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A review by neilsef
Deadhouse Gates by Steven Erikson
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
These books seem to be notorious for being a challenging read, with many people DNFing them after just a few chapters, as they struggle to comprehend what is happening since you are just thrown into a series of events with no explanation as to what has gone before, and this is where I found myself with this book for the first couple of hundred, or so, pages. However, rather than DNF it, which I am loath to do with any book, I looked at it as a problem to be solved, since the immediate events being told were interesting, trying to solve the problem of how these and the events from book one fitted together was the hook that kept me engaged.
There are lots of individual characters that are the focus of the book, at least a dozen, which are spread over several groups, with some shifting between groups as events unfold, with most of them trying to achieve the same objectives, and all changing in some manner because of the events they are involved in.
It's also a book that has attrition as a major theme for one of the groups as they try to beat insurmountable odds to achieve a goal, with some interesting consequences for those involved, along with some very harrowing scenes and strong emotional moments.
It has been a challenging book to read, taking me three times as long as I would normally take for a book this length, but at no point has it been uninteresting, so if you have read the first book in this series I am sure that you will certainly enjoy this one too.
There are lots of individual characters that are the focus of the book, at least a dozen, which are spread over several groups, with some shifting between groups as events unfold, with most of them trying to achieve the same objectives, and all changing in some manner because of the events they are involved in.
It's also a book that has attrition as a major theme for one of the groups as they try to beat insurmountable odds to achieve a goal, with some interesting consequences for those involved, along with some very harrowing scenes and strong emotional moments.
It has been a challenging book to read, taking me three times as long as I would normally take for a book this length, but at no point has it been uninteresting, so if you have read the first book in this series I am sure that you will certainly enjoy this one too.