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4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
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.
There is so much to say about this book. To even try to form all my thoughts would be impossible. I will highlight some of these futher down but first the short summary. This is an amazing book with great characters and relationships that really hooked me, a world where we really feel the ages that have come and gone, awesome magic and great plot. The writing was so much better for me in this book it really flowed. Less confusion for also for me also.
Deadhouse Gates have a lot of things that I usually really dislike in books. There are instances of both elements I don't like at all and events that I usually don't think authors handle well. To my surprise, Erikson does and I find these things some of the strongest points of the book.
I usually dislike the long walk/trip. There is a lot of that here but I think it is interesting all the time. With the shifts in pov, time jumps, different events and realisations we get and of course the battles (we shall not forget about those). I'm not at all as bored as I usually am and I think that is about the focus of the walk. The focus are the characters in my opinion and how all the events shape them, destroying and remaking. I actually just want to read a bit more all the time.
Abuse/sexual abuse/rape is an important part of this book. Far from a simple plot devise or something mentioned as a fact of war and life (some other authors) Erikson really doesn't hesitate to show the consequences and horror of it, he put it front and center. His character work with Felisin amazes me. She is so broken in every possible way. So irrational, full Stockholm syndrom and lashing out. So scared, so hard, so lonely. She is one of the characters I found most fascinating but never an easy read. She is so many things and formed by her experience it creates a depth to her. He really force the reader to reflect with Felisin.
Battles can usually bore me with all the description of action I skim read a lot of those. Here there is nothing to skim. I read them with full focus. They are fairly short and more character focused and really show the horror and brutality. There is no epic glory. He focused on the human aspects of battles, emotions and what it does to people as a group and individuals.
Violence, gore, torture and other repulsive scenes can usually be to much when the author welters in it a bit. Erikson use it front and center but I feel like it is to show the worst of humanity and just the amount needed for the story.
Deadhouse Gates have a lot of things that I usually really dislike in books. There are instances of both elements I don't like at all and events that I usually don't think authors handle well. To my surprise, Erikson does and I find these things some of the strongest points of the book.
I usually dislike the long walk/trip. There is a lot of that here but I think it is interesting all the time. With the shifts in pov, time jumps, different events and realisations we get and of course the battles (we shall not forget about those). I'm not at all as bored as I usually am and I think that is about the focus of the walk. The focus are the characters in my opinion and how all the events shape them, destroying and remaking. I actually just want to read a bit more all the time.
Abuse/sexual abuse/rape is an important part of this book. Far from a simple plot devise or something mentioned as a fact of war and life (some other authors) Erikson really doesn't hesitate to show the consequences and horror of it, he put it front and center. His character work with Felisin amazes me. She is so broken in every possible way. So irrational, full Stockholm syndrom and lashing out. So scared, so hard, so lonely. She is one of the characters I found most fascinating but never an easy read. She is so many things and formed by her experience it creates a depth to her. He really force the reader to reflect with Felisin.
Battles can usually bore me with all the description of action I skim read a lot of those. Here there is nothing to skim. I read them with full focus. They are fairly short and more character focused and really show the horror and brutality. There is no epic glory. He focused on the human aspects of battles, emotions and what it does to people as a group and individuals.
Violence, gore, torture and other repulsive scenes can usually be to much when the author welters in it a bit. Erikson use it front and center but I feel like it is to show the worst of humanity and just the amount needed for the story.
Tengo muchos sentimientos encontrados con este libro, y dudo poder hacer una reseña que explique todo lo que pienso del mismo.
El principio me gustó muchísimo. En cuestión de horas me había devorado capítulos y capítulos. Comenzó con un ritmo ideal, con personajes que conocíamos e intercalando con algunos nuevos, que se nos iban presentando de a poco. Me gustó mucho el hecho de que en este segundo libro se haya dado más importancia a la introspección de los personajes. Ahora podíamos leer sus pensamientos a manos de ellos, en primera persona. Podíamos ver sus dudas y también los razonamientos que hacían para resolver ciertos problemas. Creo que eso hizo que pudiera conectar mucho mejor con todos ellos y que pudiera conocerlos en profundidad, o al menos más que en el primer libro.
