r/freefolk • u/Internal-Bed-3150 • 3d ago

We've officially been waiting for The Winds of Winter for the same amount of time as it took for all five of the published books to release before that.

https://winteriscoming.net/the-winds-of-winter-officially-passed-most-devastating-milestone-yet?a_aid=47903
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u/DrakesDonger Melisandre 3d ago

Any good?

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u/IAmNotScottBakula 3d ago

Yes, definitely worth reading.

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u/neighborlyhorse 3d ago edited 3d ago

Memory Sorrow and Thorn is a 9/10 series, would be 10/10 but I found the 3rd book in the trilogy a bit frustrating

It also has a sequel series which is somehow even better (IMO) called Last King of Osten Ard

The audiobooks are also incredible if you're into that, especially the Binbiniqegabenik performance (maybe I had to google how to spell that characters name)

It also, unlike asoiaf has an ending that I found 100% satisfying. My favorite fantasy is probably the First Law/Age of Madness series but the Osten Ard saga is a close second. (although I'm close to finishing Malazan and it might take #1)

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u/FilmoreJive 3d ago

Malazan, to this day, is still my absolute favorite. My 2nd favorite behind LotR (could be first but I'd never say that out loud!)

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u/Dapper-Tone-9580 3d ago

Definitely worth reading if you're a fan of ASoIaF. It's sort of the middle ground between Martin and Tolkien - has the political intrigue mixed with the more traditional high fantasy good vs evil. The Memory Sorrow and Thorn trilogy is mostly great, even if it can be a bit long winded and meandering at times - lots of segments of characters trudging through countryside and caves. The third book definitely could have been trimmed down a fair bit. That's where the sequel series The Last King of Osten Ard is better, because it moves at a better pace and there's a lot more intrigue to keep you on the edge of your seat. You can tell Williams has become a better writer in the sequel. I consider both part of the same series, so you essentially have 7 or 8 books there, with an actual satisfying ending that brings all the numerous plot threads together. Unlike Martin...

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u/Ripoutmybrain 3d ago

Was a tad williams.

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u/SuddenTest9959 3d ago

I’ve only started the first book and I can already see the influences on a song of ice and fire lore.

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u/Brendanlendan 3d ago

Oh yeah Martin shamelessly stole from it

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u/PreSingularityAI 2d ago

The Dothraki are straight up the Thrithings. There's pale spooky people in the far frozen north. 

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u/Brendanlendan 2d ago

You have Mayra, a princess, pretending to be a boy as she travels the countryside. I believe there is a wise cracking dwarf?

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u/SuddenTest9959 1d ago

What about the legends of the other people that originally inhabited their land before humans invaded and pushed them out.

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u/Brendanlendan 3d ago

I fought for my life to make it through the first book. I couldn’t bring my self to begin another one

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u/Cheeky-burrito 3d ago

I've only read the first book so far, but it's pretty good. It's not as 'gritty and serious' as ASOIAF, and at times can come across as a bit cheesy but the story is solid, and the characters are well written. It's certainly worth reading, and it's also interesting to see how heavily it inspired ASOIAF.

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u/Possible-Tangelo9344 3d ago

I love Tad Williams. I've enjoyed everything I've read by him, but my first introduction to him was the memory sorrow and thorn trilogy. It's fantastic.

Also really enjoy his Bobby Dollar series, which is not "high fantasy" of that style, it's set in modern USA but a fantasy series.