wertraut's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
chadtoney's review
2.0
This was a slog. Even for this series, I had a hard time caring and/or keeping up with who these characters were. The last couple chapters, when it switches to more straight-forward storytelling, were thrilling though!
tehols_blanket's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
esb234346's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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? Yes
4.75
sebastianmansley's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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? Yes
3.75
Found it quite slow, and then as usual the last 10% of the book brought me to tears. The cognitive load of tracking characters has finally beaten me though.
thedashdude's review against another edition
5.0
The first half of the finale to the Malazan Book of the Fallen. Some parts were excellent, but following two trains of starving humans across a desert felt a little slow at times. The good greatly outweighed the bad, with lots of great scenes and character interactions, and it does a great job being the setup to The Crippled God.
nclcaitlin's review against another edition
3.25
We are to be Unwitnessed, she said. We must fight for each other and ourselves and no one else. We must fight for survival, but that cannot hold us together—it’s just as likely to tear us apart.
The final sprint.
”Hood's frantic balls on the fire.”
Anomander killed Hood, Dassem killed Anomander, Brood shattered Dragnipur, and now Draconus walks free.
The exiles of the Malazan army spend time in Letherii now ruled by the benevolent, maybe insane, Tehol drinking lots and training the Luther army to be better soldiers. Soon, Tavore decides to march them to the wastelands where the final epic battle will take place, where gods, Elders, and mortals collide.
There are other storylines (the Barghust, the K’chain Che’Malle and the lone human in their midst), but I was a lot more invested in the ex-Malazans.
“We are marching to where the gods are converging. Gods that intend to chain the Crippled God one final time. But we refuse to be anyone's weapon.”
What put me off reading this book is the fact that Erickson stated in his author’s note that this wasn’t technically a completed book as books 9 and 10 were supposed to be read as one volume. So, the 2000+ pages were one overarching plot with nothing wrapped up at the end of book 9. That felt like a cheat. Thus, I knew I needed to read them back to back.
I can’t wait to see how Erikson combines all the threads, most importantly for me - bringing together the cast we left in Darujhistan and Tavore’s misfit army.
Highlights:
- Bottle trying to flirt is adorably hilarious.
- Fiddler deserves retirement.
- This book ends in the most heart-pounding way.
doodlebuginarug's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0