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4.26 AVERAGE
4.26 AVERAGE
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Good, but not my favorite group of characters
Memories of Ice has become one of my favorite fantasy books of all time. An absolute masterpiece. House of Chains, however, was a struggle for me. I enjoyed the opening book with Karsa Orlong’s story, but then I struggled with the rest of the novel. Erikson is a great writer and his background in anthropology shows through his work, but I could not get connected to this group of characters. This group is just not the same for me as Whiskeyjack, Dujek, Anamander Rake, or even Coltaine and Duiker. I continue to enjoy the series and will definitely continue with Midnight Tides very soon!
Memories of Ice has become one of my favorite fantasy books of all time. An absolute masterpiece. House of Chains, however, was a struggle for me. I enjoyed the opening book with Karsa Orlong’s story, but then I struggled with the rest of the novel. Erikson is a great writer and his background in anthropology shows through his work, but I could not get connected to this group of characters. This group is just not the same for me as Whiskeyjack, Dujek, Anamander Rake, or even Coltaine and Duiker. I continue to enjoy the series and will definitely continue with Midnight Tides very soon!
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
dark
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
4 stars
This is the fourth book in Steven Erikson's epic "Malazan Book of the Fallen" series. I felt that it was stronger than "Gardens of the Moon" but not as good as the other two novels I have read so far. That being said, even a lower-quality Malazan book is still an intricate piece of worldbuilding and plot, and I still enjoyed it very much.
Book 2 took place on the continent of Seven Cities; book 4 returns to this setting and functions in many ways as a direct sequel. I finally felt the threads of several plot points begin to connect, and I may actually be getting a handle on the abstruse magical system that Erikson has devised for his world.
Felisin Paran is my least favorite character in the series, and unfortunately she does take up quite a bit of page time in this novel. The other supporting cast is much better; I really loved the interactions between Onrack and Trull, both new characters to the series. I also enjoyed the extended POV chapters of Karsa Orlong that made up the first part of the book (much better than the Seven Cities chapters!)
Finally, I felt that the book's "final confrontation" was a bit of a letdown in that it was over very quickly in comparison to the novel's large page count. The epilogue was excellent and I can't wait for the fifth novel!
This is the fourth book in Steven Erikson's epic "Malazan Book of the Fallen" series. I felt that it was stronger than "Gardens of the Moon" but not as good as the other two novels I have read so far. That being said, even a lower-quality Malazan book is still an intricate piece of worldbuilding and plot, and I still enjoyed it very much.
Book 2 took place on the continent of Seven Cities; book 4 returns to this setting and functions in many ways as a direct sequel. I finally felt the threads of several plot points begin to connect, and I may actually be getting a handle on the abstruse magical system that Erikson has devised for his world.
Felisin Paran is my least favorite character in the series, and unfortunately she does take up quite a bit of page time in this novel. The other supporting cast is much better; I really loved the interactions between Onrack and Trull, both new characters to the series. I also enjoyed the extended POV chapters of Karsa Orlong that made up the first part of the book (much better than the Seven Cities chapters!)
Finally, I felt that the book's "final confrontation" was a bit of a letdown in that it was over very quickly in comparison to the novel's large page count. The epilogue was excellent and I can't wait for the fifth novel!
Came back to the world of Malazan after a gap of almost 8 months! And it's as good and as complicated as ever.
The first book of this book (heh) was the most easily understandable part of the series so far, since it follows basically one character and his friends. It was actually fun to read, albeit the prevalence of various horrifying atrocities by these characters.
And then we jump back in the larger whirlpool of Malazan characters. And I am again completely lost. The rest of the book has maybe 5 different groups going on about there own stuff. And it's just confusing to track. The plot is convoluted as it is. But why one single character has to have a thousand different names FFS! It's frustrating most of the times.
Anyway. I honestly did not enjoy it as much as Memories of Ice. But still, good plot progression and satisfying character developments were there.
And I need another break from this series. At this rate I will finish the series by 2030 I guess.
The first book of this book (heh) was the most easily understandable part of the series so far, since it follows basically one character and his friends. It was actually fun to read, albeit the prevalence of various horrifying atrocities by these characters.
And then we jump back in the larger whirlpool of Malazan characters. And I am again completely lost. The rest of the book has maybe 5 different groups going on about there own stuff. And it's just confusing to track. The plot is convoluted as it is. But why one single character has to have a thousand different names FFS! It's frustrating most of the times.
Anyway. I honestly did not enjoy it as much as Memories of Ice. But still, good plot progression and satisfying character developments were there.
And I need another break from this series. At this rate I will finish the series by 2030 I guess.
I read about someone who I hated getting his penis ripped off, why wouldn’t I love this
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
DNF around page 200. Karsa failed to capture my attention, and something about the way the characters acted and talked felt odd while reading. I'm not going to force myself to finish a thousand page book that I'm simply not into. This one just wasn't for me, I'm afraid.
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
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