Hubo muchas revelaciones que me dejaron con la boca abierta y me sorprendieron bastante, porque no las esperaba.
Sin embargo, casi a mitad del libro, el ritmo cambió completamente. El libro se volvió aburrido, no pasaba nada, los personajes no avanzaban o, me retracto, avanzaban pero no iban a ningún lado. Duilker fue un personaje que me gustó mucho por la manera en que pensaba, pero todo su punto de vista se me hizo aburrido e insufrible. No podía avanzar. Felisin, por el otro lado, también se me hizo insoportable. Sus capítulos eran demasiado exagerados, pero me gustó su punto de vista y lo que se planteó con este personaje. Creo que se exploró una fasceta de las personas (principalmente mujeres, pero a todos nos pasa por igual) donde buscamos algo como el cariño, el amor o lo que sea de una manera tan desesperada que nos cegamos. Creemos que lo poco que tenemos es eso que buscamos, que lo conseguimos con mucho trabajo, y nos aferramos a aquello con todas nuestras fuerzas por miedo a perderlo. Y por miedo a quedarnos sin nada, tampoco nos arriesgamos a buscar más. También me gustó su egoismo y la manera en que se enojaba con los demás. "Ella los había salvado y se había sacrificado para mantenerlos vivos, y ellos ni siquiera se lo agradecían". Ellos nunca le habían pedido eso, e igualmente Felisin los culpaba en cierta manera por todas las cosas que había sufrido. El crecimiento tanto de ella, como del grupo y de la amistad puede verse a lo largo de cada uno de los capítulos y me gustó el punto al que llegaron. Creo que éste fue el grupo que más creció.
Mi punto de vista favorito fue el de Fiddler(Violín), aunque fue el que menos capítulos tuvo. También me encantaba Kalam, hasta que en las últimas páginas se volvió un poco aburrido pero luego volvió a remontar. Icarium y Mappo también fueron personajes muy interesantes, aunque no vemos mucho de ellos ni se los desarrolla en profundidas. Simplemente se da vueltas y vueltas en el único (o únicos) problemas que tienen ambos y que los relacionan (y que son bastante tristes, por cierto).
El final fue mi parte favorita. Cerca del 70% del libro todo comenzó a tener sentido, los caminos comenzaron a entrelazarse, las tramas a cerrarse y la acción a desarrollarse. Todo volvió a adquirir ese ritmo del inicio y no podía soltar las páginas. El final me gustó mucho y aunque fue triste, fue interesante y relevante para la historia. Me gustó mucho uno de los enfrentamientos y conversaciones que Kalam tuvo en las últimas páginas.
Y ese epílogo... Steven, ¿qué necesidad de dejar las cosas tan abiertas? Lo único que espero es que en el siguiente libro -o alguno de los siguientes- se explique exactamente qué significó eso jajajaja.
A pesar de todo, a pesar de que me gustó, me aburrió y me volvió a gustar, me sentía muy perdida en varios momentos. A veces los personajes saltaban de un escenario a otro sin explicación alguna, se daban respuestas que no tenían nada que ver o sacaban conclusiones que nunca explicaban o ni siquiera daban una mínima pista. Comprendo la manera de narrar del autor y comprendo lo que quiso creer. No tengo ningún problema en sacar mis propias conclusiones, pero a veces podría haber sido un poquito más claro el libro. Siento que así no lo disfruto completamente, porque no termino de comprender, de tomar o de registrar qué está pasando o a qué se refieren. Y definitivamente no tengo ganas de leer 10 libros para luego releerlos y recién ahí poder entenderlos.
Además, siento que muchas veces salen "monstruos", "bichos", "seres supremos", "seres completamente malévolos y poderosos e indestructibles", de la nada. En un momento nadie habla de ellos y al siguiente uno se acuerda, lo despierta, y todos le temen. Todo sucede de una manera tan repentina que no llego a sentir la importancia de los mismos ni el inminente peligro. Como si pasasen desapercibidos. En esto veo bastante la influencia del rol, se siente como si fuera una carta que estuviera escondida y se saca en el momento de necesitarla, sin previa presentación o introducción.
