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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
syinhui's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.5
This tide is rising, and there are scant few who would stand before it.
I was considering rating this a little lower than House of Chains because… let’s admit it, it’s good but it gets a little too clunky and slow (same could be said in HoC but at least we spend time with familiar characters). Also, I do have one other complaint.
I’m fine with it in the first four books, even as I sometimes rolled my eyes, I thought it was necessary to convey the depth of a character’s mind and the profoundness of all that is happening. I mean, the obfuscation (hope this is the right word) of concepts and complex emotions got a little too much for me in Midnight Tides. I know this is a Steven Erikson thing. Nothing is ever explained in a straightforward manner. He excels in creating extraordinarily convoluted conversations to the point that it becomes irritating and if you don't get it, that's your fault for you're not paying attention. I love how Erikson doesn't spoonfeed but sometimes I hate him for it.
Thoughts and feelings are often written in a way as if you’re reading a paper on philosophy or psychology instead of simply experiencing it with the characters. No other book series does it better in this aspect and that is the beauty of Malazan Book of the Fallen. Unfortunately, that didn’t quite work for me in Midnight Tides. I feel that a lot of these “obfuscations” aren’t that relevant or essential to drive the plot. For the first time, I feel that these mini studies on complex emotions and ideas are just only there to fill the pages. For the first time, I skimmed read sections of the book and didn't regret it. (I never skim read Malazan. I don't recommend it. This is a first for me.) In short, certain parts could’ve been better trimmed down.
I'm rambling here. Now that's out of the way, let's go back a little. I’ve given Midnight Tides the same rating as HoC, - though I didn’t love it as much - because I’m constantly in awe at how each installment never fails to be as immersive as the previous ones. I may consider this a weaker book (entirely due to preference) compared to DhG or MoI but it’s nothing short of fantastic.
Unpopular opinion: At this stage, rating MBotF lower than 4 stars is a crime.
The sheer epicness of this series overshadows any issues I might have in the previous books or will have in the next ones. I said this in my review of House of Chains and I will stand by these words: The character development alone more than make up for the flaws in writing.
Speaking of characters, I will mention a notable few.
Trull walked to a nearby boulder and sat down on it.
He lowered his head into his hands and began to weep.
Trull Sengar. I wanted to weep with him too.
He's stuck in a nightmare, completely isolated and helpless against the tide of madness that has poisoned his people.
No-one wanted to listen. Independent thought had been relinquished, with appalling eagerness, it seemed to him, and in its place had risen a stolid resolve to question nothing.
I liked him in House of Chains, I like him even more now
My heart breaks for him. For the Sengar brothers. For the Tiste Edur.
We were fallen, and the emperor proclaims that we shall rise again. He is insane, for we are not rising. We are falling, and I fear there will be no end to that descent. Until someone gave answer.
Rhulad Sengar. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger... except... for young Rhulad here. Oh I don't hate him, I just really feel sorry for him. He was a fool and a brat. He might've desired power and recognition but the price he must pay is beyond terrible.
I am not an evil man ... yet I have just vowed to stand at his side. Errant take me, what have I done?
Udinaas. He's one of the characters that stood out for me the most. I am always anticipating how he'd respond to the situations forced upon him.
He'd done well. I think he's such an incredible character. He knew his place.
A Letherii slave. A tool. Blood tainted. Gifted with wisdom. He'd unwittingly become an important presence to Rhulad. His anchor. His guide back to sanity.
...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 yet done.
Tehol Beddict and Bugg. And friends. A lot of people love this master and manservant duo for the comic relief they offer. I love them for that too. But at times, the humor feels forced and repetitive. Perhaps I just prefer the macabre duo Korbal Broach and Bauchelain or the dark fatalistic humor of the Bridgeburners, either way I think people are giving too much credit on Tehol and Bugg's banters. Don't get me wrong, they're also my favorites. How can I not, when they're so charming together? Sharing questionable if not, outright disgusting meals and beverages. A diet consisting of the hardly edible sorts. This and that. Living like paupers when they could probably own the whole city. Impressive duo. The humor though? Much less so.
