The Dragonbone Chair cover art

The Dragonbone Chair

Memory, Sorrow & Thorn, Book 1

 Preview

Get 30 days of Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30-day free trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options
Buy Now for £16.99

Buy Now for £16.99

About this listen

The beloved first novel in Tad Williams' classic fantasy series Memory, Sorrow and Thorn.

Kitchen-boy Simon is bored, restless and 14 years old - a dangerous combination. It seems, however, that his life has just taken a turn for the better when he's apprenticed to his castle's resident wizard. As Simon's learning to read and write under Doctor Morgenes' tutelage, forces greater than he could possible imagine are gathering: forces which will change Simon's life - and his world - forever.

Following the death of Good King John, Osten Ard is plunged into civil war as his sons battle for control of the fabled Dragonbone Chair - the country's throne as well as the symbol of its power. Simon is forced to flee the only home he has ever known, a journey which will test him beyond his worst nightmares.

With The Dragonbone Chair, Tad Williams introduced readers to the incredible fantasy world of Osten Ard and kicked off the beloved, internationally best-selling series Memory, Sorrow and Thorn.

©1988 Robert Paul ‘Tad’ Williams, published by permission of DAW Books (P)2015 Hodder & Stoughton Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction
All stars
Most relevant
If you want fast-paced action, keep well clear.

Listening through a bank holiday's DIY project, I can confirm that paint does indeed dry faster than it took for anything of interest to happen. (The first bit of action / interest comes at around the 4.5 hour mark).

That said, it's a beautifully written book, but whereas some authors might take a sentence to describe the forest at nightfall, Tad Williams will take four, and then go on to describe the darkness afterwards. Sometimes there are just too many metaphors, wonderfully colourful as they might be. The lead character spends an awful lot of time lost in the under-city, and then in the forest, and then hiking up the mountain - and boy are you there with him, through all those long, dull hours.....

Despite the above, there are some really good and exciting scenes (they are just particularly well spaced), where the pace kicks up a few gears. This is also a unique, new fantasy world and it's this that has kept me interested.

This book is definitely building to something bigger - this first instalment ends just as it's starting to get interesting and things are finally beginning to happen.

I had to take a break half-way through this, escaping to a light-hearted, favoured listen, but I came back to this story, finished it, and have now started onto Part 2. I am trusting the other reviewers that this will be worth it in the long run. (I must remember to review the next instalments too, then!)

Short version: if you're a patient listener, and enjoy beautifully written prose, then you may love this. If you need action, it may well drive you to distraction. Or, like me, perhaps you'll opt simply to zone out for the dull bits and hope not to miss anything important.

Narration is fine.

You'll need a little patience for this one

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Can’t believe I’d never heard of this series before. It’s epic fantasy at its best. It has the world-shaking forces and deep lore of LotR and the scheming and grit of GoT.

I was cautious after a review said the narration was terrible, but I thought it was perfect. I’ve listened to a lot of series and I would say this was one of the best. Each region has a different accent, and each character has a distinct voice. I actually felt it was better to listen that to have read it l.

I’ve also seen a lot of reviews saying that the beginning is too slow and boring. I really disagree, especially compared to other authors like Tolkien and GRRM. It takes its time to establish all the major players, introduce some lore, and major events takes place before we understand what they mean. I didn’t find myself bored once.

Really loved this book and I can’t wait to continue the series since I’ve heard it gets better and better.

Underrated fantasy series

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
love Tad williams. such a great story and beautifully narrated. was a lovely escape from reality....now onto the next one!

as good as reading it!....actually better!!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The Dragonbone Chair is an absorbing and intricate story. Whilst it starts somewhat slowly, the world Tad Williams depicts is vivid, detailed and very evocative. Whilst there is more than a hint of the influence of The Lord of the Rings from time to time, the story is by no means a rip off and has more than enough unique elements to separate it.
Andrew Wincott's performance is superb and his command of the different characters' voices excellent and diverse.

Excellent epic fantasy

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I often find that a book I really want to listen to is spoiled by a bad performance. Not so in this case. Listening to Andrew Wincott is a joy. His reading brings alive this long book allowing you to enjoy the writing at its own slow pace.

Excellent performance

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews