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Malazan Book of the Fallen #5
Среднощни приливи
След десетилетни войни петте племена на Тайст Едур най-сетне са обединени под неумолимата власт на Краля-магьосник на Хирот. Но мирът е постигнат с ужасна цена — пакт, сключен с тайна сила, чиито мотиви в най-добрия случай са подозрителни, а в най-лошия — гибелни.
На юг експанзионисткото кралство Ледер с ненаситна и хладнокръвна алчност е погълнало всички свои по-малко цивилизовани съседи. Всички, освен един народ — Тайст Едур. Защото Ледер се приближава към едно отдавна предречено възраждане — от кралство и отдавна изгубена колония на Първата империя към Преродената империя. Затова народът му е вперил алчния си поглед на север, към богатите и плодородни земи и крайбрежия на Тайст Едур. Дали под задушаващата тежест на златото или под острието на меча, Тайст Едур изглежда трябва да падне. Така поне е отредила Съдбата.
Сред Тайст Едур — сред народа на Труд Сенгар — съществува поверие, че най-мрачните копнежи на духа идват с приливите от юг, а тези приливи идват посред нощ…
На юг експанзионисткото кралство Ледер с ненаситна и хладнокръвна алчност е погълнало всички свои по-малко цивилизовани съседи. Всички, освен един народ — Тайст Едур. Защото Ледер се приближава към едно отдавна предречено възраждане — от кралство и отдавна изгубена колония на Първата империя към Преродената империя. Затова народът му е вперил алчния си поглед на север, към богатите и плодородни земи и крайбрежия на Тайст Едур. Дали под задушаващата тежест на златото или под острието на меча, Тайст Едур изглежда трябва да падне. Така поне е отредила Съдбата.
Сред Тайст Едур — сред народа на Труд Сенгар — съществува поверие, че най-мрачните копнежи на духа идват с приливите от юг, а тези приливи идват посред нощ…
815 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
About the author
Steven Erikson
127 books13.5k followersSteven Erikson is the pseudonym of Steve Rune Lundin, a Canadian novelist, who was educated and trained as both an archaeologist and anthropologist. His best-known work is the series, the Malazan Book of the Fallen.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/steven...
http://us.macmillan.com/author/steven...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,787 reviews
September 3, 2018
After the huge disappointment I had with House of Chains, Midnight Tides brought my love for Malazan Book of the Fallen back magnificently.
Midnight Tides marks the fifth book in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series. That’s right, this means that I’m halfway through the series now! Knowing that this is the fifth book in the series, it surprised me at first that instead of continuing the story from everything that has been built in the previous four books, the narrative started its story back to the time before the events in Gardens of the Moon; in a completely new continent with a new conflict and shockingly—with the exception of one character from House of Chains—a completely new set of characters. I mean, this is the fifth book of the series already! Isn’t it crazy that we don’t get to see the majority of the previous four book characters in it? Well, it IS crazy but please don’t be intimidated by this fact.
Picture: Scabandari Reigns by Lauren Saint-Onge
The story in Midnight Tides revolved around the conflict between the Tiste Edur race and the Letherii Empire. The Tiste Edur has appeared several times throughout the series but it has never been explored in depth until now. Let me say that I absolutely loved the themes surrounding this installment. Starting from the masterful prologue, Erikson style, I was pleasantly surprised by how the story developed. It took me a bit of time to get used to the new characters, settings, and story, but once the book hit chapter nine, I was hooked and addicted to reading this book. Never have I read a fantasy book that correlates the problems around the social structure in the work with our modern society and politics as well as Erikson did in this book. This was achievable because of the Letherii culture and lifestyle that put wealth and the lust for gold above every priority. I absolutely love reading the themes and social commentaries in this book. Betrayal, greed, avarice, and how deep the corruption money or power can bring; it felt like looking at a reflection of the dark truth in our modern lifestyle in which our ‘greatness’ as a human being is heavily determined by our money and social status.
Great story and themes aside, Erikson also amazed me with his characterizations in this book. Although the book comprised of mostly new characters for the series, it was filled with some of the most well-written character developments within an installment of the series so far. This was evident for one pivotal character whose name I won’t mention and of course, my new beloved and highly entertaining duo, Tehol and Bugg. I’m not kidding, Tehol and Bugg currently sit at my top-tier level of the favorite duo of all time. Their interaction, their relationship, was utterly hilarious and their dynamic banter combined with Ublala Pung makes for one heck of a hilarious entertainment. There was one chapter surrounding these characters where I practically just laugh for the entirety of the chapter. Trust me that this is something incredibly rare for me in reading epic fantasy; I usually just smirk or smile, not laughing.
One more thing to note is how stunning Erikson’s prose can be in this book. With commentaries and self-contemplation on social structure, wealth, politics, greed, and betrayals that made almost the entirety of this book quotable, Erikson also accompanied this book with phenomenal action sequences and tactics that made the book totally belong in the military epic fantasy genre. I’ll be honest, I’m not a fan of Erikson’s close quarter combat scenes; I’ve read plenty of authors who did a better job at it. However, with blood that rain upon the land, a staggering tower of bodies, and the massively catastrophic result of blind loyalty, poor leadership, and war; it’s his way of depicting the deadly power of the sorcerer’s magic capability within his series that made him really stood out from the majority of fantasy writers.
The only con I had on the book was the abundance of dream sequences in Udinaas’s POV that was fired in rapid succession within the first quarter of the book. However, like I said before, once the book reached chapter nine, the book was an addictively smooth reading experience through and through.
After the disappointment I had with the previous book, this installment easily reclaimed my love for the series with its continuous maelstrom of emotions. Midnight Tides was another amazing installment for the series that truthfully has become my second favorite book within the series so far, just slightly below Memories of Ice. Only five books left now, The Bonehunters is coming up next and you can bet that I’m very much looking forward to reading it soon.
You can order the book HERE!
You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions
Midnight Tides marks the fifth book in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series. That’s right, this means that I’m halfway through the series now! Knowing that this is the fifth book in the series, it surprised me at first that instead of continuing the story from everything that has been built in the previous four books, the narrative started its story back to the time before the events in Gardens of the Moon; in a completely new continent with a new conflict and shockingly—with the exception of one character from House of Chains—a completely new set of characters. I mean, this is the fifth book of the series already! Isn’t it crazy that we don’t get to see the majority of the previous four book characters in it? Well, it IS crazy but please don’t be intimidated by this fact.
Picture: Scabandari Reigns by Lauren Saint-Onge
The story in Midnight Tides revolved around the conflict between the Tiste Edur race and the Letherii Empire. The Tiste Edur has appeared several times throughout the series but it has never been explored in depth until now. Let me say that I absolutely loved the themes surrounding this installment. Starting from the masterful prologue, Erikson style, I was pleasantly surprised by how the story developed. It took me a bit of time to get used to the new characters, settings, and story, but once the book hit chapter nine, I was hooked and addicted to reading this book. Never have I read a fantasy book that correlates the problems around the social structure in the work with our modern society and politics as well as Erikson did in this book. This was achievable because of the Letherii culture and lifestyle that put wealth and the lust for gold above every priority. I absolutely love reading the themes and social commentaries in this book. Betrayal, greed, avarice, and how deep the corruption money or power can bring; it felt like looking at a reflection of the dark truth in our modern lifestyle in which our ‘greatness’ as a human being is heavily determined by our money and social status.
“To the Letherii, gold was all that mattered. Gold and its possession defined their entire world. Power, status, self-worth, and respect – all were commodities that could be purchased by coin. Indeed, debt bound the entire kingdom. Defining every relationship, the motivation casting the shadow of every act, every decision.”
Great story and themes aside, Erikson also amazed me with his characterizations in this book. Although the book comprised of mostly new characters for the series, it was filled with some of the most well-written character developments within an installment of the series so far. This was evident for one pivotal character whose name I won’t mention and of course, my new beloved and highly entertaining duo, Tehol and Bugg. I’m not kidding, Tehol and Bugg currently sit at my top-tier level of the favorite duo of all time. Their interaction, their relationship, was utterly hilarious and their dynamic banter combined with Ublala Pung makes for one heck of a hilarious entertainment. There was one chapter surrounding these characters where I practically just laugh for the entirety of the chapter. Trust me that this is something incredibly rare for me in reading epic fantasy; I usually just smirk or smile, not laughing.
“And we’re not talking mild snoring, either. Imagine being chained to the floor of a cave, with the tide crashing in, louder, louder, louder—”
One more thing to note is how stunning Erikson’s prose can be in this book. With commentaries and self-contemplation on social structure, wealth, politics, greed, and betrayals that made almost the entirety of this book quotable, Erikson also accompanied this book with phenomenal action sequences and tactics that made the book totally belong in the military epic fantasy genre. I’ll be honest, I’m not a fan of Erikson’s close quarter combat scenes; I’ve read plenty of authors who did a better job at it. However, with blood that rain upon the land, a staggering tower of bodies, and the massively catastrophic result of blind loyalty, poor leadership, and war; it’s his way of depicting the deadly power of the sorcerer’s magic capability within his series that made him really stood out from the majority of fantasy writers.
The only con I had on the book was the abundance of dream sequences in Udinaas’s POV that was fired in rapid succession within the first quarter of the book. However, like I said before, once the book reached chapter nine, the book was an addictively smooth reading experience through and through.
“For from inequity derives the concept of value, whether measured by money or the countless other means of gauging human worth. Simply put, there resides in all of us the unchallenged belief that the poor and the starving are in some way deserving of their fate. In other words, there will always be poor people. A truism to grant structure to the continual task of comparison, the establishment through observation of not our mutual similarities, but our essential differences.”
After the disappointment I had with the previous book, this installment easily reclaimed my love for the series with its continuous maelstrom of emotions. Midnight Tides was another amazing installment for the series that truthfully has become my second favorite book within the series so far, just slightly below Memories of Ice. Only five books left now, The Bonehunters is coming up next and you can bet that I’m very much looking forward to reading it soon.
You can order the book HERE!
You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions
August 26, 2019
Soooo, this is my brain of rocks trying to take on the wonderful world of Malazan!
Creators on pic
I have tried rereading the first books to continue on for some time. Those days are over! I’m going to finish these books and if I live long enough, I’m going to go into hiding and reread them back to back so I can try to keep them in my mind and try to remember things.
This book has a whole pack of new characters but it was fine, I loved it. I mean Tehol and Bug made the book for me.
So onward I go.......
Happy Reading!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
Creators on pic
I have tried rereading the first books to continue on for some time. Those days are over! I’m going to finish these books and if I live long enough, I’m going to go into hiding and reread them back to back so I can try to keep them in my mind and try to remember things.
This book has a whole pack of new characters but it was fine, I loved it. I mean Tehol and Bug made the book for me.
So onward I go.......
Happy Reading!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
February 10, 2017
I thought it was strange that the fifth book in a series should only contain one character that had been in any of the prior four books. Loving so many of the characters prevalent in the previous books I wanted to see what they were up to. However, upon completing Midnight Tides I am still in awe with Erikson, his style, substance and the stories that are being weaved. Every title he has written in this series I struggle to comprehend how they get better than the previous books.
The plot is about two local communities and we get a great omnipotent perspective provided mostly as a tale of two families. Sengar (Tiste Edur) & Beddict (The Letherii). The relationships between the brothers on both sides is intriguing. Two races that have not been interpreted to any great degree prior to this book yet I imagine what has happened here is pivotal to the overall consequences of the series. Some of the scenes are amazing. The Sengar brothers fighting Soltaken wolves to find a requested prize on fields of ice, the meeting of the two factions are the Letherii throne & Kettle finally meeting Silchas Ruin. Additionally I liked the complexity of Rhulad and his relationship with his servant. (I don't consider these to be spoilers hence why I put them here :) ) Once again, Gods are in the mix of the action like the Aenied and the Iliad. I believe what makes this series stand out is its originality. I like a lot of fantasy novels but a lot of them are re-jigging Tolkien or what has come before. The world, races and epic-ness depicted here is astronomical and I truly believe I will not be able to enjoy fantasy books to this degree after this series as I know its quality cannot (or would be highly unlikely that it will) be replicated.
I loved Tehol & Bugg's relationship. I imagined a sort of Blackadder/ Baldrick scenario with the 'manservant' however being cleverer than he made out. Bugg was always too busy to work. Hmmm.
I cannot wait to read the next book. A lot of what I said in my positive review of House Of Chains could be placed here but I do not wish to repeat. If you have got this far in the series, you know it is amazing and reviews are pointless. Carry on, enjoy it. I can't wait to see how everything weaves it's way together, culminates and finalises. Peace x www.youandibooks.wordpress.com
The plot is about two local communities and we get a great omnipotent perspective provided mostly as a tale of two families. Sengar (Tiste Edur) & Beddict (The Letherii). The relationships between the brothers on both sides is intriguing. Two races that have not been interpreted to any great degree prior to this book yet I imagine what has happened here is pivotal to the overall consequences of the series. Some of the scenes are amazing. The Sengar brothers fighting Soltaken wolves to find a requested prize on fields of ice, the meeting of the two factions are the Letherii throne & Kettle finally meeting Silchas Ruin. Additionally I liked the complexity of Rhulad and his relationship with his servant. (I don't consider these to be spoilers hence why I put them here :) ) Once again, Gods are in the mix of the action like the Aenied and the Iliad. I believe what makes this series stand out is its originality. I like a lot of fantasy novels but a lot of them are re-jigging Tolkien or what has come before. The world, races and epic-ness depicted here is astronomical and I truly believe I will not be able to enjoy fantasy books to this degree after this series as I know its quality cannot (or would be highly unlikely that it will) be replicated.
I loved Tehol & Bugg's relationship. I imagined a sort of Blackadder/ Baldrick scenario with the 'manservant' however being cleverer than he made out. Bugg was always too busy to work. Hmmm.
I cannot wait to read the next book. A lot of what I said in my positive review of House Of Chains could be placed here but I do not wish to repeat. If you have got this far in the series, you know it is amazing and reviews are pointless. Carry on, enjoy it. I can't wait to see how everything weaves it's way together, culminates and finalises. Peace x www.youandibooks.wordpress.com
January 27, 2023
Tras décadas de guerras intestinas, las tribus de los Tiste Edur se han unido al fin bajo el Rey Hechicero de los Hiroth. Hay paz, sí, pero se ha cobrado un precio terrible.
Un pacto con un poder oculto cuyos motivos son, en el mejor de los casos sospechosos, en el peor, mortales.
Al sur, el reino expansionista de Lether, deseoso de cumplir con su profético renacimiento como Imperio, ha esclavizado vorazmente a sus menos civilizados vecinos. A todos, salvo uno -los Tiste Edur.
Y debe ser sólo una cuestión de tiempo que también caigan - ya sea bajo el peso asfixiante del oro, o por la masacre a filo de espada. O eso, al menos, ha decretado el destino.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Impresionante, impecable, sublime, maravilloso, épico, brutal, memorable, apoteósico, eso, estimados lectores, es Malaz.
(Para aquellos que la disfrutamos, claro).
Hasta hoy con todos las lecturas que llevo a la espalda, nadie escribe un prólogo de la manera épica y portentosa de Erikson, sublime. Y este es uno de los mejores. Escenas sorprendentes, y detalles ocultos listos para revelarse. Exquisito.
La historia gira en torno al conflicto entre la raza Tiste Edur y el Imperio Letherii. Los Tiste Edur han aparecido varias veces a lo largo de la saga pero sin indagar en profundidad, hasta ahora.
Y una vez más la fascinación vuelve a hacer mella en mi, cada vez tengo aún más personajes favoritos, momentos épicos, diálogos.
Aunque no casas, la casa de sombra sigue siendo mi favorita...Tronosombrío, Cotillion, Rake.. hasta que aparece Karsa Orlong y la cosa se desmadra. Que puto personajes más brutal y único.
Partiendo del prólogo magistral, estilo Erikson, me sorprendió gratamente cómo se desarrolló la historia.
Un nuevo continente con un elenco nuevo, y es la quinta entrega de la saga, la gran ambición titánica de Erikson y esta saga no dejará de sorprenderme.
Y una nueva perspectiva, estilo e ideas pues usa los problemas en torno a la estructura social en nuestra sociedad, política y religión.
El aspecto más destacable es su explicación y expansión de la tradición de Malaz. Desde el soberbio prólogo, en adelante, agregando así fragmentos a la ya asombrosa construcción del mundo que crearon Erikson y Esslemont. Impresionante.
Historias, pequeños detalles, lo que creo que Erikson como autor disfruta, es crear, la creación de sociedades, cuanto más antiguas mejor. Las culturas y los mitos de diversos y tan diferentes pueblos, nuevos y antiguos. Escalas sociales, tradiciones, hasta sus personalidades. Todo al detalle.
Matices económicos, políticos y religiosos. Había capítulos en los que copié citas de párrafos y enteros.
Creo que si quisiera hacer un recopilatorio de citas y momentos de malaz, necesitaría un libro entero.
La acción como siempre es de las mejores que he visto, acero contra acero, sangre y las Sendas. O aquí mejor dicho, Fortalezas.
Luego está el humor que te permite recuperar el aliento. Tehol y Bicho son el dúo oro de este libro convirtiéndose en personajes memorables.
Pura genialidad. Con sus dosis de todo lo que se puede esperar. Además de información que da más forma a la dirección en la que va Erikson, se ve que dentro de poco todo se va a juntar en un hilo épico y apoteosico.
Nuevo continente, nuevos personajes, nuevo tipo de magia y dioses. Me encanta la forma en que Erikson retrata a sus personajes y los hila en las diferentes tramas. Con tantas dimensiones diferentes a sus personalidades.
Los personajes de Malaz pasan a convertirse en memorables y eso no es nada fácil de conseguir, menos aún con lo amplia que es esta saga, sean tramas, historia, civilizaciones y personajes..
Incluso vemos variaciones en la base del poder, las Sendas y los dioses, son diferentes aquí, ya que en lugar de la Baraja de Dragones o de las Casas, tenemos la forma más antigua, losas y Fortalezas.
La narrativa de Erikson continúa mejorando con todos y cada uno de los libros. Y eso no me lo esperaba, ya que parece no tener techo en su evolución. Un ritmo ágil, a mi parecer según voy avanzando, no los siento tan densos como los dos primeros.
Una narrativa de calidad, como pocas, un tempo medido, adecuado a cada momento.
El flujo casi natural de la historia y los cambios de punto de vista me conquistaron.
Steven Erikson deja claro, una vez más, gravado a fuego, acero, magia, y momentos, porqué Malaz es mi saga favorita y disfruto tanto de la complejidad de este titánico camino malazano. Siguiente paso, "Los Cazahuesos".
Sed Testigos..✍️⚔️
Un pacto con un poder oculto cuyos motivos son, en el mejor de los casos sospechosos, en el peor, mortales.
Al sur, el reino expansionista de Lether, deseoso de cumplir con su profético renacimiento como Imperio, ha esclavizado vorazmente a sus menos civilizados vecinos. A todos, salvo uno -los Tiste Edur.
Y debe ser sólo una cuestión de tiempo que también caigan - ya sea bajo el peso asfixiante del oro, o por la masacre a filo de espada. O eso, al menos, ha decretado el destino.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Impresionante, impecable, sublime, maravilloso, épico, brutal, memorable, apoteósico, eso, estimados lectores, es Malaz.
(Para aquellos que la disfrutamos, claro).
Hasta hoy con todos las lecturas que llevo a la espalda, nadie escribe un prólogo de la manera épica y portentosa de Erikson, sublime. Y este es uno de los mejores. Escenas sorprendentes, y detalles ocultos listos para revelarse. Exquisito.
La historia gira en torno al conflicto entre la raza Tiste Edur y el Imperio Letherii. Los Tiste Edur han aparecido varias veces a lo largo de la saga pero sin indagar en profundidad, hasta ahora.
Y una vez más la fascinación vuelve a hacer mella en mi, cada vez tengo aún más personajes favoritos, momentos épicos, diálogos.
Aunque no casas, la casa de sombra sigue siendo mi favorita...Tronosombrío, Cotillion, Rake.. hasta que aparece Karsa Orlong y la cosa se desmadra. Que puto personajes más brutal y único.
Partiendo del prólogo magistral, estilo Erikson, me sorprendió gratamente cómo se desarrolló la historia.
Un nuevo continente con un elenco nuevo, y es la quinta entrega de la saga, la gran ambición titánica de Erikson y esta saga no dejará de sorprenderme.
Y una nueva perspectiva, estilo e ideas pues usa los problemas en torno a la estructura social en nuestra sociedad, política y religión.
El aspecto más destacable es su explicación y expansión de la tradición de Malaz. Desde el soberbio prólogo, en adelante, agregando así fragmentos a la ya asombrosa construcción del mundo que crearon Erikson y Esslemont. Impresionante.
Historias, pequeños detalles, lo que creo que Erikson como autor disfruta, es crear, la creación de sociedades, cuanto más antiguas mejor. Las culturas y los mitos de diversos y tan diferentes pueblos, nuevos y antiguos. Escalas sociales, tradiciones, hasta sus personalidades. Todo al detalle.
Matices económicos, políticos y religiosos. Había capítulos en los que copié citas de párrafos y enteros.
Creo que si quisiera hacer un recopilatorio de citas y momentos de malaz, necesitaría un libro entero.
La acción como siempre es de las mejores que he visto, acero contra acero, sangre y las Sendas. O aquí mejor dicho, Fortalezas.
Luego está el humor que te permite recuperar el aliento. Tehol y Bicho son el dúo oro de este libro convirtiéndose en personajes memorables.
Pura genialidad. Con sus dosis de todo lo que se puede esperar. Además de información que da más forma a la dirección en la que va Erikson, se ve que dentro de poco todo se va a juntar en un hilo épico y apoteosico.
Nuevo continente, nuevos personajes, nuevo tipo de magia y dioses. Me encanta la forma en que Erikson retrata a sus personajes y los hila en las diferentes tramas. Con tantas dimensiones diferentes a sus personalidades.
Los personajes de Malaz pasan a convertirse en memorables y eso no es nada fácil de conseguir, menos aún con lo amplia que es esta saga, sean tramas, historia, civilizaciones y personajes..
Incluso vemos variaciones en la base del poder, las Sendas y los dioses, son diferentes aquí, ya que en lugar de la Baraja de Dragones o de las Casas, tenemos la forma más antigua, losas y Fortalezas.
