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akiaki_oioi's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Spoilers ahead. This review will be a bit disparate as I'm mainly writing it to help myself remember what happens in this book.
Probably one of my least favourites (my favourites being Deadhouse Gates, Memories of Ice, Midnight Tides and maybe Bonehunters) although it's still a Malazan book so towers over most others.
Highlights:
- Oh Beak, you broke my heart.
- Malazan soldier shenanigans, especially Hellian had me laughing.
- Tehol and Bugg continue to delight and I am so glad they and Janath came out alive at the other end. I hope we get to see what the Letheri empire looks like under their rule.
- the tragic end of Rhulad Sengar, the Emperor of a thousand deaths.
- TOC IS BACK. Oh no, Toc is no longer back.
More complex thoughts:
- Trull's death was just.... I can't talk about it yet.
- Trull and Onrack's friendship was so beautiful, so much so that their romantic love stories paled in comparison. In fact, I didn't quite understand why Trull and Seren Pedac loved each other so much.
- SA was a big theme in this book- Janath, Udinaas, Seren... I do think the devastation of such an act was pretty well-handled, especially as it was brought up again and again in the way it affected the characters' psyches? Potentially? I think I need to think about it more.
- Karsa and Icarium did a lot of waiting around and I'm not sure if their climaxes made up for it ( I preferred Karsa's more than Icarium's though)
- Silchas Ruin and the three dragon sisters (Menandore, etc.) ended up not being much of a threat in the end which was kind of funny.
Lowlights:
- Masan Gilani has to put up with a lot of leering
- that's the end of the Grey Swords from Memories of Ice?? Really??
- that's the end of the Awl and Redmask? Really? Do we figure out who he actually was?
- the sudden appearance of Tool and the Barghast came out of left field which I know is pretty normal in Malazan but this was a really left field.
Overall excited to continue onto the last three books.
Probably one of my least favourites (my favourites being Deadhouse Gates, Memories of Ice, Midnight Tides and maybe Bonehunters) although it's still a Malazan book so towers over most others.
Highlights:
- Oh Beak, you broke my heart.
- Malazan soldier shenanigans, especially Hellian had me laughing.
- Tehol and Bugg continue to delight and I am so glad they and Janath came out alive at the other end. I hope we get to see what the Letheri empire looks like under their rule.
- the tragic end of Rhulad Sengar, the Emperor of a thousand deaths.
- TOC IS BACK. Oh no, Toc is no longer back.
More complex thoughts:
- Trull's death was just.... I can't talk about it yet.
- Trull and Onrack's friendship was so beautiful, so much so that their romantic love stories paled in comparison. In fact, I didn't quite understand why Trull and Seren Pedac loved each other so much.
- SA was a big theme in this book- Janath, Udinaas, Seren... I do think the devastation of such an act was pretty well-handled, especially as it was brought up again and again in the way it affected the characters' psyches? Potentially? I think I need to think about it more.
- Karsa and Icarium did a lot of waiting around and I'm not sure if their climaxes made up for it ( I preferred Karsa's more than Icarium's though)
- Silchas Ruin and the three dragon sisters (Menandore, etc.) ended up not being much of a threat in the end which was kind of funny.
Lowlights:
- Masan Gilani has to put up with a lot of leering
- that's the end of the Grey Swords from Memories of Ice?? Really??
- that's the end of the Awl and Redmask? Really? Do we figure out who he actually was?
- the sudden appearance of Tool and the Barghast came out of left field which I know is pretty normal in Malazan but this was a really left field.
Overall excited to continue onto the last three books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Rape
anomandrewrake's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-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
It's hard to write a review for a book that's 1,260 pages long. I barely remember where it started. I can't believe I've read seven of these.
This book is divided neatly into two halves, much like its sister The Bonehunters. The first half reintroduces us toLetheras and all the characters that survived Midnight Tides , as well as a few new faces, and the second follows the invasion of Letheras by the Bonehunters . As always, Erikson's attention to detail is astounding. His vision of what Letheras looks like years after Rhulad's ascension is eerie. There's something horrific in the idea that you could rebel against a place, conquer it, and have your enemy win anyway . The Edur are still subjugated despite their presence on top of the hierarchy, but now they're not just subjugated to Letheras. They're subjugated to money .
There's no way to ignore it, this book is about rape. It's not that it unnecessarily includes it, like some would claim. It's very much about it, in the literal sense and the broader one. This is a story about powerful people believing wholeheartedly that their power gives them the right to have their will done over others.Yathvanar over Janath. The Crippled God over Rhulad. Menandore over Udinaas, and then Samar over Udinaas. Feather Witch over the Errant. In one sense, Tehol over Letheras . And then that idea is refuted at the climax by Beak, using his great power, the power of a natural High Mage, not to work his will upon others, but to save them, even those that were his enemies .
Karsa is a difficult character to like or love, but Hood's balls, he's interesting. Going to just insane pains just tokill Rhulad for good and stick it once again to the Crippled God . Awesome stuff. I wish I could get a better read on the Crippled God. You'd think by now I'd have a better idea of what he wants.
Anyway, the point is, Erikson writes in a league of his own. This is one of the best books I've ever read, and it's not even my third favorite Malazan book.
This book is divided neatly into two halves, much like its sister The Bonehunters. The first half reintroduces us to
There's no way to ignore it, this book is about rape. It's not that it unnecessarily includes it, like some would claim. It's very much about it, in the literal sense and the broader one. This is a story about powerful people believing wholeheartedly that their power gives them the right to have their will done over others.
Karsa is a difficult character to like or love, but Hood's balls, he's interesting. Going to just insane pains just to
Anyway, the point is, Erikson writes in a league of his own. This is one of the best books I've ever read, and it's not even my third favorite Malazan book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Violence, Sexual assault, and Torture
Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Incest, Colonisation, Classism, Slavery, Mental illness, and Child abuse
Minor: Alcoholism
soniavzk's review
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Steven Erikson does it again! I swear this series gets better (and 10x more complicated) with every book. As always, the action and writing of battles and military tactics was intriguing which I find impressive given that those parts are usually the most difficult for me to trudge through in a fantasy book. I think it has to with the way you feel as if you’re in the environment - the sounds, smells, sights, etc. but without being too bogged down by dense and confusing prose. This book had me annotating and reflecting how its themes of subjugation, colonization, wealth and what people will do for power are so relevant to our society today - even in such an unrecognizable world like Malazan, there are still familiarities which I think lends itself to being an interesting read. At the beginning, I was slightly confused as it always takes me a bit when starting one of his books to get back into the rhythm, remember all the characters and backstories but that’s where the dramatis personae and wiki really come in to clear things up - which I highly recommend. The characters (both old and new) are again so varied not just in personality or actions but ideals, race (human and non-human) that it’s truly astounding how well-thought out and creative they all are. The only hard thing about this series is how dark it gets - so be aware that this is NOT a light-hearted read; it’s entertaining and action-packed and reflective but also incredibly disturbing and gruesome. I give it a 4/5 because even though I did love it, it isn’t my favourite of the series so far and a few of the storylines didn’t quite captivate me or help me understand their relevance to the overall plot.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Rape
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