This series took a while to take hold..I trudged through the first half of the first book..by the time I was a few hundred pages in, I figured 'I have gone this far, let's see how this book ends'. Midway through the first book, it began to hit a stride. A good stride. This series is not full of fireworks at the end of each chapter. There are more cliffhangers as the story unfolds, but Williams definitely lays the framework for an excellent landscape. Like many books of this genre, there are several similarities to LOTR, but not as blatant as The Sword of Truth series. The similarities in this series are more vague and not obvious, so it feels better.

I read this one after completing the available Game of Thrones series, preceded by reading The Sword of Truth, The Sword of Shanarra series, the Dune series, the Foundation series and a few other classics. So I have been on a fantasy binge.

A very good story and I found myself flying through the final three books after trudging through the first book. It's a worthwhile investment of your time.

I loved it.
I started reading it when I was about 13, 14. It was long and it got painfully long at times, but the author knows exactly what he does.
Reading these books at that time can best be compared to living in a paralell world - every time a new book came out.
I also had specific music - (longplayer Universal Mother by Sinead O Connor) which in combination created a very haunting/tragic/timeless atmosphere.

At the same time the characters had real motives and emotions which were far from fictional - circumstances of a fantasy character ... left aside...

The background story, the connections, the purposes, the mysterys are slowly revealed, and not put on a silver platter - if they were, I would have lost interest very soon.
As a reader, I want to find and figure things out by myself,
I dont want to let the author do the thinking for me!!!!!!
Tad Williams accomplishes to acompany you all the way without patronizing, without "spoilers" splattered everywhere and in dear earnesty and grace.

I find myself wondering if I read the same book as some of the commentators.

...."The characters aren't deep, the stories are predictable and the action is yawnworthy....."
my my, I would Looove to know which epic masterpieces those individuals have been reading. Or which have been written by them.

I loved it and I love it still. The memory is there and it is dear to me

And sometimes it is really very very very ok to be the scullion and get...lets say promoted from rags to riches, Baby

Just to add to the list of Tad Williams books that always seems to be left off was the book that introduced me to his work - Tailchaser's Song. It's kind of like Adams' Watership Down that uses cats instead of rabbits as the main characters. It's a very charming book, a one-shot, not a series, and a good, light read between heavier titles.

I'm just surprised that a lot of people out there mention Williams' work, but never cite this one.

My 2 yen,

Akiosama

I'm one of those who found it too slow. I wish I had found this back in college when I had more time and patience, or at least before I wheel of time killed my love for fantasy.

I read this the first time at 21 and am now reading it 14 years later, wary that my tastes may have changed in the meantime. It is still an awesome series.

I can't believe the strong negative reactions of some. I can see why some people think it is slow. But I can't agree that the storyline and characters are cliched. Sure Simon is something of the "boy who becomes a king" but the other characters are original and complex...Josua, Miriamelle, Cadrach, Eolair. On the broadest level, the story line conforms with some standard fantasy mores (fights with dragon, avoiding apocalypse, boy and princess), but the underlying motivations of each character and the 'inner demons' they each grapple with (including the princess becoming the enemy's wench) are unique. I think the Storm King's motivations and character are highly original as was compassion shown by Simon to resolve the whole story.

Second time round, I was really impressed by the deeply layered mythology behind Asua (the castle), the Sithi wars, and the back stories of the characters (Cadrach, Camaris), all of which tied together beautifully at the end. Williams writes so simply but often doesn't telegraph the most important events (i.e. Leleth's dream, the Five houses, the subtle nature of the battles between the Sithi and Norns). The first time round, the book was great, But I was a little unclear what the Storm King was trying to do and why. This time round it made a lot more sense because I paid much more attention to the Sithi back story, which I think others may simply skip over because it is boring' and 'slow'. As someone else said, despite its length, every scene matters and Williams rarely wastes a sentence.

I highly recommend this book but encourage people to pay attention to the songs, backstories and small details. In other series, these things are often padding. In this series they provide incredible depth and help make the climax amongst the best I have read.

It's a crime that this is only 13 on the list and it's an even greater crime that there are so many that hate it. Obviously if there were more beheadings and titties more people would be lapping it up. (this IS your list so I won't whine too much about that.)

Each sentence, character, storyline, everything had a meaning and a point. Everything at the end was wrapped up perfectly and gave you a feeling you had read one of the greatest literary works of fiction. How is this book not as popular as trash like The Sword of Truth books is beyond me!

Started reading this due to the recommendations of many... Made it just past halfway because it was too much of a chore to continue reading such a dull story. Moving onto something else- this obviously isn't my type of author/novel.

