Shadowmarch

Epic fantasy has become so cheap it's now at the dime-a-dozen price range. Every author and wannabe-author is trying to pour out epics faster than beer at a Irish pub on St. Patrick's Day. It makes for some seriously substandard, watered-down reading. Tad Williams has his own style of epic fantasy; he doesn't copy Jordan, Martin, or even Tolkien. Some of the greater Tolkien elements are there, as are some of the fantasy archetypal characters. But Williams is best when he's writing an epic.Everything is so finely detailed that it can take a while to get the story rolling -- this is something that some love or hate about a Williams novel. But if you give his works a fair shake and invest some time plowing through the slow pacing of the first few hundred pages, you're treated to something majestic. Shadow March combines some of the elements from A Game of Thrones with the mythos and world building of Tolkien. There's a vast wall of mist in the very northernmost part of the lands that separates a race of mysterious fairies from humans. There's an emperor in the southern desert lands dreaming of conquering the entire world and mortality itself. There's a kingship dispute, treachery, and invasion. And there is a firm mythos woven into the story threads, giving insight into the world as it used to be eons ago, stories that do connect with the current plot.I really enjoyed how Williams incorporates faeries into the story. The series are full of ancient mythology, lost realms, strange magic, and just a whole lot of adventure. And of course, as a Tad Williams novel, there's great characterization and beautiful writing present too. Well worth reading!  This is an epic fantasy for those who like to read good fantasy. Williams doesn't always give everything to you right away and you are required to dig into the books a bit before things get moving. Williams spends more time than you like detailing the daily routine of the settings around the characters, but on the whole, it's a great series and one that you should read.