What do you think?
Rate this book
Malazan Book of the Fallen #3
Memories of Ice
The ravaged continent of Genabackis is a terrifying new empire, the Pannion Domin, that devours all. An uneasy allliance resists: Onearm's army, Whiskeyjack's Bridgeburners and former enemies - forces of Warlord Caladan Brood, Anomander Rake and his Tiste Andii mages, and the Rhivi people of the plains. And the Crippled God intends revenge.
925 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 6, 2001
About the author
Steven Erikson
133 books13.9k followersSteven Erikson is the pseudonym of Steve Rune Lundin, a Canadian novelist, who was educated and trained as both an archaeologist and anthropologist. His best-known work is the series, the Malazan Book of the Fallen.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/steven...
http://us.macmillan.com/author/steven...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,825 reviews
March 28, 2021
I have a Booktube channel now! Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/petrikleo
A peerless and jaw-dropping epic installment; I consider myself damn lucky to have witnessed this powerfully evocative tale.
I’ve stated that it’s mandatory to read at least two books of the series in order to truly find out whether you’ll love this series or not. I retract that statement now and change it to three books instead. Trust me, if you don’t love Memories of Ice, you might as well drop the series now. And that’s okay because no series can work for everyone. Honestly speaking, I had a bit of doubt about the series, but this incredibly mesmerizing installment has convinced me to finally become a fan of the series.
Picture: Memories of Ice by Marc Simonetti
Unlike Deadhouse Gates where the story featured almost completely new characters in a new setting, Memories of Ice is more of a direct sequel to the first book: Gardens of the Moon. The events in this book take place around the same time with Deadhouse Gates, and this time, it continues from where Gardens of the Moon left off. Focusing on the Pannion War, the majority of the characters from the first book once again returned as the main characters here, and the setting returns to Genabackis. When it comes to the plot structure, Memories of Ice can be considered relatively simple. The plot structure utilized building-up to the big battle at the halfway point of the book, then the pace slows down and Erikson repeats the structure by building up the story once again to reach the monumental climax sequences. Memories of Ice, for whatever reason, felt easier to digest than Deadhouse Gates. This doesn’t mean that the world-building, lore, and history were any less complex or detailed; this is Malazan Book of the Fallen, and complexity is its charm. However, all the revelations and information in this book just seeped into my brain easier. Maybe Erikson’s prose here has improved, or maybe I’m just more used to the series by now; all I know is that it worked wonderfully.
It’s both amazing and shocking that despite everything that has transpired in Memories of Ice, there are still seven books left in the series to read. Memories of Ice shows just how destructive humanity can be through the devastation wrought by their actions. Echoes of deaths trail the paths of mankind; their power may be severely lacking compared to the Ascendants and other creatures, but their thirst for greed, hatred, and tyranny excel above everything. This of course doesn’t mean Memories of Ice is a completely dark book; I found Deadhouse Gates to be much bleaker in tone. In this installment, Erikson made sure to display that beneath humanity’s capability for violence, they also have compassion, love, and friendship that goes a long way toward balancing things out, and that’s something I truly appreciate.
The world-building was once again stupendous. Things foreshadowed in the previous two books are unraveled gradually with mind-blowing revelations and implications. The importance of the Deck of Dragons continues to delightfully surprise me. Erikson’s background as an archeologist and anthropologist bleeds into the world-building and characterizations here. Right from the insanely epic prologue, Memories of Ice exhibited how events from hundreds of thousands of years have the power to greatly affect the present timeline.
Erikson never stops introducing a lot of new characters within each book; you have to understand that developing patience with the character’s development is a practically crucial requirement to enjoy the series. Here’s the thing, Erikson doesn’t waste characters; all of the characters he added into the series so far are integral to the series. There were a lot of amazing scenes and characters in Memories of Ice, and it is honestly insane that Erikson was able to give every one of them a distinct voice and personality. Most importantly, each character’s POV was super engaging and compelling to read. For example, two of the many new characters introduced in this book—Gruntle and Itkovian—started out as okay characters here. By the end of this book, the two of them stand tall in the list of my favorite fantasy characters. Their development was stunning, and the actions they did were inspiring. Erikson has truly improved in his characterizations, and the development that all the characters went through in this installment alone deserves sublime recognition. The multitude of characters and their emotionally-packed interactions with each other have the power to make you invested in their fates.
Picture: K'Chain Che'Malle by J.K. Drummond
I’ve read only his first three books, but I must say that this is Erikson’s prose at its best so far. The prologue itself will immediately show you a glimpse of how well-written this book is. Every sentence has tremendous weight; the prose demanded my absolute attention, and I was very pleased to give in to that demand. The prose was poetic, elegant, engaging, and memorable; I found the images conjured by Erikson’s prose to be so vivid, and I’m sure this story will stick with me for a long time.
Admittedly, I struggled with the Barghast storyline in Part II of the novel during my first read; during this point, I was genuinely having doubts on whether this series would be for me or not. Fortunately, I was proven completely wrong by the incredibly well-paced second half of the novel. And I should note that during my reread, thie Barghast sections were much more intriguing. Usually, when I have issues with the book I’m reading, I tend to refrain from giving it a full 5 stars rating. However, not only am I giving this book a full 5 stars rating, I would actually give Memories of Ice a 6 out of 5 stars rating if I could. If I’m not mistaken, there has only been one other exception before this book where I gave this kind of praise despite the issues I had with the book, and it was for Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson. It all comes down to the last 20% of the book; this is where Erikson unleashed his skill as a storyteller to carve a bloody path to your heart with his superb characterizations, palpable tension-building, and exhilaratingly epic action sequences.
Picture: Memories of Ice by J. K. Drummond
I’m talking about cinematic set pieces of immensely epic proportions with catastrophic results; every character out of every race played essential parts during the climax sequences. I was transfixed by the gathering of massive armies of vast power, and the limitless convergence was undoubtedly fantastic. I mean it, this is truly epic in both scope and execution. Once I’ve finished reading the book, the mini-epilogue then proceed to seal the deal that I’ve just read one of the most epic and finest epic fantasy books of all time.
I’m going to bask in my memories of this book for possibly the rest of my life. Not only this is the best book in the series so far, this has also become one of my favorite books of all time. Memories of Ice is deeply impactful and irreplaceable in content. It’s an epic tale of enormous proportion that could only be delivered by a masterclass fantasy author; Steven Erikson is definitely one such writer. Out of every book I’ve read, there are currently less than ten books on my “Masterpieces” shelf, and Memories of Ice is a welcome addition to that list. I’m completely floored and astounded by the greatness that Erikson has created with this installment. The experience of reading Memories of Ice has been frozen inside my brain, and not even Elsa has the power to let it go.
You can order the book from: Book Depository (Free shipping) | Bookshop (Support Local Bookstores!)
You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions
Special thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!
My Patrons: Alfred, Alya, Annabeth, Ben, Blaise, Devin, Diana, Edward, Ellen, Gary, Hamad, Helen, Jimmy Nutts, Joie, Lufi, Melinda, Mike, Miracle, Nicholas, Sarah, Seth, Shaad, Summer, Zoe.
A peerless and jaw-dropping epic installment; I consider myself damn lucky to have witnessed this powerfully evocative tale.
I’ve stated that it’s mandatory to read at least two books of the series in order to truly find out whether you’ll love this series or not. I retract that statement now and change it to three books instead. Trust me, if you don’t love Memories of Ice, you might as well drop the series now. And that’s okay because no series can work for everyone. Honestly speaking, I had a bit of doubt about the series, but this incredibly mesmerizing installment has convinced me to finally become a fan of the series.
Picture: Memories of Ice by Marc Simonetti
Unlike Deadhouse Gates where the story featured almost completely new characters in a new setting, Memories of Ice is more of a direct sequel to the first book: Gardens of the Moon. The events in this book take place around the same time with Deadhouse Gates, and this time, it continues from where Gardens of the Moon left off. Focusing on the Pannion War, the majority of the characters from the first book once again returned as the main characters here, and the setting returns to Genabackis. When it comes to the plot structure, Memories of Ice can be considered relatively simple. The plot structure utilized building-up to the big battle at the halfway point of the book, then the pace slows down and Erikson repeats the structure by building up the story once again to reach the monumental climax sequences. Memories of Ice, for whatever reason, felt easier to digest than Deadhouse Gates. This doesn’t mean that the world-building, lore, and history were any less complex or detailed; this is Malazan Book of the Fallen, and complexity is its charm. However, all the revelations and information in this book just seeped into my brain easier. Maybe Erikson’s prose here has improved, or maybe I’m just more used to the series by now; all I know is that it worked wonderfully.
“And perhaps that is the final, most devastating truth. The gods care nothing for ascetic impositions on mortal behaviour. Care nothing for rules of conduct, for the twisted morals of temple priests and monks. Perhaps indeed they laugh at the chains we wrap around ourselves – our endless, insatiable need to find flaws within the demands of life. Or perhaps they do not laugh, but rage at us. Perhaps our denial of life’s celebration is our greatest insult to those whom we worship and serve.”
It’s both amazing and shocking that despite everything that has transpired in Memories of Ice, there are still seven books left in the series to read. Memories of Ice shows just how destructive humanity can be through the devastation wrought by their actions. Echoes of deaths trail the paths of mankind; their power may be severely lacking compared to the Ascendants and other creatures, but their thirst for greed, hatred, and tyranny excel above everything. This of course doesn’t mean Memories of Ice is a completely dark book; I found Deadhouse Gates to be much bleaker in tone. In this installment, Erikson made sure to display that beneath humanity’s capability for violence, they also have compassion, love, and friendship that goes a long way toward balancing things out, and that’s something I truly appreciate.
“We humans do not understand compassion. In each moment of our lives, we betray it. Aye, we know of its worth, yet in knowing we then attach to it a value, we guard the giving of it, believing it must be earned, T’lan Imass. Compassion is priceless in the truest sense of the world. It must be given freely. In abundance.”
The world-building was once again stupendous. Things foreshadowed in the previous two books are unraveled gradually with mind-blowing revelations and implications. The importance of the Deck of Dragons continues to delightfully surprise me. Erikson’s background as an archeologist and anthropologist bleeds into the world-building and characterizations here. Right from the insanely epic prologue, Memories of Ice exhibited how events from hundreds of thousands of years have the power to greatly affect the present timeline.
”The heart of wisdom is tolerance.”
Erikson never stops introducing a lot of new characters within each book; you have to understand that developing patience with the character’s development is a practically crucial requirement to enjoy the series. Here’s the thing, Erikson doesn’t waste characters; all of the characters he added into the series so far are integral to the series. There were a lot of amazing scenes and characters in Memories of Ice, and it is honestly insane that Erikson was able to give every one of them a distinct voice and personality. Most importantly, each character’s POV was super engaging and compelling to read. For example, two of the many new characters introduced in this book—Gruntle and Itkovian—started out as okay characters here. By the end of this book, the two of them stand tall in the list of my favorite fantasy characters. Their development was stunning, and the actions they did were inspiring. Erikson has truly improved in his characterizations, and the development that all the characters went through in this installment alone deserves sublime recognition. The multitude of characters and their emotionally-packed interactions with each other have the power to make you invested in their fates.
Picture: K'Chain Che'Malle by J.K. Drummond
I’ve read only his first three books, but I must say that this is Erikson’s prose at its best so far. The prologue itself will immediately show you a glimpse of how well-written this book is. Every sentence has tremendous weight; the prose demanded my absolute attention, and I was very pleased to give in to that demand. The prose was poetic, elegant, engaging, and memorable; I found the images conjured by Erikson’s prose to be so vivid, and I’m sure this story will stick with me for a long time.
Admittedly, I struggled with the Barghast storyline in Part II of the novel during my first read; during this point, I was genuinely having doubts on whether this series would be for me or not. Fortunately, I was proven completely wrong by the incredibly well-paced second half of the novel. And I should note that during my reread, thie Barghast sections were much more intriguing. Usually, when I have issues with the book I’m reading, I tend to refrain from giving it a full 5 stars rating. However, not only am I giving this book a full 5 stars rating, I would actually give Memories of Ice a 6 out of 5 stars rating if I could. If I’m not mistaken, there has only been one other exception before this book where I gave this kind of praise despite the issues I had with the book, and it was for Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson. It all comes down to the last 20% of the book; this is where Erikson unleashed his skill as a storyteller to carve a bloody path to your heart with his superb characterizations, palpable tension-building, and exhilaratingly epic action sequences.
Picture: Memories of Ice by J. K. Drummond
I’m talking about cinematic set pieces of immensely epic proportions with catastrophic results; every character out of every race played essential parts during the climax sequences. I was transfixed by the gathering of massive armies of vast power, and the limitless convergence was undoubtedly fantastic. I mean it, this is truly epic in both scope and execution. Once I’ve finished reading the book, the mini-epilogue then proceed to seal the deal that I’ve just read one of the most epic and finest epic fantasy books of all time.
“The harder the world, the fiercer the honor.”
I’m going to bask in my memories of this book for possibly the rest of my life. Not only this is the best book in the series so far, this has also become one of my favorite books of all time. Memories of Ice is deeply impactful and irreplaceable in content. It’s an epic tale of enormous proportion that could only be delivered by a masterclass fantasy author; Steven Erikson is definitely one such writer. Out of every book I’ve read, there are currently less than ten books on my “Masterpieces” shelf, and Memories of Ice is a welcome addition to that list. I’m completely floored and astounded by the greatness that Erikson has created with this installment. The experience of reading Memories of Ice has been frozen inside my brain, and not even Elsa has the power to let it go.
You can order the book from: Book Depository (Free shipping) | Bookshop (Support Local Bookstores!)
You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions
Special thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!
My Patrons: Alfred, Alya, Annabeth, Ben, Blaise, Devin, Diana, Edward, Ellen, Gary, Hamad, Helen, Jimmy Nutts, Joie, Lufi, Melinda, Mike, Miracle, Nicholas, Sarah, Seth, Shaad, Summer, Zoe.
February 3, 2019
Dearest Rake,
Omg! My husband has arrived!
I love him ❤️
****
GOD! I freaking loved this book so much! It was so much better than the first two! They just keep getting better and better. Although, I do know there is a book coming up that I am dreading.
I fall more in love with these characters every time I read about them. We are finally back to where we started in the first book with the characters I know. Now a couple of peeps came from the second book but not too much. I'm guessing they are all going to be together at some point if they don't all die before then.
I really loved the character of Silverfox. She was brought back from someone that died in the first book. I'm not saying anything else about that though.
And we all know I loved Rake being back in the book. But those are not the only characters. Whiskeyjack, Picker, Blend, Dujek, Quick Ben... ugg there are just so many. You can't help but fall in love with them and this story. At least I can't.
The ending was freaking sad! Jesus, I know that he's going to make all of the books have sad endings and we are going to lose so many more of the people that we love. But then again, some do come back but not necessarily as who they were before. I don't know. I do know that Mr. Erikson can break a heart and he's going to keep breaking mine until it's totally gone.
I'm so happy that I found this series through my friends on Goodreads though!
Happy Reading!
Mel ♥
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
AMAZON: REVIEW
Omg! My husband has arrived!
The Tiste Andii had gathered into a silent ring around the central clearing, awaiting the arrival of their master.
The black, silver-maned dragon emerged from the darkness overhead like a piece of night torn loose, flowing down to settle with a soft crunch of talons in the plain's stony soil. The huge, terrible beast blurred even as it landed, with a warm flow of spice-laden air swirling out to all sides as the sembling drew the dragon's shape inward. A moment later the Son of Darkness stood, cloaked, framed by the gouged tracks of the dragon's front talons, his slightly epicanthic eyes glimmering dull bronze as he surveyed his kin
I love him ❤️
The sword, yet more than the sword. Dragnipur in the hands of cold justice, cold and unhuman. Anomander Rake, the only one among us whose presence sparks fear in Kallor's eyes . . . the only one . . . except it seems, for Silverfox - for my daughter. What might Kallor fear most, if not an alliance between the Son of Darkness and Silverfox?
Kallor's voice boomed. 'Anomander Rake! I seek your clearest vision-I seek the justice of your sword-allow none to sway you with sentiment, and that includes Korlat, who would now whisper urgent in your ear!'
The Son of Darkness, a lone brow raised, slowly turned to regard the High King. 'What else, Kallor,' he said in a low, calm voice, 'keeps my blade from your black heart . . . if not for sentiment?'
****
'This strides too close a path to the Crippled God for it to be accidental, Rake. The Chained One's poison is that of Chaos, after all.'
'Aye,' Rake smiled. 'Curious, isn't it? I think there can be no questions of who is using whom--'
'Maybe.'
'Dealing with the Pannion Domin will present us with formidable challenges.'
Brood grimaced, 'As the child insisted, we will need help.'
The Son of Darkness frowned. 'Explain, please.'
'The T'lan Imass, friend. The undead armies are coming.'
The Tiste Andii's face darkened. 'Is this Dujek Onearm's contributions, then?'
'No, the child. Silverfox. She is a flesh and blood Bonecaster, the first in a long, long time.'
'Tell me of her.'
The warlord did, at length, and when he was done there was silence in the tent.
GOD! I freaking loved this book so much! It was so much better than the first two! They just keep getting better and better. Although, I do know there is a book coming up that I am dreading.
I fall more in love with these characters every time I read about them. We are finally back to where we started in the first book with the characters I know. Now a couple of peeps came from the second book but not too much. I'm guessing they are all going to be together at some point if they don't all die before then.
I really loved the character of Silverfox. She was brought back from someone that died in the first book. I'm not saying anything else about that though.
And we all know I loved Rake being back in the book. But those are not the only characters. Whiskeyjack, Picker, Blend, Dujek, Quick Ben... ugg there are just so many. You can't help but fall in love with them and this story. At least I can't.
The ending was freaking sad! Jesus, I know that he's going to make all of the books have sad endings and we are going to lose so many more of the people that we love. But then again, some do come back but not necessarily as who they were before. I don't know. I do know that Mr. Erikson can break a heart and he's going to keep breaking mine until it's totally gone.
I'm so happy that I found this series through my friends on Goodreads though!
Happy Reading!
Mel ♥
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
AMAZON: REVIEW
November 30, 2023
My head and heart are still struggling to digest this book. But the parts I can fathom.... simply MINDBLOWING!!
Final Rating: 4.8/5 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕
Wow, where to start with this one? The magnitude of this book (and the entire series) is both astounding and also a bit overwhelming. It's hard to tell if Erikson's writing has gotten better or if I've just become more used to his world (and thus understand what is going on), to be able to fully dive in and enjoy the journey. At least now, I can see why this series is so highly acclaimed and considered a landmark in fantasy literature. This has to be one of the best books I've ever read! I've said before that these books aren't for the faint of heart, and that remains true. But unlike the first two (in my opinion), this book is absolutely worth the effort!
World Building: 5/5
Erikson's world-building in "Memories of Ice" is genuinely epic. As in Homer's Odyssey epic - the scope and grandeur is just unparalleled in anything I've read before. His expertise as an anthropologist is evident in every facet of this richly detailed universe. The magic system is particularly imaginative, rooted in the concept of Warrens, which are akin to parallel dimensions, each with unique properties like fire, ice, or shadow. This intricate system adds a compelling layer to the narrative.
The book's portrayal of diverse cultures and civilizations is meticulously crafted, lending a sense of authenticity and vastness to the world. Erikson skillfully intertwines mythology and history within the story, enriching the narrative with themes of ancient conflicts, the ebb and flow of empires, and the intricate interplay between gods and mortals.
Trake - the Tiger of Summer and Battle
Moreover, the complex political and social dynamics within the book add a layer of depth and intrigue. The shifting alliances, unexpected betrayals, and the constant flux of power dynamics make the storyline as captivating in its political maneuvering as it is in its physical confrontations. Overall, "Memories of Ice" presents a world that is as multifaceted and engaging as its plot, immersing readers in a vast, magical landscape.
Morn, mourning
Characterisations: 5/5
If you think the world-building in "Memories of Ice" is amazing, the characterizations will blow you away. They're phenomenal, lifting the story well above the norm for epic fantasy. Erikson crafts his characters not as mere pawns in a grand tale but as fully realized individuals, each with their own complex backstories, motivations, and emotions. I usually don't delve deep into characters, but it's hard not to here:
Quick Ben tops my list of favorites. This savvy and enigmatic mage impresses not just with his powerful sorcery but with his cunning intellect and mysterious past (which unfolds intriguingly in this book). His interactions with both allies and foes showcase a master of magic, wit, and strategy. Quick Ben's ability to maneuver through the complex politics and dangers of the Malazan world, all while maintaining his humor and moral ambiguity, makes him incredibly engaging.
Quick Ben
Then there's Whiskeyjack and the entire Bridgeburner unit. They're more than just soldiers; they're a family, tempered in the fires of conflict. Their loyalty, courage against overwhelming odds, and deeply human reactions to both the horrors and camaraderie of war make them stand out vividly in Erikson's vividly crafted world.
Itkovian, the Shield Anvil, adds another layer of profound depth and humanity. His role as the bearer of others' pain and suffering introduces a unique spiritual dimension. His selfless commitment to healing others' emotional wounds, often at a great personal cost, is both moving and thought-provoking. Itkovian's narrative is a poignant exploration of compassion and redemption.
Gruntle
Together with a diverse and richly drawn cast (I could have written about 10 more characters that I loved in this), these characters elevate this beyond typical epic fantasy. Erikson's talent for character development ensures these characters are not just part of the story but integral, fully fleshed-out individuals. The depth and nuance of these characterizations are key to making "Memories of Ice" a standout work in its genre.
Story: 5/5
Narratively this is a masterclass in complex storytelling. But the emphasis needs to be on the word "complex." Erikson skillfully interweaves multiple storylines, ranging from the grandeur of epic warfare between the Malazan Empire and the Pannion Domin to intimate, personal tales of loss and courage. This blend of large-scale battles and deeply personal journeys keeps the story grounded and emotionally engaging. Reader beware though: this book is DARRRRK! Grewsome doesn't even really cover it.
“Kallor shrugged. '[...] I have walked this land when the T'lan Imass were but children. I have commanded armies a hundred thousand strong. I have spread the fire of my wrath across entire continents, and sat alone upon tall thrones. Do you grasp the meaning of this?'
'Yes,' [said Caladan Brood.] 'You never learn.”
Erikson's narrative is replete with unexpected twists that are intricately woven into the fabric of the plot, driven by the characters' diverse and complex motivations. These plot twists keep the reader on their toes, adding layers of depth to the story. Moreover, the novel delves into profound themes like morality and the nature of power, explored through its rich cast of characters. This philosophical depth, coupled with the seamless merging of multiple plot threads, makes "Memories of Ice" not just a compelling read but a standout in the epic fantasy genre... If you're struggling with the first part, just wait until the last 200 pages. They are truly amazing!
Prose: 4/5
For me this is where we hit the first and only road bump of this review. On one hand, his writing is undeniably rich and textured. He weaves poetic and powerful descriptions that vividly bring to life the landscapes, battles, and characters of the Malazan world. His ability to shift between grand, sweeping narratives and intimate, character-driven moments is impressive, adding a dynamic quality to the storytelling.
“We humans do not understand compassion. In each moment of our lives, we betray it. Aye, we know of its worth, yet in knowing we then attach to it a value, we guard the giving of it, believing it must be earned, T’lan Imass. Compassion is priceless in the truest sense of the word. It must be given freely. In abundance.”
However, there are moments when this richness in prose (even with a lot more understanding) feels overwhelming. The dense and elaborate style makes the reading experience more challenging than it needs to be in my opinion. In other words, it feels like Erikson could have conveyed the same story with the same raw emotion and beauty, with a much more streamlined approach. This is especially apparent in the earlier stages of the book, where the complexity and philosophical musings (while appreciated) really impacts some of the pacing of the book, with certain sections dragging under the weight of too much description or exposition.
“The heart of wisdom is tolerance.”
Enjoyment: 5/5
I cried. I laughed. My mind was blown. Really, what more can you ask from a book? I'd say anyone sizing up the Malazan series should at least get through this book before deciding. Based on my experience, the first two books might leave you feeling overwhelmed, confused, and exhausted. But trust me, the payoff after finishing the third book is incredibly worth it. I absolutely loved this book, even though I didn't fully grasp everything. And that's exactly why I want to go back and read it all over again - though maybe I'll wait a few years before diving back in, haha.
