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4.26 AVERAGE
4.26 AVERAGE
My least favourite of the series so far. Not that it wasn't a good book, it just didn't measure up to the others, although there were definitely some standout parts in it. I thought the best part of the book was the beginning that just focused on Karsa, but after that, I felt the story was not as strongly told.
great culmination of the first halfish of this series, love how we continue to introduce characters and different species only to circle back to them in a later book where they play such a pivotal role in whats to come!
There was a moment in this book where, for the first time in a long time in this series, I was reminded that I was reading rather than experiencing this epic. Since this world is so massive and so deep, there is a small pattern that has emerged a few times where history and setting details will be explained just in the nick of time so that you understand the importance and meaning of an event that will happen. In this book, some backstory was presented with one character commenting, "but that doesn't matter at all; those people are gone," and at that moment I knew with absolute certainty that they weren't gone and that they would matter. Before the end of the chapter, one of the described people appeared again. And my immersion was briefly broken.
But the thing with Malazan is, as soon as I forged onwards past that small hiccup, I was immediately hooked again.
I don't think I've ever read a book before that had so many diverse viewpoints where all of them were excellent. I had to stop reading A Song of Ice and Fire because more than half the viewpoints were boring. This series has arguably more viewpoints than that, and yet every single one of them remains interesting. We never jump to a place where I don't care what's going to happen next. I'm always invested. It's an incredible feat.
Also, how does this series have so many incredible characters? After reading Gardens of the Moon I was worried that the characters would take a back seat in the story, essentially just passengers along for the ride in this epic setting. But that couldn't have been more wrong. There are so many brilliant characters. Kruppe, Quick Ben, Coltaine, Heboric, Felisin, and new in this book are Karsa, Onrack, and Trull Sengar. And this is just off the top of my head, and the characters that didn't make this list are nearly as compelling.
This series, man. I can't wait to keep reading.
But the thing with Malazan is, as soon as I forged onwards past that small hiccup, I was immediately hooked again.
I don't think I've ever read a book before that had so many diverse viewpoints where all of them were excellent. I had to stop reading A Song of Ice and Fire because more than half the viewpoints were boring. This series has arguably more viewpoints than that, and yet every single one of them remains interesting. We never jump to a place where I don't care what's going to happen next. I'm always invested. It's an incredible feat.
Also, how does this series have so many incredible characters? After reading Gardens of the Moon I was worried that the characters would take a back seat in the story, essentially just passengers along for the ride in this epic setting. But that couldn't have been more wrong. There are so many brilliant characters. Kruppe, Quick Ben, Coltaine, Heboric, Felisin, and new in this book are Karsa, Onrack, and Trull Sengar. And this is just off the top of my head, and the characters that didn't make this list are nearly as compelling.
This series, man. I can't wait to keep reading.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
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
В истинските фентъзита 1 герой се възнася до супергерой, няколко около него пърхат като пеперуди. В Дом Вериги безброй герои стават супергерои, а около тях пърхат като пеперуди толкова много имена, че не могат да бъдат запомнени. Мащабно.
Not as emotionally resonating as Memories of Ice but still very impactful.
Steven Erikson's world building once again is a stand out. He was an anthropologist, and every bit of world building is affected by that. Where you have multiple races that evolved into something new, or split up into a new species entirely. It's just something that only someone of Steven Erikson's background would think of. I may be the only one who cares but I appreciated it.
The other thing I want to praise is the first part of this book. Focused specifically and exclusively on one character, this part is a masterclass of using point of views limitingly, using them to build the world through one specific person's eyes that changes as that person grows.
Steven Erikson's world building once again is a stand out. He was an anthropologist, and every bit of world building is affected by that. Where you have multiple races that evolved into something new, or split up into a new species entirely. It's just something that only someone of Steven Erikson's background would think of. I may be the only one who cares but I appreciated it.
The other thing I want to praise is the first part of this book. Focused specifically and exclusively on one character, this part is a masterclass of using point of views limitingly, using them to build the world through one specific person's eyes that changes as that person grows.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
challenging
dark
mysterious
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:
Complicated
I took a star off because while it was another excellent instalment, it was a bit more of a slog for me than the previous 3 book. The page count only goes up from here so let’s see what happens next!