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wouterk's review against another edition
4.0
This is a fun novella in the malazan universe. Part of the tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach. Two comical and creepy necromancers travelling around. In this story we see how Emancipor, their manservant comes to be in their service.
Erikson very nicely combines the dry humour that surrounds this duo (or trio if you will) with the natural surroundings of the malazan universe. I felt the sergeant of the local city watch Guld, might be a nod to Terry Pratchett's commander Vimes. Both in their status, as well as how they don't take shit, not even from way higher ranking people, they are very similar characters.
What also struck me was that I'm starting to worry about Erikson's relationship or those he has experienced in his youth or surroundings ;)
The relationship between Emancipor and his wife Subly is very prickly, antagonistic and rough. Not unsimilar to the relationships of Iskaral Pust and Mogora, or Pearl and Lostara Yil, the latter Erikson has said to be somewhat modelled after his own marriage. Ah well, anyway these comical and combative relationships are becoming a staple of the malazan books for me.
Anyway, it is a short story. Just read it, it is fun and a very quick read.
Erikson very nicely combines the dry humour that surrounds this duo (or trio if you will) with the natural surroundings of the malazan universe. I felt the sergeant of the local city watch Guld, might be a nod to Terry Pratchett's commander Vimes. Both in their status, as well as how they don't take shit, not even from way higher ranking people, they are very similar characters.
What also struck me was that I'm starting to worry about Erikson's relationship or those he has experienced in his youth or surroundings ;)
The relationship between Emancipor and his wife Subly is very prickly, antagonistic and rough. Not unsimilar to the relationships of Iskaral Pust and Mogora, or Pearl and Lostara Yil, the latter Erikson has said to be somewhat modelled after his own marriage. Ah well, anyway these comical and combative relationships are becoming a staple of the malazan books for me.
Anyway, it is a short story. Just read it, it is fun and a very quick read.
ryan_reads_alot's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
lakserk's review against another edition
3.0
The story of how Emancipor Reese ended up with his two infamous monster. A sort of a murder mystery (though not a big mystery to those acquainted with the Malazan world), short and satisfying, it kicks off the Tales in a fulfilling way.
mwplante's review against another edition
3.0
This is my second reading of this little story and I have to say I enjoyed it more than the first time. My original review of the Bauchelain and Korbal Broach Volume I collection, many years ago, starts by noting my distaste for comedic fiction. While I have retained this distaste, I no longer see this story as comedic fiction.
This story feels more like a fantasy-horror mystery story to me, on second reading, whereas years ago it felt like a comedy-fantasy-horror story to me. While the whodunit of the tale is not a mystery, there are many attendant elements in this tale that certainly earn it the title of "mystery". And while there is some dark humor at play here, in the context of Erikson's full range of genre fiction, this story is basically tonally the same as the other books in the Malazan world. Trust me, I read all three of the Willful Children. I KNOW what it looks like when Erikson is going for comedic fiction.
There are a lot of interesting little notes here that didn't stay with me from the first reading. We see the first inklings of Erikson's wellness satire that will crop-up in "The Healthy Dead", in perhaps the only character that feels on-par in her absurdity with the most absurd elements of the main Malazan Book of the Fallen books (Kruppe, Iskaral Pust, The Mott Irregulars, etc). I also quite enjoyed the reveal of the two minor powers hiding out in Moll at the end. I had completely forgotten about them, (as well as the Princess' predilections), from my first go-around.
I've also found a new lens, having just finished Abercrombie's short fiction collection Sharp Ends, which features a Fritz Leiber-inspired duo, just the same as the titular Bauchelain and Korbal Broach of these tales. As I move through these stories again, I'll be on the lookout for similarities.
I'm actually bumping this story up a star from what I gave the collection of three Bauchelain and Korbal Broach tales back in the day. I really did quite enjoy this second go-around, and apparently this was my least favorite of the three the first time around. It feels like blasphemy, but I'm even prepared to maybe suggest this for folks looking for a way into Malazan who are intimidated by the size of the main series books and don't want to start with ICE's novels. Erikson really is the main attraction here, and this book will give you a decent sense of his sensibilities, (there's even that tiny interjection of troop worship, lol) even if the comedy and horror knobs might be tweaked a little high here.
This story feels more like a fantasy-horror mystery story to me, on second reading, whereas years ago it felt like a comedy-fantasy-horror story to me. While the whodunit of the tale is not a mystery, there are many attendant elements in this tale that certainly earn it the title of "mystery". And while there is some dark humor at play here, in the context of Erikson's full range of genre fiction, this story is basically tonally the same as the other books in the Malazan world. Trust me, I read all three of the Willful Children. I KNOW what it looks like when Erikson is going for comedic fiction.
There are a lot of interesting little notes here that didn't stay with me from the first reading. We see the first inklings of Erikson's wellness satire that will crop-up in "The Healthy Dead", in perhaps the only character that feels on-par in her absurdity with the most absurd elements of the main Malazan Book of the Fallen books (Kruppe, Iskaral Pust, The Mott Irregulars, etc). I also quite enjoyed the reveal of the two minor powers hiding out in Moll at the end. I had completely forgotten about them, (as well as the Princess' predilections), from my first go-around.