Final Rating: 4.8/5 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕
Malazan Book of the Fallen Series :
Book 1. Gardens of the Moon - (My Review) [3.9/5]
Book 2. Deadhouse Gates - (My Review) [3.6/5]
My favourite books of 2023 in preferential order
🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕:
1. The Shadow of the Gods - (My Review)
2. The Grace of Kings - (My Review)
3. The Lies of Locke Lamora
4. The Forgetting Moon - (My Review)
5. Memories of Ice - (My Review)
6. The Justice of Kings - (My Review)
7. Kings of the Wyld - (My Review)
🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗:
8. Morning Star - (My Review)
9. The Blade Itself - (My Review)
10. Tress of the Emerald Sea - (My Review)
11. Red Seas Under Red Skies - (My Review)
12. The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World
13. Empire of the Vampire - (My Review)
14. Assassin's Apprentice - (My Review)
15. Malice - (My Review)
16. Golden Son
🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑:
17. Leviathan Wakes - (My Review)
18. The Winter King - (My Review)
19. Of Blood and Fire - (My Review)
20. Gardens of the Moon - (My Review)
🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑:
21. Deadhouse Gates - (My Review)
🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑:
22. The Song of Achilles - (My Review)
23. Red Sister - (My Review)
24. The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England - Babel: An Arcane History - (My Review)
Final Rating: 4.8/5 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕
Wow, where to start with this one? The magnitude of this book (and the entire series) is both astounding and also a bit overwhelming. It's hard to tell if Erikson's writing has gotten better or if I've just become more used to his world (and thus understand what is going on), to be able to fully dive in and enjoy the journey. At least now, I can see why this series is so highly acclaimed and considered a landmark in fantasy literature. This has to be one of the best books I've ever read! I've said before that these books aren't for the faint of heart, and that remains true. But unlike the first two (in my opinion), this book is absolutely worth the effort!
World Building: 5/5
Erikson's world-building in "Memories of Ice" is genuinely epic. As in Homer's Odyssey epic - the scope and grandeur is just unparalleled in anything I've read before. His expertise as an anthropologist is evident in every facet of this richly detailed universe. The magic system is particularly imaginative, rooted in the concept of Warrens, which are akin to parallel dimensions, each with unique properties like fire, ice, or shadow. This intricate system adds a compelling layer to the narrative.
The book's portrayal of diverse cultures and civilizations is meticulously crafted, lending a sense of authenticity and vastness to the world. Erikson skillfully intertwines mythology and history within the story, enriching the narrative with themes of ancient conflicts, the ebb and flow of empires, and the intricate interplay between gods and mortals.
Trake - the Tiger of Summer and Battle
Moreover, the complex political and social dynamics within the book add a layer of depth and intrigue. The shifting alliances, unexpected betrayals, and the constant flux of power dynamics make the storyline as captivating in its political maneuvering as it is in its physical confrontations. Overall, "Memories of Ice" presents a world that is as multifaceted and engaging as its plot, immersing readers in a vast, magical landscape.
Morn, mourning
Characterisations: 5/5
If you think the world-building in "Memories of Ice" is amazing, the characterizations will blow you away. They're phenomenal, lifting the story well above the norm for epic fantasy. Erikson crafts his characters not as mere pawns in a grand tale but as fully realized individuals, each with their own complex backstories, motivations, and emotions. I usually don't delve deep into characters, but it's hard not to here:
Quick Ben tops my list of favorites. This savvy and enigmatic mage impresses not just with his powerful sorcery but with his cunning intellect and mysterious past (which unfolds intriguingly in this book). His interactions with both allies and foes showcase a master of magic, wit, and strategy. Quick Ben's ability to maneuver through the complex politics and dangers of the Malazan world, all while maintaining his humor and moral ambiguity, makes him incredibly engaging.
Quick Ben
Then there's Whiskeyjack and the entire Bridgeburner unit. They're more than just soldiers; they're a family, tempered in the fires of conflict. Their loyalty, courage against overwhelming odds, and deeply human reactions to both the horrors and camaraderie of war make them stand out vividly in Erikson's vividly crafted world.
Itkovian, the Shield Anvil, adds another layer of profound depth and humanity. His role as the bearer of others' pain and suffering introduces a unique spiritual dimension. His selfless commitment to healing others' emotional wounds, often at a great personal cost, is both moving and thought-provoking. Itkovian's narrative is a poignant exploration of compassion and redemption.
Gruntle
Together with a diverse and richly drawn cast (I could have written about 10 more characters that I loved in this), these characters elevate this beyond typical epic fantasy. Erikson's talent for character development ensures these characters are not just part of the story but integral, fully fleshed-out individuals. The depth and nuance of these characterizations are key to making "Memories of Ice" a standout work in its genre.
Story: 5/5
Narratively this is a masterclass in complex storytelling. But the emphasis needs to be on the word "complex." Erikson skillfully interweaves multiple storylines, ranging from the grandeur of epic warfare between the Malazan Empire and the Pannion Domin to intimate, personal tales of loss and courage. This blend of large-scale battles and deeply personal journeys keeps the story grounded and emotionally engaging. Reader beware though: this book is DARRRRK! Grewsome doesn't even really cover it.
“Kallor shrugged. '[...] I have walked this land when the T'lan Imass were but children. I have commanded armies a hundred thousand strong. I have spread the fire of my wrath across entire continents, and sat alone upon tall thrones. Do you grasp the meaning of this?'
'Yes,' [said Caladan Brood.] 'You never learn.”
Erikson's narrative is replete with unexpected twists that are intricately woven into the fabric of the plot, driven by the characters' diverse and complex motivations. These plot twists keep the reader on their toes, adding layers of depth to the story. Moreover, the novel delves into profound themes like morality and the nature of power, explored through its rich cast of characters. This philosophical depth, coupled with the seamless merging of multiple plot threads, makes "Memories of Ice" not just a compelling read but a standout in the epic fantasy genre... If you're struggling with the first part, just wait until the last 200 pages. They are truly amazing!
Prose: 4/5
For me this is where we hit the first and only road bump of this review. On one hand, his writing is undeniably rich and textured. He weaves poetic and powerful descriptions that vividly bring to life the landscapes, battles, and characters of the Malazan world. His ability to shift between grand, sweeping narratives and intimate, character-driven moments is impressive, adding a dynamic quality to the storytelling.
“We humans do not understand compassion. In each moment of our lives, we betray it. Aye, we know of its worth, yet in knowing we then attach to it a value, we guard the giving of it, believing it must be earned, T’lan Imass. Compassion is priceless in the truest sense of the word. It must be given freely. In abundance.”
However, there are moments when this richness in prose (even with a lot more understanding) feels overwhelming. The dense and elaborate style makes the reading experience more challenging than it needs to be in my opinion. In other words, it feels like Erikson could have conveyed the same story with the same raw emotion and beauty, with a much more streamlined approach. This is especially apparent in the earlier stages of the book, where the complexity and philosophical musings (while appreciated) really impacts some of the pacing of the book, with certain sections dragging under the weight of too much description or exposition.
“The heart of wisdom is tolerance.”
Enjoyment: 5/5
I cried. I laughed. My mind was blown. Really, what more can you ask from a book? I'd say anyone sizing up the Malazan series should at least get through this book before deciding. Based on my experience, the first two books might leave you feeling overwhelmed, confused, and exhausted. But trust me, the payoff after finishing the third book is incredibly worth it. I absolutely loved this book, even though I didn't fully grasp everything. And that's exactly why I want to go back and read it all over again - though maybe I'll wait a few years before diving back in, haha.
Final Rating: 4.8/5 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕
Malazan Book of the Fallen Series :
Book 1. Gardens of the Moon - (My Review) [3.9/5]
Book 2. Deadhouse Gates - (My Review) [3.6/5]
My favourite books of 2023 in preferential order
🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕:
1. The Shadow of the Gods - (My Review)
2. The Grace of Kings - (My Review)
3. The Lies of Locke Lamora
4. The Forgetting Moon - (My Review)
5. Memories of Ice - (My Review)
6. The Justice of Kings - (My Review)
7. Kings of the Wyld - (My Review)
🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗:
8. Morning Star - (My Review)
9. The Blade Itself - (My Review)
10. Tress of the Emerald Sea - (My Review)
11. Red Seas Under Red Skies - (My Review)
12. The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World
13. Empire of the Vampire - (My Review)
14. Assassin's Apprentice - (My Review)
15. Malice - (My Review)
16. Golden Son
🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑:
17. Leviathan Wakes - (My Review)
18. The Winter King - (My Review)
19. Of Blood and Fire - (My Review)
20. Gardens of the Moon - (My Review)
🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑:
21. Deadhouse Gates - (My Review)
🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑:
22. The Song of Achilles - (My Review)
23. Red Sister - (My Review)
24. The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England - Babel: An Arcane History - (My Review)
May 29, 2018
*** 4.85 ***
Second time around even better than the first!!! What was I thinking! This deserves to be rounded up to 5 stars!!! But the pain.... Just as painful and potent as the first time!
__________________________________
*** 4.35 ***
A buddy read with my family and friends at BB&B! Because we love Fantasy and are a bit of masochists too...
"..."And the fact remained, whatever games the gods played, it was hard-working dirt-poor bastards like him who suffered for it.”..."
Epic Fantasy of this scope deserves a better reviewer than me... I get so overwhelmed not only by the plot-lines and multitude of emotions the cast of characters brings on, but from the experience as a whole, that I loose the ability to break everything down in a logical and concise way. Thus I usually give up and go with the emotions the book invoked in me rather than bungle my way through a real critique.
"..."The world is shaped like a beetle’s ball of dung, and it travels through a chilling void around the sun. The surface floats in pieces, on a sea of molten rock. Sometimes the pieces grind together. Sometimes they pull apart. Pulled and pushed by tides as the seas are pulled and pushed.”..."
The book does not seem that long when you look at the page count. 920 pages is a lot, but I tend to read books of this length in 2-3 days max and not even think about it. However, by this time we have become well acquainted with Steven Erikson's style of writing and it is as dense as they come, thus making the most of every page, not letting your mind wonder in moments of lull.. You don't even realize how much our brains count on those moments of slow-down and light content in books in order to process the information as a whole without feeling overwhelmed with data by the end. No wonder some of my fellow readers feel like they need to get a college credit after finishing every book n the series:):):) Well, despite the scope of the novel, Erikson has found a way to keep us involved in the lives of all sides of a conflicted alliance between very reluctant frenemies. However, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, becomes the basic stepping stone in this book. And just as in the book before, although in a very different way, death.... A lot of death....
"..."“Death and dying makes us into children once again, in truth, one last time, there in our final wailing cries. More than one philosopher has claimed that we ever remain children, far beneath the indurated layers that make up the armour of adulthood.”..."
Here in "Memories of Ice", we are back with the company of Dujek Onearm's Host, Whiskeyjack and Captain Paran with the Bridgeburners, making alliances with Caladan Brood with his army and the dubious Kallor, the Tiste Andii led by the ever awe-inspiring Anomander Rake, and a bunch of mercenary armies, all with the purpose of stopping the hungry, cannibalistic masses of the Pannion Domin, led by the Pannion Seer. The action is happening at the same time as the events form the previous book but on Genabackis instead of the Seven Cities. So, little communication exist between the Adjunct Army, the Malazans who are involved in the Storm of the Apocalypse, and our bedraggled host of Bridgeburners, apart from the delivery service which supplies both at an enormous cost but with mind-blowing ability!!!
"..."We humans do not understand compassion. In each moment of our lives, we betray it. Aye, we know of its worth, yet in knowing we then attach to it a value, we guard the giving of it, believing it must be earned. T’lan Imass. Compassion is priceless in the truest sense of the word. It must be given freely. In abundance.”..."
This book was easier to read, mostly because of our familiarity with the way SE tells a story and the return of well-liked characters from book 1. However, we have a ton of new and wonderfully enchanting characters, which I think made this book work. Lady Envy with her entourage were some of my new favorites, a very horny Barghast warrior lady, the Shield Anvil - a warrior with a heart full of empathy big enough to take the pain of many suffering souls, and a couple of female Bridgeburners who steal your heart with strength, banter and hidden vulnerability, which made me fall in love with both of them at the same time!!!! However, as far as old favorites go, this was the book where the true character of Whiskeyjack shone in all of its glory with its humanity, nobility and strength, while Kruppe was the light of the bunch and where SE shows his chops as a writer, in my humble opinion. I think if it was not for him and the ladies, this book would have been like a load-stone on your heart. However, those characters provided the much needed comic relief, as well as the humanity back in our allied army.
"..."Kruppe denies the existence of elusive complexity regarding self, worrisome wizard. Simplicity is Kruppe’s mistress – in joyful conspiracy with his dear wife, Truth, of course. Long and loyal in allegiance, this happy threesome”..."
We also get to learn a ton of background on some of the races and G-ds, while creating a much bigger and better picture of the world as a whole. We get a better understanding of the powers involved, although I am sure this is only the tip of the iceberg, and how they got to be the way they are. The Deck of Cards is also being established as much more than just a tool for fortune-telling or a game and one of our heroes is taking a prominent spot in its hierarchy. Silverfox and her T'lan Imass had an interesting plot-line and their relationship with the Barghast, Moranth, as well as the way they experience life after thousands of years of existence, is absolutely fascinating!!! Tool was wonderful as always, and i think some more earthly pleasures are going to be in his near future:):):)
"..."They were human once, these women. They lived in villages and towns no different from this one. They were wives and mothers, tending their homes and yard animals. They danced, and they wept, they were pious and respectful in propitiating the old gods. They lived normal lives.”..."
If I compare how this book differs from the one before it, I have to say it is in the attempt at having moments of light banter and glimpses of hope and humanity. In "Deadhouse Gates" we were battered by devastation, pain, helplessness, hopelessness, complete demoralization and strangulating depression which comes with the reality and cruel indifference of war. It was gut-wrenching, soul-stripping and left me with the feeling of hopeless bleak raw pain. While there we were shown the atrocities of war, here we see how in the name of faith and hope for any sort of salvation, we are capable of striping ourselves of our humanity, inflicting war on ourselves and once that is exhausted, on the rest of the world. The hungry, barely armed host of the Pannion Domin, throwing themselves as a mass on the well-trained and armed soldiers like devouring army ants, trying to eat their enemies in the midst of the battle, insane with huger and abuse, stripped to their most base instincts, will be for EVER tattooed on my mind as an example of complete dehumanization!!! However, we still get the other side of the coin in our very human Bridgeburners, Reeve, Barghast and other incidental characters, which keep the candle of hope and faith in humanity alive. This hope is what makes "Memories of Ice" an easier book to read and probably why, even with the tremendous losses we suffer among our favorite characters, many fans of the series have it as one of their favorite books. I personally had a much more visceral reaction to the DG, but I totally appreciated the change of mood, such as it is, in MoI. I actually laughed out loud during some of the conversation with Kruppe or the previously mentioned lady warriors and loved every second of it!!!
"...“War is not a natural state. It is an imposition, and a damned unhealthy one. With its rules, we willingly yield our humanity.”..."
So, if you love Epic Fantasy, or any military genres, and have some tolerance for heavier content with difficult at times imagery, but full of action and multitude of well-thought out plot-lines, as well as very memorable and compelling characters, this series is for you!!! It is not easy-going and there are no rainbows and fluffy clouds or coy romance, but there is a lot of substance and wonderful pay-off! It is not a perfect book, but it is oooo, so worth it:)
I wish you all Happy Reading and may you find what you NEED between the pages of a good BOOK!!!
Second time around even better than the first!!! What was I thinking! This deserves to be rounded up to 5 stars!!! But the pain.... Just as painful and potent as the first time!
__________________________________
*** 4.35 ***
A buddy read with my family and friends at BB&B! Because we love Fantasy and are a bit of masochists too...
"..."And the fact remained, whatever games the gods played, it was hard-working dirt-poor bastards like him who suffered for it.”..."
Epic Fantasy of this scope deserves a better reviewer than me... I get so overwhelmed not only by the plot-lines and multitude of emotions the cast of characters brings on, but from the experience as a whole, that I loose the ability to break everything down in a logical and concise way. Thus I usually give up and go with the emotions the book invoked in me rather than bungle my way through a real critique.
"..."The world is shaped like a beetle’s ball of dung, and it travels through a chilling void around the sun. The surface floats in pieces, on a sea of molten rock. Sometimes the pieces grind together. Sometimes they pull apart. Pulled and pushed by tides as the seas are pulled and pushed.”..."
The book does not seem that long when you look at the page count. 920 pages is a lot, but I tend to read books of this length in 2-3 days max and not even think about it. However, by this time we have become well acquainted with Steven Erikson's style of writing and it is as dense as they come, thus making the most of every page, not letting your mind wonder in moments of lull.. You don't even realize how much our brains count on those moments of slow-down and light content in books in order to process the information as a whole without feeling overwhelmed with data by the end. No wonder some of my fellow readers feel like they need to get a college credit after finishing every book n the series:):):) Well, despite the scope of the novel, Erikson has found a way to keep us involved in the lives of all sides of a conflicted alliance between very reluctant frenemies. However, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, becomes the basic stepping stone in this book. And just as in the book before, although in a very different way, death.... A lot of death....
"..."“Death and dying makes us into children once again, in truth, one last time, there in our final wailing cries. More than one philosopher has claimed that we ever remain children, far beneath the indurated layers that make up the armour of adulthood.”..."
Here in "Memories of Ice", we are back with the company of Dujek Onearm's Host, Whiskeyjack and Captain Paran with the Bridgeburners, making alliances with Caladan Brood with his army and the dubious Kallor, the Tiste Andii led by the ever awe-inspiring Anomander Rake, and a bunch of mercenary armies, all with the purpose of stopping the hungry, cannibalistic masses of the Pannion Domin, led by the Pannion Seer. The action is happening at the same time as the events form the previous book but on Genabackis instead of the Seven Cities. So, little communication exist between the Adjunct Army, the Malazans who are involved in the Storm of the Apocalypse, and our bedraggled host of Bridgeburners, apart from the delivery service which supplies both at an enormous cost but with mind-blowing ability!!!
"..."We humans do not understand compassion. In each moment of our lives, we betray it. Aye, we know of its worth, yet in knowing we then attach to it a value, we guard the giving of it, believing it must be earned. T’lan Imass. Compassion is priceless in the truest sense of the word. It must be given freely. In abundance.”..."
This book was easier to read, mostly because of our familiarity with the way SE tells a story and the return of well-liked characters from book 1. However, we have a ton of new and wonderfully enchanting characters, which I think made this book work. Lady Envy with her entourage were some of my new favorites, a very horny Barghast warrior lady, the Shield Anvil - a warrior with a heart full of empathy big enough to take the pain of many suffering souls, and a couple of female Bridgeburners who steal your heart with strength, banter and hidden vulnerability, which made me fall in love with both of them at the same time!!!! However, as far as old favorites go, this was the book where the true character of Whiskeyjack shone in all of its glory with its humanity, nobility and strength, while Kruppe was the light of the bunch and where SE shows his chops as a writer, in my humble opinion. I think if it was not for him and the ladies, this book would have been like a load-stone on your heart. However, those characters provided the much needed comic relief, as well as the humanity back in our allied army.
"..."Kruppe denies the existence of elusive complexity regarding self, worrisome wizard. Simplicity is Kruppe’s mistress – in joyful conspiracy with his dear wife, Truth, of course. Long and loyal in allegiance, this happy threesome”..."
We also get to learn a ton of background on some of the races and G-ds, while creating a much bigger and better picture of the world as a whole. We get a better understanding of the powers involved, although I am sure this is only the tip of the iceberg, and how they got to be the way they are. The Deck of Cards is also being established as much more than just a tool for fortune-telling or a game and one of our heroes is taking a prominent spot in its hierarchy. Silverfox and her T'lan Imass had an interesting plot-line and their relationship with the Barghast, Moranth, as well as the way they experience life after thousands of years of existence, is absolutely fascinating!!! Tool was wonderful as always, and i think some more earthly pleasures are going to be in his near future:):):)
"..."They were human once, these women. They lived in villages and towns no different from this one. They were wives and mothers, tending their homes and yard animals. They danced, and they wept, they were pious and respectful in propitiating the old gods. They lived normal lives.”..."
If I compare how this book differs from the one before it, I have to say it is in the attempt at having moments of light banter and glimpses of hope and humanity. In "Deadhouse Gates" we were battered by devastation, pain, helplessness, hopelessness, complete demoralization and strangulating depression which comes with the reality and cruel indifference of war. It was gut-wrenching, soul-stripping and left me with the feeling of hopeless bleak raw pain. While there we were shown the atrocities of war, here we see how in the name of faith and hope for any sort of salvation, we are capable of striping ourselves of our humanity, inflicting war on ourselves and once that is exhausted, on the rest of the world. The hungry, barely armed host of the Pannion Domin, throwing themselves as a mass on the well-trained and armed soldiers like devouring army ants, trying to eat their enemies in the midst of the battle, insane with huger and abuse, stripped to their most base instincts, will be for EVER tattooed on my mind as an example of complete dehumanization!!! However, we still get the other side of the coin in our very human Bridgeburners, Reeve, Barghast and other incidental characters, which keep the candle of hope and faith in humanity alive. This hope is what makes "Memories of Ice" an easier book to read and probably why, even with the tremendous losses we suffer among our favorite characters, many fans of the series have it as one of their favorite books. I personally had a much more visceral reaction to the DG, but I totally appreciated the change of mood, such as it is, in MoI. I actually laughed out loud during some of the conversation with Kruppe or the previously mentioned lady warriors and loved every second of it!!!
"...“War is not a natural state. It is an imposition, and a damned unhealthy one. With its rules, we willingly yield our humanity.”..."
So, if you love Epic Fantasy, or any military genres, and have some tolerance for heavier content with difficult at times imagery, but full of action and multitude of well-thought out plot-lines, as well as very memorable and compelling characters, this series is for you!!! It is not easy-going and there are no rainbows and fluffy clouds or coy romance, but there is a lot of substance and wonderful pay-off! It is not a perfect book, but it is oooo, so worth it:)
I wish you all Happy Reading and may you find what you NEED between the pages of a good BOOK!!!
February 6, 2020
The harder the world, the fiercer the honour.
This in-world quote succinctly explained why Memories of Ice is one of my favourite volumes of my favourite grimdark epic fantasy series. It is the reason why I even read grimdark in the first place, given that I am so easily assailed by emotions that one wonders why I willingly put myself through such heartbreak. So bear with me throughout this series when I keep waxing lyrical about how humanity manifests its most awe-inspiring qualities in the face of relentless hardship and horrors of a world ravaged by conflict.
As Deadhouse Gates dealt with the rise of the Seven Cities rebellion, Memories of Ice was about the events that happened concurrently back on Genabackis as Dujek Onearm's Host with Whiskeyjack and Captain Paran with his Bridgeburners turned towards the threat of the Pannion Domin, a rising empire sweeping up from the southern reaches of the continent. Where two previously opposing armies now turned allies - the renegade Malazans and the mercenary armies of Caladan Brood, who was backed by the ever mysterious Tiste Andii and their lord, Anomander Rake; a gathering of possibly the world's most powerful and dangerous.
Being a trained archaeologist and anthropologist, Erikson's capacity for worldbuilding with deep and complex history was showcased in full glory. The book opened with a Prologue of events which took place aeons ago. To be exact, part I of the Prologue was dated almost three hundred thousand years before humans walked on this world. These pivotal events had culminated in the seemingly many-faced war that afflicts the current world. Ancient wrongs that led to broken and powerful beings that now feed on the poison of vengeance. And after a hundred thousand years, an ancient god had finally awakened to face the rising threat of the Crippled God that may devour all of mankind and ascendants alike. The Deck of Dragons was also much more than what it seemed, and with a portentous change caused by some strange convergence of powers and events, an unwitting and reluctant mortal had been chosen to play a crucial role in this game of gods and ascendants.
A Malazan book usually takes me twice as long to read as compared to another fantasy of similar length. This one, in particular, was really dense with so much to take in; from all the foreshadowing to the revelations, to the amazing battle scenes, and the empathetic development of a vast cast of characters. However, Erikson's writing and narrative skills seem to be improving as we move from one book to the other and in spite of the density of the overarching plot, Memories of Ice was easier to appreciate than its predecessors.
While there were more new characters being introduced yet again, we have familiar and favourite faces from Gardens of the Moon which made the connection to the story significantly smoother. The characters, both new and old, were absolutely compelling in the portrayal of humankind at its best. Within the Pannion Domin led by the Seer, was manifested in stark brutality, the ugly side of humanity when faced with an all-consuming need, one which is the most primal of all. The first big battle evinced the fragility of mortality but in direct contrast, we also see the sheer resiliency of mere mortals sworn and committed to protect their own. And those who were singular in their courage driven by grief and loss from the mindless deaths that accompanied such savagery.
