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4.26 AVERAGE
4.26 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-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
3.5 ☆
This book has been the worst Malazan book so far; however, it is still better than most fantasy books. Consider my rating comparatively to Malazan, not as a general rating -- which would be closer to 4☆.
This book's main problem is that it loses steam a little over half-way though. Karsa Orlong's story at the beginning was enthralling to me. It was super interesting trying to figure out who he was and how his story related to the rest of the story. Finding those links yielded a satisfying feeling every time. Which is why I wish he would have spread this story throughout more of the book. I understand that the timeline would have been much more confusing this way, but it could have been done.
Around 600 pages into this 1015 page behemoth, the book loses its footing. This is especially strange considering that this problem is reversed in previous Malazan books -- the first half of the book feeling more like a "ramp-up" period in those. When the ending is the slow part like it is in this book, it feels as though its getting worse and worse as the book goes on.
I think the main reason why I, like many others, was disappointed by this book is because of how strong Memories of Ice was. Memories of Ice had two epic, climactic battles. This book barely had one. Memories of Ice featured clashing of huge sorceries and legendary characters. This book had some comparatively mediocre displays of magic, and really only one character who is on par with the legends -- who kind of fades to the background for the majority of the second half of the book.
Erikson's characters are still great. His worldbuilding, which isn't on prominent display for a large chunk of this book, is still great. His tension building was below his normal standard of excellence -- this may just be due to me not caring for the Raraku storyline. And the pacing was not great in the second half of the book; although, the first half was fine.
This is a good book, and if the later half had been just a little bit better, I would have given it 4☆.
This book has been the worst Malazan book so far; however, it is still better than most fantasy books. Consider my rating comparatively to Malazan, not as a general rating -- which would be closer to 4☆.
This book's main problem is that it loses steam a little over half-way though. Karsa Orlong's story at the beginning was enthralling to me. It was super interesting trying to figure out who he was and how his story related to the rest of the story. Finding those links yielded a satisfying feeling every time. Which is why I wish he would have spread this story throughout more of the book. I understand that the timeline would have been much more confusing this way, but it could have been done.
Around 600 pages into this 1015 page behemoth, the book loses its footing. This is especially strange considering that this problem is reversed in previous Malazan books -- the first half of the book feeling more like a "ramp-up" period in those. When the ending is the slow part like it is in this book, it feels as though its getting worse and worse as the book goes on.
I think the main reason why I, like many others, was disappointed by this book is because of how strong Memories of Ice was. Memories of Ice had two epic, climactic battles. This book barely had one. Memories of Ice featured clashing of huge sorceries and legendary characters. This book had some comparatively mediocre displays of magic, and really only one character who is on par with the legends -- who kind of fades to the background for the majority of the second half of the book.
Erikson's characters are still great. His worldbuilding, which isn't on prominent display for a large chunk of this book, is still great. His tension building was below his normal standard of excellence -- this may just be due to me not caring for the Raraku storyline. And the pacing was not great in the second half of the book; although, the first half was fine.
This is a good book, and if the later half had been just a little bit better, I would have given it 4☆.
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Violence, War
Moderate: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Murder
Minor: Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Abortion
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I have conflicting feelings about House of Chains.
It's a VERY important book in my life. A bringer of hope during a very difficult time. Fid's story here, or should I say Strings, is a story of reinvention and rebirth. It's heartbreaking and hopeful and when I needed a story about moving on... house of chains was perfect.
HOWEVER,
The first section of the book is full of rape and slaughter. It's like shoving a Punisher story in front of a really moving X-Men thing (comics are not my forte). There's a lot of glorified violence for the first several hundred pages that really sits poorly with me. Is it important for the rest of the series? Yes. I guess. Is there tons of juicy worldbuilding scattered throughout it? Yes. I guess. Will I remember to skip it the next time I go through the series? Probably not. Is it about a villain? Kind of? One of the most disturbing things about Karsa Orlong is how monstrously likable he is. He's horrible. No doubt. But then... why am I rooting for him? grumbles in antihero.
