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4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
Book 2 of Malazan proved to be a much more enjoyable experience for me than book 1. You get all the good from GotM but you also get more time in this complex world that Erikson has created. I feel like I need all the time I can make for this world just to understand what exactly is going on. This is no light task, reading this novel. It is at times profound, always complex, thousands of years of history in each landscape, and a magic system that is very mysterious with little in the way of explanations.
I appreciated the added exposition in Deadhouse Gates compared to GotM. I also appreciate the better understanding of how some things work within the world like warrens or knowing what a soultaken was or how Claw assassins operate. There is nothing in the way of an info dump in Erikson's first two books, however. And when you do get some hints to how things work there is little repetition to really ingrain the meaning of what you just read.
This can be at times very frustrating. The only reason this book isn't a higher rating is because of how lost I felt during certain parts of the novel. At the end of the book even, I was left grasping at straws trying to figure out what had just happened and what it meant in the grand scheme of things. I did what I always do when this happens, I took to the internet. I spent a couples hours reading summaries of the book I had just read to see all the seemingly obvious things that I just missed. I read a list of characters on wikis and their backgrounds and what they do in this book to help my understanding. I see the TOR reread and think it has to have most of if not all the answers I am searching for but it looks like I'm better off reading that after having read all 10 books at least.
To continue on about the negatives, I also find it a bit strange that we travel to a new continent to follow mostly new characters while the people we were with from GotM are in their own apocalypse type situation. Or so it would seem from the little we hear from or about those characters. I have to trust the hype around the series here to know this is for the best. I also trust that I will gain more understanding of what is happening as I continue to read the series. There is so much to like in these books but my lasting impression is that they simply left me confused.
On to some positives, Kalam is the man. He is easy to cheer for and brings his own complexities to the table. Warrens seem like a multifaceted magic system with tons of different applications and implications throughout the world. I love that. But I have no idea how they work or what they are even doing or how they are effecting events in the story. I just go, "oh okay warrens are doing the things they do" at various parts of Deadhouse Gates. It is great and confusing all at once.
These first two books have everything I love about fantasy epics. The things I love about LOTR and GoT and Stormlight are present here plus some. I just fee so lost and that sucks. I think that if I were to get through all ten books and then go back and reread these stories I would have a much better experience. Until then, I will add Memories of Ice to the list and find time for it in the near future.
I appreciated the added exposition in Deadhouse Gates compared to GotM. I also appreciate the better understanding of how some things work within the world like warrens or knowing what a soultaken was or how Claw assassins operate. There is nothing in the way of an info dump in Erikson's first two books, however. And when you do get some hints to how things work there is little repetition to really ingrain the meaning of what you just read.
This can be at times very frustrating. The only reason this book isn't a higher rating is because of how lost I felt during certain parts of the novel. At the end of the book even, I was left grasping at straws trying to figure out what had just happened and what it meant in the grand scheme of things. I did what I always do when this happens, I took to the internet. I spent a couples hours reading summaries of the book I had just read to see all the seemingly obvious things that I just missed. I read a list of characters on wikis and their backgrounds and what they do in this book to help my understanding. I see the TOR reread and think it has to have most of if not all the answers I am searching for but it looks like I'm better off reading that after having read all 10 books at least.
To continue on about the negatives, I also find it a bit strange that we travel to a new continent to follow mostly new characters while the people we were with from GotM are in their own apocalypse type situation. Or so it would seem from the little we hear from or about those characters. I have to trust the hype around the series here to know this is for the best. I also trust that I will gain more understanding of what is happening as I continue to read the series. There is so much to like in these books but my lasting impression is that they simply left me confused.
On to some positives, Kalam is the man. He is easy to cheer for and brings his own complexities to the table. Warrens seem like a multifaceted magic system with tons of different applications and implications throughout the world. I love that. But I have no idea how they work or what they are even doing or how they are effecting events in the story. I just go, "oh okay warrens are doing the things they do" at various parts of Deadhouse Gates. It is great and confusing all at once.
These first two books have everything I love about fantasy epics. The things I love about LOTR and GoT and Stormlight are present here plus some. I just fee so lost and that sucks. I think that if I were to get through all ten books and then go back and reread these stories I would have a much better experience. Until then, I will add Memories of Ice to the list and find time for it in the near future.
Expansive scope. Multiple story lines and characters. I loved the interwoven plot elements. The number of characters can be a challenge to keep straight in your head. This is the second in the series and I loved each one, Looking forward to number 3. I recommend this book to anyone who loves epic fantasy adventures with complex politics and military actions.
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Even after the 2nd book, still an incredibly epic fantasy series, up there with the best.
"Does each of us, soldier or no, reach a point when all that we've seen, survived, changes us inside? Irrevocably changes us. What do we become, then? Less human, or more human? Human enough, or too human?"