Amidst this bloody campaign against the Pannion Seer, the storylines of a few notable characters were the most captivating. Firstly, that of unlikely new friendships forged between mortals and almost immortals. One of which was a bond forged through the burdens and unspoken grief that both had lived through, no matter the disparity of its length in which it was borne; the other by a shared path and unexpected compassion.
From such a chance contact, also rose an improbable but beautiful love story within the newly allied armies. The improbability was not so much because of the different camps from which the two lovers sprung from, but because of the different lifespan and nature of their respective people. A love between a human and a long-lived being who has lived through so many years of despair that her race was given to apathy for over a millennium.
Mortals, which can bring gods and godlike beings to their very knees. The story of Itkovian, the Shield Anvil of Fener, was one which brought me to mine as it did for tens of thousands with his boundless and unfathomable capacity for compassion. To make right yet another ancient wrong.
Well, I am just about done as to continue regaling about all the grim yet touching and inspiring storylines in this book will just be too much for a review. Suffice to say that even with the stupendous tale of the Chain of Dogs in Deadhouse Gates, Erikson successfully followed through with another superior instalment in Malazan Book of the Fallen. The climactic sequence in Memories of Ice was epic, relentless, emotionally powerful and tragic. Even though this was a reread, I was not insensate to the heartbreaks that Erikson seemed to love subjecting his readers to.
Just as readers of Malazan Book of the Fallen need to fashion armour for their hearts. Preferably in adamantium or vibranium. (Oh sorry, wrong series/genre.)
You can purchase the book from Book Depository (Free Shipping).
You can find this and my other reviews at Novel Notions.
This in-world quote succinctly explained why Memories of Ice is one of my favourite volumes of my favourite grimdark epic fantasy series. It is the reason why I even read grimdark in the first place, given that I am so easily assailed by emotions that one wonders why I willingly put myself through such heartbreak. So bear with me throughout this series when I keep waxing lyrical about how humanity manifests its most awe-inspiring qualities in the face of relentless hardship and horrors of a world ravaged by conflict.
As Deadhouse Gates dealt with the rise of the Seven Cities rebellion, Memories of Ice was about the events that happened concurrently back on Genabackis as Dujek Onearm's Host with Whiskeyjack and Captain Paran with his Bridgeburners turned towards the threat of the Pannion Domin, a rising empire sweeping up from the southern reaches of the continent. Where two previously opposing armies now turned allies - the renegade Malazans and the mercenary armies of Caladan Brood, who was backed by the ever mysterious Tiste Andii and their lord, Anomander Rake; a gathering of possibly the world's most powerful and dangerous.
Being a trained archaeologist and anthropologist, Erikson's capacity for worldbuilding with deep and complex history was showcased in full glory. The book opened with a Prologue of events which took place aeons ago. To be exact, part I of the Prologue was dated almost three hundred thousand years before humans walked on this world. These pivotal events had culminated in the seemingly many-faced war that afflicts the current world. Ancient wrongs that led to broken and powerful beings that now feed on the poison of vengeance. And after a hundred thousand years, an ancient god had finally awakened to face the rising threat of the Crippled God that may devour all of mankind and ascendants alike. The Deck of Dragons was also much more than what it seemed, and with a portentous change caused by some strange convergence of powers and events, an unwitting and reluctant mortal had been chosen to play a crucial role in this game of gods and ascendants.
A Malazan book usually takes me twice as long to read as compared to another fantasy of similar length. This one, in particular, was really dense with so much to take in; from all the foreshadowing to the revelations, to the amazing battle scenes, and the empathetic development of a vast cast of characters. However, Erikson's writing and narrative skills seem to be improving as we move from one book to the other and in spite of the density of the overarching plot, Memories of Ice was easier to appreciate than its predecessors.
While there were more new characters being introduced yet again, we have familiar and favourite faces from Gardens of the Moon which made the connection to the story significantly smoother. The characters, both new and old, were absolutely compelling in the portrayal of humankind at its best. Within the Pannion Domin led by the Seer, was manifested in stark brutality, the ugly side of humanity when faced with an all-consuming need, one which is the most primal of all. The first big battle evinced the fragility of mortality but in direct contrast, we also see the sheer resiliency of mere mortals sworn and committed to protect their own. And those who were singular in their courage driven by grief and loss from the mindless deaths that accompanied such savagery.
The Siege of Capustan
Amidst this bloody campaign against the Pannion Seer, the storylines of a few notable characters were the most captivating. Firstly, that of unlikely new friendships forged between mortals and almost immortals. One of which was a bond forged through the burdens and unspoken grief that both had lived through, no matter the disparity of its length in which it was borne; the other by a shared path and unexpected compassion.
"With the proper perspective, even a mortal life can seem long. Fulfilling. What I contemplate at the moment is the nature of happenstance. Men and women, who for a time, find themselves walking in step, on parallel paths. Whose lifes brush close, howsoever briefly, and are so changed by the chance contact."
From such a chance contact, also rose an improbable but beautiful love story within the newly allied armies. The improbability was not so much because of the different camps from which the two lovers sprung from, but because of the different lifespan and nature of their respective people. A love between a human and a long-lived being who has lived through so many years of despair that her race was given to apathy for over a millennium.
A heart, once of stone, made mortal once more.
Mortals, which can bring gods and godlike beings to their very knees. The story of Itkovian, the Shield Anvil of Fener, was one which brought me to mine as it did for tens of thousands with his boundless and unfathomable capacity for compassion. To make right yet another ancient wrong.
I am the Shield Anvil. I am Fener's grief. I am the world's grief. And I will hold. I will hold it all, for we are not yet done.
Well, I am just about done as to continue regaling about all the grim yet touching and inspiring storylines in this book will just be too much for a review. Suffice to say that even with the stupendous tale of the Chain of Dogs in Deadhouse Gates, Erikson successfully followed through with another superior instalment in Malazan Book of the Fallen. The climactic sequence in Memories of Ice was epic, relentless, emotionally powerful and tragic. Even though this was a reread, I was not insensate to the heartbreaks that Erikson seemed to love subjecting his readers to.
Soldiers are issued armour for their flesh and bones, but they must fashion their own for their souls. Piece by piece.
Just as readers of Malazan Book of the Fallen need to fashion armour for their hearts. Preferably in adamantium or vibranium. (Oh sorry, wrong series/genre.)
You can purchase the book from Book Depository (Free Shipping).
You can find this and my other reviews at Novel Notions.
September 2, 2014
'This one was so good it makes Deadhouse Gates look like Gardens of the Moon.'
Memories of Ice was the strongest instalment in this series so far, which is high praise indeed. It tells the sweeping tale of a clash of gods, filled with epic battles, complex schemes and brutal violence. This book can at times be dark and unforgiving, as much so as any ‘grimdark’ I’ve read. However Erikson brilliantly balances this out with heroism and courage. This contrast makes the merciless account of human tragedy all the more heart-wrenching and the moments of hope and humour all the more uplifting.
The plot of this book could easily be seen as traditional fantasy. A disparate group of allies are brought together to halt the bloody expansion of an evil empire with a mysterious, malignant entity pulling the strings in the background. However this is entirely its own story. Sometimes tropes are subverted, other times the scope and nuance of this story take a familiar plot-point in an incredible direction. One of my favourite things about this book was how the villains were written to be sympathetic and complex. In the previous books, especially the Chain of Dogs storyline (as awesome as it was), villains were often 2-D. In this book we see that even villains can be victims.
Both this book's ability to make tropes it's own and to make villains complex and sympathetic were perhaps best illustrated by the ‘Crippled God’, the main antagonist of this book and possibly the series to come. He could have easily fallen into the Sauron/ Dark One mould of being a generic, vague force of evil. Instead his backstory explored the tragedy of his ‘fall’, how he was forced against his will by ambitious mortals to become a weapon against their enemies and how his suffering has twisted him into the being of malevolence he is. It also serves to highlight a recurring theme throughout this book; amidst their vast, ambitious plots even the gods can be brought low by mere mortals.
Perhaps the most important part of this book was the unflinching study of war. We see war from almost every angle and level, the schemes of the gods that set these wars in motion, the generals who plan the campaigns and perhaps most importantly the soldiers who fight and die on the battlefields. We also get an insight into the day-to-day lives of these soldiers. Lives that are filled with nail-biting tension, brutal violence and bleak, gallows humour. Something that bothered me about the world-building in this one (although it was present in the previous books as well it wasn’t focused on nearly as much) was the role of women in the military. It was noted at one point that about half the Malazan army was made up of women but this was never really explored. While large numbers of female warriors might make sense for the Tiste Andii (immortal demon-sorcerors) or the T’lan Imass (undead warriors who don’t want to eat your brains) it seems extremely strange given the technological and cultural similarities between the human civilisations in this world and in real life. Throughout most of human history, almost every culture has imposed a lot of barriers preventing women from becoming warriors. The fact that this has been glossed over so perfunctorily in this book both undermines the world-building and ignores a really interesting dynamic that could have been explored some more (although we do see a bit of it with the Capan women being recruited by the Grey Swords). While Erikson had seemingly the perfect opportunity to explore this issue with Picker’s POVs I was also somewhat glad he didn’t try to overburden those sections (which were some of my favourites in this book) dealing with such a complex issue. I loved Picker’s parts because it gave the reader an insight into how a ‘grunt’ views great events. Unlike almost every other character Erikson writes, Picker was not a ridiculously OP demi-god, instead she was just a tough, smart, experienced soldier. I really liked this contrast and her sections really helped to ground the story and keep things in perspective.
The massive cast of characters in this one was a great mix of new faces and old favourites from GoTM. There stories weave together brilliantly and (with the possible exception of the Mhybe’s) they were all compelling and well-paced throughout. Whiskeyjack’s storyline provided some of the most profound shock and tragedy in this book while also providing some of the most uplifting moments. His affection for the people under his command, his friendship with Rake and his relationship with Korlat were all touching, and provided some great moments. While I didn’t much like him in GoTM I thought Paran was much better-written in this one. His struggles to earn the respect of the Bridgeburners and to understand his role in the ongoing magical meta-conflict were really compelling. Itkovian was a new character in this one and he proved an integral and compelling part of the story. Along with his fellow Grey Swords he provided some of this book’s most interesting world building (especially about the complex relationship between gods and their followers) and most sweeping tragedy
This book can often be dense and inaccessible, with pages of complex schemes and world-building stretching back thousands of years, but the intense action scenes more than make up for it. Erikson shows no mercy in his brutal accounts and his willingness to kill off important and beloved characters makes these scenes all the more tense. Fortunately there are also moments of humour to help with the tension of battle and the Machiavellian complexity of the plot. From the Rhivi tribesman and the Mott Irregulars feuding over piles of dung to the banter between Stonny and Gruntle and the easy camaraderie of the Bridgeburmers there are enough moments of humour, either dry or absurdist, to keep this story from becoming too heavy.
Overall this was a great continuation to a series that now has me well and truly hooked. I’m really excited to read more of this series and I hope Erikson will be able to live up to the high expectations he’s set for himself with the books in this series so far.
Memories of Ice was the strongest instalment in this series so far, which is high praise indeed. It tells the sweeping tale of a clash of gods, filled with epic battles, complex schemes and brutal violence. This book can at times be dark and unforgiving, as much so as any ‘grimdark’ I’ve read. However Erikson brilliantly balances this out with heroism and courage. This contrast makes the merciless account of human tragedy all the more heart-wrenching and the moments of hope and humour all the more uplifting.
The plot of this book could easily be seen as traditional fantasy. A disparate group of allies are brought together to halt the bloody expansion of an evil empire with a mysterious, malignant entity pulling the strings in the background. However this is entirely its own story. Sometimes tropes are subverted, other times the scope and nuance of this story take a familiar plot-point in an incredible direction. One of my favourite things about this book was how the villains were written to be sympathetic and complex. In the previous books, especially the Chain of Dogs storyline (as awesome as it was), villains were often 2-D. In this book we see that even villains can be victims.
Both this book's ability to make tropes it's own and to make villains complex and sympathetic were perhaps best illustrated by the ‘Crippled God’, the main antagonist of this book and possibly the series to come. He could have easily fallen into the Sauron/ Dark One mould of being a generic, vague force of evil. Instead his backstory explored the tragedy of his ‘fall’, how he was forced against his will by ambitious mortals to become a weapon against their enemies and how his suffering has twisted him into the being of malevolence he is. It also serves to highlight a recurring theme throughout this book; amidst their vast, ambitious plots even the gods can be brought low by mere mortals.
Perhaps the most important part of this book was the unflinching study of war. We see war from almost every angle and level, the schemes of the gods that set these wars in motion, the generals who plan the campaigns and perhaps most importantly the soldiers who fight and die on the battlefields. We also get an insight into the day-to-day lives of these soldiers. Lives that are filled with nail-biting tension, brutal violence and bleak, gallows humour. Something that bothered me about the world-building in this one (although it was present in the previous books as well it wasn’t focused on nearly as much) was the role of women in the military. It was noted at one point that about half the Malazan army was made up of women but this was never really explored. While large numbers of female warriors might make sense for the Tiste Andii (immortal demon-sorcerors) or the T’lan Imass (undead warriors who don’t want to eat your brains) it seems extremely strange given the technological and cultural similarities between the human civilisations in this world and in real life. Throughout most of human history, almost every culture has imposed a lot of barriers preventing women from becoming warriors. The fact that this has been glossed over so perfunctorily in this book both undermines the world-building and ignores a really interesting dynamic that could have been explored some more (although we do see a bit of it with the Capan women being recruited by the Grey Swords). While Erikson had seemingly the perfect opportunity to explore this issue with Picker’s POVs I was also somewhat glad he didn’t try to overburden those sections (which were some of my favourites in this book) dealing with such a complex issue. I loved Picker’s parts because it gave the reader an insight into how a ‘grunt’ views great events. Unlike almost every other character Erikson writes, Picker was not a ridiculously OP demi-god, instead she was just a tough, smart, experienced soldier. I really liked this contrast and her sections really helped to ground the story and keep things in perspective.
The massive cast of characters in this one was a great mix of new faces and old favourites from GoTM. There stories weave together brilliantly and (with the possible exception of the Mhybe’s) they were all compelling and well-paced throughout. Whiskeyjack’s storyline provided some of the most profound shock and tragedy in this book while also providing some of the most uplifting moments. His affection for the people under his command, his friendship with Rake and his relationship with Korlat were all touching, and provided some great moments. While I didn’t much like him in GoTM I thought Paran was much better-written in this one. His struggles to earn the respect of the Bridgeburners and to understand his role in the ongoing magical meta-conflict were really compelling. Itkovian was a new character in this one and he proved an integral and compelling part of the story. Along with his fellow Grey Swords he provided some of this book’s most interesting world building (especially about the complex relationship between gods and their followers) and most sweeping tragedy
This book can often be dense and inaccessible, with pages of complex schemes and world-building stretching back thousands of years, but the intense action scenes more than make up for it. Erikson shows no mercy in his brutal accounts and his willingness to kill off important and beloved characters makes these scenes all the more tense. Fortunately there are also moments of humour to help with the tension of battle and the Machiavellian complexity of the plot. From the Rhivi tribesman and the Mott Irregulars feuding over piles of dung to the banter between Stonny and Gruntle and the easy camaraderie of the Bridgeburmers there are enough moments of humour, either dry or absurdist, to keep this story from becoming too heavy.
Overall this was a great continuation to a series that now has me well and truly hooked. I’m really excited to read more of this series and I hope Erikson will be able to live up to the high expectations he’s set for himself with the books in this series so far.
October 28, 2019
Epilogue: Iced me over. And then melted me to the very marrow of my bones.*
Chapter 25: The shadow of Black Coral over the Itkovian’s gift. When vengeance is not enough. Never enough.
Chapter 24: Impossible! No… No way! Cannot be… Not him biting the ice…
Chapter 23: Mott Irregulars. Let’s cheer for all the Marshals. And the Bole brothers. And please, can we meet the Bole sister?
Chapter 22: Lost memories. The power of what once we were. Of what could have been. Beware of walking on thin ice.
Chapter 21: Itkovian is not yet done. Not yet done. Oh, we will cut no ice with him.
Chapter 20: Why are the only inspected agents at the war table not ascending themselves? This is the question that bothers me the most.
Chapter 19: For the record, I was always team Jaghut not Imass but even my heart aches for this whole genocidal undead race so yearning for oblivion.
Chapter 18: Humans cannot be controlled. Learn the lesson, gods and godlings.
Chapter 17: Hello, Capustan. The Bridgeburners have arrived.
Chapter 16: The Tenescowri unleashed. Note to prospective reader: Do not attempt this chapter during lunch break.
Chapter 15: It takes one than oneblow shot to have Kruppe hammered. Ha!
Chapter 14: Capustan’s Child Standard is the most terrifying epitome of war.
Chapter 13: Revelation: Whiskeyjack is human (and this is when he is at his deadliest capacity)!
Chapter 12: Toc, just remember. Just please hold on to memories.
Chapter 11: Bridgeburners’ insanity warms my soul.
Chapter 10: When I read “we must make the impossible possible” I know that the chain of dogs trauma is about to repeat and that I should invest in a coffin for my poor heart grieving for Itkovian.
Chapter 9: Toc, stop flirting with Envy, she will just Rake you over old coals.
Chapter 8: The story of the first bridges burned did shift my soul.
Chapter 7: Among the various swords, the Grey ones surely do stand out. Although not as formidable as the punitive army of threehundred thousand musketeers. Yup, just three.
Chapter 6: You should be aware that trying to pick one thing from each chapter is like trying to pick the one raisin from a rich pudding.
Chapter 5: Kruppe friend, from now on I intend to take you to all the high management meetings.
Chapter 4: Of all the things to do, why don’t we just steal a heavy table out of the main command tent? (Even order needs freedom).
Chapter 3: To beak-strap the Crone matriarch! The sheer audacity of it!
Chapter 2: A new card, a new Deck and indeed a whole new game. I keep thinking it might becrippled rigged from the start.
Chapter 1: I am very happy to see Mancy (not so much the accompanying necro) and already feel younger being able to play the Tic Tac Toc again.
Prologue: When gods converge and circle like vultures it is never a good sign.
* I am not going to even pretend that I could in any way give a pale shadow of justice to this book or indeed a whole series in a proper review. There are many better than me here on Goodreads (and many of those I'm lucky to have among my friends), who managed to grasp and convey the sheer brilliance of what awaits those who open the Malazan Book of the Fallen. All I can give you is a chapter breakdown of my own meltdown.
The Malazan Book of the Fallen:
1. Gardens of the Moon ★★★★★
2. Deadhouse Gates ★★★★★
4. House of Chains ★★★★★
5. Midnight Tides ★★★★★
6. The Bonehunters ★★★★★
7. Reaper's Gale ★★★★☆
8. Toll the Hounds
9. Dust of Dreams ★★★☆☆ (and the third star is a testament to my generosity)
10. The Crippled God ★★☆☆☆
Chapter 25: The shadow of Black Coral over the Itkovian’s gift. When vengeance is not enough. Never enough.
Chapter 24: Impossible! No… No way! Cannot be… Not him biting the ice…
Chapter 23: Mott Irregulars. Let’s cheer for all the Marshals. And the Bole brothers. And please, can we meet the Bole sister?
Chapter 22: Lost memories. The power of what once we were. Of what could have been. Beware of walking on thin ice.
Chapter 21: Itkovian is not yet done. Not yet done. Oh, we will cut no ice with him.
Chapter 20: Why are the only inspected agents at the war table not ascending themselves? This is the question that bothers me the most.
Chapter 19: For the record, I was always team Jaghut not Imass but even my heart aches for this whole genocidal undead race so yearning for oblivion.
Chapter 18: Humans cannot be controlled. Learn the lesson, gods and godlings.
Chapter 17: Hello, Capustan. The Bridgeburners have arrived.
Chapter 16: The Tenescowri unleashed. Note to prospective reader: Do not attempt this chapter during lunch break.
Chapter 15: It takes one than one
Chapter 14: Capustan’s Child Standard is the most terrifying epitome of war.
Chapter 13: Revelation: Whiskeyjack is human (and this is when he is at his deadliest capacity)!
Chapter 12: Toc, just remember. Just please hold on to memories.
Chapter 11: Bridgeburners’ insanity warms my soul.
Chapter 10: When I read “we must make the impossible possible” I know that the chain of dogs trauma is about to repeat and that I should invest in a coffin for my poor heart grieving for Itkovian.
Chapter 9: Toc, stop flirting with Envy, she will just Rake you over old coals.
Chapter 8: The story of the first bridges burned did shift my soul.
Chapter 7: Among the various swords, the Grey ones surely do stand out. Although not as formidable as the punitive army of three
Chapter 6: You should be aware that trying to pick one thing from each chapter is like trying to pick the one raisin from a rich pudding.
Chapter 5: Kruppe friend, from now on I intend to take you to all the high management meetings.
Chapter 4: Of all the things to do, why don’t we just steal a heavy table out of the main command tent? (Even order needs freedom).
Chapter 3: To beak-strap the Crone matriarch! The sheer audacity of it!
Chapter 2: A new card, a new Deck and indeed a whole new game. I keep thinking it might be
Chapter 1: I am very happy to see Mancy (not so much the accompanying necro) and already feel younger being able to play the Tic Tac Toc again.
Prologue: When gods converge and circle like vultures it is never a good sign.
* I am not going to even pretend that I could in any way give a pale shadow of justice to this book or indeed a whole series in a proper review. There are many better than me here on Goodreads (and many of those I'm lucky to have among my friends), who managed to grasp and convey the sheer brilliance of what awaits those who open the Malazan Book of the Fallen. All I can give you is a chapter breakdown of my own meltdown.
The Malazan Book of the Fallen:
1. Gardens of the Moon ★★★★★
2. Deadhouse Gates ★★★★★
4. House of Chains ★★★★★
5. Midnight Tides ★★★★★
6. The Bonehunters ★★★★★
7. Reaper's Gale ★★★★☆
8. Toll the Hounds
9. Dust of Dreams ★★★☆☆ (and the third star is a testament to my generosity)
10. The Crippled God ★★☆☆☆
January 6, 2019
18.06.2018. Re-read thoughts:
When it comes to traditional fantasy, for me, Tolkien is unparalleled and nothing comes close to The Lord of the Rings. Middle Earth is an unique world, with rich history and various races, cultures and mysteries. And when it comes to modern fantasy, or to be more precise, modern epic/high fantasy, Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen sits on an uncontested throne with Memories of Ice as its crown.
Original review:
Memories of Ice is the third installment of the Malazan Book of the Fallen and it is, like its predecessor, a direct continuation of the Gardens of the Moon storyline. We are, once again, on the continent of Genabackis where we are reunited with a lot of great characters like Whiskeyjack, Quick Ben, Kruppe, Paran, Caladan Brood and His Epicness, Anomander Rake. We follow their precarious alliance as they march into war against an empire known as the Pannion Domin. As we follow them, we also meet a lot of new characters because Erikson likes to throw more players in the mix and spice things up. At first, I was overwhelmed with so many new additions but as story flowed, and with a little help from Tor's Malazan re-read, I managed to get a hold of things and very much enjoyed the rest of the ride.
" Memory's so treacherous. One moment you're lost in a carnival of delights, with poignant childhood aromas, the flashing neon of puberty, all that sentimental candy-floss... the next, it leads you somewhere you don't want to go. Somewhere dark and cold, filled with the damp ambiguous shapes of things you'd hoped were forgotten. Memories can be vile, repulsive little brutes. Like children I suppose. But can we live without them? Memories are what our reason is based upon. If we can't face them, we deny reason itself! Although, why not? We aren't contractually tied down to rationality! There is no sanity clause! So when you find yourself locked onto an unpleasant train of thought, heading for the places in your past where the screaming is unbearable, remember there's always madness. Madness is the emergency exit… "
This is a quote from the Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and you are probably wondering how is this related to this book. Well, I could have quoted something from the book itself because it has an abundance of great and powerful quotes but that would spoil your experience while going through those scenes yourself because you will be astonished by the impact they will leave on you. So, back to that quote. Memories are a big theme in this book and a lot of characters actions are driven by them, for better and for worse. When you dig deep beyond the main plot you realize that this is something more than just a war story, this is a convergence of actions from thousands of years ago and memories and consequences of those actions are shaping the world today.
There is one character who reminded me the most of that quote and that is the leader of the Pannion Domin but again, I can't explain more without spoiling the book for you but I hope that those of you who have read it will get what I was trying to say. *fingers crossed*
When I was done with the Deadhouse Gates I found it to be the most brutal and soul crushing book I've ever read and this one comes as a close second. There are a lot of tragedies hitting our beloved characters and this may sound a bit morbid but there is some poetic beauty in those tragedies that makes this series what it is.
