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A review by paranoidmarvin
Deadhouse Gates by Steven Erikson
4.0
So the central story of this book was how someone dragged a group of refugees, through a dessert, against a lot of enemies from point A to point B. That's what it felt like finishing this book for me! It was real drag.
But still, at the end of it, I actually liked it.
I still have all the gripes from the last book. The book is overly dense. There were a shit-ton of characters, and most of them are new ones from the first book. There were so many storylines to follow. There were so many stuff, and yet there was scarcity of information. Most of the time I had no idea what is happening. The magic, the mythos, the history - nothing is explained (i.e not many info-dumps). I had to piece them together. And maybe I will get them after I finish the series and, dare I say, do a re-read!
Here's another frustrating thing. I did not care for a single character, because I had no idea about there motivations. All of them had their own motives and were reacting to the situation. I get it, it's amazing writing on Erikson's part. But it's confusing! And makes up for an uninteresting read. It lessens all stakes, since I don't care if someone lives or dies horribly. The only character beats that I actually liked were the vulnerable friendship between Icarium and Mappo.
Oh, and the names were too confusing too.
And now that I have vented my frustration with the book, let's get into the good part. I was amazed with how intricately planned the whole book was. It felt like a living breathing world, with so much happening and I, as a reader, is just a small spectator. Kudos to the author. And just as Gardens of the Moon, I actually enjoyed reading the last part of the book. Not because of the action, but because of how everything so far culminates perfectly.
I am not giving up on this series. But the rate I am going though these (read the first book about a year ago), I doubt I will finish all of them in this decade! And I really think the whole series needs a reread to marvel at Erikson's craft. Oy vey.
But still, at the end of it, I actually liked it.
I still have all the gripes from the last book. The book is overly dense. There were a shit-ton of characters, and most of them are new ones from the first book. There were so many storylines to follow. There were so many stuff, and yet there was scarcity of information. Most of the time I had no idea what is happening. The magic, the mythos, the history - nothing is explained (i.e not many info-dumps). I had to piece them together. And maybe I will get them after I finish the series and, dare I say, do a re-read!
Here's another frustrating thing. I did not care for a single character, because I had no idea about there motivations. All of them had their own motives and were reacting to the situation. I get it, it's amazing writing on Erikson's part. But it's confusing! And makes up for an uninteresting read. It lessens all stakes, since I don't care if someone lives or dies horribly. The only character beats that I actually liked were the vulnerable friendship between Icarium and Mappo.
Oh, and the names were too confusing too.
And now that I have vented my frustration with the book, let's get into the good part. I was amazed with how intricately planned the whole book was. It felt like a living breathing world, with so much happening and I, as a reader, is just a small spectator. Kudos to the author. And just as Gardens of the Moon, I actually enjoyed reading the last part of the book. Not because of the action, but because of how everything so far culminates perfectly.
I am not giving up on this series. But the rate I am going though these (read the first book about a year ago), I doubt I will finish all of them in this decade! And I really think the whole series needs a reread to marvel at Erikson's craft. Oy vey.