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36-439: Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn is a trilogy of epic fantasy novels by American writer Tad Williams , comprising The Dragonbone Chair (1988), Stone of Farewell (1990), and To Green Angel Tower (1993). Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn takes place on the fictional continent of Osten Ard, comprising several united countries. Williams used several characters, both protagonist and antagonist, as point of view characters throughout

72-596: A day's travel away, distant continents were necessary from the Renaissance onwards for such fantastic speculation to be plausible, until finally, further exploration rendered all such terrestrial fantasy lands implausible. Even within the span of mere decades, Oz, which had been situated in a desert in the United States when first written about in 1900, was relocated to a spot in the Pacific Ocean. An early example of

108-451: A deep concern with moral issues; in other works, the conflict is a power struggle, with, for instance, wizards behaving irresponsibly whether they are "good" or "evil". Role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons with campaign settings like Dragonlance by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis and Forgotten Realms by Ed Greenwood are a common basis for many fantasy books and many other authors continue to contribute to

144-458: A fantasy land with definite connections to the actual world is Austin Tappan Wright's Islandia . Islandia's remoteness and aura of mystery, as well as its preservation of an arcadian society, are explained by means of a law that allows only limited contact with foreigners. Dream frames were also once common for encasing the fantasy world with an explanation of its marvels. Such a dream frame

180-616: A lack of land to contain it; but such Ruritanian romances may be pushed toward the category of fantasy worlds by the introduction of figures such as witches and wise women, where it is not clear if their magic is effectual. According to Lin Carter in Imaginary Worlds: the Art of Fantasy , fantasy worlds, by their nature, contain some element of magic (paranormal) . This element may be the creatures in it ( dragons , unicorns , genies and so on) or

216-413: A world-threatening problem. In many novels the hero is an orphan or unusual sibling, and frequently portrayed with an extraordinary talent for magic or combat. They begin the story young, if not as an actual child, or are portrayed as being very weak and/or useless. The hero often begins as a childlike figure, but matures rapidly, experiencing a considerable gain in fighting/problem-solving abilities along

252-539: Is not considered to include the sword and sorcery genre. High fantasy has often been defined by its themes and messages. " Good versus evil " is a common one in high fantasy, and defining the character of evil is often an important theme in a work of high fantasy, such as The Lord of the Rings . The importance of the concept of good and evil can be regarded as the distinguishing mark between high fantasy and sword and sorcery. In many works of high fantasy, this conflict marks

288-512: The United States , Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn was well received by book critics. Of Stone of Farewell , Locus called it "an epic fantasy you can get lost in for days, not just hours". Publishers Weekly said that Stone of Farewell is a "panoramic, vigorous, often moving sequel to The Dragonbone Chair ". Of the series, Amaranth Magazine said, "This is quite simply the best story I have read next to LORD OF THE RINGS…destined to become among

324-524: The Looking-Glass . Due to the fuzzy boundary between fantasy and science fiction , it is sometimes difficult to make a hard-and-fast distinction between "fantasy worlds" and planets in science fiction . For example, the worlds of Barsoom , Darkover , Gor , and the Witch World combine elements of both genres and fantasy worlds may have nonexistent, powerful technology. Fairytale fantasy may ignore

360-551: The Rings —are regarded as archetypal works of high fantasy . The term "high fantasy" was coined by Lloyd Alexander in a 1971 essay, "High Fantasy and Heroic Romance", which was originally given at the New England Round Table of Children's Librarians in October 1969. Many high fantasy stories are told from the viewpoint of one main hero. Often, much of the plot revolves around their heritage or mysterious nature, along with

396-448: The World's End . and particularly since the 1954 publication of J.R.R. Tolkien 's The Lord of the Rings . Such a world is often called "pseudo-medieval"—particularly when the writer has snatched up random elements from the era, which covered a thousand years and a continent, and thrown them together without consideration for their compatibility, or even introduced ideas not so much based on

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432-599: The absence of miraculous elements, authors may introduce "a retreat of magic" (sometimes called "thinning") that explains why the magic and other fantastic elements no longer appear: For example, in The Lord of the Rings , the destruction of the One Ring defeated Sauron , but also destroyed the power of the Three Rings of the elves , resulting in them sailing to the West at the end of

