The Heart of What Was Lost (Osten Ard: Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn #3.5)[March 1, 2025]

[Yanique, Thread Master]

This is a Buddy Read for The Heart of What Was Lost by Tad Williams starting on March 1, 2025.


Happy Reading!

[Nirkatze]

Thank you!

Proposed Schedule:

Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn
1) The Dragonbone Chair (Sept 1) [link]
--People got busy, rescheduled for new year--
2) Stone of Farewell (Jan 1) [link]
3) To Green Angel Tower (Feb 1) [link]

Middle books--King of Osten Ard prequels
1) The Heart of What Was Lost (Apr 1st)
2) Brothers of the Wind (May 1st) [link]
---Requests Made Up to Here---

---NEED REQUESTS---
Last King of Osten Ard
1) The Witchwood Crown (Jun 1) [linkTBD]
2) Empire of Grass (Jul 1)
3) Into the Narrowdark (Aug 1)
4) The Navigator's Children (Sept 1)

[Nirkatze]

Starting! I was a bit off-balance when it started--I thought this was a prequel, but it's more of an aftermath book... I think the next one is a prequel. Whoops! It's nice to get to hang out with Isgrimmur again, and I like the new kid.

[Nirkatze]

LOL Isgrimmur: "My ignorance is as big as my belly"--there's several descriptions of his belly--bumping into things, knocking things over... must be a prodigious belly.

[Paula]

Yeah, Isgrimnur is nice. That quote was so funny!

[Paula]

Until Part 2 (view spoiler)[ I liked how the Norns got their one POV. And now we can see the hatred between races and how they are not so different in their deeds. Like the humans would kill every norn they encounter be they women, men, or child. But same for the norns. And they even burned alive Floki to scare the humans. (hide spoiler)]

[Paula]

Finished! (view spoiler)[ The norns politics was the best part and how it all tied to the title. I wanted motr Isgrinmur but he is as good as always. The new human characters were okay but not much interesting compared to the norns unfortunately.

I also wonder if some important characters of the next series will be a half norn half human. And Josuas twins. And Simon and Miriameles children. Curious what the rest will be. Probably Jiriki since he is Inmortal. Maybe Binabik (I don't remember if his race is Inmortal too) (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Paula wrote: "Until Part 2 [spoilers removed]"

I know!! It made me feel so sad--(view spoiler)[like both sides would have liked peace, but were afraid to appear weak, their pride wouldn't let them back down, or they didn't feel like they could trust the other side... It was like watching dominoes, or a train heading toward a wreck... I really felt like I was watching the prelude to another global tragedy. (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

I like your theories for the next set. How big of a time jump will we see, I wonder? I don't think the Qanuc Trolls are immortal--I don't think there was any information about their life spans so far...

I also really enjoyed this--(view spoiler)[I really liked the camaraderie of the two soldiers--but what a shock that happened to Endri! When the Norns started reanimating the dead I was like WTF Zombies??? I hope that Porto shows up in the next series...

There was one quote earlier on, when Isgrimmur is talking about how he'd like to buy a farm afterwards, and I was like "oh man, don't tempt fate..."--I actually didn't know that "buy the farm" was a soldier euphemism for dying until reading Starship Troopers a few years back, probably where the phrase "he bought it" comes from too. (hide spoiler)]

[Paula]

Part 2 (view spoiler)[Yeah, if only they could trust each other. Maybe in the future with the new generstions they will. (hide spoiler)]

[Paula]

I think I read somewhere that the time jump was 30 years or so. (view spoiler)[ Yeah, there are moments like when the zombi appeared that my mind screams GAME OF THRONES! So many things were inspired by this series. Poor Endri, he only wanted to go home.

Every day you learn a new thing...I also didn't know "buy the farm" meant that. Sludig said that and he thankfully isn't dead. (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Yeah, apparently "buy the farm" is military slang? (I think Sludig said a farm maybe that makes a difference?)

Good point about GoT being inspired by this! I think GRRM said this and WoT are two of his big inspirations...

[Paula]

Could be, yes.

It's very obvious this is an inspiration. Like in my mind, thanks to this, I will be able to imagine an ending with GoT with the white walkers and everything. WoT not so much, but I am still reading that.

[Nirkatze]

WoT, I remember him specifically saying--when Jordan was writing his epic and it was hitting off well, it is what gave GRRM the inspiration to try his own...

[Paula]

I am glad he did then

[Nirkatze]

@Paula--are you still interested in continuing on to the Osten Ard saga? Does 1st of the month from June still work for you? I was thinking of posting in the Invite thread, to see if there's more interest, but wanted to check with you first.

[Paula]

I am still interested in continuing yes. And in May is the 0.5 in the Osten Ard series, right? Yeah, go ahead and post in the Invite and see if anyone can join

[Nirkatze]

Yup! May is scheduled for the 0.5--this one's the prequel I thought the April book was, lol. Will post in invite thread.

[Paula]

Okay :)