# Tad Williams

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American fantasy and science fiction writer

Tad Williams Williams in 2019 Born Robert Paul Williams (1957-03-14) March 14, 1957 (age 69) San Jose, California, U.S. Occupation Storyteller,[1] novelist, short story writer, comics writer and essayist Nationality American Genre Post-modernism[2] High fantasy Urban fantasy Dark fantasy Science fiction Horror fiction Notable works Tailchaser's Song Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn Otherland Shadowmarch Spouse Deborah Beale Website www.tadwilliams.com

**Robert Paul** "**Tad**" **Williams** (born March 14, 1957) is an American [fantasy](/source/Fantasy) and [science fiction](/source/Science_fiction) [writer](/source/List_of_science_fiction_authors). He is the author of the multivolume *[Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn](/source/Memory%2C_Sorrow%2C_and_Thorn)* series, *[Otherland](/source/Otherland)* series, *[Shadowmarch](/source/Shadowmarch)* series, and *The Bobby Dollar* series, as well as the standalone novels *[Tailchaser's Song](/source/Tailchaser's_Song)* and *The War of the Flowers*. Most recently, Williams published *The Last King of Osten Ard* series, with its final novel *The Navigator's Children* being published in 2024.[3] More than 17 million copies of Williams' works have been sold.[4]

Williams's work in [comics](/source/Comics) includes a six issue mini-series for [DC Comics](/source/DC_Comics) called *The Next*. He also wrote *[Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis](/source/Aquaman#Aquaman:_Sword_of_Atlantis)* issue #50 to #57. Other comic work includes *Mirrorworld: Rain* and *[The Helmet of Fate](/source/Doctor_Fate): [Ibis the Invincible](/source/Ibis_the_Invincible) #1* (DC).

Williams is collaborating on a series of young-adult books with his wife, Deborah Beale, called *The Ordinary Farm Adventures*. The first two books in the series are *The Dragons of Ordinary Farm* and *The Secrets of Ordinary Farm*. The in-progress third book is under the current title *The Heirs of Ordinary Farm* and does not have a release date yet.[3]

## Early life and career

Robert Paul "Tad" Williams was born in [San Jose, California](/source/San_Jose%2C_California), on March 14, 1957.[5][6][7] He grew up in [Palo Alto](/source/Palo_Alto), the town that grew up around [Stanford University](/source/Stanford_University). He attended [Palo Alto Senior High School](/source/Palo_Alto_High_School).[8] His family was close, and he and his brothers were always encouraged in their creativity.[9] His mother gave him the nickname "Tad" after the young characters in [Walt Kelly](/source/Walt_Kelly)'s comic strip *[Pogo](/source/Pogo_(comic_strip)).*[10] The semi-autobiographical character Pogo Cashman, who appears in some of his stories, is a reference to the nickname.[11]

Before becoming a full time fiction author Williams held many jobs including delivering [newspapers](/source/Newspapers), food service, [DJ](/source/Disc_jockey) and station music director for college radio station [KFJC](/source/KFJC), shoe sales, [branch manager](/source/Branch_manager) of a [financial institution](/source/Financial_institution), writing for the [TheatreWorks](/source/TheatreWorks_(Silicon_Valley)) company and drawing [military](/source/Military) [manuals](/source/User_guide).[12]

Williams also worked for [Apple](/source/Apple_Inc.), developing an interest in [interactive multi-media](/source/Multimedia). He and his colleague Andrew Harris created a company, Telemorphix, in order to produce it. The result was "M. Jack Steckel's 21st Century Vaudeville", which was broadcast on [San Francisco Bay Area](/source/San_Francisco_Bay_Area) local TV in 1992 and 1993.[13][14][15]

In addition, he created "Valley Vision," a [TV series](/source/TV_series) concept, a show about a local TV station. A [pilot](/source/Pilot_episode) was shot featuring several people who would go on to become [Bay Area](/source/Bay_Area) acting alumni, including [Greg Proops](/source/Greg_Proops), [Mike McShane](/source/Mike_McShane), Joan Mankin, [Marga Gomez](/source/Marga_Gomez) and several members of the [San Francisco Mime Troupe](/source/San_Francisco_Mime_Troupe).[16][17]

