"The Dragonbone Chair" First Impressions *No Spoilers*

[SFFBC, Ancillary Mod]

Come share your initial thoughts on this bit of fantasy nostalgia!

Please leave all details for the full spoiler thread!

Content warnings for those who want them: (view spoiler)[ casual misogyny, xenophobia, fat shaming, arachnophobia, religion. gore (hide spoiler)]

[David]

Initially, the narrative felt unimaginative (mostly the ad hoc name transpositions, and inconsistent name spellings, which felt more like typos, rather than any comment on linguistic evolution). I'm about a third in now and it's more interesting, especially as a possible bridge for writers like Martin.

[Tiago]

It's slow going at first, but gets better. I'm at about 70% now and hooked.

[Michelle]

I remember really liking this, and then I wondered why I couldn't remember any details since I read it somewhere within the last year. Sad to say, it wasn't last year that I read it, but January of 2018! So it's a fat lot of good I will be in this discussion :)

[Hank, Hankenstein's Modster]

Well the last time I read it was when it was published, I too am waiting on a library copy to refresh my memory or in reality just read it over again since there is no way I will remember any of it.

[DivaDiane]

I actually have this on Audible. It is 33 hours long though!! Well as soon as I finish Cage of Souls I guess I’ll get started on this one!

[Barbara]

I'm just beginning it today. I have to say my first impressions from the cover on Goodreads is pretty generic, I prefer the older style cover art. :)

[Laura]

I'm 100 pages in and not really impressed. It just doesn't feel engaging yet. However I'm going to take Tiago's review for motivation to keep reading for awhile longer.

[Michele]

It does start out a bit slow, but I'm enjoying the world-building (or in this case I guess city- and castle-building). The Hayholt is a neat place, reminds me of Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast. And I like the little bits of history and myth that get worked in here and there.

[Eva]

Laura wrote: "I'm 100 pages in and not really impressed. It just doesn't feel engaging yet. However I'm going to take Tiago's review for motivation to keep reading for awhile longer."

Yes, the series is infamous for its very slow start but amazing pay-off if one sticks to it.

[Ted]

Definitely a slow starter. You really have to want this story, because it will make you work to get it.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

I'm 60% in and I'm still not sure it's started

[Alex]

Reaching page 100. I am put off by the slow start and the main character.

Does anybody else find the narrative voice/Simon "too childish"?

It seems he only cares about frogs, birds, and battle stories. When reading Deeplight, Hark was about the same age and I never had that impression.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

I agree, this feels like Simon is quite young, and it reads like the author expects to be talking to younger people, too, IMO.

[Ellen]

Barbara wrote: "I'm just beginning it today. I have to say my first impressions from the cover on Goodreads is pretty generic, I prefer the older style cover art. :)"

Me too. The one I got from the library

[Christopher]

This particular cover is so familiar to me that I think I must have read this when I was younger, but I have absolutely zero memory of what happened.

[AndrewP]

Just remember that Tad Williams tends to write huge books broken up into multiple volumes rather than a series :)

[Sandy]

Well wow! I read this last July - and had to refresh my memory by reading my review. My words " the first 200 pages could have been done in 50". I definitely liked the supporting characters better than the main character. But plan to read on.

[Laura]

Glad I stuck with this 2/3 done and enjoying it a lot. still some scenes that are really wordy but worth it. Someone mentioned sticking with it just for the troll and the wolf and ya, I get that lol.

[Tiago]

Laura wrote: "Glad I stuck with this 2/3 done and enjoying it a lot. still some scenes that are really wordy but worth it. Someone mentioned sticking with it just for the troll and the wolf and ya, I get that lol."

I just finished it. Totally agree with you, some scenes are way more wordy than necessary. I'll wait for more people to finish it before giving my final impression.

[Michele]

AndrewP wrote: "Just remember that Tad Williams tends to write huge books broken up into multiple volumes rather than a series :)"

Ha!! That is so true -- and in interesting distinction. LOTR, as many fans know, was intended to be one large book and was only broken up due to publishing costs. (Hence I blame ALL the current fantasy "trilogies" on Allen & Unwin.)

[Michele]

What do y'all think about Pryrates? Within the context of this book (that is, not getting into later volumes and spoilers) what do you think he wants? And Elias, what do you think of him as a king? Williams' choice to set up a rivalry between the two brothers is also interesting.

[Anthony]

I’m starting, feeling like I’m ready to take on a dense — but hopefully interesting — epic.

[Anna]

Michele, that sounds like a discussion for the spoiler thread? Unless that’s all from the first chapter(s)? I haven’t read this so I have no idea!

[Michele]

I think that's all pretty near the beginning.

[Eva]

Pryrates first appears at the end of chapter 6, so I think it should be moved to be discussed properly. :-)

[Ellen]

Finally made it to 50%. Not an action thriller but it is starting to get a little more interesting.

[E.D.]

Just started this yesterday. I'm finding it a long but easy read at the moment in comparison to 'Gardens of the Moon' which I've just finished.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

haha yes, you do not need calculus to follow the plot in this!

[Aga]

E.D. wrote: "Just started this yesterday. I'm finding it a long but easy read at the moment in comparison to 'Gardens of the Moon' which I've just finished."

Haha, so true :)

So far I have mixed feelings about this one. I usually like long books for not rushing the plot and making time for character development. But I'm 8 chapters in and Simon is as childish as he was at the beginning.

At first, the book reminded me of what I used to read as a teenager (like The Belgariad and other fantasy series for young readers) but then some drastic moments have destroyed the charm.

I have this irritating feeling that there are so many things similar to "Assasin's Apprentice". I know "The Dragonbone Chair" was first but I'm reading this for the first time and I've read "Assasin's Apprentice" twice.

But... I really want to like this! It was on my TBR list for soooo long. I'm going to keep reading.

[Gabi]

Late to the party, but I hope to keep going, now that some distraction for eye-reading has been removed from my life.
I like Tad Williams (I've read "Otherland" and "Shadowmarch" and enjoyed them both), so I don't mind the slow start as long as the world is interesting. What bothers me is lazy worldbuilding like giving months and weekdays names that sound similar to ours (I'm reading the German translation, but I guess this is the sane in the original).

Aga, good observation about the similar feeling to Assasin's Apprentice. Simon feels a bit like Fitz, indeed. Let's hope he doesn't go down the path of self pity.

[Aga]

Gabi wrote: "What bothers me is lazy worldbuilding like giving months and weekdays names that sound similar to ours (I'm reading the German translation, but I guess this is the same in the original)."

It's the same in Polish translation. The worldbuilding is not my favorite point so far. But I'm about 30% in and some other things that bothered me before have faded off (?). Not sure how to put it without spoilers.