A review by mgerboc
Reaper's Gale by Steven Erikson

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Another exceptional entry into this most exceptional series.  I think there was more going on in this book than in any other up to now.  Redmask and the Awl in the East facing off against the expansionist Letherii army (even though they're now under Tiste Edur leadership) forces the reader into the minds and to feel empathy for everyone involved, despite the violence and destruction wrought by both sides.

The Malazan invasion of the Letherii continent, and the mysterious reasoning behind Tavore's motivations are epic and make me want to start Toll the Hounds like, right now.

Apart from that the Refugium, the friendship between Onrack and Trull, the Trull/Seren Pedac storyline, and the continent- and dimension/realm-spanning relationships between all of these characters, and the futility that you often feel when everything is put into such grand perspective, the nature of empire/expansion/capitalism, and the movement of the gods are all wonderfully written here.

This is probably my worst review of these books, but it's also the first huge book I've read since having a baby so my brain is kinda mush.