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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
I mean, it was a reasonably well-written book, but what a giant pile of poo in terms of bait and switch. I wanted to learn about the Assail. Did we? Meh.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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:
Yes
Probably the best of the NotME books. Not necessarily my favorite, but definitely the easiest to read. Every character is a banger, most from start to end.
The ending is *chefs kiss*
The ending is *chefs kiss*
pretty disappointing all in all, especially after the literal years of hype surrounding this book
-sigh-
2022 review: pretty dang good. Not my favorite but not the worst either. I appreciated Assail a lot more on the reread, which is pretty classic Malazan. Cool ending.
-sigh-
2022 review: pretty dang good. Not my favorite but not the worst either. I appreciated Assail a lot more on the reread, which is pretty classic Malazan. Cool ending.
While Assail had an extraordinarily promising premise, for me, it failed to ever meet the bar that it established early on regarding the stakes and importance of what was happening on the seemingly-cursed continent.
Wanting to avoid spoilers, I'll speak at a very high level about the major POVs in the book and what I did or did not like about them.
I'll start with what I liked. For me, the compelling parts of this book are (understandably, I think) the perspectives of Shimmer, Kyle, Fisher, and Silverfox. If the entire book had been focused 100% on the Imass and the Icebloods, and the larger conflict there which the Crimson Guard was driven to Assail to discover more about, then I'd have loved it.
However, I felt that the inclusion of the gold strike/rush/whatever was unnecessary. The themes it allowed Esslemont to explore, of colonialism and expansionism - of imperialism, really - were already present without the additional cast of characters, and I never felt that any of them contributed anything at all to the plot that we didn't already have through another perspective mentioned above. In fact, so often in this book we end up retreading the same locations (just with a little time having passed between each time we see the locale in question) that it made me wonder why they were there at all. Couple that with the fact that the ending felt almost awkwardly rushed with how quickly things played out - the last chapter is literally 17 pages long, and we have not had the major confrontation yet when that chapter begins, so this should give you an idea - I was just left a little disappointed with the plot structure of the book, especially since it closes out this entire saga in the world of Malaz.
Now, despite the above being fairly critical, I do want to say that overall I still enjoyed the book, and it had some phenomenal moments. Had the metaphorical "fat" been trimmed, we could have had a truly incredible entry here. But the book really only needed to be about 400 pages unless Esslemont decided to expand the ending and make it (and I think he should have, frankly) suitably epic. Still. We have our answers to many of the questions posed way back in Return of the Crimson Guard, and despite not enjoying *how* it happened, I do enjoy the symbolism of how the book ended.
I am always glad to have more Malazan to dive into, and even though I have now finished both the Book of the Fallen and the Novels of the Malazan Empire, I still have more. The Tales of Bauchelain and Corbel Broach, Witness, Path to Ascendancy, and Kharkanas are all waiting for me. And I'll be getting to those in very short order, because this world has its claws in me, and I can't imagine that that will ever not be the case.
Wanting to avoid spoilers, I'll speak at a very high level about the major POVs in the book and what I did or did not like about them.
I'll start with what I liked. For me, the compelling parts of this book are (understandably, I think) the perspectives of Shimmer, Kyle, Fisher, and Silverfox. If the entire book had been focused 100% on the Imass and the Icebloods, and the larger conflict there which the Crimson Guard was driven to Assail to discover more about, then I'd have loved it.
However, I felt that the inclusion of the gold strike/rush/whatever was unnecessary. The themes it allowed Esslemont to explore, of colonialism and expansionism - of imperialism, really - were already present without the additional cast of characters, and I never felt that any of them contributed anything at all to the plot that we didn't already have through another perspective mentioned above. In fact, so often in this book we end up retreading the same locations (just with a little time having passed between each time we see the locale in question) that it made me wonder why they were there at all. Couple that with the fact that the ending felt almost awkwardly rushed with how quickly things played out - the last chapter is literally 17 pages long, and we have not had the major confrontation yet when that chapter begins, so this should give you an idea - I was just left a little disappointed with the plot structure of the book, especially since it closes out this entire saga in the world of Malaz.