La narrativa de Erikson continúa mejorando con todos y cada uno de los libros. Y eso no me lo esperaba, ya que parece no tener techo en su evolución. Un ritmo ágil, a mi parecer según voy avanzando, no los siento tan densos como los dos primeros.
Una narrativa de calidad, como pocas, un tempo medido, adecuado a cada momento.
El flujo casi natural de la historia y los cambios de punto de vista me conquistaron.
Steven Erikson deja claro, una vez más, gravado a fuego, acero, magia, y momentos, porqué Malaz es mi saga favorita y disfruto tanto de la complejidad de este titánico camino malazano. Siguiente paso, "Los Cazahuesos".
Sed Testigos..✍️⚔️
February 6, 2020
Betrayal. Lies. Greed. Power.
These are the dominant themes presiding over Midnight Tides, the excellent fifth chapter of Malazan Book of the Fallen, which opened with a Prologue dated back to the Time of the Elder Gods, providing yet another history lesson into this deeply complex world.
One would expect that progressing through the series should only get easier right? It seems though that Erikson decided to up the ante for worldbuilding by bringing the reader to a completely new far-flung continent and an entire cast of new characters. There is only ONE name that is familiar in the Dramatis Personae, one whom we met in the previous book - Trull Sengar. It turns out that Midnight Tides was dedicated to relate the story of how Trull ended up being in his dire position as we've seen in the Prologue of House of Chains.
This is the story of a kingdom which was prophesized to be reborn as an empire at the end of what is known as the Seventh Closure. The Letherii exhibited all the evils of greed and, in its intransigent belief of their destiny to rule as an empire, had been subjugating the various lands and races in the continent of Lether. The only remaining people yet to fall were the Tiste Edur, the children of Shadow, a people which were living a lie of a betrayal so great that it shattered a land.
To approach this book without getting a whiplash, you need to be prepared to treat Midnight Tides as a completely fresh story. It is easier said than done, however. That learning all new characters and cultures again made for a rough start was a bit of an understatement. Even the basis of magical power and the gods were different here as instead of the Deck of Dragons and the Houses, we have the more antiquated form of Tiles and Holds. Thankfully, Erikson's narrative continues to improve with each and every subsequent book. The almost effortless flow of the story and the POV switching really helped to ease the reading experience.
As always, character development was top-notch. Through the multitude POVs between the Letherii and the Tiste Edur, the one common thing that run through their narrative was the stories of three brothers.
The King's Champion, the ex-Sentinel and the Diabolical Genius - three Letherii brothers with a poignant story to tell. One of these brothers, Tehol Beddict, and his manservant, Bugg, make up my favourite Malazan duo of all time. It was through their perspective that one can gain some appreciation of the Letherii outside of courtly intrigue and conspiracies, which made all the more enjoyable with its dry and sarcastic humour, laced with sharp intellect, hence providing a much-needed dose of lightheartedness.
The Sengars of the Tiste Edur were made up of four brothers to be exact, but I felt that the story was mostly told between three of them. It was every bit as empathetic as that of the Beddicts, if not more. As the Edurs embraced a deadly power that they did not understand, one filled with ravenous hunger for vengeance, the story spiralled ever further into the dark depths of madness, of greed and the poison of power.
At risk of sounding repetitious, I cannot ignore mentioning how epic some of the battle scenes were, albeit this time it was because of the overpowered level of sorcery unleashed instead of the tactical military brilliance we've seen in Deadhouse Gates (which for me were still the best ones in the series thus far because of the Chain of Dogs).
Slaughterous sorcery
Art by Lauren Saint-Onge
In spite of the unfamiliar setting of this instalment, there were stunning revelations herein which offered a connectivity to the overarching tale that had already been told in the previous books. A couple or so subplots seemed a bit out of place though and appear to serve as an extended prologue for future books. Together with some strange dream sequences, which as usual, did not sit well with me, I was not able to attain the same level of enjoyment reading Midnight Tides as I did with the first three books of the series.
Notwithstanding, this is still a very solid entry into the Malazan Book of the Fallen and only continues to demonstrate the brilliance of Erikson in creating such an immersive world and telling such compelling stories of possibility the largest cast of characters I've encountered in a series thus far.
"The world has drawn breath.. and now breathes once more. As steady as ever, as unbroken in rhythm as the tides.
For such is the rhythm of these particular tides. Now, with the coming of night, when the shadows drew long, and what remained of the world turned away.
Until midnight, all is turned away, silent and motionless. Awaiting the last tide."
And with the tide, a new world unfurled.
You can purchase the book from Book Depository (Free Shipping).
You can find this and my other reviews at Novel Notions.
These are the dominant themes presiding over Midnight Tides, the excellent fifth chapter of Malazan Book of the Fallen, which opened with a Prologue dated back to the Time of the Elder Gods, providing yet another history lesson into this deeply complex world.
One would expect that progressing through the series should only get easier right? It seems though that Erikson decided to up the ante for worldbuilding by bringing the reader to a completely new far-flung continent and an entire cast of new characters. There is only ONE name that is familiar in the Dramatis Personae, one whom we met in the previous book - Trull Sengar. It turns out that Midnight Tides was dedicated to relate the story of how Trull ended up being in his dire position as we've seen in the Prologue of House of Chains.
This is the story of a kingdom which was prophesized to be reborn as an empire at the end of what is known as the Seventh Closure. The Letherii exhibited all the evils of greed and, in its intransigent belief of their destiny to rule as an empire, had been subjugating the various lands and races in the continent of Lether. The only remaining people yet to fall were the Tiste Edur, the children of Shadow, a people which were living a lie of a betrayal so great that it shattered a land.
To approach this book without getting a whiplash, you need to be prepared to treat Midnight Tides as a completely fresh story. It is easier said than done, however. That learning all new characters and cultures again made for a rough start was a bit of an understatement. Even the basis of magical power and the gods were different here as instead of the Deck of Dragons and the Houses, we have the more antiquated form of Tiles and Holds. Thankfully, Erikson's narrative continues to improve with each and every subsequent book. The almost effortless flow of the story and the POV switching really helped to ease the reading experience.
As always, character development was top-notch. Through the multitude POVs between the Letherii and the Tiste Edur, the one common thing that run through their narrative was the stories of three brothers.
The history of this decade, for our dear Letheras, can be most succinctly understood by a faithful recounting of the three Beddict brothers. And, as is clear, the tale's not done yet.
The King's Champion, the ex-Sentinel and the Diabolical Genius - three Letherii brothers with a poignant story to tell. One of these brothers, Tehol Beddict, and his manservant, Bugg, make up my favourite Malazan duo of all time. It was through their perspective that one can gain some appreciation of the Letherii outside of courtly intrigue and conspiracies, which made all the more enjoyable with its dry and sarcastic humour, laced with sharp intellect, hence providing a much-needed dose of lightheartedness.
"No one spoke after that, not for some time. They drank their wine, and it seemed to Trull that something was present, some part of his life he'd thought - not long gone, but non-existent in the first place. They sat, the three of them. Brothers, and nothing more."
The Sengars of the Tiste Edur were made up of four brothers to be exact, but I felt that the story was mostly told between three of them. It was every bit as empathetic as that of the Beddicts, if not more. As the Edurs embraced a deadly power that they did not understand, one filled with ravenous hunger for vengeance, the story spiralled ever further into the dark depths of madness, of greed and the poison of power.
"Greed and savagery unleashed, fear and panic triggering brutality and ruthless indifference."
At risk of sounding repetitious, I cannot ignore mentioning how epic some of the battle scenes were, albeit this time it was because of the overpowered level of sorcery unleashed instead of the tactical military brilliance we've seen in Deadhouse Gates (which for me were still the best ones in the series thus far because of the Chain of Dogs).
Slaughterous sorcery
Art by Lauren Saint-Onge
In spite of the unfamiliar setting of this instalment, there were stunning revelations herein which offered a connectivity to the overarching tale that had already been told in the previous books. A couple or so subplots seemed a bit out of place though and appear to serve as an extended prologue for future books. Together with some strange dream sequences, which as usual, did not sit well with me, I was not able to attain the same level of enjoyment reading Midnight Tides as I did with the first three books of the series.
Notwithstanding, this is still a very solid entry into the Malazan Book of the Fallen and only continues to demonstrate the brilliance of Erikson in creating such an immersive world and telling such compelling stories of possibility the largest cast of characters I've encountered in a series thus far.
"The world has drawn breath.. and now breathes once more. As steady as ever, as unbroken in rhythm as the tides.
For such is the rhythm of these particular tides. Now, with the coming of night, when the shadows drew long, and what remained of the world turned away.
Until midnight, all is turned away, silent and motionless. Awaiting the last tide."
And with the tide, a new world unfurled.
You can purchase the book from Book Depository (Free Shipping).
You can find this and my other reviews at Novel Notions.
January 31, 2023
Re-read rating: Brilliant!!! *** 5 ***
*** 4.65 ***
A Buddy Read with my Fantasy Fanatics @ BB&B! Because we love ALL FANTASY!!!
I need to start with one of the best quotes from the book, which I find eternally true and very current!!!
"... “Do not seek to find hope among your leaders. They are the repositories of poison. Their interest in you extends only so far as their ability to control you. From you, they seek duty and obedience, and they will ply you with the language of stirring faith. They seek followers, and woe to those who question, or voice challenge. ‘Civilization after civilization, it is the same. The world falls to tyranny with a whisper. The frightened are ever keen to bow to a perceived necessity, in the belief that necessity forces conformity, and conformity a certain stability. In a world shaped into conformity, dissidents stand out, are easily branded and dealt with. There is no multitude of perspectives, no dialogue. The victim assumes the face of the tyrant, self-righteous and intransigent, and wars breed like vermin. And people die.”...
Amen!!!
In the end of the previous book, the Tiste Edur Trull Sengar decided to tell his story to his undead companion. This book is that story.
Midnight Tides connected with me on an intellectual level much more than the previous couple of tomes. I had a visceral emotional reaction to "The Chain of Dogs", which was book 2, I really enjoyed the other three books, but this one spoke to my current state of disillusionment with the world around me very cerebrally. We would like to be able to compare the fictional and fantastical empires of Malazan and Lethar to long dead empires of ours, but Lethar's problems were very closely related to our Western powers of today. The systematic destruction of the middle class with the growth of both groups of the very rich and the very poor, is becoming the perfect growing field for all that the majority of us find deplorable and unthinkable, but it starts insidiously creeping up on civilization and it cyclically destroys it from within... Rich and poor with no vast middle class for stabilization, is a revolution waiting to happen. And we once again never learn from history's lessons.... But the best way to make the point of this book I will let my very favorite character of the whole Malazan series up to now, Tehol Beddict, lay it out the way only he could!!! :
"... “As they walked, Tehol spoke. ‘…the assumption is the foundation stone of Letherii society, perhaps all societies the world over. The notion of inequity, my friends. For from inequity derives the concept of value, whether measured by money or the countless other means of gauging human worth. Simply put, there resides in all of us the unchallenged belief that the poor and the starving are in some way deserving of their fate. In other words, there will always be poor people. A truism to grant structure to the continual task of comparison, the establishment through observation of not our mutual similarities, but our essential differences. ‘I know what you’re thinking, to which I have no choice but to challenge you both. Like this. Imagine walking down this street, doling out coins by the thousands. Until everyone here is in possession of vast wealth. A solution? No, you say, because among these suddenly rich folk there will be perhaps a majority who will prove wasteful, profligate and foolish, and before long they will be poor once again. Besides, if wealth were distributed in such a fashion, the coins themselves would lose all value—they would cease being useful. And without such utility, the entire social structure we love so dearly would collapse. ‘Ah, but to that I say, so what? There are other ways of measuring self-worth. To which you both heatedly reply: with no value applicable to labor, all sense of worth vanishes! And in answer to that I simply smile and shake my head. Labor and its product become the negotiable commodities. But wait, you object, then value sneaks in after all! Because a man who makes bricks cannot be equated with, say, a man who paints portraits. Material is inherently value-laden, on the basis of our need to assert comparison—but ah, was I not challenging the very assumption that one must proceed with such intricate structures of value? ‘And so you ask, what’s your point, Tehol? To which I reply with a shrug. Did I say my discourse was a valuable means of using this time? I did not. No, you assumed it was. Thus proving my point!’ ... "
If the Malazan Empire is the mirror of The Roman, then the Letherii society mirrors the Byzantine Empire in its most decadent. Rome and its military structure, together with their laws, engineering, and religious Pantheon, were a power which conquered, took everything, but also propped-up the peoples it enfolded into their empire. There were taxes in money and people, but overall, they worked under a set of rules which were pretty reasonable (this is speaking as a person of today, I am not sure the people at the time perceived it the same). Byzantium drowned under the wight of its arrogance and greed. Their sense of "destiny" and belief in supremacy made them entitled and incapable of correct objectivity when it came to their military power, their enemies and the internal decay that was eroding the core of their culture. It is sad, because they had gone complaisant, soft and fat, but the arts, literature, music and intellectual culture were flourishing. It would take centuries for them to reach the same levels, until which humanity in that region had lost most of its soul...
"... “Progress... is the belief from which emerge notions of destiny. The Letherii believe in destiny - their own. They are deserving of all things, born of their avowed virtues... Destiny wounds us all and we Letherii wear the scars with pride... We have a talent for disguising greed under a cloak of freedom. As for past acts of depravity, we prefer to ignore those. Progress, after all, means to look ever forward, and whatever we have trampled in our wake is best forgotten’ ... "
Everything in Lether exists only as far as its value goes. Gold can see a person and his family live well, or the lack of it can turn a family for generations to come into "indebted" = slaves. The ruling King, his Queen and their child, the Prince, are secure in the military and magical power of their kingdom, and see themselves as the fated rebirth of the foretold Lether Emperor and kin. The ruling class and the army leaders are so sure in their military prowess, that they start wars in order to gain more slaves and ultimately gold, with not a care for the people they conqueror. The poor are just a fother for the front-lines, to absorb the losses and perform the clean-up and manual labor. They are just throw-away lives, not real... Unless you are that poor person or their family... Udinaas is one of those indebted, who has been captured by the Edur and is a slave to them at the moment. Even as slaves, the Letherii continue segregating among themselves according to their status before being captured...
"... “Udinaas well understood his own kind. To the Letherii, gold was all that mattered. Gold and its possession defined their entire world. Power, status, self-worth and respect—all were commodities that could be purchased by coin. Indeed, debt bound the entire kingdom, defining every relationship, the motivation casting the shadow of every act, every decision.’ ... "
The Tiste Edur tribes live in the shadows of legends which paint them as the victims of betrayal, while denying them the greatness they see themselves as deserving. However, the distinct and warring Tiste Edur tribes have now united under the Warlock King and are preparing to claim their destiny at the head of the Letherii Empire. Theirs is a tribal culture where coins have value only as decoration of the body of the fallen warriors. They have trade and slaves from the people they conquer, seeing no point in gold as a commodity. Being barbaric in the eyes of Lether, they are vastly underestimated and the inevitable clash, which the Letherii provoke, is bound to be much more contested than the refined and arrogant royals and army expect. After all, the Warlock King has made some very powerful and angry new allies...
So, we have very traditional clashes of cultures, but the book is much more than just that. It is layer upon layer of stories, human fates, political intrigues, economic plots for collapse of the money market, and most of all, we have the various g-ds starting to really show their hand in manipulating the pawns of their choosing. Old, Elder, New, not-completely ascended and forgotten G-DS are starting to steer and the hapless humans, as well as other races and creatures, they use and abuse, in most cases are left bereft of a choice or having say in any of their participation on the game board of the all-powerful. Some of those G-DS arose some sympathy in me, but most of them are petty and selfish, and I wanted to smack or destroy them, if possible both! However, the mortals, or mostly mortals, we get to meet in this book for the first time, were endlessly entertaining, however pathetic, non-to-bright, undead, powerful or genius they might have been. On the Edur side I was very partial to Trull Sengar, whom we met in House of Chains. However, both of his brothers were very memorable, each in their own way, as well. On the Lether side, well, the list is longer, but I am completely in love with Tehol Beddict, the middle of another three brothers, who lives as a failed destitute businessman, with his faithful man-servant Bugg, who is much more than he appears. His philosophical musings made this book a pleasure for me to read. Seren Pedac was also interesting, although her path is very difficult to read about... Great characters who delivered comic relief are the undead Shurq Elalle and her amazing makeover, the three ladies business partners of Tehol, their bodyguard, the complete opposite of Karsa in everything but physical appearance, Ublala Pung, and all the members of the Rat Catcher Guild!!!! I was particularly partial to every moment the Guild's "inspector" was on page:):):):) This multitude of the character ensemble made the massive book fun to read and easy to follow. The story was very linear and flowed in a manner not typical for the previous books. However, it was paced perfectly and I was very, very pleased with it. As always, I would highly recommend this series to all those who love Epic and Military Fantasy and do not expect romance or rainbows to come with it. The author once again shows the ugly face of war and the crime that it perpetuates on the individual as well as humanity as a whole. Brilliant!!!
"... ‘Destiny is a lie. Destiny is justification for atrocity. It is the means by which murderers armour themselves against reprimand. It is a word intended to stand in place of ethics, denying all moral context.’ ... "
Now I wish you All Happy reading and may you always find what you need in the pages of a Good Book!!!
*** 4.65 ***
A Buddy Read with my Fantasy Fanatics @ BB&B! Because we love ALL FANTASY!!!
I need to start with one of the best quotes from the book, which I find eternally true and very current!!!
"... “Do not seek to find hope among your leaders. They are the repositories of poison. Their interest in you extends only so far as their ability to control you. From you, they seek duty and obedience, and they will ply you with the language of stirring faith. They seek followers, and woe to those who question, or voice challenge. ‘Civilization after civilization, it is the same. The world falls to tyranny with a whisper. The frightened are ever keen to bow to a perceived necessity, in the belief that necessity forces conformity, and conformity a certain stability. In a world shaped into conformity, dissidents stand out, are easily branded and dealt with. There is no multitude of perspectives, no dialogue. The victim assumes the face of the tyrant, self-righteous and intransigent, and wars breed like vermin. And people die.”...
Amen!!!
In the end of the previous book, the Tiste Edur Trull Sengar decided to tell his story to his undead companion. This book is that story.
Midnight Tides connected with me on an intellectual level much more than the previous couple of tomes. I had a visceral emotional reaction to "The Chain of Dogs", which was book 2, I really enjoyed the other three books, but this one spoke to my current state of disillusionment with the world around me very cerebrally. We would like to be able to compare the fictional and fantastical empires of Malazan and Lethar to long dead empires of ours, but Lethar's problems were very closely related to our Western powers of today. The systematic destruction of the middle class with the growth of both groups of the very rich and the very poor, is becoming the perfect growing field for all that the majority of us find deplorable and unthinkable, but it starts insidiously creeping up on civilization and it cyclically destroys it from within... Rich and poor with no vast middle class for stabilization, is a revolution waiting to happen. And we once again never learn from history's lessons.... But the best way to make the point of this book I will let my very favorite character of the whole Malazan series up to now, Tehol Beddict, lay it out the way only he could!!! :
"... “As they walked, Tehol spoke. ‘…the assumption is the foundation stone of Letherii society, perhaps all societies the world over. The notion of inequity, my friends. For from inequity derives the concept of value, whether measured by money or the countless other means of gauging human worth. Simply put, there resides in all of us the unchallenged belief that the poor and the starving are in some way deserving of their fate. In other words, there will always be poor people. A truism to grant structure to the continual task of comparison, the establishment through observation of not our mutual similarities, but our essential differences. ‘I know what you’re thinking, to which I have no choice but to challenge you both. Like this. Imagine walking down this street, doling out coins by the thousands. Until everyone here is in possession of vast wealth. A solution? No, you say, because among these suddenly rich folk there will be perhaps a majority who will prove wasteful, profligate and foolish, and before long they will be poor once again. Besides, if wealth were distributed in such a fashion, the coins themselves would lose all value—they would cease being useful. And without such utility, the entire social structure we love so dearly would collapse. ‘Ah, but to that I say, so what? There are other ways of measuring self-worth. To which you both heatedly reply: with no value applicable to labor, all sense of worth vanishes! And in answer to that I simply smile and shake my head. Labor and its product become the negotiable commodities. But wait, you object, then value sneaks in after all! Because a man who makes bricks cannot be equated with, say, a man who paints portraits. Material is inherently value-laden, on the basis of our need to assert comparison—but ah, was I not challenging the very assumption that one must proceed with such intricate structures of value? ‘And so you ask, what’s your point, Tehol? To which I reply with a shrug. Did I say my discourse was a valuable means of using this time? I did not. No, you assumed it was. Thus proving my point!’ ... "
If the Malazan Empire is the mirror of The Roman, then the Letherii society mirrors the Byzantine Empire in its most decadent. Rome and its military structure, together with their laws, engineering, and religious Pantheon, were a power which conquered, took everything, but also propped-up the peoples it enfolded into their empire. There were taxes in money and people, but overall, they worked under a set of rules which were pretty reasonable (this is speaking as a person of today, I am not sure the people at the time perceived it the same). Byzantium drowned under the wight of its arrogance and greed. Their sense of "destiny" and belief in supremacy made them entitled and incapable of correct objectivity when it came to their military power, their enemies and the internal decay that was eroding the core of their culture. It is sad, because they had gone complaisant, soft and fat, but the arts, literature, music and intellectual culture were flourishing. It would take centuries for them to reach the same levels, until which humanity in that region had lost most of its soul...
"... “Progress... is the belief from which emerge notions of destiny. The Letherii believe in destiny - their own. They are deserving of all things, born of their avowed virtues... Destiny wounds us all and we Letherii wear the scars with pride... We have a talent for disguising greed under a cloak of freedom. As for past acts of depravity, we prefer to ignore those. Progress, after all, means to look ever forward, and whatever we have trampled in our wake is best forgotten’ ... "
Everything in Lether exists only as far as its value goes. Gold can see a person and his family live well, or the lack of it can turn a family for generations to come into "indebted" = slaves. The ruling King, his Queen and their child, the Prince, are secure in the military and magical power of their kingdom, and see themselves as the fated rebirth of the foretold Lether Emperor and kin. The ruling class and the army leaders are so sure in their military prowess, that they start wars in order to gain more slaves and ultimately gold, with not a care for the people they conqueror. The poor are just a fother for the front-lines, to absorb the losses and perform the clean-up and manual labor. They are just throw-away lives, not real... Unless you are that poor person or their family... Udinaas is one of those indebted, who has been captured by the Edur and is a slave to them at the moment. Even as slaves, the Letherii continue segregating among themselves according to their status before being captured...
