Book Ten of The Malazan Book of the Fallen - The Crippled God

The road was long and filled with both pain and wonder, but eventually it came to an end. And with the closing of the story, Erikson shows us that the best endings feel like coming home from a journey and settling into your favorite chair. Not all journeys are happy, but even the most arduous of sacrifices within these pages leaves the reader feeling rewarded by the scope and depth of this most grand of stories, The Malazan Book of the Fallen. Highly recommended!!!

I have purchased every book of steven erikson of the tales of the malazan. they have been very interesting reading. I have not found book eight or nine, must have missed them. I would love to purchase them if they can be back ordered.

Please note - while I try not to give anything away, there may be minimal spoilers in this review

So I have always had mixed feelings about the Malazan series. Sometimes, I feel like I am reading some of the best fantasy available. Other times, I can't figure out what the heck I am reading. Some of the characters (Karsa Orlong, Icarium, Anomander Rake) are amongst the most interesting and powerful characters I have ever encountered in fantasy - and I mostly read fantasy. Other characters are annoying and uninteresting - including many of the Malazan regulars.

But that is a critique of the series in general, and not necessarily of this book. It too contains these factors, but also serves as the climax of the Malazan series (although I recently read that there will be a considerable number of books still on the way based on the Malazan world - not sure if that is true or not). As a climax, it is pretty powerful. The emotion, the struggles, the power, the misdirection - its all here in The Crippled God. Moreover, though there are twists and turns, I found this book a lot easier to follow than some of the other. Some of the scenes are heart wrenching, and many of those I had come to love were lost. Additionally, many of the questions left over from older books in the series are finally answered. Beyond that, we get a first hand look at all of the ancient races together - the Jaghut, the Imass, the K'chain Che'malle and Forkrul Assail are all heavily represented in this book. Finally, many of our old favorites play major roles in this book - I won't list them all for fear of spoiling too much.

That said, the book suffers from some of the weaknesses of the series (at least, the weaknesses I perceive - others may disagree). First of all, many characters that have been built up as being extremely important have minimal roles in this book. One big complaint is that Karsa Orlong barely shows up. Its my understanding that he will play a major role in the upcoming Esslemont book. However, after being such an integral part of this series, I wanted to see him with a major role to play in this book, not 5 pages worth of indirect involvement. Another character complaint is that Draconus does a few things, and effectively disappears the rest of the book. This might just be a complaint from a biased reader (I find those characters to be two of the more interesting in the series), but when an author puts so much time into his readers getting to know a character, it seems a bit unfair to leave us hanging for another series that most of us were unaware was coming.

There were some additional dislikes on my part. The scenes between soldiers can be quite tedious - a common complaint throughout the series. Finally, though the climactic battle scenes were huge and brilliantly detailed, the book ends quite abruptly. The scene at the end reminded me of the reunion in the Ewok Village at the end of Return of the Jedi - all our favorite heroes just standing around talking a bit, and cue the music.

While that might seem like a lot of complaints, I still see this book as a success. Moreover, I think it made me appreciate this monumental series all the more. So many key pieces clicked into place, while some are still shrouded in mystery. When I first read Gardens of the Moon years ago, I wasn't sure I wanted to read another book in this series. I'm extremely glad I did. Erikson does a fantastic job of capturing the dual nature of humankind, and I was suprised how many times I felt "moved" in reading this book. While some of the more subtle commentary the series offers may have been lost on me, I am extremely glad to have been a "witness" to the last march of the Bonehunters.

So four stars for a book that was the perfect ending for an imperfect series...

I really enjoyed the Malazan books and this last one was no exception.
It followed the standard Malazan format, but I felt that this one did not lag as much as some of the previous ones.
In the past it has taken me many months to finish one of the books, but this one seemed to fly by. There are some superb scenes with characters that have not interacted in many books and this made it feel like some of the earlier books (which are some of the best).

There are some issues of course with how the crippled god turns out, but overall I cannot recommend this enough especially if you have read the previous books in the series.

I went on a reading craze on fantasy books. The Erikson books; I bought the first eight at one spree. I had a couple of Farlands to finish then started 'Gardens of the Moon' and there was no turnning back. By the time I got to 'The Crippled God',I didn't want the story to stop. It was almost like fascinating history being told in a form all could understand. I'm still waiting for more about those brave, stoic, determed men and women. After all they didn't all just accept discharge and dwindle into mediocre jobs or retirement! What's the next book going to be about? Are they going to be close enough where their lives touch;some more others? Enough of that. I really enjoyed "THE BOOKS OF THE MALAZAN".

A good story should make you laugh, cry, get angry, swear out loud, take you to the edge and back...and this story did all of that.
All the while I was anxious to finish and know how it all ended, but at the end...well, I would have liked to read much more.
Excellent story, characters are perfect, just a brilliant masterpiece.

Damned Fiddler just broke my heart...

A most apt ending to a life changing series. I've been reading the Malazan Book of the Fallen for 11 years now, and even had to reread books 6 onwards after a 3 year hiatus, but they are so rewarding that I keep referring to this series, it is truly the greatest accomplishment in the history of fantasy. Excellently plotted, exquisitely written and deeply moving. Erikson's insights into human nature and our foibles is as enlightening as they often are depressing. Yet he somehow manages to uplift me with his deep faith in humanity and our courage. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a series to accompany them for some years (if you read as slowly as I).

I really enjoyed reading this series although Erikson's universe of places, players, etc, is so vast that he wasn't able to wrap up all the myriad of story lines and he warns the reader of this fact in a written statement at the beginning of book 9 (or 10). Reading the series, there were times when I thought certain things to be chronologically out of order. At least two of the books could have been released before instead of after the one I had just read. It still worked well enough to have me read the whole series, whereas, I almost gave up on Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" series somewhere in the middle bc I got so bored. Tg I didn't bc the last few were so excellent thanks to Brandon Sanderson. Anyway, Erikson was commissioned to write 9 for under 1 million Euros, I read somewhere. I believe they sure got their money's worth out of him...

I have never read through ten books this quickly. This last Book of the Fallen is an epic conclusion to a tale that is equally exciting, humorous, tragic, and full of hope that heroes can be real. Play on, Fiddler.

Erikson is by far my favorite fantasy author. His Malazan Book of the Fallen is such a huge sprawling series that you can't help but admire what he has accomplished. Why? Because he wrote a book a year at nearly 900 pages each and every single one is a winner. Repeat. Every single 900 page book in this 10 book series is a winner. The Crippled God easily stands on its own two feet as you see the conclusion to this much loved series.

It seems that virtually all loose ends were tied up. The Tisti Andii, The Bonehunters, The Bridgeburners, The K'chain Che'Maalle, the Letherii, Forkrul Assail, numerous and many gods, big and small. Virtually nothing was left untouched. We get to see the Adjunct struggle through an uncrossable desert to meet a most implacable foe. The Forkrul Assail themselves are powerful and leave the reader in awe and wondering what will happen when the forces of the two sides eventually meet in battle. More importantly we get to see the return of some important characters who seemed to have been lost in previous books, and with them the great power that they wield.

The story itself met a logical if convoluted end, eventually tying together nicely. Some things leave you frowning only to accept it as believable because, after all, this is Erikson and the most audacious and over the top plot twists seem absolutely real and acceptable within the world that he created. I don't know how many times I chuckled with his wit, or shed a tear at the heartbreaking and moving scenes. My only complaint is that you don't see two notable characters (Icarium and Karsa) take other than bit roles that are nothing more than a couple of pages max each. They represented such a great part of the previous books that I so wished I would have seen more of them here,

All in all I couldn't have been more pleased than I was with The Crippled God. I am left sad that the series is over, that I will not be able to lose myself for another 900 pages. That being said I cannot wait to start the whole series over again with a fresh set of eyes, now fully aware of who the characters are and what importance they have to the series. With this new outlook I am sure that the second read through of the series will be richer than the first. Bravo Erikson!

5 stars.

I've read the entire Malazan series, and this last book is a very weak conclusion. Without writing a book about the book, here are the flaws that bothered me:

Many lose ends are not tied up. Without giving things away, many major characters from past books are not even mentioned and left hanging, or get very light treatment in the last book which doesn't do justice to the build up over the series, and that is putting it mildly. I'm guessing this was done to support a bevy of new books outside the main series, but I'm going to pass on them.

Abrupt personality changes of the characters between books has been a weakness of this series and it continues here. In fact, its worse in this book as one of the main bad guys turns out to be a good guy all along with only the weakest explanation as to what the heck just happened.

For a significant number part of this book, most of the characters are wondering why they are there, what they are doing, and where they are going. In this the reader can empathize with them.

The ending, other than killing most of the characters off, doesn't make a whole lot of sense. A lot of actions are unexplained and it really doesn't answer why what has been taking place for the last 10 books had to take place.

The second book is probably the best of the series, my recommendation is to read that as a standalone book and leave it at that.

I find this last book in Steven Erikson's malazan book of the fallen top slow pace. What do I mean by that? Well about 700 pages og this book is mainly about walking, whining, thirst and philisophy while the remaining pages are awesome. However I got less answers than I expected which, for me, kinda destroyed the total reading experience of the entire series. It's still worth reading all ten books but keep this in mind... 3.5 stars for this book and 4/5 for this series Because the crippled god didn't finish off the series as I would like. I would recommend that you alsl read Esselmonts books (like malazan novels and Dancer's Lament) by the way! I find Esselmont writing more intersting ( faster pace, less whining and less philosophy) and the stories is still very good!

Making an the store review of the last book does not make justice of this story.

It's amazingly well written, it's heart clenching and yet knows how to be light at times. This is a story about perseverance, compassion and cruelty. This is a story that will see you grow.

PS: Only advised if you're ok with magic, dragons and Gods related themes. Also pass your way if all you want is a cliche Fantasy book with a shiny hero and a damsel in distress, this is not for you.

Very complex and challenging series -- thoroughly enjoyed and have already re-read the earlier books in the series. The Malazan world is vivid, characters are as real as your next door neighbour, story-telling is sophisticated and mature. Best fantasy fiction available.

And ever finished as well. But fear not, the Malazan story is not over, thank goodness. I don't do rehash reviews so suffice to say this was my favorite book of the ten, maybe because so many story arcs were brought to fruition and some sense of completion came to many of my favorite characters. Some tales are obviously yet to be completed, as the emphasis was on the Crippled God and the Bonehunters finishing their business. That there will be further Malazan books is the best news I've ever had, but this series has been wrapped up quite well and satisfactorily, and isn't that quite a change from the other epic fantasy series. Steven Erikson did it, wrote an entire huge epic series and did it on time. Plus it just happens to be the best one of all. As another reviewer said so well, this series is worthy of many rereads and future study. It's long but it's also deep and wide. Thank you Steven Erikson for writing and completing the greatest epic fantasy series ever written.

Oh, and thanks also for the great idea of offering the hardbound and paperback at the same time. I hope that idea catches on.

As with all his earlier books this was a fascinating read. The characters and settings are engrossing and I found it hard to put down. Not a book for the faint hearted though as there are numerous characters and a knowledge of the earlier novels is pretty much a given to fully appreciate this novel.

I would say my biggest complaint is that in some of the earlier books, he introduces gods and godlike beings, but he keeps introducing even more powerful gods. Also, I'm not sure how so many of these powerful entities have survived for hundreds of thousands of years, when some of them end up being easily killable.

This is a great series of fantasy books. The characters are well developed, the storyline is complex and there are genuine surprises. There are good, bad and grey characters throughout. I liked that there is a definite end to this series. Only down side to this series is the huge number of characters. There are literally dozens of major characters that appear across the whole series.

2nd time through and almost as sweet as the first. So many disparate characters and themes interspersed with interesting social commentary. Solid world building. I probably missed quite a few threads and honestly, I'm still impressed with the scope and depth and even thankful for the reticence in explanations.

Time to get back to livin'...

In order to really review this book, you have to really look at the entire series and see how it lead up to this point and if this conclusion successfully left the reader feeling like things are complete. In my opinion, this book feels only slightly more "final" than any other book in the series... it leaves alot of the characters stories still going. It leaves alot of questions unanswered. But it isn't the fault of this book alone, its the culmination of the way the story has been told since The Bonehunters.