The half-blood women Shand, Hejun and Rissarh. The two quirky undead, Shurq Elalle and Harlest with their half-Tarthenal criminal Ublala Pung. The eccentric Rat Catcher's Guild. Tehol's associates. While I find them all amusing, I'm quite disappointed by their lack of direct contribution during the conquer of Letheras. I was expecting them to affect some change or at least create more chaos to complicate matters. Of course, their interests lie elsewhere at that moment so I guess it makes sense.
Brys Beddict. The youngest of Beddict brothers. A phenomenal swordsman, modest and loyal too. I wish we could've seen more of his formidable skills. I wish he'd been one of the key players but oh well...
Turudal Brizad. By the Errant! The First Consort...
If I'd known this was going to be a day for killing gods, I might have paced myself better.
Iron Bars. Corlo and company.
Did I just become a fan of the Crimson Guard? Absolutely.
Kettle. Rud Ellalle. Kids you might want to adopt except if you ain't nice they might murder you.
Silchas Ruin. I'm starting to suspect that besides the enigmatic vibe, being late to the party is a trait shared by the sons of Mother Dark.
You still don't understand, do you? The more pain you deliver to others, god, the more shall be visited upon you. You sow your own misery, and because of that whatever sympathy you might rightly receive is swept away.
Withal, the Nachts, Sindalath Dukorlat and The Crippled God.
The exchange of words between the Meckros swordsmith and the Crippled God were very interesting. My favorite part of the book, actually.
Build a nest.
Kick it down.
Build a nest.
Kick...it...down!
How enlightening.
Withal's incessant praying has paid off. No doubt, it bugged the Elder god of the seas. And that ending... so good.
5 gargantuan books done! Half-way through. I'm so excited for The Bonehunters. But I will either take a long break after this or read the next a few pages at a time because at this rate I feel like I might actually finish the whole series by end of the year (which i will surely regret) and I'm not ready to feel that sense of emptiness that always comes after finishing a great book.
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.
I’m fine with it in the first four books, even as I sometimes rolled my eyes, I thought it was necessary to convey the depth of a character’s mind and the profoundness of all that is happening. I mean, the obfuscation (hope this is the right word) of concepts and complex emotions got a little too much for me in Midnight Tides. I know this is a Steven Erikson thing. Nothing is ever explained in a straightforward manner. He excels in creating extraordinarily convoluted conversations to the point that it becomes irritating and if you don't get it, that's your fault for you're not paying attention. I love how Erikson doesn't spoonfeed but sometimes I hate him for it.
Thoughts and feelings are often written in a way as if you’re reading a paper on philosophy or psychology instead of simply experiencing it with the characters. No other book series does it better in this aspect and that is the beauty of Malazan Book of the Fallen. Unfortunately, that didn’t quite work for me in Midnight Tides. I feel that a lot of these “obfuscations” aren’t that relevant or essential to drive the plot. For the first time, I feel that these mini studies on complex emotions and ideas are just only there to fill the pages. For the first time, I skimmed read sections of the book and didn't regret it. (I never skim read Malazan. I don't recommend it. This is a first for me.) In short, certain parts could’ve been better trimmed down.
I'm rambling here. Now that's out of the way, let's go back a little. I’ve given Midnight Tides the same rating as HoC, - though I didn’t love it as much - because I’m constantly in awe at how each installment never fails to be as immersive as the previous ones. I may consider this a weaker book (entirely due to preference) compared to DhG or MoI but it’s nothing short of fantastic.
Unpopular opinion: At this stage, rating MBotF lower than 4 stars is a crime.
The sheer epicness of this series overshadows any issues I might have in the previous books or will have in the next ones. I said this in my review of House of Chains and I will stand by these words: The character development alone more than make up for the flaws in writing.
Speaking of characters, I will mention a notable few.
Trull walked to a nearby boulder and sat down on it.
He lowered his head into his hands and began to weep.
Trull Sengar. I wanted to weep with him too.