Don't worry, this book isn't depressing as my review so far made it to be and I'm sorry if you got that impression. Yes, there are tragedies and horrible deaths (it's a war story, after all) but there are also a plethora of things that will keep you entertained; gripping story, amazing twists, character interaction (especially the Bridgeburners), comic relief moments and the most epic battles you can imagine that would look spectacular on screen. The way Erikson writes those battles will make you feel like you're right in the middle of them, like a Malazan virtual reality but without the headset.
" If at the end of a war story you feel uplifted, or if you feel that some small bit of rectitude has been salvaged from the larger waste, then you have been made the victim of a very old and terrible lie. There is no rectitude whatsoever. There is no virtue. As a first rule of thumb, therefore, you can tell a true war story by its absolute and uncompromising allegiance to obscenity and evil. " – Tim O'Brien
This story won't make you feel uplifted but it will touch you and leave an unforgettable impression on you that will make you cherish the whole experience and that is the beauty of Malazan.
When it comes to traditional fantasy, for me, Tolkien is unparalleled and nothing comes close to The Lord of the Rings. Middle Earth is an unique world, with rich history and various races, cultures and mysteries. And when it comes to modern fantasy, or to be more precise, modern epic/high fantasy, Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen sits on an uncontested throne with Memories of Ice as its crown.
Original review:
Memories of Ice is the third installment of the Malazan Book of the Fallen and it is, like its predecessor, a direct continuation of the Gardens of the Moon storyline. We are, once again, on the continent of Genabackis where we are reunited with a lot of great characters like Whiskeyjack, Quick Ben, Kruppe, Paran, Caladan Brood and His Epicness, Anomander Rake. We follow their precarious alliance as they march into war against an empire known as the Pannion Domin. As we follow them, we also meet a lot of new characters because Erikson likes to throw more players in the mix and spice things up. At first, I was overwhelmed with so many new additions but as story flowed, and with a little help from Tor's Malazan re-read, I managed to get a hold of things and very much enjoyed the rest of the ride.
" Memory's so treacherous. One moment you're lost in a carnival of delights, with poignant childhood aromas, the flashing neon of puberty, all that sentimental candy-floss... the next, it leads you somewhere you don't want to go. Somewhere dark and cold, filled with the damp ambiguous shapes of things you'd hoped were forgotten. Memories can be vile, repulsive little brutes. Like children I suppose. But can we live without them? Memories are what our reason is based upon. If we can't face them, we deny reason itself! Although, why not? We aren't contractually tied down to rationality! There is no sanity clause! So when you find yourself locked onto an unpleasant train of thought, heading for the places in your past where the screaming is unbearable, remember there's always madness. Madness is the emergency exit… "
This is a quote from the Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and you are probably wondering how is this related to this book. Well, I could have quoted something from the book itself because it has an abundance of great and powerful quotes but that would spoil your experience while going through those scenes yourself because you will be astonished by the impact they will leave on you. So, back to that quote. Memories are a big theme in this book and a lot of characters actions are driven by them, for better and for worse. When you dig deep beyond the main plot you realize that this is something more than just a war story, this is a convergence of actions from thousands of years ago and memories and consequences of those actions are shaping the world today.
There is one character who reminded me the most of that quote and that is the leader of the Pannion Domin but again, I can't explain more without spoiling the book for you but I hope that those of you who have read it will get what I was trying to say. *fingers crossed*
When I was done with the Deadhouse Gates I found it to be the most brutal and soul crushing book I've ever read and this one comes as a close second. There are a lot of tragedies hitting our beloved characters and this may sound a bit morbid but there is some poetic beauty in those tragedies that makes this series what it is.
Don't worry, this book isn't depressing as my review so far made it to be and I'm sorry if you got that impression. Yes, there are tragedies and horrible deaths (it's a war story, after all) but there are also a plethora of things that will keep you entertained; gripping story, amazing twists, character interaction (especially the Bridgeburners), comic relief moments and the most epic battles you can imagine that would look spectacular on screen. The way Erikson writes those battles will make you feel like you're right in the middle of them, like a Malazan virtual reality but without the headset.
" If at the end of a war story you feel uplifted, or if you feel that some small bit of rectitude has been salvaged from the larger waste, then you have been made the victim of a very old and terrible lie. There is no rectitude whatsoever. There is no virtue. As a first rule of thumb, therefore, you can tell a true war story by its absolute and uncompromising allegiance to obscenity and evil. " – Tim O'Brien
This story won't make you feel uplifted but it will touch you and leave an unforgettable impression on you that will make you cherish the whole experience and that is the beauty of Malazan.
March 29, 2017
MoI is the third book in the epic series about Malazan. It’s really epic as I haven’t read any such other series with quite long books, so many characters and many plots/subplots. Moreover things are now really starting to make sense for me when I finished MoI! :D But I’m just a silly lass so don’t mind these words. You may feel different about the book :)
After a couple of weeks and about 900 pages in this book, I’m exhausted and depressed a bit. Hah, I’m not sure what I can write more about this book that hasn’t already been mentioned in other great reviews but I’ll try to reinvent the bicycle. This is really Erikson’s greatest book so far for me. It's definitely a great book, it blew my mind, it was interesting to read, no dragging long journeys which a bit annoyed me in earlier books. But the deaths……. Oh boy….. IDK, probably I read about too many of them :(
Ok, lets do this :)
Characters: MoI led me back to the continent of Genabackis where I followed my beloved Bridgeburners with Dujek One-Arm and Whiskeyjacks as my guides. I met them and some of other reappearing characters in previous books and it was so great to meet them again. The story has lots of dramatic moments and is definitely action-packed, especially concerning the battle scenes
As usual I became a bit teary while reading as Erikson fans really know that there won’t be any restrain in harvesting some faves, at the same time I was in awe how the author managed to weave the tale, making the characters so alive, lovable and forcing me to shudder at every attempt when I lost some. Also, while reading MoI, I got essential information regarding the past of some characters from earlier books and the flow of story left me speechless of how everything is entwined into several other significant plot-lines, while joining characters, history of the place, warrens into one exciting action-packed tale.
It was great to follow the several different characters in their journey. Erikson uses different POVs as he did in previous books, which was really great as I could experience everything from different perspectives. Also I found it easier to get adjusted to the story flow as there were longer sections devoted to each viewpoint.
Of course my favorite character in MoI stays Captain Paran ❤ Struggling to accept a new role and fighting severe battles inside and outside himself he was a bit annoying sometimes, but always surprising and lovable, especially seeing his growth as a character step by step.
What can I say, Captain P is not the only one who captured my heart in MoI. The great forming friendship between Mr. Bony and Tic Tac really melted my heart, as they didn’t get much attention in earlier books. The ending for them…..OMG..that was smth unbelievable and so unexpected for them, my jaw had literally dropped wide when reading about their fate.
Oh and a candy to James as promised ;) I was a bit annoyed when Erikson made one character disappear and even made me think that this person is dead! Thanks god this great character was returned :)
Narrative: Some stuff is explained in MoI, while continuing with the already familiar story. At the same time Erikson weaves brand new plot-lines, forms a bunch of new questions, tangles new mysteries and, of course, provides so many twists and turns that it’s not possible to remain indifferent to the story. Also, I was glad to find that with every book the story becomes better presented, at the same time not leaving the complexity and multilayerdness behind. This is so compelling and strange at the same time as from my small experience I have with epic fantasy, it’s quite rare for books after the first one to get better not only in worldbuilding but also in character development.
That’s how I imagine one of the places in the book :)
As usual I was a bit lost with tracking who’s who from the new characters, but nothing new to me as it was my curse with GotM :D Also there’s not much of exploration of new worlds/warrens, no romance (that’s probably good, if we don’t count savage amazons, using men for their needs
‘Fighting,' Gruntle muttered. 'What you enjoy the most.'
'Yes, but for now, I would ride you.'
Ride? More like batter me senseless. Ah, well . . . 'What man would say no to such an elegant offer?'
) and to my great grief I met some wonderful characters who were just quickly killed. If fact I doubt that there were so many deaths in earlier books and it’s quite depressing.
To sum up, I have double feelings for MoI. I think this book is the best I’ve ever read in epic fantasy. I liked the story. I know that this author likes to indicate some events using hints and small clues, hidden in the story and I like it that I have to figure it out as everything becomes clear only nearing the end. I just have difficulties to stomach all those deaths. For sure, I can’t deny that Erikson is probably the smartest and really skilled author whose books I had an opportunity to read.
After a couple of weeks and about 900 pages in this book, I’m exhausted and depressed a bit. Hah, I’m not sure what I can write more about this book that hasn’t already been mentioned in other great reviews but I’ll try to reinvent the bicycle. This is really Erikson’s greatest book so far for me. It's definitely a great book, it blew my mind, it was interesting to read, no dragging long journeys which a bit annoyed me in earlier books. But the deaths……. Oh boy….. IDK, probably I read about too many of them :(
Ok, lets do this :)
Characters: MoI led me back to the continent of Genabackis where I followed my beloved Bridgeburners with Dujek One-Arm and Whiskeyjacks as my guides. I met them and some of other reappearing characters in previous books and it was so great to meet them again. The story has lots of dramatic moments and is definitely action-packed, especially concerning the battle scenes
As usual I became a bit teary while reading as Erikson fans really know that there won’t be any restrain in harvesting some faves, at the same time I was in awe how the author managed to weave the tale, making the characters so alive, lovable and forcing me to shudder at every attempt when I lost some. Also, while reading MoI, I got essential information regarding the past of some characters from earlier books and the flow of story left me speechless of how everything is entwined into several other significant plot-lines, while joining characters, history of the place, warrens into one exciting action-packed tale.
It was great to follow the several different characters in their journey. Erikson uses different POVs as he did in previous books, which was really great as I could experience everything from different perspectives. Also I found it easier to get adjusted to the story flow as there were longer sections devoted to each viewpoint.
Of course my favorite character in MoI stays Captain Paran ❤ Struggling to accept a new role and fighting severe battles inside and outside himself he was a bit annoying sometimes, but always surprising and lovable, especially seeing his growth as a character step by step.
What can I say, Captain P is not the only one who captured my heart in MoI. The great forming friendship between Mr. Bony and Tic Tac really melted my heart, as they didn’t get much attention in earlier books. The ending for them…..OMG..that was smth unbelievable and so unexpected for them, my jaw had literally dropped wide when reading about their fate.
Oh and a candy to James as promised ;) I was a bit annoyed when Erikson made one character disappear and even made me think that this person is dead! Thanks god this great character was returned :)
Narrative: Some stuff is explained in MoI, while continuing with the already familiar story. At the same time Erikson weaves brand new plot-lines, forms a bunch of new questions, tangles new mysteries and, of course, provides so many twists and turns that it’s not possible to remain indifferent to the story. Also, I was glad to find that with every book the story becomes better presented, at the same time not leaving the complexity and multilayerdness behind. This is so compelling and strange at the same time as from my small experience I have with epic fantasy, it’s quite rare for books after the first one to get better not only in worldbuilding but also in character development.
That’s how I imagine one of the places in the book :)
As usual I was a bit lost with tracking who’s who from the new characters, but nothing new to me as it was my curse with GotM :D Also there’s not much of exploration of new worlds/warrens, no romance (that’s probably good, if we don’t count savage amazons, using men for their needs
‘Fighting,' Gruntle muttered. 'What you enjoy the most.'
'Yes, but for now, I would ride you.'
Ride? More like batter me senseless. Ah, well . . . 'What man would say no to such an elegant offer?'
) and to my great grief I met some wonderful characters who were just quickly killed. If fact I doubt that there were so many deaths in earlier books and it’s quite depressing.
To sum up, I have double feelings for MoI. I think this book is the best I’ve ever read in epic fantasy. I liked the story. I know that this author likes to indicate some events using hints and small clues, hidden in the story and I like it that I have to figure it out as everything becomes clear only nearing the end. I just have difficulties to stomach all those deaths. For sure, I can’t deny that Erikson is probably the smartest and really skilled author whose books I had an opportunity to read.
June 28, 2017
I don’t know if I’m becoming a more acquainted with Steven Erickson’s writing and thus I understood more of this book OR this book was just more readable than the first 2.
Finally stuff is making more and more sense to me. But there is so much that happens in this book that it is really hard to sum it up in a review.
However this is what I’ve now learned from Steven Erickson in this series:
There are many other things I’ve learned but those are the main bits.
Dujek, Whiskeyjack and the Bridgeburners were always one of my favorites from Gardens of the Moon and so I was happy to be with them again. I will say that there are some crazy things going on in this book like women from the Pannion Domin raping men who are dying on the battlefield because it is supposed to make a child born from that a seer.
Alomander Rake is back with Moonspawn and that cursed blade. I loved that we get some history on how that blade was forged and that Alomander Rake was not the first to wield it.
Paran actually has a really interesting arc going on and some unexpected changes in him. While I don’t get everything that his new ‘position’ entails I think it means that he will be a big player at the end. I was really excited for him to be reunited with Tattersail in the form of SIlverfox but alas that actually ended up being one of my least favorite parts of the story….again see #6.
Best new character award goes to Gruntle. I love that guy (that means he is doomed in the future > eyes #1 suspiciously ). I wasn’t really sure what to think of him at the beginning but his story actually ended up being my favorite for this book. I love that he doesn’t care for the houses or the gods in them one bit and yet now he is attached to one. He probably isn’t what that god wanted but he was in the right place at the wrong time and as the strips are with him forever now. Of course he was the person that I really was hoping would get a good relationship going with Stoney but alas again I was thwarted by #6. I love them together though.
The end to this was chalked full of action and it was so sad. I am really heartbroken that things played out as they did. I’m still not sure how I feel, accept I feel like I lost a good friend at the end of this. It is sometimes hard to believe that some of the characters in this book are not real people. There were deaths in the other books I was upset by but there is one in this that totally gutted me and we are only at book 3 so I’m not sure my tender notions are going to survive this series.
But on to House of Chains and the new heartache that is sure to come with it.
Finally stuff is making more and more sense to me. But there is so much that happens in this book that it is really hard to sum it up in a review.
However this is what I’ve now learned from Steven Erickson in this series:
❶ - My favorite Character will die. Seriously 3 books and in each one the character I liked the most ended up dead. Whether they die a true death OR simply ascend to something else is yet to be seen.
❷- Someone will backstab someone else at a most inopportune time and get a lot of people killed. You would think that would go with #1 but it is its own thing.
❸ - Someone from the past will show up with a completely different name and you will have to try to figure out who they are. Sometimes it is easy and other times you really have to work for it.
❹ - A character that you used to like will probably do something that turns you against them or at least makes you question why you ever liked them.
❺ - Someone will make a sacrifice that is devastating.
❻ - The one relationship that you root for in the book will be torn apart or never really get any traction
There are many other things I’ve learned but those are the main bits.
Dujek, Whiskeyjack and the Bridgeburners were always one of my favorites from Gardens of the Moon and so I was happy to be with them again. I will say that there are some crazy things going on in this book like women from the Pannion Domin raping men who are dying on the battlefield because it is supposed to make a child born from that a seer.
Alomander Rake is back with Moonspawn and that cursed blade. I loved that we get some history on how that blade was forged and that Alomander Rake was not the first to wield it.
Paran actually has a really interesting arc going on and some unexpected changes in him. While I don’t get everything that his new ‘position’ entails I think it means that he will be a big player at the end. I was really excited for him to be reunited with Tattersail in the form of SIlverfox but alas that actually ended up being one of my least favorite parts of the story….again see #6.
Best new character award goes to Gruntle. I love that guy (that means he is doomed in the future > eyes #1 suspiciously ). I wasn’t really sure what to think of him at the beginning but his story actually ended up being my favorite for this book. I love that he doesn’t care for the houses or the gods in them one bit and yet now he is attached to one. He probably isn’t what that god wanted but he was in the right place at the wrong time and as the strips are with him forever now. Of course he was the person that I really was hoping would get a good relationship going with Stoney but alas again I was thwarted by #6. I love them together though.
The end to this was chalked full of action and it was so sad. I am really heartbroken that things played out as they did. I’m still not sure how I feel, accept I feel like I lost a good friend at the end of this. It is sometimes hard to believe that some of the characters in this book are not real people. There were deaths in the other books I was upset by but there is one in this that totally gutted me and we are only at book 3 so I’m not sure my tender notions are going to survive this series.
But on to House of Chains and the new heartache that is sure to come with it.
January 14, 2019
"We shall converge within the Pannion Domin. Us, them, and the surviving clans of the T'lan Imass. There will be, without doubt, battles aplenty. The crushing of an empire is never easy. I should know, having crushed a few in my time."
Memories of Ice aka. “how many ridiculously awesome characters can you actually shove into one single army?”
In the south of the continent of Genabackis, the Pannion Domin arises. An empire of bloodthirsty fanatics led by an insane religious Seer who threatens to engulf the world. Enter an alliance so fabulous it would make the casting list of The Expendables look like a bunch of second-rate actors. On one hand, you have the Malazan Army, led by High Fist Dujek One-Arm and the legendary Whiskeyjack, including among others the fabled Bridgeburners. On the other, the Warlord Caladan Brood and Anomander Rake, the Son of Darkness, with many more amazingly interesting characters beside them, including the deceitful Kallor and a girl whose body is inhabited by several familiar souls. Together, they march to crush an empire.
"I have an idea, a wonderful idea — as are all my ideas, of course. Wonderful, that is."
In addition to the recurring characters, a lot of new and interesting ones join the fray. My favourite part of this book, and rising to become one of my favourite Malazan characters, is Lady Envy, the powerful daughter of the mythic god Draconus. It’s no secret that I have a soft spot for ruthless, manipulative sorceresses in fantasy, especially when you can add a lovely sense of sarcasm on top of that, and this woman definitely fits the bill.
Additionally, it was very interesting to get several big revelations concerning the magic and the gods of this world. Most important of all, the rise of the Crippled God and his House of Chains. This book actually gave the first hints of a coherent, overarching story, and also of a main antagonist for the series.
"Midnight comes often in the dusk of my life, when I look back upon all that I have survived. The deaths of so many for whom I cared and loved in my heart, have expunged all sense of glory from my thoughts. To have escaped those random fates has lost all triumph."
Above all, this is the book where the apprentice proves how much he has learnt from the master. It is no secret that Steven Erikson’s main inspiration is Glen Cook and his Chronicles of the Black Company, but it’s not always immediately visible. In this book however, I felt that Erikson took a few long strides closer to Cook. Both in writing style (if I read the above passage out of context, I would have guessed Cook without a second thought), in characterisation, and in the overall feel of the setting and the storyline.
Everyone who has read this series seems to think that this is one of the, if not the, best book. I’ll unfortunately have to disagree. While I really enjoyed it, I thought it was pretty much the same level as both Gardens of the Moon and Deadhouse Gates. And like I said: Glen Cook syndrome. Just like when I read the Black Company books, I find that the series as a whole is worthy of five stars, but that the individual books are not.
It also suffers a bit from the ending to Deadhouse Gates being virtually impossible to top in my eyes. That is not only my favourite part of the Malazan series so far, but one of the best endings to a fantasy book I have ever read. I should also mention that I read this book while having a dreadful hay fever and great troubles concentrating, so I could probably have liked this even more if I read it at a more optimal time.
But in the end, I definitely enjoyed reading this. And I am certainly looking forward to reading more.
Aye, this day ends in ashes and rain. In ashes and rain.
Malazan Book of the Fallen reviews:
#1 Gardens of the Moon
#2 Deadhouse Gates
#3 Memories of Ice
#4 House of Chains
#5 Midnight Tides
#6 The Bonehunters
#7 Reaper's Gale
#8 Toll the Hounds
#9 Dust of Dreams
#10 The Crippled God
Memories of Ice aka. “how many ridiculously awesome characters can you actually shove into one single army?”
In the south of the continent of Genabackis, the Pannion Domin arises. An empire of bloodthirsty fanatics led by an insane religious Seer who threatens to engulf the world. Enter an alliance so fabulous it would make the casting list of The Expendables look like a bunch of second-rate actors. On one hand, you have the Malazan Army, led by High Fist Dujek One-Arm and the legendary Whiskeyjack, including among others the fabled Bridgeburners. On the other, the Warlord Caladan Brood and Anomander Rake, the Son of Darkness, with many more amazingly interesting characters beside them, including the deceitful Kallor and a girl whose body is inhabited by several familiar souls. Together, they march to crush an empire.
"I have an idea, a wonderful idea — as are all my ideas, of course. Wonderful, that is."
In addition to the recurring characters, a lot of new and interesting ones join the fray. My favourite part of this book, and rising to become one of my favourite Malazan characters, is Lady Envy, the powerful daughter of the mythic god Draconus. It’s no secret that I have a soft spot for ruthless, manipulative sorceresses in fantasy, especially when you can add a lovely sense of sarcasm on top of that, and this woman definitely fits the bill.
Additionally, it was very interesting to get several big revelations concerning the magic and the gods of this world. Most important of all, the rise of the Crippled God and his House of Chains. This book actually gave the first hints of a coherent, overarching story, and also of a main antagonist for the series.
"Midnight comes often in the dusk of my life, when I look back upon all that I have survived. The deaths of so many for whom I cared and loved in my heart, have expunged all sense of glory from my thoughts. To have escaped those random fates has lost all triumph."
Above all, this is the book where the apprentice proves how much he has learnt from the master. It is no secret that Steven Erikson’s main inspiration is Glen Cook and his Chronicles of the Black Company, but it’s not always immediately visible. In this book however, I felt that Erikson took a few long strides closer to Cook. Both in writing style (if I read the above passage out of context, I would have guessed Cook without a second thought), in characterisation, and in the overall feel of the setting and the storyline.
Everyone who has read this series seems to think that this is one of the, if not the, best book. I’ll unfortunately have to disagree. While I really enjoyed it, I thought it was pretty much the same level as both Gardens of the Moon and Deadhouse Gates. And like I said: Glen Cook syndrome. Just like when I read the Black Company books, I find that the series as a whole is worthy of five stars, but that the individual books are not.
It also suffers a bit from the ending to Deadhouse Gates being virtually impossible to top in my eyes. That is not only my favourite part of the Malazan series so far, but one of the best endings to a fantasy book I have ever read. I should also mention that I read this book while having a dreadful hay fever and great troubles concentrating, so I could probably have liked this even more if I read it at a more optimal time.
But in the end, I definitely enjoyed reading this. And I am certainly looking forward to reading more.
Aye, this day ends in ashes and rain. In ashes and rain.
Malazan Book of the Fallen reviews:
#1 Gardens of the Moon
#2 Deadhouse Gates
#3 Memories of Ice
#4 House of Chains
#5 Midnight Tides
#6 The Bonehunters
#7 Reaper's Gale
#8 Toll the Hounds
#9 Dust of Dreams
#10 The Crippled God
June 21, 2017
“The harder the world, the fiercer the honour.”
The Bridgeburners - Sorry, Hedge, Detoran, Fiddler, Quick Ben, WhiskeyJack, Mallet, Antsy, Kalam
This will be more of a my feelies about stuff and fangirly essay than a review. There's your warning!
Memories of Ice was literally the longest read of my life. I've never taken more than 2 weeks to finish a book, be it good or dull as watching two turtles go at it. But, due to the curse upon my malazan reading experience, I know this is Erikson's doing, he unleashed stick wizards on me because of my not so lady-like language towards him in my reviews. but kindly, fuck you sir and your cruel, heartbreaking, snotty cry inducing, incredible mind and writing, this took me almost 3 months!!! Do not take my confession as a confirmation of lack of enjoyment, because MoI was stunning!
I am hobliferated after the revelations in this book. The theories that come to mind, even with my low iq points, is mind-boggling. Even more astonishing part is that, the biggest revelation in my opinion, comes through the story line of the character I hated most, Mhybe. Troughout the book, I've learned to turn salty upon seeing her name. Her over-streched self pity ramblings was the worst part in Malazan series, so far. I went from "I'm empathising, oh what a horrible situation" to "arghh again you, shut your piehole already"
With that negativity out of the way, I'll get to my usual
Quick Ben, shined in this instalment! Learning how he came to be a bridgeburner, not even counting the amazing setting the tale was told in, was heartwarming.
Quick's warren
This is the best fitting drawing of him, because of the revelations we get about warrens *finally!* and his impressive show off with his warrens. I'd put him into my harem if I wasn't sure he'd escape in seconds, so I'll need to come up with a way to entice him. Sigh, the things we do for imaginary-love!
Tool is the second addition to my harem. Yeah, a T'lan Imass, but those who've read this book will understand why. His scenes, especially the ones with Toc, was exceptionally emotional.
Onos T'oolan
And that ending! Hilarious and sweet at the same time!
