Given this is the third book in the series, and all of them are tome-length, and the comment above on the complicated plotting, it goes without saying this is not a book to be read on its own. For those still reading, there will be some inevitable spoilers for the first two books, The Witchwood Crown and Empire of Grass (not to mention the original decades-old series that began this story). I’m also assuming you’re going to recognize the following names and plot points. Tad and his wife Deborah Beale are also working on the third ORDINARY FARM novel, currently titled The Heirs of Ordinary Farm. There is no publication date for this book yet. However, this is his next project now LAST KING is finished. Tad had been working on the next volume in THE LAST KING OF OSTEN ARD for some time, when he realized that he would not be able to fit all of the story in one volume that would be publishable, so he and his publishers decided to split the book into two, smaller more manageable volumes. Rest assured, these volumes will still be Tad-sized (i.e. quite gargantuan). Tad has now published the third book – now called Into the Narrowdark in the US and the UK. He is has also finished the – now – fourth and final book that will now be The Navigator’s Children. US und UK publication will most likely be sometime in 2024. Happy Into the Narrowdark release day! I know many of you are chomping at the bit to read and discuss so I've pinned 4 separate discussion threads to the r/TadWilliams subreddit. Anyway, at that point, I split the final volume into two parts, Into The Narrowdark(I’ll call it IND; it’s out now!) and The Navigator’s Children(called NVCfrom now on). I put aside the half of the story which would become NVC(and finalized INDwhile also writing Brothers of the Wind( BotW). This whole process took about a year, during which time I made many changes to various plots in INDwhile leaving NVC‘s first draft still unfinished, a sort of time-capsule of What I Had Planned, though many, many necessary changes/new ideas/improvements had come to me during the preparation of INDand BotWfor publication, and they changed what NVCwould be in many ways.

Into the Narrowdark: Book Three of The Last King - AbeBooks Into the Narrowdark: Book Three of The Last King - AbeBooks

And acting as an effective salve to any sense of plot familiarity is Williams’ always wonderfully rich depiction of the non-humans in this world. His Norn don’t feel like more graceful, athletic, and eloquent humans but feel truly different. As well, he introduces a host of different forms for the non-humans beyond the usual elves and dwarves (or whatever they’re called in a particular work). Even the Sithi, fairy-kin to the Norns, are helpless to stop Utuk'ku's triumph as her armies simultaneously march on the Hayholt and force their way into the forbidden, ogre-guarded valley of Tanakiru - the Narrowdark - where a secret waits that might bring Simon's people and their Sithi allies salvation - or doom.It's quite the tapestry that Tad Williams has woven. If you like fantasy that doesn't hit you over the head with magic spells, or world-spanning tales with numerous rich characters, you'll enjoy what Williams has brought to the table here. I know I did * DEN OF GEEK * Inspired me to write my own seven-book trilogy.... It's one of my favourite fantasy series' George R. R. Martin, Tad Williams is a master storyteller, and the Osten Ard books are his masterpiece. Williams' return to Osten Ard is every bit as compelling, deep, and fully-rendered as the first trilogy, and he continues to write with the experience and polish of an author at the top of his game * BRANDON SANDERSON, #1 NEW YORK TIMES-BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE STORMLIGHT ARCHIVE *

Into the Narrowdark: Book Three of The Last King of Osten Ard

Meanwhile, a deadly army of Norns led by the ageless, vengeful Queen Utuk’ku, has swept into Erkyland and thrown down the fortress of Naglimund, slaughtering the inhabitants and digging up the ancient grave of Ruyan the Navigator so that Utuk’ku can use the Navigator’s fabled armor to call up the spirit of Hakatri, the evil Storm King’s brother.

Meanwhile, a deadly army of Norns led by the ageless, vengeful Queen Utuk’ku, has swept into Erkynland and thrown down the fortress of Naglimund, slaughtering the inhabitants and digging up the ancient grave of Ruyan the Navigator. Utuk’ku plans to use the Navigator’s fabled armor to call up the spirit of Hakatri, the evil Storm King’s brother.

