Thanks to NetGalley, Tad Williams, and DAW Books for the early ARC!

I have been a fan of Tad Williams for a while now. The epic world building of Osten Ard is reminiscent and similar to other authors, like Terry Brooks and Terry Goodkind. I remember discovering The Dragonbone Chair, To Green Angel Tower, and Stone of Farewell while I was in college and have since dipped in and out this world many times over the years. To see a new book come out, I jumped at the chance to read it!

This current standalone book (...series, I'm sure) takes place 300 years before the story in The Dragonbone Chair. It follows the main characters, Vedra and Daley, as they navigate the dangerous, mysterious, and magical political arena that they find themselves dropped into. Accompanied by a diverse cast of characters, like the swash-buckling Flann and his merry band of "Crows" and the immortal fairy Xaniko, they must find their way in a world set against them from the start.

If you are a fan epic, fully realized fantasy and whirlwind fast pace, I highly recommend this book! Or anything by Tad Williams! Excellent pacing, excellent storytelling, and hands-down one of the best authors of the genre!

The master is back. Wasn't expected a novel from Williams set in Osten Ard but dang if I needed it! I cannot wait for more of this world.

Definitely a banger of a book. Much faster paced than Dragonbone Chair. Very interesting characters with plenty of action. I think this is a great starting point to the series, even if you haven't read any of the other books in the series!

This was a wonderful novel with superb worldbuilding, characters you want to emotionally support and a plot that leaves you on the edge of your seat and with a satisfactory conclusion!

I have just finished reading my review copy of The Splintered Sun by Tad Williams (the first in a new series based in his world of Osten Ard).
**This review is unpaid and will be spoiler free.**

An easy way to start this review is by stating just how incredible it is to be back in Osten Ard. Having said it before I'll say it again, Tad Williams has captured something truly special with this world. The Splintered Sun takes place 300 years before events of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn. You could read this without having read any prior works based in Osten Ard. That being said, having the knowledge of that world from the previous books is certainly nice, though not required. (Moreso makes certain moments feel like clever inside jokes or easter eggs.)

This story follows two young protagonists, a young quiet boy named Daley with a love of climbing and light fingers and a teen named Vedra who is discovering her abilities as a scryer. Both have been left alone in life through seperate tradgedies. One accidental theft later and these two lonely kids brought together by happenstance end up in the middle of a fued between two bastard sons fighting for the throne from their half brother and true heir. Their journey ties them with Flann Alderwood (another portagonist) and his group of outlaws known as The Crows as they attempt to protect the true heir on his quest to claim his rightful title.

Tad Williams has done an absolutely brilliant job of making Osten Ard feel fresh again. The threat in this novel feels different than his previous two series in this world and it shows just how different things were 300 years prior. Rather than the potential ending of a whole world we see a kingdom fueding and how the struggle and treachery unfolds. How a band of outlaws will have to use wit and determination to overcome ruthlessness and staggering odds.

"No, this is our lonely fight, and it is a desperate one. And mark my words, more will die before it is over, some of our own among them."

The characters in this novel are absolutely brilliant! Both of the young protagonists are interesting, well written, and bounce off each other and the rest of the cast so realistically. Flann Alderwood is one of my favorite characters Tad Williams has written. The inspiration from Robin Hood is written clearly here and is done remarkably. I laughed out loud many times when reading Flann's wit. The Crows have lots of charm and great dialog as well. The villains of the story feel real, dangerous, and heartless. One thing I really loved about this book is just how everyone involved in the quest has a good reason to be. You'll learn why everyone is fighting this battle what events led them all together. They may be outlaws but when evil men label you as one, maybe you're not so bad.

The action in this novel is not a constant thing but man is it satisfying when it appears. Tad Williams has not lost any ability whatsoever to write a good fight. And in this case some of them are quite humorous. This book certainly has quicker pacing than The Dragonbone Chair (book one of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn). I love the pacing of that book and I don't mind a slowburn at all but the quicker approach found is this book is just as welcome. Many people may even prefer it.

