Tad Williams announces THE LAST KING OF OSTEN ARD, a sequel to MEMORY, SORROW AND THORN

[Guy Kilmore]

I am pretty excited about this. I enjoyed the MS&T greatly, while not a devouring page turner, I enjoyed reading it with the same feelings I have when I would nap on the hammock. I loved it all. I also think that the Sithi are well realized immortals, they truly feel alien and different.

[Jiriki]

I read book one skipped book two and went right to book three and I don't feel like I missed anything.

You missed the best book in the series.

[Starkess]

Great. I liked MS&T enough to feel obligated to read this, but I'll probably be bored 90% of the time. Sigh.

[Isgrimner]

Just found out about this and am so stoked. MS&T were one of my favorites. Yes, The Dragonbone Chair was slow starting, but I'm a patient reader, and on rereads I enjoy the set up.

Also, think Tad's prose is top notch.

[Jussi]

Tad wrote:

As usual, Osten Ard sprouts new branches everywhere I touch it. It's frustrating, because I'd like to follow in detail every story the plot wanders past, but that wouldn't be a book, it would be a set of encyclopedias. Still, maybe that means there will still be some life in the place that I'll need to explore after TLK. Odd but interesting thought. Maybe my fading-years project -- some day, I ain't fading for a long time -- will be to write a kind of Silmarillion-style compendium of some of the hinted at history of OA. (There will still be an awful lot even AFTER the kitchen-sink-included plot lines I'm working on for this one.) Hmmm. Worth thinking about.

Also:

Just to let you know I'm somewhere between two hundred and two hundred and fifty pages in. (Haven't counted lately.) Currently in Elvritshalla and the Hayholt, but also about to be in the Lake Thrithings. Themes are thick and fast on the ground. Not surprising, since I've been here before.

[natty bumppo]

While I have fond memories of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, the story and world building aren't exactly very deep. Is there any reason for a sequel other than money? As these books will probably come with tons of retcon I'm not looking forward to them.

[Le Noir Faineant]

I am excited about these news, and reading these books will likely leave me a happy camper! :)

[Shinrei]

...will be to write a kind of Silmarillion-style compendium of some of the hinted at history of OA.

Yes please! To be honest, that would interest me a LOT more than this new story he's talking about. He promised something like that back in the late 90-ies....i'm still waiting :D

[Jussi]

http://www.tadwilliams.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=852249#p852249

Pertaining to The Witchwood Crown, Tad said that he's still at about the same point in the story as last reported. What's he's been doing for the last month is creating the history and backstory for the Norns since he didn't do that much worldbuilding for them for MS&T

[Jussi]

http://nanowrimo.org/forum_comments/4251687

So, between the things Tad teases us with and the things he told me and some others when we met him two weeks ago, this is who's going to be in the new series for sure:

Simon and Miriamele, Deornoth and Derra obviously

Binabik (And my brain always goes "Binabikbinabikbinabik!" because it just wouldn't be Osten Ard without him. And he'll be riding one of Qantaqa's descendants - which us fans made Tad realise could happen.)

Eolair

Isgrimnur (again, yay! Another one that I love. And I did assume that, 35 years after the end of MST, he would be dead, but apparently not.)

Tiamak

Utuk'ku

I can't remember if he mentioned Jiriki and Aditu by name, but I'm pretty sure we talked about "the Sithi" which I hope means those two in particular

And that one norn, what was his name, Akhenabi?

[Jussi]

Tad wrote yesterday:

I've had a lot of other things going on, so I'm only at about page 400 of the book, but I'm back into a stretch where I can work on it full-time again.

[Calibandar]

Looks like he is still on track for a Fall 2015 release date.

[Jussi]

From the new Reddit AMA:

"Memory, Sorrow and Thorn" was about growing up. "Shadowmarch" was about family. What is the new Osten Ard series about? Or do you even know yet?

As I said above, it's about Time and Mortality and Change. The characters in this book, at least those we knew from the first series, will have gone through approximately the same amount of time since then as I have myself, and we've all changed.

In The Witchwood Crown will the characters be all new or will we see some of the characters from MST reappear?

We will see a near-equal mix of old characters (now older!) and new characters. Most of the main characters from the first books will make at least an appearance, many will be leading actors, and many mysteries from the first books will finally be solved. But new readers shouldn't have any problems starting with these.

Do Sithi women have periods or more broadly: how do they reproduce?

Sithi reproduce very much like humans, albeit they conceive much less frequently, and the gestation is probably a bit longer.

This being a sequel, what kind of an emotional roller coaster are you riding as you write and do your concerns for your old fans expectations versus bringing in new fans affect the story or are you just having a blast!?!

Oh... And do you really think you can do a trilogy this time?

Trilogy? Who knows? But I'm shooting for it.

I'm generally enjoying the process very much, but of course there is a sense of responsibility to readers of the first series. I don't want to spoil anyone's original experience. However, I couldn't write a good book if I was only curating treasured memories. I intend to make it interesting for both groups, the new and the old.

where does Bobby Dollar's story go after this initial trilogy?

I would like to write individual Bobby Dollar volumes, and have one planned for up the road. Also, I'll be releasing a LONG Bobby Dollar short story for Christmas.

Will the new series go to land where the Garden born originally came from?

Only in possible flashback. But the Garden and the history of Sithi and Norns in Osten Ard are definitely a big part of this one.

I think that my absolute favorite thing you've ever written is The War of the Flowers. I've read it at least a dozen times, and I consider it one of the finest novels I've ever read. Is there any chance you could revisit that world as well?

I used to say "I'll never write sequels", but obviously I've changed my mind, at least with Osten Ard, so who can say? I too am very proud of and fond of THE WAR OF THE FLOWERS. But I won't write a sequel to anything unless the story comes first. I have to be driven by a story I want to tell before anything else.

So, my question. On reread I noticed how young the protagonists were, especially Simon and Miriamele. Will the new series focus on young protagonists, or focus more on the (now) older cast?

Both. We will see many of the old characters, who will be middle-aged, but there will be a ton of new protagonists (and antagonists) as well.

Also, how many books will be in the sequel?

There will be three books (don't laugh). The titles will be:

The Witchwood Crown, Sea of Grass, The Navigator's Children

I thought the second book was titled Empire of Grass...

[Jussi]

From Tad Williams' message board:

Just wanted to mention that I've started Part Two (not the second novel but the second part of the first novel). That's meaningless without context, but for me it's the various subplots starting to come together and interact with each other, and some of the new ones finally introduced.

[Nicomo Cosca]

Even though I wasn't a big fan of the last 2-3 chapters of TGAT I'm very excited for this trilogy! Looking forward to finally read it!

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

Will we find out if "the Garden" is another planet?

[Derfel Cadarn]

Hopefully it will be settled. I was intrigued by the idea and paid attention during a re-read for clues one way or the other. A few things back it up, but in the end I regretfully concluded No. Can't remember why exactly, possibly due to the navigator elves talking about the ocean.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

DC,

"Ocean" could be metaphore for space.

[Maltaran]

I think the speculation was mainly because the Ocean Unending and Eternal was described as being black

[Derfel Cadarn]

DC,

"Ocean" could be metaphore for space.

I know. But the navigators settled by the sea and (cant remember exactly) theyvway the spoke of it seemed to associate it with the ocean they crossed to get to osten ard. My assumption is they were at sea for years due to floods/geographical upheaval and were wqiting until it was settled. We'll hopefully find out.