Into the Narrowdark | Memory Sorrow and Thorn Wiki | Fandom Into the Narrowdark | Memory Sorrow and Thorn Wiki | Fandom

The books also look like they might come out sooner than expected, with the publishers considering a spring 2022 release for the first volume and a late summer 2022 release for the second, just a few months later. Previously the publishers had been considering 22 October 2022 for the first volume and an early-to-mid-2023 release date for the second, so it appears they've shuffled things up, which is good news. Tad Williams is a California-based fantasy superstar. His genre-creating (and genre-busting) books have sold tens of millions worldwide, in twenty-five languages. His considerable output of epic fantasy and science fiction book-series, stories of all kinds, urban fantasy novels, comics, scripts, etc., have strongly influenced a generation of writers: the Otherland epic now plays as an MMO on steam.com. He, his family and his animals live in the Santa Cruz mountains in a suitably strange and beautiful house. Meanwhile, a deadly army of Norns led by the ageless, vengeful Queen Utuk'ku, has swept into Erkynland and thrown down the fortress of Naglimund, slaughtering the inhabitants and digging up the ancient grave of Ruyan the Navigator. Utuk'ku plans to use the Navigator's fabled armor to call up the spirit of Hakatri, the evil Storm King's brother. 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.. Even the Sithi, fairy-kin to the Norns, are helpless to stop Utuk’ku’s triumph as her armies simultaneously march on the Hayholt and force their way into the forbidden, ogre-guarded valley of Tanakirú—the Narrowdark—where a secret waits that might bring Simon’s people and their Sithi allies salvation—or doom."

As you may have heard me say online, this last volume, The Navigator’s Children, has proved to be the strangest and most difficult book I’ve ever written. Because the pandemic largely shut down publishing for much of two years while I was working on the first iteration of Navigator(when it still represented the third and final volume of the TLKOOAtrilogy) it was clear that I would have a long stretch of dead time before any books could be published. I had the short volume of Brothers of the Windstill to write, which I had previously planned to do after TLKOOAwas completed, but the Covid-bomb blowing up publishing schedules made me decide to write it before completing Volume Last of TLKOOA, which was then still a trilogy. Want to help us defray the cost of domains, hosting, software, and postage for giveaways? Donate here: This was actually a good thing, I have to admit. It allowed me to more fully integrate Brothers—which takes place a thousand years before Simon’s and Miriamele’s era—into the events of TLKOOA, an idea I had long preferred but had been forced to surrender because of my previous, pre-Covid writing/publishing schedule. (That being—I have to deliver books every so often or we don’t get paid money, and without money—well, you know how capitalism works, I don’t have to tell you.) By the way, I believe that The Last King of Osten Ardhas now passed Memory, Sorrow, and Thornfor the longest time I’ve spent on one project. I’m not 100% positive, but I’ve always remembered writing that first multi-volume story as taking about seven years—starting Dragonbone Chairto finishing To Green Angel Tower. I believe I started TLKOOAin 2014, so we’ve slipped past that old record.

Into the Narrowdark by Tad Williams: 9781524735562

BILL CAPOSSERE, who's been with us since June 2007, lives in Rochester NY, where he is an English adjunct by day and a writer by night. His essays and stories have appeared in Colorado Review, Rosebud, Alaska Quarterly, and other literary journals, along with a few anthologies, and been recognized in the "Notable Essays" section of Best American Essays. His children's work has appeared in several magazines, while his plays have been given stage readings at GEVA Theatre and Bristol Valley Playhouse. When he's not writing, reading, reviewing, or teaching, he can usually be found with his wife and son on the frisbee golf course or the ultimate frisbee field. Inspired me to write my own seven-book trilogy…. It’s one of my favorite fantasy series.”—George R. R. Martin, New York Times-bestselling author of A Song of Ice and Fire With this book, The Last King of Osten Ard has achieved the greatest possible feat for a sequel: that is, I can no longer imagine the originals without it' TOR.COM Panoramic, vigorous, often moving…. Williams adroitly weaves together the tales…heralding a suitably epic and glorious conclusion.”— Publishers Weekly The discussions are in 10 chapter increments since there are 40 chapters. I felt it would be best for people to pop in to these individual threads since I'm sure we will be reading at different paces. Just remember, these threads will have spoilers for the full 10 chapters and so on as indicated in the title!

If you’re reading this book, then you’ve read the earlier ones (I assume) and quite possibly others in Williams’ collection of work. In which case you probably began Into the Narrowdark with eyes wide open in terms of pacing. Williams, probably more than any other author I know, take his time in unspinning his story and shading in his characters. His books tend to be long, his plots tend to be drawn out, and his scenes do not always feel like they drive the plot forward (that isn’t to say they have no purpose, just plot movement isn’t necessarily it), and that holds true here as well. It’s been . . . fun, in a strange, painful way, because it’s really hard work, and I love a challenge. But it’s also hard work and a challenge, so it’s slower than if I was just writing a final volume from scratch. And sometimes it makes my head really hurt. But, like I said, challenge. Wow, I really enjoyed hearing about your process and the complexity of events that you faced as you over came the obstacles. Keep up your excellent work, it shows. Love your work.