"... “Udinaas well understood his own kind. To the Letherii, gold was all that mattered. Gold and its possession defined their entire world. Power, status, self-worth and respect—all were commodities that could be purchased by coin. Indeed, debt bound the entire kingdom, defining every relationship, the motivation casting the shadow of every act, every decision.’ ... "
The Tiste Edur tribes live in the shadows of legends which paint them as the victims of betrayal, while denying them the greatness they see themselves as deserving. However, the distinct and warring Tiste Edur tribes have now united under the Warlock King and are preparing to claim their destiny at the head of the Letherii Empire. Theirs is a tribal culture where coins have value only as decoration of the body of the fallen warriors. They have trade and slaves from the people they conquer, seeing no point in gold as a commodity. Being barbaric in the eyes of Lether, they are vastly underestimated and the inevitable clash, which the Letherii provoke, is bound to be much more contested than the refined and arrogant royals and army expect. After all, the Warlock King has made some very powerful and angry new allies...
So, we have very traditional clashes of cultures, but the book is much more than just that. It is layer upon layer of stories, human fates, political intrigues, economic plots for collapse of the money market, and most of all, we have the various g-ds starting to really show their hand in manipulating the pawns of their choosing. Old, Elder, New, not-completely ascended and forgotten G-DS are starting to steer and the hapless humans, as well as other races and creatures, they use and abuse, in most cases are left bereft of a choice or having say in any of their participation on the game board of the all-powerful. Some of those G-DS arose some sympathy in me, but most of them are petty and selfish, and I wanted to smack or destroy them, if possible both! However, the mortals, or mostly mortals, we get to meet in this book for the first time, were endlessly entertaining, however pathetic, non-to-bright, undead, powerful or genius they might have been. On the Edur side I was very partial to Trull Sengar, whom we met in House of Chains. However, both of his brothers were very memorable, each in their own way, as well. On the Lether side, well, the list is longer, but I am completely in love with Tehol Beddict, the middle of another three brothers, who lives as a failed destitute businessman, with his faithful man-servant Bugg, who is much more than he appears. His philosophical musings made this book a pleasure for me to read. Seren Pedac was also interesting, although her path is very difficult to read about... Great characters who delivered comic relief are the undead Shurq Elalle and her amazing makeover, the three ladies business partners of Tehol, their bodyguard, the complete opposite of Karsa in everything but physical appearance, Ublala Pung, and all the members of the Rat Catcher Guild!!!! I was particularly partial to every moment the Guild's "inspector" was on page:):):):) This multitude of the character ensemble made the massive book fun to read and easy to follow. The story was very linear and flowed in a manner not typical for the previous books. However, it was paced perfectly and I was very, very pleased with it. As always, I would highly recommend this series to all those who love Epic and Military Fantasy and do not expect romance or rainbows to come with it. The author once again shows the ugly face of war and the crime that it perpetuates on the individual as well as humanity as a whole. Brilliant!!!
"... ‘Destiny is a lie. Destiny is justification for atrocity. It is the means by which murderers armour themselves against reprimand. It is a word intended to stand in place of ethics, denying all moral context.’ ... "
Now I wish you All Happy reading and may you always find what you need in the pages of a Good Book!!!
August 26, 2018
Reread:
Just as good the second time around. I sort of expected I would have forgotten a lot from this book but I didn't. My one problem was I thought I lot of events from Reaper's Gale happened in this book. I had a few details wrong, found hidden meanings I hadn't the first time around and mixed up who did things a couple of times but for the most part I had it down.
The social-economic, political and religious overtones and condemnation of each where corrupted resonated ever more this time around. There were chapters where I wanted to copy quotes nearly every paragraph. The symbolism intertwined with dualistic meaning, nobody does it as well as SE.
Then there's the humor to let you catch your breath from the heartache and heaviness of the topics. Tehol and Bugg are comedy gold along with some of the others. There's no wasted words with Erikson. From the prologue which in a series full of epic ones this may be the best to the epilogue it's all pure genius.
Original Review:
I'm halfway through the main series! Oh shit I only have half the main series left!
It never ceases to amaze me how when I reflect upon an amazing section of the book how Erikson makes rocks, sand, dead bones, smashed pottery, detritus....... seem so utterly cool, epic, world shaping......
Nobody writes a prologue in the epic and portentous way that he does and this may be the best of the lot. Simply amazing imagery, banter and hidden message set to unfold.
I've often heard people say different books read better in the re-read of Malazan. Though the first four I never really felt it. In this book the first 8.5 chapters show how much Erikson has grown as a writer. At the same time for the first time in the series I was somewhat lost. I kept thinking that description is amazing and I have no clue what half of it it pointing towards. I have to believe in the re-read I would see so many gems I missed.
From chapter 9 on, and chapter 9 has to be one of the top 5 of the series, it was simply amazing with everything clicking. I kept theorizing though out the book and thought I had things figured out and the last two chapters had me figuring little out and being so pleasantly surprised.
Erikson more than any other book to date in the series take on the modern state of the world attacking greed, war, government and the general lack of compassion. It was a massive quote-fest. To balance this there was a lot more of the humor of the Bauchelain and Korbal Broach series interwoven. You had to be careful because one of these little macabre banter sessions would suddenly drop a series altering bomb in the middle of it.
This is right up there with DHG and MOI after a somewhat, although still great, disappointing HOC.
Just as good the second time around. I sort of expected I would have forgotten a lot from this book but I didn't. My one problem was I thought I lot of events from Reaper's Gale happened in this book. I had a few details wrong, found hidden meanings I hadn't the first time around and mixed up who did things a couple of times but for the most part I had it down.
The social-economic, political and religious overtones and condemnation of each where corrupted resonated ever more this time around. There were chapters where I wanted to copy quotes nearly every paragraph. The symbolism intertwined with dualistic meaning, nobody does it as well as SE.
Then there's the humor to let you catch your breath from the heartache and heaviness of the topics. Tehol and Bugg are comedy gold along with some of the others. There's no wasted words with Erikson. From the prologue which in a series full of epic ones this may be the best to the epilogue it's all pure genius.
Original Review:
I'm halfway through the main series! Oh shit I only have half the main series left!
It never ceases to amaze me how when I reflect upon an amazing section of the book how Erikson makes rocks, sand, dead bones, smashed pottery, detritus....... seem so utterly cool, epic, world shaping......
Nobody writes a prologue in the epic and portentous way that he does and this may be the best of the lot. Simply amazing imagery, banter and hidden message set to unfold.
I've often heard people say different books read better in the re-read of Malazan. Though the first four I never really felt it. In this book the first 8.5 chapters show how much Erikson has grown as a writer. At the same time for the first time in the series I was somewhat lost. I kept thinking that description is amazing and I have no clue what half of it it pointing towards. I have to believe in the re-read I would see so many gems I missed.
From chapter 9 on, and chapter 9 has to be one of the top 5 of the series, it was simply amazing with everything clicking. I kept theorizing though out the book and thought I had things figured out and the last two chapters had me figuring little out and being so pleasantly surprised.
Erikson more than any other book to date in the series take on the modern state of the world attacking greed, war, government and the general lack of compassion. It was a massive quote-fest. To balance this there was a lot more of the humor of the Bauchelain and Korbal Broach series interwoven. You had to be careful because one of these little macabre banter sessions would suddenly drop a series altering bomb in the middle of it.
This is right up there with DHG and MOI after a somewhat, although still great, disappointing HOC.
October 28, 2019
Epilogue: I was swept by the tide.*
Chpater 25: There is only one piece of advice I can give those reading Malazan: "Make no assumptions. About anything. Ever. Stay mindful, my friend, and suspicious. suspicious, but not frightened by complexity." Clever, Mr Erikson, clever.
Chpater 24: The brothers unable to save each other. What a mess.
Chpater 23: The nudge, the pull, the push... or all of them?
Chpater 22: From now on, this is how I am going to be greeting strangers: "The tumult of your presence invites discord". Serenity is my middle name after all. Oh, wait no, it's still Sarcasm.
Chpater 21: Not that I am ungrateful but this chat about warrens comes four books too late Mr Erikson.
Chpater 20: By the Errant! Consorting with gods suddenly takes a new meaning!
Chpater 19: Culture of debt and greed, and profit is about to fall. And the crash is going to be mighty. Sounds familiar?
Chpater 18: You know that things are bad when a demon comforts you in your sorrow.
Chpater 17: Between consorting with rats and wrestling angry cacti Bugg also leads people to salvation that comes a generation too late. How not to love him?
Chpater 16: I could be fine behind this kind of Iron Bars, for sure!
Chpater 15: Reminder: always strive for the courage to be the dissenting voice. To go against the tide.
Chpater 14: Somebody should develop the Tehol&Bugg Invigorating Diet (TaBID™️) and earn a lot of money on it.
Chapter 13: Gold encased slavery with disgusting lust in the background. Also, when in doubt, plan on becoming a pirate (particularly when expert in Drowning).
Chpater 12: Rat Catchers Guild versus Bugg. Who do you bet against? :D Oh and another sibling duo with a homicidal schemer and a dead-but-not vampire wannabe.
Chpater 11: Strutt becomes insufferably imperial. I don’t see how to stem this tide.
Chpater 10: The little guardian of the Azath tower breaks my heart. I could adopt her, I think. I just hope she could be talked out of casually killing people.
Chapter 9: I’m imagining the weight of all these gold coins. But the weight of the invisible chain is much greater I gather.
Chapter 8: The sword lost and reclaimed through death. Oh Trull, your wish of failure is as lost as your brother.
Chapter 7: Three divine sisters somewhat lacking in sisterhood. This is a sibling-themed instalment, no doubt about it.
Chapter 6: The dead-but-not thief and her priorities. Ootooloo anyone?
Chapter 5: The ever-swirling spiral of debt. How well we know it. How quickly we drown in the deep roll of its tides.
Chapter 4: That is four wholesome lungs and one considerable penis. Guess what is more appreciated. Poor Ublala.
Chapter 3: Three Edur brothers and the triangle between them at least as complex as the Pythagorean triple.
Chapter 2: Three Beddict brothers, the loyal, the cunning and the brave. Different debts of the same heritage.
Chapter 1: If you thought the Dragon Deck was complicated hold on to this notion when the Holds are introduced. If you thought Tiste Andii dark, brace yourself for the children of Father Shadow.
Prologue: Back to Malazan! I am as happy as a clam at high tide. Of course, it is a brand new ocean and all the other fish want to eat me, but who cares.*
* I am not going to even pretend that I could in any way give a pale shadow of justice to this book or indeed a whole series in a proper review. There are many better than me, here on Goodreads (and many of those I'm lucky to have among my friends), who managed to grasp and convey the sheer brilliance of what awaits those who open the Malazan Book of the Fallen. All I can give you is a chapter breakdown of my own drifting with the tide.
The Malazan Book of the Fallen:
1. Gardens of the Moon ★★★★★
2. Deadhouse Gates ★★★★★
3. Memories of Ice ★★★★★
4. House of Chains ★★★★★
6. The Bonehunters ★★★★★
7. Reaper's Gale ★★★★☆
8. Toll the Hounds
9. Dust of Dreams ★★★☆☆ (and the third star is a testament to my generosity)
10. The Crippled God ★★☆☆☆
Chpater 25: There is only one piece of advice I can give those reading Malazan: "Make no assumptions. About anything. Ever. Stay mindful, my friend, and suspicious. suspicious, but not frightened by complexity." Clever, Mr Erikson, clever.
Chpater 24: The brothers unable to save each other. What a mess.
Chpater 23: The nudge, the pull, the push... or all of them?
Chpater 22: From now on, this is how I am going to be greeting strangers: "The tumult of your presence invites discord". Serenity is my middle name after all. Oh, wait no, it's still Sarcasm.
Chpater 21: Not that I am ungrateful but this chat about warrens comes four books too late Mr Erikson.
Chpater 20: By the Errant! Consorting with gods suddenly takes a new meaning!
Chpater 19: Culture of debt and greed, and profit is about to fall. And the crash is going to be mighty. Sounds familiar?
Chpater 18: You know that things are bad when a demon comforts you in your sorrow.
Chpater 17: Between consorting with rats and wrestling angry cacti Bugg also leads people to salvation that comes a generation too late. How not to love him?
Chpater 16: I could be fine behind this kind of Iron Bars, for sure!
Chpater 15: Reminder: always strive for the courage to be the dissenting voice. To go against the tide.
Chpater 14: Somebody should develop the Tehol&Bugg Invigorating Diet (TaBID™️) and earn a lot of money on it.
Chapter 13: Gold encased slavery with disgusting lust in the background. Also, when in doubt, plan on becoming a pirate (particularly when expert in Drowning).
Chpater 12: Rat Catchers Guild versus Bugg. Who do you bet against? :D Oh and another sibling duo with a homicidal schemer and a dead-but-not vampire wannabe.
Chpater 11: Strutt becomes insufferably imperial. I don’t see how to stem this tide.
Chpater 10: The little guardian of the Azath tower breaks my heart. I could adopt her, I think. I just hope she could be talked out of casually killing people.
Chapter 9: I’m imagining the weight of all these gold coins. But the weight of the invisible chain is much greater I gather.
Chapter 8: The sword lost and reclaimed through death. Oh Trull, your wish of failure is as lost as your brother.
Chapter 7: Three divine sisters somewhat lacking in sisterhood. This is a sibling-themed instalment, no doubt about it.
Chapter 6: The dead-but-not thief and her priorities. Ootooloo anyone?
Chapter 5: The ever-swirling spiral of debt. How well we know it. How quickly we drown in the deep roll of its tides.
Chapter 4: That is four wholesome lungs and one considerable penis. Guess what is more appreciated. Poor Ublala.
Chapter 3: Three Edur brothers and the triangle between them at least as complex as the Pythagorean triple.
Chapter 2: Three Beddict brothers, the loyal, the cunning and the brave. Different debts of the same heritage.
Chapter 1: If you thought the Dragon Deck was complicated hold on to this notion when the Holds are introduced. If you thought Tiste Andii dark, brace yourself for the children of Father Shadow.
Prologue: Back to Malazan! I am as happy as a clam at high tide. Of course, it is a brand new ocean and all the other fish want to eat me, but who cares.*
* I am not going to even pretend that I could in any way give a pale shadow of justice to this book or indeed a whole series in a proper review. There are many better than me, here on Goodreads (and many of those I'm lucky to have among my friends), who managed to grasp and convey the sheer brilliance of what awaits those who open the Malazan Book of the Fallen. All I can give you is a chapter breakdown of my own drifting with the tide.
The Malazan Book of the Fallen:
1. Gardens of the Moon ★★★★★
2. Deadhouse Gates ★★★★★
3. Memories of Ice ★★★★★
4. House of Chains ★★★★★
6. The Bonehunters ★★★★★
7. Reaper's Gale ★★★★☆
8. Toll the Hounds
9. Dust of Dreams ★★★☆☆ (and the third star is a testament to my generosity)
10. The Crippled God ★★☆☆☆
January 14, 2019
Here, then, is the tale. Between the swish of the tides, when giants knelt down and became mountains. When they fell scattered on the land like the ballast stones of the sky, yet could not hold fast against the rising dawn. Between the swish of the tides, we will speak of one such giant. Because the tale hides with his own.
And because it amuses.
The fifth part of the Malazan Book of the Fallen is rather different from the previous four. Set on a faraway continent years before the stories of the Bridgeburners and the Whirlwind, the book tells another story. One of the Tiste Edur and their struggles, internal as well as external.
Steven Erikson’s writing has vastly improved since the series began. It was certainly more than adequate even in Gardens of the Moon, but at this point his style has become a joy to read. The combination of crude, militaristic, Glen Cook-style writing with more fascinatingly flowery elements is both unique and deeply enjoyable, and I found myself saving and highlighting quote after quote, often several on the same page.
The most intriguing aspect of Midnight Tides is definitely its explanation and expansion of the Malazan lore. From the fantastic prologue onward, bits and pieces are added to the already quite astounding worldbuilding of Erikson and Esslemont. Here are the backstories, cultures and creation myths of various peoples new and old.
"You are ruled by greed, a monstrous tyrant lit gold with glory. It cannot be defeated, only annihilated."
Another remarkably interesting and also somewhat controversial aspect of this book is the political symbolism. The rising Letherii Empire, with its raw capitalist society and its conquest and subjugation of other peoples in the name of freedom, is a rather obvious metaphor.
"The Dark Times had come with the rivening of the Tiste Edur, the assault of sorceries and strange armies and the disappearence of Father Shadow himself. And although the magic of Kurald Emurlahn was not denied to the tribes, the warren was lost to them: shattered, the fragments ruled by false kings and gods."
Even more intriguing is the culture of the Tiste Edur. Midnight Tides arrives with virtually the entire history of this people. Its culture, its deities, its heroes and its empires.
It is no secret that the Malazan series is difficult to read; if you believe otherwise, you’re indulging in a self-deception that will come back to bite you as you progress with your reading. Because of that, this book is really helpful and makes you feel like you really get a grip on the setting and everything that’s going on.
Overall, Midnight Tides without a flicker of doubt the single book in this series that has impressed me the most. It does not contain any truly iconic heroes like the ones from the other books, but it is in my personal opinion vastly superior in both writing and worldbuilding. Not to mention that it was much easier to get truly immersed in the occurring events and actually experience them through the eyes of the central characters.
If I did not love the Malazan universe before, this book has changed that.
"That which was chained to the earth has twisted the walls of its prison. Beyond recognition. Its poison has spread out and infected the world and all who dwell upon it.”
Malazan Book of the Fallen reviews:
#1 Gardens of the Moon
#2 Deadhouse Gates
#3 Memories of Ice
#4 House of Chains
#5 Midnight Tides
#6 The Bonehunters
#7 Reaper's Gale
#8 Toll the Hounds
#9 Dust of Dreams
#10 The Crippled God
And because it amuses.
The fifth part of the Malazan Book of the Fallen is rather different from the previous four. Set on a faraway continent years before the stories of the Bridgeburners and the Whirlwind, the book tells another story. One of the Tiste Edur and their struggles, internal as well as external.
Steven Erikson’s writing has vastly improved since the series began. It was certainly more than adequate even in Gardens of the Moon, but at this point his style has become a joy to read. The combination of crude, militaristic, Glen Cook-style writing with more fascinatingly flowery elements is both unique and deeply enjoyable, and I found myself saving and highlighting quote after quote, often several on the same page.
The most intriguing aspect of Midnight Tides is definitely its explanation and expansion of the Malazan lore. From the fantastic prologue onward, bits and pieces are added to the already quite astounding worldbuilding of Erikson and Esslemont. Here are the backstories, cultures and creation myths of various peoples new and old.
"You are ruled by greed, a monstrous tyrant lit gold with glory. It cannot be defeated, only annihilated."
Another remarkably interesting and also somewhat controversial aspect of this book is the political symbolism. The rising Letherii Empire, with its raw capitalist society and its conquest and subjugation of other peoples in the name of freedom, is a rather obvious metaphor.
"The Dark Times had come with the rivening of the Tiste Edur, the assault of sorceries and strange armies and the disappearence of Father Shadow himself. And although the magic of Kurald Emurlahn was not denied to the tribes, the warren was lost to them: shattered, the fragments ruled by false kings and gods."
Even more intriguing is the culture of the Tiste Edur. Midnight Tides arrives with virtually the entire history of this people. Its culture, its deities, its heroes and its empires.
It is no secret that the Malazan series is difficult to read; if you believe otherwise, you’re indulging in a self-deception that will come back to bite you as you progress with your reading. Because of that, this book is really helpful and makes you feel like you really get a grip on the setting and everything that’s going on.
Overall, Midnight Tides without a flicker of doubt the single book in this series that has impressed me the most. It does not contain any truly iconic heroes like the ones from the other books, but it is in my personal opinion vastly superior in both writing and worldbuilding. Not to mention that it was much easier to get truly immersed in the occurring events and actually experience them through the eyes of the central characters.
If I did not love the Malazan universe before, this book has changed that.
"That which was chained to the earth has twisted the walls of its prison. Beyond recognition. Its poison has spread out and infected the world and all who dwell upon it.”
Malazan Book of the Fallen reviews:
#1 Gardens of the Moon
#2 Deadhouse Gates
#3 Memories of Ice
#4 House of Chains
#5 Midnight Tides
#6 The Bonehunters
#7 Reaper's Gale
#8 Toll the Hounds
#9 Dust of Dreams
#10 The Crippled God
July 7, 2017
Beware, lot's of spoilers coming your way :)
Well, what else can I say? Another troubled and epic read for me in Malazan.
New continent, new characters, new type of magic and new gods. This book really was like a spinoff story for me and so far I had trouble putting it on the same shelf with the four books I read about Malazan, but I am sure that Mr. Erikson will blend this story into other books masterfully. I guess most of the readers enjoyed this book and I can see why, this books has really interesting story to tell, it’s funny, it has surprising revelations, a new set of characters. I guess some of this tripped me a bit. But nonetheless it’s once again an epic, dramatic and quite entertaining treat.
It was a slight shock not to find my beloved characters in this book for me, moreover, be thrown into terra incognita a few years into the past. The rise of the Emperor of the Tiste Edur, the backstory of Trull Sengar and his kin.
Dramatic and gripping as an epic tale, “Midnight Tides” follows the tradition of earlier books in the series, it’s the characters that have the biggest part to play. It was a problem for me in MT with remembering names and titles, so I had to check the cast list a lot! Despite introducing a whole new cast of them, Mr. Erikson makes them likable, down to earth and with flaws. And of course, he harvests them the same. !
Of course it was nice to meet Trull Sengar and learn some things from his past, see his struggle between loyalty to his family and knowledge of an ancient wrong and a new threat to his people.