The rest of the book is a joy. The Erikson ingredient list is balanced perfectly here (and my memory is a little hazy, but I think this is as good as it gets). We have very little overblown too clever by half bastards; a good balance of capable and incapable characters; the right amount of discovery and the right amount of new mystery. Some fantastic pathos. It's a fun book.
Note: I've read this series at least 4 times. I was confused as heck the first two times through. Now it is a pleasure to find all the secrets and to be reminded of all the characters I've loved over the years. If this is your first time through, just know, it all eventually makes sense. Love the depth of the mystery first. Enjoy the answers when you find them.
It's a VERY important book in my life. A bringer of hope during a very difficult time. Fid's story here, or should I say Strings, is a story of reinvention and rebirth. It's heartbreaking and hopeful and when I needed a story about moving on... house of chains was perfect.
HOWEVER,
The first section of the book is full of rape and slaughter. It's like shoving a Punisher story in front of a really moving X-Men thing (comics are not my forte). There's a lot of glorified violence for the first several hundred pages that really sits poorly with me. Is it important for the rest of the series? Yes. I guess. Is there tons of juicy worldbuilding scattered throughout it? Yes. I guess. Will I remember to skip it the next time I go through the series? Probably not. Is it about a villain? Kind of? One of the most disturbing things about Karsa Orlong is how monstrously likable he is. He's horrible. No doubt. But then... why am I rooting for him? grumbles in antihero.
The rest of the book is a joy. The Erikson ingredient list is balanced perfectly here (and my memory is a little hazy, but I think this is as good as it gets). We have very little overblown too clever by half bastards; a good balance of capable and incapable characters; the right amount of discovery and the right amount of new mystery. Some fantastic pathos. It's a fun book.
Note: I've read this series at least 4 times. I was confused as heck the first two times through. Now it is a pleasure to find all the secrets and to be reminded of all the characters I've loved over the years. If this is your first time through, just know, it all eventually makes sense. Love the depth of the mystery first. Enjoy the answers when you find them.
I knew going into House of Chains that it would be set back in the Seven Cities as a proper sequel to Deadhouse Gates, much the same way Memories of Ice was to Gardens of the Moon. What I didn't expect, was that the first "Book" (Part One) would be a standalone single POV of the first 25% of the novel for a character we hadn't met yet. It was a bit disorienting and left me scrambling to find out when this section was set timeline wise and wonder what happened. Never fear though, as you, simple reader, are merely meant to just witness the thrilling origin story for Karsa Orlong.
I'll admit that, at first, I kind of hated Karsa even though the story was pretty engaging. Some of that might have been the fact it was a whole new character, while the other source of my trepidation with him was all of his actions that are largely despicable even though they are engrained into his culture. Karsa just isn't a very good guy, nor is he a good friend. He rushes headlong into ever situation with extreme confidence and with no concern for those around him or under his leadership. He's rough to root for. Throughout the first Book which spans 265 pages, the story arc and character development of Karsa changes so dramatically at a perfect, believable pace given all that he encounters. It truly is a beautifully written section and, by the end, I can happily say I turned around on him and was excited to WITNESS his story.
Book Two and so on pick back up in our current timeline where Book One essentially ended with familiar characters and places. Deadhouse Gates was a complete novel, but it did a lot of setup of promises and storylines that House of Chains was set to resolve. I truly loved this book for all of the payoffs that occur throughout with a lot of loose threads that needed to be tied up. Even more revelations about the magic system, Holds and Houses, as well as clarification on other elements that were previously so mysterious in the first three books, are made in this book. Of the four or five storylines running, I can only say one set of characters were a bit on the annoying side, although the events they were involved in were exciting and revelatory.
