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Stone of Farewell (1 of 3) [Dramatized Adaptation]: Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn 2
From master storyteller and New York Times-bestseller Tad Williams comes the second book in the landmark epic fantasy saga of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn.
Tad Williams introduced readers to the incredible fantasy world of Osten Ard in his internationally bestselling series Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn. The trilogy inspired a generation of modern fantasy writers, including George R.R. Martin, Patrick Rothfuss, and Christopher Paolini, and defined Tad Williams as one of the most important fantasy writers of our time.
It is a time of darkness, dread, and ultimate testing for the realm of Osten Ard, for the wild magic and terrifying minions of the undead Sithi ruler, Ineluki the Storm King, are spreading their seemingly undefeatable evil across the kingdom.
With the very land blighted by the power of Ineluki’s wrath, the tattered remnants of a once-proud human army flee in search of a last sanctuary and rallying point—the Stone of Farewell, a place shrouded in mystery and ancient sorrow.
And even as Prince Josua seeks to rally his scattered forces, Simon and the surviving members of the League of the Scroll are desperately struggling to discover the truth behind an almost-forgotten legend, which will take them from the fallen citadels of humans to the secret heartland of the Sithi—where near-immortals must at last decide whether to ally with the race of men in a final war against those of their own blood.
Adapted from the novel and produced with a full cast of actors, immersive sound effects and cinematic music!
Tad Williams introduced readers to the incredible fantasy world of Osten Ard in his internationally bestselling series Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn. The trilogy inspired a generation of modern fantasy writers, including George R.R. Martin, Patrick Rothfuss, and Christopher Paolini, and defined Tad Williams as one of the most important fantasy writers of our time.
It is a time of darkness, dread, and ultimate testing for the realm of Osten Ard, for the wild magic and terrifying minions of the undead Sithi ruler, Ineluki the Storm King, are spreading their seemingly undefeatable evil across the kingdom.
With the very land blighted by the power of Ineluki’s wrath, the tattered remnants of a once-proud human army flee in search of a last sanctuary and rallying point—the Stone of Farewell, a place shrouded in mystery and ancient sorrow.
And even as Prince Josua seeks to rally his scattered forces, Simon and the surviving members of the League of the Scroll are desperately struggling to discover the truth behind an almost-forgotten legend, which will take them from the fallen citadels of humans to the secret heartland of the Sithi—where near-immortals must at last decide whether to ally with the race of men in a final war against those of their own blood.
Adapted from the novel and produced with a full cast of actors, immersive sound effects and cinematic music!
10 pages, Audible Audio
Published June 26, 2026
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
(Advance listener copy provided in exchange for honest feedback. All opinions are my own.)
Story Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Production Rating: ★★★★★
This review may contain light spoilers for Book 2 Part 1. I also want to preface that I have not read the entirety of Book 2 and have no idea how it will end, so this review is based solely on Part 1.
I have always loved sprawling high fantasy series, especially coming-of-age sagas like The Wheel of Time, The Farseer Trilogy, Mistborn, and (the still incomplete) A Song of Ice and Fire. This series reads like a very slow match being lit and puts me in mind of lower-action, prose-rich travel sagas such as The Blade Itself or The Lord of the Rings (which on screen is thrilling, but on page can sometimes put me to sleep).
Memory, Sorrow and Thorn is a composition of elegant prose and immersive descriptions, but the action is widely spaced and slow to appear. I am all for story setup, character establishment and exposition, but I need a hook—and aside from the thrilling bridge battle in Book One and an exciting mountain battle in this adaptation, this series hasn’t quite grabbed me…but it has nudged me. Tad Williams is considered one of fantasy’s greats, so while I hadn’t read this series before, when I saw GraphicAudio was adapting it, I was eager to listen. Alas, I have spent much of the series thinking: “Tad… I trust you… but I’m gonna need something to happen soon.”
Book One felt like the Tutorial Castle. Book Two, Part One feels like the Escort Quest as the main characters traverse the world. Meanwhile, our lead character Simon appears to be doing a challenge run and has yet to spend his stat points.
That said—the adaptation of this portion of Book Two is exquisite and rates among the better immersion-rich audio experiences I’ve had.
I must comment on the excellent sound design: realistic footsteps changing with terrain, howling wind, crackling fires, varied echoes, and some of the most natural crowd noise I have heard in a full-cast production. One of the touches that really jumped out at me was the unique way they portrayed Binabik translating during his trial. So often, either the narrator, translator, or listener simply recites the translated dialogue, but overlapping the original speaker with Binabik’s translation creates a very immersive effect. I also appreciated the variety of accents across the cast, which helped reinforce the scale and diversity of the world.
HOWEVER.
Like the Wheel of Time, this author has an absolutely enormous cast of characters, but many of Tad William's character and location names feel complex and difficult to spell or pronounce… because fantasy. Having not read the books beforehand, I personally struggled at times to keep track of who was who or where things were happening. I relied heavily on actor voice recognition, and when secondary characters or places were referenced by name, I was occasionally lost.
Peter Holdway continues to be a soothing narrator for fantasy. His pleasant voice perfectly paints descriptions of bustling towns and sprawling vistas, as well as the internal dialogue of the characters. RJ Bayley as Prince Josua was very regal as he works to lead his people in dire circumstances. Kymberley Cochrane as Miriamele felt noble and reserved despite her tribulations. Christopher Walker gave Binabik warmth and wisdom, (still surprising traits for a Troll). Stewart Crank as Simon shows impressive range here—making Simon’s immaturity feel intentional rather than accidental, even when it’s frustrating to listen to.