When reading this you can expect a charming, thrilling, fresh new tale in the world of Osten Ard. Whether its your first time here, or if you've already fallen in love with the world you're bound to enjoy this. Tad Williams really surprised me in his short novel Brothers of the Wind but how different he could make a familiar world feel and he's done it again with The Splintered Sun. I'm very excited to see where this story takes us! For a first entry I am impressed! Not surprisingly given the already impressive installments in the previous saga I give The Splintered Sun a 5/5. It has everything you could ask for the first book of a new series. And now we wait for more!

Thank you to DAW for this review copy, and many thanks to Tad Williams for his brilliant writing! This man's prose is unmatched! #NetGalley #DAW #TadWilliams #TheSplinteredSun

I was totally swept away by this classic, high-octane fantasy adventure. Riding alongside Flann and his band of misfits through a fractured kingdom filled me with pure, nostalgic epic-fantasy joy.

This is the start of a new series set in Osten Ard, three hundred years before The Dragonbone Chair, and it's a joy to be back in this world. It follows Flann, a bandit leading a band of misfit rebels called the Crows, as they get pulled into the fight over Hernystir's throne after the old king's health starts failing and warlords begin carving up the kingdom.
What struck me right away is that this moves faster than Williams' earlier Osten Ard books. It's got real momentum, closer in feel to something like The Ember Blade or the found-family camaraderie of Mistborn than to the slow, melancholic build of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn. I know that pacing shift won't be for everyone, but I loved it. The Crows themselves, especially Xanico and Tika, are a genuinely fun, lived-in group, and the political intrigue around the succession crisis gives the plot real stakes without ever feeling like homework.
Williams still writes with the same emotional intelligence that made his earlier work so beloved. There's a line early on about family being what you find and gather along the way rather than just what you're given, and it sets the tone for the whole book.
For longtime fans of Osten Ard, this feels like coming home while still charting new ground. A fantastic start to what I hope is a long series, and one of my favorite reads this year.

Tad Williams would have to go out of his way to write anything less that a 5 star epic fantasy. I discovered him in the late 90s around the time Memory, Sorrow and Thorn was released and he's always been one of my favourite fantasy authors and never fails to disappoint.
I have to say I was a bit wary of this series, set 300 years prior to The Dragonbone Chair. I typically find prequels to be disappointing because I have so much invested in the characters of one series that stories set in the same world sometimes feel like they are shoehorned into the world. Or rehashing a history that we already know after reading the previous novels, it can feel dry and repetitive.
However, I should have trusted Williams because the storyline is both fresh and familiar. Flann Alderwood is obviously based on Robin Hood, but instead of relying on a easy caricature, Flann's character runs deep and his "band of merry men' are based on the characters we know from the fable but Williams has put his talent and depth of writing to make them real as well as anchoring them to the world that by now, we are familiar with.
There is a large amount of characters, as there should be in an epic fantasy. The stakes are high, with a dying king in self-exile who refuses to name an heir. The Queen Utuk'ko shows her hand, or at least her loyal family working on her behalf. The character list is long, which i'm led to believe is "old fashioned" fantasy writing, but whatever, it's just better this way.
The biggest question I asked myself when reading is if a reader who hasn't read the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn or Last King of Osten Ard series would be able to follow this series. Personally, I picked up The Witchwood Crown 30 years after finishing To Green Angel Tower, and while I still recalled the basics of the world and characters, a lot of the details were fuzzy and I had to relearn the different lands and peoples involved. It wasn't difficult for me as a seasoned reader of epic fantasy that needs very little detail to follow the story. I did, however, look up some of the characters in one of the many wikis on the web to reacquaint myself with the background of the characters and the story from the first series.
Williams does a good job of explaining the different areas and cultures of the world without over explaining so I think this book could be picked up without reading the other series. However, having read the other series gives the story a depth and overall richness to the story that a new reader might miss.
My only disappointment is having to wait for the next installment.