It would take me forever and alot of spoilers to really disect this book (and the series) with its problems. But I will try to make it quick:
- The motivations of the characters are spotty in the end. I mean really, all of this for the crippled god? Is there anyone who can actually see how the events could possibly have been planned from the first few books to lead to this?

- The characters still tend to be WAY too overdramatic. You take characters that have been around for hundreds of years, lived through many wars, some destroyed entire civilizations, some even died and come back to life, and your telling me that they are gonna cry every other time we see them? Or that every new god or baddy introduced is something that everyone needs to fear like its the end of the world? And then just forget about them completely when they don't play a part anymore?

- The story arcs that are closed by the end of this book are not even the most interesting ones. I don't really wanna spoil it so I won't say which ones, but in the end I was severely disapointed on what was chosen to be left open (especially since this was a two part book with lots of time to close up more of the story)

- Way too much detail is put into mundane aspects of some of the basically "throw-away" characters lives. This isn't as big of a problem as it has been in the previous novels but its still creates whole sections of book that can be skimmed without losing anything important

- Some of the bigger characters that have been with the series from almost the beginning get very little time in this book and are, in some cases, randomly thrown in and/or killed off in rediculously pointless ways (I understand that it may be what the author was going for but that doesn't mean I have to like it)

Maybe in the author's mind, everything is connected and actually makes sense. But until someone comes out and explains it without all of the extra fluff, the story from beginning to end in this series is more like a long line of random events and chaos thats somehow led to a "planned" conclusion. Much of what it seems the author is trying to say is about the futility of war and the way you can never predict anything with any certainty, especially your own death (which is undermined by the fact that somehow the most crazy and convoluted plans made by characters in the book still end up working out). Reading is made a little easier in this book by the fact that the amount of philosophizing that was getting out of hand in the previous books has been toned down. The action is more direct and less drawn out similar to the way that made the first few books so amazing.

In conclusion, if you are this far in the series, nothing I say will stop you from reading this book because the amount of effort it takes to get to this point needs to be rewarded. But don't expect this to be a very satisfying end. The high points of the series for me were Gardens of the Moon, Deadhouse Gates, Memories of Ice, most of The Bonehunters, and alot of the Toll of the Hounds. The lowest point in the series was most of Dust of Dreams and all of (ugh) Reaper's Gale. This series had such an amazing start, it had the potential for being one of the most epic series ever created. It makes me sad to see where it ended and that its over without living up to that promise.

The malazan boks of the fallen have taken me from my mid-20s to my late 30s. In a way it has been one of the few constants during that period. I loved this whole series, the characters that you felt you got to know personally, the twists and turns, the pathos and the joy. The 10th book is amazing, just finished it 2 hours ago and my overarching feeling? Sadness that this fantastic series is over. Thank you mr. Erikson.

***Minor Spoilers in the Article***
Steven Erikson's Magnum Opus finally comes to an end! Gardens of the Moon was first published in 1999 back when Fantasy was still looked down upon and faithful readers had trouble finding Fantasy books in their neighbourhood bookstore. One of the reasons the status of Fantasy has a better status these days is the series of books that came after the Gardens of the Moon. It is because of this series that Fantasy has gained the kind of respect that it has these days. True, Erikson has his issues with grammar, pace and style. BUt no one can deny the ambition of his work. What Erikson lacks in some areas, he more than makes up with the depth of his characters and the sheer scope of his works.

With that, let us get in to the final book of the series. The Dust of Dreams ended with the Bonehunters(Supposedly one of the primary protagonists, do not enter the frame until the fourth book) mauled badly by the Nahruk armies, almost by accident and the Shake returning to Kharkanas. As is typical of any Malazan book, the first part of the book is essentially set up. Although, perhaps because of the need to cram in so much in a single novel, the action begins early with the Great war between Darkness and Light... and then everything goes up like a Cusser on steroids with the Bonehunters' last March and the Shake's last stand. Erikson throws in a little bit of the Tiste Andi, the Soletaken, the return of the Jaghut, Forkrul Assail, Imass, the Elder Gods, Draconus, Icarium, the Bridgeburners and the K'Chain Che'Malle, some favourite characters from previous books to really create a mother of a Convergence and a heart wrenching climax to the series. Between all this Gods die, charaters we thought were dead come back one last time, betrayals occur and some fantastic set pieces unfold. Like others have said, many threads fom the early books find a neat resolution. However, there are plot threads that are still unresolved, but they are not major and expect to be taken care of in the upcoming novels by Esselmont and Erikson. Kruppe's and Karsa's return was great. Kruppe was hilarious after a long time. I think Erikson over indulged in Kruppe after Gardens of the Moon which was one reason why some of the later books were not as fantastic as the rest. But, this time with little time left for tautological philosophization that hobbled the second half of this series, this is the best Malazan book since the Memories of Ice. That said, my grouse(only) with the final installment is the potrayal of the Assail.They make very straightforward antagonists and some of the battles with them are anticlimatic, perhaps because there was only so much space & time available. Other than that the Crippled God is a satisfying resolution to arguably the greatest Fantasy series ever. Did I mention that Ganoes Paran finally returns? and that Quick Ben and Kalam are fantastic. Oh by the way, We still don't know what happened to Laseen!

Being a dyslexic it took me a bit of time to get through this series but I can't truly say this is now one of my favorite of series I have ever read. The Dust of Dreams was a tad slow for me but this novel ended the series for me on the right note and I was happy how the author wrapped up most of the story lines. I will miss not having a next book in the series to purchase, and when I get the time I will probably read Mr Erikson's and Ian Esslemont's novels that take place in the Malazan universe.

The Crippled God was everything you wanted in an series ending book and then some!! There where so many "OMG" moments, so many "Hell Yeah" moments and so many "tear jerker" moments in this final book. Most of the little strings SE wove thru out this series were tied up in TCG. Steven Erikson is a master at EPIC fantasy and no one can compare!!!!!

Another spell binding novel by one of the greatest fantasy fiction writers I have found. I don't know if this is the end of the series or not. Certainly it will not be the end of the series for anyone having read earlier editions and I am sure it will remain as a notable epic on my shelf for years to come.

This is the wrap of a long saga. It's been an exciting 10 months journey travelling through the empire with Erikson. The end pace is breath taking. He resolves many of the plots but leaved you thinking like he ran out of ink because there are quite a number that are not

I really did enjoy the malazan series, more than I expected. Memories of ice, was my favorite book by far in the series, dust of dreams being my least favorite. I wanted more from the ending, a few characters I wish played a bigger role... karsa! Overall I'm happy with the ending and will read this series again in the future minus dust of dreams, never again will I read that one. If you're thinking about reading this series, DO IT, it is well worth your time

Would not recommend this series beyond book one. Too many characters, needless sights, poor fluidity, and does not set a good view of what is happening. I like the overall idea, but not how it was delivered.

I laughed, I cried, I laughed and cried, I screamed in frustration and I shouted in surprise. All that and more went on while I read this massive but perfect ending to this wonderful series. While some questions where left to our own imaginations, most of the threads of this series found some type of conclusion. From what I understand and have read, there will be a continuation of these characters in some form or another, so I am not worried by those threads that were left dangling. The only thing I could wish for was to have the previous books much closer to memory. I would advise that you at least have read the last 4 books to have a good idea of what is actually happening. All in all, a very satisfying read, I could not put it down.

This is the conclusion of the most epic series I've ever had the pleasure to read. Unfortunately the emptiness, bordering to sadness, that follows is in deep contrast to the excitement and pleasure I had reading the books. But in all fairness probably the best proof of the outstanding depth and quality of this series. Something for HBO to pick up after GoT?!

Starts off slow, like all the books in this series. But, by the end, we're traveling at break-neck speed -- hardly able to turn the pages fast enough. Loved how all the plots played out. Excellent capstone to the series.

This was the best book of the series and most of the questions left from the other were answered. There is still one open question that needs answered though. I could not stop reading once I had 150 pages left...late night and a day of no sleep, but it was SO worth it.

So many different characters and each one with their own purpose in the outcome. Spectacular series, wish it never had to end. When I'd did end I thought he did an awesome job bringing it together unlike a lot of other series I've read.

I considered simply putting this book aside in the first several-hundred pages. Point-of-view narrative changes were happening every 2 pages on average (like toll the hounds). Erikson seemed to move between nearly all of the 40 or more characters he is following by this point, 2-3 at a time, each cycle around, often filled with odd monologues/internal musings, nonsensical conversations, etc. I skipped some pages midbook. You also may run into simply not remembering who some folks are. I read dust of dreams almost 18 months ago, some things have faded. At any rate, a book structured like this one early on by a new author probably would never get published and if it were me reading it would certainly never get finished. Not sure why erikson cannot just let most of his characters wait until they have something useful to contribute. When you are just getting a few pages a shot at each character point of view, you never get into the character himself. It would be interesting to see a hard analysis of narrative changes in this story and see how fragmented it is.

Matters become much better focused towards the end. Many major plot threads are resolved. Some aren't, though I don't know what he and esselmont intend to write about in the future.

Also, to his great credit, erikson ends his story when he said he would. I cannot easily name an epic fantasy author that has done this in my lifetime. There is almost unlimited potential for other stories in this setting but the main plot threads are gone.

All in all, the 10 books + 2 esselmont (haven't gotten stonewielder yet) have been well worth it, and certainly among the best military fantasy I have ever read.

Story gets 2 stars, due to crappy narrative structure that drove me to distraction. Plot and resolution of some plot threads gets 4 stars. averages to 3 stars.

Erikson finished the series he started years ago, and true to his word he left some issues unresolved. He managed to close out a few stories that I never thought to see a conclusion to and created questions for others. Overall the book was action from cover to cover and quickly became my favorite book in the series. I did feel some deaths were pointless and rushed, or in one case impossible to have occurred the way it did, but still a fitting end. Never knew it would end this way, especially with how the series started.

This is, without any doubt, the best series I have ever read.
the last book, THE CRIPPLED GOD, is the best one of the ten. so many epic events and unforgettable moments.
A must read for any fantasy lover.

I've read this series twice and the second time around was cool as shhh! Anyone that's a fan of sci fyi needs to read The Malazan book of the fallen series...rollercoaster ride of emotions...loved it=)

When Erickson writes an ending, he really writes an ending! There was nothing in this concluding chapter of the World of the Malazans that wasn't exactly on point. With so many important characters, it wouldn't be inconceivable for some to be short changed, but not in The Crippled God. Erickson isn't afraid to make his characters suffer, and the reader suffers along with them. But when the triumph comes, and it does in an unexpected and fulfilling manner, then the reader feels the triumph just as strongly. Now, I'll go back and read the whole series all over again!

"The Crippled God" is the final book in the epic "The Malazan Book of the Fallen" series by Steven Erikson. The hard cover book is 928 pages long while the Kindle e-edition is a 1748 Kb download.

I review this book with some ambivalence...on one hand I loved the entire series but yet had some difficulty with Erikson's continual and frequent digressions to confusing side stories (confusing at least to me) and the seemingly unending stream of internal musings by and between many of his characters.

While the tale of Adjunct Tavore and her 'Bonehunters' seemed 'relatively' easy to follow, as did actions of her main opponent, the Forkrul Assail, there were other areas of the book that I had little insight as to what was going on. The entire book seemed to jump around from one story to another; tales that you knew must be related to the main story, but the connection was not easily obvious. And to confuse things further, these side tales where often laced with seemingly private thoughts and often feature protracted discussion about topics I knew nothing about and between characters who seemed to be on the periphery.

As a result, I almost had to study some sections of what might be called a complicated novel. After a while I just started to get weary of continually trying to discern what people were 'really' saying or thinking. While there were thrilling accounts of battles and tactics there were other prolonged (emphasis on prolonged) sections that reminded me of difficulty I had interpreting large sections of the 8th book, "Toll the Hounds"...a book that was probably my least favorite in the entire series.

One of my concerns for this particular novel focused on the fact that there seemed to be no real closure to this tale...no definitive ending where the overall objectives of this massive tale were finally met. This tale seemed to finish like just another installment of the ongoing Malazan tales; it just did not seem to come off as THE final ending for this series.

In addition there were many loose ends, two examples of many...
1.) Fist Blistig; I believe he survived the final encounter but there was no mention of what Tavore had planned for him because of his suspect behavior. I find it difficult to understand why Fist Blistig was a continual part of Adjunct Tavore's military hierarchy, given his betrayals and questionable intentions. To me an interesting omission regarding one of the Malazan's Army most antagonistic and controversial leaders.

