Book Review: The Splintered Sun (The Splintered Sun, #1) by Tad Williams
ARC provided by the publisher—Hodder—in exchange for an honest review.
Cover art by Jeff Brown
The Splintered Sun by Tad Williams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series: The Splintered Sun (Book #1 of 3)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy
Pages: 528 pages (Hardcover Edition)
Word Count: 258,000 words
Published: 6 October 2026 by DAW Books (US) and Hodder (UK)
The Splintered Sun is the start of a new incredible tale in The Osten Ard Saga accompanied with a relatively faster-paced narrative .
“When you are my age, you will be less dismayed and even less surprised by the path that life leads you. I am alive and among friends. That counts for much.”
It is a bittersweet feeling to have read almost every book in The Osten Ard Saga. I know it might sound like sacrilege that I have not read The Navigator’s Children (the last book in The Last King of Osten Ard) yet. And somehow, I still decided to read this newest book/series in the universe. Curiosity in this new series got the best of me. Or maybe a part of me is just trying to postpone finishing every book in The Osten Ard Saga as long as I can. When I first heard there would be another book in this universe, I was immediately elated. Here are two things you should know about Tad Williams, though. First, do not believe him when he says he’s writing a standalone or a trilogy. If he says he’s writing a standalone, the standalone will become a trilogy. If he says he’s writing a trilogy, that trilogy will become a four-book trilogy. But this is not a misfortune. Here’s the other important thing to remember. Tad Williams does not write a bad book. Every book he has written in The Osten Ard Saga ranges from great to amazing. And The Splintered Sun, originally penned as a standalone and now it has turned into a series, is not an exception to these two rules. I am confident those who bounced off reading The Dragonbone Chair could potentially end up liking the pacing and story structure of The Splintered Sun more.
“Mark my words, child. There is no quicker way to lose your mind and your freedom than falling in love.”
So, what’s this book about? The Splintered Sun takes place after Brothers of the Wind but three hundred years before Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy. This book is a swashbuckling story of a fearless bandit and his band of misfit rebels navigating a kingdom menaced by dark sorcery and threatening war. With the old King of Hernystir’s health failing, warlords carve up the land and rival factions clash over the rightful heir. Into this chaos steps Flann, joined by allies both noble and common, to help the King’s one legitimate heir, Prince Ewain, claim his father’s blessing and restore stability. But enemies, human and inhuman, stalk their every move, determined to end Flann’s quest before it begins. And to top it all, the two main characters—Vedra and Daley—will find it impossible to escape the harsh fate and conspiracies they’re about to be plunged into.
“We are all in danger, child, every moment. Every living creature is on a journey from birth to death. How close to that latter destination we are, no one can say.”
Because many people will ask whether this is a good entry point to this universe or not, I will make it clear from the get-go that it is evident that Tad Williams wrote The Splintered Sun with the intention of inviting new readers to the world of Osten Ard. This isn’t to say old-time readers of every book in this world won’t enjoy this book. I doubt that would happen when you’re already a fan of Tad’s writing. We do get to learn more about the Dream Road and the history of Hernystiri, Grasslanders, and a bit of Hayholt—still named Dun ard in this book—with the iconic Green Angel Tower. However, if you’re here expecting to learn something substantial and new about the lore established in the previous books in the universe, this isn’t the book for you. You won’t learn anything significant about the Norns and the Sithi. Things could change in the later books of this series, but for now, The Splintered Sun focuses more on the tale of the two kids, Vedra and Daley, as they find their fates intertwined with Flann Alderwood and his band of outlaws called the Crows. In The Dragonbone Chair, the tale in The Splintered Sun has become folklore, similar to Robin Hood in our world.
“The gods gave us life upon this earth, I know not why, and I can only do my best with what I am given.”
Comparatively speaking, similar to how the early parts of The Dragonbone Chair is told mostly from the perspective of Simon, approximately the first quarter of the book is told from the point-of-view of Vedra and Daley. But there’s a huge difference in pacing between these first installments of their respective series. I absolutely loved every page of The Dragonbone Chair. This includes Simon’s 200-page slice-of-life portion. Some readers, however, find that kind of story structure too slow to their liking. This is where the circumstances differ in The Splintered Sun, and why I believe many modern readers will enjoy the pacing in The Splintered Sun more. Vedra’s capability to scry and Daley’s knack for stealing things—undoubtedly—lead them to conflicts they never expected. From the premise written, I think many people will enter The Splintered Sun expecting Flann to be the key main character of the novel, but it is not. He’s one of the main characters of the book. But most of the book is told from the perspective of Vedra and Daley.
“It means we make our own decisions in this world. That even the gods sometimes must let us choose our own paths, for good or ill.”
This is not a claim that Vedra and Daley are the exclusive key characters. They did have the most spotlight, and I believe Tad did a great job in starting The Splintered Sun from their tale. However, the balance in characterizations is there in the narrative. The varied cast and personality of Flann and his Crows, Xanico, Tika, plus the villains Scaeth and Phelan, have their respective spotlights, and they are there to enrich the dialogue, politicking, and fight for the throne. The book definitely has a faster pace, and I imagine this will click with a lot of readers, but I cannot deny I did miss the slower-paced and melancholic tone of the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy in The Splintered Sun. I feel Tad Williams’ prose is at its best when he writes a somber and melancholic narrative. As far as comparison goes, I think the closest epic fantasy book I can think of that matches The Splintered Sun is The Ember Blade by Chris Wooding. Or, if you like the found camaraderie aspect in Mistborn between Vin, Kelsier, and their crew, there will be a lot to like in The Splintered Sun.
“Families aren’t always what the gods give us to start with, but what we find and gather to ourselves along the way.”
If you are like me, who feels bittersweet about not having anything else in The Osten Ard Saga to read, well, The Splintered Sun is here as a balm to our predicament. Imagine a Robin Hood figure and his band of misfit outlaws fighting against greed to attain justice in the world of Osten Ard. Imbued with Dream Road, deadly vision, prophecy, exciting action, and satisfying final chapters. What more can you ask for in the first installment? Filled with a diverse cast of characters and races, whether you are a veteran or newcomer to the world of Osten Ard, The Splintered Sun will do its best to ensure your reading time and experience in this new tale is absolutely worthwhile. Until the sequel to The Splintered Sun is available to read, I believe it is time for me to accept my time in the world of Osten Ard shall conclude for a while. It is time for me to read The Navigator’s Children.
“As usual, the greedy cannot understand any other motives but greed, whether for power or riches.”
You can pre-order this book from: Amazon | Blackwells (Free International shipping)
The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.
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