Siento que el mundo es demasiado grande, pero al menos por ahora no es ni lejos tan complejo como me lo imaginaba. Solo tiene demasiados lugares, mundos, "universos paralelos" o como se los quiera llamar. La magia está interesante, pero no es nada de otro mundo. Me interesan mucho las historias de aquellos pueblos originarios, como los t'lan imass, los jaghut, etc, y espero poder conocer más de ellos a lo largo de la historia.
El principio me gustó muchísimo. En cuestión de horas me había devorado capítulos y capítulos. Comenzó con un ritmo ideal, con personajes que conocíamos e intercalando con algunos nuevos, que se nos iban presentando de a poco. Me gustó mucho el hecho de que en este segundo libro se haya dado más importancia a la introspección de los personajes. Ahora podíamos leer sus pensamientos a manos de ellos, en primera persona. Podíamos ver sus dudas y también los razonamientos que hacían para resolver ciertos problemas. Creo que eso hizo que pudiera conectar mucho mejor con todos ellos y que pudiera conocerlos en profundidad, o al menos más que en el primer libro.
Hubo muchas revelaciones que me dejaron con la boca abierta y me sorprendieron bastante, porque no las esperaba.
Sin embargo, casi a mitad del libro, el ritmo cambió completamente. El libro se volvió aburrido, no pasaba nada, los personajes no avanzaban o, me retracto, avanzaban pero no iban a ningún lado. Duilker fue un personaje que me gustó mucho por la manera en que pensaba, pero todo su punto de vista se me hizo aburrido e insufrible. No podía avanzar. Felisin, por el otro lado, también se me hizo insoportable. Sus capítulos eran demasiado exagerados, pero me gustó su punto de vista y lo que se planteó con este personaje. Creo que se exploró una fasceta de las personas (principalmente mujeres, pero a todos nos pasa por igual) donde buscamos algo como el cariño, el amor o lo que sea de una manera tan desesperada que nos cegamos. Creemos que lo poco que tenemos es eso que buscamos, que lo conseguimos con mucho trabajo, y nos aferramos a aquello con todas nuestras fuerzas por miedo a perderlo. Y por miedo a quedarnos sin nada, tampoco nos arriesgamos a buscar más. También me gustó su egoismo y la manera en que se enojaba con los demás. "Ella los había salvado y se había sacrificado para mantenerlos vivos, y ellos ni siquiera se lo agradecían". Ellos nunca le habían pedido eso, e igualmente Felisin los culpaba en cierta manera por todas las cosas que había sufrido. El crecimiento tanto de ella, como del grupo y de la amistad puede verse a lo largo de cada uno de los capítulos y me gustó el punto al que llegaron. Creo que éste fue el grupo que más creció.
Mi punto de vista favorito fue el de Fiddler(Violín), aunque fue el que menos capítulos tuvo. También me encantaba Kalam, hasta que en las últimas páginas se volvió un poco aburrido pero luego volvió a remontar. Icarium y Mappo también fueron personajes muy interesantes, aunque no vemos mucho de ellos ni se los desarrolla en profundidas. Simplemente se da vueltas y vueltas en el único (o únicos) problemas que tienen ambos y que los relacionan (y que son bastante tristes, por cierto).
El final fue mi parte favorita. Cerca del 70% del libro todo comenzó a tener sentido, los caminos comenzaron a entrelazarse, las tramas a cerrarse y la acción a desarrollarse. Todo volvió a adquirir ese ritmo del inicio y no podía soltar las páginas. El final me gustó mucho y aunque fue triste, fue interesante y relevante para la historia. Me gustó mucho uno de los enfrentamientos y conversaciones que Kalam tuvo en las últimas páginas.
Y ese epílogo... Steven, ¿qué necesidad de dejar las cosas tan abiertas? Lo único que espero es que en el siguiente libro -o alguno de los siguientes- se explique exactamente qué significó eso jajajaja.