2.) Icarium; virtually ignored for the entire novel, yet strangely enough, the last paragraph in the book belonged to him. Why? What did I miss that would provide some sense to this ending?

MAPS:
Unfortunately, just one map (but a good one); it focused on Tavore's arduous trek to the coastal city of Kolanse in an attempt to reach the crippled God. A map providing greater detail of the city itself would have helped enormously in following the battle for this important site.

However, there was no map for the other area of major conflict that occurred in the city of Kharkansis...so the reader had nothing to refer to in the detailed accounts of the battles there. Also, the absence of a second map prevented the reader from telling how close (or far apart) these two major areas were.

Conclusion:
I truly enjoyed this wonderful series. I don't think I've ever seen a writer who developed his characters like Erikson. Giving the reader real insights into their most private thoughts.

I just wish he could have been a little more succinct in some areas and in others, a little easier to read. To me, something is lost in fantasy when a reader must 'study' a work to try to glean its meaning. When you must read and reread a section to try to interpret a passage, only to find out that this particularly difficult passage, that you just spent a lot of energy on, really wasn't so important after all.

I've often wondered during my reading of the last few Malazan novels if Erikson hadn't lost touch with his readers...it just seems to me that he understood what he was telling us...I'm just not sure the majority of his readers were able to grasp what he was trying to say.

If an eleventh book was suddenly announced, would I read it...I'm not sure...probably. In looking back I realize that I did not enjoyed the last few books as much as the earlier ones, and only read the latter ones because I'd invested so much time and energy into the first two-thirds of this series. As a result, I could not, not read the final couple of books.

Ratings for this book: The main tale...5 Stars. A feeling of closure and tying off loose-ends...2 1/2 Stars. Clarity and ease of reading (not all areas, but many)...2 to 2 1/2 Stars. Overall 3 Stars

Ray Nicholson

Really disappointed in the printing of the book. Sequential pages of book not printed in at least three sections, then a missing section printed out of sequence. Frustrating. Had looked forward to reading this book, but the bad, bad printing impaired the reading enjoyment.

I went into this book with some trepidation because the book preceding was so incomprehensible to me. I have to say, if Dust of Dreams was the price we had to pay to get The Crippled God than it was worth it a hundred times over. Everything about this huge fantasy series that you love is in this book, the chaos, the grit, and the humanity.

My only gripe is that some of the incredible characters in this series, Karsa, Crokus and Apsalar to name a few, get extremely short shrift. I sincerely hope that Esselmont will pick up the Crokus storyline as he was one of my favorites.

All in all, this truly was an amazing end to an over all excellent series. I still can't quite believe that Erikson pulled it off.

The Crippled God: Book Ten of The Malazan Book of the Fallen If you have made it this far in this massive series, you'll love this conclusion. In a world this detailed and with so many deep and varied plot lines I wondered how the series could possibly come to a satisfying close, but Erikson did not disapoint.

After reading the entire series I highly anticipated the final book. Was I ever wrong. I can't begin to explain how the story is no way resolved, the book actually leaves more questions than it does provide answers. The closure it does provide is mostly contrived, brief and unfulfilling. I can never get the hours back that took to read this book when I could have done something more enjoyable like slamming my fingers in a car door for hours on end. Don't bother.

The last book, finally. Sometimes reading this series felt like hard work.It cost me a lot of patience to finish it all, expecting a grand resolutoin at the end. Regretfully it didn`t deliver on all fronts. While the series had a lot of great plot lines and unforgettable characters if felt it stumbled in its own "epicness" and got too involved with its endless stream of characters and plotlines.The final book brings somewhat of a conclusion but over all I felt a bit underwhelmed.

By this point in the series, in any series this long really, an author is expected to repeat himself a teency bit. Erikson repeats almost exactly what he's been writing for the previous nine books. Before, it didn't wear on the reader as harshly. But, 200 pages in and he hasn't changed his tune at all. In previous books of the series, the page long diatribes against civilization lasted a few pages and were punctuations to spectacular unfoldings of events. Here, the diatribes extend to more of the book. There's no more mystery left in the series. It all sounds bitter and mechanical.

Whereas Erikson was sprinting out of the gate with Gardens of the Moon all the way up to Midnight Tides and slowing gradually thereafter, now he is gassed out and dragging his feet. The feeling that permeates the whole novel is one of weary obligation to a contract and just trying to get a enema over with.

I have been with this series from the beginning, so when I say this was a proper ending I mean it. This was an emotional ending to a series that will probably be one I read over and over again for many years.

I will try to make this spoiler free except to let you know that reading this book will spoil your day.

I absolutely loved this series. Steven Erikson is probably my favorite author right now, but this book, "The Crippled God", now known to me as "The Crippled Book", is Terrible. I suppose people would mostly complain that the book does not bring much closure. I don't mind that, I think it is okay to leave a story open ended, but this book makes completely lame attempts at whatever closure there is. The last half of the book feels like a nasty hack job as if he is crippled by time and page count, which is probably what happened. The author seems to have no idea what he wants to do in this book and he seems to just give up. It's like he gave the last half of the book to some understudy. Then in a grand finale of poo, we get ridiculously, cheesy TV moments to close out the book as if the author is insulting us. Which is what I was... insulted.
For as brilliant as this series has been, "The Crippled Book" is not worthy to be on the same shelf.

If you've made it all the way to the end, you should most definitely finish off the series. There is a lot to love about Erikson's work, but there is a lot he needs to work on. Below are my grades for the different aspects of the entire series:

****SPOILER ALERTS****

World Building: A+
Erikson is second to none in creating a rich fantasy world. 100,000+ years of history, 5+ races with their own customs, history, and gods leads to a very in depth and enjoyable world. Outstanding effort and a watermark for all of fantasy.

Characters: A
I really enjoyed a lot of the characters in Erickson's series. Gruntle (mostly), Quick Ben, Baudin, Brys, the Bridgburners and Bonehunters, Karsa, Krupp, the list goes on and on. They were flushed out, and we even got a rare glimpse in the past for a few of the characters. Plus, Erikson created Tehol, the best king ever.

Motivations of the mortal Characters: B (except the Paran clan)
For the most part, the motivations of the characters are well explained.

Battles: A
Erikson can and should stick to battles. He has a lot of clarity the battles are all exciting.

Non-magical Descriptions: A+
Lot's of good writing in the series. He paints wonderful pictures of corrupt empires and desolate plains and masterfully weaves in the history of each location.

Story Arcs: C+/B-
This one pains me a bit. Erikson has some of the best story arcs ever in fantasy: Coltaine's march, Gruntle's arc, the fall of the corrupt Letharii empire, the crawl of the Bonehunters through the burned out city, Karsa's journey from home. Taken alone, they are wonderful examples of modern fantasy. How they tie back into the main arcs are pretty disappointing. Then there are the arcs that made the series feel long, and upon finishing felt very out of place: Nimander and crew, anything with the Tiste Liosin, the Shake, post siege Gruntle (sad to see him misused), the Parish, Sin and Grub, Toc the Younger, some of the Imass, the unending toil in Dragnipur.

Gods/Immortals: B
Lot's of Gods and immortals. There is the good, the bad, and the ugly. Shape shifting D'ivers immortals, shape shifting dragon immortals. A pantheon of deus ex machina to add an extra flavor to the story and motivate and push characters along.

Length: C
First off, Erikson gets high marks for actually completing his work. He set out to write an epic and delivers. However, I personally feel it could have been trimmed and a lot of fat removed. A lot of the philosophical talk didn't seem particularly deep and revealing. A lot of the story arcs felt out of place as well.

Explanations: F+
Imagine Erikson is teaching you how to swim. Imagine you don't speak the language. Imagine he throws you in the deep end and starts explaining how to swim. Welcome to the Malazan series. I kept hoping that as the series progressed, certain things would become clear and looking back I could rave about how brilliant it all fit together. Alas, upon finishing the series this was not the case. This is all the more disappointing because he has some really cool stuff that just isn't explained or utilized well. Do the Deck of Dragons readings do anything? How does a mortal become aspected to a god? How does one become an Eleint? Explain Mother Dark a bit more. Why are they helping the Crippled God? Explain the Azoth houses more. Why and how does it entrap people? All the different thrones and gods aspecting and de-aspecting, what is the point? Explain Burn and T'iam more. They seem like key immortal figures/gods but why is very unclear. Why are there so many god's of war? What is the point of becoming a "royal card" in the Deck of Dragons?

Motivations of the Gods/Immortals: D (including the Paran clan)
It is still very unclear why some of the gods are banding together to help out the poor old crippled god. Errastas and crew clearly want anarchy and to sit on the pile when the dust settles. Shadowthrone, Cotillion, Mael, K'Rul, Ganoes, Tavore, D'rek? It is very unclear what motivations they have and why they do what they do.

System of Magic: F^F
Erikson can't do magic. He sets up a good framework: warrens are magic supplied by the elder god K'Rul's blood. Cool. After that, magic loses all cohesion and becomes this plot device that is used over and over to effect a major plot change or get a character out of a jam. It becomes this amorphous sonic screwdriver device that does what is needed to fit the plot. Yes, I am aware that this is a fantasy novel, but other authors in the genre have put a little logic into their systems and used magic as a tool and not a crutch. There were to many WTF moments involving magic. Besides, the best parts of the series are when he doesn't use magic. Gruntle's battle against the Cannibal horde, the entire fall of Lethar (the battles had magic), Karsa's journey, Coltaine's march were all light on magic and were crown jewels in the series.

Overall: C
I am a bit torn on this, I would recommend parts of the series to friends, for sure. Again, Coltaine's march, Gruntle, Tehol and company, the fall of the Edur and Lethari empires. These are all excellent pieces of writing. Taken as a whole though, I just can't bring myself to recommend the series. It feels to long, un-distilled, and wandering and I found myself struggling to get through parts. There were also a lot of moments where "magic happened" and really ruined the flow of the writing. Contrast this to a work like George R.R. Martin, where even non-fantasy folks (my wife, sister, mom, dad) can really tear into them and want more. I really want to like the series, and at some point may re-read it, but there will be a lot of page skipping over the weaker parts of the book that will save me a lot of time.

This will be short and to the point, Erikson needs an editor. Somewhere about halfway through this series it devolved into a mess lacking flow and coherence. I kept waiting for him to recover and match the magic of the first few books, he never did. He clearly had too many ideas floating through his head and no way to whittle them down into a story so instead we get bits on pieces of different stories mashed together.

First, let me say that, overall, I loved the series. However, it seems that with each sequence, the characters get lost in the rambling of the author. Major disappointment. Most of the story is less about the actual characters and more about their unconscious rambling. In fact, it became so diluted that I simply stopped reading the book.

The book itself so far gets 5 stars and Steven Erikson is one of my favorite authors. I say buy it and the rets of the series if you haven't read it.

The issue is this is the second copy of this book I had to buy. The first one was a misprint that would jump forward a couple hundred pages but then would jump back 100 + pages a couple hundred pages later. I couldn't remember where I bought it so I bought a new one from the store.

This new copy the first few hundred pages in the front of the book are falling out. Coming unglued I guess and now has large section of pages not ready to fall out. Didn't have quality issues on any of the previous 9 books in the series but for some reason both copies of the Crippled God I have bought were put together like crap.

I loved this series, it deserves 5 stars. But, even with the love & admiration of the series I can't give more than 1 star to "The Crippled God". Honestly on it's own merits I would have given it Zero Stars.

I can't say I loved every other other book in the series, some were just not my type of book, but I laughed & I cried while reading all of them. I could identify with or like some character in each of the other books. I loved Bug, what a cook! Then there was Gruntle, Kruppe, Karsa Orlong, the Seguleh, etc.

In this novel there isn't anyone to like or hate. Worse, in "The Crippled God" some characters I did like or sympathize with become scrubs, thinking of Mappo Runt specifically here. Other than some character assassination like that NOTHING happens!!! All the highs and lows of the other books, not to mention the humor and wit are replaced with dull numbness.

If I wanted that I could have read any New York Times bestseller. I expect a lot more out of Steven Erikson, he is an exceptional author. "The Crippled God" was all filler and no meat.