- [a:Steven Erikson|31232|Steven Erikson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1219169436p2/31232.jpg]
- [a:Steven Erikson|31232|Steven Erikson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1219169436p2/31232.jpg]
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Reread 2019:
This is the book. The book to end all books. I can'tbelieve this series. It is so good that I will sacrifice precious time that could be spent discovering new books and instead reread and reread ad infinitum. I won't forsake all others, but there's not a whole lot that compares.
5 stars.
Initial read:
Wow, that was quite a book. I am torn though. Did so much in this book go over my head because I can only read in short installments? Or because its been a year since I read the first book? Or because I'm not so great remembering all the details? Or because my mind is fried from my life outside of books? At a certain point it seemed like I should be understanding so much more but I didn't and it was insanely frustrating. I pondered giving up and/or starting over again. I settled on pushing on and reading chapter recaps for every chapter until they just started flying by again. I still think I'll need to go back and reread this one, but for now I am committing myself to reading the series with maybe only a one book palate cleanser inbetween. Luckily I got just the right book from the Dutch Santa Clause (Sinterklaas). So off to that and then diving right back into Memories of Ice!
So given the above I can only give out 4, I'm hoping on a reread to be able to give it the 5 it probably deserves.
This is the book. The book to end all books. I can'tbelieve this series. It is so good that I will sacrifice precious time that could be spent discovering new books and instead reread and reread ad infinitum. I won't forsake all others, but there's not a whole lot that compares.
5 stars.
Initial read:
Wow, that was quite a book. I am torn though. Did so much in this book go over my head because I can only read in short installments? Or because its been a year since I read the first book? Or because I'm not so great remembering all the details? Or because my mind is fried from my life outside of books? At a certain point it seemed like I should be understanding so much more but I didn't and it was insanely frustrating. I pondered giving up and/or starting over again. I settled on pushing on and reading chapter recaps for every chapter until they just started flying by again. I still think I'll need to go back and reread this one, but for now I am committing myself to reading the series with maybe only a one book palate cleanser inbetween. Luckily I got just the right book from the Dutch Santa Clause (Sinterklaas). So off to that and then diving right back into Memories of Ice!
So given the above I can only give out 4, I'm hoping on a reread to be able to give it the 5 it probably deserves.
Goddamn what a journey. took me almost a year to get through this book although i wouldnt say thats an indication of the book being bad, just long and i took breaks. The scope was epic, the new characters were fascinating, the setting vivid. incredible book.
Downsides:
- a lot of things were kept ambiguous for the point of mystery but, due to the already opaque/cryptic storytelling style and the old-timey language used. it left me wondering: "was i supposed to have understood the last page or was it supposed to be unclear?" and i truly didnt know which felt very unsatisfying
- some of the segments really dragged. this was usually accompanied by some of the those cryptic bits and it took me days to get through just a couple of pages. this happened during every scene iskaral pust was in, when heboric and co were in that old shapeshifter city in the desert and he lost his sight, and other places. those bits kinda suk'd
- some of the storylines felt a bit pointless by the end. Spoilers incoming: the chain of dogs just got killed at the end. kallam didnt kill laseen. icarium forgot everything. fiddler and co finally got to malaz and did nothing there. the journey is more important than the destination and i still loved the book but yknow
Upsides:
- the whole chain of dogs. best part. Duiker and Coltaine are so fucking cool
- the deaths were soul wrenching and tragic and i enjoyed
- the large scale battles were awesome, especially at gelor ridge or sekala crossing
- heboric's story was very cool
if youre thinking of dropping the series after book 1, id recommend doing book 2 before you drop. its long and has some difficult bits but is worth it in the end.
Downsides:
- a lot of things were kept ambiguous for the point of mystery but, due to the already opaque/cryptic storytelling style and the old-timey language used. it left me wondering: "was i supposed to have understood the last page or was it supposed to be unclear?" and i truly didnt know which felt very unsatisfying
- some of the segments really dragged. this was usually accompanied by some of the those cryptic bits and it took me days to get through just a couple of pages. this happened during every scene iskaral pust was in, when heboric and co were in that old shapeshifter city in the desert and he lost his sight, and other places. those bits kinda suk'd
- some of the storylines felt a bit pointless by the end. Spoilers incoming: the chain of dogs just got killed at the end. kallam didnt kill laseen. icarium forgot everything. fiddler and co finally got to malaz and did nothing there. the journey is more important than the destination and i still loved the book but yknow
Upsides:
- the whole chain of dogs. best part. Duiker and Coltaine are so fucking cool
- the deaths were soul wrenching and tragic and i enjoyed
- the large scale battles were awesome, especially at gelor ridge or sekala crossing
- heboric's story was very cool
if youre thinking of dropping the series after book 1, id recommend doing book 2 before you drop. its long and has some difficult bits but is worth it in the end.
I have quit this book at just shy of half way through.
While the world building remains superb, the author does not do a great job of introducing you to his fictional regions and towns. There are so many places that they fly over your head and are generally pretty insignificant in the long run.