He's stuck in a nightmare, completely isolated and helpless against the tide of madness that has poisoned his people.
No-one wanted to listen. Independent thought had been relinquished, with appalling eagerness, it seemed to him, and in its place had risen a stolid resolve to question nothing.
I liked him in House of Chains, I like him even more now
My heart breaks for him. For the Sengar brothers. For the Tiste Edur.
We were fallen, and the emperor proclaims that we shall rise again. He is insane, for we are not rising. We are falling, and I fear there will be no end to that descent. Until someone gave answer.
Rhulad Sengar. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger... except... for young Rhulad here. Oh I don't hate him, I just really feel sorry for him. He was a fool and a brat. He might've desired power and recognition but the price he must pay is beyond terrible.
I am not an evil man ... yet I have just vowed to stand at his side. Errant take me, what have I done?
Udinaas. He's one of the characters that stood out for me the most. I am always anticipating how he'd respond to the situations forced upon him.
He'd done well. I think he's such an incredible character. He knew his place.
A Letherii slave. A tool. Blood tainted. Gifted with wisdom. He'd unwittingly become an important presence to Rhulad. His anchor. His guide back to sanity.
...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 yet done.
Tehol Beddict and Bugg. And friends. A lot of people love this master and manservant duo for the comic relief they offer. I love them for that too. But at times, the humor feels forced and repetitive. Perhaps I just prefer the macabre duo Korbal Broach and Bauchelain or the dark fatalistic humor of the Bridgeburners, either way I think people are giving too much credit on Tehol and Bugg's banters. Don't get me wrong, they're also my favorites. How can I not, when they're so charming together? Sharing questionable if not, outright disgusting meals and beverages. A diet consisting of the hardly edible sorts. This and that. Living like paupers when they could probably own the whole city. Impressive duo. The humor though? Much less so.
The half-blood women Shand, Hejun and Rissarh. The two quirky undead, Shurq Elalle and Harlest with their half-Tarthenal criminal Ublala Pung. The eccentric Rat Catcher's Guild. Tehol's associates. While I find them all amusing, I'm quite disappointed by their lack of direct contribution during the conquer of Letheras. I was expecting them to affect some change or at least create more chaos to complicate matters. Of course, their interests lie elsewhere at that moment so I guess it makes sense.
Brys Beddict. The youngest of Beddict brothers. A phenomenal swordsman, modest and loyal too. I wish we could've seen more of his formidable skills. I wish he'd been one of the key players but oh well...
Turudal Brizad. By the Errant! The First Consort...
If I'd known this was going to be a day for killing gods, I might have paced myself better.
Iron Bars. Corlo and company.
Did I just become a fan of the Crimson Guard? Absolutely.
Kettle. Rud Ellalle. Kids you might want to adopt except if you ain't nice they might murder you.
Silchas Ruin. I'm starting to suspect that besides the enigmatic vibe, being late to the party is a trait shared by the sons of Mother Dark.
You still don't understand, do you? The more pain you deliver to others, god, the more shall be visited upon you. You sow your own misery, and because of that whatever sympathy you might rightly receive is swept away.
Withal, the Nachts, Sindalath Dukorlat and The Crippled God.
The exchange of words between the Meckros swordsmith and the Crippled God were very interesting. My favorite part of the book, actually.
Build a nest.
Kick it down.
Build a nest.
Kick...it...down!
How enlightening.
Withal's incessant praying has paid off. No doubt, it bugged the Elder god of the seas. And that ending... so good.
5 gargantuan books done! Half-way through. I'm so excited for The Bonehunters. But I will either take a long break after this or read the next a few pages at a time because at this rate I feel like I might actually finish the whole series by end of the year (which i will surely regret) and I'm not ready to feel that sense of emptiness that always comes after finishing a great book.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Suicide, Xenophobia, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Colonisation
Minor: Drug abuse, Incest, and Excrement
mssrquackers's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Violence, Xenophobia, Gaslighting, and Colonisation
Moderate: Rape