‘Empire of Grass’ – Tad Williams (Hodder)

These past few years, I’ve been absolutely awful at finishing larger books for a number of reasons, no matter who the author. Work has been the chief culprit for the most part but plain old anxiety has also had a part to play, stopping my reading before I get a hundred pages into any book that needs both hands to hold. Sometimes though, you have to take a leap and just read otherwise the story gets away from you and you’ve lost out. And that was the case with ‘Empire of Grass’, a book that I’d had to put down a year ago (see the reasons above) but wanted to read before I tackled ‘Into The Narrowdark’. And it’s Tad Williams! ‘Empire of Grass’ was never going to remain unread for long 😉

The heat woke me up far too early this morning so I took the opportunity to finally finish the book off, and what a ride it has been. Bring on ‘Into the Narrowdark’…

The kingdoms of Osten Ard have been at peace for decades, but now, the threat of a new war grows to nightmarish proportions.

Simon and Miriamele, royal husband and wife, face danger from every side. Their allies in Hernystir have made a pact with the dreadful Queen of the Norns to allow her armies to cross into mortal lands. The ancient, powerful nation of Nabban is on the verge of bloody civil war, and the fierce nomads of the Thrithings grasslands have begun to mobilize, united by superstitious fervor and their age-old hatred of the city-dwellers. But as the countries and peoples of the High Ward bicker among themselves, battle, bloodshed, and dark magics threaten to pull civilizations to pieces. And over it all looms the mystery of the Witchwood Crown, the deadly puzzle that Simon, Miriamele, and their allies must solve if they wish to survive.

But as the kingdoms of Osten Ard are torn apart by fear and greed, a few individuals will fight for their own lives and destinies-not yet aware that the survival of everything depends on them.

‘Empire of Grass’ took a little while to find its feet for me but that’s probably (okay, definitely) more on me than it is the book. I’ve never dealt well with extended passages where someone is completely lost and that is exactly what happens to a major character pretty much right from the off. We’re also looking at a situation where players are still being manoeuvred into position so that their arcs can play out. ‘Empire of Grass’ is a little bit of a slow-burner then but if you stick with it then it really pays off as the book progresses.

As the book moves forward, the world of Osten Ard opens up in a way that it was never really able to do in the original trilogy (yep I know, four books but…) which was very much focussed on the idea of the quest, and deconstructing that concept. The nature of ‘Empire of Grass’ in particular, with politicking happening all over the High King’s Ward, means that we get to see a lot more of this world as well as the people. Everything opens up and it was a real joy to really dig deep into lands and cultures that didn’t warrant much time in the original books. The world of the Norns is the obvious example here, a world that continues to grow as the journeys of Viyeki, Tzoja and Nezeru move forwards. With this segment of the book in particular, I love that we are being forced to ask questions at the exact time that these three are also doing just that. Williams moves everything forward at just the right speed and builds things up gradually so that we really are living this story with the characters. I love it 😊

Special mention as well for Nabban and not only some properly Machivellian business happening but it all being orchestrated by the least likely person. I think we may well have another top tier ‘Tad Villain’ on our hands here (along with some commentary on countries trying to affect change in other countries…); I’m really looking forward to seeing how this plays out in the next book.

So a bit of a triumph then in terms of worldbuilding. I loved (and still love) Osten Ard in the original books but this is a step up.

It’s not just the worldbuilding that is on fire though. Williams gives us a plot that very swiftly becomes a compelling read; a mixture of major incidents that combine to distract everyone from the even larger threat that is brewing. I found myself reading not only to make sense of all the events playing out but also in the hope that Simon would have a moment to himself to concentrate on the big stuff (the poor guy deserves a break). We’re only two books in, at this point, so you can guess the answer to that but the point is that Williams is mixing high stakes scenarios with very relatable characters to create a book that just has to be read. You can’t ask for a lot more than that really.

‘Empire of Grass’ is quite simply Tad Williams doing what he does best and making it look as easy as ever. I can’t wait to pick up ‘Into the Narrowdark’ and get reading.