![]() ![]() The story is like a spider's web, with the main threads (characters) working towards the middle and meeting problems en route, with other threads of the story going round the outside, interlinked and interesting in their own way, and with some as yet unknown route to the centre - and there's some thing (or things) with scissors, capable of doing immense damage. I don't know much about the writing process, but listening to Tad when he's being interviewed (see this one) gives me a clue of how much effort goes into it - not that I've ever thought that writing something longer than a Thank You letter is easy. Knowing that Tad's Memory, Sorrow and Thorn is one of my favourite stories alongside Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, I should have realised that a writer doesn't change the way then engage readers, especially not one who writes epic tales. I read mostly fantasy, haven't ever found the need to re-read much sci-fi other than the classic stories such as War of the Worlds, Day of the Triffids and some Asimov. I don't honestly know why I haven't read it before, but think it could be more to do with the sci-fi label attached to the story by those who like to classify into genres. As long as there's a grown-up around to restock! ) And there are spanners in the works too.Īs an aside, it looks like we're on the way towards the fully immersive experience already. I think the VR realms have to be formulaic to some extent, but I'm wondering if that's deliberate because we then expect this and that to happen - but it doesn't. Presumably any bots (Beezle for e.g.) follow the three Asimov laws? Wondered if the human intervention and monitoring is deliberate and to make the story more relatable, because if it had all been computer-driven then there'd be less interaction for the RL people. I was thinking about the human side of things - medical and so on. They do have phones, which are trackable which causes problems. Is anybody else reading, or has recently read, any part of Otherland? What are your thoughts?Īh, yes, but maybe not? I'm tempted to think that even now it'd be too much to ask for a mobile to have the power to do what was needed for the immersive VR and perhaps in the future their capacity might end up being limited because of 'rules'. How does Tad Williams manage to write such consistently good and gripping tales! ![]() ![]() There is some other evil entity that instils pure terror when he touches minds with the characters I'm following, and there in the background seems to be some sort of cavalry that just might ride in over the horizon at some point to save the day. I'm intensely worried for young Orlando and Fredericks, more so than for Renie's brother because I know them so well.ĭread is still there plus some big gun financial whizzes who're funding some stuff in both the real and virtual worlds. ![]() I've lived through their traumas and crises and have learned an awful lot about Martine and her back story. I've seen all my characters lurch from one VR environment to another, seen them meet up and then get split up again. I'm reading on Kindle, which tells me I'm currently 78% of my way through River of Blue Fire - and what a journey this book is. In true Tad fashion, City of Golden Shadow was a book I just didn't want to put down until I turned the last page, and having done that I and just had to pick up the next one. In the background there was the ghastly Dread and the strange situation with the God Osiris.Ĭomplicated is the simplest way to describe the story, but not at all muddled, it's intriguing and there are little snippets that give me hints about what might happen and let me try to draw threads together in my mind. I was intrigued by !Xabbu, disconcerted by what was happening to Paul Jonas in the trenches. I almost instantly felt some affinity with Renie and worried for young Stephen. (I read The War of the Flowers after Christmas - excellent/surprising/fun/gripping in equal measure.)Ĭity of Golden Shadow had me hooked from the outset, so much so that I felt I was involved with the story rather than a passive reader. I started reading the Otherland series in January because, well, it's probably not the smartest of moves to start a sub about an author and to only have read one of their series of books. There's a massive amount of information, history, backstories, current and future books on Treacherous Paths: Your Guide to Osten Ard Some of them you don’t even know yet!" Basic rules Up the corridor you have a room full of friends. A fan subreddit for the stories and fantasy worlds imagined and written by Tad Williams - Memory, Sorrow and Thorn & Last King of Osten Ard trilogies, Otherland, Shadowmarch, Bobby Dollar, War of the Flowers, Tailchaser's Song etc. ![]()
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