A review by booksblabbering
Midnight Tides by Steven Erikson

4.0

“Destiny is a lie. Destiny is justification for atrocity. It is the means by which murderers armour themselves against reprimand. It is a word intended to stand in place of ethics, denying all moral context.”

Forget about all the characters we’ve been following so far, and get ready to be introduced to a whole new set (with a few minor exceptions). 

The now united Edur tribes seek war with the human Letherü at the hands of other forces with greater powers behind even them.

The book alternates between two main perspectives: the brothers of Sengar and Beddict. And I rooted for both of them. 

A main theme of this book was how we live in a constant flux of strife in peace and strife in war. That we are always pulling at yokes to go to war, to fight, to glory. Spurred on by older generations, tall tales, and misremembered honour. 

Old men and the dead were the first whisperers of the word vengeance.

Old men and the dead stood at the same wall, and while the dead faced it, old men held their backs to it. Beyond that wall was oblivion. They spoke from the end times, and both knew a need to lead the young onto identical paths, if only to give meaning to all they had known and all they had done.

My favourite duo was definitely Tehol and Bugg - genius and manservant with so many secrets and skills that I want a book just on him! 

Their interactions and back-and-forth is superbly entertaining and made up for the lack of Picker. 

Their running joke, whilst profoundly overused, was extremely amusing. 

 

“Clean up around here, will you?"

“If I've the time.”

“How's the foundation work coming along, any way?"

“It's piling up.”

Picker has a contender for a new favourite character.

Overall, I am utterly confused to how this fits in to the rest of the story, apart from a few reoccurring characters, but this felt like a fever dream break from the rest of the series.