Shelf Control #72 – 08/12/2023
Happy Friday lovely readers and welcome to today’s Shelf Control post. If you are reading this post as it goes live then I am out at a Christmas party. I’ve prepared today’s Shelf Control in advance of those plans… so hopefully I’ve managed to schedule the post correctly!
Shelf Control posts are a great way of taking a look at the books on my reading list, and admittedly, are nice, easy and formulaic post for me to draft on a deadline! Shall we get into it?
Shelf Control is a regular feature on my blog – a meme run by Lisa at Bookshelf Fantasies. It’s a celebration of the unread books on our shelves! The idea is to pick a book you own but haven’t read and write a post about it (suggestions: include what it’s about, why you want to read it, and when you got it), and link up!
If you want to read more about the Shelf Control feature, check out Lisa’s introductory post.
Today’s book is an older fantasy novel that incorporates some of the most common tropes of the genre. Let’s take a look at the book:
The Dragonbone Chair – Tad Williams
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 672
Audience: Adult
Publisher: DAW
Publication Date: 25 Oct 1988
Goodreads – The Dragonbone Chair
A war fueled by the powers of dark sorcery is about to engulf the peaceful land of Osten Ard—for Prester John, the High King, lies dying. And with his death, the Storm King, the undead ruler of the elf-like Sithi, seizes the chance to regain his lost realm through a pact with the newly ascended king. Knowing the consequences of this bargain, the king’s younger brother joins with a small, scattered group of scholars, the League of the Scroll, to confront the true danger threatening Osten Ard.
Simon, a kitchen boy from the royal castle unknowingly apprenticed to a member of this League, will be sent on a quest that offers the only hope of salvation, a deadly riddle concerning long-lost swords of power. Compelled by fate and perilous magics, he must leave the only home he’s ever known and face enemies more terrifying than Osten Ard has ever seen, even as the land itself begins to die.
After the landmark Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy, the epic saga of Osten Ard continues with the brand-new novel, The Heart of What Was Lost. Then don’t miss the upcoming trilogy, The Last King of Osten Ard, beginning with The Witchwood Crown!
My Thoughts
When I added this book to my reading list, I had no idea that it was published in the 80’s or that it inspired George R.R. Martin. I added the book as I like the sound of the premise, and the fantasy formula is one I like.
Admittedly, there are some tropes in here that are used a LOT in fantasy. Sometimes I get a bored of them. However, as a reader of the genre these are near impossible to get away from. Usually, I try to change up what I’m reading in order to give myself enough of a break before coming back to these kinds of books.
Am I excited to pick up a book by a writer who has influenced more modern works? Yes! I’m also looking forward to reading something a little older than the usual books. I pick up to see how the genre and writing styles in general have evolved over time.
Have you read The Dragonbone Chair, or any others books in Tad Williams’s Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series? Would you like to? I’d love to hear from you!