Which brings me to my two other favourites in this book, Toc and my lady crush Lady Envy. Their banter made me chuckle every time. Envy may be the only aggravating and spoiled bitch of a character I've loved so.
Envy with her bathtub!
I was holding my breath while she was interacting with Drake and was not disappointed!
Toc melted me with his humour and then just broke my heart. His loss of "innocence" was cruel and so very real.
I wasn't impressed with Gruntle till that particular scene with Stonny. After that, he took his head out of his arse and "transformed" into a reluctant, grumpy and sexy tiger *wiggling eyebrows*
I ship him with so hard! We meet K'Chain Che'Malle through his eyes, for the first time, and that scene left an impact on me. I could feel the darkness, the fear, the iron smell of blood.
My hubby <3 Rake was as magnificent as ever, if not even more! I was simply having heart palpitations as we've finally had a peek under his scales! And who he is, how and why he keeps to himself... I have no words to describe him so I'll use cruel
Rake was an atmosphere, a heart-thudding, terror-threaded presence no-one could ignore, much less escape. Violence, antiquity, sombre pathos, and darkest horror — the Son of Darkness was a gelid eddy in immortality's current.
We saw Drake described as cold and unhuman more than once. But here, finally see that unhuman, yes -but cold, no. He is a furnace of ice, different yet burning the same.
Itkovian is loved by many, but I'll have to confess I'm mostly indifferent to him. If you look up the word "martyr" in dictionary, you can find this amazing drawing of him;
He was honourable, self-sacrificing and humble, too much for my taste. It came off as a personality version of idiot savant. And boring even though his musings were great material for theological and philosophical brainstorm. In the end, best part about him was what he did for T'lan Imass, a beautiful plot twist!
From the prologue of first book, I didn't like Paran till towards the end of this book. At loooong last, he grew out of whiny and become quite interesting addition. He became a true bridgeburner!
Whiskeyjack was another character we finally get to know closer. His story line was the most bitter part of Black Coral.
Black Coral
This one is big spoilers, thread with caution.
Another thing I love and hate simultaneously about Erikson, is that I haven't felt the need to use dictionary this frequently while reading, ever since reading my first book in english. And back then, best sentence I could construct was "the pen is under the black board. there is a cat next to it". My vocabulary stands richer thanks to this vicious author.
I have so much more to blabber about and more characters to gush over, but this book was mentally and emotionally exhausting and writing about it sapped my energy. Saying goodbye with an amazing art of Moonspawn.
![Profile Image for Anna [Bran. San. Stan].](https://cdn.statically.io/img/i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1593184464i/98245866._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg)
April 28, 2024
"Malazan is, I do think, legit genius. But, man, it’s not for everybody. It’s, starting that series is like getting kicked in the face and then, you know, he continues to just kind of kick you a whole bunch. That’s basically, that’s Malazan. Some really fantastic characters and a kind of a master of building a really expansive world that feels huge. […] I wouldn’t call it grimdark but it’s grim, it’s gritty.” (Brandon Sanderson)
I absolutely concur with Sanderson’s assessment. I can see why Malazan is not for everyone; hell, there are stretches where I‘m not sure if it’s for me. And I do feel like I‘m being kicked in the face repeatedly, mostly because of what Erikson is doing to his characters and the general level of “fuckedupness.“ But I also do think Malazan is genius – the depth to this world and the complexity of the world-building is next-level and truly amazing.
So why am I sometimes struggling? It’s not so much the complexity but has more to do with the soft magic system, as I‘ve already noted in my review of Deadhouse Gates. Whenever we get into warren magic, for example, I‘m left confused; I have trouble imagining it and that leaves me questioning if I want to continue with this long series of >1000-page books. Then we are back to the compelling short-story-feel of the book and I‘m loving it and then can’t imagine ever getting enough of this world.
That short story structure is another thing that sets these books apart from other novels, which, next to the aforementioned complexity, might be another thing that’s not for everyone. Erikson himself notes,
“I don’t know how to write novels. I’m more of a short story writer and so I write in a very cyclical fashion so each scene I create is a self-contained mini short story and then I just tack on the next one and then the next one and then the next one. And you know after a year or 8 months I’m done. The novel is finished.” (Interview in “Ten Very Big Books“ podcast)
Now a little more on why that simile of being kicked in the face is so apt. There is one character we come to love, who repeatedly has all his bones crushed and healed in an endless circle of torture, leaving him deformed. Then there are the fucked up atrocities that the enemy force of the Pannion Seer, the main villain, commit. Apart from the regular soldiers there are the so-called Tenescowri, hundreds of thousands of civilian survivors of the war who, because of a lack of options and food, follow the army and turn to cannibalism; they eat who they kill, often civilians, including babies. You can imagine the fear they spread. The women also take to raping dying and dead soldiers, thus creating the Children of the Dead Seed.
All of this creates one hell of a bleak atmosphere – and no one is safe. I will say though that death is not always the end for all our beloved dead characters. That doesn’t make said deaths any easier though. It’s safe to say that these books are one hell of a ride, if you choose to commit to them.
So should you choose to commit to them? I for my part am glad I persevered until now; Gardens of the Moon (book 1) was often so confusing to me that I was tempted to give up. So if you’re on the fence, hang in there. Deadhouse Gates (book 2) is already more easily accessible and Memories of Ice (book 3) was probably the best book so far. I would encourage anyone who is interested after reading a couple of reviews to sit down and really try – preferably when your mind is free to engage. While these books are objectively great, they might still not appeal to everyone. After reading the first three books back to back, I‘m in need of a break before I continue with book 4. I‘m emotionally and mentally exhausted. And I‘m in pain. A lot of it. But that’s one reason why Malazan is great – otherwise it would not have such an emotional impact.
_______
PS: Erikson is also an exceptional writer, capable of some beautifully phrased musings:
I absolutely concur with Sanderson’s assessment. I can see why Malazan is not for everyone; hell, there are stretches where I‘m not sure if it’s for me. And I do feel like I‘m being kicked in the face repeatedly, mostly because of what Erikson is doing to his characters and the general level of “fuckedupness.“ But I also do think Malazan is genius – the depth to this world and the complexity of the world-building is next-level and truly amazing.
So why am I sometimes struggling? It’s not so much the complexity but has more to do with the soft magic system, as I‘ve already noted in my review of Deadhouse Gates. Whenever we get into warren magic, for example, I‘m left confused; I have trouble imagining it and that leaves me questioning if I want to continue with this long series of >1000-page books. Then we are back to the compelling short-story-feel of the book and I‘m loving it and then can’t imagine ever getting enough of this world.
That short story structure is another thing that sets these books apart from other novels, which, next to the aforementioned complexity, might be another thing that’s not for everyone. Erikson himself notes,
“I don’t know how to write novels. I’m more of a short story writer and so I write in a very cyclical fashion so each scene I create is a self-contained mini short story and then I just tack on the next one and then the next one and then the next one. And you know after a year or 8 months I’m done. The novel is finished.” (Interview in “Ten Very Big Books“ podcast)
Now a little more on why that simile of being kicked in the face is so apt. There is one character we come to love, who repeatedly has all his bones crushed and healed in an endless circle of torture, leaving him deformed. Then there are the fucked up atrocities that the enemy force of the Pannion Seer, the main villain, commit. Apart from the regular soldiers there are the so-called Tenescowri, hundreds of thousands of civilian survivors of the war who, because of a lack of options and food, follow the army and turn to cannibalism; they eat who they kill, often civilians, including babies. You can imagine the fear they spread. The women also take to raping dying and dead soldiers, thus creating the Children of the Dead Seed.
All of this creates one hell of a bleak atmosphere – and no one is safe. I will say though that death is not always the end for all our beloved dead characters. That doesn’t make said deaths any easier though. It’s safe to say that these books are one hell of a ride, if you choose to commit to them.
So should you choose to commit to them? I for my part am glad I persevered until now; Gardens of the Moon (book 1) was often so confusing to me that I was tempted to give up. So if you’re on the fence, hang in there. Deadhouse Gates (book 2) is already more easily accessible and Memories of Ice (book 3) was probably the best book so far. I would encourage anyone who is interested after reading a couple of reviews to sit down and really try – preferably when your mind is free to engage. While these books are objectively great, they might still not appeal to everyone. After reading the first three books back to back, I‘m in need of a break before I continue with book 4. I‘m emotionally and mentally exhausted. And I‘m in pain. A lot of it. But that’s one reason why Malazan is great – otherwise it would not have such an emotional impact.
_______
PS: Erikson is also an exceptional writer, capable of some beautifully phrased musings:
“More than one philosopher has claimed that we ever remain children, far beneath the indurated layers that make up the armour of adulthood. Armour encumbers, restricts the body and soul within it. But it also protects. Blows are blunted. Feelings lose their edge, leaving us to suffer naught but a plague of bruises, and, after a time, bruises fade.“
“Of all the weapons we turn upon ourselves, guilt is the sharpest, Silverfox. It can carve one’s own past into unrecognizable shapes, false memories leading to beliefs that sow all kinds of obsessions. […] I can examine myself, my every feeling, until the Abyss swallows the world, yet come no closer to mastery of those emotions within me. For they are not static things; nor are they immune to the outside world – to what others say, or don’t say. And so they are in constant flux.“
April 23, 2017
'It has begun here, on Genabackis, but that is simply the heart. This tide will spread. It will infect every city, on every continent, it will devour empires and nations from within.'
In Memories of Ice we are returned back to the continent of Genabackis. Erikson's decision to flip back and forth between books wasn't apparent to me at first, but I was happy to be back with some familiar characters from GotM. After reading the prologue I knew this was going to be something different than the first two books. It just had that feel that this is where this tale REALLY begins.
There is a lot of historical information revealed which really helped the stories progression, and helped me understand some things in the two previous books I wasn't sure of. Erikson did a great job of bringing all this together with enough detail to help the reader along. I really thought it was cool how he tied in events from Deadhouse Gates, but that is all I will say as to avoid any spoilers.
Most of the characters in Memories of Ice I was already familiar with from GotM, but there were new faces thrown into the mix for this book as well. The multiple story arcs were superbly done, and I found myself invested in all of them. Were as most books with multiple POV's I would only be interested in one or two. My favorites for this book were Toc the Younger, Whiskeyjack, and Paran, but above all it had to be Itkovian the Shield Anvil of Fener.
'He is the Shield Anvil. Fener knows grief, so much grief that is beyond his capacity to withstand it. And so he chooses a human heart. Armoured. A mortal soul, to assume the sorrow of the world. The Shield Anvil.'
The story itself is truly epic in scale. The history of this world; its races, gods and elder gods, events from hundreds of thousands of years ago that are haunting this worlds present state and people. But what stood out to me the most were the interactions of these characters with each other. The friendships that were formed and how those relationships effected events, was one of the best elements of this book to me.
'Compassion is priceless in the truest sense of the word. It must be given freely. In abundance.'
While I loved the first two books in this series they are a little below this one by my standards. Still great, but Memories of Ice is in a league of its own. Erikson just keeps raising the bar. His writing can be both brutal and poetic at the same time. An amazing feat by any author, and he makes it seem so easy how he does it page after page.
'Like these memories of ice, raining, raining down upon us. Freed...to feed the earth - deliverance, of meaning, of emotion, history's gift - the land underfoot, the layers, so many layers -
To feed the earth.'
I hope all of you,at some point, get a chance to
read this series. It is beautiful, heart wrenching, and powerfully emotional. One of the best I have had the honor to read so far.
5 stars *****
In Memories of Ice we are returned back to the continent of Genabackis. Erikson's decision to flip back and forth between books wasn't apparent to me at first, but I was happy to be back with some familiar characters from GotM. After reading the prologue I knew this was going to be something different than the first two books. It just had that feel that this is where this tale REALLY begins.
There is a lot of historical information revealed which really helped the stories progression, and helped me understand some things in the two previous books I wasn't sure of. Erikson did a great job of bringing all this together with enough detail to help the reader along. I really thought it was cool how he tied in events from Deadhouse Gates, but that is all I will say as to avoid any spoilers.
Most of the characters in Memories of Ice I was already familiar with from GotM, but there were new faces thrown into the mix for this book as well. The multiple story arcs were superbly done, and I found myself invested in all of them. Were as most books with multiple POV's I would only be interested in one or two. My favorites for this book were Toc the Younger, Whiskeyjack, and Paran, but above all it had to be Itkovian the Shield Anvil of Fener.
'He is the Shield Anvil. Fener knows grief, so much grief that is beyond his capacity to withstand it. And so he chooses a human heart. Armoured. A mortal soul, to assume the sorrow of the world. The Shield Anvil.'
The story itself is truly epic in scale. The history of this world; its races, gods and elder gods, events from hundreds of thousands of years ago that are haunting this worlds present state and people. But what stood out to me the most were the interactions of these characters with each other. The friendships that were formed and how those relationships effected events, was one of the best elements of this book to me.
'Compassion is priceless in the truest sense of the word. It must be given freely. In abundance.'
While I loved the first two books in this series they are a little below this one by my standards. Still great, but Memories of Ice is in a league of its own. Erikson just keeps raising the bar. His writing can be both brutal and poetic at the same time. An amazing feat by any author, and he makes it seem so easy how he does it page after page.
'Like these memories of ice, raining, raining down upon us. Freed...to feed the earth - deliverance, of meaning, of emotion, history's gift - the land underfoot, the layers, so many layers -
To feed the earth.'
I hope all of you,at some point, get a chance to
read this series. It is beautiful, heart wrenching, and powerfully emotional. One of the best I have had the honor to read so far.
5 stars *****
May 12, 2021
"El estandarte un cuero podrido, el trono una jaula de huesos, el rey un fantasma de oscuros campos de batalla"
¡Aviso, la reseña está cargada de fanatismo y llena de halagos al autor. Una obra maestra que está en un altar... me he desahogado a gusto xD!
Memorias de Hielo volvemos al continente de Genabackis, mi preferido, lo admito. La decisión de Erikson de cambiar del primer libro a un segundo totalmente distinto y ahora este como continuación del primero. Yo honestamente creo que es una genialidad que se ha convertido en un símbolo de Malaz y uno de los sellos de Erikson. Que ya te dan una idea de la complejidad y grandeza de esta historia y de todo lo que hay dentro de ella. Después de leer el prólogo, supe que esto iba a ser algo diferente a los dos primeros libros. Ya en si el prólogo es una autentica delicia y una pasada que volví a releer. Simplemente tenía la sensación en el momento de leer esas líneas de que aquí es donde la mecha se prende, donde la historia comienza y donde Erikson está (llegando) en su máximo esplendor. Quizás no máximo, ya que aún queda mucho camino por recorrer pero sí podría decir que ya está en la cima de la montaña más grande de Malaz, sentado en su trono, a lo Kallor. Nuevamente podemos identificar la experiencia de antropólogo de Erikson. El cual logra de manera eficiente manifestar una sensación única. Civilizaciones antiguas, decisiones que fueron tomadas miles y miles de años atrás que tienen repercusión en el devenir actual. Algo que ya nos enseña en la primera página. ¡Esa maravilla de prólogo que se ha marcado! Nos lleva cientos de miles de años antes de los actuales acontecimientos que conoceremos a lo largo de la novela.
"Cuanto más duro es el mundo, más fiero el honor"
Esta es sin duda la entrega más fuerte de esta saga, hasta ahora, lo que es un gran elogio por mí parte ya que me gustaron los dos anteriores y los disfrute. Memorias de Hielo cuenta con una historia totalmente arrolladora en la que tenemos una colisión entre dioses, varias razas, completamente lleno de batallas épicas, tacticas, movimientos complejos, una violencia brutal y desgarradores momentos. Sin embargo, Erikson logra equilibra brillantemente esto dándonos algunas risas de básicamente humor negro y momentazos. Nos enseña lo peor y lo mejor de cada uno. Nos da alianzas inesperadas, amistad, honor, confianza, la bondad aún dentro de la propia crueldad. Este contraste de diversas cosas hace que los momentos, lo despiadado de la tragedia humana sea aún más desgarrador, los momentos de esperanza y humor aún más buenos, reales y gratificantes. Memorias de Hielo está cargado de fuertes sentimientos que envuelven al lector y ahora sé por que todo fan de Malaz lo disfruto tanto.
Esta entrega es un regalo, una declaración que marca un precedente de complejidad y grandeza más que demostrados que sirve como recompensa para quien ha aguantado hasta este momento. Hay bastante información en esta tercera parte que enlaza con Los Jardines de la Luna una información revelada que ayudó a la progresión de las historias y me ayudó a comprender algunas cosas. Erikson es capaz de llevar a cabo un trabajo de hilar cada detalle por muy pequeño, sutil que sea que me deja con la boca abierta. Es tan vasto que la aparición de un personaje que salió en 3 páginas del primer libro, me costo un rato de discusión con mi cabeza de decir "este era" pero la maravilla es que aún con esa duda, caes en quien era y en que evento estuvo relacionado en anteriores libros.
"Los humanos no entendemos de compasión. La traicionamos a cada momento de nuestras vidas. Sabemos lo mucho que vale pero, puesto que lo sabemos, le adjudicamos un valor concreto y nos guardamos mucho de concederla, pues creemos que es algo que debe ganarse"
El elenco masivo de personajes fue una gran mezcla de caras nuevas y de ya conocidos personajes. Ninguno me ha dejado indiferente. He aquí la máxima verdad de Malaz, una de las cosas por las que más destaca, sus personajes. Un repertorio masivo de personajes que aumenta en cada libro. Unos personajes complejos, muy bien creados y perfectamente hilados a las tramas y lo más importante es lo que logran transmitir al lector. Inspiran sentimientos distintos, ya sean positivos o negativos hacia el personaje a veces incluso no lo tienes claro. Te regalan momentazos conforme vas pasando las páginas.
Quizás la parte más importante o que más destaca de esta tercera entrega, la guerra y cada aspecto de ella. Vemos la guerra desde casi todos los ángulos posibles, los planes de los dioses en especial de cierto dios que para mi ha sido una pasada. Cambiándolo todo, iniciando una partida en el tablero de juego que ha provocado muchas cosas y que creo que será el máximo peligro de esta saga como su antagonista. El cual, su historia está marcada por la tragedia de su caída, convertido en un enemigo. Mostrando cómo su sufrimiento, su dolor, sus heridas.. lo han convertido en el azote que es.
"La guerra tiene sus necesidades... siempre lo he entendido. Conozco el precio. Pero, este día, por mi propia mano, me he dado cuenta de algo más. La guerra no es un estado natural. Es una imposición. Con sus reglas, cedemos voluntariamente nuestra humanidad. No hables de causas justas, metas dignas. Somos tomadores de vidas"
Todos han movido ficha en esta partida cubierta de sangre. En un juego sin ninguna piedad, sin contemplaciones. Pero los mortales empiezan a enseñar los dientes e imponer su camino negándose a seguir el camino marcado y de esta forma negándose a bailar en la palma de los dioses. Pues éstos dioses se van a llevar más de una sorpresa. Es un tema un poco recurrente a lo largo de este libro ya que en medio de sus vastas, egoistas y muy ambiciosas tramas, incluso los dioses pueden ser humillados por simples mortales. Los generales, lideres, caudillos y vidente planifican las campañas. Y he aquí para mí la pieza mas importante, los soldados. Esos soldados que luchan, sangran y mueren en los campos de batalla. Obtenemos una idea de la vida cotidiana de estos soldados desde sus puntos de vista. Vidas en las que su día a día están llenos de una tensión mordaz, violencia brutal en las que están en la mitad de un puente hacia el Embozado, el cual, les extiende la mano para reclamarles y aún así con toda esa tensión, tragedia y sangre está ese humor sombrío y esa hermandad, provocando que ciertos personajes me hayan hecho reír mucho.
"Por el suelo que ellos hollan, la sangre los sigue... El poder atrae al poder"
Las múltiples tramas que conforman la historia
están magníficamente hechas no hay un solo momento en el que te puedas aburrir. Gracias a su ritmo rápido y cargado de intrigas, me encontré muy involucrado. Te hace sentir con los personajes con cada acción, decisión que toman y las consecuencias. Algo digno de halagar es el abrir tantos frentes y no solo llevarlos de una manera sublime creando en el proceso algo que es cada vez más complejo, sino también conseguir que al lector le interesen todos. Cuando en muchos libros con varios puntos de vista a veces interesan uno o dos. La historia que nos regala es verdaderamente épica. La historia de este vasto mundo que ha creado Erikson con sus razas, dioses, los eventos de hace cientos de miles de años que tienen una gran importancia que están obsesionando a las personas y tienen repercusiones en el estado actual de este mundo. Una de las cosas que más me llamó la atención en cada libro y en especial este son las interacciones de cada uno de los personajes entre sí. Las amistades y la confianza que se forja y cómo esas relaciones afectaron los eventos, fue una de los mejores cosas de este libro. La batalla final es un choque épico de voluntades de muchísimas razas, la muerte acecha y dejará helado al lector. Un final cargado de emociones. Y los destinos de muchos personajes no estamos ni cerca de vislumbrarlos.
Si bien me encantaron los dos primeros libros de esta saga, según mis estándares, están un punto por debajo de este. Erikson sigue subiendo el listón. Su escritura puede ser brutal, sangrienta y poética al mismo tiempo. Una hazaña entre muchas otras por la que me quito el sombrero, Erickson lo hace página tras página. La sensación épica que tiene esta serie y me transmite, en especial esta tercera entrega como resultado gracias su rebosante de calidad y vasto repertorio de personajes, sus múltiples escenarios, historias de fondo detalladas, un sistema de magia genial y una trama muy compleja que no ha llegado ni a la mitad. Me pone los pelos de punta esta jodida maravilla y de que una mente pueda albergar todo esto. ¡¡Es una obra maestra!!
"Los primeros en entrar, los últimos en salir"
Ah, no me puedo olvidar de mencionar una vez más a mí personaje favorito, cuya sola aparición y presencia corta el aliento. Sus escenas épicas las marco en el libro. Hablo del inalcanzable y el mejor jodido personaje que he leído nunca.. ¡ANOMANDER RAKE! Ya por fin me he quedado a gusto. :D
¡Aviso, la reseña está cargada de fanatismo y llena de halagos al autor. Una obra maestra que está en un altar... me he desahogado a gusto xD!
Memorias de Hielo volvemos al continente de Genabackis, mi preferido, lo admito. La decisión de Erikson de cambiar del primer libro a un segundo totalmente distinto y ahora este como continuación del primero. Yo honestamente creo que es una genialidad que se ha convertido en un símbolo de Malaz y uno de los sellos de Erikson. Que ya te dan una idea de la complejidad y grandeza de esta historia y de todo lo que hay dentro de ella. Después de leer el prólogo, supe que esto iba a ser algo diferente a los dos primeros libros. Ya en si el prólogo es una autentica delicia y una pasada que volví a releer. Simplemente tenía la sensación en el momento de leer esas líneas de que aquí es donde la mecha se prende, donde la historia comienza y donde Erikson está (llegando) en su máximo esplendor. Quizás no máximo, ya que aún queda mucho camino por recorrer pero sí podría decir que ya está en la cima de la montaña más grande de Malaz, sentado en su trono, a lo Kallor. Nuevamente podemos identificar la experiencia de antropólogo de Erikson. El cual logra de manera eficiente manifestar una sensación única. Civilizaciones antiguas, decisiones que fueron tomadas miles y miles de años atrás que tienen repercusión en el devenir actual. Algo que ya nos enseña en la primera página. ¡Esa maravilla de prólogo que se ha marcado! Nos lleva cientos de miles de años antes de los actuales acontecimientos que conoceremos a lo largo de la novela.
"Cuanto más duro es el mundo, más fiero el honor"
Esta es sin duda la entrega más fuerte de esta saga, hasta ahora, lo que es un gran elogio por mí parte ya que me gustaron los dos anteriores y los disfrute. Memorias de Hielo cuenta con una historia totalmente arrolladora en la que tenemos una colisión entre dioses, varias razas, completamente lleno de batallas épicas, tacticas, movimientos complejos, una violencia brutal y desgarradores momentos. Sin embargo, Erikson logra equilibra brillantemente esto dándonos algunas risas de básicamente humor negro y momentazos. Nos enseña lo peor y lo mejor de cada uno. Nos da alianzas inesperadas, amistad, honor, confianza, la bondad aún dentro de la propia crueldad. Este contraste de diversas cosas hace que los momentos, lo despiadado de la tragedia humana sea aún más desgarrador, los momentos de esperanza y humor aún más buenos, reales y gratificantes. Memorias de Hielo está cargado de fuertes sentimientos que envuelven al lector y ahora sé por que todo fan de Malaz lo disfruto tanto.
