Mass Market Paperback, 666 pages
English language
Published Nov. 4, 2005 by Tor Books.
Dark forces gather in the Malazan Empire as Empress Laseen, malevolent ruler, turns her attention to Darujhistan, last of the Free Cities of Genabackis, and Sergeant Whiskeyjack and Tattersail recover from the siege of Pale.
Dizzying at first because there are so many characters to follow. But stick long enough and the pay-off is worth it.
"Interesting" probably best summarizes this book. This was an incredibly dense, frustrating read, but it was interesting enough that I was compelled to stick with it. Although I still think there are some pretty major issues with this book, I'm glad I completed it.
This is not a very reader-friendly book. Erikson doesn't make much of an effort to clue the reader in on what's going on, and a lot of the story relies on reading between the lines. Every character has their own hidden agendas, and its even trickier when all their intrigues are taking place in a brick-sized "cast of thousands" style epic fantasy. At its worst, it's almost comical, with a number of scenes where unidentified characters meet with named (but completely new) characters, mumble some mysterious portents, and then leaves. After finishing each chapter I read the corresponding section on the TOR website's re-read series, that …
"Interesting" probably best summarizes this book. This was an incredibly dense, frustrating read, but it was interesting enough that I was compelled to stick with it. Although I still think there are some pretty major issues with this book, I'm glad I completed it.
This is not a very reader-friendly book. Erikson doesn't make much of an effort to clue the reader in on what's going on, and a lot of the story relies on reading between the lines. Every character has their own hidden agendas, and its even trickier when all their intrigues are taking place in a brick-sized "cast of thousands" style epic fantasy. At its worst, it's almost comical, with a number of scenes where unidentified characters meet with named (but completely new) characters, mumble some mysterious portents, and then leaves. After finishing each chapter I read the corresponding section on the TOR website's re-read series, that helped me grasp some of the more opaque bits. I'm usually a pretty fast reader, but I crawled through this book.
Fortunately, the second half of the book is much more engaging than the first. The action became a bit easier to follow, although I'd be lying if I said I didn't have trouble keeping track of all the characters introduced after the move to Darujhistan. As can be expected in the first volume in a lengthy series, this book mainly serves to get the ball rolling. However, enough happens that it still feels like this book has its own plot arc, with a beginning, middle, and end. In the second half, Erikson cuts back a bit on the bricklaying and finally starts to have some fun with things, presenting some pretty exciting scenes. This served as the dessert to the first half of the book's interminable vegetable buffet. The conclusion really opened things up, making me excited about where the series is headed. It was nice that there was some reward for muddling through, I wasn't sure any was forthcoming.
This book (and apparently the series as a whole, from what I've read) is reminiscent of Glen Cook's Black Company and Dread Empire series. The scale is epic, and focuses on both the primary movers and shakers as well as a more humble group of soldiers. Also like Cook's stories, the tone is a tad on the grim side, with lots of moral ambiguity and a lack of a clear delineation between good and evil. That suits me just fine, but some fantasy readers prefer lighter fare. Those readers aren't going to like this book.
Fans of the series praise the author's mason-like plot-building skills, where vague hints and throwaway lines get a big pay-off later on, often in subsequent volumes. That's fine, I respect cleverness and attention to detail, but there's something to be said for readability. Reviews for this book seem to be pretty polarized, with unsatisfied readers who couldn't get through it and others that struggled with this volume, but came to appreciate it a great deal more after reading the rest of the series. I'm hoping I'll be able to join the ranks of the second group of readers, since the ambitious scope of this series is appealing. I like the direction hinted at towards the end of the book, and I've purchased the second volume in the series. However, I think I'm going to read something less challenging for the next book or two.
Very hard to get into, but if you slog through until it starts to feel natural it is worth it.
Superb epic fantasy.
I bought this since it was on sale, but had intended to read it for some time. I'm glad I did. I can't believe I've waited this long to read this.
While some books start with all the characters in one place and slowly build up to the full cast and the action, this is not one of those books. You start of right in the middle of the action and quickly start shifting view points. It can be a bit hard to follow what is going on or if events are relevant, but if you persevere you are rewarded. The various viewpoints and plots start tying up together and by the end everything is neatly in place. There are a few plots that get introduced and are not resolved, but it's clear that these will be address in the future books.
The magic seems well structured …
Superb epic fantasy.
I bought this since it was on sale, but had intended to read it for some time. I'm glad I did. I can't believe I've waited this long to read this.
While some books start with all the characters in one place and slowly build up to the full cast and the action, this is not one of those books. You start of right in the middle of the action and quickly start shifting view points. It can be a bit hard to follow what is going on or if events are relevant, but if you persevere you are rewarded. The various viewpoints and plots start tying up together and by the end everything is neatly in place. There are a few plots that get introduced and are not resolved, but it's clear that these will be address in the future books.
The magic seems well structured and defined, though the reader is not privy to the details. Unlike some books, there is no 'apprentice mage' character that learns (along with the reader) how magic works and such. Hence, I am not to sure of the limits, but can attest to the power of some of the characters.
The characters themselves are excellent. You want all of them to succeed, which is a problem since they each have their own goals that in many cases conflicts with those of others.
Overall, this is a great start to an epic fantasy series. I look forward to reading the following books and I am glad the 10-book series is officially complete.
If the rest of the series is like this, it'll be a fun ride. :)
If the rest of the series is like this, it'll be a fun ride. :)
Have tried twice to get into this, and failed. If I try again
it will need to be at the beach or something like that.
