pinkfloydian's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Violence, War, and Torture
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Death, Body horror, and Rape
syinhui's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
DEADHOUSE GATES HURT. Hurts...
Fun, right?
'The lesson of history is that no one learns.'
'I saw one healer’s arm snap like a twig when he lifted a pot from the hearth. That frightened me more than anything I’ve yet to witness, Captain.'
'The man leads an army that refuses to die. We’ve not lost a refugee to enemy action in thirty hours. Five thousand soldiers… spitting in the face of every god…'
One bound to an old vow. One in an unending search for answers. A tragic tale of friendship.
After a time, as they walked on the plain, Icarium glanced at Mappo. ‘What would I do without you, my friend?'
It literally gave me goosebumps. No wonder Mappo flinched at that.
… the sapper was left trembling in the realization of his insignificance and that of all his kind. Humans were but one tiny, frail leaf on a tree too massive even to comprehend.
Kalam feared insignificance, he feared the inability to produce an effect, to force a change upon the world beyond his flesh.
The seemingly headlong plunge this journey had become was in truth but the smallest succession of steps, of no greater import than the struggles of a termite.
'Of course, Kalam wanted to save them! But he knew it was impossible! Only vengeance was possible!'
The god giggled again. ‘Cotillion will be so pleased, won’t he just.”
Hee hee!
but... I’m reeling here. Deadhouse Gates left such heaviness in my heart. I am ruined. Devastated.
YET so excited to dive into the next book! Peeking at Memories of Ice's character list, seems like we're back to the folks in Darujhistan, of course, with a plethora of new names added. Probably, key players. Yay!
On a last note,
"The Wickans! The Wickans! The Wickans!" 😭
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Death, Genocide, War, and Torture
Moderate: Animal death, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, and Sexual violence
tjm1618's review against another edition
4.75
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Addiction and Torture
ilereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Slavery, Violence, Sexual violence, and Torture
badmc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This book was hard to wade through because, as one reviewer aptly put it, it's about "sad people in a desert". It's also about war in a desert, sexual violence in the mines, and betrayal in the places that are in-between. We follow a wide range of characters, whose destinies get tangled up together with the upheaval of Seven cities, who rise with the Whirlwind to oppose the Malazan Empire and slaughter its citizens that occupy them.
I am sad we didn't get to see more of the Seven cities, because I really loved Darujhistan in the first book, but alas, we were stuck in Raraku desert, magical warrens, ruins, and Azath house for the most of the book. Oh, and the mines, of course. The POV of young girl (a child, really) that gets raped repeatedly, gets addicted as a way to power through it, develops Stockholm syndrome, and then becomes poisonous to the people that want to help her was torturous for me: the real (or imagined) betrayal she meets at every turn really killed my motivation and is the reason it took me almost 20 days to finish the book. I mean, we have enough of the slut shaming, disbelief, and guilting women and girls in the real life, I really struggle with it in book format, especially when I see some of the reactions to the depiction that just underline the misogyny that was shown here (I applaud Erikson for showing this form of depression and PTSD, as rage and hatred). On the other hand, we follow sturdy historian who chronicles the accomplishments of a barbarian war chief (I cried over this!), two friends with complicated past that broke my heart, a soldier you can depend on, and an assassin that seeks answers and gets more than he bargained for. We also get to see a plethora of characters, gods, creatures, and hints of the fate of civilizations and races past.
It is a sprawling saga that will have to be read more than once for the nuance and backstory to really sink in. There are some plot holes, the plot meanders everywhere, some characters don't have the chance to grow or to get fleshed out enough for you to care for them (I want more Apsalar, and Crokus was somehow diminished), and it would help to get a better sense for the slaughter we witness (a mass of bodies, blood, and guts stop being shocking, make me care!), but this book made me feel all the feels, and for that, I love it.
Graphic: Sexual harassment, War, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual violence, Torture, and Sexual assault
griffinthief's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Colonisation, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Murder, Torture, Toxic friendship, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Violence, Sexual violence, Slavery, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Medical content, Police brutality, Vomit, War, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Pedophilia
Minor: Abortion
catsy2022's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Blood, Slavery, Violence, Body horror, Drug abuse, Drug use, Addiction, War, Torture, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Sexual content
danielleor's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Colonisation, Death, Genocide, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, and Violence