The best part of House of Chains is, naturally, the ending. For all of the buildup across the two books and all of the gut-punching events that left me broken, the payoff in the last 15% made it all worth it. Honestly, I felt like it was all just perfect. You do get a number of POV sections from evil characters, which makes the end all the better. The cameos from other characters were peppered in a satisfying and believable way. In one particular shocking moment to end a massive story arc across both books, I can't think of a better way for Erikson to have pulled it off. One thing I've discovered in the Malazan series is there are a lot of things that will happen that you may not like, but if you sit with it and think about what the author is trying to do and say, it all makes sense and couldn't have had a different outcome. To cap it all off, Karsa has some of the best scenes at the end that would have had me whooping for joy if I was any less dignified.
WITNESS!
Malazan Book of the Fallen
Gardens of the Moon - 9.0/10
Deadhouse Gates - 9.5/10
Memories of Ice - 10/10
House of Chains - 10/10
Midnight Tides - 8.5/10
The Bonehunters - 10/10
Reaper's Gale - 9.5/10
Toll the Hounds - 10/10
Dust of Dreams - 9.5/10
The Crippled God - 10/10
I'll admit that, at first, I kind of hated Karsa even though the story was pretty engaging. Some of that might have been the fact it was a whole new character, while the other source of my trepidation with him was all of his actions that are largely despicable even though they are engrained into his culture. Karsa just isn't a very good guy, nor is he a good friend. He rushes headlong into ever situation with extreme confidence and with no concern for those around him or under his leadership. He's rough to root for. Throughout the first Book which spans 265 pages, the story arc and character development of Karsa changes so dramatically at a perfect, believable pace given all that he encounters. It truly is a beautifully written section and, by the end, I can happily say I turned around on him and was excited to WITNESS his story.
Book Two and so on pick back up in our current timeline where Book One essentially ended with familiar characters and places. Deadhouse Gates was a complete novel, but it did a lot of setup of promises and storylines that House of Chains was set to resolve. I truly loved this book for all of the payoffs that occur throughout with a lot of loose threads that needed to be tied up. Even more revelations about the magic system, Holds and Houses, as well as clarification on other elements that were previously so mysterious in the first three books, are made in this book. Of the four or five storylines running, I can only say one set of characters were a bit on the annoying side, although the events they were involved in were exciting and revelatory.
The best part of House of Chains is, naturally, the ending. For all of the buildup across the two books and all of the gut-punching events that left me broken, the payoff in the last 15% made it all worth it. Honestly, I felt like it was all just perfect. You do get a number of POV sections from evil characters, which makes the end all the better. The cameos from other characters were peppered in a satisfying and believable way. In one particular shocking moment to end a massive story arc across both books, I can't think of a better way for Erikson to have pulled it off. One thing I've discovered in the Malazan series is there are a lot of things that will happen that you may not like, but if you sit with it and think about what the author is trying to do and say, it all makes sense and couldn't have had a different outcome. To cap it all off, Karsa has some of the best scenes at the end that would have had me whooping for joy if I was any less dignified.
WITNESS!
Malazan Book of the Fallen
Gardens of the Moon - 9.0/10
Deadhouse Gates - 9.5/10
Memories of Ice - 10/10
House of Chains - 10/10
Midnight Tides - 8.5/10
The Bonehunters - 10/10
Reaper's Gale - 9.5/10
Toll the Hounds - 10/10
Dust of Dreams - 9.5/10
The Crippled God - 10/10
i have no words for the emotional damage this book and its last chapter did to me, the latter has one of the most tragic endings - of one of the multiple storylines Erikson has woven into this story - that i've ever read (sobbingsobbingsobbing)
To continue a tale as complex as The Malazan Book of the Fallen into a fourth book and still be introducing layers of myth, ritual, world building and plot is unbelievable. And Erikson's House of Chains is exactly that. To begin, you may think so many disparate story lines could not possibly be related. And yet, as with the convergence that brings together the armies of the Apocalypse and the Malazan Empire, (and a plethora of magic wielders, ascendants, and gods) the book gradually draws the threads together into the kind of brilliant, military fantasy, peppered with well-drawn characters that we've come to expect of Erikson.
Another great read, even better on re-reading - again.
Another great read, even better on re-reading - again.