Tad Williams’ Memory, Sorrow and Thorn is the epic fantasy series cited as an inspiration by George R. R. Martin, Patrick Rothfuss, and Christopher Paolini — the bridge between Tolkien and modern epic fantasy. With The Last King of Osten Ard now complete and the brand-new Flan’s Crows trilogy underway, this page is the map: what to read, in what order, and where to find my chapter-by-chapter re-read notes.
The Books (reading order)
- The Dragonbone Chair (1988) — where it all begins
- Stone of Farewell (1990)
- To Green Angel Tower (1993)
- The Heart of What Was Lost (2017) — bridge novel, set immediately after the trilogy
- Brothers of the Wind (2021) — standalone prequel, set 1,000 years earlier — read any time after the trilogy
- The Witchwood Crown (2017) — The Last King of Osten Ard #1
- Empire of Grass (2019) — #2
- Into the Narrowdark (2022) — #3
- The Navigator’s Children (2024) — #4, the finale
- The Splintered Sun (2026) — NEW — Flan’s Crows #1, set 300 years before the trilogy; a fresh entry point
The Re-reads
My chapter-by-chapter re-read notes for the original trilogy and beyond (spoilers within!):
- Tad Williams is Ruining My Calm (the introduction)
- The Dragonbone Chair, Part One: Simon Mooncalf
- The Dragonbone Chair, Part Two: Simon Pilgrim
- The Dragonbone Chair, Part Three: Simon Snowlock
- Stone of Farewell, Part One: Storm’s Eye
- Stone of Farewell, Part Two: Storm’s Hand
- Stone of Farewell, Part Three: Storm’s Heart
- To Green Angel Tower, Part One: The Waiting Stone
- To Green Angel Tower, Part Two: The Winding Road
- To Green Angel Tower, Part Three: The Turning Wheel
- To Green Angel Tower, Part Four: The Blazing Tower
- Book notes: The Heart of What Was Lost
- Book notes: The Witchwood Crown
- Book Launch Day: the story behind the re-read eBook
The eBook
These re-read posts and other essays have been collected into an eBook with additional essays — Re-reading Tad Williams’ Memory, Sorrow and Thorn. Please consider supporting this blog by purchasing the eBook. Thank you!
Some links in this post are affiliate links; as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