In his mid twenties, he turned to writing and submitted the manuscript of his novel *[Tailchaser's Song](/source/Tailchaser's_Song)* to [DAW Books](/source/DAW_Books).[9] To get his publishers to look at his first manuscript he spun a story about needing a replacement copy because his had been destroyed. It worked.[18] DAW Books liked it and published it, beginning a long association that continues to this day. Williams continued working various jobs for a few more years, including three years from 1987 to 1990 as a technical writer at [Apple Computer](/source/Apple_Computer)'s Knowledge Engineering Department, taking problem-solving field material from engineers and turning it into research articles[19] (which led, in part, to the *[Otherland](/source/Otherland)* books), before making fiction writing his full-time career.[12]

## Writing and influences

Writing long stories was an early hallmark for Williams. "I remember specifically one '[folktale](/source/Folklore)' assignment when I was thirteen that was supposed to be three pages, and I wound up writing a seventeen-page [sword-and-sorcery epic](/source/Sword_and_sorcery) with illustrations, etc."[1] His first attempt at professional writing was "a rather awful science-fiction screenplay called *The Sad Machines* that I've never shown to anyone outside my family, I think. The only interesting thing about it now is that its main character, Ishmael Parks, was a definite precursor to Simon in the Osten Ard books."[1][20]

Williams traces his interest in the [science fiction](/source/Science_fiction) and [fantasy](/source/Fantasy) [genre](/source/Genre) back to the books his mother read to him when he was a child, and that he later read to himself: [E. Nesbit](/source/E._Nesbit), *[The Wind in the Willows](/source/The_Wind_in_the_Willows)*, and of course [Tolkien](/source/J._R._R._Tolkien).[21]

The biggest single influence on me was reading *[The Lord of the Rings](/source/The_Lord_of_the_Rings)* when I was about eleven.[22] I think it was the idea of created worlds and imaginary history that grabbed me. I was also very influenced by [Jack Kirby](/source/Jack_Kirby) and [Stan Lee](/source/Stan_Lee)'s early [Marvel Comics](/source/Marvel_Comics) and by [Dickens](/source/Charles_Dickens). And later, *[Gravity's Rainbow](/source/Gravity's_Rainbow)* knocked my socks off and made me want to be a grown-up writer. Art, theatre and music are a whole different set of influences. *[Jason and the Argonauts](/source/Jason_and_the_Argonauts_(1963_film))*, *[The Tin Drum](/source/The_Tin_Drum_(film))*, and *[Performance](/source/Performance_(film))* all got into my brain, just for instance.[23]

A long list of authors have influenced and inspired Williams's work: [Ray Bradbury](/source/Ray_Bradbury), [Theodore Sturgeon](/source/Theodore_Sturgeon), [Fritz Leiber](/source/Fritz_Leiber), [Michael Moorcock](/source/Michael_Moorcock), [Roger Zelazny](/source/Roger_Zelazny), [Harlan Ellison](/source/Harlan_Ellison), [Kurt Vonnegut](/source/Kurt_Vonnegut), [Ursula K. Le Guin](/source/Ursula_K._Le_Guin), [Hunter S. Thompson](/source/Hunter_S._Thompson), [Thomas Pynchon](/source/Thomas_Pynchon), [J. D. Salinger](/source/J._D._Salinger), [William Butler Yeats](/source/William_Butler_Yeats), [Wallace Stevens](/source/Wallace_Stevens), [Barbara Tuchman](/source/Barbara_Tuchman), [Philip K. Dick](/source/Philip_K._Dick), [Ruth Rendell](/source/Ruth_Rendell), [James Tiptree Jr. (Alice Sheldon)](/source/James_Tiptree_Jr.), [Jane Austen](/source/Jane_Austen), [T. S. Eliot](/source/T._S._Eliot), [Jorge Luis Borges](/source/Jorge_Luis_Borges), [Patrick O'Brian](/source/Patrick_O'Brian), [Roald Dahl](/source/Roald_Dahl), [Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel)](/source/Dr._Seuss), [A. A. Milne](/source/A._A._Milne), [J. J. Norwich](/source/John_Julius_Norwich), [Stephen Jay Gould](/source/Stephen_Jay_Gould), [John Updike](/source/John_Updike), [Thomas Berger](/source/Thomas_Berger_(novelist)), [Raymond Chandler](/source/Raymond_Chandler), [William Shakespeare](/source/William_Shakespeare), and [James Thurber](/source/James_Thurber).[22][24][25][26][27]

