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A review by tzurky
Midnight Tides by Steven Erikson
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It was not on my Malazan bingo card to get an in-depth critique of capitalism with a strong heaping of epic fantasy on top. Nevertheless, this is what this book is. The fantasy version of Wolf of Wall street, with a side dish of critique of imperialism, xenophobia and discrimination. And pretty well done since it’s both on point and extremely entertaining to read, coming as it does from avowed megalomaniac Tehol Beddict and his straight-man companion, the manservant Bugg. These two are an awesome pair drawing on the well-established buddy comedy tropes to infuse some much-needed humor in what is otherwise a pretty bleak book.
And not even bleak in the sense of the Chain of Dogs where we could at least revel in the heroism, futile though it was. Nope, no heroism to be gotten here, only the failings of human nature and their dire consequences. Only ugliness of the soul to go around. And not only in the Letherii empire, ruled by greed and egotism, but also in the Edur, stubbornly refusing to open their eyes to the truth of their past and stuck in harsh and heartless traditions. Not that their slaves are exempt from the ugliness. Even the downtrodden find a way to push someone beneath them so they can in turn step on them.
So yes, Tehol Beddict, who is at the same time extremely effective and very kind and Bugg, the funny little man of hidden depths (pun intended) were much-needed comedic relief for this tale.
I also very much enjoyed Silchas Ruin - he’s obviously meant to be a fan-favorite and that worked out perfectly in my case. Errant, on the other hand, I could really have done without. Which was probably as intended. A surprise favorite was Wither, though. I like his humor and sense of style! And Shurq Elalle and her Ublala were delightful as well.
Surprisingly, this book is where we finally get more details about the Forkrul Assail and I did not expect to like them so little as a result. I still feel for that one trapped under the rock, but yikes, I would not like to encounter one.
Oh, and obviously, Trull Sengar as a POV character is incredibly annoying. I could have done without his morose ruminations. Undinaas isn’t more cheerful but at least he has some spite and spine left. And I also VERY MUCH could have done without yet another rape as a defining character moment. The Shaik backstory was quite enough of that for a lifetime. Even though it was handled much better here I’d be happy to never have to read it again (not that there’s hope of that).
And not even bleak in the sense of the Chain of Dogs where we could at least revel in the heroism, futile though it was. Nope, no heroism to be gotten here, only the failings of human nature and their dire consequences. Only ugliness of the soul to go around. And not only in the Letherii empire, ruled by greed and egotism, but also in the Edur, stubbornly refusing to open their eyes to the truth of their past and stuck in harsh and heartless traditions. Not that their slaves are exempt from the ugliness. Even the downtrodden find a way to push someone beneath them so they can in turn step on them.
So yes, Tehol Beddict, who is at the same time extremely effective and very kind and Bugg, the funny little man of hidden depths (pun intended) were much-needed comedic relief for this tale.
I also very much enjoyed Silchas Ruin - he’s obviously meant to be a fan-favorite and that worked out perfectly in my case. Errant, on the other hand, I could really have done without. Which was probably as intended. A surprise favorite was Wither, though. I like his humor and sense of style! And Shurq Elalle and her Ublala were delightful as well.
Surprisingly, this book is where we finally get more details about the Forkrul Assail and I did not expect to like them so little as a result. I still feel for that one trapped under the rock, but yikes, I would not like to encounter one.
Oh, and obviously, Trull Sengar as a POV character is incredibly annoying. I could have done without his morose ruminations. Undinaas isn’t more cheerful but at least he has some spite and spine left. And I also VERY MUCH could have done without yet another rape as a defining character moment. The Shaik backstory was quite enough of that for a lifetime. Even though it was handled much better here I’d be happy to never have to read it again (not that there’s hope of that).