Avis Lecture 🧐📖 "The Splintered Sun" - prequel à L'Arcane des Épées de Tad Williams ⚔️🔮

Sortie mondiale VO le 6 octobre 2026 - je remercie Dawbooks pour l'envoi de ce Service Presse 😭

L'auteur l'a toujours annoncé : il ne reviendrait vers son univers que s'il avait des choses à écrire... Et après la claque MONUMENTALE de The Last King of Osten Ard - cycle suite se passant des années après L'Arcane des Épées - j'ai une confiance aveugle et totale en Williams concernant ses retours.
Trois ans que ce nouveau cycle prequel - se passant 300 ans avant L'Arcane des Épées - a été annoncé, trois ans à ronger mon frein et l'attente valait clairement le coup ! 😭😱💗

Une immersion magique et magistrale en Osten Ard : un coup de cœur absolu 💗
The Splintered Sun de Tad Williams n'est pas seulement une réussite, c'est tout simplement ma meilleure lecture de l'année avec "The Mistral". Retrouver l'atmosphère si particulière, riche et envoûtante d'Osten Ard est un pur bonheur, et cet ouvrage confirme une fois de plus le talent inégalé de Williams pour la high fantasy.

Le plus grand point fort de ce récit repose sans aucun doute sur ses personnages. Xaniko et Vedra portent l'histoire avec une intensité formidable. Leur dynamique, leur évolution et la profondeur de leur écriture font qu'il est impossible de ne pas tomber sous leur charme. On s'attache immédiatement à eux, vibrant au rythme de leurs péripéties et de leurs choix.

Sur le plan du lore, le roman est une mine d'or. Williams continue de tisser avec minutie les mystères entourant les différents peuples qui arpentent ces terres légendaires. Ce qui rend la lecture encore plus savoureuse, ce sont les multiples échos et connexions subtiles avec les deux grands cycles (L'Arcane des Épées et The Last King of Osten Ard) ainsi qu'avec les novellas. Chaque détail semble à sa place, enrichissant l'univers global sans jamais alourdir le récit principal.

Que l'on soit un amoureux de la première heure du monde d'Osten Ard ou un lecteur en quête d'une fantasy épique portée par des personnages inoubliables, The Splintered Sun est une merveille. Une œuvre magistrale qui confirme que Tad Williams reste le maître incontesté du genre et mon Roi de la Fantasy ! 💗

Excellent extension of the Osten Ard universe. Just brilliant but I expect no less than one of the masters of Fantasy. A true legend who continually delivers the goods! More to come in a full review.

Tad Williams shows us again why he is one of the Grandmasters of High Fantasy. In his new book, he returns to his most beloved world of Osten ARD, by exploring another era 300 years before the Dragonbone Chair. We follow the adventures of a band of outlaws called the Crows and their leader Flann, as they are drawn into a power struggle between the lords of the kingdom of Hernystir. Powerful supernatural forces are trying to manipulate the human factions for unknown reasons, and there are some really interesting connections to previous Osten Ard books by Williams. I am already looking forward to the next book!

Once again, Tad Williams comes in clutch with a fantastic story that is both new and exciting, but also familiar and comforting. It feels like a lot of books these days have moved away from a classic good vs evil, sword and magic, quest story - which is great, I love the variety. But I also love a good classic fantasy story. And that's what Tad Williams delivers with <i>The Splintered Sun.</i>

A kingdom with an absent king and no proclaimed heir. A prince who wants his father's blessing, but whose life is threatened by his brothers. A charismatic outlaw who seeks to protect his lands and people and wants revenge against those who wronged him.. Children who stumble into conspiracies they never wanted to be part of and who learn that, not only is magic real, but it is also a very real danger to them. <i>The Splintered Sun</i> has all of that and more.

With multiple points of view, Tad does a great job keeping the plot moving at a pace that makes it hard to put the book down, even during the 'slower' moments of the story. And there are slower moments, but there are even more exciting and tense moments where you can't help but say "just one more page" even though you should be going to sleep.

All in all, a fantastic book and one I can't wait to read again.

Excellent beginning to a new series set in Osten-Ard. Tad Williams never disappoints! He is my go-to for high fantasy, always.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7595071391

Tad Williams is one of my favorite writers, and this may be his most fun novel I've read. Taking place before his Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn novels, this was a swashbuckling adventure with lower stakes than those books. The world isn't at stake, but it's still an epic, I think. I'd always recommend this author, but I'm glad to say this one would get my highest recommendation.

This book is my first tad Williams book and now I’m a fan. Reminded me of feist. Loved it! Beautiful detail and prose and I was in love with every single character