468-617: The actual Middle Ages. Fantasy worlds also tend to be economically medieval, and disproportionately pastoral . Careful world-building plus meticulous attention to detail is often cited as the reason why certain fantasy works are deeply convincing and contain a magical sense of place. Heavy and faithful use of real-world setting for inspiration, as in Barry Hughart 's Bridge of Birds , clearly derived from China, or Lloyd Alexander 's use of real-world cultures such as Welsh for The Chronicles of Prydain or Indian for The Iron Ring , make

504-511: The fantastic elements should ideally operate according to self-consistent rules of their own; for example, if wizards' spells sap their strength, a wizard who does not appear to suffer this must either be putting up a facade or have an alternative explanation. This distinguishes fantasy worlds from Surrealism and even from such dream worlds as are found in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through

540-459: The fantasy land/world concept can be seen in the One Thousand and One Nights ( Arabian Nights ), where places of which little was known, but where the occurrence of marvels was thus more credible, had to be set "long ago" or "far away". This is a process that continues and finally culminates in the fantasy world having little connection, if any, to actual times and places. A more recent example of

576-401: The first novel opens Prester John's health in his advanced age is failing and his sons, Elias and Josua, quarrel over who will ascend to the throne. Meanwhile, a dark secret held by Prester John, and the ambitions of a priest named Pryrates, threaten the stability of the continent. Williams used several characters, both villain and protagonist, as point of view characters throughout the scope of

612-453: The great fantasy epics of all time." Epic fantasy High fantasy , or epic fantasy , is a subgenre of fantasy defined by the epic nature of its setting or by the epic stature of its characters , themes , or plot . High fantasy is usually set in an alternative, fictional ("secondary") world , rather than the "real" or "primary" world. This secondary world is usually internally consistent, but its rules differ from those of

648-567: The greatest Fantasy epics of all time." The series was recommended by Ross Douthat during the New York Times podcast The Argument on April 4, 2019. American author George R. R. Martin was a fan of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn . Martin has cited Williams' work as a key influence of his own epic high fantasy novel series, A Song of Ice and Fire . American author Christopher Paolini , writer of The Inheritance Cycle , also cited Memory, Sorrow and Thorn as an influence, calling it "one of

684-434: The line between fantasy worlds and alternate histories fuzzy. The use of cultural elements, and still more history and geography, from actual settings, pushes a work toward alternative history. Conversely, the creation by an author of an imaginary country—such as Ruritania or Graustark —does not automatically transform that imaginary country into a fantasy world, even if the location would be impossible in reality owing to

720-433: The magical abilities of the people inhabiting the world. These are often drawn from mythology and folklore , frequently that of the historical country also used for inspiration. Fantasy worlds created through a process called world building are known as a constructed world . Constructed worlds elaborate and make self-consistent the setting of fantasy work. World building often relies on materials and concepts taken from

756-428: The medieval era as on romanticized views of it. When these worlds are copied not so much from history as from other fantasy works, there is a heavy tendency to uniformity and lack of realism. The full width and breadth of the medieval era is seldom drawn upon. Governments, for instance, tend to be uncompromisingly feudal-based, or evil empires or oligarchies , usually corrupt, while there was far more variety of rule in

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792-451: The mischievous adventurer, accidentally uncovers some of Pryrates' true nature and becomes wrapped into a conspiracy that threatens not only his country of Erkynland, but Osten Ard itself. To Green Angel Tower' s paperback edition is presented in two parts due to its sheer size, totaling nearly 1600 pages in length. Parts 1 and 2 were subtitled Siege and Storm , respectively, in their United Kingdom pressings. A nationwide bestseller in

828-505: The nature of the plots; earlier works often feature a solitary individual whose adventures in the fantasy world are of personal significance, and where the world clearly exists to give scope to these adventures, and later works more often feature characters in a social web, where their actions are to save the world and those in it from peril. The most common fantasy world is one based on medieval Europe, and has been since William Morris used it in his early fantasy works, such as The Well at

864-462: The normal world-building in order to present a world operating by the same logic as the fairytales from which they are derived, though other works in this subgenre develop their worlds fully. Comic fantasy may ignore all possible logic in search of humor, particularly if it is parodying other fantasies' faulty world-building, as in Diana Wynne Jones 's Dark Lord of Derkholm , or the illogic of

