Title: The Splintered Sun
Author: Tad Williams
Publication Date: October 6, 2026
Genres: Epic Fantasy
Protagonist Gender: Male
It may have taken Tad Williams more than two decades to return to the world of Green Angel Tower with the sequel series, The Last King of Osten Ard, but here we are again, only two years since that wrapped up, and we find ourselves in Osten Ard once again, this time with the launch of a prequel series, starting with The Splintered Sun.
This hearkens back to Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn in that it follows two children as the primary characters, surrounding them with politics and mythology, but it feels like a simpler, more streamlined tale. It's a story that slowly grows beyond them, adding characters and POVs as we go, but it's the children who serve as its heart.
In terms of plotting and pacing, this almost feels like two books in one, which makes sense knowing that Williams began it as a standalone book before deciding it would be part of a series. You can see the bones of the standalone book, and it's a good one, a solid tale that certainly delivers on its Robin Hood promises. Left to be that, I think the pacing would have been tighter, the narrative more immediate, but you can also see where elements were layered on to give it the depth necessary to justify a full trilogy. For me - and, I suspect, for established fans - those additional elements are the most interesting parts of the story, but the way in which they're incorporated does see the pacing falter in places.
Honestly, I struggled a bit in the first half, finding it hard to maintain my interest, and I think it was because I recognized what was happening. I felt the weight of those elements being inserted, felt how they diverted or paused the plot, and found myself impatient for the plot to get moving. The second half, though, is better, stronger, and more cohesive. You can almost feel where Williams began writing a series as opposed to rewriting a standalone, and everything comes alive. More characters, more plots, more mythology, more conflict, and more complexity... the book just feels more.
Vedra and Daley were an interesting pairing, siblings-by-circumstance if you want to call it that, and the way their relationship evolves through the book is exceptionally strong. I wasn't sure of Flann at first, and Xaniko initially felt forced into the story, but to say they both grow on you is an understatement - and the heartbreaking glimpse into the Norn's heart is powerful stuff. While the two villainous princes seemed a little over-the-top, I became increasingly interested in the people surrounding them, both those tied to their cruelties and those dragged down because of them. Finally, I have to say something in praise of Liam, the gentle giant who seemed wasted for so much of the book, but who steps up and becomes a hero before the end.
There's a lot that happens in The Splintered Sun, but not a lot that's resolved, and I suspect that may leave some readers wanting. So many goals are established that you figure at least one of them will prove to be pivotal, but it seems Williams isn't ready for that. Again, had this been left as a standalone, maybe we'd have gotten that resolution, but as the first book in a trilogy, it raised more questions than it offers answers. Personally, I'm fine with that, and am looking forward to finding out more about the Shadow on the Dream Road, the Norns working from the shadows, and the shadow cast by Vedra's scrying.
Rating: ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
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