Makes me wonder if the author was trying for a sense of futility? Sort of a stab at the audience? Or maybe like the move ""The Way of the Gun" he is trying to destroy any sympathy with any/all characters?

I would have been much happier if the series ended with Book 9 and no resolution. That would at least leave things open to imagination. I can't even say I don't like the way Crippled God ended. This book never managed to engage me at all. Just a collection of words with no point to them. I guess that is easiest way to describe it NO Story! Just words.

I would advise NOT buying this book at all. I suggest buying another copy of your favorite book in the series & reading that again. That will bring some happiness at least. The first nine books in this series have a place on my bookshelf, but I am not sure the 10th one does. I know I will never read it again.

Honestly I don't even recommend reading this book from the library, unless you feel you owe the author that much of your time for the other books of the series. I don't know if I will buy another book from this author, I am that disappointed with this one. His books take 2 or 3 days of serious reading to finish & I don't really want to waste that much time on another book like "The Crippled God."

Where to start on a review for this book/series? I mean with something on the epic scale and imagination as this story, characters, and world building. The Mythology of the world alone is on such a epic scale. So much to comprehend.

All I have been hearing since I started reading Fantasy again in 2011 is “you have to read Malazan!” So I finally listened and started. I think I have a new obsession. I can now see what everyone has been going on and on about for all this time. I have finally come to the end, the last book.

Overall a great read. I was entertained, I loved the epic sprawling world created here, and I want to go right into the next book and get more from this series. This might not be for everyone but after starting this series, I know it is for me. A magnificent read. The only thing I can think to describe it is a mind blowing. Everything is just so rich and complex, and such a joy to wrap your mind around.

I loved the first nine books, and this one is great as well. I keep thinking the change of locations, story lines, and characters are gong to lessen these books, but they never do. Such fantastic and intriguing characters. That reminds me of a question I always seem to get asked when I post these reviews. Who are your favorite characters from this book/series?

So a new section in my Malazan reviews.

FAVORITE CHARACTERS FROM THIS SERIES:

Well as always my favorite characters continue to be the same. The dynamic duo of Tehol Beddict and Bugg. Man I really love these two. The way they play off each other is a true pleasure to read. Then there is the great Karsa Orlong! Who is a awesome Conan clone. Not quite as great as Conan but a fantastic character none the less. To my great pleasure I have seen that back in October Steven Erikson announced he is working on the Karsa Orlong Trilogy sooner than expected. Very exciting, if anyone should have their own trilogy it is Karsa. Then there is Kruppe, good ol’ Kruppe.

A great book to end an amazing series!

As you know if you have read my reviews before I am not about long reviews with synopsis and spoilers. I just give my opinion on my experience with this book and you can take it from there. Now on to the next book.

4/5 Stars! - mightythorjrs

In "The Crippled God", the tenth and final novel of The Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson, (most) everything finally comes to an end. The Bonehunters have been decimated by the surprise attack by the K'Chain Nah'Ruk, and the survivors have to pick up the pieces and continue their journey into the Glass Desert, a barren wasteland that cannot be crossed. The goal is simple: free the Crippled God. However, it is hardly easy as the Forkrul Assail have prepared to stop them. The Jaghut, Tiste, T'lan Imass, etc. all get plenty of screentime, as well as many different gods. Mentioning anything else is worthless -- everything seen from "Dust of Dreams" is taken care of and resolved.

Erikson's best writing comes in this installment while he is able to avoid his worst. Despite this being the finale, there is still a slow build-up, as is typical for the author. It isn't until the halfway point that the action begins, and even at that point the good stuff isn't until the last 300 pages. But once it comes that battles are suitably epic, intense, and bigger than anything we've seen before. The Battle for the Spire in particular is the high point of the series. Additionally, there are many references made back to event at the beginning of the series that help bring the whole story to a circle in an extremely touching way. As should be expected, the most emotional moments involve the Bridgeburners.

Tavore stands out even more as she tries to accomplish what she set out to do so long ago. Some of her backstory is revealed (though not much), and she gets some really powerful scenes. Fiddler also rises above the other characters. More than any of the other, these two are the heart of the story. Other characters have to fall to the background, unfortunately. Bottle and Icarium are the two biggest victims in this regard. Crokus and Apsalar get maybe a page devoted to their subplot, and if any storyline feels like an afterthought then it is certainly theirs. The Kharkanas storyline gets a fair amount of pages devoted to it, but it seems to serve more as a device to keep the story's pace from becoming too slow. The action was great, but it still never seemed to be a complete part of everything else, despite Erikson's efforts to bring it all together.

Perhaps the biggest problem with "The Crippled God" (and with the series as a whole) is its rather obvious preparations and set-up for more stories in the universe. This is meant to be the final novel of a series, but in many ways it doesn't feel that way. While many questions and mysteries are answered (with some I didn't expect to be brought up), there were still a lot of characters that were explicitly mentioned but never have a part to play. If you're hoping to see an appearance from Leoman, Kallor, Caladan Brood, and so forth, then you'll be sorely disappointed. I realize that Erikson has created and shared this world with Ian Esslemont, but it's a big middle finger to the readers when you use characters that are vitally important to the story and then just leave them to another writer. I signed up to read novels by Erikson, not by Esslemont, and this was billed as a ten-book series, not a 22-book one.

As a whole, the Malazan series certainly is an achievement, but its hard to say of which kind it is. Erikson has been able to deftly avoid the trap of letting the story get too big by pushing the story at an extremely fast pace, thereby giving up some opportunity for stronger character development. At the same time, he was able to finish an epic fantasy series in 10-volumes, just as he said he would. It never was a story for the weak-hearted, as it was a slog at certain points and, as a whole, takes a lot out of you. The time and emotional investment is certainly meant only for those thoroughly used to reading fantasy. To be honest, knowing that there will eventually be twelve more books out there of the same scope and intensity makes me cringe a little bit. But when it is all said and done, those able to get through the 4+ million words will mostly feel glad they made the journey through the Malazan universe.

And while "The Crippled God" is not his best novel, it is strong enough to be seen as a proud conclusion and Erikson's best writing almost certainly comes at the last fifty pages, when it matters the most.

4/5

Malazan Book of the Fallen Book Ratings (from best to worst):

The Bonehunters -- 4/5
Midnight Tides -- 4/5
The Crippled God -- 4/5
Memories of Ice -- 4/5
Dust of Dreams -- 4/5
House of Chains -- 3.5/5
Toll the Hounds -- 3/5
Reaper's Gale -- 3/5
Deadhouse Gates -- 2/5
Gardens of the Moon -- 1/5

It's not really very often I read a book which leaves me shaking inside like a weak old thing and dribbling at the eyes like a schoolgirl.

But here I am, within seconds of having finished Mister Erikson's final book in the Malazan Book of the Fallen, and I'm doing exactly that.

Erikson is, I have discovered, an acquired taste. Why there's so many people feeling confused by him is easy to see, but hard to explain. To begin, he has created a world so vast in scope, so epic in its vision and so legendary in its telling that you could be forgiven for genuinely believing this was some kind of history book teleported from another world. Unlike George Lucas` trashy offerings, this one truly deserves the opening line; A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

But it's not the epicness of the tale which makes him so unique in fantasy. It is, rather, the fact that he is one of the very few authors who has written a book which takes from page one the assumption that the reader isn't a moron. It credits the reader with an intelligence and a level of sophistication that is just not found very often in any genre. Where most books are simply constructed, or steady in their telling, Mister Erikson leaves much to the reader to figure out and judge for themselves. His magic system, from book one onward, has been evolving and changing so you never really get a full and complete understanding of how everything works, but it still feels just fine. His characters are exotic and eccentric, strange and magnificent and none of them really fits into the typical mould of "hero". So it's more for the bucking of trends that Mister Erikson really paves the way for some exciting opportunities to fantasy authors and gives plenty of inspiration to those who really want to go just that much more outside the typical norms of the genre.

In his final book, Mister Erikson, known for his myriad of subplots and characters, has upped the ante. With more supblots than sand on a beach and more eccentric characters than customers at a brothel, he's surpassed every book that has come before as everyone races from all corners of the world to converge on the Crippled God in order to wrestle over the power which comes from feeding on his heart. Their intentions, some honorable and some not, all get twisted into an Ericksonian knot that by the end of it is so large and untamed that you couldn't pick it apart with a good pair of scissors. The action is brutal and will not let you down, as is the relentless pace that (as with every other book) kicks in with a frenzy by about halfway and just does not let up so you're left chewing hard on our nails and battling to contain your emotions as you witness death after death and loss and victory. And there's a touch of the philosopher about Mister Erikson to the point there's some wonderful moments that give you pause.

One of my favourite scenes involved the death of one character who was, it seems, feared by those under her command. When her soldiers lift her to take her away, it is described that the soldiers lift her with utmost gentleness that nearly breaks the heart. And it's just, in context, a breathtaking scene that brings slight salty goodness to one's eyes - if they weren't as manly as I am, of course. Many of the deaths ae just glorious, and there's a legendary sense of the truly mindbending epicness to it all that's just so absent from much of modern fantasy which seems obsessed with ensuring everyone is safe, warm and married by the end of every book. With Mister Erikson, you get the brutal reality of warfare in all its rage.

Yet, with the end of this novel, I felt a profund and disturbing sense of loss. Not because it finished with dissatisfaction. But because it's over. It's the final book. Whether he chooses to return to this world (Please, Dear Eris make him do so), or chooses to move on to something else, this story is over. And I feel like I've lost something awesome. Something which has kept me going for many years - the joy of waiting for Mister Erikson's next book in this jawdropping saga. And it's been a total joy. Flawless in his offerings, and extremely giving of his time to pull one out of his talented butt every year, Mister Erikson is an author other authors must despise with jealous hatred. To come up with such books on such a regular basis - how George Martin must be spinning with envious wishful thinkings. Though there are other authors I look forward to, few have the pure control combined with such eloquent flair that Mister Erikson possesses.

I read the whole 10 book series from start to finish. To say I had mixed feelings is an understatement. Up until book 6, I was still ready to give it 4 star rating, but since about book 7 or so, the author settled on a very grinding style of writing that really made the books a chore to read. At book 9 & 10, I was only carrying on because of all my invested time in the previous books. The thing that bugs me the most is that each character, no matter how minor, is invariably given his/her own perspective, and there were LOTS of characters. Typically starting a paragraph, a new name appears, and you know a new character is introduced. Or, the character is described anonymously, with the name pronounced several paragraphs later. Following that is a mini-biography, and then some moody internal dialog filled with the character's laments and sentiments, or his/hers personal philosophy. When the character is finally put into the story, the plot snails ahead an inch or two, before the perspective switches again, either to another character, or a new character is created and the process repeats. I couldn't help but wonder if the author ran out of ideas and this was the formula to generate content. No wonder each book is so long. It's safe to say at least half could be cut out with no loss of the story. Surprisingly though, despite page after page of character development, only a few was memorable. 90% of the others could be grouped into a few stock types, and differs only by name.

Perhaps I'm being too harsh. But it's only because some books of the first half were truly great. The Felisin story was really well written and my favorite plot line of the series. The battle of Capustan was so intense, gut wrenching, it was easily one of the best battle scenes I've ever read. The rise of Karsa Orlong was fascinating. Generally speaking, the author was very good at writing fast paced, dramatic action scenes. The plot also had enough twists to avoid being predictable. But unfortunately, character development was not Mr.Erikson's strength, and yet that was where he chose to spend the most effort. The series could've been so much better had he focused more on the story and actions.

What a disappointment. I spent years of my life reading this series to watch it conclude with this garbage? Hopefully, at least I can save others the same fate.

What began as a creative, ambitious, innovative series falls off the rails, getting progressively worse as the series continues, culminating in one of the most disappointing books I have ever read.

As I read through the series, I was amazed at the complex plot threads and web Erikson was weaving, excited to see how he managed to tie it all together. Well, he doesn't, not even close. Plot threads are left hanging despondently, and others are resolved unsatisfactorily.

And the gender activism. Gag. It gets worse and worse as the series continues. Erikson indicated he wanted to create a world where gender didn't matter. For something that doesn't matter, the characters sure talk about it a lot, and amazingly, always in the same way that our politically correct culture does as well. Who knew! Men, be prepared to be insulted. Women, be prepared to be worshipped and fawned over. I believe Erikson believes he is being progressive, but he is actually blatantly "virtue signalling" and it ruins the verisimilitude of his world.