Esta entrega es un regalo, una declaración que marca un precedente de complejidad y grandeza más que demostrados que sirve como recompensa para quien ha aguantado hasta este momento. Hay bastante información en esta tercera parte que enlaza con Los Jardines de la Luna una información revelada que ayudó a la progresión de las historias y me ayudó a comprender algunas cosas. Erikson es capaz de llevar a cabo un trabajo de hilar cada detalle por muy pequeño, sutil que sea que me deja con la boca abierta. Es tan vasto que la aparición de un personaje que salió en 3 páginas del primer libro, me costo un rato de discusión con mi cabeza de decir "este era" pero la maravilla es que aún con esa duda, caes en quien era y en que evento estuvo relacionado en anteriores libros.
"Los humanos no entendemos de compasión. La traicionamos a cada momento de nuestras vidas. Sabemos lo mucho que vale pero, puesto que lo sabemos, le adjudicamos un valor concreto y nos guardamos mucho de concederla, pues creemos que es algo que debe ganarse"
El elenco masivo de personajes fue una gran mezcla de caras nuevas y de ya conocidos personajes. Ninguno me ha dejado indiferente. He aquí la máxima verdad de Malaz, una de las cosas por las que más destaca, sus personajes. Un repertorio masivo de personajes que aumenta en cada libro. Unos personajes complejos, muy bien creados y perfectamente hilados a las tramas y lo más importante es lo que logran transmitir al lector. Inspiran sentimientos distintos, ya sean positivos o negativos hacia el personaje a veces incluso no lo tienes claro. Te regalan momentazos conforme vas pasando las páginas.
Quizás la parte más importante o que más destaca de esta tercera entrega, la guerra y cada aspecto de ella. Vemos la guerra desde casi todos los ángulos posibles, los planes de los dioses en especial de cierto dios que para mi ha sido una pasada. Cambiándolo todo, iniciando una partida en el tablero de juego que ha provocado muchas cosas y que creo que será el máximo peligro de esta saga como su antagonista. El cual, su historia está marcada por la tragedia de su caída, convertido en un enemigo. Mostrando cómo su sufrimiento, su dolor, sus heridas.. lo han convertido en el azote que es.
"La guerra tiene sus necesidades... siempre lo he entendido. Conozco el precio. Pero, este día, por mi propia mano, me he dado cuenta de algo más. La guerra no es un estado natural. Es una imposición. Con sus reglas, cedemos voluntariamente nuestra humanidad. No hables de causas justas, metas dignas. Somos tomadores de vidas"
Todos han movido ficha en esta partida cubierta de sangre. En un juego sin ninguna piedad, sin contemplaciones. Pero los mortales empiezan a enseñar los dientes e imponer su camino negándose a seguir el camino marcado y de esta forma negándose a bailar en la palma de los dioses. Pues éstos dioses se van a llevar más de una sorpresa. Es un tema un poco recurrente a lo largo de este libro ya que en medio de sus vastas, egoistas y muy ambiciosas tramas, incluso los dioses pueden ser humillados por simples mortales. Los generales, lideres, caudillos y vidente planifican las campañas. Y he aquí para mí la pieza mas importante, los soldados. Esos soldados que luchan, sangran y mueren en los campos de batalla. Obtenemos una idea de la vida cotidiana de estos soldados desde sus puntos de vista. Vidas en las que su día a día están llenos de una tensión mordaz, violencia brutal en las que están en la mitad de un puente hacia el Embozado, el cual, les extiende la mano para reclamarles y aún así con toda esa tensión, tragedia y sangre está ese humor sombrío y esa hermandad, provocando que ciertos personajes me hayan hecho reír mucho.
"Por el suelo que ellos hollan, la sangre los sigue... El poder atrae al poder"
Las múltiples tramas que conforman la historia
están magníficamente hechas no hay un solo momento en el que te puedas aburrir. Gracias a su ritmo rápido y cargado de intrigas, me encontré muy involucrado. Te hace sentir con los personajes con cada acción, decisión que toman y las consecuencias. Algo digno de halagar es el abrir tantos frentes y no solo llevarlos de una manera sublime creando en el proceso algo que es cada vez más complejo, sino también conseguir que al lector le interesen todos. Cuando en muchos libros con varios puntos de vista a veces interesan uno o dos. La historia que nos regala es verdaderamente épica. La historia de este vasto mundo que ha creado Erikson con sus razas, dioses, los eventos de hace cientos de miles de años que tienen una gran importancia que están obsesionando a las personas y tienen repercusiones en el estado actual de este mundo. Una de las cosas que más me llamó la atención en cada libro y en especial este son las interacciones de cada uno de los personajes entre sí. Las amistades y la confianza que se forja y cómo esas relaciones afectaron los eventos, fue una de los mejores cosas de este libro. La batalla final es un choque épico de voluntades de muchísimas razas, la muerte acecha y dejará helado al lector. Un final cargado de emociones. Y los destinos de muchos personajes no estamos ni cerca de vislumbrarlos.
Si bien me encantaron los dos primeros libros de esta saga, según mis estándares, están un punto por debajo de este. Erikson sigue subiendo el listón. Su escritura puede ser brutal, sangrienta y poética al mismo tiempo. Una hazaña entre muchas otras por la que me quito el sombrero, Erickson lo hace página tras página. La sensación épica que tiene esta serie y me transmite, en especial esta tercera entrega como resultado gracias su rebosante de calidad y vasto repertorio de personajes, sus múltiples escenarios, historias de fondo detalladas, un sistema de magia genial y una trama muy compleja que no ha llegado ni a la mitad. Me pone los pelos de punta esta jodida maravilla y de que una mente pueda albergar todo esto. ¡¡Es una obra maestra!!
"Los primeros en entrar, los últimos en salir"
Ah, no me puedo olvidar de mencionar una vez más a mí personaje favorito, cuya sola aparición y presencia corta el aliento. Sus escenas épicas las marco en el libro. Hablo del inalcanzable y el mejor jodido personaje que he leído nunca.. ¡ANOMANDER RAKE! Ya por fin me he quedado a gusto. :D
April 21, 2020
Diversity is worth celebrating, Humbrall Taur, for it is the birthplace of wisdom.
One of my friends on GR who has read this books said, Memories of Ice (MoI) makes Deadhouse Gates(DG) looks like Gardens of the moon(GoTM) and I could not agree more. The predeccessors of this book were great but this surpassed all my expectations. The plot is Aamazing, lots of revelations, answers to questions from the first two books, we finally get to know about the origin of Dragnipur, the elder gods, what made the T’lan Imass the way they are, more about jaghut etc. And since its Malazan book of the fallen, we have an unaccountable number of battles, whose depictions will leave you slacked jawed. The gods and ascedents interferred here more than they did in the previous books, don’t even get me started on the magic system, I love it so much, I love and hate it when people don’t just remain dead, like how am I suppose to know who is dead for real, but love it when my favs comes back from the dead, I lost some favs here but am glad one got reborn or rebirth, whatever the right word is.
Before I forget there is also romance in these, not the smoochy kind but the kind worthy of fantasy. Also the Quick Ben and Kalam’s backstory, even how Fiddler got his name.
The incidents in this book took place at the sametime with Deadhouse Gates.
Worldbuilding and Writing
I love this world so much, Steven Erickson outdid himself, the depiction is what I love more about it, what’s a good world without perfect depiction, crap. But this world is perfect, the representation of differnt cultures, races and the like. The book is written the same as its predeccessors, third person multiple POV, this book has more than 20 POVs, I stopped counting at 15 but I know they were more.
Characters
The new ones are as amiable as the old ones, except for one that I loathe with passion. If you are familiar with this series you need not be told that this series has an unusual number of characters, this is book 3 and I still don’t know who the main characters are, I’ve counted more than 10 main characters so far, here are my favourites in this book.
The new characters are Gruntle, Stonny Menackis, Itkovian,Lady Envy, Pannion, Hetan, Cafel, Anaster and a host of others
Gruntle and Stonny are my favs among the new characters, they have known each other all their lives, they work together as Caravan guards with a friend of theirs Harllo, Gruntle is careful and cynical while Stonny is the exact opposite, and its the two of them that’s on the cover of one of the editions. These two are so hilarious, they argue like married couples.
What say you, Stonny? Would the iron petals of your heart unfold for me?'
She sneered. 'Everyone knows that two-handed sword of yours is nothing but a pathetic attempt at compensation, Harllo.'
'He's a nice turn at the poetic, though,' Gruntle pointed out. 'Iron petals – you couldn't get more precise than that.'
'There's no such thing as iron petals,' Stonny snorted. 'You don't get iron flowers. And hearts aren't flowers, they're big red, messy things in your chest. What's poetic about not making sense? You're as big an idiot as Buke and Harllo, Gruntle. I'm surrounded by thick-skulled witless fools.'
'It's your lot in life, alas,' Gruntle said.
Itkovian is a shield avil to Fener, the god of war, the Fener that Heboric was once a priest to, he is such an honoorable man and I love his POV so much.
The Malazans which include Onearm’s host, Dujek himself, Whiskeyjack, Ganoes Paran,Quick Ben, Picker, Blend and the rest of the Bridgeburners
Ganoes Paran my baby, am so loving his character development, he is no longer the naive noble from GoTM, he has grown into his role as Captain despite what happened in GoTM, and get ready for more from him in these.
Whiskeyjack is once again a commander, he is ever so honorable and he made great friends here that I want for myself, he always tend to make the right decisions at the right time.
The Bridgeburners are the best squad, their conversations are out of these world.
The dark-eyed woman at her side frowned. 'Want me to hunt Antsy down?'
'Why bother? Hear those grunts? That's our sergeant taking that Barahn maiden for a ride. He'll be back in a moment or two, looking pleased—'
'And the lass trailing a step behind—'
'With a confused look on her face—'
'"That's it?"'
'She blinked and missed it.'
They shared a short, nasty laugh.
And this is them going into battle
'Aye, Captain. So, who do you figure will die first, you or us?'
'That's too close to call.'
She grinned. 'Half my back pay, Captain, we'll be a step behind you. Pay up at Hood's Gate.'
'You're on, Lieutenant.
Caladan Brood’s host which consist of the Tiste Andii, Rhivi, Mercenaries and the like
Anonmander Rake is back and he is more badass than ever! Am beginning to think that no one actually knows him, this book offers more indepth on him and he is way better than people give him credit for, wish there was more of him in this book, I just can’t get enough of him.
I love this conversation, Lady Envy is the first person apart from Caladan Brood that talks to Anomander this way.
Lady Envy had seen them. 'Lieutenant dear! What a relief to see you well. Could you believe the audacity of that white-haired, sword-stuffed—'
'Would you be referring to me?' a deep voice asked.
Through the gloom stepped Anomander Rake. 'Had I known you were within the keep, Lady Envy, I would have brought Moon's Spawn all the way down.'
'Oh, what a thing to say!'
'What are you doing here?' the Son of Darkness growled.
'Oh, this and that, my love. And aren't you looking very martial this afternoon – it's still afternoon, isn't it? Hard to tell here.'
Silverfox another mysterious woman, she annoyed me a bit, not enough to wish her harm though, but I later found her reason for the decision and it was honourable but it won’t have killed her to confide in someone.
Plot
After the incident at Darujhistan, with Onearm’s host outlawed they need allies to fight and defeat The Pannion Domin, an Empire that thrive on choas and cannibalism, there is more about the Pannion Domin which I won’t mention cause of spoilers. So they got themselves allies from all angles of the continent, some of the allies will blow your mind. If you think the Pannion Empire is all they have to defeat think again, an ancient god that is hated by the other gods is causing problems, so that means they have gods intertwined in mortal lives once again, and this is happening at the same time as the Raruku rebellion.
One of my friends on GR who has read this books said, Memories of Ice (MoI) makes Deadhouse Gates(DG) looks like Gardens of the moon(GoTM) and I could not agree more. The predeccessors of this book were great but this surpassed all my expectations. The plot is Aamazing, lots of revelations, answers to questions from the first two books, we finally get to know about the origin of Dragnipur, the elder gods, what made the T’lan Imass the way they are, more about jaghut etc. And since its Malazan book of the fallen, we have an unaccountable number of battles, whose depictions will leave you slacked jawed. The gods and ascedents interferred here more than they did in the previous books, don’t even get me started on the magic system, I love it so much, I love and hate it when people don’t just remain dead, like how am I suppose to know who is dead for real, but love it when my favs comes back from the dead, I lost some favs here but am glad one got reborn or rebirth, whatever the right word is.
Before I forget there is also romance in these, not the smoochy kind but the kind worthy of fantasy. Also the Quick Ben and Kalam’s backstory, even how Fiddler got his name.
The incidents in this book took place at the sametime with Deadhouse Gates.
Worldbuilding and Writing
I love this world so much, Steven Erickson outdid himself, the depiction is what I love more about it, what’s a good world without perfect depiction, crap. But this world is perfect, the representation of differnt cultures, races and the like. The book is written the same as its predeccessors, third person multiple POV, this book has more than 20 POVs, I stopped counting at 15 but I know they were more.
Characters
The new ones are as amiable as the old ones, except for one that I loathe with passion. If you are familiar with this series you need not be told that this series has an unusual number of characters, this is book 3 and I still don’t know who the main characters are, I’ve counted more than 10 main characters so far, here are my favourites in this book.
The new characters are Gruntle, Stonny Menackis, Itkovian,Lady Envy, Pannion, Hetan, Cafel, Anaster and a host of others
Gruntle and Stonny are my favs among the new characters, they have known each other all their lives, they work together as Caravan guards with a friend of theirs Harllo, Gruntle is careful and cynical while Stonny is the exact opposite, and its the two of them that’s on the cover of one of the editions. These two are so hilarious, they argue like married couples.
What say you, Stonny? Would the iron petals of your heart unfold for me?'
She sneered. 'Everyone knows that two-handed sword of yours is nothing but a pathetic attempt at compensation, Harllo.'
'He's a nice turn at the poetic, though,' Gruntle pointed out. 'Iron petals – you couldn't get more precise than that.'
'There's no such thing as iron petals,' Stonny snorted. 'You don't get iron flowers. And hearts aren't flowers, they're big red, messy things in your chest. What's poetic about not making sense? You're as big an idiot as Buke and Harllo, Gruntle. I'm surrounded by thick-skulled witless fools.'
'It's your lot in life, alas,' Gruntle said.
Itkovian is a shield avil to Fener, the god of war, the Fener that Heboric was once a priest to, he is such an honoorable man and I love his POV so much.
The Malazans which include Onearm’s host, Dujek himself, Whiskeyjack, Ganoes Paran,Quick Ben, Picker, Blend and the rest of the Bridgeburners
Ganoes Paran my baby, am so loving his character development, he is no longer the naive noble from GoTM, he has grown into his role as Captain despite what happened in GoTM, and get ready for more from him in these.
Whiskeyjack is once again a commander, he is ever so honorable and he made great friends here that I want for myself, he always tend to make the right decisions at the right time.
The Bridgeburners are the best squad, their conversations are out of these world.
The dark-eyed woman at her side frowned. 'Want me to hunt Antsy down?'
'Why bother? Hear those grunts? That's our sergeant taking that Barahn maiden for a ride. He'll be back in a moment or two, looking pleased—'
'And the lass trailing a step behind—'
'With a confused look on her face—'
'"That's it?"'
'She blinked and missed it.'
They shared a short, nasty laugh.
And this is them going into battle
'Aye, Captain. So, who do you figure will die first, you or us?'
'That's too close to call.'
She grinned. 'Half my back pay, Captain, we'll be a step behind you. Pay up at Hood's Gate.'
'You're on, Lieutenant.
Caladan Brood’s host which consist of the Tiste Andii, Rhivi, Mercenaries and the like
Anonmander Rake is back and he is more badass than ever! Am beginning to think that no one actually knows him, this book offers more indepth on him and he is way better than people give him credit for, wish there was more of him in this book, I just can’t get enough of him.
I love this conversation, Lady Envy is the first person apart from Caladan Brood that talks to Anomander this way.
Lady Envy had seen them. 'Lieutenant dear! What a relief to see you well. Could you believe the audacity of that white-haired, sword-stuffed—'
'Would you be referring to me?' a deep voice asked.
Through the gloom stepped Anomander Rake. 'Had I known you were within the keep, Lady Envy, I would have brought Moon's Spawn all the way down.'
'Oh, what a thing to say!'
'What are you doing here?' the Son of Darkness growled.
'Oh, this and that, my love. And aren't you looking very martial this afternoon – it's still afternoon, isn't it? Hard to tell here.'
Silverfox another mysterious woman, she annoyed me a bit, not enough to wish her harm though, but I later found her reason for the decision and it was honourable but it won’t have killed her to confide in someone.
Plot
After the incident at Darujhistan, with Onearm’s host outlawed they need allies to fight and defeat The Pannion Domin, an Empire that thrive on choas and cannibalism, there is more about the Pannion Domin which I won’t mention cause of spoilers. So they got themselves allies from all angles of the continent, some of the allies will blow your mind. If you think the Pannion Empire is all they have to defeat think again, an ancient god that is hated by the other gods is causing problems, so that means they have gods intertwined in mortal lives once again, and this is happening at the same time as the Raruku rebellion.
June 23, 2023
Steven Erikson every day of his life:
"Y'all ever heard of compassion? You gon learn today."
"Y'all ever heard of compassion? You gon learn today."
March 29, 2015
This is one of the most EPIC book I have ever read. Scratch that, it is the most EPIC book I have ever read. This book is the PRIME EXAMPLE of how fantasy should be WRITTEN and why I read fantasy. This is why the word, EPIC was created and invented, to describe and sum up this book in one word. The book has absolutely no fillers what so ever. Steven Erikson is the most EPIC writer I have ever read, and this is his BEST book of all time. He is CLEARLY LAPS AHEAD of George R.R. Martin in WRITING STYLE, PACE, and ESPECIALLY EPICNESS. George R.R. Martin can learn a thing or two from Erikson. ERIKSON IS PURE EPICNESS in a bottle. No one WILL OR EVER BEAT him. Erikson learned from the best, Glen Cook, the FIRST person to bring the DARKNESS to fantasy in novel form.
December 23, 2023
Contract Shocker! MC Written Out of Famous Series! "Well, it's just a damn meat market. You sign a contract for a series, and look what happens... (shakes head disconsolately, pulls out a paper with a list of names, and starts tracing them with his forefinger) Now who's hiring? Sanderson? Feist? Tolkien? - nah, that guy's dead...." Whiskeyjack - The Character Guild Gazette
This is such an epic story, I figured a typical review couldn't do it justice, so I asked for some help from the characters who always know best.
Harllo: "I won the best friend award for this story. My only regret is that I had but one life to give in defense of those I love. (But, then again, Gruntle becomes a cat, I'm not over fond of cats...)"
Itkovian: "I signed up for the role of Shield Anvil, thinking I'm in for a bit of a laugh as some great warrior - instead, it all gets turned on its head and I become Saint Itkovian. But still, I'm 'nonetheless,' chuffed by the role and the opportunity to steal scenes left, right, and center."
Stonny Menackis: "I still negotiating with Steven Erikson for a spin off story worthy of my charisma. "
Talamandas: "I'm firing my agent. I'm a fracking 'sticksnare,' I mean, get real! What's up with that? My besty Hairlock ended up as a wooden puppet and look what happened to him. My guess is that my role will be short lived. If that's the case, I'm suing."
Ganoes Paran: "'Pick a card he said. Pick any card.' - never trust an author, a shifty, ruthless, untrustworthy creature, the lot of them."
Quick Ben: "It was a pretty demanding set of scenes, really tested me, but I think I've pulled through OK, and I'm looking forward to the next engagement, but I'm missing Kalam, I must catch up with him some time soon. Yeah, missing the big guy."
Twist: "Did Quick Ben just say, 'missing the Bug Guy?' - Ben, Ben, I didn't know you cared..."
Mok: "After this gig is complete, I'm planning to set up a world-wide chain of martial arts studios and merchandise outlets. It'll be awesome."
Kallor: "After a long and distinguished career of murder, mayhem and tyranny, I - 'fall into a hole?!' - c'mon, that can't be right?!?! Who wrote this? Pffffttt... I'm suing the Author!"
Picker: "Blend, c'mon, where the fracking hell are you? Geez, you'd think that a tent this small wouldn't have a damn hiding space worthy of the name."
Gruntle: "Stonny, I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times, stop shining that lantern light onto the floor ... now, hang on a second, no, no, no, not the DAMN BALL OF WOOL!"
Random Tenescowrie: "I thought I was signing up for a role in 'World War Z,' then I found myself outside the city of Capustan. What can I say? The role was short lived but at least the catering provided plenty of hot food."
I was also able to sneak a microphone into this world and overhear a couple of choice conversations, such as,
The K'ell Hunters.
K'ell Hunter #1: "What is that loping towards us."
K'ell Hunter #2: "Two dogs, overlarge I would think."
K'ell Hunter #1: "Ah! Battle beckons."
K'ell Hunter #2: "Actually, one is a wolf, and the other one is ridden by an undead creature with a flint sword."
K'ell Hunter #1: "It matters not. Our sword hands will slice, our talons will shred, and our undead teeth will dice..."
K'ell Hunter #2: "They are accelerating ... now they blur!"
K'ell Hunter #1: "For the Pannion - Arrrgh, Gak!"
K'ell Hunter #2: "Damn i-"
Hetan and the Mortal Sword of Trake
Hetan: "I hear that Lions can have sex 200 times in a day."
MSoT: "Trake is a Tiger."
Hetan: "Close enough...."
And there you have it, clearly another classic Erikson super-epic, super-monster of a book.
Strongly recommended. 5 'Cannibal Swarm Apocalypse,' Stars.
This is such an epic story, I figured a typical review couldn't do it justice, so I asked for some help from the characters who always know best.
Harllo: "I won the best friend award for this story. My only regret is that I had but one life to give in defense of those I love. (But, then again, Gruntle becomes a cat, I'm not over fond of cats...)"
Itkovian: "I signed up for the role of Shield Anvil, thinking I'm in for a bit of a laugh as some great warrior - instead, it all gets turned on its head and I become Saint Itkovian. But still, I'm 'nonetheless,' chuffed by the role and the opportunity to steal scenes left, right, and center."
Stonny Menackis: "I still negotiating with Steven Erikson for a spin off story worthy of my charisma. "
Talamandas: "I'm firing my agent. I'm a fracking 'sticksnare,' I mean, get real! What's up with that? My besty Hairlock ended up as a wooden puppet and look what happened to him. My guess is that my role will be short lived. If that's the case, I'm suing."
Ganoes Paran: "'Pick a card he said. Pick any card.' - never trust an author, a shifty, ruthless, untrustworthy creature, the lot of them."
Quick Ben: "It was a pretty demanding set of scenes, really tested me, but I think I've pulled through OK, and I'm looking forward to the next engagement, but I'm missing Kalam, I must catch up with him some time soon. Yeah, missing the big guy."
Twist: "Did Quick Ben just say, 'missing the Bug Guy?' - Ben, Ben, I didn't know you cared..."
Mok: "After this gig is complete, I'm planning to set up a world-wide chain of martial arts studios and merchandise outlets. It'll be awesome."
Kallor: "After a long and distinguished career of murder, mayhem and tyranny, I - 'fall into a hole?!' - c'mon, that can't be right?!?! Who wrote this? Pffffttt... I'm suing the Author!"
Picker: "Blend, c'mon, where the fracking hell are you? Geez, you'd think that a tent this small wouldn't have a damn hiding space worthy of the name."
Gruntle: "Stonny, I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times, stop shining that lantern light onto the floor ... now, hang on a second, no, no, no, not the DAMN BALL OF WOOL!"
Random Tenescowrie: "I thought I was signing up for a role in 'World War Z,' then I found myself outside the city of Capustan. What can I say? The role was short lived but at least the catering provided plenty of hot food."
I was also able to sneak a microphone into this world and overhear a couple of choice conversations, such as,
The K'ell Hunters.
K'ell Hunter #1: "What is that loping towards us."
K'ell Hunter #2: "Two dogs, overlarge I would think."
K'ell Hunter #1: "Ah! Battle beckons."
K'ell Hunter #2: "Actually, one is a wolf, and the other one is ridden by an undead creature with a flint sword."
K'ell Hunter #1: "It matters not. Our sword hands will slice, our talons will shred, and our undead teeth will dice..."
K'ell Hunter #2: "They are accelerating ... now they blur!"
K'ell Hunter #1: "For the Pannion - Arrrgh, Gak!"
K'ell Hunter #2: "Damn i-"
Hetan and the Mortal Sword of Trake
Hetan: "I hear that Lions can have sex 200 times in a day."
