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sade 's review for:
House of Chains
by Steven Erikson
"Hatred is a most pernicious weed, finding root in any kind of soil. It feeds on itself"
-Torvald Nom
It's almost funny that what i feel is the general theme for this book in this series is perfectly captured by a minor character in the book. Like all stories in the malazan series, there is the general sense that doing justice to it in my reviews might not always be possible. So here goes nothing.
Can i just say before i delve into characters that totally wowed me that Book 4 reminded me eerily of Gardens of the Moon. In that it's not a finished picture, threads are being woven in patterns that aren't really clear for the most part.
Cotillion:
To be a god is to know the burdens of believers. Did you protect? You did not. Did you offer comfort, solace? Were you possessed of compassion? Even pity?
- Karsa
There is a general understanding among majority of the mortal characters in the Malazan world that gods are not to be trusted. There is essentially the idea that the gods take and give nothing back. and that's why it was absolutely breath taking to see an element of dare i say kindness in Cotillion.. I absolutely loved this side of the patron god of assasins and also that rope.. hot damn!!! definitely would not want to get in a fight with him.
Karsa:
Spoiler
WITNESS!!!!!!!! everyone's favourite Toblaki. Ahhh what to say...I still think Karsa is way too arrogant but then again, without his arrogance i guess he wouldn't be what he is. I suppose the only reason his arrogance doesn't chafe as it did in the beginning is because it's tempered with wisdom (Bairoth Delum you finally got through). His redemption was truly beautiful"My loyalty was misplaced. I served only glory. Words, my friends. And words can wear false nobility. Disguising brutal truths. The words of the past, that so clothed the Teblor in a hero's garb- this is what i served. While the true glory was before me. Beside me. You, Delum Thord. And you, Bairoth Gild"
I almost think the crippled god is rolling in anger whereever he is for the wild card he picked for a knight.. Now that i think about it, Karsa is definitely a rougher version of Paran now.. No god is pushing those two about for any reason.
"When i began this journey, I was young. I believed in one thing. I believed in glory. I know now...that glory is is nothing. Nothing. This is what i now understand...The same cannot be said for mercy"
WITNESSS!!!! Lol
T'Lan Imass: For me the T'lan Imass were definitely one of the biggest shockers. I think because for the most part, at least up to this book, we had only interacted mainly with Tool and he seemed somewhat reasonable but i think in this book we actually see the T'lan Imass for what they really are and it's not pretty. I think at this stage of the book, you begin to wonder was the ritual really, really a good thing?? Maybe Kilava had a point. I think centuries of undead living has rightly left the moral compass of the T'lan Imass skewered.
Felisin/Whirlwind Goddess:
"Vengence is a wasted emotion, yet i have let it consume me. I gave it like a gift to the goddess"ahh Felisin.. This was definitely a character i felt sorry for when i first met but that quickly melted away. I suppose all the anger she felt was legitimate but i couldn't help feeling that she took it too far making her succeptible to the whims of the whirlwind goddess (now that was one crazy goddess)
At the end of this book though, i could only commiserate with Felisin. She had basically walked into the goddess's arms blinded with vengence and there was no coming back from that.
Spoiler
At the end of it all, Felisin end was heartbreaking"I just wanted to know, Tavore, why you did it. And why you did not love me, when i loved you. I- I think that's what i wanted to know"
All in all this was an amazing read especially when you realise it basically sets the stage for more epic things to come, i mean what's L'Oric up to exactly? and hello Minala?? What's up with her?? Who's traveler? Do we get shadowthrone's secrets?? what's the rope really up to like really??? well you get what i was saying about the uncompleted picture..