Save yourself time and angst - drop this series like a rock, or better yet, use the heavy books as doorstops.

The Crippled God picks up straight after the events of Dust of Dreams. However, there's once again a widening of scope, introducing all (or most of) the new players for this final volume in the opening hundred pages. After that we're straight back into the story, with another few hundred pages of setup, the next 300-400 a progression towards the resolution (with the resolution of a rather important sub-plot taking place during this time), and then the last chunk being the climax itself.

In many ways, Erikson's writing is the same consistent standard he's set for the whole series, but in others he's really excelled. As mentioned above, the story structure is more or less the same. The introspection that's become prominent in the latter half of the series is still here, mostly in the opening half of the book, but after that it dies down to small passages here and there. The writing and explanations tend to be much more concise and clear than they sometimes have been.

The constant skipping between characters is also present during the earlier passages of the book, but then it dies down somewhat until some passages that need it during the second half of the tale. The plot resolution is the biggest of the series, and I think is probably the most satisfying.

The resolutions to several character arcs made me a little teary, and three of these resolutions at the end of the 23rd chapter - one after the other - made me cry. There's alot of moving endings here, as well as various revelations about the characters and their motivations. One character reunion in particular, of siblings, was heart-breaking. I think Erikson's really excelled with his characters in this book - several times in previous volumes i've gotten teary, but not as frequently as in this book.

There's also a sense of circularity, not just with the final epilogue reflecting the start of Gardens of the Moon, but the book structure itself - 7 books within The Crippled God, even the number of chapters within each book is more or less the same.

I think that the themes of Eriksons story - that of compassion, and how it should be given freely, without judgement - shines through the brightest here. It's been present before, most prominently with certain characters in previous books, but in the Crippled God it's much more of a driving force. There are also other themes, such as what "home" means and its importance, and that of personal freedom (think of everything in the series revolving around chains of either the physical or metaphorical variety).

My biggest gripe with this book is that there are a number of side-stories which aren't given any resolution, and almost all the character resolutions for those who survived is left really ambiguous - the only resolutions for these types are the ones relating to their part of the overall story arc of Eriksons. Once all the action is finished there are a few sentimental moments and a few small scenes showing some of the characters settling into the next part of their lives; all of these are given very little space. For me, this is one of the things I dislike most about fantasy fiction - that once the plot is finished that there's a very brief rush towards a "look, these people still exist and they're probably happy now!" and then the book ends. I like characters, and for me personally the characters don't end with the plot because it's the characters themselves that interest me. I want to know what happens to them AFTER, something which lets me know a bit more about their lives now that they can set aside all their burdens, where the focus shifts to all the unresolved tension between characters. For the most part, that's missing, and so for me a real sense of finality is missing too.

Another small quibble - for the entirety of the series there have been passages just before the chapters start, mostly poetry, sometimes passages from academic volumes of the Malazan world, sometimes concise sayings. I'm not good with poetry, so i've no idea of the quality of the poems themselves and very few resonated with me, but for the whole series i've been trying to find the relevance of these pre-chapter passages to the narrative itself. Either any hidden meaning was too obscure, or Erikson indulged himself in trying to show some of the Malazan worlds arts; most of the time I couldn't see any direct relevance to the narrative at hand. Maybe these were mostly unnecessary, or maybe i'm just obtuse.

Overall, I think this book by itself would be worth 3.5 stars. However, I was emotionally engaged unlike any of the other books, and I was moved to crying at one point, so I can't help but be overly-generous with my final rating.

4/5

http://readfantasybooks.wordpress.com

Plot/Characters

The Crippled God continues right where Dust of Dreams leaves off and it was a fantastic ending to an epic series. When I started this book I couldn't believe that it was the last of this massive series. I was a little worried that I wouldn't like how it ended, but I was wrong.

I guess I was under the wrong impression for most of the series because I always thought that the Crippled God was "evil" and they were trying to destroy him for good. I was absolutely wrong. Maybe I missed something? From what I got, he is a god for all the people who are broken or suffering, and the Forkul Assail want him in order to increase their power over the world. Tavore and her army as well as many other people are attempting to free the Crippled God in order to save him, while destroying the Forkul Assail and their army.

The most interesting part of the book was following Tavore and the Bonehunters and as well Prince Brys and his army. We follow Tavore's army after their battle with the Na'ruk and their adventure through the Glass Desert, which I can say was horrible to read. It has been said that the desert is impassable and we can really see the effect it has on Tavore's army. OMG! It was awful to read about them suffering! Super emotional!

All the children in "the Snake", which I mentioned in my previous review, end up joining with Tavore's army and this makes it even more emotional.

I also enjoyed following Prince Brys and his army once they part ways with Tavore. Not to mention watching his relationship with arti-ceda Aranict develop.

The final battle was pretty much everything I was hoping it to be. Everyone that we have been following comes together to help defeat the Forkul Assail. We see just a bit of Karsa Orlong, as well as Icarium. Even Ubula Pung plays a role in this novel and I sure love him as a character. It was also great to see some of the fallen return in this novel to lend a hand.

The pace of the book is pretty much like all the others. It has its ups and downs, but I didn't find anything to be uninteresting and I thought it all flowed pretty well. The battle at the end of the book wasn't even over as quickly as I was expecting. I believe it was going on for 50+ pages if I remember correctly, but I was engaged in it the entire time! I don't think anyone will be disappointed in the pacing of this novel. There are so many things going on!

Overall Thoughts

Well, I am not sure what else to say with this being the last book because I don't want to give anything away. Just know that the pacing is great, I love the characters (though I still think there are way to many), we learn a lot more about Tavore, and the reunion with her brother is awesome. Also, the book is very emotional. I almost cried several times and not just because people died, but because enemies were actually working together, and there were some emotional scenes at the end of the book after the battle and it was just amazing. I am sure there were things left unanswered, but I can't think of anything. I was very satisfied with the ending and look forward to reading some of the other books that are in this same universe.

Well, here we are. At the very end. Obviously this is a very long series of books and it has taken a great investment of time to read them all. I've been reading about these characters for so long that I feel like I'm losing some members of my own family after finishing The Crippled God.

Steven Erikson did the impossible, he tied up all his loose ends. *grins* I was worried that he'd forget at least one character or story line. But they all came together to make up an ending that was satisfying and brilliant. As far as getting into actual events, I don't want to ruin anything by giving it away.

From what I've heard, people either love Erikson or hate him. I am on the love side of that debate. These books are not a light read, for sure, but that being said, I feel like they really mean something. Erikson's insight into human nature is mind-blowing. He seamlessly weaves his commentary into the voices, thoughts and actions of his characters. Dust of Dreams and The Cripple God have given me a window into the author's head, into the things that he thinks are important, and he does it in a way that is not preachy or annoying.

Now let's talk `dramatis personae', as Erikson likes to call them. Rich. The people in these books are so real to me. I realized a few books into this series that I was never given a direct description of a lot of the characters, but I knew what they looked like just by how they were written, and I don't think that is easy to do as a writer. When it comes to dialogue Steven Erikson is Boss. He can make you laugh, cry, get angry, whatever with one simple statement. The dialogue and banter amongst his characters is what really makes this series special. He doesn't just give you a 'good' or 'bad' guy, he gives you every piece of that person. They are flawed, and I love that.

I could go on and on, but I think you get the point. Great book. Amazing series. Genius author.

It took me twenty-eight months to do it, but my pleasant, grueling and ultimately rewarding slog through this near 11,000 page, 3.5 million word epic is over!! Of course, there are the prequels and sequels forthcoming, but for now, there is a conclusion to reflect upon. Was it great ending? Yes. It was a uniquely great ending, with the emphasis a little more on the unique than the great. Erikson did it his way. His style. His world. His story. In the end, the characters we got to know were very much the key to it's final success. This is interesting because early on in the series, I didn't believe that characters were Erikson's strong suit, his world building and it's inherent mysteries were. The epic story-arc, while definitely satisfying to one invested in it, maybe falls just shy of the ultimate convergence that may have been promised at. While not out of this world, mind-blowingly awesome in it's ending, its remains uniquely Erikson-like in that he was never going to follow the mold of other good vs. evil epics. One might argue that beside "The Lord of the Rings", everything else is imitation. But Malazan isn't really like LOTR, so the ending doesn't have to compare. Once this realization is made, the ending to this series is completely astounding in it's own right. I for one, think there is more to come in both the sequels and the prequels that will further seal the Malazan Book of the Fallen into the epic fantasy/sci-fi pantheon. For what it's worth, right now I rank them as follows: LOTR, Book of the New Sun, Malazan, Thomas Covenant, Wheel of Time (waiting for the last book) and Dune. At the same time, I don't want my honest opinions to sell this series short, because I believe the whole Malazan series up through and including the ending was freaking good. Here's another reason I know: I'm definitely up for a re-read sometime in the near future. My last thought is: What did I like best about the Malazan series? The answer, despite all the imaginative world building and sprawling epic storytelling is that I think I learned a little bit more about what it means to be a human being.

Okay. This book adequately wraps up the series. But seriously, Mr. Erikson is so lazy with dialogue in this final book. I think I read more italicized inner monologues than actual conversations between characters. He has developed such amazing characters but every chapter is almost 50% italics! Instead of meaningful story progression through character interaction, you are in for 900 pages of tedious self reflection from the various POVs. I felt like I was slogging through just to finish the series rather than enjoying the fantastic personalities developed throughout ten books of fantasy and adventure. Really just disappointing and lazy.

If you are thinking of getting this book get it.
After 9 books you might as well finish it.
You get to find out what happens to the crippled god.
You get to find out what happens to Fiddler.

Erikson had a general plot thread that seems to have been his alteraltive as an ending. But he does not use it.
He has continuing books set in the world (plus his cowriter's series), so he couldnt do anything other than end it with a plot thread wrap up everything continues as normal ending. Not the world shaking The One Ring is destroyed now we enter the Fourth Age of the world ending that a 10 book series needs.
Still it is an ending, and after this you will not have to get sucked into another one of his 12,000 page series.

The book is so full of plot coincidence that you could shake a stick at it and have your arm fall off.
Erikson is writing to finish off the plots and that is about it. And that is why I suggest reading it, so you can sleep at night.

Spoilers:

This book was without question a gigantic disappointment. It was easily the worst book of the series. The plot essentially goes nowhere for the first 400 pages. Three quarters of the way through the book you still don't know what the Adjunct wants to accomplish or what her motives are! Some of the most interesting and enjoyable characters are barely in the book (Karsa Orlong, Quick Ben, Kalam). Karsa Orlong was one of the most interesting characters in the entire series and he is in the book for maybe two pages. The book opens a plethora of new plot areas which never get resolved. Finally, when you get to the end of the book, after the final battles, the author rushes to the ending without giving any kind of resolution for character and plot development. Some of the books in this series were truly excellent, like Deadhouse Gates and Memories of Ice; this however, was not even close to the level of those works.

Erickson again proves he is a master of modern fantasy. Warning, this book is not for anyone who hasn't read the 9 previous novels in the series. If you pick it up without prior knowledge of the Malazan world, you will be lost. The Crippled God continues the story of the Bonehunters, last seen engaged with the K'Chain Nahruk in Dust of Dreams. Several plot lines are concluded in this book and many philosophical questions are answered. Chief among them, we learn what happens to the Bonehunters and get a better grasp on their search for identity. Also the battle between light and dark is concluded with the assault on Kharkanas. The Tiste Andii and Draconus come back into the story. I don't want to say too much, because it would easily give away too much of the story. Erickson again proves he is a master of military history, deep philosophy, and heart wrenching moments. The book ends beautifully. The only thing is that several plotlines are left open for his friend, Ian Esslemont, who also writes books in the Malazan world to finish, and perhaps for Erickson to write a new in the future. Don't expect to get Dassem's full story. Despite this, the conclusion is more than satisfying. 4.9 stars

I think the thing that needs to be known up front is this--Erikson never intended for this 10th book to be the complete and final end of the Malazan universe. There are storylines from Toll the Hounds, Return of the Crimson Guard, and Memories of Ice that are left unresolved at this time. There is, however, an appropriate and fully-realized conclusion to Tavore's army and the Crippled God.