While young Simon is a teen, he is surrounded by wise advisors and loyal friends, yet much of his internal dialogue is jam-packed with complaints and self pity. I'm not sure exactly how much time has passed since Simon left Hayholt Castle, but considering how many diverse people he has met, and how many things he has endured, I feel he should have experienced SOME character growth by now. Alas, that day is not today. He may carry the sword of destiny, but he has not yet become the person worthy of wielding it. I will note that in our final chapter of this adaptation, Simon seems to have realized this and seems resolved to level up, so to speak.
Overall, while this book is part of a widely beloved series, the slow nature of the story was not for me. I believe established fans of this series will delight in the adaptation, the quality of which has increased my rating from 2 stars to 3. People who enjoy description-rich, slow-burn, coming-of-age epics may find a new favorite series here. I am hopeful Part 1 feels stronger in retrospect once I can see how all the threads come together. I also suspect I may have enjoyed this more as a single installment for the entirety of Book 2—or even split into two parts rather than three—to help maintain forward momentum of a slower story.
Thank you, GraphicAudio, for the chance to review this book.
Story Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Production Rating: ★★★★★
This review may contain light spoilers for Book 2 Part 1. I also want to preface that I have not read the entirety of Book 2 and have no idea how it will end, so this review is based solely on Part 1.
I have always loved sprawling high fantasy series, especially coming-of-age sagas like The Wheel of Time, The Farseer Trilogy, Mistborn, and (the still incomplete) A Song of Ice and Fire. This series reads like a very slow match being lit and puts me in mind of lower-action, prose-rich travel sagas such as The Blade Itself or The Lord of the Rings (which on screen is thrilling, but on page can sometimes put me to sleep).
Memory, Sorrow and Thorn is a composition of elegant prose and immersive descriptions, but the action is widely spaced and slow to appear. I am all for story setup, character establishment and exposition, but I need a hook—and aside from the thrilling bridge battle in Book One and an exciting mountain battle in this adaptation, this series hasn’t quite grabbed me…but it has nudged me. Tad Williams is considered one of fantasy’s greats, so while I hadn’t read this series before, when I saw GraphicAudio was adapting it, I was eager to listen. Alas, I have spent much of the series thinking: “Tad… I trust you… but I’m gonna need something to happen soon.”
Book One felt like the Tutorial Castle. Book Two, Part One feels like the Escort Quest as the main characters traverse the world. Meanwhile, our lead character Simon appears to be doing a challenge run and has yet to spend his stat points.
That said—the adaptation of this portion of Book Two is exquisite and rates among the better immersion-rich audio experiences I’ve had.
I must comment on the excellent sound design: realistic footsteps changing with terrain, howling wind, crackling fires, varied echoes, and some of the most natural crowd noise I have heard in a full-cast production. One of the touches that really jumped out at me was the unique way they portrayed Binabik translating during his trial. So often, either the narrator, translator, or listener simply recites the translated dialogue, but overlapping the original speaker with Binabik’s translation creates a very immersive effect. I also appreciated the variety of accents across the cast, which helped reinforce the scale and diversity of the world.
HOWEVER.
Like the Wheel of Time, this author has an absolutely enormous cast of characters, but many of Tad William's character and location names feel complex and difficult to spell or pronounce… because fantasy. Having not read the books beforehand, I personally struggled at times to keep track of who was who or where things were happening. I relied heavily on actor voice recognition, and when secondary characters or places were referenced by name, I was occasionally lost.
Peter Holdway continues to be a soothing narrator for fantasy. His pleasant voice perfectly paints descriptions of bustling towns and sprawling vistas, as well as the internal dialogue of the characters. RJ Bayley as Prince Josua was very regal as he works to lead his people in dire circumstances. Kymberley Cochrane as Miriamele felt noble and reserved despite her tribulations. Christopher Walker gave Binabik warmth and wisdom, (still surprising traits for a Troll). Stewart Crank as Simon shows impressive range here—making Simon’s immaturity feel intentional rather than accidental, even when it’s frustrating to listen to.
While young Simon is a teen, he is surrounded by wise advisors and loyal friends, yet much of his internal dialogue is jam-packed with complaints and self pity. I'm not sure exactly how much time has passed since Simon left Hayholt Castle, but considering how many diverse people he has met, and how many things he has endured, I feel he should have experienced SOME character growth by now. Alas, that day is not today. He may carry the sword of destiny, but he has not yet become the person worthy of wielding it. I will note that in our final chapter of this adaptation, Simon seems to have realized this and seems resolved to level up, so to speak.
Overall, while this book is part of a widely beloved series, the slow nature of the story was not for me. I believe established fans of this series will delight in the adaptation, the quality of which has increased my rating from 2 stars to 3. People who enjoy description-rich, slow-burn, coming-of-age epics may find a new favorite series here. I am hopeful Part 1 feels stronger in retrospect once I can see how all the threads come together. I also suspect I may have enjoyed this more as a single installment for the entirety of Book 2—or even split into two parts rather than three—to help maintain forward momentum of a slower story.
Thank you, GraphicAudio, for the chance to review this book.
Displaying 1 of 1 review