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4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really wanted to like this series. I've really enjoyed the interviews with the author that I've listened to. His ideas are fresh and insightful. The imagery and situations in this novel and the previous entry in the series are also amazing as well as some of the social and ethical situations that Erikson posits.
When I read discussions from the Malazan community, the comments generally indicated that this series is extremely difficult and expects a lot of the reader. I've also read many people write that the first entry Gardens of the Moon isn't written quite as deftly as the rest of the series as the story originated as a script. However, by the time Erikson delivered the second and third entries of the series, his craft was much improved.
From my experience of laboring through Gardens, then arriving at Deadhouse, I still had a lot of difficulty getting into the characters and understanding them and their motivations - I just didn't find enough depth in the reasons behind their actions and this contributed to the overall confusion that will naturally come with the vast scope of the story. I ended up looking up chapter summaries several times and finding that there was just a lot of details that just weren't coming to me.
In all, I think my lukewarm review says more about me as a reader and that I just don't have the amount of time and degree of focus necessary to really enjoy this series. Maybe I'll continue it in the future as I still can't get over my intrigue.
When I read discussions from the Malazan community, the comments generally indicated that this series is extremely difficult and expects a lot of the reader. I've also read many people write that the first entry Gardens of the Moon isn't written quite as deftly as the rest of the series as the story originated as a script. However, by the time Erikson delivered the second and third entries of the series, his craft was much improved.
From my experience of laboring through Gardens, then arriving at Deadhouse, I still had a lot of difficulty getting into the characters and understanding them and their motivations - I just didn't find enough depth in the reasons behind their actions and this contributed to the overall confusion that will naturally come with the vast scope of the story. I ended up looking up chapter summaries several times and finding that there was just a lot of details that just weren't coming to me.
In all, I think my lukewarm review says more about me as a reader and that I just don't have the amount of time and degree of focus necessary to really enjoy this series. Maybe I'll continue it in the future as I still can't get over my intrigue.
This was a slog. Third time through the series, and I’d forgotten how torpid some of the story lines in this book are. Most are necessary for setting up later events, but the whole Whirlwind/Sha’ik thread is barely tolerable. I’d also forgotten the recurring trope of long walks across awful places. The Kalam and Fiddler storylines are great, though much of Fiddler’s was probably unnecessary, and Icarium/Mappo have lost interest for me. They serve no narrative function. I guess that’s my main complaint with the series. The narrative seems to lose track of itself and while that creates an immersive sub creation, it feels tedious at times.
I have really mixed feelings about this one. I think I gave the first book more allowance because I went into it knowing that it was difficult, and that it can be a hard task to introduce a complex new world. I found this one more difficult to get into and believed I held the characters at an emotional distance. This proved less true than I initially believed--as the story started to wrap up, I found myself absorbed and entangled. Oh, and I have to admit to being completely blindsided by one fairly obvious (in retrospect) story reveal, which is pretty delightful.
That said, the middle dragged, and I often had trouble with catching transitions from one scene to the next, although I feel that this was really a fault in the audiobook narration. I've heard that the third book is where this series really finds its feet, and I'm very much looking forward to it.
That said, the middle dragged, and I often had trouble with catching transitions from one scene to the next, although I feel that this was really a fault in the audiobook narration. I've heard that the third book is where this series really finds its feet, and I'm very much looking forward to it.
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Oh, the things I could say about this book. Complexity of characters and world building, are just a few. Recommended for fantasy readers who have patience and are not looking for a quick read.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
My second time reading this one and it is still just as tense and painful and great!
I will preface this review by saying that I'm probably one of the few people that actually liked [b:Gardens of the Moon|55399|Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #1)|Steven Erikson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1548497031l/55399._SY75_.jpg|2646042] better. I will justify this because for me the introduction to the world was pretty amazing: it gave a sense of grandeur, it was spiced with very interesting magic throughout, and it was fast-paced with very engaging characters on either side. Some people say that the structure of the plot wasn't very good, but I have to disagree. At least, it didn't feel like that to me. And in that way, I don't think Deadhouse Gates was very different. It WAS different in the way it presented the characters and in the pacing and in how it interspersed magic...
As I'm assuming most of the Malazan books will be, Deadhouse Gates takes place in a different continent from Gardens of the Moon. The setting is (mostly) a desert, a place that has been conquered by the Malazan empire but that is struggling with keeping it under control. The native population is inciting revolt, with some prophecies confirming that the "whirlwind" of revolution that takes down the Empress and the empire will start there, and soon. In terms of plot, this was generally straightforward... And I say generally because as a Malazan book, we have multiple points of view, with each group of characters doing their own thing, but that in the end come together and make sense to this overall plot. One of the things that figure here are the Azaths, like the Deadhouse. Though I have to admit I'm still confused about this aspect of the plot.
The pacing felt very off to me in this instalment, however. It was very slow, so much so that I struggled to get through the book. It was mostly just characters walking through the desert, from one place to the other. Some random encounters happened, and then some more travelling. It was only after the 75% mark that it started picking up for me and becoming more interesting and engaging.
That might also be the case because of this book's characters. In the first book, I got invested in the characters quite quickly. With this one, I feel like they take more time to grow on you, and those that do tend to be more on the sidelines for the most part. I particularly liked Heboric, Fiddler, Kalam, Mappo and... yeah, I think that was it. Felisin was interesting, but mostly infuriating (only partly with good reason). Oh, Duiker and Coltaine were fine, but I dreaded the chapters following them simply because of that long march of military tactics and death.
So not having very engaging characters that spiced up the slower plot, really made me struggle through this book.
There were good moments with those characters that I liked the most, and even with the others, of course. Kalam and Fiddler appear in the first book and having them in this one really helped give a sense of continuation. They both really grew on me, and the last 30% of the book made me like Kalam so much. Despite his profession, he is truly precious.
Heboric is another precious man that has a troubled past and is having to deal with some very unfavourable circumstances and company, but he still is a father to all and is genuinely trying his best.
Mappo is another loyal friend. I guess I like my precious boys. I haven't yet found a precious girl, except for maybe Tattersail in the first book.
There are amazing aspects to this story though. It is a great setup for things to come, first of all, with all this talk of an epic, world-ending, revolution/apocalypse. There are also really epic things introduced here in terms of magic (like Icarium's deal, the necromancy, the azaths, the wardens, ascendants, the Crows, etc). However, the slow-paced and less engaging and interesting plot points and hooks in this book made it fall short for me. I will still continue with the series, and see what the third book brings at least!
As I'm assuming most of the Malazan books will be, Deadhouse Gates takes place in a different continent from Gardens of the Moon. The setting is (mostly) a desert, a place that has been conquered by the Malazan empire but that is struggling with keeping it under control. The native population is inciting revolt, with some prophecies confirming that the "whirlwind" of revolution that takes down the Empress and the empire will start there, and soon. In terms of plot, this was generally straightforward... And I say generally because as a Malazan book, we have multiple points of view, with each group of characters doing their own thing, but that in the end come together and make sense to this overall plot. One of the things that figure here are the Azaths, like the Deadhouse. Though I have to admit I'm still confused about this aspect of the plot.
The pacing felt very off to me in this instalment, however. It was very slow, so much so that I struggled to get through the book. It was mostly just characters walking through the desert, from one place to the other. Some random encounters happened, and then some more travelling. It was only after the 75% mark that it started picking up for me and becoming more interesting and engaging.
That might also be the case because of this book's characters. In the first book, I got invested in the characters quite quickly. With this one, I feel like they take more time to grow on you, and those that do tend to be more on the sidelines for the most part. I particularly liked Heboric, Fiddler, Kalam, Mappo and... yeah, I think that was it. Felisin was interesting, but mostly infuriating (only partly with good reason). Oh, Duiker and Coltaine were fine, but I dreaded the chapters following them simply because of that long march of military tactics and death.
So not having very engaging characters that spiced up the slower plot, really made me struggle through this book.
There were good moments with those characters that I liked the most, and even with the others, of course. Kalam and Fiddler appear in the first book and having them in this one really helped give a sense of continuation. They both really grew on me, and the last 30% of the book made me like Kalam so much. Despite his profession, he is truly precious.
Heboric is another precious man that has a troubled past and is having to deal with some very unfavourable circumstances and company, but he still is a father to all and is genuinely trying his best.
Mappo is another loyal friend. I guess I like my precious boys. I haven't yet found a precious girl, except for maybe Tattersail in the first book.
There are amazing aspects to this story though. It is a great setup for things to come, first of all, with all this talk of an epic, world-ending, revolution/apocalypse. There are also really epic things introduced here in terms of magic (like Icarium's deal, the necromancy, the azaths, the wardens, ascendants, the Crows, etc). However, the slow-paced and less engaging and interesting plot points and hooks in this book made it fall short for me. I will still continue with the series, and see what the third book brings at least!