Williams has also had an influence on other authors in his genre. His *[Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn](/source/Memory%2C_Sorrow%2C_and_Thorn)* series was one of the works that inspired [George R. R. Martin](/source/George_R._R._Martin) to write *[A Song of Ice and Fire](/source/A_Song_of_Ice_and_Fire)*. "I read Tad and was impressed by him, but the imitators that followed—well, fantasy got a bad rep for being very formulaic and ritual. And I read *[The Dragonbone Chair](/source/The_Dragonbone_Chair)* and said, 'My god, they can do something with this form,' and it's Tad doing it. It's one of my favorite fantasy series."[28][29] Martin incorporated a nod to Williams in *[A Game of Thrones](/source/A_Game_of_Thrones)* with "House Willum": The only members of the house mentioned are Lord Willum and his two sons, Josua and Elyas, a reference to the royal brothers in *The Dragonbone Chair.*[30]

In "Tad Williams: The American Tolkien?" Ash Silverlock observes that "echoes of Williams's work" can be seen in the works of [Robin Hobb](/source/Robin_Hobb), [Terry Goodkind](/source/Terry_Goodkind) and [Robert Jordan](/source/Robert_Jordan).[31] Blake Charlton, [Christopher Paolini](/source/Christopher_Paolini), and [Patrick Rothfuss](/source/Patrick_Rothfuss) have also indicated they've been inspired by Williams.[32][33][34]

## Family life

Williams and his wife and partner Deborah Beale live in [Northern California](/source/Northern_California) with their two children and "far more cats, dogs, turtles, pet ants and [banana slugs](/source/Banana_slugs) than they can count."[9]

## Works

Main article: [Tad Williams bibliography](/source/Tad_Williams_bibliography)

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Gor_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Gor_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Gor_1-2) Gor, Judith. ["Interview with Tad Williams (26.07.2008)"](http://www.literatopia.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=390:tad-williams-26072008&catid=48:interviews&Itemid=85). Literatopia.de. Retrieved 1 August 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Golder_2-0)** Golder, Dave. ["Profile: Tad Williams"](http://www.sfx.co.uk/1998/09/25/sfx-issue-42/#null). SFX Issue42, 25 September 1998. Retrieved 1 August 2013.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_3-1) Keith, Olaf (2023-05-18). ["Forthcoming Books \[updated\] | Tad Williams"](https://www.tadwilliams.com/2023/05/book-news-forthcoming/). Retrieved 2023-08-04.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Lealos, Shawn S. (2011). "Exclusive art released from upcoming 'Tailchaser's Song' animated adaptation".

