Brothers of the Wind: A Last King of Osten Ard Story

Das Buch hat eine interessante Prämisse, aber die Umsetzung ist nicht immer überzeugend. Die Geschichte ist ambitioniert, aber manche Teile fühlen sich etwas zerstückelt an.

Klasse!

Ein tolles, phantastisches Buch von TW. Ich habe jede einzelne Seite verschlungen. Ich kann dieses Buch daher ohne jede Einschränkung weiterempfehlen.

Synopsis: A Great Worm has come down again from the north, a beast called Hidohebhi, the Blackworm.A thousands years before the tale of Memory, Sorrow & Thorn starts with the Dragonbone Chair, two brothers of the immortal fay folk of the Sithi live in the beautiful town Asu’a. One is the stupid and proud younger brother Ineluki, who will later be known as the undead Storm King. The other brother and the main protagonist of this novel is steady and loyal Hakatri, whose tale features him as the Burning Man, one of the greatest tragic heroes of the Zida’ya (as the Sithi call themselves).Hakatri lives as a well-reknown member of the Sithis’ leaders together with his beautiful wife, his children, cosseted by his faithful servant Pamon Kes.One day, a human leader comes to Asu’a and asks for help, because they can’t handle a beast alone which destroys their livestock and killed men. Ineluki makes a terrible oath that he will destroy the monster. Hakatri follows him to protect his brother and is dragged into a disaster changing his life forever, and not in a good way.Their investigations lead to the identification of the monster as one of the Great Worms which they won’t be able to fight all alone. They have to find help, not only in fighting force, but also in knowledge how to fight the beast.The story is told from Pamon Kes’s perspective, who has to face questions about his identity as one of the Tinukeda`ya, a Changeling, as he struggles to save his master Hakatri.Review: I am so happy that Tad Williams decided to return to Osten Ard in order to investigate this epic tale from the distant past. It fully dives into the culture and setting of the Sithi, Norns, and Changelings in a time when they still lived in cities.Readers of the series know the antagonist Ineluki, the Storm Lord. In parts, this novel tells also his way to destruction. But mostly, it focuses on the heroic deeds and tragic fate of his older brother Hikatri.Where the human tales of Memory, Sorry & Thorn was often light-hearted and even funny, you won’t find such a thing in this very short novel. It is a tragedy just like Tolkien’s Children of Húrin. I don’t know if this a tale for everyone, but I loved it even more than the trilogy.Both main protagonists, Hikatri as well as Pamon Kes, are relatable, positive characters who are developing in different ways: Pamon Kes needs to redefine his place within the society, and Hikatri has to face his tragedy which changes everything.The novel covers a lot of ground, the killing of the dragon just one of several parts, followed by a long journey through Osten Ard.Two things I’d love to see changed: One, the logical but abrupt ending. Second, the length: my heart longs for far more than only 271 pages while my brain tells me that the tale’s density can’t be better. In a time of doorstoppers (looking at you, Sanderson!) this book honors the tradition of Earthsea’s short novels.Wow, now I’ve touched Tolkien and Le Guin within one single review. I’ve been up to assess this as a four star book, but looking back I upgrade it to five stars. Because it’s just the kind of thoughtful Epic Fantasy I love to read.

Seems I will be going against the mainstream here. But being a huge fan of practically everything Tad Williams has written so far – from Otherland to Shadowmarch and Osten Ard – I couldn’t help but feel disappointed by this book. The characters remain rather flat (here the ever-impetuous Ineluki, there the ever-noble Hakatri and his ever-loyal servant Pamon Kes), and what’s more, they stay that way. In contrast to many of Williams’ other works, they hardly develop at all. The plot is just as unsurprising: An evil dragon comes to haunt the lands of men, and of course noble Hakatri will help, not least for his impulsive brother’s sake. And of course something will go horribly wrong, which also seemed entirely predictable. Afterwards, the plot feels sluggish at times, like when the attempts of Kes and Hakatri to find help seem to drag on forever, and the end is rather abrupt and unsatisfying. This is still a rather good book for Tad Williams fans like myself who will always be interested in more from the universes he has created. But newcomers would probably be better advised to read Williams’ much better books first, like for example the Shadowmarch series.