Tehol and Bugg are worth a huge load of praises. There is more humor in this book and it mostly goes from this fab pair. The interactions between these two is so witty and hilarious that they clearly are my fave duo! I laughed hard when they discussed women, life or other members of their Pack. And the ending, wow, so many things happened! Of course, that was mindblowing when the
Another outstanding character, Rhulad and his powers....At first I disliked him a lot as he acted like a spoiled child and I was annoyed with him. But now, IDK what the hell to think XD
Overall my rating mainly depends on the quite a shocking third part of the book. The first and second parts of the book were so so to me, there was a time when I thought of giving the book 3 stars as only Tehol and Bugg held my interest, but it has earned 4 stars for sure, I just needed time to digest the stuff Mr. Erikson threw at me :)
June 9, 2017
“He saw the tides in their immutable susurration, the vast swish like blood from the cold heart moon, a beat of time measured and therefore measurable. Tides one could not hope to hold back.”
In Midnight Tides, Erikson has again introduced us to a new continent and cultures that continue to grow the ever expanding universe of the Malazan Book of the Fallen. There is an entire new dramatis personae save the exception of one character from House of Chains. Also, the setting of this book is before the events of Gardens of the Moon. I was slightly confused at the beginning until I figured this out. So, just a forewarning for all you future readers of this book. Having said all that, this was a great addition to the story as a whole. Erikson’s style and imagination with each book really puts him in a league of his own when it comes to fantasy. To throw in a new storyline and new characters after 4 books is just unthinkable, and he seems to do it with such ease. Can’t wait to see how this ties into the main story. I have my own assumptions, but I will leave them to myself at this point.
The continent of Lether is occupied by two main societies. The Kingdom of Lether in the south and the Tiste Edur in the north. The two have managed to co-exist for centuries, but unfolding events will put that long lasted peace to the test. They both have their own internal struggles and problems, but it is the characters at the center of this that our story is focused around. Along with a certain outside diabolical force.
“The tyrant was clothed in gold, and the future smelled of blood.”
I love the way Erikson portrays his characters with so many different dimensions to their personalities. This book is no different of course, and I have my favorites from each book. In Midnight Tides there were several story arcs that I enjoyed, but none of them can top Tehol and Bugg. This comedic duo rank among my favorites in this entire series. Tehol’s wit and Bugg’s undying devotion mixed with their crazy conversations was comedic entertainment at its best. There are specific scenes at a whorehouse and the Rat Catcher’s Guild that will stick with me for a long time. Looking forward to seeing more of these two in future books.
Here is quote from Bugg I though was cool, but only those who have read the books will understand and get the dark humor.
“Good things came from being nice to a Jaghut, something the T’lan Imass never understood.” – Bugg
Midnight Tides was a nice change of pace from previous books. I love them all, and I am used to Erikson flipping the switch with each book, but this installment had a different feel to it. It almost felt like a standalone or first book in series if not for a few key factors. This is a tribute to just how vast this series is and how Erikson breaks the mold of the traditional fantasy genre.
From the prologue to the last page this was one of my favorites so far. It has taken me 3 months to finish the fifth book and midway point of this series. I have enjoyed every coffee filled late night and put off responsibility to read this awesome book filled minute. I’m not even going to recommend these anymore. You peeps know what to do! Enjoy!!!
“The world has drawn breath…..and now breathes once more. As steady as ever, as unbroken in rhythm as the tides.”
In Midnight Tides, Erikson has again introduced us to a new continent and cultures that continue to grow the ever expanding universe of the Malazan Book of the Fallen. There is an entire new dramatis personae save the exception of one character from House of Chains. Also, the setting of this book is before the events of Gardens of the Moon. I was slightly confused at the beginning until I figured this out. So, just a forewarning for all you future readers of this book. Having said all that, this was a great addition to the story as a whole. Erikson’s style and imagination with each book really puts him in a league of his own when it comes to fantasy. To throw in a new storyline and new characters after 4 books is just unthinkable, and he seems to do it with such ease. Can’t wait to see how this ties into the main story. I have my own assumptions, but I will leave them to myself at this point.
The continent of Lether is occupied by two main societies. The Kingdom of Lether in the south and the Tiste Edur in the north. The two have managed to co-exist for centuries, but unfolding events will put that long lasted peace to the test. They both have their own internal struggles and problems, but it is the characters at the center of this that our story is focused around. Along with a certain outside diabolical force.
“The tyrant was clothed in gold, and the future smelled of blood.”
I love the way Erikson portrays his characters with so many different dimensions to their personalities. This book is no different of course, and I have my favorites from each book. In Midnight Tides there were several story arcs that I enjoyed, but none of them can top Tehol and Bugg. This comedic duo rank among my favorites in this entire series. Tehol’s wit and Bugg’s undying devotion mixed with their crazy conversations was comedic entertainment at its best. There are specific scenes at a whorehouse and the Rat Catcher’s Guild that will stick with me for a long time. Looking forward to seeing more of these two in future books.
Here is quote from Bugg I though was cool, but only those who have read the books will understand and get the dark humor.
“Good things came from being nice to a Jaghut, something the T’lan Imass never understood.” – Bugg
Midnight Tides was a nice change of pace from previous books. I love them all, and I am used to Erikson flipping the switch with each book, but this installment had a different feel to it. It almost felt like a standalone or first book in series if not for a few key factors. This is a tribute to just how vast this series is and how Erikson breaks the mold of the traditional fantasy genre.
From the prologue to the last page this was one of my favorites so far. It has taken me 3 months to finish the fifth book and midway point of this series. I have enjoyed every coffee filled late night and put off responsibility to read this awesome book filled minute. I’m not even going to recommend these anymore. You peeps know what to do! Enjoy!!!
“The world has drawn breath…..and now breathes once more. As steady as ever, as unbroken in rhythm as the tides.”
October 18, 2019
Death is every mortal's shadow, his true shadow, and time is its servant, spinning that shadow slowly round, until what stretched behind one now stretches before him.
To say I was sceptical to read this book is an understatement, I was so scared, I thought I might not like this cause I know that this will be filled with completely new characters, location, world, it was like starting a whole new series. But I was so wrong, I loved it, I must admit it was hard to get into, not as hard as GoTM but still hard. I can totally see the connection between this book and the previous in the series, can’t wait for when they all meet. Like all books in this series, this book has a good dose of friendship, amazing battle scenes, malazan kind of romance that is usually tragic, diversity, family etc, there is basically nothing missing in this book.
'Civilization after civilization, it is the same. The world falls to tyranny with a whisper. The frightened are ever keen to bow to a perceived necessity, in the belief that necessity forces conformity, and conformity a certain stability.
Before starting this book it is important to note this two things, it took me a while to know what they were.
1. This is Trull Sengar’s story, these events happened before HoC, it happened at the same time with GotM. They are also other POVs that helped made the story more understandable. So yes the Crippled god have being interfering long before most people realized.
2.The Hold, this was mentioned basically almost throughout the book, I thought it meant the Deck of Dragons but no its not. The Hold of Tiles is an older version of the Deck of Dragons that Elder gods uses.
World building and Writing
Steven Erikson still manages to improve in his already perfect world building, there is so much improvement between this and the previous books, same goes for the writing, no longer a million POVs but a few that is comprehensible and tell the story well. I only wish the dialogue was more than the internal monologue.
The new plaster isn't showing any cracks. The owners are delighted—'
'I thought I owned those warehouses.'
'Aren't you delighted?'
'Well, you're right, I am. Every one of me.'
Characters
My favourite part of the book, I love a good character driven books, especially when its well written and depicted. Two major races are the focus of this book. The Tiste Edur and the Letherii.
The Tiste Edur
The Sengar brothers which include my personal favourite Trull Sengar the only known character, Udinaas, their Letherii slave, Mayen, Hanan Mosag and a host of others.
Trull Sengar’s story is even sadder than I anticipated, he is such a great man, kind, humble, honourable etc, he is never afraid to voice his opinions and doubts, despite the repercussions, and that was what lead to him being shorned by his people. I wish he was the eldest of the four brothers, things would have gone better for them, but no he is the second out of four sons.
Fear Sengar is the first son, I seriously have no idea what to make of him at first, the guy has almost no facial expressions, he is the definition of impassive, ever the perfect warrior, how I wish he listens to Trull instead of shutting him up. When he finally started questioning things it was almost too late, I hope its not too late.
Binadas Sengar is the third Sengar brother, also the only sorcerer among them, the guy is so sceptical and evasive that I still don’t know what to make of him.
Rhulad Sengar the fourth and last son, I neither love nor hate him, I just pity him. He is not exactly a good guy but he doesn’t deserve what is happening to him, no one does, hope his brothers will find a solution.
Udinaas is a slave at the Sengar household, I really felt for him, everyone was just using him, not only mortals but other worldly creatures, I hope things gets better for him, he deserves more.
The Letherii
Which include the Beddict brothers, Seren Pedac, Shurq Elalle, Kettle,Bugg, Ublala Pung, Shand, Rissari, Hesun and others.
Tehol Beddict is the second and middle son among the Beddict brothers. The guy is a mystery, he walks around with bedsheet tied around his waist or a woollen trousers of grey and yellow colour, not to mention he sleeps on his roof. Tehol is also a genius, even the Queen despise him because of something he did in the past, he is not a fighter, am pretty sure he doesn’t know how to use a sword, he is also kind and honourable. His relationship with Bugg his manservant is one of my favourite things in this book.
Even genius has its flaws.'
Another grin. 'Even with you, Tehol?'
'Well, I was generalizing to put you at ease. I never include myself in my own generalizations. I am ever the exception to the rule.'
'And how do you manage that?'
'Well, I define the rules, of course. That's my particular game, brother.'
Brys Beddict the third Beddict brother is presently the king’s champion, like his brother Tehol he is also honourable, but a much better swordsman.
Hull Beddict, the eldest of the three, he didn’t have a POV, so it was hard to know what goes on in his head, from what people said about him, he seems like a good man.
Seren Pedac is a Aquitor, some kind of guide and travel agent, she guides people that goes to the Edur land. I love her, she isn’t exactly badass but she can hold herself in a fight, she is also feminine.
Shurq Elalle is the opposite of Seren, she is an undead thief, even though she is undead she still steals, its quite ironic, she has very crazy friends, some undead like her others not so much.
'I want to be scary. It's important that I be scary. I've been practising hissing and snarling.'
'No need for concern there,' Bugg replied. 'You'll be truly terrifying.
'If I eat human flesh,' Harlest said, 'it will rot in my stomach, won't it? That means I will stink. I like that. I like thinking about things like that. The smell of doom.'
Silchas Ruin is an ascendent and soletaken who is Anomander’s younger brother, but unlike his brothers and race he is white skinned due to his albinism.
To say I was sceptical to read this book is an understatement, I was so scared, I thought I might not like this cause I know that this will be filled with completely new characters, location, world, it was like starting a whole new series. But I was so wrong, I loved it, I must admit it was hard to get into, not as hard as GoTM but still hard. I can totally see the connection between this book and the previous in the series, can’t wait for when they all meet. Like all books in this series, this book has a good dose of friendship, amazing battle scenes, malazan kind of romance that is usually tragic, diversity, family etc, there is basically nothing missing in this book.
'Civilization after civilization, it is the same. The world falls to tyranny with a whisper. The frightened are ever keen to bow to a perceived necessity, in the belief that necessity forces conformity, and conformity a certain stability.
Before starting this book it is important to note this two things, it took me a while to know what they were.
1. This is Trull Sengar’s story, these events happened before HoC, it happened at the same time with GotM. They are also other POVs that helped made the story more understandable. So yes the Crippled god have being interfering long before most people realized.
2.The Hold, this was mentioned basically almost throughout the book, I thought it meant the Deck of Dragons but no its not. The Hold of Tiles is an older version of the Deck of Dragons that Elder gods uses.
World building and Writing
Steven Erikson still manages to improve in his already perfect world building, there is so much improvement between this and the previous books, same goes for the writing, no longer a million POVs but a few that is comprehensible and tell the story well. I only wish the dialogue was more than the internal monologue.
The new plaster isn't showing any cracks. The owners are delighted—'
'I thought I owned those warehouses.'
'Aren't you delighted?'
'Well, you're right, I am. Every one of me.'
Characters
My favourite part of the book, I love a good character driven books, especially when its well written and depicted. Two major races are the focus of this book. The Tiste Edur and the Letherii.
The Tiste Edur
The Sengar brothers which include my personal favourite Trull Sengar the only known character, Udinaas, their Letherii slave, Mayen, Hanan Mosag and a host of others.
Trull Sengar’s story is even sadder than I anticipated, he is such a great man, kind, humble, honourable etc, he is never afraid to voice his opinions and doubts, despite the repercussions, and that was what lead to him being shorned by his people. I wish he was the eldest of the four brothers, things would have gone better for them, but no he is the second out of four sons.
Fear Sengar is the first son, I seriously have no idea what to make of him at first, the guy has almost no facial expressions, he is the definition of impassive, ever the perfect warrior, how I wish he listens to Trull instead of shutting him up. When he finally started questioning things it was almost too late, I hope its not too late.
Binadas Sengar is the third Sengar brother, also the only sorcerer among them, the guy is so sceptical and evasive that I still don’t know what to make of him.
Rhulad Sengar the fourth and last son, I neither love nor hate him, I just pity him. He is not exactly a good guy but he doesn’t deserve what is happening to him, no one does, hope his brothers will find a solution.
Udinaas is a slave at the Sengar household, I really felt for him, everyone was just using him, not only mortals but other worldly creatures, I hope things gets better for him, he deserves more.
The Letherii
Which include the Beddict brothers, Seren Pedac, Shurq Elalle, Kettle,Bugg, Ublala Pung, Shand, Rissari, Hesun and others.
Tehol Beddict is the second and middle son among the Beddict brothers. The guy is a mystery, he walks around with bedsheet tied around his waist or a woollen trousers of grey and yellow colour, not to mention he sleeps on his roof. Tehol is also a genius, even the Queen despise him because of something he did in the past, he is not a fighter, am pretty sure he doesn’t know how to use a sword, he is also kind and honourable. His relationship with Bugg his manservant is one of my favourite things in this book.
Even genius has its flaws.'
Another grin. 'Even with you, Tehol?'
'Well, I was generalizing to put you at ease. I never include myself in my own generalizations. I am ever the exception to the rule.'
'And how do you manage that?'
'Well, I define the rules, of course. That's my particular game, brother.'
Brys Beddict the third Beddict brother is presently the king’s champion, like his brother Tehol he is also honourable, but a much better swordsman.
Hull Beddict, the eldest of the three, he didn’t have a POV, so it was hard to know what goes on in his head, from what people said about him, he seems like a good man.
Seren Pedac is a Aquitor, some kind of guide and travel agent, she guides people that goes to the Edur land. I love her, she isn’t exactly badass but she can hold herself in a fight, she is also feminine.
Shurq Elalle is the opposite of Seren, she is an undead thief, even though she is undead she still steals, its quite ironic, she has very crazy friends, some undead like her others not so much.
'I want to be scary. It's important that I be scary. I've been practising hissing and snarling.'
'No need for concern there,' Bugg replied. 'You'll be truly terrifying.
'If I eat human flesh,' Harlest said, 'it will rot in my stomach, won't it? That means I will stink. I like that. I like thinking about things like that. The smell of doom.'
Silchas Ruin is an ascendent and soletaken who is Anomander’s younger brother, but unlike his brothers and race he is white skinned due to his albinism.
January 1, 2024
Award Shocker! Dead Kid Wins Cute Trophy! "Well, I consider this role a promotion from playing a little dutch boy with his finger in a dyke, (and no, don't go there...). Apparently, I've won the 'Cute,' award, and I have no idea how, perhaps it was the way I fed spies and criminals to the Azath... there was so much blood, and it would get into my hair and make it all sticky, and I was dead, and all, but still moving around. Yeah, 'Cute.'" - Kettle - Dead Trophy Trumpeter
I'm in awe of Steven Erikson's story telling ability. He handles a vast array of characters with a deft touch that blows my mind with how seamless and varied his characterization is.
A direct parallel to his characterization skills is his ability to weave multiple narrative threads together into a seamless (there's that word again) whole that is both logically coherent (no plot holes) and arranged for powerful emotional effect.
This is super-cool writing.
I've got a sneaking suspicion that some of the characters could provide more insight than my gushing fanboying, so let's ask them.
Fear Sengar: "I signed up for a role titled, 'Brave Sengar,' so what's up with that?"
Trull Sengar: "Playing the role of the honest, non-conformist in a society governed by strict adherence to a set of false beliefs, has been quite the challenge. I had to dig deep emotionally to make it through this story. I might need a holiday, perhaps down at a beach, a bit of peace and quiet. Maybe I'll go on a long walk afterward."
Rhulad Sengar: "Hey, all I wanted was a little respect. Was that asking for too much? Geez, (shakes head dolefully, sighs) whoever said, 'heavy lies the crown,' was not wrong."
Hannan Mosag: "Next time I'm using napalm and nukes, that'll frak them right up!"
Udinass: "I nominated myself for the 'best friend,' award but kinda messed it up. My goodness, it got confusing there at the end. I didn't know if I was coming or going, of who I was with, or was I alone, sheesh!"
Brys Beddict: "By the Errant, this wine is strong... (just quietly, I think I might have a new role going forward)."
Moroch Nevath: "I pulled a hammy in the first quarter of the match, and the coach pulled me from the field for the second quarter. I got a bit of ice, and a rub, and came back good as new for the third quarter. I organised the defense in the second half, faced off the opposition captain and made a good show of it, but now I'm wondering who won the damn game?"
Kuru Qan: "Was this story a measurable delight? Relevant? Yes!"
Turudal Brizad: "I'm too sexy for this shirt...(but really, I just want to be taken seriously don't cha know)."
Nifadas: "The role of 'First Eunuch.' Well, let no one say I didn't make a 'great' sacrifice for the authenticity of my performance in this role."
Gerun Eberict: "Yeah, so I acquired my position by false flagging the King. Bwahahahahaha.... you'd do the same if you could. Admit it. You all want what I've got."
Seren Pedac: (Waves hand mysteriously). "'These are not the Crimson Guards you're looking for.' Yeah, I think I can get the hang of this...'"
Hull Beddict: "I only did what I had too. It was completely justified by past events. It was a spiritual necessity ... Oh, hi guys, what are you Nerek's here for?"
Tehol Beddict: "I nominated Bugg for the best manservant award, his dinners were marvels of inventive resourcefulness."
Bugg: "I nominated Tehol for best dressed award. His sartorial excellence is legendary."
Shand (speaking with Rissarh and Hejun): "Okay girls, paper, rock, scissors, whoever wins gets the next session with the member from heaven."
Ublala Pung: "The bottom line is ... well it crosses my knees ..."
Shurq Elalle: "(ticks off fingers) Stealing scenes, check. Hot, dead chick, check. Got an awesome makeover, check. Ootooloo, check. Okay, fully equipped to kick-ass."
Iron Bars: "So, who is this Thanos guy? I hear he's been causing trouble and needs sorting out."
And there you have it, another amazing, wonderfully entertaining installment in the Malazan super-epic, monster-stupendous, superlative-superlative [INSERT UNUSED SUPERLATIVE].... (I'm literally out of words) novel.
Recommend to anyone who loves to be entertained*. 5 'Best of Marks & Spencer,' stars.
*Warning - must read books 1 -4 first, lest a spell of confusion and profound perplexity will overtake your mind.
I'm in awe of Steven Erikson's story telling ability. He handles a vast array of characters with a deft touch that blows my mind with how seamless and varied his characterization is.
A direct parallel to his characterization skills is his ability to weave multiple narrative threads together into a seamless (there's that word again) whole that is both logically coherent (no plot holes) and arranged for powerful emotional effect.
This is super-cool writing.
I've got a sneaking suspicion that some of the characters could provide more insight than my gushing fanboying, so let's ask them.
Fear Sengar: "I signed up for a role titled, 'Brave Sengar,' so what's up with that?"
Trull Sengar: "Playing the role of the honest, non-conformist in a society governed by strict adherence to a set of false beliefs, has been quite the challenge. I had to dig deep emotionally to make it through this story. I might need a holiday, perhaps down at a beach, a bit of peace and quiet. Maybe I'll go on a long walk afterward."
Rhulad Sengar: "Hey, all I wanted was a little respect. Was that asking for too much? Geez, (shakes head dolefully, sighs) whoever said, 'heavy lies the crown,' was not wrong."
Hannan Mosag: "Next time I'm using napalm and nukes, that'll frak them right up!"
Udinass: "I nominated myself for the 'best friend,' award but kinda messed it up. My goodness, it got confusing there at the end. I didn't know if I was coming or going, of who I was with, or was I alone, sheesh!"
Brys Beddict: "By the Errant, this wine is strong... (just quietly, I think I might have a new role going forward)."
Moroch Nevath: "I pulled a hammy in the first quarter of the match, and the coach pulled me from the field for the second quarter. I got a bit of ice, and a rub, and came back good as new for the third quarter. I organised the defense in the second half, faced off the opposition captain and made a good show of it, but now I'm wondering who won the damn game?"
Kuru Qan: "Was this story a measurable delight? Relevant? Yes!"
Turudal Brizad: "I'm too sexy for this shirt...(but really, I just want to be taken seriously don't cha know)."
Nifadas: "The role of 'First Eunuch.' Well, let no one say I didn't make a 'great' sacrifice for the authenticity of my performance in this role."
Gerun Eberict: "Yeah, so I acquired my position by false flagging the King. Bwahahahahaha.... you'd do the same if you could. Admit it. You all want what I've got."
Seren Pedac: (Waves hand mysteriously). "'These are not the Crimson Guards you're looking for.' Yeah, I think I can get the hang of this...'"
Hull Beddict: "I only did what I had too. It was completely justified by past events. It was a spiritual necessity ... Oh, hi guys, what are you Nerek's here for?"
Tehol Beddict: "I nominated Bugg for the best manservant award, his dinners were marvels of inventive resourcefulness."
Bugg: "I nominated Tehol for best dressed award. His sartorial excellence is legendary."
Shand (speaking with Rissarh and Hejun): "Okay girls, paper, rock, scissors, whoever wins gets the next session with the member from heaven."
Ublala Pung: "The bottom line is ... well it crosses my knees ..."
Shurq Elalle: "(ticks off fingers) Stealing scenes, check. Hot, dead chick, check. Got an awesome makeover, check. Ootooloo, check. Okay, fully equipped to kick-ass."