1. **[^](#cite_ref-SFencyclopedia_5-0)** ["Tad Williams"](http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/williams_tad). The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. Retrieved 1 August 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** locusmag (July 28, 2009) [July 28, 2009]. ["Tad Williams: Things Go Away, Things Come Back"](https://locusmag.com/2009/07/tad-williams-things-go-away-things-come-back/). *Locus Online*. Retrieved November 6, 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Sentinel, Wallace Baine | Santa Cruz (July 2, 2017) [July 2, 2017]. ["Santa Cruz County Stories: Writer Tad Williams dreams up epic fantasies from his home base in the Soquel hills"](https://www.santacruzsentinel.com/2017/07/02/santa-cruz-county-stories-writer-tad-williams-dreams-up-epic-fantasies-from-his-home-base-in-the-soquel-hills/). *Santa Cruz Sentinel*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20241106231129/https://www.santacruzsentinel.com/2017/07/02/santa-cruz-county-stories-writer-tad-williams-dreams-up-epic-fantasies-from-his-home-base-in-the-soquel-hills/) from the original on November 6, 2024. Retrieved November 6, 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-RITE_8-0)** Williams, Tad (2006). *RITE: Short Work*. Michigan: Subterranean Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-159606-066-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-159606-066-1).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-About_9-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-About_9-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-About_9-2) Williams, Tad. ["About"](http://www.tadwilliams.com/about/). Official website. Retrieved 1 August 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FB1_10-0)** Williams, Tad. ["Tad Williams (Facebook)"](https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/631654146/10201784003392001). Facebook author page. Archived from [the original](https://www.facebook.com/tad.williams/posts/10201784003392001?comment_id=6380988&offset=0&total_comments=9) on 2022-02-26. Retrieved 1 August 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Ormsby_11-0)** Ormsby, Stephen C. ["Interview with Tad Williams on The Dirty Streets of Heaven"](http://stephenormsby.wordpress.com/2012/08/20/tad-williams-20-august/). Stephen Ormsby (20 August 2012). Retrieved 1 August 2013.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Stuttgart4_12-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Stuttgart4_12-1) ["Tad Williams in Stuttgart (4)"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIVH9YRaSdI). YouTube (5:29), July 15, 2013. [Archived](https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/pIVH9YRaSdI) from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 1 August 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-timewarp_13-0)** ["Links"](http://www.digitaltimewarp.com/Links.html). Digital Time Warp. Retrieved 16 August 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ITV_14-0)** ["A List of Programming with Interactive Television in 2002 and Earlier"](http://www.itvdictionary.com/interactive_television_enhanced_tv_etv_itv_shows.html). ITV Dictionary. Retrieved 16 August 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Bickelhaupt_15-0)** Bickelhaupt, Susan (October 20, 1993). ["The future is now on Vaudeville"](https://web.archive.org/web/20131011162724/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8250142.html). The Boston Globe. Archived from [the original](http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8250142.html) on 11 October 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-liquidradio_16-0)** ["Liquid Radio Players"](https://web.archive.org/web/20130101140352/http://www.liquidradioplayers.com/guests/). Liquidradioplayers.com. Archived from the original on 1 January 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-gimcracks_17-0)** ["Fly Little Gimcracks"](http://www.tadwilliams.com/2012/08/fly-little-gimcracks/). Official website. Retrieved 1 August 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Wired_18-0)** Geek's Guide to the Galaxy (19 September 2012). ["Why Dirty Streets of Heaven Writer Tad Williams Isn't Going to Hell ... Probably"](https://www.wired.com/underwire/2012/09/geeks-guide-tad-williams/all/). *Wired*. Retrieved 1 August 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-19)** ["Author Interview - Tad Williams"](http://www.bookwormblues.net/2012/09/19/author-interview-tad-williams/). Bookworm Blues. 19 September 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Imaginary_20-0)** Williams, Tad. ["Thanks to that imaginary cat"](http://www.tadwilliams.com/books/tailchasers-song/thanks-to-that-imaginary-cat/). Official website. Retrieved 1 August 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Schmidt_21-0)** Schmidt, Bryan Thomas. ["A Chat With Author Tad Williams"](http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2012/03/15/sffwrtcht-a-chat-with-author-tad-williams/). Grasping for the Wind (March 15, 2012). Retrieved 1 August 2013.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Centorcelli_22-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Centorcelli_22-1) Centorcelli, Kristin. ["Interview: Tad Williams, author of The Dirty Streets of Heaven"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120917052854/http://www.mybookishways.com/2012/09/interview-giveaway-tad-williams-author-of-the-dirty-streets-of-heaven.html). My Bookish Ways (13 September 2012). Archived from the original on September 17, 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Purcell_23-0)** Purcell, John. ["Tad Williams, bestselling author of The Dirty Streets of Heaven and many more, answers Ten Terrifying Questions"](http://blog.booktopia.com.au/2012/08/31/tad-williams-bestselling-author-of-the-dirty-streets-of-heaven-and-many-more-answers-ten-terrifying-questions/). Booktopia Blog (31 August 2012). Retrieved 1 August 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-speculative_24-0)** William, Peter. ["Interview - Tad Williams"](http://speculativebookreview.blogspot.com/2010/03/interview-tad-williams.html). Speculative Book Review, 26 March 2010. Retrieved 1 August 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Valentinelli_25-0)** Valentinelli, Monica. ["Interview with Fantasy Author Tad Williams"](http://www.flamesrising.com/interview-tad-williams/). Flames Rising dot com (28 April 2008). Retrieved 1 August 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Wanchoo_26-0)** Wanchoo, Mihir. ["Interview with Tad Williams"](http://fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/2010/06/interview-with-tad-williams.html). Fantasy Book Critic (10 June 2010). Retrieved 1 August 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Weston_27-0)** Weston, Andrew P. ["Star Guest Interview - November 2012"](http://andrewpweston.blogspot.com/2012/11/star-guest-interview-november-2012-hi.html?spref=fb). Andrew P. Weston (1 November 2012). Retrieved 1 August 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Redwood_28-0)** ["Redwood City Signing"](http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Entry/5527/). The Citadel (July 27, 2011). Retrieved 1 August 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-io9_29-0)** Trendacosta, K. & Anders, C. J. ["10 Sources That Inspired Game of Thrones' Dark Storytelling"](http://io9.com/10-sources-that-george-r-r-martin-borrowed-from-for-ic-511679817). io9 (06 June 2013). Retrieved 1 August 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Westeros_30-0)** ["House Willum (Heraldry)"](http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/Heraldry/Entry/767/). Westeros.org. Retrieved 1 August 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Silverlock_31-0)** Silverlock, Ash. ["Tad Williams: The American Tolkien?"](http://ashsilverlock.WordPress.com/2011/12/01/tad-williams-the-american-tolkien/). Fabulous Realms (December 1, 2011). Retrieved 1 August 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Geek_32-0)** Adams, John Joseph & Kirtley, David Barr. ["GGG-008: Magic! Medicine! Fantic Episy! (Guest: Blake Charlton)"](http://www.tor.com/blogs/2010/02/the-geeks-guide-to-the-galaxy-podcast-episode-8-episode-8-magic-medicine-fantic-episy). Geek's Guide to the Galaxy Podcast (22 February 2010). Retrieved 1 August 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Amazon_33-0)** ["Christopher Paolini and Tad Williams: Author One-on-One"](https://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000637861). Amazon.com. Retrieved 1 August 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Rothfuss_34-0)** Rothfuss, Patrick. ["Patrick Rothfuss's Reviews - The Dirty Streets of Heaven"](http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/351217386). Goodreads.com. Retrieved 1 August 2013.

