A review by bdesmond
Blood Follows by Steven Erikson
4.0
I'm back in the Malazan world! And boy does it feel good. The Bauchelain and Korbal Broach novellas have been on my radar since I finished the main series, but I was waiting for the right time to fit them in. Obviously, I've begun. It was the Fall gloom that did it, I think. The subject matter of this story (and I believe the novellas at large) is rather grim, following as they do the necromancer Bauchelain, and his eunuch associate Korbal Broach. Those who have read the main Malazan series will remember them from the third book, Memories of Ice.
Now. It seems like some folks that read these were expecting more of the same, as far as the main series goes. Expectations of that variety would be a mistake. Blood Follows, and, one assumes, the tales that follow it, are lighter in substance that the main books, if not lighter in tone.
Our story this time takes place on the island of Theft, in the city of Moll; affectionately referred to as Lamentable Moll by most of its residents. That moniker makes sense right from the get-go, as we get our first look at Lamentable Moll in all its barrow-filled, downtrodden glory. It turns out that a killer is on the loose in Moll. Eleven nights running, eleven victims, and no witnesses. No souls, either. Thus the scene is set for our little novella. Malazan fans will also recognize Emancipor Reese, recently out of a job seeing as how his last three employers each were one of the unfortunate eleven. And Hood's new herald isn't exactly the gig he's after. Sergeant Guld, a new character, is our other main POV, and his is the unfortunate job of tracking down the killer.
This was a promising start to the novellas. I found myself enjoying it even more than expected. In fact, I was between four and five stars on my rating, and of course reserve the right to modify that later. I felt right at home with the story, as Erikson displays the witty banter and excellent dialogue that I love so much, and some trademark dark humor throughout. I think he picked a good set of characters to follow for a narrower scope series like this, and I'm excited to see where it goes next.
Now. It seems like some folks that read these were expecting more of the same, as far as the main series goes. Expectations of that variety would be a mistake. Blood Follows, and, one assumes, the tales that follow it, are lighter in substance that the main books, if not lighter in tone.
Our story this time takes place on the island of Theft, in the city of Moll; affectionately referred to as Lamentable Moll by most of its residents. That moniker makes sense right from the get-go, as we get our first look at Lamentable Moll in all its barrow-filled, downtrodden glory. It turns out that a killer is on the loose in Moll. Eleven nights running, eleven victims, and no witnesses. No souls, either. Thus the scene is set for our little novella. Malazan fans will also recognize Emancipor Reese, recently out of a job seeing as how his last three employers each were one of the unfortunate eleven. And Hood's new herald isn't exactly the gig he's after. Sergeant Guld, a new character, is our other main POV, and his is the unfortunate job of tracking down the killer.
This was a promising start to the novellas. I found myself enjoying it even more than expected. In fact, I was between four and five stars on my rating, and of course reserve the right to modify that later. I felt right at home with the story, as Erikson displays the witty banter and excellent dialogue that I love so much, and some trademark dark humor throughout. I think he picked a good set of characters to follow for a narrower scope series like this, and I'm excited to see where it goes next.