Since you update this list and you seem to care about people's comments when doing so, I will my voice. This series was terrible. It was long, drawn out, and boring. The world is not at all compelling; the characters are all incredibly boring, save one (the drunk priest), and one minor character is not enough to make the whole series stand. I read it to the end, thinking that the end might redeem it, but it does not. I can't believe you'd take out Brett's demon-infested wonderfulness out of the top 25 for the sake of keeping this. Brett's world is incredibly exciting, and the second book is no worse than the first. I absolutely loved it. I love every character in it. I love the Krasians and their vile culture, and how we get to see the story from their perspective for a while.

I remember picking up this series thinking it was going to be awesome. I was wrong, its quite terrible.

Standard useless kid that becomes awesome and marries a princess storyline. The characters aren't deep, the stories are predictable and the action is yawnworthy. Why on earth do people rate this? I guess it is quite good for an immature reader...

I have read this series about 4 times and am tempted to read it again. It has the best story and characterisation of any book I've read. Only the Dark Tower Series and A Song Of Ice & Fire come close.

A truly staggering effort, and one that I will also read to both my daughters when they are just a little older.

Amazing.

This is one of the first fantasy series I ever read, and I have been searching for years to find its equal. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Some call it slow, I call it deep. The plot and character development are matched only by Martin and Jordan. I typically shy away from trilogies, but this one is amazing. I strongly recommend it to all who enjoy the genre. Be patient, and you will be rewarded.

I really love Tad Williams, I liked Otherland a touch more then Memory, Sorrow and Thorn but they are both high on my list of books. I first read it when I was 15, 8 years ago and after I finish A Song of Ice and Fire I plan to reread it.

I remember being transported to this fantasy land in a way that only a few other books ever have, sure there are slow parts, but that's true in any series of books that are really long, if you don't want slow, don't read long books.

This series does not deserve in any way to be in a top 25 fantasy list. It is slow and stale, with stereotypical characters and a predictable ending. Making your way through all 4 books is literally a challenge, because with all the other, better authors out there you'll want to throw the books down and start with something else.

Ummmmmmm, Wow?
I remember finally putting the book down in the car, thinking I just read one of the greatest series's of all time. A terrific ending. I can say first hand that most authors drag you threw book after book only to leave you with a half-assed conclusion.
Definently didn't happen here.
Tad has extreme talent. Everybook he writes is a classic. Try him.

i remember picking up this book one night in the summer between 8th grade and high school. i started reading and kept going until the sun came up the next day. this novel transports you the way good fantasy should...into an altenate universe so enveloping that it feels strange to be back in your own head when you put the book down. that is how i know if a fantasy book is good. sure rr martin is gritty and "realistic" and i certainly enjoy his stuff but when i close one of his books it isn't like i'm putting my feet down on solid ground for the first time since i started reading. i don't remember the pace lagging in dragonbone chair but it wasn't as action-packed as some others. some books run on character alone and have zero action, in fact, most literature runs this way. while dragonbone chari isn't literature, what it lacks in action is makes up for in characterization and pure ambience: williams world has a distinct "feel" to it that the worlds of boneheads like roert jordan are distinctly lacking. i haven't read it in over 20 years but i still remember the journey and the introduction to the sithe and their village almost like something i dreamed instead of read. i think it's time i re-read it.

Hands down one of my favorite series. By one of my favorite writers. It is true that this series takes its time getting off the ground. But once it's up and running... oh boy!
I am amazed that Tad Williams seems somehow to have slipped under the radar of most fantasy fanatics. This series stands up there with any other you could name-- and (perhaps most importantly) Mr. Williams completed it and moved on, without dragging things out over a dozen books and multiple decades.

At their core books are supposed to be fun and entertaining. This series was slugish and painfully boring.

If your looking for a longwinded tale with a piss poor ending, then this is your trilogy. Somehow I did manage to read it all so I guess its decent in a ghoulish sort of way.

In no way should this be on anyone's top 25. Even someone like R A Salvatore's early works are better. (before he sold out)

The pacing of this series is constructed in such a way that by the time you get back to whatever one party/person was doing, you would have forgotten or simply stopped caring as to what they were trying to achieve.

The characters themselves must had more fun watching grass grow then wait for the author to remember that they still had some part to play in his story.

Stopped reading it during the second book. Can't believe you ranked this in the top 25

This is without a doubt my favorite trilogy. I have read and reread it several times. Ignore anything you here about the slow pace, each step of this journey is well worth it. And until Martin and/or Erikson can prove that they can finish what they have started this is still my favorite complete series.

One of the first series that I read after falling in love with the Fantasy genre after I read LOTR in Jr. High. I loved how it ended up being the anti-thesis to Tolkien's way of showing that everything works out in the end. That every challenge that the characters go through was just a way to give them strength to do what is right later. Williams is a fantastic writer, though I couldn't make it through is weirder Outland stuff.

I could not get past the slow pace of this book, and the fact that I felt like I was reading a straight ripoff of Lord Of The Rings. I quit reading this book. I intended to read it through, but things kept getting in the way. When I have a good good book nothing gets in the way. That is how I tell what is good or not. This one was not for me.