A pesar de todo, a pesar de que me gustó, me aburrió y me volvió a gustar, me sentía muy perdida en varios momentos. A veces los personajes saltaban de un escenario a otro sin explicación alguna, se daban respuestas que no tenían nada que ver o sacaban conclusiones que nunca explicaban o ni siquiera daban una mínima pista. Comprendo la manera de narrar del autor y comprendo lo que quiso creer. No tengo ningún problema en sacar mis propias conclusiones, pero a veces podría haber sido un poquito más claro el libro. Siento que así no lo disfruto completamente, porque no termino de comprender, de tomar o de registrar qué está pasando o a qué se refieren. Y definitivamente no tengo ganas de leer 10 libros para luego releerlos y recién ahí poder entenderlos.
Además, siento que muchas veces salen "monstruos", "bichos", "seres supremos", "seres completamente malévolos y poderosos e indestructibles", de la nada. En un momento nadie habla de ellos y al siguiente uno se acuerda, lo despierta, y todos le temen. Todo sucede de una manera tan repentina que no llego a sentir la importancia de los mismos ni el inminente peligro. Como si pasasen desapercibidos. En esto veo bastante la influencia del rol, se siente como si fuera una carta que estuviera escondida y se saca en el momento de necesitarla, sin previa presentación o introducción.
Siento que el mundo es demasiado grande, pero al menos por ahora no es ni lejos tan complejo como me lo imaginaba. Solo tiene demasiados lugares, mundos, "universos paralelos" o como se los quiera llamar. La magia está interesante, pero no es nada de otro mundo. Me interesan mucho las historias de aquellos pueblos originarios, como los t'lan imass, los jaghut, etc, y espero poder conocer más de ellos a lo largo de la historia.
02/26/2020 Notes:
Rating Raised from 3.5 to 4 Stars
5 Stars for Narration by Ralph Lister
At this point, I can honestly say that I'm not fan of the way the author has chosen to write the series. I do appreciate the story more on the re-read but a story should be great from the first reading and even better on the second. I disliked half of this book on the first round and about 40% on the re-read. Erikson is a good writer. Good enough to make the series engaging to the reader without being intentionally obtuse.
I read several books with cool concepts & poor progression or weak writing. So it's nice to come back Deadhouse Gates and think, "Good writing! Yay!"
The reason why I enjoyed the book more was due to the fact that I made it to book 4 and a lot of stuff made more sense or connections after reading up to that point & coming back.
02/04/2019 Notes: 3.5 Stars, Maybe Up to 4
I actually liked GotM better than this one. The constant "do" without explaining much or giving more details is annoying. There's a lot to be curious about but the way the author delivers the story doesn't lead me to think it will all be given.
Rating Raised from 3.5 to 4 Stars
5 Stars for Narration by Ralph Lister
At this point, I can honestly say that I'm not fan of the way the author has chosen to write the series. I do appreciate the story more on the re-read but a story should be great from the first reading and even better on the second. I disliked half of this book on the first round and about 40% on the re-read. Erikson is a good writer. Good enough to make the series engaging to the reader without being intentionally obtuse.
I read several books with cool concepts & poor progression or weak writing. So it's nice to come back Deadhouse Gates and think, "Good writing! Yay!"
The reason why I enjoyed the book more was due to the fact that I made it to book 4 and a lot of stuff made more sense or connections after reading up to that point & coming back.
02/04/2019 Notes: 3.5 Stars, Maybe Up to 4
I actually liked GotM better than this one. The constant "do" without explaining much or giving more details is annoying. There's a lot to be curious about but the way the author delivers the story doesn't lead me to think it will all be given.
Dense and tightly-woven, the second Malazan book follows some new faces and some old favourites from the first, fighting for and railing against manipulations by empires and gods alike.
That a story so epic in scale can feel so compact is a testament to Erikson's writing. I just wish he introduced some time to pause and smell the roses. 960 pages is a long time to be swinging for the fences.
That a story so epic in scale can feel so compact is a testament to Erikson's writing. I just wish he introduced some time to pause and smell the roses. 960 pages is a long time to be swinging for the fences.