MSoT: "Trake is a Tiger."
Hetan: "Close enough...."
And there you have it, clearly another classic Erikson super-epic, super-monster of a book.
Strongly recommended. 5 'Cannibal Swarm Apocalypse,' Stars.
December 5, 2018
A true masterpiece of the genre.
If Gardens of the Moon (however ambitious) was a sloppy introduction with narrative obstructions that prevented shiny and glossy entry into the series, then duo of Deadhouse Gates with its emotional wrestling and Memories of Ice with its flawless execution, were determined in their goal to win you over for eternity.
In my opinion, this is Erikson’s best book. And the words I would use to describe it are: perfectly balanced.
Sufficiently developed newly introduced characters, engulfed with spry sense of humor - something that will from now on stand as Erikson’s strongest trademark and the main reason why are we falling in love with these characters in the first place (beside their bottomless depth, of course);
deep and compelling story, that, while a continuation of the first book, also successfully juggles the parallel story of the second one - all while further progresses in building the world, without actually overwhelming the reader.
On the contrary. While it may seem as too long while reading it, by the end of this book, it will compel you wishing for more pages for you to explore.
Story.
“Forces of nature are indifferent to justice. Thus it fails to us sentient beings, no matter how unworthy, to impose the moral divide.”
Link to enlarge
Link to enlarge
We’re back on the continent of Genabackis, land which parts everyone are opportunistically claiming, be that under the banners of conquest or liberation. And as often in real life, as two sides are battling, third one emerges conquering everything before them, unopposed.
Atrocities they commit are so vast that two opposing sides now have to join in order to stop them.
Although it helps that High Fist Dujek Onearm, leader of Malazan invading army, is now turned renegade by Empress Laseen, which seemingly should help forming a pact with his former foes, Caladan Brood and Anomander Rake. Ha!
On their opposing side, far in the south in the land of Panion Domin, priest turned king - Panion Seer rises armies, armies which includes the Tenescowri, a peasant horde, driven by famine, who in their cannibalistic tendencies, leave nothing and no-one to spare.
Two sides will meet on the plains before the city of Capustan, but not before the Tenescowri try to ‘resupply’ in the city itself.
Hence the long siege of Capustan - a thrilling battle of survival - begins.
I’ll have to say that, for me, the siege of Capustan, with hundreds of thousands of psychotically murderous cannibals turned warriors - who assail city gates - and just a handful thousands of Grey Sword mercenaries and brave few citizens - who defend it - is most staggering battle sequence, not just of the book or the series, but in the genre as a whole.
Because this isn’t just a battle of people and of their swords on swords and flesh on flesh – this isn’t a battle of violence by its design.
This is a battle of humanity. Preserving one.
The battle when everything is lost; when your body reacts mechanically and by its memory; when fog of war threatens to blind you to commit same amount of atrocities in the name of perverse justice (or in this case vengeance) – to show a compassion.
And most importantly: the battle in you, to find it.
But above everything else, this book is about motherhood.
Oh yes. Here comes a paragraph or two about Mhybe.
Interestingly enough, same like with Felisin’s story of her bravery in Deadhouse Gates, book which preceded this one, in all my previous reads, I would never properly focus on a story of Mhybe’s motherhood.
I mean, there are battles and conflicts larger than life, characters that veer into dragons, amazing crew of soldiers you want to hang out with and witty wizards you secretly want to become yourself.
So, of course, whenever story derails from that cast of characters, I would protest internally.
But, maybe, there comes a time when your approach to the same book you have read so many times before slightly changes. You grow as a reader, and along these lines, you are driven by something else; you seek, from that same book, something different.
And this is why I think highly and appreciate this series so much. Five, four and three years ago when I was reading this book first, second and third time, I wasn’t even aware that a story about motherhood can be this interesting and this prominent among all these other amazing stories.
And the reason that I keep this series so high above everything else in this genre, is that I can come back to it, and after so many reads, still find something that will make this fourth reading experience as new and as emotional as first one.
But, I have to say that this isn’t the first time that I noticed the significance of Mhybe in this series.
I had a happy childhood and I’m coming from a happy family. I was fortunate enough to be surrounded by a motherly love, and in my close vicinity, all of my friends had a similar experience.
So, having a mother who has a love in abundance and was willing to sacrifice herself for her child was a standard. A normal thing. Something that makes you human. Anything less than that was abnormal to me.
Right?
And then came Mhybe. A character through which I realized that this series goes way deeper than dragons, awesome battles and glorifying deaths. That this series explores parts of human nature we’re not accustomed to, not just exploring, but maybe even understanding.
There was a beautiful young girl, full of life, beloved in her tribe, a girl soon to become a woman, eagerly preparing to marry one of many of her suitors.
But then, she was chosen to become a vessel; a vessel which through magic would be impregnated with none other than two shattered souls, one beyond death and other held back from it through ancient sorceries, two identities braided together – a vessel that would be used to feed the unnatural child thus created.
So, among her Rhivi tribe, a vessel that would be used as a container for this singular purpose – after which it would be discarded – is called Mhybe.
She birthed a child, with no father, a child that came from her womb, but had none of her personality, none of her resemblance, a child she could not call her own.
A magical child that, through sorcery, grew too fast, sorcery that demanded power, power found nowhere else than in the strength of the woman who gave this child a life, a life given for a life taken.
Taken, but so, so slowly, and through such pain.
You see, as this child so unnaturally grew older, so did unnaturally grew her mother.
And soon, in a matter of months, as she witnessed her child becoming a 10, then a 15, then a 30 year old, Mhybe exponentially grew older; and she became a young woman trapped in a body of an old person, feeling all the aches of an old age. A girl weathered without the gift of years – old without the wisdom.
So, knowing all this, and driven by my own experience I have already mentioned – fully expecting that whatever the case in this story, mother is there to love and support and care and even sacrifice herself for her child – it came as nothing but a complete shock when I read Mhybe saying this:
“She has stolen my life!
I am naught but bones and leather skin, I am naught but endless aches. Dried brittle – each moment of this terrible existence, and I edge closer to… to…
She has stolen my life…”
And it shocked me even more that I actually understood her. This mother that resents – no, this mother that actually hates her own child; this abnormal thing for me growing up, given how I was raised and how I viewed the world.
I understood her.
The fact that Erikson managed to do so, through a character in his book, was enough of a proof how this is on entirely different level than the rest of authors in this genre.
And to this day, with all the flaws in this series, and all the love some of the far more lovable series in this genre get, I’m unable to find anywhere else repeating of this exact same thing; wakening of emotions - or at least rising awareness - I didn't know I could have while reading a book.
Worldbuilding, History and Lore.
As mentioned in reviews for previous books, Gods have an active role in shaping various outcomes.
They like to meddle, to pry; they are, as humans tend to be, prone to squabbles, insecurities and vengeance. And not necessarily because there’s abundance of boredom in their Pantheon, no. Most of them are simply vile and vicious creatures. But, since they are all part of Pantheon, there are rules everyone has to abide to. (Or at least everyone who hasn’t found a way to cheat those rules.)
The Deck of Dragons.
Deck of Dragons is essentially an accurate representation of Pantheon.
A kind of structure, imposed on power itself and more importantly, imposition of order.
Each card is a gate into a Warren.
Before Warrens (realm and source of magic in this world), before magic was refined in elemental Paths which could be manipulated in current state through those Warrens, there were Houses. (And even before them there were Holds. And even before that – Wandering through Chaos.)
And structure of those Houses is something like this:
High House represents God’s little realm. And there are multiple High Houses.
High House of Life and High House of Death. High House of Dark and High House of Light etc.
In those houses structure has its own order. So every House has their rulers, Kings and Queens.
They have their loyal subjects such as Knights, Heralds, Priests, Masons, Virgins, etc.
Each has their own role in the house and each has their own card in Deck of Dragons.
One way to make sure Gods and their loyal subjects behave in borders of their malice or vanity is through Deck of Cards, or through Master of the Deck, who can basically make his own rules, who can grant or decline permission to a House’s existence.
“Players in the game, wanting no others. Players outside the game and wanting in.
Players to the forefront and ones behind, moving in the shadows.
Players who play fair, players who cheat.”
In this book we are finally introduced to The Fallen One, The Crippled God.
His story is that he’s an alien entity, brought down to the Malazan earth to be shackled. Reasons for that, so far are unknown. We’ll have to trust Gods who are saying that at some point he presented a threat to the world. Yes, those same vicious and vile Gods, yes. I know.
So, cyclically, when one Pantheon ceases to exist and a new one arises, they chain him again and again, leaving him in his broken and crippled form.
Now, you may ask: “Well, since he’s a God, why isn’t he in a Pantheon with the rest of them?”
Good question.
It’s a demanding book. And if by chance, by each passing book, it becomes less demanding – it doesn’t necessarily mean that Erikson lost an edge or that he’s trying to make it easier for you.
No. It would probably mean that you’re becoming more demanding reader.
And he delivers.
4.25/5
Kharkanas Trilogy
Forge of Darkness
Fall of Light
Path to Ascendancy series
Dancer's Lament
Deadhouse Landing
Malazan Empire series
Night Of Knives
Malazan Book of the Fallen series
Gardens of the Moon
Deadhouse Gates
Ultimate Malazan Chronological Reading Order
If Gardens of the Moon (however ambitious) was a sloppy introduction with narrative obstructions that prevented shiny and glossy entry into the series, then duo of Deadhouse Gates with its emotional wrestling and Memories of Ice with its flawless execution, were determined in their goal to win you over for eternity.
In my opinion, this is Erikson’s best book. And the words I would use to describe it are: perfectly balanced.
Sufficiently developed newly introduced characters, engulfed with spry sense of humor - something that will from now on stand as Erikson’s strongest trademark and the main reason why are we falling in love with these characters in the first place (beside their bottomless depth, of course);
deep and compelling story, that, while a continuation of the first book, also successfully juggles the parallel story of the second one - all while further progresses in building the world, without actually overwhelming the reader.
On the contrary. While it may seem as too long while reading it, by the end of this book, it will compel you wishing for more pages for you to explore.
Story.
“Forces of nature are indifferent to justice. Thus it fails to us sentient beings, no matter how unworthy, to impose the moral divide.”
Link to enlarge
Link to enlarge
We’re back on the continent of Genabackis, land which parts everyone are opportunistically claiming, be that under the banners of conquest or liberation. And as often in real life, as two sides are battling, third one emerges conquering everything before them, unopposed.
Atrocities they commit are so vast that two opposing sides now have to join in order to stop them.
Although it helps that High Fist Dujek Onearm, leader of Malazan invading army, is now turned renegade by Empress Laseen, which seemingly should help forming a pact with his former foes, Caladan Brood and Anomander Rake. Ha!
On their opposing side, far in the south in the land of Panion Domin, priest turned king - Panion Seer rises armies, armies which includes the Tenescowri, a peasant horde, driven by famine, who in their cannibalistic tendencies, leave nothing and no-one to spare.
Two sides will meet on the plains before the city of Capustan, but not before the Tenescowri try to ‘resupply’ in the city itself.
Hence the long siege of Capustan - a thrilling battle of survival - begins.
I’ll have to say that, for me, the siege of Capustan, with hundreds of thousands of psychotically murderous cannibals turned warriors - who assail city gates - and just a handful thousands of Grey Sword mercenaries and brave few citizens - who defend it - is most staggering battle sequence, not just of the book or the series, but in the genre as a whole.
Because this isn’t just a battle of people and of their swords on swords and flesh on flesh – this isn’t a battle of violence by its design.
This is a battle of humanity. Preserving one.
The battle when everything is lost; when your body reacts mechanically and by its memory; when fog of war threatens to blind you to commit same amount of atrocities in the name of perverse justice (or in this case vengeance) – to show a compassion.
And most importantly: the battle in you, to find it.
But above everything else, this book is about motherhood.
Oh yes. Here comes a paragraph or two about Mhybe.
Interestingly enough, same like with Felisin’s story of her bravery in Deadhouse Gates, book which preceded this one, in all my previous reads, I would never properly focus on a story of Mhybe’s motherhood.
I mean, there are battles and conflicts larger than life, characters that veer into dragons, amazing crew of soldiers you want to hang out with and witty wizards you secretly want to become yourself.
So, of course, whenever story derails from that cast of characters, I would protest internally.
But, maybe, there comes a time when your approach to the same book you have read so many times before slightly changes. You grow as a reader, and along these lines, you are driven by something else; you seek, from that same book, something different.
And this is why I think highly and appreciate this series so much. Five, four and three years ago when I was reading this book first, second and third time, I wasn’t even aware that a story about motherhood can be this interesting and this prominent among all these other amazing stories.
And the reason that I keep this series so high above everything else in this genre, is that I can come back to it, and after so many reads, still find something that will make this fourth reading experience as new and as emotional as first one.
But, I have to say that this isn’t the first time that I noticed the significance of Mhybe in this series.
I had a happy childhood and I’m coming from a happy family. I was fortunate enough to be surrounded by a motherly love, and in my close vicinity, all of my friends had a similar experience.
So, having a mother who has a love in abundance and was willing to sacrifice herself for her child was a standard. A normal thing. Something that makes you human. Anything less than that was abnormal to me.
Right?
And then came Mhybe. A character through which I realized that this series goes way deeper than dragons, awesome battles and glorifying deaths. That this series explores parts of human nature we’re not accustomed to, not just exploring, but maybe even understanding.
There was a beautiful young girl, full of life, beloved in her tribe, a girl soon to become a woman, eagerly preparing to marry one of many of her suitors.
But then, she was chosen to become a vessel; a vessel which through magic would be impregnated with none other than two shattered souls, one beyond death and other held back from it through ancient sorceries, two identities braided together – a vessel that would be used to feed the unnatural child thus created.
So, among her Rhivi tribe, a vessel that would be used as a container for this singular purpose – after which it would be discarded – is called Mhybe.
She birthed a child, with no father, a child that came from her womb, but had none of her personality, none of her resemblance, a child she could not call her own.
A magical child that, through sorcery, grew too fast, sorcery that demanded power, power found nowhere else than in the strength of the woman who gave this child a life, a life given for a life taken.
Taken, but so, so slowly, and through such pain.
You see, as this child so unnaturally grew older, so did unnaturally grew her mother.
And soon, in a matter of months, as she witnessed her child becoming a 10, then a 15, then a 30 year old, Mhybe exponentially grew older; and she became a young woman trapped in a body of an old person, feeling all the aches of an old age. A girl weathered without the gift of years – old without the wisdom.
So, knowing all this, and driven by my own experience I have already mentioned – fully expecting that whatever the case in this story, mother is there to love and support and care and even sacrifice herself for her child – it came as nothing but a complete shock when I read Mhybe saying this:
“She has stolen my life!
I am naught but bones and leather skin, I am naught but endless aches. Dried brittle – each moment of this terrible existence, and I edge closer to… to…
She has stolen my life…”
And it shocked me even more that I actually understood her. This mother that resents – no, this mother that actually hates her own child; this abnormal thing for me growing up, given how I was raised and how I viewed the world.
I understood her.
The fact that Erikson managed to do so, through a character in his book, was enough of a proof how this is on entirely different level than the rest of authors in this genre.
And to this day, with all the flaws in this series, and all the love some of the far more lovable series in this genre get, I’m unable to find anywhere else repeating of this exact same thing; wakening of emotions - or at least rising awareness - I didn't know I could have while reading a book.
Worldbuilding, History and Lore.
As mentioned in reviews for previous books, Gods have an active role in shaping various outcomes.
They like to meddle, to pry; they are, as humans tend to be, prone to squabbles, insecurities and vengeance. And not necessarily because there’s abundance of boredom in their Pantheon, no. Most of them are simply vile and vicious creatures. But, since they are all part of Pantheon, there are rules everyone has to abide to. (Or at least everyone who hasn’t found a way to cheat those rules.)
The Deck of Dragons.
Deck of Dragons is essentially an accurate representation of Pantheon.
A kind of structure, imposed on power itself and more importantly, imposition of order.
Each card is a gate into a Warren.
Before Warrens (realm and source of magic in this world), before magic was refined in elemental Paths which could be manipulated in current state through those Warrens, there were Houses. (And even before them there were Holds. And even before that – Wandering through Chaos.)
And structure of those Houses is something like this:
High House represents God’s little realm. And there are multiple High Houses.
High House of Life and High House of Death. High House of Dark and High House of Light etc.
In those houses structure has its own order. So every House has their rulers, Kings and Queens.
They have their loyal subjects such as Knights, Heralds, Priests, Masons, Virgins, etc.
Each has their own role in the house and each has their own card in Deck of Dragons.
One way to make sure Gods and their loyal subjects behave in borders of their malice or vanity is through Deck of Cards, or through Master of the Deck, who can basically make his own rules, who can grant or decline permission to a House’s existence.
“Players in the game, wanting no others. Players outside the game and wanting in.
Players to the forefront and ones behind, moving in the shadows.
Players who play fair, players who cheat.”
In this book we are finally introduced to The Fallen One, The Crippled God.
His story is that he’s an alien entity, brought down to the Malazan earth to be shackled. Reasons for that, so far are unknown. We’ll have to trust Gods who are saying that at some point he presented a threat to the world. Yes, those same vicious and vile Gods, yes. I know.
So, cyclically, when one Pantheon ceases to exist and a new one arises, they chain him again and again, leaving him in his broken and crippled form.
Now, you may ask: “Well, since he’s a God, why isn’t he in a Pantheon with the rest of them?”
Good question.
It’s a demanding book. And if by chance, by each passing book, it becomes less demanding – it doesn’t necessarily mean that Erikson lost an edge or that he’s trying to make it easier for you.
No. It would probably mean that you’re becoming more demanding reader.
And he delivers.
4.25/5
Kharkanas Trilogy
Forge of Darkness
Fall of Light
Path to Ascendancy series
Dancer's Lament
Deadhouse Landing
Malazan Empire series
Night Of Knives
Malazan Book of the Fallen series
Gardens of the Moon
Deadhouse Gates
Ultimate Malazan Chronological Reading Order
June 27, 2015
Memories are woven tapestries hiding hard walls-tell me my friends, what hue your favored thread, and I in turn, will tell the cast of your soul.
So far this is my favorite book in the series. I struggled with a large part of Gardens of the Moon as Erikson throws readers in to the massive world he has created, and it is sink or swim. In Deadhouse Gates, there are a few familiar faces from Gardens of the Moon but the majority are new, and I found it a bit dragging in parts. However with Memories of Ice I felt like I had a pretty good handle on the world he created, allowing me to enjoy the little things.
Like his amazing writing, with unique characters and great dialogue. I do appreciate an author that can so subtly veil jokes that if you read too quickly you may miss a hidden gem.
Which pretty much sums up this entire book. It is a ton of work. There are many different plot lines and characters, that somehow all intertwine neatly producing a hell of a story. But only if you pay attention.
Erikson is master of the subtle. He won't tell you outright the identity of some of the characters or gods encountered in the travels of other characters, but instead produce hints in the way they walk, or an event in their history they talk about.
It can be aggravating at times, but the payoff is well worth it as you will discover in these pages amazing characters, epic battles, incredible magic and dark villains.
Cross posted at Kaora's Corner.
So far this is my favorite book in the series. I struggled with a large part of Gardens of the Moon as Erikson throws readers in to the massive world he has created, and it is sink or swim. In Deadhouse Gates, there are a few familiar faces from Gardens of the Moon but the majority are new, and I found it a bit dragging in parts. However with Memories of Ice I felt like I had a pretty good handle on the world he created, allowing me to enjoy the little things.
Like his amazing writing, with unique characters and great dialogue. I do appreciate an author that can so subtly veil jokes that if you read too quickly you may miss a hidden gem.
Which pretty much sums up this entire book. It is a ton of work. There are many different plot lines and characters, that somehow all intertwine neatly producing a hell of a story. But only if you pay attention.
Erikson is master of the subtle. He won't tell you outright the identity of some of the characters or gods encountered in the travels of other characters, but instead produce hints in the way they walk, or an event in their history they talk about.
It can be aggravating at times, but the payoff is well worth it as you will discover in these pages amazing characters, epic battles, incredible magic and dark villains.
Cross posted at Kaora's Corner.
September 21, 2023
I continue my reread of Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen with Memories of Ice. During my first run-through of the series, I counted this novel as being one of my 3 favourites and I am glad that my enjoyment did not diminish on the reread. In fact, my reading experience was heightened because of the fact I have become more proficient in understanding this deep and complicated fantasy world. Memories of Ice is close to a 10/10 reading experience, however, that is not to say that every aspect of the book gelled perfectly with me.
The events of Memories of Ice run concurrently with those that readers witnessed in Deadhouse Gates. Here we are following the Malazan Empire outlaws Whiskeyjack and Onearm's army, as they are looking to ally with former adversaries such as Annomander Rake, his Tiste Andii and the warlord Caladan Brood. This potential alliance has a common purpose, to investigate the new threat that has presented itself in the form of the Pannion Seer. This prophet has an extremely sizeable force that comprises religious zealots, cannibals, mages, supernatural beings, and the Women of the Dead Seed. The seer's empire is enveloping the surrounding nations and, to coincide, the warrens are becoming poisoned and deadly to those that would normally access their magics. The gods and ascendants are as imposing, powerful, and important as they were in the series' previous entries yet there is an alien entity that seeks prominence, is unforgiving, and may be aligning with or supporting the Pannion Seer's ambitions.
The dramatis personae contains around 150 characters and it was strangely comforting to rejoin some of my favourite players from Gardens of the Moon. Most notably, the Bridgeburners, such as Captain Paran and Quick Ben, and the Knight of Darkness, Anomander Rake. Paran, again, finds himself wrapped up in happenings that should be overwhelming yet his uncompromising nature and actions rightly lead to him gaining the respect of others; often formidable peers. Quick Ben showcases more magical prowess, and the intrigue around who he is and how he possesses such powers is always fascinating. Finally, Anomander Rake just oozes scene-stealing coolness, which Erikson uses to full effect, during the infrequent moments when he frequents the pages. There are some fine new additions too, including Gruntle, Stonny, and Itkovian. Silverfox's amalgamation of souls creates some excellent drama and divides amongst the alliance, and this novel is the first time, in the main series, that Erikson introduces the nightmarish yet often darkly humorous necromancers, Bauchelian and Korbal Broach.
Memories of Ice works in fine fashion as a standalone structured narrative. It includes so many excellent moments, gripping sieges, peculiar yet awesome fellowships and groups travelling with often unsynced motives in mind, romances and bromances, age-old rivalries and bitterness, and, not forgetting, dinosaurs that have swords for arms! Another neat addition that Erikson delivers is moments when the characters here are informed of, or do something that impacts the events as they are unfolding in Deadhouse Gates.
Incorporating all of these elements, Memories of Ice is beautifully written and, for me, was the moment when Erikson cemented his position as a master weaver of tales that pluck the heartstrings. Everything was more purposeful and precise in this entry, however, that is not to deny the power of some phenomenal scenes that he has presented prior. A minor criticism that I do have is that the dream sequences seemed laborious. The payoff was well worked regarding what it could equate to in future entries yet it felt hard-earned when we finally got there. This small misstep aside, Memories of Ice is one of my top ten fantasy novels of all time. It is fantastic.
The events of Memories of Ice run concurrently with those that readers witnessed in Deadhouse Gates. Here we are following the Malazan Empire outlaws Whiskeyjack and Onearm's army, as they are looking to ally with former adversaries such as Annomander Rake, his Tiste Andii and the warlord Caladan Brood. This potential alliance has a common purpose, to investigate the new threat that has presented itself in the form of the Pannion Seer. This prophet has an extremely sizeable force that comprises religious zealots, cannibals, mages, supernatural beings, and the Women of the Dead Seed. The seer's empire is enveloping the surrounding nations and, to coincide, the warrens are becoming poisoned and deadly to those that would normally access their magics. The gods and ascendants are as imposing, powerful, and important as they were in the series' previous entries yet there is an alien entity that seeks prominence, is unforgiving, and may be aligning with or supporting the Pannion Seer's ambitions.
The dramatis personae contains around 150 characters and it was strangely comforting to rejoin some of my favourite players from Gardens of the Moon. Most notably, the Bridgeburners, such as Captain Paran and Quick Ben, and the Knight of Darkness, Anomander Rake. Paran, again, finds himself wrapped up in happenings that should be overwhelming yet his uncompromising nature and actions rightly lead to him gaining the respect of others; often formidable peers. Quick Ben showcases more magical prowess, and the intrigue around who he is and how he possesses such powers is always fascinating. Finally, Anomander Rake just oozes scene-stealing coolness, which Erikson uses to full effect, during the infrequent moments when he frequents the pages. There are some fine new additions too, including Gruntle, Stonny, and Itkovian. Silverfox's amalgamation of souls creates some excellent drama and divides amongst the alliance, and this novel is the first time, in the main series, that Erikson introduces the nightmarish yet often darkly humorous necromancers, Bauchelian and Korbal Broach.
