The first volume of the Malazan Book of the Fallen series.  The expansionist Malazan Empire has set it's ruthless sights on the city of Darujhistan.  However, this is no simple military operation, as immortals, gods and sorcerers all seek to advance their own Machiavellian plans.  Erikson is a little too ambitious with this first book of the Malazan series, bombarding us with numerous different orders of beings (humans, the immortal Tiste Andii, the undead Tlan Imass, gods, dragons and more), a new take on magic usage and a large cast of characters.  This proves to be a bit overwhelming at first and makes it harder to get into the story than if there had been less characters and less other information to absorb.  It is not until about halfway through the book that the various disparate threads begin to draw together, but if you do stick it out until then, you'll be rewarded.  Erikson has created some genuinely intriguing characters (even if some do have stupid names like Whiskeyjack and Tattersail) and you'll find yourself drawn into their individual stories as they all turn out to be more than they seem at first.  The story contines apace after the awakening of an ancient evil in the Gadrobi Hills, but does start to unravel slightly towards the end as the author tries to cram in a few more plotlines which are, ultimately, unnecessary.  So, not a perfect book, but still a good one and one which has encouraged me to continue reading the series.

4 out of 5

 

Deadhouse Gates

The second book of the Malazan series shifts to the lands of the Seven Cities where a potent rebellion against the Malazan Empire is rising.  There are three major plotlines in this book, as well as numerous minor ones, but they all split and reconverge regularly.  The first of the primary plotlines follows the plans of Fiddler and Kalam (characters introduced in the first book) as they plot to kill the Empress who outlawed them.  Then there is the story of Felisin, Heboric and Baudin, strangers who become slaves and are bound together in countless trials of survival.  The third major plotline follows the Imperial Historian Duiker as he is forced to observe the Whirlwind rebellion and then march alongside the beleagured forces of the Malaz 7th Army.  It was this latter plotline that held me best, as the ruthless and strange new commander Coltaine undertakes an impossible fighting retreat in order to save the lives of thousands of refugees.  Ultimately, it is the bitter tragedy of this storyline which makes for the book's greatest element.  That is not to say that the other plot threads aren't hugely enjoyable, which they most assuredly are.  This book far exceeds it's predecessor but if I had to point out a downside to it, it would simply be that, once again, Erikson bombards us with a bit too much new information to take in at first.

5 out of 5

'He came shambling into Judgement Round from the Avenue of Souls, a misshapen mass of flies.'

Then I imagine you'd enjoy the works of George R. R. Martin.

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