Iron Bars: "So, who is this Thanos guy? I hear he's been causing trouble and needs sorting out."
And there you have it, another amazing, wonderfully entertaining installment in the Malazan super-epic, monster-stupendous, superlative-superlative [INSERT UNUSED SUPERLATIVE].... (I'm literally out of words) novel.
Recommend to anyone who loves to be entertained*. 5 'Best of Marks & Spencer,' stars.
*Warning - must read books 1 -4 first, lest a spell of confusion and profound perplexity will overtake your mind.
December 9, 2014
4.5 Stars.
New setting. New characters. New conflict. Still awesome.
After spending 4 massive books developing one of the deepest and most immersive settings in fantasy, establishing one of the largest and most diverse casts of characters and setting up machinations of incredible complexity and scope…Erikson starts all over again. For all that I missed the character and settings I’ve come to love in this series their replacements in this book were great and while I found the start to be a bit slow (although not as much as many of my friends seem to have) the story as a whole was really enjoyable, capped with possibly the strongest finale in the series to date.
I really liked the balance of the POV structure of this book, something that’s been hit and miss in this series so far. The chapters alternate in focus between the two major cultures with every other chapter featuring the POV’s of one of the two sets of main characters. I found the Tiste Edur to be a really interesting, well-developed culture with a cool mixture of Native American customs (counting coup), mysterious magic and ancient secrets. However at the start I struggled to care about the two main characters the Edur storyline revolved around, the slave Udinaas and the conscience-burdened warrior Trull. While I cared more about them as the book progressed and their storylines become more interesting they’re still nowhere near my favourites in the series. I was also really frustrated at how the Edur plot developed However I did really like how Rhulad was written throughout. At the start he was seemingly set up to be a Joffrey-like irredeemable dickhead but through his interactions with Trull and especially Udinaas he is shown in a much more sympathetic light as a tortured young man genuinely trying to do what he feels is right.
The other main storyline examined the Letherii Empire. I found this setting to be incredibly annoying. Throughout the book Erikson litters Letherii culture with constant parallels to modern capitalism. At first I wasn’t a fan of this due to it feeling out of place in a fantasy setting and the missed opportunity of a more traditional civilisation vs. barbarians dynamic such as Karsa’s story in HoC. However these problems soon paled in comparison to my frustration at Erikson’s constant, ham-fisted vilification of capitalism and western/American culture. The Edur characters naturally refer to their enemies with hatred and disgust but even the Letherii characters (at least the good guys) express at best apathy and at worst hatred towards their own culture. This became even more frustrating when Erikson hinted at the cultures surrounding the Letherii: The mournful people of Bluerose, survivors of an ancient war. The Tarthenal, giants descended from a powerful, advanced race now reduced to barbarism as their culture decays around them. The Nerek, whose fervent belief in their goddess, an earth mother avatar, can’t be dimmed even by oppression and servitude. Even by his high standards Erikson created some incredibly fascinating cultures… Before immediately going back to a ‘Capitalism is really bad you guys’ lecture. What was really incredible about this contrast was that Erikson created these intriguing cultures based on a few throwaway lines, leaving the reader to fill in the world-building dots themselves whereas with the Letherii he dedicates several paragraphs of awkwardly tacked-on rambling philosophy about how evil they are. Every. Single. Chapter (punctuation for emphasis well-deserved). Note: I realise this is pretty much a long rant about Erikson’s long rants about politics. Irony can be a bitch.
Setting aside the setting I loved the Letherii sections. Unlike the Edur they had great central characters in the form of the two Beddict brothers. Brys, the master swordsman, is a typical fantasy character written with great deftness and empathy. Tehol, a financial genius, is a much more unorthodox character. While I didn’t understand all of the hype around him at first he quickly grew on me and his hilarious dialogue with his droll manservant Bugg were some of the book’s highlights. They were surrounded by a cast of great supporting characters as well: The aforementioned Bugg, manservant, healer, priest, feared by demons and worshipped by refugees as ‘The Waiting Man’. Shurq, the undead nymphomaniac thief (no, really). The Ceda, an eccentric, hilarious and extremely powerful mage. I thought that both the machinations of the court and Tehol’s financial schemes were really well done.
The last main POV character was Seren Pedac who serves as a conduit between the two warring cultures, both as a narrative device separate from the two pairs of POV’s and in the story. At the beginning I found her to be somewhat dull and uninteresting. However her story took a horrific turn halfway through that made me feel a lot more sympathetic towards her and shortly afterwards her story became much more interesting as she joined up with The Crimson Guard. Erikson again demonstrated his brilliance at writing intriguing cultures and again did so with a minimalist approach. At the end of the book we still don’t know much but what we do know is that 1) The Crimson Guard are badass 2) The Avowed are really badass 3) Skinner (who doesn’t even appear in this one despite being name-dropped a load of times, often in unexpected places leading to him now being probably the fantasy character I most want to know more about) is really, really badass. I especially liked Iron Bars (who's awesomeness has already been suitably covered in many of my friends reviews) and Corlo as characters.
I was somewhat disappointed with how the Edur-Letherii conflict ultimately played out. I’ve mentioned a number of times before how OP magic can be compared to armies in this series but it never played as prominent a role as in this book. The Letherii were established as a massive nation, with a powerful economy and a huge, highly professional army that had a level of sophistication in terms of strategy and doctrine that probably wouldn’t be seen irl until WW1 and yet they were completely helpless against the Edur magic that pretty much came out of nowhere While this was addressed to some extent it was done only at the very end in a couple of lines and never looked at again. I hope the rest of the series will explore the magic>>>>everything else continuity error more as at the minute it’s probably my biggest (only?) long standing complaint about the series. My disappointment with the conflict left me with a sour taste about this book that was however quickly forgotten due to the awesome ending. Erikson has written some great endings in this series but for me this was the strongest to date.
This was a difficult book to rate. There were a number of annoying features (Rhulad's rise to power, Erikson's constant capitalism is evil schtick) but there were also a number of awesome features (great characters in the Letherii plot, some really cool cultures, the Crimson Guard and an epic ending). Ultimately though the good far outweighed the bad in this one and I’m now really psyched to get back to the main setting and see how the events of this book tie into the rest of the series.
New setting. New characters. New conflict. Still awesome.
After spending 4 massive books developing one of the deepest and most immersive settings in fantasy, establishing one of the largest and most diverse casts of characters and setting up machinations of incredible complexity and scope…Erikson starts all over again. For all that I missed the character and settings I’ve come to love in this series their replacements in this book were great and while I found the start to be a bit slow (although not as much as many of my friends seem to have) the story as a whole was really enjoyable, capped with possibly the strongest finale in the series to date.
I really liked the balance of the POV structure of this book, something that’s been hit and miss in this series so far. The chapters alternate in focus between the two major cultures with every other chapter featuring the POV’s of one of the two sets of main characters. I found the Tiste Edur to be a really interesting, well-developed culture with a cool mixture of Native American customs (counting coup), mysterious magic and ancient secrets. However at the start I struggled to care about the two main characters the Edur storyline revolved around, the slave Udinaas and the conscience-burdened warrior Trull. While I cared more about them as the book progressed and their storylines become more interesting they’re still nowhere near my favourites in the series. I was also really frustrated at how the Edur plot developed However I did really like how Rhulad was written throughout. At the start he was seemingly set up to be a Joffrey-like irredeemable dickhead but through his interactions with Trull and especially Udinaas he is shown in a much more sympathetic light as a tortured young man genuinely trying to do what he feels is right.
The other main storyline examined the Letherii Empire. I found this setting to be incredibly annoying. Throughout the book Erikson litters Letherii culture with constant parallels to modern capitalism. At first I wasn’t a fan of this due to it feeling out of place in a fantasy setting and the missed opportunity of a more traditional civilisation vs. barbarians dynamic such as Karsa’s story in HoC. However these problems soon paled in comparison to my frustration at Erikson’s constant, ham-fisted vilification of capitalism and western/American culture. The Edur characters naturally refer to their enemies with hatred and disgust but even the Letherii characters (at least the good guys) express at best apathy and at worst hatred towards their own culture. This became even more frustrating when Erikson hinted at the cultures surrounding the Letherii: The mournful people of Bluerose, survivors of an ancient war. The Tarthenal, giants descended from a powerful, advanced race now reduced to barbarism as their culture decays around them. The Nerek, whose fervent belief in their goddess, an earth mother avatar, can’t be dimmed even by oppression and servitude. Even by his high standards Erikson created some incredibly fascinating cultures… Before immediately going back to a ‘Capitalism is really bad you guys’ lecture. What was really incredible about this contrast was that Erikson created these intriguing cultures based on a few throwaway lines, leaving the reader to fill in the world-building dots themselves whereas with the Letherii he dedicates several paragraphs of awkwardly tacked-on rambling philosophy about how evil they are. Every. Single. Chapter (punctuation for emphasis well-deserved). Note: I realise this is pretty much a long rant about Erikson’s long rants about politics. Irony can be a bitch.
Setting aside the setting I loved the Letherii sections. Unlike the Edur they had great central characters in the form of the two Beddict brothers. Brys, the master swordsman, is a typical fantasy character written with great deftness and empathy. Tehol, a financial genius, is a much more unorthodox character. While I didn’t understand all of the hype around him at first he quickly grew on me and his hilarious dialogue with his droll manservant Bugg were some of the book’s highlights. They were surrounded by a cast of great supporting characters as well: The aforementioned Bugg, manservant, healer, priest, feared by demons and worshipped by refugees as ‘The Waiting Man’. Shurq, the undead nymphomaniac thief (no, really). The Ceda, an eccentric, hilarious and extremely powerful mage. I thought that both the machinations of the court and Tehol’s financial schemes were really well done.
The last main POV character was Seren Pedac who serves as a conduit between the two warring cultures, both as a narrative device separate from the two pairs of POV’s and in the story. At the beginning I found her to be somewhat dull and uninteresting. However her story took a horrific turn halfway through that made me feel a lot more sympathetic towards her and shortly afterwards her story became much more interesting as she joined up with The Crimson Guard. Erikson again demonstrated his brilliance at writing intriguing cultures and again did so with a minimalist approach. At the end of the book we still don’t know much but what we do know is that 1) The Crimson Guard are badass 2) The Avowed are really badass 3) Skinner (who doesn’t even appear in this one despite being name-dropped a load of times, often in unexpected places leading to him now being probably the fantasy character I most want to know more about) is really, really badass. I especially liked Iron Bars (who's awesomeness has already been suitably covered in many of my friends reviews) and Corlo as characters.
I was somewhat disappointed with how the Edur-Letherii conflict ultimately played out. I’ve mentioned a number of times before how OP magic can be compared to armies in this series but it never played as prominent a role as in this book. The Letherii were established as a massive nation, with a powerful economy and a huge, highly professional army that had a level of sophistication in terms of strategy and doctrine that probably wouldn’t be seen irl until WW1 and yet they were completely helpless against the Edur magic that pretty much came out of nowhere While this was addressed to some extent it was done only at the very end in a couple of lines and never looked at again. I hope the rest of the series will explore the magic>>>>everything else continuity error more as at the minute it’s probably my biggest (only?) long standing complaint about the series. My disappointment with the conflict left me with a sour taste about this book that was however quickly forgotten due to the awesome ending. Erikson has written some great endings in this series but for me this was the strongest to date.
This was a difficult book to rate. There were a number of annoying features (Rhulad's rise to power, Erikson's constant capitalism is evil schtick) but there were also a number of awesome features (great characters in the Letherii plot, some really cool cultures, the Crimson Guard and an epic ending). Ultimately though the good far outweighed the bad in this one and I’m now really psyched to get back to the main setting and see how the events of this book tie into the rest of the series.
April 4, 2017
Once again, I'll keep this review as spoiler-free as possible. I definitely won't put any big spoilers in it.
Don't let the amount of time it took me to finish this book fool you: this is yet another amazing installment in the Malazan series. Up to this book, we've been introduced to a enormous cast of characters. And this book adds a completely new cast of characters, Trull Sengar is the only familiar face we see. Some may be turned off by this, but you quickly get used to it and everyone becomes as well known as the previous cast. I think I didn't mind this due to how much I loved so many of these characters. You can really tell that Erickson is honing his craft more and more with each new book. He continues to excel in his ability to give us some great characters. You really love the characters he meant for us to love, and hate the ones you're supposed to hate. Although, I still felt a pang of sympathy for one of the characters that we're meant to hate. There really wasn't that many battle scenes, but the ones we did get were so well executed. I can't think of any author who writes more brutal battle scenes without it feeling like he's going over the top.
The characters I came to love most were definitely Tehol and Bugg. Their comic relief and witty banter were thoroughly enjoyable. I found myself actually laughing out loud at quite a few of their scenes, and if I wasn't laughing, I had a huge grin on my face. Besides that, I think Bugg is one of the most intriguing characters yet. You can really tell that we're not getting all the info on Bugg, that we're being kept out of the loop on something. Without giving anything away, I think we're going to see some amazing scenes come from future Bugg.
The Sengar family had a pretty interesting story arc as well. There's not really much I can say about them without going into spoiler territory. But it was pretty fun to see the split in the family regarding one of the big conflicts in this story. I thought we were going to get to see what made the events transpire in the prologue of House of Chains, so I was pretty disappointed when the ending didn't lead into that. I imagine we'll see that soon enough, though. I think we can infer why HoC's prologue happens, but I was hoping to see the real reason.
The Letherii side of the story had so many interesting characters, as well. Obviously Tehol and Bugg, but also people like Ublala Pung, Kettle, Shurq Elalle, and one of my newest favorites, Iron Bars.
All-in-all, yet another amazing installment in the Malazan series. Now, onto Bonehunters!
Don't let the amount of time it took me to finish this book fool you: this is yet another amazing installment in the Malazan series. Up to this book, we've been introduced to a enormous cast of characters. And this book adds a completely new cast of characters, Trull Sengar is the only familiar face we see. Some may be turned off by this, but you quickly get used to it and everyone becomes as well known as the previous cast. I think I didn't mind this due to how much I loved so many of these characters. You can really tell that Erickson is honing his craft more and more with each new book. He continues to excel in his ability to give us some great characters. You really love the characters he meant for us to love, and hate the ones you're supposed to hate. Although, I still felt a pang of sympathy for one of the characters that we're meant to hate. There really wasn't that many battle scenes, but the ones we did get were so well executed. I can't think of any author who writes more brutal battle scenes without it feeling like he's going over the top.
The characters I came to love most were definitely Tehol and Bugg. Their comic relief and witty banter were thoroughly enjoyable. I found myself actually laughing out loud at quite a few of their scenes, and if I wasn't laughing, I had a huge grin on my face. Besides that, I think Bugg is one of the most intriguing characters yet. You can really tell that we're not getting all the info on Bugg, that we're being kept out of the loop on something. Without giving anything away, I think we're going to see some amazing scenes come from future Bugg.
The Sengar family had a pretty interesting story arc as well. There's not really much I can say about them without going into spoiler territory. But it was pretty fun to see the split in the family regarding one of the big conflicts in this story. I thought we were going to get to see what made the events transpire in the prologue of House of Chains, so I was pretty disappointed when the ending didn't lead into that. I imagine we'll see that soon enough, though. I think we can infer why HoC's prologue happens, but I was hoping to see the real reason.
The Letherii side of the story had so many interesting characters, as well. Obviously Tehol and Bugg, but also people like Ublala Pung, Kettle, Shurq Elalle, and one of my newest favorites, Iron Bars.
All-in-all, yet another amazing installment in the Malazan series. Now, onto Bonehunters!
August 27, 2018
I think the must be the third or fourth time i've read this book, but the first time i've ever taken the time to really read it. Previously, i'd approached it with little enthusiasm and more than a little petulance- why is this important? Why is it set before the first 4 books? Where are my favourite characters? Who cares about the Tiste Edur? A whole novel about Trull Sengar-are you serious? Thanks to this bad attitude, I skimmed the whole thing. I gave it 5 stars before because it's Erikson and no other reason.
This time I give them freely, with full confidence and sincerity. I READ the book. And after the first few chapters of Trull whining, it was worth the effort. This instalment is Erikson doing political intrigue up close and personal. Of course, high politics underlies the entirety of the series, but the focus on the common man evens it out. Here, we get the power politics and economics of two clashing forces in direct opposition. It's done so very well through two trios of brothers: Sengar and Beddict. And this is where the new favourite characters come in: Tehol and Bugg. Love them or hate them, they lift intrigue to a different (rooftop) level. Not only that, i'd always passed over the Crimson Guard. I didn't even remember they were in this book. I defy anyone not to properly laugh out loud at Iron Bars' commentary. I'd love to quote it but it's too spoilery, those who've read it will already know anyway and those yet to read will know when they get there. There are more but again: SPOILERS.
So all that i'll say is: don't make my mistake, trust in Erikson, the payoff is there for those that pay attention.
This time I give them freely, with full confidence and sincerity. I READ the book. And after the first few chapters of Trull whining, it was worth the effort. This instalment is Erikson doing political intrigue up close and personal. Of course, high politics underlies the entirety of the series, but the focus on the common man evens it out. Here, we get the power politics and economics of two clashing forces in direct opposition. It's done so very well through two trios of brothers: Sengar and Beddict. And this is where the new favourite characters come in: Tehol and Bugg. Love them or hate them, they lift intrigue to a different (rooftop) level. Not only that, i'd always passed over the Crimson Guard. I didn't even remember they were in this book. I defy anyone not to properly laugh out loud at Iron Bars' commentary. I'd love to quote it but it's too spoilery, those who've read it will already know anyway and those yet to read will know when they get there. There are more but again: SPOILERS.
So all that i'll say is: don't make my mistake, trust in Erikson, the payoff is there for those that pay attention.
June 1, 2024
Qué bendita locura, esta quinta parte es una maravilla.
Ha sido de momento la novela que más me ha gustado de Malaz, quizá esté al mismo nivel que Memorias de Hielo pero el problema que tuve con esta es que me pilló en una época con poco tiempo para leer e iba avanzando demasiado lento. En cualquier caso son dos novelas enormes.
Para sorpresa mía Mareas de Medianoche no continua donde acabó cualquiera de los libros anteriores, no, nos lleva cronológicamente al inicio y eso que estamos ya en el quinto libro y con más de cuatro mil páginas a la espalda, esto es una locura, pero ¿acaso importa? la verdad es que no, es maravilloso.
De hecho, mirando algunas guías de lectura, hay gente que incluso ha empezado por este para ir avanzando por orden cronológico, que barbaridad. Lo de esta saga es digno de estudio.
Tras un prólogo espectacular que casi merece una reseña aparte, Erikson nos lleva a una nueva ubicación y narra con su habitual maestría el conflicto entre los tiste edur, raza que ya conocíamos pero no en profundidad y el imperio humano de los letherii, este al menos yo no lo conocía, si en algún libro se nombró mi mente no lo retuvo.
Tenemos batallas, tramas, sub-tramas, y buenos personajes. Esto es algo que ya hemos visto en los libros anteriores, pero el punto a favor de Mareas de Medianoche es que todo se desarrolla en un sitio en concreto y para el lector -al menos para mí- no ha sido tan caótico.
—¿Debemos encontrarle sentido a todo esto? —preguntó Casco.
Ja! pardillo! Yo al menos en este se lo encuentro e incluso me estoy enterando de mas cositas.
Hasta aquí hablaré de lo que ocurre dentro de las páginas, cada uno que lo descubra por si mismo.
Excepto Trull Sengar, todos los personajes son nuevos. Hay unos cuantos que son principales (tienen point of view) y otro buen puñado de secundarios. Vuelvo a repetir lo que ya comenté en libros anteriores; es increíble la capacidad de Erikson de crear grandísimos personajes, no me cansaré de decir esto.
Y aquí tengo que hacer una mención especial a Tehol y Bicho, dos personajes muy entrañables. Al margen de que puedan tener un peso importante en la saga, sus conversaciones te hacen tener una sonrisa de oreja a oreja, se podrían ganar la vida como dúo cómico.
Y eso se agradece porque si le tengo que poner un pero a Malaz, es que gran parte de sus personajes se exceden en sus profundas reflexiones, sus tormentos, etc y eso a veces satura un poco. Así que estos dos personajes son un soplo de aire fresco. Me recordaban a Sinuhé y Kaptah de la novela Sinuhé el Egipcio.
—Limpia un poco por aquí.
—Si tengo tiempo.
El último tramo del libro ha sido un auténtico frenesí donde todo converge.
Poco más que añadir. Ya en el ecuador de esta grandiosa saga, cinco libros por delante, más de cinco mil páginas que me esperan y muchas sendas que recorrer... bendita locura.
9⭐/10
Ha sido de momento la novela que más me ha gustado de Malaz, quizá esté al mismo nivel que Memorias de Hielo pero el problema que tuve con esta es que me pilló en una época con poco tiempo para leer e iba avanzando demasiado lento. En cualquier caso son dos novelas enormes.
Para sorpresa mía Mareas de Medianoche no continua donde acabó cualquiera de los libros anteriores, no, nos lleva cronológicamente al inicio y eso que estamos ya en el quinto libro y con más de cuatro mil páginas a la espalda, esto es una locura, pero ¿acaso importa? la verdad es que no, es maravilloso.
De hecho, mirando algunas guías de lectura, hay gente que incluso ha empezado por este para ir avanzando por orden cronológico, que barbaridad. Lo de esta saga es digno de estudio.
Tras un prólogo espectacular que casi merece una reseña aparte, Erikson nos lleva a una nueva ubicación y narra con su habitual maestría el conflicto entre los tiste edur, raza que ya conocíamos pero no en profundidad y el imperio humano de los letherii, este al menos yo no lo conocía, si en algún libro se nombró mi mente no lo retuvo.
Tenemos batallas, tramas, sub-tramas, y buenos personajes. Esto es algo que ya hemos visto en los libros anteriores, pero el punto a favor de Mareas de Medianoche es que todo se desarrolla en un sitio en concreto y para el lector -al menos para mí- no ha sido tan caótico.
—¿Debemos encontrarle sentido a todo esto? —preguntó Casco.
Ja! pardillo! Yo al menos en este se lo encuentro e incluso me estoy enterando de mas cositas.