## Further reading

- ["Tad Williams: Things Go Away, Things Come Back (interview)"](https://locusmag.com/2009/07/tad-williams-things-go-away-things-come-back/). *Locus*. **63** (1): 6, 56–57. July 2009. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0047-4959](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0047-4959).

## External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to ***[Tad Williams](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Special:Search/Tad_Williams)***.

- [Tad Williams's US website](http://www.tadwilliams.com)

- [Interview (several) with Tad Williams](http://www.sffworld.com/interview/106p0.html) at [SFFWorld.com](http://www.sffworld.com)

- [Tad Williams](https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?203) at the [Internet Speculative Fiction Database](/source/Internet_Speculative_Fiction_Database)

- [Interview: Tad Williams - The Next](https://web.archive.org/web/20081216154311/http://www.yourmomsbasement.com/archives/2006/07/interview_tad_w.html#more) by Rajan Khanna, July 2006.

- [Book Reviews at FantasyLiterature.com](http://www.fantasyliterature.com/williamstad.html)[*[permanent dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*]

- [Interview with Fantasy Author Tad Williams](http://www.flamesrising.com/interview-tad-williams) at FlamesRising.com (April '08)

- [Interview](http://michaelaventrella.wordpress.com/2009/10/10/interview-with-ny-times-bestselling-author-tad-williams) with [Michael A. Ventrella](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michael_A._Ventrella&action=edit&redlink=1), October '09

- [Interview](http://www.blogtalkradio.com/theoneringnet/2010/03/28/theoneringnet-radio-show-episode-13) at TheOneRing.net, March 2010

v t e Bibliography by Tad Williams Osten Ard Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn The Dragonbone Chair (1988) Stone of Farewell (1990) To Green Angel Tower (1993) Osten Ard (bridge novel) The Heart of What Was Lost (2017) The Last King of Osten Ard The Witchwood Crown (2017) Empire of Grass (2019) Into the Narrowdark (2022) The Navigator's Children (2024) Otherland City of Golden Shadow (1996) River of Blue Fire (1998) Mountain of Black Glass (1999) Sea of Silver Light (2001) Shadowmarch Shadowmarch (2004) Shadowplay (2007) Standalone novels Tailchaser's Song (1985)

Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF GND FAST WorldCat National United States France BnF data Japan Czech Republic Spain Netherlands Norway Greece Poland Israel Croatia Academics CiNii Artists MusicBrainz People Trove Deutsche Biographie DDB Other IdRef Open Library Yale LUX

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Tad Williams](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tad_Williams) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tad_Williams?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.