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Book Review

REVIEW: Midnight Tides (Malazan Book of the Fallen 5)

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Midnight Tides (Malazan Book of the Fallen 5)

by Steven Erikson

Reviewed by JMD Reid

At the end of Book Four, Trull Sengar began to tell the story of how he became chained to the wall in the drowned pocket of Kurald Emurlan.

As the events of Deadhouse Gates and Memory of Ice was happening (sort of, since the Silanah stuff really throws off the timeline) on the other side of the world, the Tiste Edur tribes have been united by the Warlock King. They are facing annexation by the greedy Lether to the south, a nation merchants who want the natural resources in Edur lands. They have destroyed other tribes through shady treaties and deliberate betrayals.

The Warlock King has a new ally. He plans to send the Sengar Brothers (Fear, Trull, Binadas, and young Rulad) on a quest to receive a gift in the arctic wastes north of their lands. Will it prove the salvation of their people or their ruination.

Another set of brothers, Beddicts, have their own goals. Tehol Beddict appears impoverished after his financial collapse, but he had actually discovered the secret to destroying his people’s economy and flinched. However, when those whose people were destroyed by the Lethers want him to try again, will he accept? In the palace, Brice Beddict is the king’s champion. Emroiled in the complex politics of Lether, he vows to protect his king even if the man isn’t worthy of his devotion. Last, Hull Beddict plots his people’s destruction in another way. He wants to save the Edur from the fate of other tribes, weighed down by guilt.

A large cast of characters, both mortal, undead, and immortal, clash and swirl. This is one of Erikson’s best books in the series. Tehol and Bug number among my favorite duo and it was great to read them again. Tragedy and misfortune swirl as no one’s plans quite work out right. The darkest parts of humanity are exposed once more.

This fantasy series continues to be unique and amazing. If you haven’t read any of Malazan Book of the Fallen, you need to. It is worth the journey.

You can buy Midnight Tides from Amazon.

Book Review

Review: Memories of Ice (Malazan Book of the Fallen 3)

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Memories of Ice (Malazan Book of the Fallen 3)

by Steven Erikson

Reviewed by JMD Reid

 

In Genbackis, in the aftermath of Pale and Darijistan, Dujek One-Arm and his Malazan army have gone renegade against the Empress. They need allies now to deal with a rising threat in the south, the Pannion Seer and his cannibalistic empire.

They must reach out to their enemies, Caladan Brood and his alliance against the Malazans. They have to parley with him and hammer out an alliance between dispirited groups, including the revelation that the child Silverfox contains the souls of two Malazan sorceresses reborn into a new entity.

Paran, now commanding the Bridgeburners, has to grapple with his new powers growing in him mixed with his lingering affection for Tattersail, one of the souls forming the child Silverfox. He needs to deal with the growing incursion of the Crippled God interfering in the world. This growing threat may be behind many dark events rippling across the world.

In Capustan, the Gray Shields have been hired to defend the city from the approaching army of the Pannion Seer. A religious, mercenary group dedicated to the God Fener who suffered mishap on the far side of the world. As the Pannion Seer approaches, they face the impossible task of saving the city from the cannibal horde and the demonic undead about to tear them apart.

Lastly, the T’lan Imass gather, summoned by Silverfox. The undead’s 100,000-year long war may finally be coming to an end if Silverfox grants them what they crave: freedom from the mistake they made all those eons ago.

And that’s just some of the storylines found in this book.

War, death, love, guilt, forgiveness, and grief fill the pages of Memories of Ice. A powerful novel with dozens of compelling character all vying for their own goals, trying to overcome the danger of the Panion Seer and fix the wrongs that happened in the distant past.

This story is epic and dark, full of brief moments of joy amid that dark depths of humanity. Erikson shows us how the human spirit can be wrapped and mangled, how entire civilizations can go mad and descended into barbarity. Erikson never finches from the worst aspects of humanity. Despite that, his characters fight for themselves, for those they love, for strangers that they never met but are united against the same fight against the horrors of war and genocide.

Memories of Ice is one of the most compelling fantasy books I’d ever read.

You can buy Memories of Ice from Amazon!

New Release

Review: Deadhouse Gate (Malazan Book of the Fallen 2)

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Deadhouse Gate (Malazan Book of the Fallen 2)

by Steven Erikson

Reviewed by JMD Reid

 

The Seven Cities Continent, conquered by the Malazan empire a few decades back, simmers with rebellion. The desert tribes and the discontented townsfolk are all waiting for Dryjdna, the Goddess of the Apocalypse, and her priestess Shike to declare the rebellion has begun. Knives are sharpened. Plans are made.

Coltain, the Wickan war chief, has come to Seven Cities to take command of the 7th Army. The former tribal leader turned general for the Empire will bring his own discipline to the 7th. He doesn’t have much time to whip them in shape before rebellion explodes. When it comes, the 7th will have to battle their way across the entire continent to reach aid.

In Malaz City, the Empire’s capital, the nobility is being purged. Young Felisin, the sister of Paran from Gardens of the Moon, has been sacrificed by her Tavore. Chained with the other prisoners, including an ex-priest of Fener named Heboric, she finds herself dragged through the mob-filled streets on her way to the prison ship to the mines near Seven Cities. To survive, she’s going to have to shed her innocence.

Will it destroy her?

Crokus is traveling with Apsalar, freed from her possession by the God of Assassins, with Kalam and Fiddler. The young lad is suspicious of Kalam and Fiddler’s motivation and he’s soon found correct when he learns the pair harbor their own mission to assassinate Empress Laseen for her betrayal of the Bridgeburners. To do so, they have to cross the continent about to be torn apart by rebellion and reach the mythical Deadhouse in the heart of the holy desert.

Will Kalam and Fiddler’s desire for revenge prevent Apsalar from returning safely home?

In the Holy Desert of Raraku, convergence happens. Relationships are forged and shattered. Revelations are unveiled. Deadhouse Gate is Erikson through and through. Dozens of storylines, diverse characters with all their own motivations clashing endlessly together, insane magic, climactic battles, and tragedy.

Pathos drips across the pages of Deadhouse Gates. Erikson doesn’t flinch from the darker aspects of humanity. From the atrocities that break out in war and rebellion. No one’s hands are clean in the trenches.

Erikson has a unique style of storytelling that draws you in. It’s masterful and stunning in the breadth and depth of his characters. If you are looking for good fantasy, then you have to check out Malazan Book of the Fallen. This is an amazing series that all fans of fantasy should read!

You can buy Deadhouse Gates from Amazon!