Stone of Farewell
Stone of Farewell is the middle novel in Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy. The saga develops the narrative started in The Dragonbone Chair and substantially is focused on Simon, a former kitchen servant in the largest castle in the land.
 First edition | |
| Author | Tad Williams |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Michael Whelan |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Publisher | DAW Books |
Publication date | August 1990 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback and Paperback) |
| Pages | 608 (Hardback) |
| ISBN | 0-88677-435-7 |
| OCLC | 22143548 |
| 813/.54 20 | |
| LC Class | PS3573.I45563 S76 1990 |
| Preceded by | The Dragonbone Chair |
| Followed by | To Green Angel Tower |
Plot summary
The previous volume saw Simon wound a dragon with the mystical sword Thorn, splashing himself in dragon’s blood, leaving himself deeply scarred (physically and emotionally). Now bearing the sobriquet "Snowlock", he and his companions leave the mountains in search of the mysterious "Stone of Farewell".
Meanwhile, Josua "Lackhand", brother to the king, leads a motley band of survivors after the disastrous events at Naglimund.
Princess Miriamele, having escaped before the siege of Naglimund, gets caught up in events that demonstrate the evil powers surrounding her father.
Princess Maegwin of Hernystir leads her people deep underground, where they discover secrets that may help turn the tide in a war thought to be hopeless.
Finally, a power rises in the North, but its true implications may not yet be fully revealed.
Reception
Kat Hooper in fantasyliterature.com gives a mixed review of Williams's second novel in the cycle calling it "excessively lengthy and saying it "is everything we’ve come to expect from a middle book in a well-written traditional medieval-style epic fantasy trilogy".[1] She gives it a rating of 3.5 out of 5.
In Locus, Carolyn Cushman said of the novel "an epic fantasy you can get lost in for days, not just hours".[2]
References
- "The Stone of Farewell: A long rambling middle book". Retrieved 5 April 2019.
- "Stone of Farewell". locusmag.com. July 1990. Retrieved 5 April 2019.