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I hate Felisin and hope Sha'ik is better. And I didn't understand a lot of things lol
As I child I would create a lot of stories in my mind. Being too lazy to sit down and write, these stories would take different shapes in my mind and were too often lost in that haze of childhood. While I don’t remember most of the stories that I wrote in that manner, one stuck with me for long and in fact even today my mind wanders through that maze of storytelling. It is a story of seven friends, with of course moi being the central character. When I started the story in my mind, I was an only child; my sister being ten years younger than me was yet to arrive in my planet; so it was obvious that I would create imaginary friends and have them perform fantastical feats in life and give myself all the possible positive as well as negative attributes, albeit with the negative ones being shown in a positive light (after all I am the creator, right?). In this manner the story grew, developed layers that grew infinitely complicated; characters were added and deleted at random, depending on my mood and generally became an unmanageable magnum opus that despite having a single thread had become so complicated and the unraveling of which became quite impossible that it was relegated to the shadows of my mind and memory, leaving me with only nostalgia of those simple days of my life and my childish attempt.
The reason I started this review with such an introduction was not to boast about my efforts, but to tell you why Steven Erikson and this series of his is such a wonderful experience for me. A magnum opus, with numerous characters, with unbelievably intrinsic layers and plots within plots, with events that are both fantastical and yet realistic and where the author doesn’t falter at any step and is surefooted as he takes us through his mind; is something truly praise worthy and admirable, especially given my experience of attempting to create an epic with neither a start nor an end. Even otherwise, I mean even without my personal experience at complicated storytelling, I would still say that this is a magnificently successful attempt.
This is the second book of the series and as with the first, he doesn’t doubt himself or his ability to tell a grandiose tale. And grandiose it is, with its glorious and gory war scenes, its vibrant descriptions of people, religion and communities, its intrinsic view of the thoughts and emotions of the various characters and its beautiful and multilayered and multiple plots, which come with agony inducing, brilliantly depicted unexpected twists and turns that only leave you gasping for more.
Like with the first book, this one has a fairly simple and straightforward plot, especially when you read the blurb. However, do remember that this is Erikson we are talking about and simple is not something he does. While war is the main thrust of this book, it also details various other adventures of the numerous characters, with everything converging into the main battlefield. This book brilliantly showcases how gods play a role in the life of man. Religious differences, slavery, tribal customs and beliefs, tribal wars, peasant uprising, freedom from tyranny are some of the themes that are touched upon by Erikson in this book. The beauty of this book lies in the fact that it is realistic despite being a fantasy novel. The themes discussed are relevant today and some might be relevant till the end of time. A lot of similarities exist between today’s world and Erikson’s world of Malazan, making the reading all the more interesting, not to mention meaningful.
Characters are the bane of our existence when it comes to Erikson’s novels. He just loves to put together a book that has a totally different dramatis personae and very few of the past ones that you love. I was definitely intimidated going into this book largely because of the numerous new characters that I had to deal with in this book. However, like with the first one, I caught onto who’s who within the first few chapters and sailed through this like a champion. While I did say that this was the bane, a crazy person within me actually loves it. I simply love how different people converge together within a single plot. I love the different dynamics that each group brings to the front and how Erikson handles each such dynamics with aplomb and as if it were a walk in the park. Honestly, it boggles my mind and makes me want to cry in agony whilst also shouting with joy.
Character development is more plot driven in this book, which means that often you don’t really get a good description of the character but can really experience his or her growth through his reactions and thoughts on the various incidents that happen around him or her, irrespective of whether he or she is central to that incident. With this strategy, Erikson makes you fall in love with the characters even if you are wondering about that character’s history. This book had too many great characters and I loved how unique each one was, both in their thoughts as well as actions. No character is black or white, which is another quirk of Erikson that I simply love.