Hasta aquí hablaré de lo que ocurre dentro de las páginas, cada uno que lo descubra por si mismo.
Excepto Trull Sengar, todos los personajes son nuevos. Hay unos cuantos que son principales (tienen point of view) y otro buen puñado de secundarios. Vuelvo a repetir lo que ya comenté en libros anteriores; es increíble la capacidad de Erikson de crear grandísimos personajes, no me cansaré de decir esto.
Y aquí tengo que hacer una mención especial a Tehol y Bicho, dos personajes muy entrañables. Al margen de que puedan tener un peso importante en la saga, sus conversaciones te hacen tener una sonrisa de oreja a oreja, se podrían ganar la vida como dúo cómico.
Y eso se agradece porque si le tengo que poner un pero a Malaz, es que gran parte de sus personajes se exceden en sus profundas reflexiones, sus tormentos, etc y eso a veces satura un poco. Así que estos dos personajes son un soplo de aire fresco. Me recordaban a Sinuhé y Kaptah de la novela Sinuhé el Egipcio.
—Limpia un poco por aquí.
—Si tengo tiempo.
El último tramo del libro ha sido un auténtico frenesí donde todo converge.
Poco más que añadir. Ya en el ecuador de esta grandiosa saga, cinco libros por delante, más de cinco mil páginas que me esperan y muchas sendas que recorrer... bendita locura.
9⭐/10
June 30, 2016
This was another fantastic instalment in the Malazan series. I think it stands alongside House of Chains and Gardens of the Moon in terms of quality and perhaps only behind Memories of Ice as my favourite in the series. Erikson's stories can sometimes get a bit to grim and bleak for my liking, but I thought this one found the perfect balance. We had betrayal, tragedy, evil characters, and pain and suffering aplenty, but we also got likeable characters, friendship and loyalty, humour, and some kick-ass moments of noble deeds.
Story wise we had some big changes in this one. A new continent, new problems, and only a handful of familiar characters. The action took place on the continent of Lether and focused on the impending clash between the Tiste Edur tribes and the kingdom of Lether. Neither culture was one to admire but Erikson succeed in making me interested in the conflict and in making my sympathize with a number of characters on each side.
The kingdom of Lethar embodied all the worst elements of a modern capitalist society. The Edur reflected the evils of a society driven by the certainties of religion and nationalism. Erikson put the boot into both hard and often. Not done there he also managed to use the ensuing epic battles between the nations to decry the horrors of modern warfare. I can see why Erikson's musings may have upset some readers since they were not exactly subtle, but since I happen to agree with him they were not an issue for me.
Which brings me to a personal favourite moment. A chat between Tehol and Bugg where Bugg is railing about the problems of the Letharii way of governance. Tehol asks Bugg how it could be done better and Bugg basically just tells him he has no idea and that human nature is what it is so it likely will always have issues with greed and corruption. A bleak view for sure, but another I find myself agreeing with.
As with all Malazan books we got a mix of mortals and gods. We got to learn more of the Tiste Edur and the Tiste Andii and their entrance into this realm so long ago and we got to meet a bunch of their awesome Gods. Silchas Ruin, brother of Anomander Rake was the most notable, but we met plenty of others as well. We got another glimpse of the Crippled God and saw him setting a few of his plans into action. Then we had everything from Jaghut, Forkrul Assail, and demons, to Toblaki and Soletaken Gods making an appearance.
We meet a host of great new characters. Most of the story revolved around the fates on the four Tiste Edur Sengar brothers and the three Letharii Beddict brothers. Erikson did a great job with both families. We had characters to love and despise and others who were deserving of a bit of both of those feelings. I was pretty happy with the story arcs for the all of them. The brothers aside we met a bunch of fun new characters like Iron Bars and Corlo from the famed Crimson Guard( I want more of them soon ), the hilarious and likeable undead trio of Shurq Elalle, Kettle, and Harlast( I hope we definitely see the female pair again ), The half Tarthanal Ublala Pung( So unlike Karsa!), Seren Pedac( I did not love her, but I suspect her future will make for interesting reading), and the Letharii slave Udinaas( a hard character to figure out but I found myself mostly sympathizing with the guy). I've likely forgot a few, but that is the way of things when you have such a large and interesting cast!
I found the pacing of the story to be very good and I was totally caught up in the engaging tale. I was dreading the ending, but Erikson pulled off a satisfactory one in the midst of another epic and exciting convergence.
I cannot wait to read what happens next. Things bode well for the Bonehunters being an awesome read.
Rating: 5 stars.
Audio Note: Micheal Page did an excellent job with the narration of Midnight Tides. It helped that the cast was completely different so the inconsistencies between Page and Lister character interpretations was a non-issue.
Story wise we had some big changes in this one. A new continent, new problems, and only a handful of familiar characters. The action took place on the continent of Lether and focused on the impending clash between the Tiste Edur tribes and the kingdom of Lether. Neither culture was one to admire but Erikson succeed in making me interested in the conflict and in making my sympathize with a number of characters on each side.
The kingdom of Lethar embodied all the worst elements of a modern capitalist society. The Edur reflected the evils of a society driven by the certainties of religion and nationalism. Erikson put the boot into both hard and often. Not done there he also managed to use the ensuing epic battles between the nations to decry the horrors of modern warfare. I can see why Erikson's musings may have upset some readers since they were not exactly subtle, but since I happen to agree with him they were not an issue for me.
Which brings me to a personal favourite moment. A chat between Tehol and Bugg where Bugg is railing about the problems of the Letharii way of governance. Tehol asks Bugg how it could be done better and Bugg basically just tells him he has no idea and that human nature is what it is so it likely will always have issues with greed and corruption. A bleak view for sure, but another I find myself agreeing with.
As with all Malazan books we got a mix of mortals and gods. We got to learn more of the Tiste Edur and the Tiste Andii and their entrance into this realm so long ago and we got to meet a bunch of their awesome Gods. Silchas Ruin, brother of Anomander Rake was the most notable, but we met plenty of others as well. We got another glimpse of the Crippled God and saw him setting a few of his plans into action. Then we had everything from Jaghut, Forkrul Assail, and demons, to Toblaki and Soletaken Gods making an appearance.
We meet a host of great new characters. Most of the story revolved around the fates on the four Tiste Edur Sengar brothers and the three Letharii Beddict brothers. Erikson did a great job with both families. We had characters to love and despise and others who were deserving of a bit of both of those feelings. I was pretty happy with the story arcs for the all of them. The brothers aside we met a bunch of fun new characters like Iron Bars and Corlo from the famed Crimson Guard( I want more of them soon ), the hilarious and likeable undead trio of Shurq Elalle, Kettle, and Harlast( I hope we definitely see the female pair again ), The half Tarthanal Ublala Pung( So unlike Karsa!), Seren Pedac( I did not love her, but I suspect her future will make for interesting reading), and the Letharii slave Udinaas( a hard character to figure out but I found myself mostly sympathizing with the guy). I've likely forgot a few, but that is the way of things when you have such a large and interesting cast!
I found the pacing of the story to be very good and I was totally caught up in the engaging tale. I was dreading the ending, but Erikson pulled off a satisfactory one in the midst of another epic and exciting convergence.
I cannot wait to read what happens next. Things bode well for the Bonehunters being an awesome read.
Rating: 5 stars.
Audio Note: Micheal Page did an excellent job with the narration of Midnight Tides. It helped that the cast was completely different so the inconsistencies between Page and Lister character interpretations was a non-issue.
July 26, 2013
New Continent, new characters, and again a completely new and superior experience on the reread.
This book tells among other things Trull Sengar’s back story. We also learn about the continent of Lether and some of the history of the two superpowers on the continent namely, the Tiste Edur, and the Letherii. We also get a close up view of the forerunner magic system to the warrens – The Tiles and the Holds.
I remember the first time I read this being put out because none of my favourite characters in the series so far were featured. Not only was I cut off from my favourite characters but it seemed I was in a whole new alternate universe to the one I had grown used to. Which makes sense because part of the premise of the story is that the continent of Lether has been isolated and quarantined from the rest of the world, and even from the warren system of magic.
This time round it was fun revisiting some of my favourite characters in the series, like Tehol and Bugg, Shurq Ellale and Ublala Pung. The Crimson Guard also feature in the story.
Instead of repeating most of what I have already said in my reviews of the previous four books I thought I would have some fun with a few snap shots of life in Letheras.
***************************************************************
The Letheras Times
World News – Tiste Edur negotiations collapse as god emperor rises. War Imminent
The Letherii delegation to the Edur led by Crown Prince Quillas was left perplexed as they were witness to a change in Edur leadership brought about by the resurrection of a new king who had recently died in battle. The delegation had hoped to sue the Edur for compensation for the loss of hundreds of harvested seal carcasses that the Edur had confiscated from Letherii ships. The fact that the carcasses were harvested illegally and therefore technically stolen from the Edur was outweighed by the technicality of the harvest still requiring hundreds of man hours to accomplish and therefore requiring compensation. The surrendering of control of Edur fishing grounds was suggested by the Letherii delegation.Things were reported to be going well before the negotiations were abruptly ended by the overthrow of the Edur king AKA The Warlock King, by a resurrected demon covered in Letherii gold coins.
The Commander of the Letherii army fronted a press conference earlier today assuring the people of Lether that both the military and the Ceda were mobilising for a tactical response.
“We have the army and we have the mages, and we will teach the Edur the meaning of ‘Shock and Awe” when we rain down the magic of the Empty Hold down upon their villages and enslave their children and their children’s children to the tenth generation, for the glory of Lether.”
********************************************************************
Finance News – Shares in Bugg Constructions up 4000 percent – Technical analysts say company is oversold
Things are on the up and up for recently floated construction company “Bugg Constructions.” Bugg Constructions share price rocketed in the Tolls after the fledgling company acquired the contract for shoring up the “Eternal Domicile.” Excavations and restoration of the ancient palace had been having trouble with flooding with no solution in sight, threatening to delay the advent of the prophesied “Seventh Closure” when our glorious King Ezgara Diskanar will ascend to take his rightful place on the Empty Throne of the Empty Hold to become the promised god Emperor.
Bugg’s Construction demonstrated a secret method of being able to solve the flooding crisis and monies to be received from the works and an ongoing maintenance contract have sent the revenue projections through the roof.
The Letheras Times hit the Toll Repository to interview floor traders and frantic investors where they see the share price heading. A well known day trader who preferred to remain anonymous commented
“The technical indicators are well into oversold territory, but if you are waiting for a pull back you can forget it. Its just going to keep getting more and more oversold as every man and his dog and the fleas on his dog is just buy buy buying. Hardly anyone’s selling so I don’t know where all these shares are coming from but make hay while the sun shines is my advice.”
Finance News - Ratcatcher’s Guild acquires contract for reporting on missing persons
In the wake of increasing reports of disappearing loved ones in Letheras, the Palace has commissioned the Rat Catcher’s guild to investigate and catalogue all instances of missing persons in the city. When asked about rumours that the Ratcatcher’s Guild was in fact operating secretly as an Assassins Guild, Guild Champion Ormly retorted,
“How absurd! Imagine an assassins guild in charge of missing persons. Talk about conflict of interests. Ridiculous!”
Indeed.
*************************************************************
Local News - Well Hung Pung has extra Lung
The Bookmakers at the canals were in a frenzy today as Ublala Pung survived trial by drowning, walking the bottom of the canal the whole distance with no less than 4300 docks strapped to his back. It turns out Ublala is half Tarthenal and has an extra set of lungs and extra large testicles. Not only could Ublala Pung hold his breath longer, but had extra buoyancy on his side.
At 70 to 1 odds Finnad Gerun Ebberict stood most to gain with 800 docks riding on the half caste Tarthenal. Good luck to the Finnad trying to collect on that debt. Bookmaker Turble who held the other end of Gerun’s bet hung himself, kicking over an oil lamp in the process rendering the body unrecognisable.
Uh huh...I don’t know about you but this reporter thinks that a little convenient.
Local News – Undead Pirate now employing
Recent survivor of trial by drowning, Shurq Ellale, is planning on celebrating her new existence by graduating from cat burglary to piracy on the high seas. Having already paid for her crimes by dying, Shurq has a virtual “licence to steal” taking advantage of Lether's "double jeopardy" laws preventing her from being killed for the same crime twice.
Shurq is kicking off a recruitment drive with a “Pirate Party” where she is hoping to attract the right crew to a career in plunder, pillage and general debauchery. Highly desired are applicants with a degree in beauty therapy specialising in cosmetics for the dead. Barring that, Shurq’s only real requirements in her words ..
“So long as you do as I say and are prepared to feed my pet Ootooloo regularly you’re in.”
Local News – Vampire apparition stalks Letheras.
Rumours have surfaced of a silent killer stalking the darkened corners of Letheras at night, ambushing it’s victims and drinking their blood before dragging them away to its lair where it can feed on their cold dead flesh. A tale to scare children into being good? Or do we have a genuine vampire prowling our streets.
Reported sightings though varying do share one striking similarity – The vampire or apparition takes the form of a nine or ten year girl, naked, her pale skin smeared, her long hair clotted with coagulating blood. One witness claims to have seen the apparition dragging down a city guard, jumping onto his back and biting into his neck and feeding on his life blood till he was dead. City authorities have advised that people avoid walking alone at night especially in the “seedier” parts of town.
Local News - Local Hero helps rescue city from apaocalypse – Now aspires to greater greatness
Local undead denizen, Harlest Ebberict, claims to have played a crucial role in saving the city from a horde of monsters climbing out of the barrows around the old haunted tower behind the palace. Harlest went into the haunted grounds armed with nothing but his teeth and wit and “mega scariness.” Harlest claims he distracted the creatures by jumping out and “scaring” them into freezing before incapacitating the creatures by “chewing them on the leg” and “clawing their balls off” with his talons. This left his “badass crew” free to move in unopposed to deliver the killing blows without any risk to themselves.
We asked Harlest what plans he has for the future -
“I want to be a pirate. A scary pirate on a ship of the undead. I want to be scary. It’s important that I be scary. I’ve been practising hissing and snarling.’
When asked for a demonstration of scariness Harlest replied with
‘Aarrgh! Hiss! Hiss! Hiss—’
And admittedly we did indeed piss ourselves...just not with fear.
***********************************************************
Its 5 stars from me
This book tells among other things Trull Sengar’s back story. We also learn about the continent of Lether and some of the history of the two superpowers on the continent namely, the Tiste Edur, and the Letherii. We also get a close up view of the forerunner magic system to the warrens – The Tiles and the Holds.
I remember the first time I read this being put out because none of my favourite characters in the series so far were featured. Not only was I cut off from my favourite characters but it seemed I was in a whole new alternate universe to the one I had grown used to. Which makes sense because part of the premise of the story is that the continent of Lether has been isolated and quarantined from the rest of the world, and even from the warren system of magic.
This time round it was fun revisiting some of my favourite characters in the series, like Tehol and Bugg, Shurq Ellale and Ublala Pung. The Crimson Guard also feature in the story.
Instead of repeating most of what I have already said in my reviews of the previous four books I thought I would have some fun with a few snap shots of life in Letheras.
***************************************************************
The Letheras Times
World News – Tiste Edur negotiations collapse as god emperor rises. War Imminent
The Letherii delegation to the Edur led by Crown Prince Quillas was left perplexed as they were witness to a change in Edur leadership brought about by the resurrection of a new king who had recently died in battle. The delegation had hoped to sue the Edur for compensation for the loss of hundreds of harvested seal carcasses that the Edur had confiscated from Letherii ships. The fact that the carcasses were harvested illegally and therefore technically stolen from the Edur was outweighed by the technicality of the harvest still requiring hundreds of man hours to accomplish and therefore requiring compensation. The surrendering of control of Edur fishing grounds was suggested by the Letherii delegation.Things were reported to be going well before the negotiations were abruptly ended by the overthrow of the Edur king AKA The Warlock King, by a resurrected demon covered in Letherii gold coins.
The Commander of the Letherii army fronted a press conference earlier today assuring the people of Lether that both the military and the Ceda were mobilising for a tactical response.
“We have the army and we have the mages, and we will teach the Edur the meaning of ‘Shock and Awe” when we rain down the magic of the Empty Hold down upon their villages and enslave their children and their children’s children to the tenth generation, for the glory of Lether.”
********************************************************************
Finance News – Shares in Bugg Constructions up 4000 percent – Technical analysts say company is oversold
Things are on the up and up for recently floated construction company “Bugg Constructions.” Bugg Constructions share price rocketed in the Tolls after the fledgling company acquired the contract for shoring up the “Eternal Domicile.” Excavations and restoration of the ancient palace had been having trouble with flooding with no solution in sight, threatening to delay the advent of the prophesied “Seventh Closure” when our glorious King Ezgara Diskanar will ascend to take his rightful place on the Empty Throne of the Empty Hold to become the promised god Emperor.
Bugg’s Construction demonstrated a secret method of being able to solve the flooding crisis and monies to be received from the works and an ongoing maintenance contract have sent the revenue projections through the roof.
The Letheras Times hit the Toll Repository to interview floor traders and frantic investors where they see the share price heading. A well known day trader who preferred to remain anonymous commented
“The technical indicators are well into oversold territory, but if you are waiting for a pull back you can forget it. Its just going to keep getting more and more oversold as every man and his dog and the fleas on his dog is just buy buy buying. Hardly anyone’s selling so I don’t know where all these shares are coming from but make hay while the sun shines is my advice.”
Finance News - Ratcatcher’s Guild acquires contract for reporting on missing persons
In the wake of increasing reports of disappearing loved ones in Letheras, the Palace has commissioned the Rat Catcher’s guild to investigate and catalogue all instances of missing persons in the city. When asked about rumours that the Ratcatcher’s Guild was in fact operating secretly as an Assassins Guild, Guild Champion Ormly retorted,
“How absurd! Imagine an assassins guild in charge of missing persons. Talk about conflict of interests. Ridiculous!”
Indeed.
*************************************************************
Local News - Well Hung Pung has extra Lung
The Bookmakers at the canals were in a frenzy today as Ublala Pung survived trial by drowning, walking the bottom of the canal the whole distance with no less than 4300 docks strapped to his back. It turns out Ublala is half Tarthenal and has an extra set of lungs and extra large testicles. Not only could Ublala Pung hold his breath longer, but had extra buoyancy on his side.
At 70 to 1 odds Finnad Gerun Ebberict stood most to gain with 800 docks riding on the half caste Tarthenal. Good luck to the Finnad trying to collect on that debt. Bookmaker Turble who held the other end of Gerun’s bet hung himself, kicking over an oil lamp in the process rendering the body unrecognisable.
Uh huh...I don’t know about you but this reporter thinks that a little convenient.
Local News – Undead Pirate now employing
Recent survivor of trial by drowning, Shurq Ellale, is planning on celebrating her new existence by graduating from cat burglary to piracy on the high seas. Having already paid for her crimes by dying, Shurq has a virtual “licence to steal” taking advantage of Lether's "double jeopardy" laws preventing her from being killed for the same crime twice.
Shurq is kicking off a recruitment drive with a “Pirate Party” where she is hoping to attract the right crew to a career in plunder, pillage and general debauchery. Highly desired are applicants with a degree in beauty therapy specialising in cosmetics for the dead. Barring that, Shurq’s only real requirements in her words ..
“So long as you do as I say and are prepared to feed my pet Ootooloo regularly you’re in.”
Local News – Vampire apparition stalks Letheras.
Rumours have surfaced of a silent killer stalking the darkened corners of Letheras at night, ambushing it’s victims and drinking their blood before dragging them away to its lair where it can feed on their cold dead flesh. A tale to scare children into being good? Or do we have a genuine vampire prowling our streets.
Reported sightings though varying do share one striking similarity – The vampire or apparition takes the form of a nine or ten year girl, naked, her pale skin smeared, her long hair clotted with coagulating blood. One witness claims to have seen the apparition dragging down a city guard, jumping onto his back and biting into his neck and feeding on his life blood till he was dead. City authorities have advised that people avoid walking alone at night especially in the “seedier” parts of town.
Local News - Local Hero helps rescue city from apaocalypse – Now aspires to greater greatness
Local undead denizen, Harlest Ebberict, claims to have played a crucial role in saving the city from a horde of monsters climbing out of the barrows around the old haunted tower behind the palace. Harlest went into the haunted grounds armed with nothing but his teeth and wit and “mega scariness.” Harlest claims he distracted the creatures by jumping out and “scaring” them into freezing before incapacitating the creatures by “chewing them on the leg” and “clawing their balls off” with his talons. This left his “badass crew” free to move in unopposed to deliver the killing blows without any risk to themselves.
We asked Harlest what plans he has for the future -
“I want to be a pirate. A scary pirate on a ship of the undead. I want to be scary. It’s important that I be scary. I’ve been practising hissing and snarling.’
When asked for a demonstration of scariness Harlest replied with
‘Aarrgh! Hiss! Hiss! Hiss—’
And admittedly we did indeed piss ourselves...just not with fear.
***********************************************************
Its 5 stars from me
February 26, 2023
The last 200 hundred pages were more Shakespearean than anything Shakespeare ever wrote. I'll admit this was the hardest one so far for me to get into. All the new names and places and all that shit, it was hard. But about one-third of the way through things started clicking, and I started to get it. I started to see the links to other books and the sheer complexity of everything, while still being THOROUGHLY entertained. I mean c'mon character-wise Rhulad is as cool as they come, Bugg was great, Brys... some unforgettable shit went down. Last book was a letdown, this was back to par. IMO.
March 8, 2022
YES! This book is phenomenal in every way conceivable
Malazan just continues to deliver, and Midnight Tides is an incredible achievement by Steven Erikson. I can't get over how incredible this book was, and what this series is turning into.
It's true that this book jumps to a different continent with entirely new characters. And while this might be jarring to some, since we've already been through that in Book 2 and we know that it eventually ties in, this one felt more appreciated because the we know the author will bring it all home.
I can't get over how incredible the world building is in this book. It's the first series I've ever read where you really get the sense that this covers an entire world. The scale is absolutely mind blowing, and I couldn't be more sucked in.
Malazan just continues to deliver, and Midnight Tides is an incredible achievement by Steven Erikson. I can't get over how incredible this book was, and what this series is turning into.
