Reviews tagging 'Fire/Fire injury'

Deadhouse Gates by Steven Erikson

3 reviews

damjanotom's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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? Yes

4.25

At first, Deadhouse Gates' intensity can be quite shocking and is most certainly intentionally so. At first this felt somewhat like torture-porn but as the book went on all of the events and the progression of each set of characters' arcs resolved into a nuanced reflection on the varied experience of living through and with prolonged trauma. Through this lens themes of war, grief, change, sexual trauma, and the roles of spirituality and information are all explored in ways that can often be shocking but felt nuanced nonetheless. Perspectives in character may have felt at first to be judgemental or disrespectful but provide depth to the discussion around the experience of trauma and how it changes those experiencing it and the way they interact and are perceived.

Outside of this, Deadhouse Gates presented some excellent genre stories including the main military fantasy storyline and a really engaging adventure storyline among others. A fairly heavy read with a lot of thematic meat on the bones but delivered through another tightly presented set of intertwined arcs.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Gore, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual assault and Slavery

vivectelvanni's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Blood, Excrement, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

griffinthief's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Pedophilia and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Abortion