The Dragonbone Chair cover art

The Dragonbone Chair

Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, Book One

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The Dragonbone Chair

Written by: Tad Williams
Narrated by: Andrew Wincott
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About this listen

From master storyteller and New York Times-bestseller Tad Williams comes the first book in the landmark epic fantasy saga of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn.

With The Dragonbone Chair, Tad Williams introduced audiences to the incredible fantasy world of Osten Ard. His beloved, internationally bestselling series Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn inspired a generation of modern fantasy writers, including George R.R. Martin, Patrick Rothfuss, and Christopher Paolini, and defined Tad Williams as one of the most important fantasy writers of our time.

This edition features a brand-new introduction from Tad Williams' editor as well as the original introduction from Williams himself!

BOOK ONE: 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 Heart of What Was Lost. Then don’t miss the sequel trilogy, The Last King of Osten Ard, beginning with The Witchwood Crown!

©2016 Tad Williams (P)2016 Penguin Audio
Dark Fantasy Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Royalty King Scary
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What listeners say about The Dragonbone Chair

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  • Overall
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great story and performance, a bit long winded

great story but goes on for far too long in parts, like in the middle. Feels like it would've benefited by being trimmed by about 10 to 15 percent

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Awesome book

I loved the story but did not like the way certain characters were voiced. Simon ended up being portrayed as a simpleton and it bothered me.

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2 people found this helpful

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Love it

I love this series. I read it years ago, and I was hard pressed to put it down. There is not many fantasy books that reads like a lot of others. I listen to this whenever I can! The narrator is pretty good, but can be annoying at times.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Great reading of a fantasy classic!

This is a fantastic classic, told with great narrative flourish. Loads of unique accents help to differentiate the vast cast of characters from one another.

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Really well done performance

I tried to read this book on its own at first but found myself stumbling over pronunciation of places and names and found I had a difficult time getting into the book. This book is my cousin’s favourite so I thought I’d give it another go so I ordered this book on audible and really enjoyed the performance and the story so much more. I felt like the narrator really developed and enhanced characters. I enjoyed this book so much more that I ordered the whole series to finish the series and re-read. This book is now considered one of my favourite series! Thank you Andrew Wincott and of course Tad Williams!

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Tad is great!

Tad Williams is a fantastic story teller. This story follows classic fairytale paths with an identity of its own. very enjoyable
#Audible1

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4.5/5 ⭐ All Around

there were some voices (i.e. Binabik) that I didn't particularly love, but then others (i.e. Jarnauga) I felt were Steven Pacey levels of voice performance. I appreciated the wide variety of voices, and the weave of the whole tale. There were quite a few 'scary' obviously from the 80s things that I was not expecting since this is so classic fantasy. I liked that this is both classic fantasy but bridged with modern (both in the overinflated sense, and quicker pacing + emphasis on lore sense). I have a feeling that M, S, & T may become a new all-time favourite series. I combo read this, and aside from a few info-dump chapters where we get a lot of great voicework describing our history, I would say this story should be read physically. At least for me, I retained more and paid more attention with the physical copy. What an ending!

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    4 out of 5 stars

A decent narrator, good story, drags a bit at times.

I agree with the other comment about being a bit long winded but other than that a pretty good book and very decent narrator. Except maybe the ending a bit, none of it felt spectacular in any way but it does have a consistent good quality 🤷‍♂️

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I enjoyed this book

The story is written with a lot of detail regarding the scenery, characters, and places which I find gives me a better mind picture. The main characters in the story grow and mature, and form bonds, which drive the journey onward. If you don’t like detailed descriptive writing this book may seem to go slowly. If you stay with the characters though, the story is wort it. It leaves at a good place for the next book, which I already purchased.

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Pillar of Epic Fantasy

The first installment of the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy was a great adventure! You can see that this series definitely inspired many of the greats like Martin, Hobb, Jordan and Sanderson. I only wish I’d found it years ago!!
Also this narrator was amazing!!

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