Reviews

Das Spiel der Götter: Das Reich der Sieben Städte by Steven Erikson

saitu282's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Feely as fuck. You have been warned. Totally worth it, though. 

titannineteen's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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? No

4.25

The second book was definitely a smoother read than the first. A lot is happening in these books and there is a lot of hidden knowledge that is easy to miss. I've been reading a chapter review after each chapter to help me keep track of everything, otherwise I find I can get a bit lost at times. The story is challenging but enjoyable. I found myself a lot more invested in the characters and really curious about the world. I plan on reading the rest of the series!

seagul's review against another edition

4.0

A good second book on the series, excited to read the 3rd and dive deeper into the world.

realhumanbean4u's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

moshikami's review against another edition

5.0

After finishing Gardens of the Moon, I was looking forward to exploring the Malazan universe further, and Deadhouse Gates did not disappoint. From the beginning of the book, DG's writing is more polished and captivating than GotM's.
DG takes place on a different continent than GotM and introduces many new characters, while still following a few from GotM. Due to this, beginning to read DG was almost as intimidating as beginning to read GotM, though the knowledge of Malazan lore imparted by reading GotM did help somewhat.
I love how deep and detailed the Malazan universe is, and I love the overall bleak tone of the story.

“Children are dying."
Lull nodded. "That's a succinct summary of humankind, I'd say. Who needs tomes and volumes of history? Children are dying. The injustices of the world hide in those three words.”

This is one of the most popular quotes from the series and it does an excellent job of portraying the overall atmosphere of the novels thus far. Steven Erikson disperses social commentary and plays with moral ambiguity throughout his writing which adds to the book's depth. I enjoyed getting to know Fiddler as a character more in Deadhouse Gates, and I found his constant pondering of his cosmic insignificance to be refreshing and relatable. Kalam is also a BAD-ASS, his action scenes were very fun and exciting to read. He's my Malazan crush so far >////<.
Idk man, this series is just so exciting and there's so much to it and I love it a lot so far and aslkd;fjasl;dkfjasldf; it's fun to be on the precipice of such an amazing journey. I love the high fantasy elements because they encourage me to use my imagination to its maximum potential. I love how I haven't already seen a TV show of this that spoiled everything and clouded my mind with its portrayal of the characters and world.
Wow, I said "love" a lot in this review! I love Malazan <3, I can't wait to read Memories of Ice.

lookingforvheissu's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

kh_darko42's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

malignantcactus's review against another edition

5.0

Teetering between a 4 and 5 star. The first half is pretty slow, and it took a while for me to get interested (same as with Gardens of the Moon) but damn does the second half PICK. UP. (Same with GOTM).

Objectively DG is better presented, it feels more like a book, and Erikson's prose has greatly improved.

I love his characterization here. There isn't much development, however the characters are so well defined to show that they are the right person to combat what comes their way. It's magnificent.

Mappo and Icarium... my heart <3

Coltaine is my favorite character here. On par with Rake from GOTM.

seba_reads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

anael21's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

5.0