Memories of Ice works in fine fashion as a standalone structured narrative. It includes so many excellent moments, gripping sieges, peculiar yet awesome fellowships and groups travelling with often unsynced motives in mind, romances and bromances, age-old rivalries and bitterness, and, not forgetting, dinosaurs that have swords for arms! Another neat addition that Erikson delivers is moments when the characters here are informed of, or do something that impacts the events as they are unfolding in Deadhouse Gates.
Incorporating all of these elements, Memories of Ice is beautifully written and, for me, was the moment when Erikson cemented his position as a master weaver of tales that pluck the heartstrings. Everything was more purposeful and precise in this entry, however, that is not to deny the power of some phenomenal scenes that he has presented prior. A minor criticism that I do have is that the dream sequences seemed laborious. The payoff was well worked regarding what it could equate to in future entries yet it felt hard-earned when we finally got there. This small misstep aside, Memories of Ice is one of my top ten fantasy novels of all time. It is fantastic.
July 21, 2024
Sometimes you encounter a book at the wrong time. I DNF'd Memories of Ice 14 months ago. I had attempted to read this thick and very dense book during a stretch of time when I was working 14-hour days and lacked the mental capacity to focus on a book like this.
I'm glad I gave it a second attempt.
Although I feel the text is overly dense at times, as well as the start being incredibly slow (this from someone who enjoys a slow burn type of story), the last half of this book was ridiculously great. Erikson's style of characterization is such that you don't realize how much connection you have to his characters until something impactful happens. And the last few chapters of this book redefine impactful; I've never before read anything that so keenly made me feel the horrors of war and its aftermath.
The plotting in how Erikson was able to successfully weave together so many disparate plot threads is notable. And the convergence of it all at the end incredibly satisfying. This book as a whole will make you cry, cheer, laugh and a whole gamut of emotions, often within pages of one another. The ending really moved me, and left me feeling like I had just read something important.
I'm glad I gave it a second attempt.
Although I feel the text is overly dense at times, as well as the start being incredibly slow (this from someone who enjoys a slow burn type of story), the last half of this book was ridiculously great. Erikson's style of characterization is such that you don't realize how much connection you have to his characters until something impactful happens. And the last few chapters of this book redefine impactful; I've never before read anything that so keenly made me feel the horrors of war and its aftermath.
The plotting in how Erikson was able to successfully weave together so many disparate plot threads is notable. And the convergence of it all at the end incredibly satisfying. This book as a whole will make you cry, cheer, laugh and a whole gamut of emotions, often within pages of one another. The ending really moved me, and left me feeling like I had just read something important.
May 28, 2018
Reread:
I think after the first read I was so shell shocked I really didn't know what to write. Even on reread this book just takes it out of you. The amount of empathy written into the characters and the scenes. SE builds it up so well that a simple summary sentence such as "He was my friend" leaves you gut punched.
The first time around if forced to choose I would have said DHG was a nano increment better than MOI. I have to go the other way upon reread. MOI is by far the superior story. I think the advantage DHG has is it's the first time SE shatters your heart. This time around different scenes affected me as much if not more than the first time around.
This is simply the greatest series ever.
Original review:
I didn't think there could be a more heart wrenching ending than Deadhouse Gates but this was much worse. When Erikson's speaks of convergence he means it. Those last two hundred pages were one surprise, heartbreak and somehow intertwined laughs after another. I need to read something light to recover.
I think after the first read I was so shell shocked I really didn't know what to write. Even on reread this book just takes it out of you. The amount of empathy written into the characters and the scenes. SE builds it up so well that a simple summary sentence such as "He was my friend" leaves you gut punched.
The first time around if forced to choose I would have said DHG was a nano increment better than MOI. I have to go the other way upon reread. MOI is by far the superior story. I think the advantage DHG has is it's the first time SE shatters your heart. This time around different scenes affected me as much if not more than the first time around.
This is simply the greatest series ever.
Original review:
I didn't think there could be a more heart wrenching ending than Deadhouse Gates but this was much worse. When Erikson's speaks of convergence he means it. Those last two hundred pages were one surprise, heartbreak and somehow intertwined laughs after another. I need to read something light to recover.
January 28, 2022
I now have a Booktube channel! Find me at: The Obsessive Bookseller
It took me three months to read Memories of Ice, but it was worth every single moment.
My favorite thing about this series so far is how expansive and immersive it is. I love good world building in books, especially the kind that continues to introduce new elements, then expand on them as the series progresses. Every single chapter of this book had something mentioned in passing that I wanted to know more about. So many different branches and possibilities that I just can’t wait to spend time with in future books. It’s awesome.
Let’s talk about the characters. All 1000 of them. Actually, this is the first novel where I finally felt like I had a decent handle of all the playmakers in this series. Mind you, I still used the kindle XRay feature constantly to make sure I knew who was who, but I had to use it perhaps a little less often than in previous books. I find all the characters wildly interesting. All of them. And the development of these characters is in line with how everything else is written for the series. You’re basically just plunked into different situations with these people and their depth is gradually revealed through their words and actions. I don’t feel connected to them through deep individual character exploration you can find in other series, but rather in a camaraderiec manner where I feel closer to them because of all the shit we’ve been through together. It’s totally relatable and immersive and unlike anything I’ve experienced before.
This series is so unique. There are elements in here that wouldn’t work for me in any other context. Totally fanciful, ridiculous things that jump the shark left and right, but somehow you just go with it despite that mental twinge of “this is really freaking weird.” I think it all works because of how committed the author is to his trajectory. He immediately builds your trust that he’s taking the story somewhere and everything within exists for a reason. Sit back, shut up, and trust the process. He has my complete confidence in his ability to deliver on his promises, so I’m uncharacteristically willing to give the ridiculous stuff the benefit of the doubt to see where it takes me. I appreciate how fully committed to the vision you have to be to love this series, and I’m all there – totally ready for the next chapter.
Overall, as dense and time-consuming as these books are, I’m enjoying the hell out of them and can’t wait to see where it goes next. Some of the scenes in this book were downright cinematic with drama and excitement, and I’ll be replaying them in my mind for quite a while.
Someone’s off-handed comment (definitely not meant as a spoiler, but I’m really, really good at making inferences) inadvertently wrecked a major plot point for me, so I’m feeling sad about that and trying not to let that disappointment affect my rating and overall satisfaction with the book. I think I would’ve been singing the praises at a solid 5-stars otherwise – this was truly a masterpiece with countless promises of amazing things to come.
Recommendations: this is the most dense, vicious, complex, expansive thing I’ve ever read. I would never recommend it casually because it takes a lot of time and energy to read. But from my experience so far with it, it’s totally worth the effort. Pro tip: get the kindle ebook version if you can so you can flip back and look at character names in context of the story. I would definitely not be enjoying this nearly as much without that feature. The beauty is in the nuances, which are nigh impossible to keep track of without help.
Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com
Other books you might like:
It took me three months to read Memories of Ice, but it was worth every single moment.
My favorite thing about this series so far is how expansive and immersive it is. I love good world building in books, especially the kind that continues to introduce new elements, then expand on them as the series progresses. Every single chapter of this book had something mentioned in passing that I wanted to know more about. So many different branches and possibilities that I just can’t wait to spend time with in future books. It’s awesome.
Let’s talk about the characters. All 1000 of them. Actually, this is the first novel where I finally felt like I had a decent handle of all the playmakers in this series. Mind you, I still used the kindle XRay feature constantly to make sure I knew who was who, but I had to use it perhaps a little less often than in previous books. I find all the characters wildly interesting. All of them. And the development of these characters is in line with how everything else is written for the series. You’re basically just plunked into different situations with these people and their depth is gradually revealed through their words and actions. I don’t feel connected to them through deep individual character exploration you can find in other series, but rather in a camaraderiec manner where I feel closer to them because of all the shit we’ve been through together. It’s totally relatable and immersive and unlike anything I’ve experienced before.
This series is so unique. There are elements in here that wouldn’t work for me in any other context. Totally fanciful, ridiculous things that jump the shark left and right, but somehow you just go with it despite that mental twinge of “this is really freaking weird.” I think it all works because of how committed the author is to his trajectory. He immediately builds your trust that he’s taking the story somewhere and everything within exists for a reason. Sit back, shut up, and trust the process. He has my complete confidence in his ability to deliver on his promises, so I’m uncharacteristically willing to give the ridiculous stuff the benefit of the doubt to see where it takes me. I appreciate how fully committed to the vision you have to be to love this series, and I’m all there – totally ready for the next chapter.
Overall, as dense and time-consuming as these books are, I’m enjoying the hell out of them and can’t wait to see where it goes next. Some of the scenes in this book were downright cinematic with drama and excitement, and I’ll be replaying them in my mind for quite a while.
Someone’s off-handed comment (definitely not meant as a spoiler, but I’m really, really good at making inferences) inadvertently wrecked a major plot point for me, so I’m feeling sad about that and trying not to let that disappointment affect my rating and overall satisfaction with the book. I think I would’ve been singing the praises at a solid 5-stars otherwise – this was truly a masterpiece with countless promises of amazing things to come.
Recommendations: this is the most dense, vicious, complex, expansive thing I’ve ever read. I would never recommend it casually because it takes a lot of time and energy to read. But from my experience so far with it, it’s totally worth the effort. Pro tip: get the kindle ebook version if you can so you can flip back and look at character names in context of the story. I would definitely not be enjoying this nearly as much without that feature. The beauty is in the nuances, which are nigh impossible to keep track of without help.
Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com
Other books you might like:
September 9, 2022
I enjoyed this book a lot more the second time around but I still struggled with it - a lot - I must admit. My main issue is that I keep missing things that the author only hints at, and I don’t realise that I just missed an important moment.
It’s perhaps a bit too deep of a swimming pool for me, but I will continue with the series.
My old review from 2018:
I think it's time to admit that Malazan and I will not become friends. Maybe at some point in the future, maybe never, but despite being a huge fantasy fan and this being the ultimate fantasy series, it just is not for me.
I scroll through the reviews of my friends and see that I'm absolutely in the minority (read: I think I'm the only one of my GR friends), but I just don't know what else to say.
It did not captivate me. It did not make me emotional. And I could not connect with any of the characters. I had to read both Gardens of the Moon and Deadhouse Gates twice. The first time in English, the second time in German, and while I did end up enjoying myself somewhat this, at least for me, is just too much work for a fantasy series.
I will probably pick up the next book at some point in the future, because I'm stubborn, but for now Memories of Ice gets three stars and I must admit, this just made me feel a tiny bit like there is something wrong with me.
It’s perhaps a bit too deep of a swimming pool for me, but I will continue with the series.
My old review from 2018:
I think it's time to admit that Malazan and I will not become friends. Maybe at some point in the future, maybe never, but despite being a huge fantasy fan and this being the ultimate fantasy series, it just is not for me.
I scroll through the reviews of my friends and see that I'm absolutely in the minority (read: I think I'm the only one of my GR friends), but I just don't know what else to say.
It did not captivate me. It did not make me emotional. And I could not connect with any of the characters. I had to read both Gardens of the Moon and Deadhouse Gates twice. The first time in English, the second time in German, and while I did end up enjoying myself somewhat this, at least for me, is just too much work for a fantasy series.
I will probably pick up the next book at some point in the future, because I'm stubborn, but for now Memories of Ice gets three stars and I must admit, this just made me feel a tiny bit like there is something wrong with me.
February 9, 2017
I think it's actually this book where I'm finally getting into the swing of things better, but perhaps that's just familiarity with the endless procession of characters. It helped when I finally broke down and got the help of a wiki. :)
On the other hand, I sure as hell never needed help loving Kruppe even from the first book and that sure as hell hasn't changed by the third. What a personality!
And of course there's a lot to love about Brood and Rake, both in story, history, and personal quirks, but Silverfox really does rather steal the show for me.
What I'm really most fascinated about are the gods. It's hard not to see them all as stealing the show from the normal folk, because, truly, we're surrounded by them in the story, whether they're the elder gods or the new gods, the tragic T'lan Imass, or the new NEW gods, they're all flashy and full of flavor in comparison to the poor mortals, alas. Or at least, they would be if they didn't keep getting taken down a notch or three and proving that certain mortals have a talent of surviving.
Or not. *sigh* No spoilers.
Honestly, I'm still enthralled by the Crippled God and all the discussions related to him. The poisoning of the warrens is damn interesting, too. :) I'm surrounded by big, big ideas and the scope is breathtaking. When we say immortals, we really mean immortals, people. What's a 100k years, anyway? This is nothing different from the first two, of course, but I'm still feeling the effects.
I love the little subversions and Silverfox's development and twisty bits, too.
I could keep going, after all, this is a really huge novel and so much happens, but suffice to say, nations fall, the fate of so many tortured souls and gods and everyone else is at stake. There's surprisingly less fighting in the text than I expected, filled with a ton of intrigue and people just trying to figure out what's going on, and I was just fine with that. It made for an interesting discovery novel. :)
On the other hand, I sure as hell never needed help loving Kruppe even from the first book and that sure as hell hasn't changed by the third. What a personality!
And of course there's a lot to love about Brood and Rake, both in story, history, and personal quirks, but Silverfox really does rather steal the show for me.
What I'm really most fascinated about are the gods. It's hard not to see them all as stealing the show from the normal folk, because, truly, we're surrounded by them in the story, whether they're the elder gods or the new gods, the tragic T'lan Imass, or the new NEW gods, they're all flashy and full of flavor in comparison to the poor mortals, alas. Or at least, they would be if they didn't keep getting taken down a notch or three and proving that certain mortals have a talent of surviving.
Or not. *sigh* No spoilers.
Honestly, I'm still enthralled by the Crippled God and all the discussions related to him. The poisoning of the warrens is damn interesting, too. :) I'm surrounded by big, big ideas and the scope is breathtaking. When we say immortals, we really mean immortals, people. What's a 100k years, anyway? This is nothing different from the first two, of course, but I'm still feeling the effects.
I love the little subversions and Silverfox's development and twisty bits, too.
I could keep going, after all, this is a really huge novel and so much happens, but suffice to say, nations fall, the fate of so many tortured souls and gods and everyone else is at stake. There's surprisingly less fighting in the text than I expected, filled with a ton of intrigue and people just trying to figure out what's going on, and I was just fine with that. It made for an interesting discovery novel. :)
May 3, 2013
As with the previous two books in the Malazan Series, my reread of Memories of Ice was a very different, far superior experience than my first read. Again, the density of world building combined with the layers of mystery and foreshadowing are just mind boggling and difficult to appreciate the first time round, but are a wonder to unpack on subsequent reads.
This third book of the series takes us back to the continent on Genabackis where we are reunited with the Bridgeburners as we pick up the story from book one. The events in this book occur concurrently with the second book and Erikson takes time every now and then to let us know where we are timewise in relation to the events in the second book. For example, we see where The Trygalle Trade Guild is sent off to resupply Fiddler and Coltaine, or we have a character receive a vision of a scene that we recognise from the second book.
Returning this book are The Bridgeburners, WhiskeyJack, Paran Ganoes, Quick Ben, Dujek and OneArm’s host, Anomander Rake and the Tiste Andii, Caladan Brood, Silverfox, Onos Toolan and more. This book also properly introduces us to the arch antagonist of the series ie The Crippled God – lured from another world, brought down as a weapon of mass destruction to be used against a tyrant, only to be shattered and then chained in an attempt to avert it’s growing malignant power.
Former enemies will unite and march against a hunger crazed and insane army. Undead hordes will be summoned. Gods will die and new ones ascend. The pantheon will divide against itself. Mortals will be seduced into choosing sides. Its Onearm’s host against the Pannion Seer, T’lan Imass vs Jaghut, old gods vs new gods, Nihilism vs humanity, Chaos vs Order. And when its all done and finished, when your sole reason for being has been war, what is left when all you have hated is gone? Only dust and Memories of Ice.
But the Bridgeburners have little use for all these high and mighty themes and personalities. Their motto is “First in, last out” and they don’t do it for gods or kings or any other assholes out there. They fight for the man on their right and on their left and the gods can go to Hood. And when Hood comes to collect with his Death’s head grin, well they’ll just grin back and greet him with a flatbow in their right hand and a cusser in their left ‘cause Hood’s got no comeback for wide-eyed stupid.
5 stars
This third book of the series takes us back to the continent on Genabackis where we are reunited with the Bridgeburners as we pick up the story from book one. The events in this book occur concurrently with the second book and Erikson takes time every now and then to let us know where we are timewise in relation to the events in the second book. For example, we see where The Trygalle Trade Guild is sent off to resupply Fiddler and Coltaine, or we have a character receive a vision of a scene that we recognise from the second book.
Returning this book are The Bridgeburners, WhiskeyJack, Paran Ganoes, Quick Ben, Dujek and OneArm’s host, Anomander Rake and the Tiste Andii, Caladan Brood, Silverfox, Onos Toolan and more. This book also properly introduces us to the arch antagonist of the series ie The Crippled God – lured from another world, brought down as a weapon of mass destruction to be used against a tyrant, only to be shattered and then chained in an attempt to avert it’s growing malignant power.
Former enemies will unite and march against a hunger crazed and insane army. Undead hordes will be summoned. Gods will die and new ones ascend. The pantheon will divide against itself. Mortals will be seduced into choosing sides. Its Onearm’s host against the Pannion Seer, T’lan Imass vs Jaghut, old gods vs new gods, Nihilism vs humanity, Chaos vs Order. And when its all done and finished, when your sole reason for being has been war, what is left when all you have hated is gone? Only dust and Memories of Ice.
But the Bridgeburners have little use for all these high and mighty themes and personalities. Their motto is “First in, last out” and they don’t do it for gods or kings or any other assholes out there. They fight for the man on their right and on their left and the gods can go to Hood. And when Hood comes to collect with his Death’s head grin, well they’ll just grin back and greet him with a flatbow in their right hand and a cusser in their left ‘cause Hood’s got no comeback for wide-eyed stupid.
5 stars
February 6, 2017
Wow, just....wow!!! Where to begin? This will be another tough review, due to spoilers, and I like to keep these spoiler free. So, I'll start with the real rating: 6 STARTS OUT OF 5 . This sounds like a joke, but I mean it. I absolutely loved the first 2 books and this one just blew them out of the water.
I'll say what little I can of the story. Firstly, this is so seriously jam packed with info and reveals from the first book that I found myself having to scan GotM quite frequently. This book is the first one I felt truly lost in at so many points, but that didn't take away from any of the enjoyment, either. Erikson packs soooooo much into these books that it's quite impressive. There's violence, humour, conspiracies, betrayal and some deaths of a few major players. No one is safe in this world.
Characters- we see the return of most of our favorites from GotM! And some new faces that were mentioned before, but we finally get to know them. Caladan Brood being my favorite new character. That freaking hammer!!!! I think he could make Thor cry ;) The character development in this one is spectacular, as well. I think Silverfox, later in the novel, is probably the only character I didn't like. Besides Kallor, of course. BLOODY KALLOR!! But that's all I can say on that, because spoilers lol.
World building is also where Erikson shines. Let's be honest, where doesn't the man shine?
This one definitely had so much more comic relief, but still prepare them heartstrings ladies and gentlemen, because he pretty much tips them from your chest haha. But seriously, he tips them from your chest.
Now I just have to wait for House of Chains to get here. And it can't get here fast enough!
Ps- sorry for any typos, currently writing this via my phone lol
I'll say what little I can of the story. Firstly, this is so seriously jam packed with info and reveals from the first book that I found myself having to scan GotM quite frequently. This book is the first one I felt truly lost in at so many points, but that didn't take away from any of the enjoyment, either. Erikson packs soooooo much into these books that it's quite impressive. There's violence, humour, conspiracies, betrayal and some deaths of a few major players. No one is safe in this world.
Characters- we see the return of most of our favorites from GotM! And some new faces that were mentioned before, but we finally get to know them. Caladan Brood being my favorite new character. That freaking hammer!!!! I think he could make Thor cry ;) The character development in this one is spectacular, as well. I think Silverfox, later in the novel, is probably the only character I didn't like. Besides Kallor, of course. BLOODY KALLOR!! But that's all I can say on that, because spoilers lol.
World building is also where Erikson shines. Let's be honest, where doesn't the man shine?
This one definitely had so much more comic relief, but still prepare them heartstrings ladies and gentlemen, because he pretty much tips them from your chest haha. But seriously, he tips them from your chest.
Now I just have to wait for House of Chains to get here. And it can't get here fast enough!
Ps- sorry for any typos, currently writing this via my phone lol
June 23, 2015
This was the best Malazan book so far. It was so good that it ranks alongside the best the fantasy genre has to offer. Steven Erikson did a great job of weaving his gigantic cast of characters and complex plot and subplots into a cohesive fast paced and intriguing story.
The story picked up from where we left off in Gardens of the Moon. Dujek's host have been outlawed by the Malazan Empire and are in the process of forming an alliance with their old foes, led by Caladan Brood and Anomander Rake, in order to fight a larger and more dangerous threat that is rising in the South. That threat is the fanatical Pannion Domin. As always there is far more going on than just the happenings in the mortal realm. The Crippled God seeks vengeance against a world that has left him crippled and imprisoned. His power is such that the other Gods are forced to put aside their usual petty squabbles and marshal a defense.
The story was complex and packed with plenty of action, drama, mystery, and intrigue. I was not bored for a single moment despite this being a massive book! As with all Malazan books this one was pretty dark and had more than its fair share of heartbreaking moments. That said, I think this installment delivered a far better balance than we had in Deadhouse Gates because the darker aspects of the story are balanced with a bit of humor and some uplifting acts of truly inspiring heroism.
Another massive improvement on the second book was the cast. As always it was massive, but this time around I was glad to return to the stories of the likable and interesting characters we met in Gardens of the Moon. Favorite characters such as Kruppe, Paran, Quick Ben, Whiskeyjack, Anomander Rake, Toc, and Tool were all back and more awesome than ever. Memories of Ice also benefited from adding a whole host of fantastic new characters, or from simply better developing minor characters from the first book. The pick of the bunch was the Grey Sword Itkovian, but others like Gruntle, Stonny, Lady Envy, Mok, Korlat, Picker, and Blend were almost as good additions.
I love the truly epic feel this series has as a result of its large cast of both human and non-human characters, multiple settings, detailed back stories, cool magic system, and intricate plot.
This was an outstanding read and I'm eager to press on to the next book!
Rating: 5 stars.
Audio Note: This is the last book in the Malazan series narrated by the excellent Ralph Lister which is a real shame in my eyes as he has done a great job. His take on Kruppe will definitely be missed.
The story picked up from where we left off in Gardens of the Moon. Dujek's host have been outlawed by the Malazan Empire and are in the process of forming an alliance with their old foes, led by Caladan Brood and Anomander Rake, in order to fight a larger and more dangerous threat that is rising in the South. That threat is the fanatical Pannion Domin. As always there is far more going on than just the happenings in the mortal realm. The Crippled God seeks vengeance against a world that has left him crippled and imprisoned. His power is such that the other Gods are forced to put aside their usual petty squabbles and marshal a defense.
The story was complex and packed with plenty of action, drama, mystery, and intrigue. I was not bored for a single moment despite this being a massive book! As with all Malazan books this one was pretty dark and had more than its fair share of heartbreaking moments. That said, I think this installment delivered a far better balance than we had in Deadhouse Gates because the darker aspects of the story are balanced with a bit of humor and some uplifting acts of truly inspiring heroism.
Another massive improvement on the second book was the cast. As always it was massive, but this time around I was glad to return to the stories of the likable and interesting characters we met in Gardens of the Moon. Favorite characters such as Kruppe, Paran, Quick Ben, Whiskeyjack, Anomander Rake, Toc, and Tool were all back and more awesome than ever. Memories of Ice also benefited from adding a whole host of fantastic new characters, or from simply better developing minor characters from the first book. The pick of the bunch was the Grey Sword Itkovian, but others like Gruntle, Stonny, Lady Envy, Mok, Korlat, Picker, and Blend were almost as good additions.
I love the truly epic feel this series has as a result of its large cast of both human and non-human characters, multiple settings, detailed back stories, cool magic system, and intricate plot.
This was an outstanding read and I'm eager to press on to the next book!
Rating: 5 stars.
Audio Note: This is the last book in the Malazan series narrated by the excellent Ralph Lister which is a real shame in my eyes as he has done a great job. His take on Kruppe will definitely be missed.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,825 reviews