Tad Williams in general

(this is my temporary home, please remove shoes before entering) Caught on the cusp of thirty, wannabee rock-star Theo Vilmos drifts through life in San Francisco, his career in slow decline. His latest no-hope band is imploding, his day-job sucks. Abruptly, slow decline becomes sky-dive as his girlfriend miscarries their baby, then kicks him out of her life. Within months his mother has died of cancer, and his musical career has evaporated. In rapid retreat from cruel reality, Theo heads for the hills, hoping for a long rest-break and with nothing for company but the Journal of his Great-Uncle, Eamonn Dowd, detailing exotic (imaginary?) adventures ...  Read the complete review

Longer than your average trilogy, Tad Williams' fantasy epic spilled over into four volumes. And they're not small either, making it great value in words for your money. What is more important, and what keeps you reading all along, are the strong story and the detailed world he creates. The variety of characters, locations, cultures and history approaches Tolkien. The world Williams creates is close in many ways to medieval Europe, especially before events take a fantastical direction. A heroic leader, Prester John, created an alliance of kingdoms. These have similarities to Rome, Scandinavia, England after the Norman Conquest, Wales and the steppes of ...  Read the complete review