900-448: The novels, presenting the reader with an assortment of disparate and subjective viewpoints. A novelette set in the world of Osten Ard, The Burning Man , was released in 1998 and later published as a graphic novel. A sequel trilogy, The Last King of Osten Ard , began publication in 2017, following 2017's The Heart of What Was Lost . A prequel to the entirety of Osten Ard, Brothers of the Wind

936-564: The novels. The series primarily follows Simon, a lowly kitchen scullion in Hayholt Castle, as he undergoes tutelage from Doctor Morgenes and is cared for by Rachel "the Dragon", the matriarch of the castle's kitchen and chambermaids. When King John dies, Elias takes the throne with the mysterious priest Pryrates as his advisor; Josua mysteriously disappears and the seasons begin changing, bringing bitter winters and drought-laden summers. Simon, ever

972-436: The primary world. By contrast, low fantasy is characterized by being set on Earth, the primary or real world, or a rational and familiar fictional world with the inclusion of magical elements. The romances of William Morris , such as The Well at the World's End , set in an imaginary medieval world, are sometimes regarded as the first examples of high fantasy. The works of J. R. R. Tolkien —especially The Lord of

1008-449: The real world. Despite the use of magic or other fantastic elements such as dragons, the world is normally presented as one that would function normally, one in which people could actually live, making economic, historical, and ecological sense. It is considered a flaw to have, for example, pirates living in lands far from trade routes, or to assign prices for a night's stay in an inn that would equate to several years’ income. Furthermore,

1044-402: The setting as merely a backdrop for the story have been criticized for their failure to use it fully. Even when the land itself is not in danger, it is often used symbolically, for thematic purposes, and to underscore moods. For readers, fantasy worlds offer a "place...[where] assumptions and desires [about the genre] are confirmed" and emotional satisfaction that comes from various elements of

1080-532: The setting is integral to the comedy, as in L. Sprague de Camp 's Solomon's Stone , where the fantasy world is populated by the heroic and glamorous figures that people daydream about being, resulting in a severe shortage of workers in the more mundane, day-to-day industries. Most other subgenres of fantasy suffer if the world-building is neglected. Rather than creating their own fantasy world, many authors choose to set their novels in Earth's past. In order to explain

1116-405: The settings. Fantasy world Many fantasy worlds draw heavily on real world history, geography, sociology, mythology, and folklore. The setting of a fantasy work is often of great importance to the plot and characters of the story. The setting itself can be imperiled by the evil of the story, suffer a calamity, and be restored by the transformation the story brings about. Stories that use

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1152-611: The story. A contemporary fantasy necessarily takes place in what purports to be the real world, and not a fantasy world. It may, however, include references to such a retreat. J. K. Rowling 's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them explains that wizards eventually decided to conceal all magical creatures and artifacts from non-magic users. Dungeons & Dragons , the first major role-playing game , has created several detailed and commercially successful fantasy worlds (called " campaign settings "), with established characters, locations, histories, and sociologies. The Forgotten Realms

1188-452: The way. The progress of the story leads to the character's learning the nature of the unknown forces against them, that they constitute a force with great power and malevolence. The villains in such stories are usually completely evil and unrelatable. "High fantasy" often serves as a broad term to include a number of different flavors of the fantasy genre, including epic fantasy , mythic fantasy, dark fantasy , and wuxia . It typically

1224-433: The world fulfill readers' expectations for quality. Early fantasy worlds appeared as fantasy lands , part of the same planet but separated by geographical barriers. For example, Oz , though a fantasy world in every way, is described as part of this world. Although medieval peasants who seldom if ever traveled far from their villages could not conclusively say that it was impossible that, for example, an ogre could live

1260-482: Was added to the story of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz for the movie version; in the book, Oz is clearly defined as an actual place. H.P. Lovecraft made active use of the dream frame, creating elaborate geographies accessible to humans only when they were asleep and dreaming. These dream settings have been criticized, and are far less frequent today. This change is part of a general trend toward more self-consistent and substantive fantasy worlds. This has also altered

1296-460: Was published in 2021. Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn takes place on the fictional continent of Osten Ard, home to several united races, including humans, elf-like immortals known as Sithi, and dwarf-like mountain-dwellers named Qanuc. Most of these races have been living in relative unity for decades, thanks to King John the Presbyter (also known as Prester John), who is known to have slain a dragon. When

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