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elenajohansen 's review for:
The Heart of What Was Lost
by Tad Williams
There was very little question in my mind that I was going to enjoy this sequel-prequel novel, yet I kept putting it off until I needed to read it for a challenge it fit. Why? I wanted to reread Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn first, and that's a big commitment that I never managed to make time for. I've read those books at least seven or eight times, but not recently, probably not for at least five or six years. Maybe longer. I was afraid I wasn't going to remember what had happened clearly enough to follow along.
That was an absolutely needless worry. Williams reminds his readers at key points, mostly seamlessly, of the important events that bear relevance to the story. Only the high points matter--did you remember who the enemy was? Did you remember the tower fell? Did you remember who became king and queen? So it's all there in this, when necessary, for context. (In fact, I think one thing is over-emphasized, Isorn's death, because one of the main characters here is his father Isgrimnur and it seems he can't have a single scene without bringing it up. Which in one way is fair, because he's still grieving deeply, but in another way is also flat-out repetitive. Compared to all the strengths of this, that's an incredibly minor quibble for me, though.)
I was not expecting and deeply enjoyed and appreciated having a Norn POV character. The insight into their society, mostly unknown until now, was fascinating, and this story sets up interesting questions about what direction the new trilogy will take us. I devoured every bit of history text the chronicler set out before the Viyeki's scenes, and he was a truly sympathetic character, with his doubts and worries and slightly alien (but still strong) sense of honor and conduct.
I finished this and was so excited by it, so happy to slip back into such a familiar and vivid setting, that I went and broke my current book-buying ban to pick up a copy of The Witchwood Crown. Osten Ard is back, baby!
That was an absolutely needless worry. Williams reminds his readers at key points, mostly seamlessly, of the important events that bear relevance to the story. Only the high points matter--did you remember who the enemy was? Did you remember the tower fell? Did you remember who became king and queen? So it's all there in this, when necessary, for context. (In fact, I think one thing is over-emphasized, Isorn's death, because one of the main characters here is his father Isgrimnur and it seems he can't have a single scene without bringing it up. Which in one way is fair, because he's still grieving deeply, but in another way is also flat-out repetitive. Compared to all the strengths of this, that's an incredibly minor quibble for me, though.)
I was not expecting and deeply enjoyed and appreciated having a Norn POV character. The insight into their society, mostly unknown until now, was fascinating, and this story sets up interesting questions about what direction the new trilogy will take us. I devoured every bit of history text the chronicler set out before the Viyeki's scenes, and he was a truly sympathetic character, with his doubts and worries and slightly alien (but still strong) sense of honor and conduct.
I finished this and was so excited by it, so happy to slip back into such a familiar and vivid setting, that I went and broke my current book-buying ban to pick up a copy of The Witchwood Crown. Osten Ard is back, baby!