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Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'
Maree di mezzanotte by Lucia Panelli, Steven Erikson, Chiara Arnone
6 reviews
bmb3md's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
4.75
Declaring this my favorite in the series so far. It's dark and brutal, but balanced with moments of levity where Erikson's humor shines. The commentary on empire, colonialism, greed, debt, and capitalism is not at all subtle, but really impactful in painting the futility of the violence that ensues throughout the story. The narrative is Erikson's tightest, with the different storylines all fitting together in a more cohesive way than other MBotF books, and the worldbuilding he commits to when explaining different cultures, races, and empires adds such rich color to this story instead of falling into the trap of other fantasy books where the "other" races are inherently primitive and bad.
I can see where people might struggle with starting book 5 with an entire new cast of characters in a new setting and in a vague timeframe in relation to the rest of the series. At times it's difficult to get out of the "so why do I care about this" mindset as you learn another detail that feels so disjointed from HoC and the rest of the story, but honestly if you've gotten to Midnight Tides, you've learned enough about Erikson's bullshit (in the best way) to just roll with it.
I don't love the prevalence of sexual violence in this and other Malazan books, or any books for that matter, there are some plot points that never get answered in this installment which can be frustrating after 900+ pages, and a few of the character stories/arcs didn't capture my attention as well. But overall, I really enjoyed my time with this book and am excited to see how it fits within the broader series.
I can see where people might struggle with starting book 5 with an entire new cast of characters in a new setting and in a vague timeframe in relation to the rest of the series. At times it's difficult to get out of the "so why do I care about this" mindset as you learn another detail that feels so disjointed from HoC and the rest of the story, but honestly if you've gotten to Midnight Tides, you've learned enough about Erikson's bullshit (in the best way) to just roll with it.
I don't love the prevalence of sexual violence in this and other Malazan books, or any books for that matter, there are some plot points that never get answered in this installment which can be frustrating after 900+ pages, and a few of the character stories/arcs didn't capture my attention as well. But overall, I really enjoyed my time with this book and am excited to see how it fits within the broader series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
bcrowes11's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: War
Minor: Sexual assault
damjanotom's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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
4.25
Compared to other books in the series, many dark themes are not as singularly dealt with here. It doesn't detract but rather builds a greater empathy for all of the characters, those who are maybe reprehensible especially. There was certainly more of the adventurous and roguish in this book too compared with some of the more relentless entries in the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Sexual assault
mcmanifold's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
3.75
The Tehol and Bugg bits (along with Brys) were my favorite part of Malazan so far. It did have a bit of a slow start, especially on the Edur side of things.
This is the halfway point of the main series, and I told myself I would start or stop here. I think I will keep going, but this book didn’t really help sway me one way or the other. I do think if I keep reading I need to read them closer together to keep up momentum and stop having to lookup so many past details.
This is the halfway point of the main series, and I told myself I would start or stop here. I think I will keep going, but this book didn’t really help sway me one way or the other. I do think if I keep reading I need to read them closer together to keep up momentum and stop having to lookup so many past details.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
crustieloaf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- 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
Okay I am back a week or so after finishing this book and no one else that I have ever met reads these so...I have no one to talk about these books with. Prepare for a too long review of everything that has been bouncing around in my head.
Malazan is turning into something that I didn't expect. I am no stranger to epic fantasy series. In fact, I read and LOVED Wheel of Time. I love Dune. I love the kind of books where half of it is incomprehensible because the world is so different and strange. Malazan is truly right up my alley, but here's the thing: it's not incomprehensible in the same way Wheel of Time or Dune is.
Now that I can say I'm halfway through the main series (and am writing this after already reading a teeny bit of Book 6), I have one brainworm.
Malazan, at its core, is a story about family.
Not the cheesy, Pixar-type "family is everything you need" type shit. This is about estrangement, and hate, and something akin to love. Malazan is about duty over family, the desecration of family, and the ways in which family can be crumpled until you, the reader, are questioning whether the characters even know they are looking upon their own family. Those who have read Deadhouse Gates know. I need to know if Steven Erickson has siblings and how many. This book makes 3 groups of siblings (that I can remember off the top of my head...at work...) that all interact in the most poetic of ways. It makes me think of my own brother.
I want to sing the praises of this book, but I also do not want to spoil anything. Logically, I know I am writing a review for a (relativity) unknown, fifth book for a series, but I am being super cautious. Therefore, you're getting a very vague review because the things that made me excited to be reading these books is seeing payoff that was established hundreds or even thousands of pages ago. (Honestly, I thinking I'm closing in on having read almost ten thousand pages of Malazan. Yikers.)
Here are my disjointed thoughts that come with every review at this point:
- Rhulad is one of my favorite characters. Ever. The visual badassery of his...revived form, plus his emotional complexity and ties to his family and one friend, all while becoming a puppet of a god is sublime. Something something he became what Ganoes feared all the way back in Gardens of the Moon. He has become what Aplasar is trying to recover from. He became what Crokus is becoming. The gods are not kind. Is ours?