The writing in this book is definitely superb, taut with tension throughout, starting really strong and ascending to a really beautiful epic finish. There is no lag in the story or in the narration and neither does it bore you despite its humongous size. I loved the war scenes with Coltaine and Duiker as well as the philosophical discussions between Mappo and Icarium. Even animals, dogs and horses to be specific, are given a wonderful place in this book, with each dog or horse having a characteristic of its own. There are twists and turns, where some are quite obvious but mostly they are those that you don’t and these twists and turns include the dogs as well, which make it a really good read. I really enjoy both the content as well as the delivery of those special ‘a-ha’ moments that Erikson provides his readers. The dialogues in this book are witty at times, really thought provoking at times and in general superlative in its apt execution. You feel like you are actually on ground with these characters as they become part of your life, making you feel their every emotion really strongly.
In short, this is a great book, one that I totally enjoyed reading. Now I need to move onto the next one, to see and experience the new treasures that Erikson has in store for me.
The reason I started this review with such an introduction was not to boast about my efforts, but to tell you why Steven Erikson and this series of his is such a wonderful experience for me. A magnum opus, with numerous characters, with unbelievably intrinsic layers and plots within plots, with events that are both fantastical and yet realistic and where the author doesn’t falter at any step and is surefooted as he takes us through his mind; is something truly praise worthy and admirable, especially given my experience of attempting to create an epic with neither a start nor an end. Even otherwise, I mean even without my personal experience at complicated storytelling, I would still say that this is a magnificently successful attempt.
This is the second book of the series and as with the first, he doesn’t doubt himself or his ability to tell a grandiose tale. And grandiose it is, with its glorious and gory war scenes, its vibrant descriptions of people, religion and communities, its intrinsic view of the thoughts and emotions of the various characters and its beautiful and multilayered and multiple plots, which come with agony inducing, brilliantly depicted unexpected twists and turns that only leave you gasping for more.
Like with the first book, this one has a fairly simple and straightforward plot, especially when you read the blurb. However, do remember that this is Erikson we are talking about and simple is not something he does. While war is the main thrust of this book, it also details various other adventures of the numerous characters, with everything converging into the main battlefield. This book brilliantly showcases how gods play a role in the life of man. Religious differences, slavery, tribal customs and beliefs, tribal wars, peasant uprising, freedom from tyranny are some of the themes that are touched upon by Erikson in this book. The beauty of this book lies in the fact that it is realistic despite being a fantasy novel. The themes discussed are relevant today and some might be relevant till the end of time. A lot of similarities exist between today’s world and Erikson’s world of Malazan, making the reading all the more interesting, not to mention meaningful.
Characters are the bane of our existence when it comes to Erikson’s novels. He just loves to put together a book that has a totally different dramatis personae and very few of the past ones that you love. I was definitely intimidated going into this book largely because of the numerous new characters that I had to deal with in this book. However, like with the first one, I caught onto who’s who within the first few chapters and sailed through this like a champion. While I did say that this was the bane, a crazy person within me actually loves it. I simply love how different people converge together within a single plot. I love the different dynamics that each group brings to the front and how Erikson handles each such dynamics with aplomb and as if it were a walk in the park. Honestly, it boggles my mind and makes me want to cry in agony whilst also shouting with joy.
Character development is more plot driven in this book, which means that often you don’t really get a good description of the character but can really experience his or her growth through his reactions and thoughts on the various incidents that happen around him or her, irrespective of whether he or she is central to that incident. With this strategy, Erikson makes you fall in love with the characters even if you are wondering about that character’s history. This book had too many great characters and I loved how unique each one was, both in their thoughts as well as actions. No character is black or white, which is another quirk of Erikson that I simply love.
The writing in this book is definitely superb, taut with tension throughout, starting really strong and ascending to a really beautiful epic finish. There is no lag in the story or in the narration and neither does it bore you despite its humongous size. I loved the war scenes with Coltaine and Duiker as well as the philosophical discussions between Mappo and Icarium. Even animals, dogs and horses to be specific, are given a wonderful place in this book, with each dog or horse having a characteristic of its own. There are twists and turns, where some are quite obvious but mostly they are those that you don’t and these twists and turns include the dogs as well, which make it a really good read. I really enjoy both the content as well as the delivery of those special ‘a-ha’ moments that Erikson provides his readers. The dialogues in this book are witty at times, really thought provoking at times and in general superlative in its apt execution. You feel like you are actually on ground with these characters as they become part of your life, making you feel their every emotion really strongly.