It's true that this book jumps to a different continent with entirely new characters. And while this might be jarring to some, since we've already been through that in Book 2 and we know that it eventually ties in, this one felt more appreciated because the we know the author will bring it all home.
I can't get over how incredible the world building is in this book. It's the first series I've ever read where you really get the sense that this covers an entire world. The scale is absolutely mind blowing, and I couldn't be more sucked in.
January 13, 2018
"There is a tide in the affairs of men and we, at the height, are ready to decline."
While I'm of an opinion that Memories of Ice is his best Malazan novel, Midnight Tides, with its criticism on materialism and slavery - which in mirroring history (and to a major degree present time) of our own society leaves a sour taste - is probably my favorite book of the series.
Before I could continue with book four, House of Chains, I had to read Midnight Tides, which is fifth installment in Malazan Book of the Fallen series.
By doing so, I got introduced myself with all the characters that were active at the same time when story of the first three books happened.
It actually makes more sense to read it this way, to switch order of these two books, because now I have a clear path for the story to move forward.
So yes, it’s three books of constant introductions of new settings, stories, characters, their histories and philosophies.
It’s definitely an expansion and form of exploration of my own.
So let’s see in which corner of Malazan Earth this book takes us.
After introducing ourselves with the continents of Malazan Empire, Genabackis and Seven Cities, we are traveling again to a completely new continent (one of seven in this world), a continent called Lether.
Link to magnify
Link to magnify
And it’s really interesting how people and their nations stayed secluded from the rest of the world and within their own borders.
Well, everyone except Kingdom of Lether.
Story.
In its expansion Kingdom of Lether conquered almost all of their bordering nations and now it’s the time to conquer their northern neighbors, not so peaceful Tiste Edur tribes.
And the ploy for doing that is quite specific.
But first we have to understand how Letherii society works.
In structure of Letherii society, one can argue, is Erikson’s most plain and obvious criticism of our own history and that still very heavy weight of colonialism and imperialism we are carrying;
all while it’s mirroring the contemporary world’s struggle with flaws of capitalism, such as social inequity, exploitation, corruption and greed.
“The Letherii motive was, is and shall ever be but one thing. Wealth. Conquest as opportunity.
Opportunity as invitation. Invitation as rightful claim. Righteous claim as preordained, as destiny.
Destiny as victory, victory as conquest, conquest as wealth.
But nowhere in that perfect scheme will you find notion of defeat.
All failures are temporary, flawed in particular. Correct the particular and victory will be won the next time around.”
The Letherii society worships wealth. Stacking coins on top of coins – for the sake of stacking coins on top of coins and manic accumulation of that wealth – their true religion.
The lack of compassion is being justified by the need to be realistic.
Their indebted form of slavery where one’s entire family for generations gets to repay a debt, is bathing in extremity of their judgements. And the fact how they are imposing this to all of their bordering nations is deeply rooted belief of self-righteousness.
Life is a contest to be won or lost.
Death as arbiter of meaning.
And above else, judgement is a thing to be delivered, not delivered unto.
“Our headlong progress, as if motion was purpose and purpose inherently virtuous.”
To the Letherii, gold is all that matters. Its possession defines their entire world.
Power, status, self-worth and respect – all were the commodities that could be purchased by coin.
Debt bounds the entire Kingdom, defining every relationship and every motivation, every act and decision - hides behind this.
So, for such nation of belief of grandeur, of predetermination, is completely acceptable that they can intrude foreign territory, to hunt and hoard riches of someone else’s hard labor.
And because of their self-righteousness it’s only logical for them - when tribes from whom they have stolen from retaliates and destroys ships, kills the crew and gets back those riches stolen from them - to demand compensation.
Not for the ships destroyed, not for the crew killed, but for the loss of the market value they would gain with riches they have stolen in the first place.
Thus making yet another nation their indebted slave.
But this time they are facing Tiste Edurs, who are on the road of self-righteous imperialism and colonization themselves.
Characters.
"Two sets of brothers."
Core of this book are Bedict brothers of Lether and Sengar brothers of Tiste Edur, their relationship within each set and differences in their comparison.
It's fascinating to me how dichotomy in which this book started -
when we see three Letherii brothers who don't even hide how estranged they are from each other:
‣ where eldest of them Hull is on a mission of redemption and probable betrayal of his Kingdom;
‣ Tehol, who despite his genius spends his days penniless on the roof with his manservant Bugg;
‣ Brys, the youngest brother, who tries to uphold to his duty to his King and Kingdom of Lether for all three of Bedict brothers.
While on the other side, within closeness of four Edur brothers, vastly different currents run beneath the surface:
‣ where, the eldest, Fear, struggles with his duty to his people, to his brothers, to his betroth;
‣ Binadas, who runs from his loyalty;
‣ Trull, who questions every decision;
‣ and Rhulad, the youngest one, who out of inexperience and ignorance can't comprehend the reality of the world
- reversed throughout the book and changed its role within the sets.
We still have that same dichotomy, but completely different relationships of the characters.
Symbolism and Allegory.
After three books heavily oriented on multiple hundreds of people battling each other in close combat in nothing but flesh and bone, with swords, spears and shields, it was a refreshment seeing deployment of magic in war and development of it.
Such variety of different types of magic that irreversibly changes the evolution of warfare in this world.
And even here you can see Erikson’s criticism; this time on weapons of mass destruction.
When unified tribes and self-proclaimed Empire of Tiste Edur declares war on Kingdom of Lether, Lether King Ezgara Diskanar tries to quickly end the war by ordering his mages to bomb with magic and obliterate all Tiste Edur villages.
Under excuse of saving resources and lives of his own troops, which is undeniable truth, Kingdom of Lether saw nothing close to insane in committing genocide and mass murdering of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians in most undignified way possible: from afar, safely secluded in their borders, dropping magic from the sky above.
“This is not war. This is… what? I have no answer to describe the magnitude of this slaughter.
It is mindless. Blasphemous. As if we have forgotten dignity. Theirs, our own. The word itself.
No distinction between innocence and guilt, condemned by mere existence.
People transformed against their will into nothing more than symbols and sketchy representations.”
Prose.
Following satirical humor from Memories of Ice, I believe of all books in the series, with addition of Letherii fop Tehol Bedict and his manservant Bugg, in this master/servant dichotomy, sarcasm is most prominent in this one here.
And while maybe balance of humor and serious observation isn’t as perfect as in MoI, most important thing is that it’s quite enjoyable reading endless battles of wits, in beautifully written satire, between these characters, which again, provides much necessary break from all those mentioned above heavier references.
~~~~~
This is a series where, in my opinion, with every next book Erikson excels even further. There’s seemingly no ending to chasm-like depth of both his worldbuilding and characterization.
And it’s such a rewarding series where, after you were depraved of much needed explanations, you get to learn how this world works, but instead to learn such things with those same characters you were following so far in previous books, you get to see how that works on a completely different side of the globe.
And when realization strikes and all those bits and pieces you were collecting so far click among themselves, you’ll wish to get back and reread from the beginning.
(Or you’ll stick until the end and each year get back to reread from the beginning, like some of us here.)
4.16/5
Kharkanas Trilogy
Forge of Darkness
Fall of Light
Path to Ascendancy series
Dancer's Lament
Deadhouse Landing
Malazan Empire series
Night Of Knives
Malazan Book of the Fallen series
Gardens of the Moon
Deadhouse Gates
Memories of Ice
Ultimate Malazan Chronological Reading Order
May 11, 2017
Rating? Of course, 5 stars ^^
“This tide is rising, and there are scant few who would stand before it."
“From the twisting, smoke-filled clouds, blood rained down. The last of the sky keeps, flame-wreathed and pouring black smoke, had surrendered the sky. Their ragged descent had torn furrows through the ground as they struck and broke apart with thunderous reverberations, scattering red-stained rocks among the heaps of corpses that covered the land from horizon to horizon.
The great hive cities had been reduced to ash-layered rubble, and the vast towering clouds above each of them that had shot skyward with their destruction – clouds filed with debris and shredded flesh and blood – now swirled in storms of dissipating heat, spreading to fill the sky."
Erikson sure knows how to get me glued to the book from Prologue to Epilogue.
“Chaos needs no allies, for it dwells like a poison in every one of us."
I approached Midnight Tides with more than a little trepidation (I delayed reading it for two months) because I wasn't sure I was ready for a 900+ pages flashback book (we see the events preceding Trull's shorning from the Tiste Edur, so the events in this one fall before beginning of the fourth book) with no known characters besides Trull Segnar (and the Cripple God).
“He studied the hooded figure. ‘I see your problem, you know. I see it now, and curse myself for having missed it before. You have no realm to command, as do other gods. So you sit there, alone, in your tent, and that is the extent of your realm, isn’t it? Broken flesh and foul, stifling air. Skin- thin walls and the heat the old and lame desire. Your world, and you alone in it."
No Malazans. No Genebackis or Seven Cities. A whole new continent. New places. New faces. Looking at the Dramatis Personae, I was a whining mess. Trull wasn't one of my favorite characters in House of Chains .... he wasn't one of my second or third favorite either ... he was just ... OK. Well, what has to be done, has to be done. I didn't like Karsa in Deadhouse Gates either (or at the beginning of House of Chains) but by the end of the last book he was one of my favorites, so I decided to put my trust in Erikson once again ...
Surprise! Surprise! (not)
I loved this book! As mentioned above, I didn't care much for Trull the last time around. Same as I didn't care for the Felisin parts in Deadhouse Gates, or Crocus in in every book except Gardens of the Moon. Here there was harmony, maybe more than in Memories of Ice (and I love that book to pieces)... not one lagging story-line.
“Into his heart whispered ... guilt, a ghost and a ghost’s voice, growing monstrous with taloned hands tightening, ever tightening, until his soul began to scream. A piercing cry only Trull could hear, yet a sound that threatened to drive him mad."
Never boring.The Lether storyline or the Tiste Edur, the Sengar brothers or the Beddict brothers, Rhuald and Trull,
“Our brother is doomed to die countless deaths. Die, rise, and die again. Our brother, Fear, the youngest among us. That is how I see it. And now, I am to embrace the power that has done this to Rhulad? I am to serve it? Lend it my skills with the spear? I am to carve an empire for it?
Are his deaths without pain? Without horror? Is he not scarred? How long, Fear, can his sanity hold on? There he stands, a young warrior bedecked in a gold nightmare, his flesh puckered and mangled, and weapons shall pierce him – he knows it, he knows he will be killed again and again."
Seren Peddac, Whittal and the Nachts (and the Cripple God), Udinaas the Letheri slave,
“Freedom was an altar supplicants struggled to reach all their lives, clawing the smooth floor until blood spattered the gleaming, flawless stone, yet the truth was it remained for ever beyond the grasp of mortals. Even as any sacrifice was justified in its gloried name."
Tehol and Bugg, Brys Beddict, Ublala, Kettle, Shurq Elalle (and that silly Harlest), Lilac the fisherman demon,
“I shall call a healer—’
‘Why? To fight again? To relive terror and grief?’
‘You were not a warrior in your world?’
‘A caster of nets. Warm shoals, a yellow sky. We cast nets.’
‘All of you?’
‘What war is this? Why have I been killed? Why will I never see the river again? My mate, my children. Did we win?"
... the two Kenryll’ah princes, and last but not least, Iron Bars and the Crimison Guard (They were new characters, but they had the sweet smell of home, like the Ashok Regiment in the last book).
Not one dull moment.
We learned of the Letheri,
“The notion of inequity, my friends. For from inequity derives the concept of value, whether measured by money or the countless other means of gauging human worth. Simply put, there resides in all of us the unchallenged belief that the poor and the starving are in some way deserving of their fate. In other words, there will always be poor people."
that saw the world through money and thought themselves destined to rule over everybody not competent enough to amass wealth
“Free to profit from the same game. Free to discover one’s own inherent disadvantages. Free to be abused.
Free to be exploited. Free to be owned in lieu of debt. Free to be raped.
And to know misery. It was a natural truth that some walked that road faster than others.
There would always be those who could only crawl.
Or fell to the wayside. The most basic laws of existence, after all, were always harsh."
“Coin is the poison, after all, and it infects indiscriminately."
We learned more about the Tiste Edur, and their misplaced believes, the radical change of their ways under a new self proclaimed Emperor.
“Sometimes the past rises once again to reveal the lies. Lies that persisted through nothing more than force of will, and collective opinion. Sometimes that revelation comes drenched in fresh blood. Delusions invited their own shattering. Letheri preeminence. Tiste Edur arrogance."
We found a unique problem of, heh, "overpopulation" in Lether...
“the land was twisted by the magic. The dead ... lingered. Here, in the north, and far to the south, as far as Letheras itself. To my mind, an Elder god meddled. But none could have foreseen the consequences, not even an Elder god."
We discovered
We found the reason behind the animosity between the Tiste Andii and the Tiste Edur (oh, that prologue) We met the Tarthenal and have encountered another Forkrul Assail ....
“the Edur were gathered. Wills locked in a dreadful war, and, like an island around which the storm raged in endless cycles, the monstrous form of Rhulad Sengar, who had risen from the House of the Dead. Armoured in gold, clothed in wax ..."
and learned the mystery behind the Nascent, the flooded fragment of Kurald Emurlahn (We waited from the second book through the fourth, and finally the answer is here in the fifth one).
“The world felt broken now, irreparably broken."
We had insight in the "gift" of immortality (courtesy of the Cripple God)..... tasted the bitterness of isolation and loneliness....
“Feeling sick, Trull looked away – but there was no direction available to ease him. On all sides, the slowly settling ashes of madness."
.... and we pawed the way for the story to come.
“There was no meaning to be found in lifeless weather, in the pulsing of tides and in the wake of turning seasons.
No meaning to living and dying, either.
The tyrant was clothed in gold, and the future smelled of blood.
It meant nothing."
Great, often explosive battles (absent in the last book), engaging characters, more background history, more races, more gore and more humor, epic storytelling, social criticism (capitalism , slavery, you name it).
“The frightened are ever keen to bow to a perceived necessity, in the belief that necessity forces conformity, and conformity a certain stability. In a world shaped into conformity, dissidents stand out, are easily branded and dealt with. There is no multitude of perspectives, no dialogue. The victim assumes the face of the tyrant, self-righteous and intransigent, and wars breed like vermin. And people die."
... mind blowing realizations (Ah, that Nascent, that flooding), the destruction of kingdoms (and worlds),
“The world had not crumbled, it had shattered, and before his eyes he saw the jagged pieces, a chamber fissured and latticed, a thousand shards bearing countless reflected images. Edur faces, broken crowds, the smear of smoke."
... the rise of a new Empire, stories of destiny, of humans and gods and of a myriad of other races.... even a hint of badly timed romance.
“Fallen. Who tracks our footsteps, I wonder? We who are the forgotten, the discounted and the ignored. When the path is failure, it is never willingly taken. The fallen. Why does my heart weep for them? Not them but us, for most assuredly I am counted among them."
As always I loved the epic battles, the nuclear devastation left in the wake of the mage cadre and the demons, I cherished those brilliant heroic last stands (nobody does EPIC better than Erikson) but even more (as usual) those small moments of comradery, brotherhood, unlikely friendships, identities lost and found,
“Anguish rose in a flood, burning like acid. As if he had raised his own demon, hulking and hungry, and could only watch as it fed on his soul. Gnawing regret and avid guilt, remorse an unending feast."
.... little stories, sometimes humorous, often touching.
“The end of one thing brought the birth of another, after all. Lives and loves, the gamut of existence was marked by such things. A breaking of paths, the ragged, uneven ever-forward stumble. Blood dried, eventually. Turned to dust."
“The world has drawn breath ... and now breathes once more. As steady as ever, as unbroken in rhythm as the tides."
Riveting! The Bonehunters ... soon.
“Gulls and sharks, the feast lasting the entire morning. The slave watched, feeling like a spectator before nature’s incessant display, the inevitability of the performance leaving him oddly satisfied. Entertained, in fact. Those who owed. Those who were owed. They sat equally sweet in the belies of the scavengers. And this was a thing of wonder."
“This tide is rising, and there are scant few who would stand before it."
“From the twisting, smoke-filled clouds, blood rained down. The last of the sky keeps, flame-wreathed and pouring black smoke, had surrendered the sky. Their ragged descent had torn furrows through the ground as they struck and broke apart with thunderous reverberations, scattering red-stained rocks among the heaps of corpses that covered the land from horizon to horizon.
The great hive cities had been reduced to ash-layered rubble, and the vast towering clouds above each of them that had shot skyward with their destruction – clouds filed with debris and shredded flesh and blood – now swirled in storms of dissipating heat, spreading to fill the sky."
Erikson sure knows how to get me glued to the book from Prologue to Epilogue.
“Chaos needs no allies, for it dwells like a poison in every one of us."
I approached Midnight Tides with more than a little trepidation (I delayed reading it for two months) because I wasn't sure I was ready for a 900+ pages flashback book (we see the events preceding Trull's shorning from the Tiste Edur, so the events in this one fall before beginning of the fourth book) with no known characters besides Trull Segnar (and the Cripple God).
“He studied the hooded figure. ‘I see your problem, you know. I see it now, and curse myself for having missed it before. You have no realm to command, as do other gods. So you sit there, alone, in your tent, and that is the extent of your realm, isn’t it? Broken flesh and foul, stifling air. Skin- thin walls and the heat the old and lame desire. Your world, and you alone in it."
No Malazans. No Genebackis or Seven Cities. A whole new continent. New places. New faces. Looking at the Dramatis Personae, I was a whining mess. Trull wasn't one of my favorite characters in House of Chains .... he wasn't one of my second or third favorite either ... he was just ... OK. Well, what has to be done, has to be done. I didn't like Karsa in Deadhouse Gates either (or at the beginning of House of Chains) but by the end of the last book he was one of my favorites, so I decided to put my trust in Erikson once again ...
Surprise! Surprise! (not)
I loved this book! As mentioned above, I didn't care much for Trull the last time around. Same as I didn't care for the Felisin parts in Deadhouse Gates, or Crocus in in every book except Gardens of the Moon. Here there was harmony, maybe more than in Memories of Ice (and I love that book to pieces)... not one lagging story-line.
“Into his heart whispered ... guilt, a ghost and a ghost’s voice, growing monstrous with taloned hands tightening, ever tightening, until his soul began to scream. A piercing cry only Trull could hear, yet a sound that threatened to drive him mad."
Never boring.The Lether storyline or the Tiste Edur, the Sengar brothers or the Beddict brothers, Rhuald and Trull,
“Our brother is doomed to die countless deaths. Die, rise, and die again. Our brother, Fear, the youngest among us. That is how I see it. And now, I am to embrace the power that has done this to Rhulad? I am to serve it? Lend it my skills with the spear? I am to carve an empire for it?
Are his deaths without pain? Without horror? Is he not scarred? How long, Fear, can his sanity hold on? There he stands, a young warrior bedecked in a gold nightmare, his flesh puckered and mangled, and weapons shall pierce him – he knows it, he knows he will be killed again and again."
Seren Peddac, Whittal and the Nachts (and the Cripple God), Udinaas the Letheri slave,
“Freedom was an altar supplicants struggled to reach all their lives, clawing the smooth floor until blood spattered the gleaming, flawless stone, yet the truth was it remained for ever beyond the grasp of mortals. Even as any sacrifice was justified in its gloried name."
Tehol and Bugg, Brys Beddict, Ublala, Kettle, Shurq Elalle (and that silly Harlest), Lilac the fisherman demon,
“I shall call a healer—’
‘Why? To fight again? To relive terror and grief?’
‘You were not a warrior in your world?’
‘A caster of nets. Warm shoals, a yellow sky. We cast nets.’
‘All of you?’
‘What war is this? Why have I been killed? Why will I never see the river again? My mate, my children. Did we win?"
... the two Kenryll’ah princes, and last but not least, Iron Bars and the Crimison Guard (They were new characters, but they had the sweet smell of home, like the Ashok Regiment in the last book).
Not one dull moment.
We learned of the Letheri,
“The notion of inequity, my friends. For from inequity derives the concept of value, whether measured by money or the countless other means of gauging human worth. Simply put, there resides in all of us the unchallenged belief that the poor and the starving are in some way deserving of their fate. In other words, there will always be poor people."
that saw the world through money and thought themselves destined to rule over everybody not competent enough to amass wealth
“Free to profit from the same game. Free to discover one’s own inherent disadvantages. Free to be abused.
Free to be exploited. Free to be owned in lieu of debt. Free to be raped.
And to know misery. It was a natural truth that some walked that road faster than others.
There would always be those who could only crawl.
Or fell to the wayside. The most basic laws of existence, after all, were always harsh."
“Coin is the poison, after all, and it infects indiscriminately."
We learned more about the Tiste Edur, and their misplaced believes, the radical change of their ways under a new self proclaimed Emperor.
“Sometimes the past rises once again to reveal the lies. Lies that persisted through nothing more than force of will, and collective opinion. Sometimes that revelation comes drenched in fresh blood. Delusions invited their own shattering. Letheri preeminence. Tiste Edur arrogance."
We found a unique problem of, heh, "overpopulation" in Lether...
“the land was twisted by the magic. The dead ... lingered. Here, in the north, and far to the south, as far as Letheras itself. To my mind, an Elder god meddled. But none could have foreseen the consequences, not even an Elder god."
We discovered
We found the reason behind the animosity between the Tiste Andii and the Tiste Edur (oh, that prologue) We met the Tarthenal and have encountered another Forkrul Assail ....
“the Edur were gathered. Wills locked in a dreadful war, and, like an island around which the storm raged in endless cycles, the monstrous form of Rhulad Sengar, who had risen from the House of the Dead. Armoured in gold, clothed in wax ..."
and learned the mystery behind the Nascent, the flooded fragment of Kurald Emurlahn (We waited from the second book through the fourth, and finally the answer is here in the fifth one).
“The world felt broken now, irreparably broken."
We had insight in the "gift" of immortality (courtesy of the Cripple God)..... tasted the bitterness of isolation and loneliness....
“Feeling sick, Trull looked away – but there was no direction available to ease him. On all sides, the slowly settling ashes of madness."
.... and we pawed the way for the story to come.
“There was no meaning to be found in lifeless weather, in the pulsing of tides and in the wake of turning seasons.
No meaning to living and dying, either.
The tyrant was clothed in gold, and the future smelled of blood.
It meant nothing."
Great, often explosive battles (absent in the last book), engaging characters, more background history, more races, more gore and more humor, epic storytelling, social criticism (capitalism , slavery, you name it).
“The frightened are ever keen to bow to a perceived necessity, in the belief that necessity forces conformity, and conformity a certain stability. In a world shaped into conformity, dissidents stand out, are easily branded and dealt with. There is no multitude of perspectives, no dialogue. The victim assumes the face of the tyrant, self-righteous and intransigent, and wars breed like vermin. And people die."
... mind blowing realizations (Ah, that Nascent, that flooding), the destruction of kingdoms (and worlds),
“The world had not crumbled, it had shattered, and before his eyes he saw the jagged pieces, a chamber fissured and latticed, a thousand shards bearing countless reflected images. Edur faces, broken crowds, the smear of smoke."
... the rise of a new Empire, stories of destiny, of humans and gods and of a myriad of other races.... even a hint of badly timed romance.
“Fallen. Who tracks our footsteps, I wonder? We who are the forgotten, the discounted and the ignored. When the path is failure, it is never willingly taken. The fallen. Why does my heart weep for them? Not them but us, for most assuredly I am counted among them."
As always I loved the epic battles, the nuclear devastation left in the wake of the mage cadre and the demons, I cherished those brilliant heroic last stands (nobody does EPIC better than Erikson) but even more (as usual) those small moments of comradery, brotherhood, unlikely friendships, identities lost and found,
“Anguish rose in a flood, burning like acid. As if he had raised his own demon, hulking and hungry, and could only watch as it fed on his soul. Gnawing regret and avid guilt, remorse an unending feast."
.... little stories, sometimes humorous, often touching.
“The end of one thing brought the birth of another, after all. Lives and loves, the gamut of existence was marked by such things. A breaking of paths, the ragged, uneven ever-forward stumble. Blood dried, eventually. Turned to dust."
“The world has drawn breath ... and now breathes once more. As steady as ever, as unbroken in rhythm as the tides."
Riveting! The Bonehunters ... soon.
“Gulls and sharks, the feast lasting the entire morning. The slave watched, feeling like a spectator before nature’s incessant display, the inevitability of the performance leaving him oddly satisfied. Entertained, in fact. Those who owed. Those who were owed. They sat equally sweet in the belies of the scavengers. And this was a thing of wonder."
September 21, 2023
RTC, but WOW...quite easily my favorite book in the series so far and needless to say, I did not go into this one expecting that reaction but here we are.
Absolutely phenomenal book.
Absolutely phenomenal book.
August 16, 2023
I honestly panicked when i started reading Book 5. In my mind, i was like, will this be THE Malazan book i officialy have no love for...?Will i ever understand what in the world is going on here? The answer is yes...now i understand why book 5 was more or less a standout book for fans of this novel, you're either going to love it or hate it. I've decided there's no middle ground for Malazan books lol.
Betrayals, more betrayals than any mortal could bear -Feather Witch
So book 5 basically introduces us to new characters, new everything with only one familiar face. It's like you're back in book 1. For the most part, you're like what's happening? who are these people? Time frame wise, i'm thinking book 5 was before the time of Laseen's reign and during Kellanved's reign so basically everything in book 5 precedes Book 1 - I know Erikson loves to show off-
Characters: Erikson continues to wow us with more characters to love.. Did you think you could love just the bridge burners or Anomander Rake or Kruppe, Onrack, Icarium, Mappo, Coltaine, Uncle, Duiker, Karso Orlong etc etc etc and not have room for more? Nope, Erikson continues to show that he just wants to give you more characters to love and who he can break your heart with.
Plot: this is a book that touches on themes of betrayal, vengeance, rise of new civilizations..We're introduced to another one of the Tiste race unlike the Andiis however the Edur's i feel are less in touch with who they really are. It's almost like the story of our favourite Toblakai. There's this re-occurring theme in the Malazan book that without strong knowledge of your history, you're susceptible to lies and being played by men and gods alike.
All in all book 5 reads like a beginning of sorts, to new things and i for one i'm totally pumped to continue this journey.
August 23, 2021
“There are tides beneath every tide
And the surface of water
Holds no weight.”
Midnight Tides, the fifth book in the Malazan Book of the Fallen, shifts the focus to the continent of Lether, chronicling the rising tensions and conflict between the expanding Letherii Empire and the tribes of the Tiste Edur. It is my favourite of the first five books with its more concise plot, compelling characters, themes, and great prose.
I felt the introduction to the mostly new cast and the setting was smoothly done, though the addition to the underlying structures of magic and divination with the Holds and Tiles was a bit hard to grasp. The ancient history, culture, and ritualistic traditions of the Edur were fascinating, like the burial rites and detailed entombment process of blooded warriors in addition to seeing how history could be twisted and mythicized over millennia. The prologue opens with a massive battle in the Elder Age showing a glimpse of what actually happened during the historical conflict, while the characters know and tell themselves a vastly different version of events.
“Memory was not loyal to the past, only to the exigencies of the present. How much of their own past had they selectively forgotten, how many unpleasant truths had they twisted into self-appeasing lies?”
One of the reasons this book is among my favourites is the characterization. The book follows two sets of brothers who are major players on opposite sides of the conflict, each with their distinct personalities and motivations. The Beddict brothers: Brys, Hull, and Tehol from the Letherii Empire and the Sengar brothers: Trull, Fear, Rhulad, and Binadas from the Tiste Edur. It excels at showing a complex family dynamic, the different interactions between each of the brothers and how they view and treat each other. Even when they disagree or fight, there is subtle affection and worry woven into the dialogue. They are connected in this vast tapestry of a story by threads both known and unknown to them and seeing how each of their actions and decisions affect the outcome of the conflict was very compelling to read about.
On the Edur side, Trull Sengar is a fantastic, complex character. A lot of the external conflict is viewed from his perspective, coloured by his uncertainty and doubts, his compassion and unwillingness to stand for tyranny while also doing his duty. The story explores both the positive and negative impacts of his questions and whether his doubts stem from his determination in standing up for what he believes is right or from small feelings of envy and suspicion. His complicated relationship with his brothers, especially his interactions with Rhulad and Fear, and his overall journey in this book were very compelling. Rhulad and Fear were also amazing characters, their distinct personalities and character traits were highlighted while also maintaining the threads of familial connection between them.
The Acquitor Seren Pedac was another character I loved following. Her despairing mental state was beautifully put across, the depressing tone could be felt through the pages. Her story and contemplations of the complexities of the conflict between the Letherii and Edur as well as her internal conflict were some of the more moving parts of the book, given her unique perspective of both sides. Udinaas the slave also had a unique perspective with which to view the conflict, and while his personality could be grating, I found that I enjoyed his sharp, stinging comments and thoughts about freedom and chains. There was quite a lot of magical stuff going on around him, with various visions and obscured dreams that were sometimes hard to parse, but overall, I found him to be a compelling character. The relationship between him and the Emperor was one of the best parts of the book, acting as an emotional anchor for that plotline.
“He saw the sea for what it was, the dissolved memories of the past witnessed in the present and fertile fuel for the future, the very face of time. He saw the tides in their immutable susurration, the vast swish like blood from the cold heart moon, a beat of time measured and therefore measurable. Tides one could not hope to hold back.”
Of the Beddict brothers, Brys was my favourite: an accomplished swordsman trying to navigate the complex politics of the Letherii Court while also attempting to protect his brothers. The political manoeuvring between the factions and players of the King’s and Queen’s retinue were quite interesting to read. Ceda Kuru Qan, the High Mage of the Court was easily my most beloved minor character, his quirky idiosyncrasies, his obsession with scientific experimentation, and his complete disregard for the political games made him very memorable.
Tehol, the middle Beddict brother, and his manservant, Bugg were a delight to read, their absurd, comedic banter and their plotline about the Letherii economy and markets was a nice contrast to the more heavy stuff in other chapters. Characters with outwardly lazy and absurd mannerisms concealing a brilliant mind are an archetype I always enjoy reading. The subplots involving the undead thief Shurq Ellale and her adventures robbing various well-protected buildings were also a lot of fun. Their chapters were also used to provide insightful commentary on the foundations of the Letherii Empire and its economic systems of excessive greed and progress.
“Destiny is a lie. Destiny is justification for atrocity. It is the means by which murderers armour themselves against reprimand. It is a word intended to stand in place of ethics, denying all moral context.”
There are strong themes of identity, culture, and power interwoven through this book. It explores the nature of power and how it affects people, how privilege colours perspective and power corrupts. There is a strong questioning of blind loyalty and tyranny, how destiny and prophecy can be twisted to justify cruelties. About the virtues of uncertainty, as utter conviction can blind people to other perspectives. The other side of this is also shown, how incessant doubt can lead to rifts and suspicion and eventually, conflict.
Both sides have a notion of their civilization having superiority over the other, and conviction of their ultimate victory. The Letherii civilization being built on conquered and oppressed cultures who have lost their cultural identity over years of assimilation into the Empire was demonstrated very well with the fate of the Nerek tribes. There is some strong commentary on the aspects of their Empire based solely on coin and greed, oppression and indifference in the name of progress of the few. The Edur are also not shown in a positive or morally superior light, with their notions of being different from other tribes the Letherii have conquered because of their ancient ancestry as well as their taking Letherii slaves from ships that cross the agreed territories. The conflict is incited from a relatively harmless event, but the existing tensions and personal motivations of people on the sides mean that all that was needed was an excuse.
“Those who knew but one path would come to worship it, even as it led to a cliff's edge.”
The remnants of the historical conflict in the prologue continue to have repercussions, as the book touches on the twisted history of the Betrayer and the Betrayed, as well as the ominous degradation of an Azath House guarded by an undead child who kills people to feed it blood. Just as in previous Malazan books, there are amazing battle scenes with clashes of armies, demons, sorcerous attacks and destruction. Yet, the small, quieter character moments and interactions still stand out, one of my favourite scenes in the book is a quiet, layered conversation between brothers.
Through the book, there are visceral, memorable scenes of horror and some great payoff. The story is ultimately a tragedy, and while there are epic magical battles, the ending is highlighted by weighty confrontations and tense, personal action and emotion, moments of revelation and compassion. On the whole, this is in my upper echelon of Malazan books and one of my favourite books in general, a compelling, well-paced, beautifully written story with great characters and an amazing ending.
July 15, 2016
Tyrants and emperors rise and fall. Civilizations burgeon then die, but there are always casters of nets. And tillers of the soil and herders in the pastures. We are where civilization begins and when it ends, we are there to begin it again.
That was amazing.
I think Midnight Tides has become my favorite book thus far in the series.
It is centered around Trull Sengar, whom we met in House of Chains. He and his people the Tiste Edur have been united under the Warlock Kin. However, their time of peace is coming to an end as war with Lether, a kingdom who has already conquered several other peoples, looms.
As always there are some pretty fascinating characters, such as Trull and his brother Fear, and their family servant Udinaas on the side of the Tiste Edur. We also meet some Letherii people, including Tehol Beddit and his manservant Bugg who provided much of the comic relief in this book, as well as his brothers Brys, Hull and various others.
Typical Erikson style to give you POVs on both sides of the conflict, so you grow attached to characters that you know may not make it to the end of the book. Yet somehow I just cannot stop reading.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. This series takes a TON of work. There is a lot of information here and you will not be spoon fed. However, it makes it so worth it because each book in this series keeps getting better and better.
That was amazing.
I think Midnight Tides has become my favorite book thus far in the series.
It is centered around Trull Sengar, whom we met in House of Chains. He and his people the Tiste Edur have been united under the Warlock Kin. However, their time of peace is coming to an end as war with Lether, a kingdom who has already conquered several other peoples, looms.
As always there are some pretty fascinating characters, such as Trull and his brother Fear, and their family servant Udinaas on the side of the Tiste Edur. We also meet some Letherii people, including Tehol Beddit and his manservant Bugg who provided much of the comic relief in this book, as well as his brothers Brys, Hull and various others.
Typical Erikson style to give you POVs on both sides of the conflict, so you grow attached to characters that you know may not make it to the end of the book. Yet somehow I just cannot stop reading.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. This series takes a TON of work. There is a lot of information here and you will not be spoon fed. However, it makes it so worth it because each book in this series keeps getting better and better.
September 20, 2016
I had bit rough start.This story takes place on distant continent in past so it felt bit detached form original storyline and in the beginning I missed familiar faces and places.You get very attached after nearly 3500 pages but this book is just as good as the rest but in a different way.I didn't got attached any of the characters.There is no Anomander Rake, Whiskeyjack, (any)Paran, Quick Ben, Karsa Orlong or other larger than life heroes and anti-heroes but this book excels in different ways.Balanced pace and PoVs and truly exceptional worldbuilding and overall more polished writing.Erikson is better writer with each book but here we can see some big leaps.
May 27, 2021
okay so i finished it. it took me forever, and it was exhausting, but when i was able to get on a streak of reading, i enjoyed it. it's not poorly written, i just have so much difficulty with genre fiction where everything has an unfamiliar name and there's so much dense backstory which, reading midseries, i wasnt privy to. ('fonso said i didn't need to have read any earlier ones, but a customer told me i had been done "a disservice" reading it that way) but that's his reputation - steven erikson - he will just throw you into a world and give you tons of characters and jump you around until you are dizzy. it felt good to have read it, but it feels good to be over, too. i can read other books much faster...
come to my blog!
come to my blog!
August 26, 2018
Hundreds of millenia, crawling to this shore. The passage of ages is measured by chance. The deep roll of tides, the succession of wayward storms. This is how the world moves - .
If someone told me that the fifth book in a series would have an entirely new cast of characters, veering completely away from the ones with whom readers had become accustomed over the previous four books, I’d say that it was an example of some questionable authorial judgment. Maybe that’s why I’d make a terrible author, because Steven Erickson certainly proves that making such a move need not be a hindrance to the overall narrative. And when you really get down to it, how else could this massive tale possibly be told? The history of this world stretches back hundreds of thousands of years but it’s not just some old, dusty information confined to a musty book sitting on some long-forgotten shelf. This history is still very much alive and affecting current events, like ripples in water that have stretched out beyond what the eye can see. So even though this particular installment introduces readers to new characters in new settings, it’s still all very connected to everything that’s come before and so, in that sense, there is still a sense of familiarity for readers, a feeling of "I know this".
And so it must be. One people. One ruler.
Book five in the Malazan series moves the action to yet another continent, one where the human Letherii people have maintained a shaky truce with the Tiste Edur. I won’t say much about the overall plot of the story or the characters introduced along the way. I’ll leave the rush of discovery to readers to enjoy as they move through this exciting tale. I’ll only say that there is one character who will be known to readers and who will be a welcome touchstone anchoring them to the pivotal events as they unfold. And there will be pivotal events because, you see, there’s a prophecy at play and, like most prophecies, what you see isn’t always what you get.
Like hatchlings born on the tide, the peoples of two kingdoms were rushing headlong into deep, deadly waters.
If you’re worried that the battle for supremacy between two far-off kingdoms has little relevance to the fights on Seven Cities and Genebackis, to the sacrifices made by brave heroes in the first four books, don’t be. The malignant forces at work beneath the surface of those events are not confined to any one place...or time. In fact, there are a few instances in this book that sync up with the timeline of events in Gardens of the Moon and Deadhouse Gates. So, dear reader, it’s all connected, one thing to the other.
Character-wise, Erickson again delivers a plethora of colorful and memorable men and women, drawn from a wide range of races. The main ones, the ones I call tentpole characters, are complex and layered with fully realized motivations, values, and fears. Some are worthy of our respect and admiration. Others deserve our sympathy or pity. And the rest? Well, they warrant the introduction of a two by four to the back of the head. Suffice it to say that these characters draw you in, one way or another.
"Death cannot be struggled against, brother. It ever arrives, defiant of every hiding place, of every frantic attempt to escape. Death is every mortal’s shadow, his true shadow, and time is its servant, spinning that shadow slowly round, until what stretched behind one now stretches before him."
There is an overall bleak tone to this series thus far and this book is no exception. There is the sense that people, as a whole and regardless of race or culture or time period, all continue making the same mistakes. That they keep falling into the same traps of power - a constant questing for “more”, a never-ending cycle of conquest and destruction. There is so much of this series that is applicable to our real world - the power of greed, the corrupting influence of power itself, the rape of the natural world, the capacity of people to visit pain and misery on others, the tendency of people to stratify themselves (at all levels of society), to just follow along like sheep when they should be screaming objections from the rooftops. It can be disheartening, and yet...and yet...
There is still hope, offered through characters who are noble, who attempt to hold true to their friends, family...to themselves, which is sometimes the hardest thing to do. And maybe, in the bigger scheme of the self-feeding cycle of the loss of innocence to baser motivations, it is this clinging to higher ideals - to simply asking the question “why?” - that can be the most heroic act. It is the sisyphean act of choosing to toil away at a hopeless task in the seemingly futile hope of a better outcome, that is, in itself, meaningful.
Even as he saw the anger grow in the faces of those around him - anger that he dare challenge, that he dare think in ways contrary to theirs, and so threaten their certainty - he was unable to stay silent.
I loved the humor in this too because, yes, despite the darker elements of the story there is still light. Erickson always manages to weave in humor, delivering it just when needed. Midnight Tides witnesses the rising of yet another lovable comic duo, though the use of humor is by no means limited to them. I appreciated every chuckle.
The ending once again spiralled tighter into itself, like water swirling down a drain, picking up speed and momentum until the end result could no longer be forestalled. Those last several chapters, as people and events were converging, were impossible to put down. I ought to know since I was up until 3 in the morning reading. There were bittersweet moments and I’m left with a sense of urgency to see more of this world, to see where these characters go from here. This is only the halfway mark of the series so there’s still a lot of story left to tell. Given how much Erickson manages to pack into each individual book, I can’t even begin to wrap my head around everything that's still to come.
We have come, after all, to the day of the Seventh Closure. An end, and a beginning -
If someone told me that the fifth book in a series would have an entirely new cast of characters, veering completely away from the ones with whom readers had become accustomed over the previous four books, I’d say that it was an example of some questionable authorial judgment. Maybe that’s why I’d make a terrible author, because Steven Erickson certainly proves that making such a move need not be a hindrance to the overall narrative. And when you really get down to it, how else could this massive tale possibly be told? The history of this world stretches back hundreds of thousands of years but it’s not just some old, dusty information confined to a musty book sitting on some long-forgotten shelf. This history is still very much alive and affecting current events, like ripples in water that have stretched out beyond what the eye can see. So even though this particular installment introduces readers to new characters in new settings, it’s still all very connected to everything that’s come before and so, in that sense, there is still a sense of familiarity for readers, a feeling of "I know this".
And so it must be. One people. One ruler.
Book five in the Malazan series moves the action to yet another continent, one where the human Letherii people have maintained a shaky truce with the Tiste Edur. I won’t say much about the overall plot of the story or the characters introduced along the way. I’ll leave the rush of discovery to readers to enjoy as they move through this exciting tale. I’ll only say that there is one character who will be known to readers and who will be a welcome touchstone anchoring them to the pivotal events as they unfold. And there will be pivotal events because, you see, there’s a prophecy at play and, like most prophecies, what you see isn’t always what you get.
Like hatchlings born on the tide, the peoples of two kingdoms were rushing headlong into deep, deadly waters.
If you’re worried that the battle for supremacy between two far-off kingdoms has little relevance to the fights on Seven Cities and Genebackis, to the sacrifices made by brave heroes in the first four books, don’t be. The malignant forces at work beneath the surface of those events are not confined to any one place...or time. In fact, there are a few instances in this book that sync up with the timeline of events in Gardens of the Moon and Deadhouse Gates. So, dear reader, it’s all connected, one thing to the other.
Character-wise, Erickson again delivers a plethora of colorful and memorable men and women, drawn from a wide range of races. The main ones, the ones I call tentpole characters, are complex and layered with fully realized motivations, values, and fears. Some are worthy of our respect and admiration. Others deserve our sympathy or pity. And the rest? Well, they warrant the introduction of a two by four to the back of the head. Suffice it to say that these characters draw you in, one way or another.
"Death cannot be struggled against, brother. It ever arrives, defiant of every hiding place, of every frantic attempt to escape. Death is every mortal’s shadow, his true shadow, and time is its servant, spinning that shadow slowly round, until what stretched behind one now stretches before him."
There is an overall bleak tone to this series thus far and this book is no exception. There is the sense that people, as a whole and regardless of race or culture or time period, all continue making the same mistakes. That they keep falling into the same traps of power - a constant questing for “more”, a never-ending cycle of conquest and destruction. There is so much of this series that is applicable to our real world - the power of greed, the corrupting influence of power itself, the rape of the natural world, the capacity of people to visit pain and misery on others, the tendency of people to stratify themselves (at all levels of society), to just follow along like sheep when they should be screaming objections from the rooftops. It can be disheartening, and yet...and yet...
There is still hope, offered through characters who are noble, who attempt to hold true to their friends, family...to themselves, which is sometimes the hardest thing to do. And maybe, in the bigger scheme of the self-feeding cycle of the loss of innocence to baser motivations, it is this clinging to higher ideals - to simply asking the question “why?” - that can be the most heroic act. It is the sisyphean act of choosing to toil away at a hopeless task in the seemingly futile hope of a better outcome, that is, in itself, meaningful.
Even as he saw the anger grow in the faces of those around him - anger that he dare challenge, that he dare think in ways contrary to theirs, and so threaten their certainty - he was unable to stay silent.
I loved the humor in this too because, yes, despite the darker elements of the story there is still light. Erickson always manages to weave in humor, delivering it just when needed. Midnight Tides witnesses the rising of yet another lovable comic duo, though the use of humor is by no means limited to them. I appreciated every chuckle.
The ending once again spiralled tighter into itself, like water swirling down a drain, picking up speed and momentum until the end result could no longer be forestalled. Those last several chapters, as people and events were converging, were impossible to put down. I ought to know since I was up until 3 in the morning reading. There were bittersweet moments and I’m left with a sense of urgency to see more of this world, to see where these characters go from here. This is only the halfway mark of the series so there’s still a lot of story left to tell. Given how much Erickson manages to pack into each individual book, I can’t even begin to wrap my head around everything that's still to come.
We have come, after all, to the day of the Seventh Closure. An end, and a beginning -
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