- Fear and Trull are excellent foils to Rhulad.
- The climax of this book was one of the best. It had a quiet tragedy to it.
- There are moments in this series that are actually funny. Like literal bits in the middle of this dark-ass book.
- There is a god who possesses a male form and canonically knits clothes for his "master" as he moonlights as a manservant. They also eat trash. Like, soles of shoes trash. Because they are...maybe poor? Frugal? idk see the above point.
- There is an undead woman who is extremely horny (See the point above again). She hangs out with the guys who eat trash.
- There is a war. There are always wars. This is the war in the shadow of colonization.
- Imagine being a diplomat in a foreign country unable to stop a war from happening between your nations. Imagine your elder (that you greatly admire, and may or may not be slightly in love with) taking his own life because of his inability of action. Now what?
- The series is so visceral that I got nauseous multiple times.
- Tendons are sliced.
- By page 750 I was getting three to four hours of sleep because I was reading so much.
- This book is what I bought the kindle stand from.
- The sword over the threshold scene...so good. I love metaphor.
And finally...finally...I went into Gardens of the Moon not understanding anything. By the end of this book, I could see the threads. I can see things coming together. I understand what is going on. It's getting easier.
And when I cracked open Book 6 and saw character names from Book 2...I got excited. I got excited over a book over a thousand pages long. I just can't believe how quickly this series stood out to me. How much it has ingrained itself in my memory. I really hope no one does an adaptation of this (except maybe HBO...)
Shit's crazy, folks. I love fantasy.
Malazan is turning into something that I didn't expect. I am no stranger to epic fantasy series. In fact, I read and LOVED Wheel of Time. I love Dune. I love the kind of books where half of it is incomprehensible because the world is so different and strange. Malazan is truly right up my alley, but here's the thing: it's not incomprehensible in the same way Wheel of Time or Dune is.
Now that I can say I'm halfway through the main series (and am writing this after already reading a teeny bit of Book 6), I have one brainworm.
Malazan, at its core, is a story about family.
Not the cheesy, Pixar-type "family is everything you need" type shit. This is about estrangement, and hate, and something akin to love. Malazan is about duty over family, the desecration of family, and the ways in which family can be crumpled until you, the reader, are questioning whether the characters even know they are looking upon their own family. Those who have read Deadhouse Gates know. I need to know if Steven Erickson has siblings and how many. This book makes 3 groups of siblings (that I can remember off the top of my head...at work...) that all interact in the most poetic of ways. It makes me think of my own brother.
I want to sing the praises of this book, but I also do not want to spoil anything. Logically, I know I am writing a review for a (relativity) unknown, fifth book for a series, but I am being super cautious. Therefore, you're getting a very vague review because the things that made me excited to be reading these books is seeing payoff that was established hundreds or even thousands of pages ago. (Honestly, I thinking I'm closing in on having read almost ten thousand pages of Malazan. Yikers.)
Here are my disjointed thoughts that come with every review at this point:
- Rhulad is one of my favorite characters. Ever. The visual badassery of his...revived form, plus his emotional complexity and ties to his family and one friend, all while becoming a puppet of a god is sublime. Something something he became what Ganoes feared all the way back in Gardens of the Moon. He has become what Aplasar is trying to recover from. He became what Crokus is becoming. The gods are not kind. Is ours?
- Fear and Trull are excellent foils to Rhulad.
- The climax of this book was one of the best. It had a quiet tragedy to it.
- There are moments in this series that are actually funny. Like literal bits in the middle of this dark-ass book.
- There is a god who possesses a male form and canonically knits clothes for his "master" as he moonlights as a manservant. They also eat trash. Like, soles of shoes trash. Because they are...maybe poor? Frugal? idk see the above point.
- There is an undead woman who is extremely horny (See the point above again). She hangs out with the guys who eat trash.
- There is a war. There are always wars. This is the war in the shadow of colonization.
- Imagine being a diplomat in a foreign country unable to stop a war from happening between your nations. Imagine your elder (that you greatly admire, and may or may not be slightly in love with) taking his own life because of his inability of action. Now what?
- The series is so visceral that I got nauseous multiple times.
- Tendons are sliced.
- By page 750 I was getting three to four hours of sleep because I was reading so much.
- This book is what I bought the kindle stand from.
- The sword over the threshold scene...so good. I love metaphor.
And finally...finally...I went into Gardens of the Moon not understanding anything. By the end of this book, I could see the threads. I can see things coming together. I understand what is going on. It's getting easier.
And when I cracked open Book 6 and saw character names from Book 2...I got excited. I got excited over a book over a thousand pages long. I just can't believe how quickly this series stood out to me. How much it has ingrained itself in my memory. I really hope no one does an adaptation of this (except maybe HBO...)
Shit's crazy, folks. I love fantasy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Violence, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Addiction, Gore, Sexism, Blood, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Pregnancy
jeannelynne24's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Slavery, Violence, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault