Reviews - Midnight Tides | The StoryGraph

767 reviews for:

Midnight Tides

Steven Erikson

4.42 AVERAGE

reeeeder's review

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective 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

moosta2112's review

4.75

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

Content Warnings

norgoth12's review

4.5

adventurous dark funny 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

esb234346's review

4.5

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

ariaslibrary's review against another edition

5.0

'The question of what is deserved should rarely, if ever, be asked. Asking it leads to deadly judgement, and acts of unmitigated evil. Atrocity revisited in the name of justice breeds its own atrocity.'

Midnight Tides is a tragedy. Taken slightly back in time before Gardens of the Moon, I would say we follow two sides: the Tiste Edur and the Letheras.

The great Kingdom of Letheras has led a successful campaign subjugating the people around them. Once visitors to the land, now reign supreme and their next target is the Tiste Edur. At least that’s what one political party wants. But there are other players outside the royal family. Hull Beddict, betrayed by his people, seeks to instigate a war between the two kingdoms. Tehol Beddict, an unparalleled genius, seeks retribution his own way. Brys Beddict, King Ezgara Diskanar's personal bodyguard, seeks only to protect the King and his brothers. Though brothers, they each have their own motivations but as Gerun so aptly said:

“I see it this way – the history of this decade, for our dear Letheras, can be most succinctly understood by a faithful recounting of the three Beddict brothers. And, as is clear, the tale's not yet done.”

The Tiste Edur have lived their life as peacefully as possible since they arrived but war is on the horizon. Their Warlock King Hannan Mosag has a plan that sends the four Sengar brothers on a mission for a relic. Fear, Trull, Binadas and Rhulad stumble headfirst into a conspiracy millenia in the making that threatens all the Tiste Edur stand for.

Brotherhood. The brotherhood between the Sengar and Beddict siblings. Greed. Letheras is a heavily capitalist kingdom built on greed. Power. The need to prove oneself leads to a quest for power where none should attain it. These three are the driving force of the book and all make the perfect recipe for a tragedy.

My review probably doesn’t make sense but I have such strong feelings about this book. It was so depressing reading this. The words “Please, someone, give answer to this.” literally felt like my heart was being bludgeoned. Everything about Rhulad made me want to curl into a ball and cry. The only respite were the interactions between Tehol and his manservant Bugg which were such a delight to read. Steven Erikson is just a masterful storyteller and I can’t wait to continue.

And it is this moment, my friends,
When you must look away,
As the world unfurls anew
In shapes announced both bright
And sordid, in dark and light
And the sprawl of all existence
That lies between.

Fisher kel Tath

(~~on a lighter note, i now understand the romance books where the character can’t choose between brothers because i was simping for each of the beddict brothers lol~~)