Overall, I think Erikson delivered one of his strongest novels of the series here. There are very few infuriating moments (although I still don't care for the Snake storyline, though it is important) and the pacing is very good as well. The novel spends enough time moving the pieces into place and gives appropriate time to the convergence at the end. Erikson, for all his faults, is extremely good at giving a strong and exciting end to his novels and this one is no different.

Still, this is a novel that has to be ready carefully, as Erikson loves to throw out short, insignificant details that end up having loads of meaning later on in the novel. This aggravates some people, others not so much.

It also bears mentioning that this is not the last novel Erikson plans on writing in the Malazan universe. He has two more trilogies planned, one a prequel (likely dealing with the Tiste Andii in Kharkanas) and the other possibly dealing with Karsa Orlong. As well, Ian Cameron Esselmont is writing more novels in the universe.

In short, if you're a fan of Erikson, this is some of his strongest writing presented and you won't be disappointed.

There are a lot of good things about this book but they are all overwhelmed by the continuous eulogising.
Every time the plot gathers pace we then have to stop and wait for yet another character to say how humbled they are or how they are barely controlling their pride or their grief.
It is the last in the series so I expected a bit of that but not a continuous stream of maudlin nonsense.
This makes for a very stop start book, at certain points I put it down and read a short story before picking it up again, that is not something I would have considered doing with the rest of the series.

There are a lot of threads pulled together and tied off here but because the pace is crippled there is a large dose of anti-climax about it and not all the threads are convincingly finished.

I still think "Toll the Hounds" is the worst of the series but this is a close second.
Both books are far below the quality of the others.
It isn't an awful book but as a conclusion it is hugely disappointing.

The best fantasy series since Tolkien. No, the writing style is nothing like JRRT's but the richness of the world, the possibility to simply get lost in it, is very similar. It's odd reading the reviews of this series on the store. I fully recognise the books in both the 1 star review and the 5 star ones. Yes, it's rambling, yes it's hard to understand some of what happens, yes plot threads just meander with no clear point or simply fade away. And how you feel about that will depend on you. I think it's the fantasy equivalent of Proust. The best literature of its kind. And it can only do what it does because it embraces the enormous richness of real life. It doesn't feel like a story, all neat and tidy. But plenty of others loathe it for the exact reasons I love it. All I can suggest is give it a go. If you get to the end of the first book you may well find yourself on an epic journey across all 10 books of this amazing series to the convergence at the end and one of the greatest, most compassionate, and most original endings in genre fiction.

It doesn't get better than this. Satisfying, emotional, beautiful conclusion to the saga. Not to mention action-packed. I couldn't put the book down for the last 35%!

Warning: you may not necessarily get an answer to your favourite riddle or closure to your favourite story arc in the series. Don't hate on the series, enjoy it for what it is and rest assured that you'll find your answers elsewhere, if not today then eventually. Kharkanas #1 has already shed light on some things, as has Esslemont's stuff.

What an amazing journey.

I don't generally take the time to write reviews but I feel this should be an exception. The Crippled God was a good finale to a long series. It followed the same formula that pretty much all these books have; the first half builds emotion and pencils in the details of everything that happens, the second half is witnessing all the characters in action as we truly desire to see them. The second half is great and without giving anything away I would recommend not becoming particularly attached to any characters. If I had to make a comparison I would say that The Crippled God has the most in common with Memories of Ice. Really, if you've made it this far there is no reason NOT to finish the series.

Now then, reviewing the whole series....GOD, MAKE THE MONOLOGS END!!!!! Sweet Christ the Monologs became overwhelming at times. It got to the point when I simply dreaded turning a page to see certain characters names because I knew those characters would be attached to thirty minutes of deep introspective melodrama. Monologs are fine, great even, but some of these just went on and on and on. Other than that, I have no gripes with this series. It was an absolute pleasure to read and I have no doubt I will delve back into it after a few years. A+

Steven Erikson, <strong>The Crippled God</strong> (Tor, 2011)

We know, by the end of <em>Dust of Dreams</em>, the penultimate book in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series, that Tavore Paran and her fanatically loyal soldiers, the Bonehunters--though no one can quite figure out, including them, why they're so loyal to the woman--are going to have to cross the Glass Desert to get to the site of their final battle. No one, we have been told, has ever actually crossed the Glass Desert, not since it became the Glass Desert (we've heard rumors as to what caused the destruction, but it's not until the final few chapters here that it's stated explicitly). We also know the Bonehunters are not alone in their journey, but Paran sends the rest of her allies--the remaining Letherii, the Perish Grey Helms, the Bolkando, the Khundryl Burned Tears, and the rest of that lot--south to skirt the desert, so when everyone gets to Kolanse, they're already attacking on two fronts. A sound strategic decision, save that no one, perhaps including Tavore Paran heself, believes the Bonehunters will actually be able to traverse the desert. We wonder about her own belief because of a speech she gives the troops, one of the first she has ever given them. They will, she says, be unwitnessed. Lest anyone not catch the meaning of that, a few marines toss that bit of the speech around later. They know none of them are expected to make it through the desert alive, and even if they do, their chances of surviving the battle at the end of it, where enemies well beyond anything they have ever faced wait, are nil. They, the Bonehunters, the troops we have spent ten books and damned close to nine thousand pages with, are unwitnessed.

Save by us.

Not that Erikson doesn't have some tricks up his sleeve. There are a number of other threads in the story that all obviously have to lead up to this place, since the series ends here. Draconus and Silchas Ruin are still wandering the wilds with their charges Rud Elalle and Ublala Pung respectively. Shurq Elalle, the undead captain, is ferrying a couple of mages who may, in fact, be far more than they seem around the entire continent to see if they can get to the besieging forces in time to aid them--and when they pick up allies, they do it in grand style indeed. In the opening scene, we see Sister Calm, one of the Forkrul Assail whom the allies are getting ready to try and fight, and the ally she may have managed to coerce onto her side is one of the book's most surprising, and bleak, revelations. But these are only the surface tricks. Old friends, and enemies, we haven't seen in a very long time will make appearances. Ganoes Paran, Master of the Deck of Dragons and Tavore's elder brother, is also facing off against the Forkrul Assail, though with decidedly different tactics, and with some underlings whose appearances still alive and in the flesh will delight readers of the series. And, of course, what we all thought was the final goal of all this? Well, Tavore puts that to rest right quick. (And it may be a spoiler, but you know how the gods work, and if you think about it for thirty seconds you will come to this same conclusion: the gods may teach you everything <em>you</em> know, but never will they teach you everything <em>they</em>know, and of no gods is that more the case than Shadowthrone and Cotillion.) Before you begin this book, if you've read the nine previous, plus the novellas about Bauchelain and Korbal Broach and Esslemont's two (so far) excellent companion novels about the Malazans, you will have a basic idea of where this is all going. Halfway through the book, you will know you were almost entirely wrong (there are still Forkrul Assail to fight), but you will think you know where the book is going. 90% done, and you repeat the process. And it is wonderful.

Karsa Orlong (who makes a brief, but very important, appearance about two thirds of the way through the book), the Teblor warrior, was always fond of making vows no one thought he could keep. And when he was on the verge of keeping those vows, he always commanded those with him: "Witness!" That's your job now. It's not a difficult one, unless you tear up easily; I spent the last fifty pages of <em>Memories of Ice</em> crying steadily, the last book to make me do so (and I read that one in 2005). Erikson and Esslemont have created, quite simply, the single best fantasy series I have ever encountered. It beats Hobb. It beats Moon. It beats Tolkein. It beats Lloyd Alexander, though that's probably the closest of the bunch (and it should be noted that if you're not big on martial fantasy of the Moon style, you are bound to disagree with me on this). And while the main series is now concluded, there are hundreds of possible novels left to write; Esslemont's third, <em>Stonewielder</em>, dropped between the time I finished this book and the time I'm writing its review. Erikson could do just about anything now. Stories of the Trygalle Trade Guild? A series of Kruppe novellas like the Bauchelain and Korbal Broach books? (Kruppe was one character who never got enough face time, sez me.) The story of the Bridgeburners' rise to power? The possibilities are close to endless, and let's remember we've only looked at two continents on this vast world...

We are all witnesses. **** ½

What is left of the Bonehunters Army of the Malazan Empire is a battered unit who were devastated by the Chain Nah'Ruk. Their resolute leader Adjunct Tavore Paran knows the morale of her soldiers is mutinous as most want to go home to die. However, though she expects treachery and assassination from within, she relentlessly marches on with one last prayer that she hopes grasps victory from certain defeat.

She understands humanity has to prevent the pandemic annihilation by the Forkrul Assail Elder Gods, who plan species cleansing through the liberation of Korabas the Otataral Dragon. The only chance Paran and company have resides with another deity. Paran and her army must liberate The Forgotten God, imprisoned by the Elder Gods for over 15,000 millennia. The Adjunct like the Watch expect to die, as Paran knows even if they somehow succeed to free the Crippled God, they still have no binds to control the enraged deity.

Although it behooves the newcomer to have read the decade in the making ten book saga, at a minimum the audience needs to peruse the previous tale (see The Dust of Dreams) as that is the pre-set up (The Crippled God has a lengthy set-up anyway) to the ending novel. Loaded with action, fans will enjoy the climax once Steven Erikson starts the final days. Once again the theme is a person's heart as symbolized by courageous Paran who offers nothing to make her an extemporary leader except her soul. She and her everyman soldiers, though they will be forgotten by history as no minstrels will recall their names, are the heroes of the wars declared by elder armchair leaders.

Harriet Klausner

"The Crippled God" concludes the "The Malazan Book of the Fallen" chronicles with emotionally moving moments, a couple lackluster scenes, several excellent character closures, and disappointing events. Adjunct Tavore Paran and Captain Genoes Paran dominate the storyline, but the absence of Icarium, Karsa Orlong, and Kruppe greatly disillusions the resolution. The political maneuvering at this point in the series is minimal with the established relationships.

As awesome as many adventures grip the reader, I have areas of frustration. Maintaining momentum during the first half of the novel can be difficult because of numerous character changes. I hoped the brief individual snippets would contribute however in hindsight they seem insignificant. In one chapter, there are 18 character point of view changes in as many pages and I kept losing interest. The importance of the Snake plot are underwhelming after novels to develop, probably could have brought them in much later. The vast threat of Icarium is trivialized. Draconus ends up forgotten at the end. After developing Karsa Orlong (including an earlier novel centered on him) throughout the epic tale, the end result completely dissatisfies me. I don't care about another storyline relating to Karsa, but my investment in the series merits more than a single sword swing.

While I appreciate detail and depth, when a page characterization occurs I struggle to recall the description and nuances of a particular soldier from earlier in the series. The brief moments remind the reader the character exists, yet may not advance the plot per se. I am dismayed by the lack of appendix detail. Many names (which are very funny, such as Rumjugs) reveal an obvious gender, otherwise I must search the internet, hoping for any information without spoiling a character's outcome.

Given the abundant quantity of characters, an improved comprehensive appendix is necessary including racial characteristics, relating magical powers, and describing creatures.

Thank you.

Very seldom does a book make me cry as much as this one did, it moved me on a regular basis throughout its 913 pages. The last sentence on the second to last page (just before the ending poem) had such a tremendous emotional kick that it still haunts me two weeks after I finished the book.

"The Crippled God" starts slow. The first 300-400 pages are mostly characters talking and travelling, though it's never boring. Don't let that slow beginning fool you though, this is easily the Malazan book with the most fighting in the series thus far, and taking into consideration the epicness of previous Malazan books that's saying a lot.

The story of this book is overall about two different wars, with more than a dozen separate battles between them, The Shake/Leatheri against the Tiste Liosan, and The Bonehunters and friends against the Forkrull Assail. Both storylines are great, filled with great heroics, horror, sacrifice and everything you would expect from a Malazan book.

This book sees a return of several favorite characters from earlier books in the series, Ganoes Paran being particularly great this time around (though he always is). We also get a return of all the mainstays of the series like Fiddler and Hedge, Gessler and Stormy. While some characters get more focus than others, everyone gets their moment to shine.

