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eblyth's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
mwplante's review against another edition
2.0
These latter Bauchelain and Korbal Broach stories really have too much going on and not enough of it is Bauchelain and Korbal Broach. Lees of Laughter's End and Blood Follows really were the pinnacle of the formula for me. Hoping the next tale gets back to the roots of the series.
dboyd22's review against another edition
dark
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
mxsallybend's review against another edition
4.0
For an author with such a flair for complex, densely woven epic fantasy, Steven Erikson also has a deft touch for witty banter and darkly madcap humor. In his Malazan Book of the Fallen that humor is often used to contrast the often crushing sense of despair, but in the Tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach it takes center stage.
For a novella, there’s a lot going on in The Fiends of Nightmaria. Bauchelain and Broach themselves (along with Emancipor Reese) are largely relegated to a framing device, but the story is too much fun for me to complain about that. The Monty Python-esque scenes of the artists and poets awaiting torture in the dungeon are some of the most amusing stuff he’s ever written, while the over-the-top parody of sword-and-sorcery quests explored with The Party of Five (or four or six or maybe seven) is laugh-out-loud funny in a Three Stooges kind of way. You have to read it to appreciate it, but there’s a scene involving being tossed atop a wall (and impaled on a spike) that made me giggle, and another involving two ends of a rope and a rather abrupt descent into a well that made me groan.
There’s also some rather absurd humor involving Bauchelain, Broach, the act of summoning a demon, and a conversation with said demon that is somehow both stupid and brilliant all at once. And then there’s the subtle humor of the narrative itself, with little throwaway lines like “He watched a spider chase a mouse across the floor” that, if you catch them, leave you smiling. Really, the only thing that fell flat for me was the Ambassador’s speech impediment, which might have some comic value on-screen, but which stops the story dead as you try to decipher it via text.
The Fiends of Nightmaria is fun stuff, but probably best reserved for fans for serious Malazan fans, and probably best enjoyed as a breather between those big, seriously epic books.
https://sallybend.wordpress.com/2020/12/11/the-fiends-of-nightmaria-by-steven-erikson/
For a novella, there’s a lot going on in The Fiends of Nightmaria. Bauchelain and Broach themselves (along with Emancipor Reese) are largely relegated to a framing device, but the story is too much fun for me to complain about that. The Monty Python-esque scenes of the artists and poets awaiting torture in the dungeon are some of the most amusing stuff he’s ever written, while the over-the-top parody of sword-and-sorcery quests explored with The Party of Five (or four or six or maybe seven) is laugh-out-loud funny in a Three Stooges kind of way. You have to read it to appreciate it, but there’s a scene involving being tossed atop a wall (and impaled on a spike) that made me giggle, and another involving two ends of a rope and a rather abrupt descent into a well that made me groan.
There’s also some rather absurd humor involving Bauchelain, Broach, the act of summoning a demon, and a conversation with said demon that is somehow both stupid and brilliant all at once. And then there’s the subtle humor of the narrative itself, with little throwaway lines like “He watched a spider chase a mouse across the floor” that, if you catch them, leave you smiling. Really, the only thing that fell flat for me was the Ambassador’s speech impediment, which might have some comic value on-screen, but which stops the story dead as you try to decipher it via text.
The Fiends of Nightmaria is fun stuff, but probably best reserved for fans for serious Malazan fans, and probably best enjoyed as a breather between those big, seriously epic books.
https://sallybend.wordpress.com/2020/12/11/the-fiends-of-nightmaria-by-steven-erikson/
yak_attak's review against another edition
4.5
The newest in Erickson's series of irreverent, hilarious, ultra dark horror-fantasies, this one has all the clever writing that you've come to expect, the disgusting horror, and nihilistic philosophical musings. A pleasure to read and laugh at, it is however not one of the strongest of the bunch. There's good stuff especially in the gang of DnD style adventures/thieves, but we don't get much of the titular characters, and there's not a really really solid overarching theme either. There's lots of good, but it doesn't come together into something more.
mhedgescsus's review against another edition
4.0
Check out my YouTube channel where I show my instant reactions to reading fantasy books as soon as I finish the book.
A wonderful novella that should be read by any Erikson fan.
Novella is the 5th novella in the "Bauchelain and Korbal Broach" series, set within the greater Malazan universe. The main characters here are necromancer side characters that appear in one of the Malazan: Book of the Fallen books, but were so entertaining that Steven Erikson decided to write a series of novellas about their hilarious escapades. It's a horror comedy book, that is simultaneously ultra horror, and ultra hilarious.
Think of a Terry Pratchett book, but in my opinion ramp up the hilarity (and I say this as a Pratchett fan), and make it extremely violent. It's a mix that shouldn't work, but ultimately does.
In this book, the king of a small kingdom is murdered by Bauchelain, and he sets himself up as the new king, with his sidekick Korbal Broach acting as the Grand Bishop. He becomes a tyrant, with the ultimate goal of completely emptying the coffers and skipping town before a revolt happens. It's a fun premise that sets up another great novella.
Ultimately I give this book 4 stars because while I did highly enjoy myself, I found a couple of the other books in this series a big step up in quality from this one.
After reading all of the printed books in this series, I can confidently say that this series is the best fantasy novella series that I have ever read, as well as hands down the funniest books I have ever read. They should absolutely not be skipped by any Erikson fans.
A wonderful novella that should be read by any Erikson fan.
Novella is the 5th novella in the "Bauchelain and Korbal Broach" series, set within the greater Malazan universe. The main characters here are necromancer side characters that appear in one of the Malazan: Book of the Fallen books, but were so entertaining that Steven Erikson decided to write a series of novellas about their hilarious escapades. It's a horror comedy book, that is simultaneously ultra horror, and ultra hilarious.
Think of a Terry Pratchett book, but in my opinion ramp up the hilarity (and I say this as a Pratchett fan), and make it extremely violent. It's a mix that shouldn't work, but ultimately does.
In this book, the king of a small kingdom is murdered by Bauchelain, and he sets himself up as the new king, with his sidekick Korbal Broach acting as the Grand Bishop. He becomes a tyrant, with the ultimate goal of completely emptying the coffers and skipping town before a revolt happens. It's a fun premise that sets up another great novella.
Ultimately I give this book 4 stars because while I did highly enjoy myself, I found a couple of the other books in this series a big step up in quality from this one.
After reading all of the printed books in this series, I can confidently say that this series is the best fantasy novella series that I have ever read, as well as hands down the funniest books I have ever read. They should absolutely not be skipped by any Erikson fans.
ddeenik's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.75