Now, despite the above being fairly critical, I do want to say that overall I still enjoyed the book, and it had some phenomenal moments. Had the metaphorical "fat" been trimmed, we could have had a truly incredible entry here. But the book really only needed to be about 400 pages unless Esslemont decided to expand the ending and make it (and I think he should have, frankly) suitably epic. Still. We have our answers to many of the questions posed way back in Return of the Crimson Guard, and despite not enjoying *how* it happened, I do enjoy the symbolism of how the book ended.
I am always glad to have more Malazan to dive into, and even though I have now finished both the Book of the Fallen and the Novels of the Malazan Empire, I still have more. The Tales of Bauchelain and Corbel Broach, Witness, Path to Ascendancy, and Kharkanas are all waiting for me. And I'll be getting to those in very short order, because this world has its claws in me, and I can't imagine that that will ever not be the case.
adventurous
medium-paced
When I first finished this book I felt disappointed. A lot of time was spent moving a lot of players together for a grand finale which turned out to be something of a fizzer.
However, as I thought about it more, if I viewed it as a story about various voyages of self-discovery rather than discovery, it was much more satisfying. Although, even then, you need to have read the previous relevant novels sufficiently recently to really understand the various story arcs here.
However, as I thought about it more, if I viewed it as a story about various voyages of self-discovery rather than discovery, it was much more satisfying. Although, even then, you need to have read the previous relevant novels sufficiently recently to really understand the various story arcs here.
Assail is a really strong closing argument for Esslemont's Malazan series and is tied with Stormbreaker for my favorite of the bunch.
There are a couple of small quibbles holding it back from being a true five star experience (as per usual, they are almost all about clarity) but Assail brings a great deal of closure and heart to a lot of the loose ends of the mainline books.
For veterans of the series there's a certain mythos to the continent of Assail. We've been getting hints about how it's a playground of the gods and generally a "optional boss level" for the world of Malaz. For years now, I've imagined it as a kind of gameboard continent, with some sort of massive magical war raging... those were the breadcrumbs that had been left for me and I was initially really surprised at how wrong I was.
The continent of Assail is a bit more like Grimm's Fairytales cranked up to 11. There's a hillbilly side to it that echoes the Mott Irregulars (arguably the most terrifying collection of rednecks in fantasy). All of the major setpiece moments in Assail have a broadness to them. A kind of classical folklore flair that (while initially surprising) quickly becomes a joy to read through. Things are broader, simpler, and more dangerous.
Focal characters are all excellent. We finally get an explanation for why Kyle is called Kyle and thank goodness it's just an abbreviation (this particular nit bothered me more than any other in the Malazan collection of nits).
And more importantly, we get some closure on the T'lan Imass and Silverfox (this is from book five or six? of the mainline series... a long time to be left hanging).
All in all, it's a wild and interesting ride.
There are some threads that get dropped (a little romance for Kyle just sort of stops and doesn't get picked back up) and some of that characteristic Malazan muddy writing. But there's FAR less of that than the previous novels. There's a sort of smug smiling eliding over details at the very end of the book that felt unnecessary and cheap in an otherwise really strong final few chapters.
I'm glad I read through Esslemont's arc here. It's ultimately a pretty fun time. It adds even more color to the world of Malaz and while I know I'll be re-reading the mainline series several more times before I go through Hood's Gates, I'm on the fence about whether or not I'll be back to read Esslemont's through again. If I do, I may just bounce around and focus on the standouts. Assail is definitely at the top of that pile.
There are a couple of small quibbles holding it back from being a true five star experience (as per usual, they are almost all about clarity) but Assail brings a great deal of closure and heart to a lot of the loose ends of the mainline books.
