led's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
fast-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
5.0
statelyelmslibrarian's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This is probably the funniest publication the the Malazan world.
Less focus on the Bauchelain and Korbal Broach though, which made it less enjoyable than the first collected tales.
Less focus on the Bauchelain and Korbal Broach though, which made it less enjoyable than the first collected tales.
thedashdude's review
5.0
Much like first, except for Crack'd Pot Trail, which is the best B&K story despite the fact that they aren't in it.
bdesmond's review against another edition
4.0
CRACK'D POT TRAIL
It's funny. I was very much looking forward to resuming the dark, outrageous adventures of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach, only to find that they weren't in the story until the last two pages. Be that as it may this was a fun story, and dark and outrageous enough to fit the bill regardless.
Crack'd Pot Trail follows a group of pilgrims, artists, and hunters of the necromancers Bauchelain and Korbal Broach as they all attempt to cross the Great Dry. It is narrated by a poet named Avas Didion Flicker, and if it wasn't clear before just how much fun Erikson is having with these novellas, his indulgent narration style in this installment would clear things up right away. This is Erikson giving no fucks, playing with poetic prose and offering deep-cut commentary on the relationship between art, its creator, and its audience.
It's hard to even describe this one from a plot-centric view, but if you're up for something different you should give it a shot. Plus, if you're a fan of the gallows humor that often permeates Erikson's work, you'll find it here in spades.
THE WURMS OF BLEARMOUTH
The absurd adventures of Bauchelain, Korbal Broach, and Mancy the Luckless continue in this bizarre examination of tyranny.
In West Elingarth's Forgotten Holding winter makes the seas surrounding the town of Spendrugle a virtual death trap, and a sorcerer named Fangatooth Claw has recently seized power at Wurm's Keep. So when strangers begin to shipwreck on the island, one boat after another, a host of classically-zany characters in true Erikson fashion begin to converge.
The Wurms of Blearmouth is the first of these novellas that actually made me realize (or maybe just remember?) that the published order of the stories is not the same as the chronological sequence of events. That being the case, this one takes place before the last, Crack'd Pot Trail. It also felt more like the earlier novellas than the last one, which I enjoyed. Bauchelain and Korbal Broach were featured more heavily, and it was a return to a more traditional storytelling style, which was welcome. Erikson displays effortless characterization, hints at his larger world, and summons hilariously ridiculous situations; all the things I've come to expect from these novellas.
“When you’re dead, it pays to remain optimistic, or so I have found.”
THE FIENDS OF NIGHTMARIA
The Fiends of Nightmaria is the sixth and most recent novella in Steven Erikson's Tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach series, and it is the furthest along in the timeline chronologically. It is also the only entry other than The Healthy Dead earning the full five stars from me. I contemplated a four-star rating but decided that it made me laugh too many times to miss full marks, especially being the shortest installment thus far.
This takes places almost entirely in the span of one night in Farrog, where King Bauchelain the First has recently achieved the tyranny he has so eagerly sought. Grand Bishop Korbal Broach is free to... experiment... to his heart's delight, and everyone's favorite manservant Emancipor Reese is, as usual, along for the ride. The novella features the famous Party of Five, the most insanely incompetent group of burglars I've ever read about. I couldn't decide if I needed frequent breaks from their ridiculousness or if I wanted them on every page, but I certainly couldn't stop laughing. Characters from the Crack'd Pot Trail crew are also featured, and engage in their own twisted hijinks. Erikson is just an expert in shenanigans, I don't know how else to put it.
It struck me while reading this one that the novellas are the perfect foil for the main series. Whereas the main series encompasses themes of compassion, the novellas cover themes of greed and ruthlessness, like some dark mirror-image. Which, of course, is fun to indulge in from a satirical point of view.
“Convenient, wouldn’t you say, that our kingdom borders a xenophobic but wealthy mountain empire of unhuman lizard people?”
It's funny. I was very much looking forward to resuming the dark, outrageous adventures of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach, only to find that they weren't in the story until the last two pages. Be that as it may this was a fun story, and dark and outrageous enough to fit the bill regardless.
Crack'd Pot Trail follows a group of pilgrims, artists, and hunters of the necromancers Bauchelain and Korbal Broach as they all attempt to cross the Great Dry. It is narrated by a poet named Avas Didion Flicker, and if it wasn't clear before just how much fun Erikson is having with these novellas, his indulgent narration style in this installment would clear things up right away. This is Erikson giving no fucks, playing with poetic prose and offering deep-cut commentary on the relationship between art, its creator, and its audience.
It's hard to even describe this one from a plot-centric view, but if you're up for something different you should give it a shot. Plus, if you're a fan of the gallows humor that often permeates Erikson's work, you'll find it here in spades.
THE WURMS OF BLEARMOUTH
The absurd adventures of Bauchelain, Korbal Broach, and Mancy the Luckless continue in this bizarre examination of tyranny.
In West Elingarth's Forgotten Holding winter makes the seas surrounding the town of Spendrugle a virtual death trap, and a sorcerer named Fangatooth Claw has recently seized power at Wurm's Keep. So when strangers begin to shipwreck on the island, one boat after another, a host of classically-zany characters in true Erikson fashion begin to converge.
The Wurms of Blearmouth is the first of these novellas that actually made me realize (or maybe just remember?) that the published order of the stories is not the same as the chronological sequence of events. That being the case, this one takes place before the last, Crack'd Pot Trail. It also felt more like the earlier novellas than the last one, which I enjoyed. Bauchelain and Korbal Broach were featured more heavily, and it was a return to a more traditional storytelling style, which was welcome. Erikson displays effortless characterization, hints at his larger world, and summons hilariously ridiculous situations; all the things I've come to expect from these novellas.
“When you’re dead, it pays to remain optimistic, or so I have found.”
THE FIENDS OF NIGHTMARIA
The Fiends of Nightmaria is the sixth and most recent novella in Steven Erikson's Tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach series, and it is the furthest along in the timeline chronologically. It is also the only entry other than The Healthy Dead earning the full five stars from me. I contemplated a four-star rating but decided that it made me laugh too many times to miss full marks, especially being the shortest installment thus far.
This takes places almost entirely in the span of one night in Farrog, where King Bauchelain the First has recently achieved the tyranny he has so eagerly sought. Grand Bishop Korbal Broach is free to... experiment... to his heart's delight, and everyone's favorite manservant Emancipor Reese is, as usual, along for the ride. The novella features the famous Party of Five, the most insanely incompetent group of burglars I've ever read about. I couldn't decide if I needed frequent breaks from their ridiculousness or if I wanted them on every page, but I certainly couldn't stop laughing. Characters from the Crack'd Pot Trail crew are also featured, and engage in their own twisted hijinks. Erikson is just an expert in shenanigans, I don't know how else to put it.
It struck me while reading this one that the novellas are the perfect foil for the main series. Whereas the main series encompasses themes of compassion, the novellas cover themes of greed and ruthlessness, like some dark mirror-image. Which, of course, is fun to indulge in from a satirical point of view.
“Convenient, wouldn’t you say, that our kingdom borders a xenophobic but wealthy mountain empire of unhuman lizard people?”
lisafrench's review
dark
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
mark87's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-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
5.0
frankoamericain's review
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
norunn's review
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0