The Dragonbone Chair
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 US Hardcover Edition |
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| Author | Tad Williams |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Michael Whelan |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy |
| Publisher | DAW Books |
| Released | October 1988 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback and Paperback) |
| Pages | 672 (Hardback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-8099-0003-3 (US Hardback) |
| Followed by | Stone of Farewell |
The Dragonbone Chair is the first novel in Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy. The saga follows a young man named Simon as he is caught up in an epic adventure.
Contents |
[edit] Plot introduction
Simon Mooncalf is an ordinary scullery boy who is taken under the tutelage of the magician Morgenes. When King John Presbyter dies and his son Elias ascends the throne, the way opens for a long-dormant evil to enter the realm. Elias, driven by his evil advisor, moves to eliminate his brother Josua. Caught in the struggle, Simon is forced to flee as best he can, and the young man soon finds himself taking part in adventures he had only dreamed of.
[edit] Plot summary
Simon Mooncalf, a kitchen boy and servant in the great castle Hayholt, muddles his way through the daily routines of castle drudgery in the last days of the long reign of King John Presbyter. Simon is thrilled when luck turns his way and he finds himself apprenticed to the good doctor Morgenes, after which Simon alternates his time between his menial chores and learning reading and writing from the doctor. Shortly after the death of the great King John, his son Elias, whom many say is a pawn of the evil cleric Pryrates, takes the throne. Shortly afterwards, King Elias' brother Josua mysteriously disappears, and the new reign begins to curdle in suspicion and discontent. Elias, blinded by his desire for power, creates a pact with the undead Sithi ruler, the Storm King, who himself seeks to regain his lost realm through a pact with one of human royal blood.
When Simon accidentally stumbles into the castle dungeons, he discovers that Crown Prince Josua is being held captive, so he and Morgenes conspire to rescue the prince. Simon and Morgenes are successful, and Josua is able to flee the castle, but soon after, Elias' soldiers, led by Pryrates, storm Morgenes' office. As Morgenes is slain by a dark magic, Simon is able to flee the castle through a secret passage at the back of the doctor's office. Armed only with his mentor's biography of the good King John, Simon is lost and despondent.
With the land around Hayholt slowly dying, poisoned by the ancient magics of the Storm King, Simon stumbles through the woods, where by chance he encounters a troll by the name of Binabik. Together, they travel to Naglimund, where they meet Prince Josua and the sorcerer Jarnauga. There, the travellers learn that there exist three legendary swords by the name of Minneyar (or "Year of Memory"), Sorrow, and Thorn. The magic of these swords are the only hope against the combined power of the two High Kings, the ancient Sithi and the new-crowned human, who have possession of at least one of those swords already. However, one of the other remaining swords, once thought lost to the depths of the sea, may still exist in the frozen heights to the north, near Binabik's ancestral home.
In Naglimund, Simon also learns of a small group of scholars known as the League of the Scroll, of which Morgenes was a member and Binabik is also. Recognizing the true danger facing the land of Osten Ard, only the League holds the knowledge of times past, which may be the only hope of salvation for young Simon and his friends.
Simon and Binabik join a company of soldiers to go to the far north to recover the magical blade, and along the way, they are aided by the Sithi, an ancient fairy folk, who help them survive several dangers. Eventually, Simon and his small company reach the icy mountains which are home to the powerful sword. Simon discovers the blade but shortly afterwards the troupe are attacked by a fierce iceworm. Simon, despite his fears, bravely tries to fight it off, suffering a wound in the process.
As the novel progresses, the narrative widens, giving the reader secondary viewpoints besides those of Simon. Some of the side stories include those of Isgrimnur, Duke of Rimmersgard; Maegwin, the daughter of the Hernystiri client king; and Tiamak, a scribe in the marshes of the distant South.
[edit] Characters in "The Dragonbone Chair"
[edit] Erkynlanders
- Simon Mooncalf
- King John Presbyter
- King Elias
- Prince Josua Lackhand
- Princess Miriamele
- Rachel the Dragon
[edit] Rimmersmen
- Duke Isgrimnur
- Sludig
- Jarnauga
[edit] Hernystiri
- Cadrach
- Maegwin
[edit] Other or unknown
- Binabik (Qanuc)
- Geloë
- Jiriki (Sithi)
- Doctor Morgenes
- Pryrates