I have to give one warning though, while this book wraps up a lot of storylines and is the climax of the "Book of the Fallen" series, it's not the end of the Malazan series. Esslemont will write a book called "Assail" in a couple of years (after he has published the Malazan books "Orb, Scepter, Throne" and "City in The Jungle") that will function as a conclusion and epilogue to the series as a whole. Therefore don't go into this book expecting it to finish or explain everything, its not meant to do that.

That being said, this is my favorite fantasy book of all time.

I have read the books in "A song of Ice and Fire", "Lord of the Rings", "Wheel of Time" and several of the other greats out there, but this is it for me. This is number 1 on my list by a pretty wide margin, don't miss out on the chance to read it, its wonderful.

This review is of the whole series, and the problems it describes are there from book 1, getting worse and worse up to book 10.
1. Too confusing. There are too many plots to follow, and it won't be long before you'll be saying to yourself, "How can I possibly keep track of all these plotlines?" Not long after, you'll ask, "How can the author keep track of all these plotlines?" He can't and you can't. He picks up and puts down plots as though he doesn't care much about any of them and soon you won't either.
2. Power abuse. Almost everyone everywhere is the most super awesomest most powerfullest fighter, mage, thief, monster, god, whatever, impossible to kill or defeat. It's not believable, it's just stupid. Everyone, in other words, goes all the way up to 11. Which leads to...
3. Depopulation. How is anyone in this world left alive at all? Hordes of undead and gods and alien ancient races sweep through killing everything in their path -- and they do it over and over and over again. I think virtually each book starts with some unbelievable massacre, and not just of soldiers but entire city populations too. Certain races are bent on genocide, and appear to be quite good at it (see "2" above). Unless the remaining few people are breeding like hyperactive rabbits (and hey, maybe they're all incredibly super awesome at that too), it's hard to see how anyone at all survives in the brutal world Erikson has created. I was laughing by the end, as I couldn't imagine anyone being left around to tell the stories of all these holocausts.
4. Apostrophe abuse. Note to Erikson and lots of other writers. Putting random apostrophes into names does not make them sound alien and exotic, it just makes the author sound dumb and lacking in imagination. K'Chain whatevers? In my head, they were all key-chains. Or they made me think of Douglas Adams' amusing send-up of this annoying tendency (V'l'hurghs, anyone?). Too bad Erikson lacks any sense of humor in or about his writing.
5. Bad characterization. With all the plots and all the heroes, it gets hard to tell one grizzled warrior or one cloyingly witty thief from another. I usually avoid reading books that require glossaries running to dozens of pages to help you distinguish one colorless all-powerful character from another, and Erikson's books confirm for me the wisdom of that general rule.
6. Purple prose. With everyone being super-all-powerful and that, it's not surprising Erikson has to resort to ever more superlative superlatives to try to get the total incredible awesomeness of the incredibly important and meaningful events across to his readers. But, Lord, is it exhausting to read.
There are some good points to this series. Erikson does have some interesting ideas and a vivid imagination. I thought the metaphysical system he created was original, and I liked the idea of a rich history that still influences the present. It's the execution that's so off. If he'd focused on just a few of those ideas, and followed them through consistently, the books might work. But what he has produced instead is a self-indulgent mess.
I think there must be a trend today towards allowing authors, or at least fantasy authors, to go to press unedited. It's unfortunate, because the result is a series like the Malazan Book of the Fallen, which is sprawling without being epic, full of sound and fury but signifying nothing at all.

This book was the perfect ending to the Malazan Books of the Fallen series. Erikson takes his time, like he always does, to get the action moving along and the various plotlines towards their endings. However, at about the halfway point through the book, I get the feeling that I am riding a savagely powerful bull named Bushwacker from the Professional Bull Riders in North America.

[...]

[...]

At the halfway point of the book (approximinately), Erikson writes a stunningly awesome series of battles and character heroics for The Shake fighting to survive against the Tiste Liosan.
Then, we get to the heart of the book, and the near apocalyptic conclusion for the fate of The crippled god himself. Forkrul Assail with their enslaved human armies of Kolansii face off against the k'chain che'malle, human armies allied with the Adjunct and the Bonehunters, the Jaghut, the T'lan Imass with the heart of the crippled god the prize of this epic battle.

I have not even begun to talk about the otataral dragon and her fate after she is freed by a trio of elder gods. Needless to say, the fight for survival and the destruction that she wages is awesome... as well as what was done so that she could survive while at the same time preventing the ultimate chaos dragon, T'iamat from permanently emerging into the world.

Finally, the best scenes of the whole book is when the last remaining marines and regulars of the Bonehunters fight to defend the Crippled god as the Forkrul Assail and their Kolansii slave army go crazy with bloodlust to slaughter the Adjunct, the Bonehunters, and anyone standing in their way to reclaim the heart of the crippled god out of the newly animated body for that alien god.

The Crippled God is the final novel in The Malazan Book of the Fallen, Steven Erikson's monumental epic fantasy series that began twelve years ago with Gardens of the Moon. In that time Erikson has reached the heights of writing two of the very finest fantasy novels of the last decade (Deadhouse Gates and Memories of Ice), but there has been some growing scepticism over later novels in the series, which have tended to open up more confusing storylines then closing down or clarifying old ones.

The Crippled God has been billed as the second half of Dust of Dreams, with Dreams described as all set-up and Crippled as all-resolution. That's an exaggeration: Erikson spends the first three hundred pages or so setting things up and clearing his throat rather than cutting to the chase, but at the same time that's less than some of the other books. We still get lengthy philosophical discussions between lowly grunts which are rather unconvincing, but frankly the people for whom that's a major problem will have dropped the series long ago. Fortunately Erikson is somewhat less obtuse in this novel than in any previous ones. On occasion he even resorts to - gasp! - actually telling us what the hell is going on. This new, more reader-friendly Erikson who respects traditional narrative techniques a bit more than previously takes a little getting used to.

The Crippled God is also the book that stands alone the least well out of the series, as it picks up after a huge cliffhanger ending. Erikson seems to enjoy the fact that he doesn't need to do as much set-up as normal and throws in everything including the kitchen sink into the mix. Previews and author interviews suggested that quite a few storylines and character arcs from previous novels would not be addressed here, which is mostly focused on the Crippled God and Bonehunter arcs, so it's a surprise that as many characters and events from previous novels (including some of Esslemont's) show up as they do, and most of the few who don't are at least mentioned.

There's also a growing circularity to events. This appears to be Erikson's way of showing the readers that the Malazan series wasn't as incoherent and chaotic as it has often appeared, but there was a masterplan all along. He mostly pulls this off very well, with some storylines and characters which initially appeared very random now being revealed to be integral to the series.

Erikson's biggest success in The Crippled God is with avoiding the nihilism that has occasionally crept into previous books by emphasising the overriding theme of the Malazan series, which has always been compassion. Heroism and self-sacrifice, amongst common soldiers and gods alike, abounds in this book. Erikson pushes forward the message that true heroism is reached when it is performed unwitnessed with no singers or writers to celebrate it later. There is tragedy here, as each victory only comes at a tremendous cost, but less so than in earlier volumes. With everything on the table - the warrens, the gods, the world, humanity and ever other sentient being on the planet - the Bonehunters and their allies simply cannot afford to fail, even if it means crossing a desert of burning glass, facing down betrayal or forging alliances with old enemies, and Erikson has the reader rooting for them every step of the way.

His prose skills are as strong as ever, and in fact are strengthened by not having as much time to pontificate. There's a clarity to Erikson's writing here which is refreshing. Erikson's battle mojo is also back in full swing, with the engagements described with an appropriate amount of chaos and desperation.

Character-wise, Erikson is back to being a mixed bag. Some of the soldiers are ciphers but others come through very strongly (Silchas Ruin's motives and actions are a lot more comprehensible now). The Shake in particular are much-improved. Ublala Pung serves as great comic relief, and, whilst they don't appear as such, the presence of both Tehol and Kruppe are felt, lending much-needed moments of sunshine amidst the darkness. Erikson's choice of which characters to build up in depth and which to skim over during the preceding nine books makes a lot more sense as well, as it's some of the best-realised and most intriguing that bite the dust here. Characters die, and, mostly, it hurts when they go. If one in particular doesn't trigger at least a lower-lip tremble amongst most readers, I'd be shocked.

There are weaknesses. After all the set-up, the actual grand finale is appropriately epic (eclipsing even the gonzoid-insane conclusion to Dust of Dreams), but at the same time a number of other side-stories are still not fully resolved. Depending on the reader, this will be either okay or infuriating. More problematic is that we go from the grand convergence though multiple epilogues to the final page in a very short space of time: there is little time spent on the aftermath and a few more mundane questions about what happened to certain characters are left unanswered. There is also the problem that, at two key points in the narrative, Erikson reaches outside the scope of The Crippled God to basically tap other characters from several books to do something vitally important to the resolution. It's not deus ex machina - it's all been set up quite well, in one case from nine books back - but it does feel a bit odd that everything comes down to relying on a character who is only in the novel for two pages.

There's also a fair amount of scene-setting for Esslemont's next few books (particularly the next one due later this year, set in Darujhistan) which is a little incongruous, though it does feel good to know that the world and the saga will continue. Erikson resolves enough that a primary fear - that this is merely Book 10 in a 22-book series rather than a grand finale - is averted, but not enough so that there won't be some grumbling.

Particularly well-handled are the final events in the book. Some may accuse Erikson of sentimentality here - though he's never been as dark and nihilistic as say Bakker - as he gives a few characters some happy endings and closes the vast circle that began so long ago, but it is a fitting and affecting ending.

The Crippled God (****½) marks the end of this crazy, awesome, infuriating, awe-inspiring, frustrating series, but fortunately not the end of this crazy, awesome, infuriating, awe-inspiring but frustrating author's career. The Malazan Book of the Fallen bows out in fine style. The novel is available now in the UK and USA.

I'm exceptionally sad for such a great series to end, but this was a good ending. Of course I'd like to know what happens next... but that's up to the author. Hopefully he'll do something more for the events after the main series.

I am giving this book only one star, because I feel it could have been so much better. In general I liked the series. Allthough after a few books I skipped the poetic nonsence at the start of the chapters and the frequent philosophical rambling was barely tolerable. But Erikson is a true innovator and so it is almost a must read series for any fan of the genre. But this book suppers from severe obesity. It should have been kept together with the previous book, which to a lesser extend suffers the same problem. The two of them are like a large uncut diamond. There is a great book in there somewhere, but I needs to go to Antwerpen first to be skilfully cut out. Just one other thing bothers me. Soldiers walk for months through deprivation and ditch almost all of their equipment. No training for months, years, or ever since basic training? But when a fight then comes they cut down superior forces like they are flies. Really? The DoD will be dying to learn the trick there.

The series likely should have ended with Memories of Ice. In terms of narrative and emotional payoff, I think it's fair to say the series never hit those heights again. The fourth, fifth and sixth books comprised a decent plateau, but it had that feeling of length and plot merely for the sake of more.

With The Crippled God, Erikson seems to be content with the narrative rock bottom he hit in books eight and nine. That mass of underdeveloped and under thought characters, The Malazan Marines continue to bore, having turned from a few interesting characters into a cast of 20-30 names that all speak with the same salt-of-the-earth country sounding accent. He also continues with the pages shallow philosophical insights that any of us could have inferred through competent plot development. But the worst of it is that he's lost track of the characters people cared about, tossing them aside for new, half baked ones. Spread so thin, there is little he can do in this final book to really satisfy the reader.

It feels like a case of writer burnout. A work that started as something different, a remedy in fact, seems to have lost itself in demands of length. You will, of course, read the book. But know that you don't have to, and that in reading it you'll likely look back with nostalgia on those early books, wondering, with each passing page, where it all went so wrong.

This is one of the best series of books I have read to date. This last book left me laughing and crying (more crying...) and was a fitting end to the epic. I find it interesting that some people say that they "enjoyed the book but...", If you have stayed with Erikson for the entire series you should know what you are in for and not be surprised by his style, these books were never easy to read but well worth the effort. I am going to now go cry again while I think of Tools ending.

I tried 3 times to get into the first book. The first 2 ended with disappointment. With the third time, I started to understand the events and afterwards I was onto a journey of a lifetime.
I finished the crippled god in 3 days. There are parts so emotional I had to put down the book to wipe off my tears.
I understand that people may find Erikson's style and slow paced writing a problem. The beauty of this story is when you reflect on it. It has been a year since I have read this book and I still think about it daily. I think this is testimony enough to the impact it had on my life.

