Into the Narrowdark

"We make marks on maps to separate one country from the next, then write treaties to make law of those separations, she thought. But in truth, unless people contest the borders, the differences mean little. Most folk who live on the edges speak the language of both sides, and there is little else to separate one nation's people from another's. So is there something wrong in the way men rule each other? she wondered. Animals walk and birds fly freely from one land to the next and no one thinks to stop them doing it. And God makes no lines across His Heavens-the sky is blue from one horizon to the other with scarcely a difference to be seen, let alone a boundary. And yet His children fight each other to the death over lines they can only imagine." How true is that, especially in the light of nowadays war?

Three years I have waited for this volume. And guess what? Not only it exceeded my expectations, but there will be a fourth volume! No matter how long are Tad Williams' stories, they are never boring, and the writing is exquisite. Nothing is left to chance, every character is perfectly shaped, every aspect is thoroughly detailed, and there is no info dump whatsoever. Of course, this is just my opinion, as a die-hard fan of his works.

This third part is the quiet before the storm - literary and figuratively speaking. Queen Utuk'ku has rebuilt the army, and has one more Ace left in her sleeve, which I think will turn against her, if I'm not mistaken - I can hardly wait to see if I guessed correctly. The royal family is still scattered, false news are all over, and Pasevalles is joining my most-hated-characters-ever list, beside Reynonds' Skade and Watts' Desjardins.

Some from the enemies' side turn out to be not really enemies, and a few grow on you page by page. There are quite a few unexpected twists, some questions answered but more have arisen, and a bigger mystery is waiting to be discovered in the next and final volume, which I think will be even more epic than the last volume in Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn. But I truly wish that further books will be written in this saga; I'm not ready to leave Osten Ard yet.

It seems a no brainer but worth saying that if you're a fan of Williams and have followed his Osten Ard world since Dragonbone Chair then there really isn't any reason not to plunge into this return to that world. This is the third volume so even if you haven't read the original Trilogy (four in paperback) you'll want to start with Witchwood Crown. In typical Williams style there is a fourth volume in this Trilogy to come! This is a world worth investing time in!

This is a very huge book and an excellent fantasy book. I recently discovered this author and I'm more than happy I could immerse myself into the world of Osten Ard.
Please not that this is the first part of the final instalment and I can't wait to read the next book.
The author deliver a great story and I loved it since the initial recap. The recap it also made me understand how many characters and twists were in this series and this book is also full of actions and twists.
Excellent storyteller, great plot.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine