The Heart of What Was Lost, a new novel by Ted Williams, is a sequel to Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, a 4-book series completed in 1994. At the end of the series, an evil being known as the Storm King was defeated by humans and their fairy-like allies the Sithi. The Storm King’s allies, the Norn, cousins to the Sithi, have retreated back to their Northern lands.
The current book has the mortals, with one Sithi advisor, chasing the Norns into their territory to prevent them from ever attacking them again. It follows the human leader Isgrimmur, along with two soldiers and new friends, Porto and Endri. But we also learn of the Norns’ Viyeki the Builder, who is fighting his own fight, not just against the human threat, but also against secrets being kept from him about his own people.
Going back and forth between the two groups of people shows us how every conflict has two sides and how individuals on both sides just want to protect themselves, their families, and their people. There is plenty of action, intrigue, and character development, and magic abounds. And though there are losses on both sides, there is an ending to satisfy even the most discriminating reader.
I have not read the original series, so I can’t speak as to how The Heart of What Was Lost compares or does justice to Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn. However, I can tell you that it is a good story. I like Tad Williams. His shorter books, like The Heart of What Was Lost, are jam-packed and show that it doesn’t take a lot of words to tell a good tale. Whether or not you’ve read the original, you should pick it up.