With 100 plus books read or listened to in the fantasy genre I feel like i have some basis for saying there are many good and great fantasy sagas out there but this series should be listed next to the definition of "epic" fantasy with that being said this series is not for the casual reader/listener. Like most things in life you get out what you put in and to fully appreciate the world the series is set in you have really work to not only figure out what the hell is going on in the beginning but also to keep up as the story goes along. With that being said if you manage to get and keep a grasp on this tale it is well worth the effort

The Crippled God (2011) is the tenth Fantasy novel in the Book of the Malazan Fallen series, following Dust of Dreams. The initial work in this series is Gardens of the Moon.

In the previous volume, Sinn and Grub went wandering through the Wardens. Gesler and Stormy were abducted by the K'Chain Che'malle and became their Mortal Sword and Shield Anvil. Gruntle and other Trygalle Trade Guild Shareholders were stranded in the Wastelands. Setoc and the children of Onos T'oolan found the Shareholders.

Ruthan wielded a Stormrider sword and Lostara performed the shadow dance. Hedge was buried under lizard corpses and Quick Ben was blown elsewhere. The Khundryl and Letherii charged and the Bonehunters withdrew.

In this novel, Shadowthrone is the ascendant of Emperor Kellanved, founder of the Malazan Empire. Now he is a spirit lurking in the shadows and manipulating gods.

Cotillion is the Ascendant of Dancer, chief of Kellanved's secret police. Now he is the patron of assassins.

Ganoes Paran is the brother of Adjunct Travore. He is also the High Fist of the Host and the Master of the Deck of Dragons.

Badalle is a child of the Snake in the desert. She, Rutt and many other children have been abandoned to walk through the Wastelands.

Tavore Paran is the Adjunct leading the Bonehunters. Her troopers have invaded the Empire of Lether and driven out the Triste Edur. Now they are preparing to march through the Wastelands to Kolanse.

Brys Beddict is a brother of the Lether King and the commander of the Letherii army. Brys has been resurrected and raised from the sea deeps and still remembers the experience. He has found love with Captain Skanarow.

Blistig is a Fist in the Bonehunters. He is venal and hateful and has hoarded water.

Kalyth is the only survivor of the Elan. She is a Destriant for Matron Gunth'an Acyl of the K'Chain Che'malle. Now Gesler is her Mortal Sword and Stormy is her Shield Anvil.

Sinn and Grub are mages. They destroyed the last of the Nah'ruk sky keeps.

Setoc is a teenaged girl. She is also the avatar of the Wolf Gods.

Tanakalian is the Shield Anvil for the Perish Grey Helms. He is young for his position. His Destriant -- Run'Thurvian -- is dead and he has driven away Krughava, the Mortal Sword.

Gall was the Warleader of the Khundryl. Now he is mourning his losses and avoiding his pregnant wife Hanavat.

Onos Toolan is a T'lan Imass, but was the Warleader of the White Faced Barghast. He was married to Hetan and has three children. Now Hetan is dead and his children have fled the clan.

Badalle is a child of the Snake in the desert. She, Rutt and many other children have been abandoned to walk through the Wastelands.

In this story, Ganoes frustrates Shadowthrone again. Yet they make a deal. Then Shadowthrone approaches Silchas Ruin and gives him a sword.

Cotillion examines his blades. They are pitted and ragged. He tells Edgewalker that he has no intention of explaining anything.

Tavore leads the Bonehunters and Bridgeburners out of the new lake. They still question her purpose, but they are confident of their leader. Only Blistig and his gang disbelieve.

Brys follows Tavore, but worries about his sword. Can he still invoke the ice? He voices his fears, but still follows.

Kalyth tells her Shield Anvil that the K'Chain Che'malle are now wandering. Provisions are carried in wagon beds. Food is also grown in these beds.

Grub tells Sinn that their enemy is the Forkrul Assail. He says the Crystal City has memories of them. Travore is hunting the Pures and Watered.

Tanakalian is worried about Setoc. She has been critical of his actions. But he still believes that he is correct.

Badalle watches Saddic gather his small things. She chants a poem for him. Saddic remembers every word.

Gall is threatened by his son's widow. She tells him to go see his wife give birth or she will kill him. He walks out of her tent and goes to watch Hanavat birth his newest son.

Onos leads the remaining T'lan Imass. He asks nothing of them for now, but walks before them. They all follow, but two question his intent.

Calm drags her chains as she walks west. The land is flat and empty around her. Justice burns within her and drives her on. She binds Icarium with chains and chants and leaves him for later use.

This tale brings the players together in Kolanse. Gods, dragons and mortals are converging. This convergence can change or destroy the population of the world.

This novel is the final installment in the series itself. But other Malazan tales are available; see The First Collected Tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach and Night of Knives.

Highly recommended for Erikson fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of epic fantasy, armed warfare, and persevering humans. Read and enjoy!

-Arthur W. Jordin

Warning:Spoilers

Review overall: Don't buy this book.Better imagine there was actually some sense in all the previous ones of the series.

We have all seen this again and again in the last book of an epic series.

The only motivation the author has is maybe a good cash in of the series popularity...
...or to finally get rid of his publisher nagging him/her of a contract for no less than 3..5.10 books...
...or to actually get something out to stay in touch with the fans...
Anything but actually wanting to put his imagination to paper.

This is just the case with the last few books of the Malazan book of the fallen.
Book 10 gives closure to less than 1/10th of the events described in previous books.

All the presumptions and deus ex machinations of the previous books baffled me and i expected some final tying of all the loose ends.
On the contrary Erikson seems not to care about his characters.

Many of them completely disappear and all the POV pages you read in the previous books are made useless ramblings.(example the retired bridgeburners in Darujhistan and the adopted daughter of Felishin who was made priestess/queen of the house of chains).

Other that are even more important like Apsalar and Crocus/Cutter are just used/abused in the epilogue in a way completely detached to the whole book.
We close the whole series with Fiddler fishing in the harbor of Mallaz city like a traitor isn't the emperor or the whole Claw isn't going to hunt him down....as i said too many loose ends.

Actually the only thing that made some sense was the admission from the Adjunct that she was doing the bidding of Shadowthrone from the very beginning.
(How can that be possible knowing that she "lost" Felishin the way she did ending with her killing her sister is beyond my intellect)

Overall this book was a disappointment.It made no sense at the best times.

p.s What happened to the Wickans? Did they get butchered? Does anyone care? I guess not....

Not really a review, but I just wanted to say how excited I am to finally get my hands on a copy of this book. Literally today at Barnes and Nobles, I saw it in stock, and yelled out "Hell Yes", to the confusion of several other customers. I can't wait to get home from work and get into some serious reading. Steven Erikson is by far and away the best, most detailed, imaginative, ambitious, darkly humored and enjoyable author I have ever had the pleasure to read. I'm truly going to miss there not being new tales of the Malazan Book of the Fallen, but thank you for the 10 great books. I truly hope for Mr. Eriksons next litterary project, he continues to delve into the vast and rich history and culture of this epic fantasy world, and it's motley crew of inhabitants.

Book 10 of TMBOTF series is essentially the story of the largest convergence in the history of Erikson's created world, which picks the impossibly desolate Glass Desert for the final battle. Every race, every civilization that we've met thus far, lead by the T'lan Imass, Jaghut, K'Chain Che'Malle, and the Forkrul Assail, are brought together in a writhing, tumultuous broil of destruction and carnage. The Letherii, Malazans, Tiste Andii, Barghast, Tiste Liosan, Kolansii, the Hounds, Tiste Edur, Toblakai, Genabackans, Awl, and Wickans are all present. The Elder Gods, Eleint, and even the dead (whom Erikson has always been reluctant to leave ... well, dead) are also critical pillars of this phenomenal tale.

Basically, if you had a favorite character(s) from the first 9 books, then they're in this book, to some extent!

Erikson's capstone story is a frantic maelstrom that I feel is best read with the first 9 books firmly in recent memory. I started the series in October of 2010 and timed it so that I finished Dust of Dreams early last month. The weekend before the March 1st release date, I skimmed all the books again. I don't think I would have been able to appreciate the contributions of the lesser-known characters to the tale had I not experienced their own stories in the recent past. There were simply too many people (many of which switched names at least twice!) and similarly-spelled locales to keep straight for long, at least in my middle-aged memory.

I'm typically critical on the final book of a series. It's hard to find the fine line between knotting up loose ends & large story arcs, but leaving something to the imagination of hungry fans. However, I rate this book a solid "5 stars", because Erikson does just that. For context, my favorite books were 2 (Deadhouse Gates), 3 (Memories of Ice), and 8 (Toll the Hounds). I was disappointed by book 9 (Dust of Dreams), but now I know why Erikson had to write it. If there was one book I would have re-read before book 10, it would be this one. There was so much foundation laid for the newcomers to the series, and for the convergence to actually occur.

The paperback book is 910 pages long. WARNING!! When you're about 2/3 of the way through, you simply will not be able to put this book down. Read late at night at your own peril, for you will be a zombie the next day at work because you slept about 45 minutes (don't ask me how I know this) ...

Turning the last page was a somber moment. However, for the timely closure you've brought to your tale, Mr. Erikson, I (on behalf of all fans waiting for authors to finish their respective series'), thank you!!

Very disappointing final book. Spends 900 pages marching armies, 50 pages fighting, and 20 pages trying to make sense in his own mind of what he just wrote. His most interesting and compelling characters were simply forgotten. Traded quantity for quality. The "plot" is nonsense and resolution insulting. in fact, the lack of subtlety and repetition is insulting to the reader. How many times must he hit the reader over the head with the evils of humanity and civilization. How many times must the mundane qualities of tavore be described as well as the inexplicable ability she has to motivate. After the promise of the first novels, I am convinced he churned these out per contactual obligation to get paid and move on. Reminds of forest gump when he has amassed all of his followers running and he proclaims he is tired and will go home now.

After nine books, the ninth of which was the least of the series, I was hoping that Erikson would manage to pull everything together. Instead, this book continues the endless and dull slog of book nine for another several hundred pages, and then presents the least impressive and dangerous challenge to end a series that I think I've ever read. What should be fearsome foes who can perhaps present at least a modest problem to the inevitable march of victory are instead easily beaten (at some minor cost, especially of nameless soldiers) and in battle after battle, engagement after engagement, never achieve a single even fleeting victory. Whole sideplots exist for no real reason except to diffuse the ending, and the relatively small number of deaths which occur in a cast of hundreds are in the main not meaningful. Erikson continues his tendency to bring back characters from the dead, negating in some cases much of the horror and poignancy of the deaths he actually allows to happen. While I still think that the series as a whole is probably the best epic fantasy I've ever read, and certain segments (The Chain of Dogs from Book 2, essentially all of Book 5) remain favorites and likely will forever, I find myself rather disappointed by this ending. If half stars were possible, it'd get 2.5, but as it is, I'll give it 3 due to strong history of greatness.

I will let others list the strengths and weaknesses of this book. If you've made it all the way to The Crippled God, you are an Erikson fan. You know how he writes and how he likes to organize things. I will say that, while a satisfying conclusion, this book left me wanting more. Not through any true downfall or weakness in the story, but because I loved this series so much. Thank you, Mr. Erikson, for reaffirming my love of fantasy. Thank you, Mr. Erikson, for healing the wounds left by George R.R. Martin. Thank you, Mr. Erikson, for a truely well-written, monumental series.

I've never cried while reading a book until I read this series.

And I've never sobbed at any work of fiction until this book. If you have read any of this series, make sure you don't stop until you read this one.

First half of the book was constant whining, every character was sounding like the same depressed, sad god/soldier/whatever.
Second half of the book was illogical sequence of things happening without any real explanation,
then the book ended and you got more questions than answears.

I really enjoyed this series up until this book. The author seems to be all warp and no weft. While it is important in writing to have characters on separate threads, at some point those threads need to be tied back together. Coupled with the author's penchant for jumping around and not spending more than a few paragraphs on a single thread make this a very difficult book to read. He fails to draw the reader in and develop the main story line with this ADHD writing style.

At the moment, I am about half way through the book. It is simply an exercise in completing what I started at this point and unless there is a severe shift in the book's style, I don't believe I will feel any sort of accomplishment when I'm done.