The Diva Review:
This review is brought to us by our cherished guest reviewer, Lore. He's good!
Reading a series means devoting considerable amount of time - even for the fastest readers. So you know it is special if you get the desire to devote your carefully horded reading time to rereading a series again. Although there are a half a dozen single books that this it true for me, I can only think of two series that I have read more then once. The first is the Lord of the Rings Trilogy (although I often have to read the Hobbit with them) which I am confident I am not the only one that has read a myriad times. The second is the series Memory, Sorrow and Thorn by Tad Williams which I have read five times over the years. I am sure I would start a riot if I said this series is as good as LotR, but I think you get the idea that I like it. Although originally a trilogy the third book, "To Green Angel Tower," was so large that they broke it up into two "Return of the King" sized paperbacks, if that gives you an idea about how large this series is.
The story opens with the death of King John Presbyter who was much loved by everyone, and Prince Elias becomes the new king. Of course there are evil forces at foot and Elias is made to suspect his younger brother Josua is conspiring against him, which was not the case. But in trying to eliminate his brother, Elias forces Josua into a civil war to simply save his own life and fight the evil forces.
I know this sound familiar but here is the catch, the story is seen most prominently through the eyes of a kitchen boy named Simon who helps Josua escape the kings prison. Simon is a very unlikely hero. He spends most of his days trying to avoid work until he is caught up in the civil war and the evil forces that threaten to tear the kingdom asunder.
Williams does an incredible job in characterization of Simon. He is a kitchen boy and consistently acts like a kitchen boy being thrust into circumstances that are completely out of his control and understanding. Going along on adventures where he is not the main participant, but plays a role none the less. It is a growth story as Simon is changed in predictable ways by the unpredictable situations he is forced into.
Williams also does a marvelous job creating a world that if very believable; where everyone isn't the same race, they don't believe in the same gods, nor speak the same language. It is a rich and diverse world filled with both the best and the worst that people can be and it is detailed magnificently. And as you may guess, evil cannot be defeated by physical means only and there is some heavy brain power and research to be done. These things should also serve as a warning that some might find it slow since there isn't a sword fight on each and every page. But like reading Tolkien, the pleasure is the immersion into the world as well as loving the characters in that epic world.
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