In short, this is a great book, one that I totally enjoyed reading. Now I need to move onto the next one, to see and experience the new treasures that Erikson has in store for me.
The “Malazan Book of the Fallen” is considered as the most dark fantasy by many, thats the one reason that I didn’t dumped it after reading [b:Gardens of the Moon|55399|Gardens of the Moon (The Malazan Book of the Fallen, #1)|Steven Erikson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1355144064s/55399.jpg|2646042]. I really want to know and explore the complex world that Erikson has created in this epic series or atleast get to know why it is tagged as the most dark fantasy. Even the most ardent fans of the series says that first book is the weakest and series really picks up after third book. So I’ve decided that I’m not dumping this series before reading [b:Memories of Ice|175983|Memories of Ice (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #3)|Steven Erikson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1316729348s/175983.jpg|836462].
I must say [b:Deadhouse Gates|55401|Deadhouse Gates (The Malazan Book of the Fallen, #2)|Steven Erikson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1385272744s/55401.jpg|3898716] is much better than the [b:Gardens of the Moon|55399|Gardens of the Moon (The Malazan Book of the Fallen, #1)|Steven Erikson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1355144064s/55399.jpg|2646042]. This book has all the basic fantasy ingredients i.e. an epic journey, a dangerous rescue mission, an ongoing war, some prophecies and great action. This story has a whole new set of characters, only Crokus, Fiddler, Apasalar and Kalam are here from the first book. At the start I felt very frustrated with the introduction of this whole new cast which bears almost no connection to the previous book or its events. But slowly I got used to this new cast.
Story and writing is better than the first book. Dialogues are better. But at places I still struggled to get what is going on in characters head or what they’re planning. Thats one of the problem with huge casts and multiple POVs that they demand explanation and Mr Erikson is very stingy when it comes to explaining events or why his characters are like the way they are.
Second thing that I hated about this book is Mr Erikson uses magic so heavily and he never cares to explain the magic system. There are different kind of warrens (magic system), but I never get what are the function of these warrens or which one is the strongest or weakest. How can anyone use magic anywhere?
Third thing that annoyed me was the length of the book. it could have been some 200 pages shorter. Literally there were places where I so wanted to jump to last two chapters and get over with it. I don’t hate big books but reading some 800+ pages with so much confusion and without any explanation takes it toll.
I’m still determined to read third but may be a month later. I really want some good books to read before I think I’ll be ready to read next book in this series.
I must say [b:Deadhouse Gates|55401|Deadhouse Gates (The Malazan Book of the Fallen, #2)|Steven Erikson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1385272744s/55401.jpg|3898716] is much better than the [b:Gardens of the Moon|55399|Gardens of the Moon (The Malazan Book of the Fallen, #1)|Steven Erikson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1355144064s/55399.jpg|2646042]. This book has all the basic fantasy ingredients i.e. an epic journey, a dangerous rescue mission, an ongoing war, some prophecies and great action. This story has a whole new set of characters, only Crokus, Fiddler, Apasalar and Kalam are here from the first book. At the start I felt very frustrated with the introduction of this whole new cast which bears almost no connection to the previous book or its events. But slowly I got used to this new cast.
Story and writing is better than the first book. Dialogues are better. But at places I still struggled to get what is going on in characters head or what they’re planning. Thats one of the problem with huge casts and multiple POVs that they demand explanation and Mr Erikson is very stingy when it comes to explaining events or why his characters are like the way they are.
Second thing that I hated about this book is Mr Erikson uses magic so heavily and he never cares to explain the magic system. There are different kind of warrens (magic system), but I never get what are the function of these warrens or which one is the strongest or weakest. How can anyone use magic anywhere?
Third thing that annoyed me was the length of the book. it could have been some 200 pages shorter. Literally there were places where I so wanted to jump to last two chapters and get over with it. I don’t hate big books but reading some 800+ pages with so much confusion and without any explanation takes it toll.
I’m still determined to read third but may be a month later. I really want some good books to read before I think I’ll be ready to read next book in this series.