels it might be possible to cut the word length of the book by a third, and use the space freed up to advance the plot significantly in the final third of the book.(less)

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Oct 05, 2011 Fran Jacobs rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this first some 20 years perhaps ago and loved it. Long, epic books were my 'thing' at the time, and being of an age with Simon, the main character, there was a lot I could relate to in his coming of age fantasy adventure.

I tried to read this again at 34. I got through the first one all right, but found the second, this one, dragged. I got most of the way through and i started to get irritated with the constant references to the big evil storm king. I was shouting SHUT UP mentally at the...more

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May 11, 2011 Coligne rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: armenia, sfida, dei, mattonazzi, 2010, ciclo, delle, spade, fantasy

Avrebbe potuto essere un bel libro, se Williams non fosse così inutilmente prolisso, e compiaciuto di se stesso (quasi dicesse: guardate che bravo sono, quante pagine scrivo)...
Questo secondo volume del Ciclo delle Spade soffre lo stesso problema del suo predecessore. la prima parte è lenta e noiosa. Tant'è vero che le prime 300 pagine ci ho messo un eternità a leggerle; mentre le restanti 350, molto più dense di contenuti, son volate via rapidamente. Il vero difetto è che fino alla fine non suc...more

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Jun 20, 2011 Molly rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book took me forever to read. It was good enough that I could not abandon it completely, but the endless descriptions, pages of details that were ho-hum and slow moving plot kept me from staying up all night to finish it, as is my wont with many fantasy novels, until the last 100 pages, when it got really good.
Why read it? Well, there is an erudite troll, and several interesting female characters including a believable, strong-minded princesses who manage to successfully be human and heroi...more

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Mar 28, 2011 Rabenfrau rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2011, genre-fantasy

Über dem einst schönen Land Osten Ard liegen düstere Schatten. Ein nicht enden wollender Winter überzieht das Reich, Vorbote des untoten Sithiprinzen Ineluki und der Nornenkönigin Utuk’ku, die das Land zurückerobern wollen, das einst den Ihren gehörte. Auf dem Hochhorst, dem Königssitz, herrschen Ineluki’s Kreaturen und Verbündeten: Hochkönig Elias und der Priester Pryrates, der unheimliche Ratgeber des Prinzen überblicken das Geschehen, während sich bleiche Nornen ungehindert im Lande bewegen....more Über dem einst schönen Land Osten Ard liegen düstere Schatten. Ein nicht enden wollender Winter überzieht das Reich, Vorbote des untoten Sithiprinzen Ineluki und der Nornenkönigin Utuk’ku, die das Land zurückerobern wollen, das einst den Ihren gehörte. Auf dem Hochhorst, dem Königssitz, herrschen Ineluki’s Kreaturen und Verbündeten: Hochkönig Elias und der Priester Pryrates, der unheimliche Ratgeber des Prinzen überblicken das Geschehen, während sich bleiche Nornen ungehindert im Lande bewegen. Nichts mehr scheint den Sturmkönig Ineluki aufhalten zu können, doch es regt sich Widerstand.

Prinz Josua, der Bruder des Königs, konnte mit einigen Getreuen dem Angriff auf Naglimund durch die Nornenheere entkommen. Auf der Flucht begegnen sie der weisen Frau Geloe, die sie zum Abschiedsstein schickt, einem alten Ort der Sithi. Doch der Weg dorthin ist beschwerlich und voller Gefahren.

Auch Simon, Binabik und ihre Gefährten sind auf dem Weg dorthin. In den hohen Bergen des Nordens gelang es ihnen, das Schwert Dorn in ihren Besitz zu bringen, eines der drei großen Schwerter, und eine kleine Flamme der Hoffnung im Kampf gegen Ineluki. Aber die Gefährten werden auf ihrem Weg Richtung Süden getrennt, und schon bald bewegt sich Simon am Rande des Todes…

Werden sich Simon und seine Gefährten lebend wiedersehen? Wird Josua den Abschiedsstein erreichen? Oder ist alle Hoffnung, gegen die dunklen Heere des Sturmkönig zu bestehen, vergebens?

„Der Abschiedsstein“ ist der zweite Teil des Fantasy-Epos „Das Geheimnis der Großen Schwerter“ von Tad Williams.

Wo man als Leser von „Der Drachenbeinthron“ noch eine gewisse Anlaufphase überwinden musste, befindet man sich bei „Der Abschiedsstein“ von der ersten Seite an mitten im Geschehen.

Simon ist gewachsen, zwar immer noch in manchen Dingen etwas naiv, aber doch auf dem besten Weg zum Mann. Gezeichnet durch seine Abenteuer und Kämpfe, sieht er die Dinge nun mit anderen Augen, ist nicht mehr allein der tagträumende Küchenjunge von einst. Simon als Hauptcharaketer reift heran, und wir als Leser begleiten ihn, reisen und wachsen mit ihm.

Die Fülle an Charakteren, die William’s Werk zu bieten hat, verschafft ihm die Möglichkeit, seine Geschichte ungemein abwechslungsreich zu erzählen. So begleiten wir nicht nur Simon, sondern auch Josua und seine Getreuen auf ihrer beschwerlichen Flucht und der Reise zum Stein des Abschieds; Prinzessin Miriamel und ihren Begleiter Cadrach auf ihrem Weg nach Nabban; Herzog Isgrimmur, der Miriamel nachfolgt; Hernystiri-Prinzessin Meagwin und Graf Eolair, die sich gegen Eroberer zur Wehr setzen müssen und gewinnen Einblicke in das Leben auf dem Hochhorst, wo nicht alle Bewohner dem König treu ergeben sind.

Auch die Haupthandlung schreitet weiter fort. Die Bedrohung durch Sturmkönig und Nornenkönigin wird immer deutlicher, ist fast schon greifbar, so fantastisch gelingt es William’s das Geschehen durch seinen gekonnten, fesselnden Schreibstil heraufzubeschwören.

Und auch wenn der Leser aufgrund der vielen verschiedenen Handlungsstränge wichtige Dinge oft vor den betreffenden Personen erfährt, so wirkt sich dies keinesfalls negativ auf die Spannung aus. Stattdessen hält man das Buch kramfhaft in den Händen, möchte den Figuren fast schon verzweifelt zuschreien was doch so ungemein wichtig wäre zu wissen.

„Der Abschiedsstein“ ist eine absolut gelungene Fortsetzung; ein Fantasy-Epos der Extraklasse, voller Spannung, unerwarteter Wendungen, glaubhafter und liebeswerter Charaktere, deren Geschichte man mit Freuden verfolgt und voller Begeisterung mitfiebert… und mitleidet. Wer den ersten Teil gelesen hat, für den ist auch dieses Buch ein Muss.(less)

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About Tad Williams

Tad Williams has held more jobs than any sane person should admit to—singing in a band, selling shoes, managing a financial institution, throwing newspapers, and designing military manuals, to name just a few. He also hosted a syndicated radio show for ten years, worked in theater and television production, taught both grade-school and college classes, and worked in multimedia for a major computer...more

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Books by Tad Williams

The Dragonbone Chair (Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, #1)

To Green Angel Tower (Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, #3)

To Green Angel Tower, Part 2 (Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, #3; Part 2)

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Quotes from De Steen des Afscheids

“Not everyone can stand up and be a hero, Princess. Some prefer to surrender to the inevitable and salve their consciences with the gift of survival.” — 4 people liked it

“Now I end my death song. I give my farewell to mountain and sky. It has been good to be alive.” — 1 person liked it

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Stone of Farewell (Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn #2)

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