I've also found a new lens, having just finished Abercrombie's short fiction collection Sharp Ends, which features a Fritz Leiber-inspired duo, just the same as the titular Bauchelain and Korbal Broach of these tales. As I move through these stories again, I'll be on the lookout for similarities.
I'm actually bumping this story up a star from what I gave the collection of three Bauchelain and Korbal Broach tales back in the day. I really did quite enjoy this second go-around, and apparently this was my least favorite of the three the first time around. It feels like blasphemy, but I'm even prepared to maybe suggest this for folks looking for a way into Malazan who are intimidated by the size of the main series books and don't want to start with ICE's novels. Erikson really is the main attraction here, and this book will give you a decent sense of his sensibilities, (there's even that tiny interjection of troop worship, lol) even if the comedy and horror knobs might be tweaked a little high here.
christiano's review against another edition
3.5
I didn't initially plan on reading The Tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach, while slowly making my way through Malazan. But the presence of these two was so odd and disturbing in Memories of Ice that I got curious.
The first novella doesn't really teach me more about the dark duo, but at least I now know, how poor Emancipor came into their services.
Quick and interesting read. I will continue with the rest of this subseries wherever they fit chronologically.
The first novella doesn't really teach me more about the dark duo, but at least I now know, how poor Emancipor came into their services.
Quick and interesting read. I will continue with the rest of this subseries wherever they fit chronologically.
ejmorris1's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-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
3.5
josiah216's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
clarks_dad's review against another edition
5.0
Blood Follows is the first of a series of short stories set in the Malazan world following Beauchelain and Korbal Broach, a pair of necromancers who figure tangentially in [b:Memories of Ice|175983|Memories of Ice (The Malazan Book of the Fallen, #3)|Steven Erikson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1316729348s/175983.jpg|836462]. I found it kind of odd that, unlike all of the other characters in that epic, this duo seemed thrust into the middle of the action with pretty much zero context and that their tale for the most part is completely self-contained. They were a genuine mystery.
In this novella we learn how poor Emancipor (Mancy) Reese comes into the service of the necromancers. The tale is both frightening and funny as the hapless protagonist finds himself at the center of a confluence of events in the town of Lamentable Moll. Unemployed and with few prospects because of the luckless air that surrounds him, Reese takes up a job as manservant to a pair of odd foreigners that superficially promises not only financial reward for his insatiable wife and his brood of children, but, more importantly, freedom from their monotonously loving embrace.
Blood Follows does all the same great things that the overarching Malazan narrative does well. The world is rich in lore and history. Societies are fleshed out with belief systems and organizational structures that show variety based on geography. What this short story does even better than the main Malazan novels is focus on a smaller setting and a closer-knit group of characters. It's also darkly funny, entertaining, and mysterious. Erikson proves that he can tell a succinct tale that is every bit as rich as the tomes he usually puts out and the cast of characters is diverse enough to make a motley ensemble, entertaining in their missteps and awkward interactions.
I actually think this might be a good introduction to Erikson's writing. It's certainly more approachable than [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] and I don't think you really miss much in references that would put you at a disadvantage. I think some exposure to Erikson's ability to tell tales and what to expect from him would go a long way toward developing the patience and persistence necessary to make it throw the main Malazan books. So, in short: recommended for people who think they might have an interest in the Malazan Book of the Fallen, but haven't worked up the courage to tackle the daunting 10 book, nearly 10,000 page, marathon that is the main series.
In this novella we learn how poor Emancipor (Mancy) Reese comes into the service of the necromancers. The tale is both frightening and funny as the hapless protagonist finds himself at the center of a confluence of events in the town of Lamentable Moll. Unemployed and with few prospects because of the luckless air that surrounds him, Reese takes up a job as manservant to a pair of odd foreigners that superficially promises not only financial reward for his insatiable wife and his brood of children, but, more importantly, freedom from their monotonously loving embrace.
Blood Follows does all the same great things that the overarching Malazan narrative does well. The world is rich in lore and history. Societies are fleshed out with belief systems and organizational structures that show variety based on geography. What this short story does even better than the main Malazan novels is focus on a smaller setting and a closer-knit group of characters. It's also darkly funny, entertaining, and mysterious. Erikson proves that he can tell a succinct tale that is every bit as rich as the tomes he usually puts out and the cast of characters is diverse enough to make a motley ensemble, entertaining in their missteps and awkward interactions.
I actually think this might be a good introduction to Erikson's writing. It's certainly more approachable than [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] and I don't think you really miss much in references that would put you at a disadvantage. I think some exposure to Erikson's ability to tell tales and what to expect from him would go a long way toward developing the patience and persistence necessary to make it throw the main Malazan books. So, in short: recommended for people who think they might have an interest in the Malazan Book of the Fallen, but haven't worked up the courage to tackle the daunting 10 book, nearly 10,000 page, marathon that is the main series.
lubos's review against another edition
4.0
wtf?
nechutné...ale skvelé :)
a som zvedaví na tie ďalšie dve, ale tie prečítam až keď budem mať doma Potoky krve a budem sa "modliť" aby Talpress vydal aj tie dve ďalšie :3
nechutné...ale skvelé :)
a som zvedaví na tie ďalšie dve, ale tie prečítam až keď budem mať doma Potoky krve a budem sa "modliť" aby Talpress vydal aj tie dve ďalšie :3