For veterans of the series there's a certain mythos to the continent of Assail. We've been getting hints about how it's a playground of the gods and generally a "optional boss level" for the world of Malaz. For years now, I've imagined it as a kind of gameboard continent, with some sort of massive magical war raging... those were the breadcrumbs that had been left for me and I was initially really surprised at how wrong I was.
The continent of Assail is a bit more like Grimm's Fairytales cranked up to 11. There's a hillbilly side to it that echoes the Mott Irregulars (arguably the most terrifying collection of rednecks in fantasy). All of the major setpiece moments in Assail have a broadness to them. A kind of classical folklore flair that (while initially surprising) quickly becomes a joy to read through. Things are broader, simpler, and more dangerous.
Focal characters are all excellent. We finally get an explanation for why Kyle is called Kyle and thank goodness it's just an abbreviation (this particular nit bothered me more than any other in the Malazan collection of nits).
And more importantly, we get some closure on the T'lan Imass and Silverfox (this is from book five or six? of the mainline series... a long time to be left hanging).
All in all, it's a wild and interesting ride.
There are some threads that get dropped (a little romance for Kyle just sort of stops and doesn't get picked back up) and some of that characteristic Malazan muddy writing. But there's FAR less of that than the previous novels. There's a sort of smug smiling eliding over details at the very end of the book that felt unnecessary and cheap in an otherwise really strong final few chapters.
I'm glad I read through Esslemont's arc here. It's ultimately a pretty fun time. It adds even more color to the world of Malaz and while I know I'll be re-reading the mainline series several more times before I go through Hood's Gates, I'm on the fence about whether or not I'll be back to read Esslemont's through again. If I do, I may just bounce around and focus on the standouts. Assail is definitely at the top of that pile.
I loved this book, mostly because I adore the world of Erikson and Esslemont. However, I felt the impact of this book was very... muted. Esslemont's characters are wonderfully written, yet seem much smaller in scale and power than Erikson's, and proceed to grow weaker as his novels progress. I only hope this isn't the last book Esslemont writes in this world, as I think he can make a much grander finale.
700 страници очаквам краят да е различен, все пак би било прекалено очевидно, ако това се окаже истината зад Заклетите от Гвардията... е, Еслемънт ни оставя с едно от най-очевидните разкрития в историята на фентъзито, разкритие за което бях на 80% сигурен още в Midnight Tides, едни 10 книги по-рано.
Половината герои въобще не ми бяха от интерес и четох на диагонал след първата 2/3та от книгата, интересна като идея можеше да е историята с Ка'аз, ако не беше просто "пътуваме за да стигнем до един връх" и после на върха е "това, което си мислеше, е така".
Фишър и Джетис, както и Кайл, носят целият интересен сюжет на гърба си, но той за съжаление не е чак толкова интересен.
Въпреки всичко ми хареса повече от "Stonewielder" та оставям тази оценка, все пак е хубаво да получим край на историята на Силвърфокс, започнала вече едни 12 (или 16 зависимост ако броим Татърсейл) книги по-рано.
Половината герои въобще не ми бяха от интерес и четох на диагонал след първата 2/3та от книгата, интересна като идея можеше да е историята с Ка'аз, ако не беше просто "пътуваме за да стигнем до един връх" и после на върха е "това, което си мислеше, е така".
Фишър и Джетис, както и Кайл, носят целият интересен сюжет на гърба си, но той за съжаление не е чак толкова интересен.
Въпреки всичко ми хареса повече от "Stonewielder" та оставям тази оценка, все пак е хубаво да получим край на историята на Силвърфокс, започнала вече едни 12 (или 16 зависимост ако броим Татърсейл) книги по-рано.
Easily the best ICE novel to date. I did see some comments where people complained of 'too many characters to keep track of'. Well, it IS true that there are a lot of characters, but this depth is pretty much why I read all things Malazan in the first place.
Some questions answered, more questions asked, and it had me searching the boards to remember who was what and why they were important. :)
Some questions answered, more questions asked, and it had me searching the boards to remember who was what and why they were important. :)