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lakserk's review against another edition
4.0
Even better than the first in this mini-series, The Healthy Dead brings our 2 villains and their servant to Quaint, a city taken by a fanatic zeal for virtue. Funny, page-turning, with an unexpected amount of philosophy tucked in, this novelette is Erikson at his very good.
josiah216's review
dark
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
mwplante's review against another edition
2.0
This story was the only of the first three published Bauchelain & Korbal Broach tales that fell in my estimation on re-read. The wackiness was off-putting coming off the three Willful Children and in comparison to the comparatively restrained sensibilities of Lees of Laughter's End and Blood Follows. There are a few fun moments, but mostly this one is a bizarre rant against vegans and exercise that just really isn't very funny.
Also, WHERE THE **** WAS KORBAL BROACH?! He's in the damn title and he barely appears in this one!! Fans of the cuddly eunuch will be sorely disappointed.
Also, WHERE THE **** WAS KORBAL BROACH?! He's in the damn title and he barely appears in this one!! Fans of the cuddly eunuch will be sorely disappointed.
use_strict's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
ejmorris1's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
clarks_dad's review against another edition
5.0
Okay, so he's definitely channeling Pratchett...
These one-off tales are really something I'm beginning to look forward to in the overall drama that is the Malazan Book of the Fallen. For those interested in my reading order, I'm attempting to backtrack a bit to follow this outline:
In this novella, Bauchelain, Korbal Broach, and their manservant Emancipor Reese stumble upon a fascist state obsessed with healthy living. Yes, you read that right. This novella is hilarious and explores the various means of social control human beings have subjected each other to in microcosm. As usual we have the unexpected confluence of separate events that all reach climax at the same time (that's what she said). While it may seem a well-worn formula for Erikson's shorter prose at this point, I don't mind it in the slightest. In fact, I'm starting to anticipate the twists and unexpected turns and he has me on the lookout for conflicting events. I still manage to feel surprised by the resolution, even if I do have some hints as to what's going on along the way.
For the life of me, I can't understand why this series isn't a bigger thing than it is.
These one-off tales are really something I'm beginning to look forward to in the overall drama that is the Malazan Book of the Fallen. For those interested in my reading order, I'm attempting to backtrack a bit to follow this outline:
In this novella, Bauchelain, Korbal Broach, and their manservant Emancipor Reese stumble upon a fascist state obsessed with healthy living. Yes, you read that right. This novella is hilarious and explores the various means of social control human beings have subjected each other to in microcosm. As usual we have the unexpected confluence of separate events that all reach climax at the same time (that's what she said). While it may seem a well-worn formula for Erikson's shorter prose at this point, I don't mind it in the slightest. In fact, I'm starting to anticipate the twists and unexpected turns and he has me on the lookout for conflicting events. I still manage to feel surprised by the resolution, even if I do have some hints as to what's going on along the way.
For the life of me, I can't understand why this series isn't a bigger thing than it is.
lubos's review against another edition
3.0
hmm, zo začiatku nebavilo, ale zlé to nebolo, dokonca občas vtipné :)
novoaust's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
So far, this one has to be my least favorite of the Bauchelain and Korbal Broach novels, but it still works well in providing comic relief from the main series.
This one is set in a far and distant land that doesn't feel part of the Malaz world. At first, I enjoyed it, as it was different, but that difference eventual led to me just being confused and not caring about what was going on in the world.
I did find this one to be quite funny though, and that humor did drive the story for me. I guess I was simply just confused by the point of this one. It seemed like a criticism of health nuts in a way, but could easily be seen as a critique of any sort of fanaticism or self righteousness.
Overall, still a fun addition to the Malazan world, but definitely not something I would consider a must read.
This one is set in a far and distant land that doesn't feel part of the Malaz world. At first, I enjoyed it, as it was different, but that difference eventual led to me just being confused and not caring about what was going on in the world.
I did find this one to be quite funny though, and that humor did drive the story for me. I guess I was simply just confused by the point of this one. It seemed like a criticism of health nuts in a way, but could easily be seen as a critique of any sort of fanaticism or self righteousness.
Overall, still a fun addition to the Malazan world, but definitely not something I would consider a must read.