I also had a gripe about the characters tending to not have much of a personality. Some did, granted, but a lot of them just tended to be viewpoints into the world and lacked any sort of individuality aside from their name. While others have praised the fighting in the book and how well written out the battles were, I just found myself wishing they were over after so so many character names of tiny side characters get flung at you. I miss the significance of characters in the first book. And, while some characters carry over, they rarely appear and when they do, it doesn’t seem to bear any significance to the world events that take up the majority of the book.
I can see how some would enjoy this, but I just feel like there isn’t enough here to make me really care. Besides that, this book is hopelessly dense. I find my self wanting to set it aside after ten pages. Gardens of the Moon has this book beat for sure. I’m cutting my losses and ending my reading in this series here.
While the world building remains superb, the author does not do a great job of introducing you to his fictional regions and towns. There are so many places that they fly over your head and are generally pretty insignificant in the long run.
I also had a gripe about the characters tending to not have much of a personality. Some did, granted, but a lot of them just tended to be viewpoints into the world and lacked any sort of individuality aside from their name. While others have praised the fighting in the book and how well written out the battles were, I just found myself wishing they were over after so so many character names of tiny side characters get flung at you. I miss the significance of characters in the first book. And, while some characters carry over, they rarely appear and when they do, it doesn’t seem to bear any significance to the world events that take up the majority of the book.
I can see how some would enjoy this, but I just feel like there isn’t enough here to make me really care. Besides that, this book is hopelessly dense. I find my self wanting to set it aside after ten pages. Gardens of the Moon has this book beat for sure. I’m cutting my losses and ending my reading in this series here.
Updated review after re-read:
I have to say that this book is a lot better if you are already familiar with the world. After having read the series once and now re-reading it, I came to enjoy this book even more. I also noticed how my thoughts would return again and agains to some scenes in this book, to the extent that it is the book I have the most fond memories of in the series (the chain of dogs is one of the most memorable storylines of the series).
So, I'll upgrade to 5 stars, but be aware that on my first read of the series, it only "clicked" somewhere halfway through the book.
Old review after first read:
GoodReads needs to implement half stars.
I feel bad giving this book 4 stars, because it was better than a lot of other books I gave four stars to. On the other hand, it's not up there with my 5 star-Books.
Again, the book took some time to pick up speed. To its credit: It was never boring. I was really interested in just about all of the characters. All of them had an interesting backstory and were characterized very well.
Erikson also did a good job of making it hard to hate any one side of the conflict. Sure, some sides are considered "evil", some "good", but then again, if you view the empire as "evil", like some characters do, you can't help but be impressed by Coltaine (Can't go into details for fear of spoilers). And vice versa, if you consider the troops of the Apocalypse to be "evil", there are still good people in them.
I especially liked the last 200 pages of the book, and if the whole book had been like them, it would have been an easy 5 stars. The pacing was great and I repeatedly had to debate if I want to keep reading or actually be alive the next day (reading usually won).
The book also managed to get an emotional response from me, from hatred for some characters (Which means that they were characterized very well) to actually almost crying near the end.
Do I recommend this book? Yes, though I must note that this book is not for people easily shocked, as there are some nasty things happening, including some graphic descriptions. I felt more than a bit sick after a particular scene (). You have been warned. If you can stomach this stuff, by all means, start reading the series (But begin with part one or you won't understand a thing). And don't be put off if you don't understand everything. Some things get explained later on, and those which aren't, you can usually piece together yourself.
Now, please excuse me, I need to begin reading the next book.
I have to say that this book is a lot better if you are already familiar with the world. After having read the series once and now re-reading it, I came to enjoy this book even more. I also noticed how my thoughts would return again and agains to some scenes in this book, to the extent that it is the book I have the most fond memories of in the series (the chain of dogs is one of the most memorable storylines of the series).
So, I'll upgrade to 5 stars, but be aware that on my first read of the series, it only "clicked" somewhere halfway through the book.
Old review after first read:
GoodReads needs to implement half stars.
I feel bad giving this book 4 stars, because it was better than a lot of other books I gave four stars to. On the other hand, it's not up there with my 5 star-Books.
Again, the book took some time to pick up speed. To its credit: It was never boring. I was really interested in just about all of the characters. All of them had an interesting backstory and were characterized very well.
Erikson also did a good job of making it hard to hate any one side of the conflict. Sure, some sides are considered "evil", some "good", but then again, if you view the empire as "evil", like some characters do, you can't help but be impressed by Coltaine (Can't go into details for fear of spoilers). And vice versa, if you consider the troops of the Apocalypse to be "evil", there are still good people in them.
I especially liked the last 200 pages of the book, and if the whole book had been like them, it would have been an easy 5 stars. The pacing was great and I repeatedly had to debate if I want to keep reading or actually be alive the next day (reading usually won).
The book also managed to get an emotional response from me, from hatred for some characters (Which means that they were characterized very well) to actually almost crying near the end.
Do I recommend this book? Yes, though I must note that this book is not for people easily shocked, as there are some nasty things happening, including some graphic descriptions. I felt more than a bit sick after a particular scene (
Spoiler
The bloodflies at the prisoner campNow, please excuse me, I need to begin reading the next book.