Malazan Book of the Fallen 2 (The Malazan Book Of The Fallen)

Though Erikson's book is fantastic, this review is 1-star because the kindle edition of this book is scandalously riddled with typos. How any self respecting editor/proofreader could allow a text with so many blatant errors through is beyond me. There are sentences that have no punctuation at all, or that have random periods in between words. Italics are sometimes italicized, and sometimes revert to normal font, leaving the reader wondering if Erikson was trying to highlight a specific word or phrase in an italicized section (but the "highlighted" words are so random, it leaves the reader confused and frustrated).

I'm shocked and disappointed that the store would allow a book to be so poorly scanned without someone going through to check for such issues. While it didn't ruin the book for me, it definitely reduced the experience.

After reading the first book, I thought it was a good series, however I will not continue this series. The second book is very loosely related to the first, as most characters are different, and it is halfway across the world.
Personally, I found that the author jumped too many times between different characters. I personally had a hard time following who was what and what they did. Normally I don't have that problem with any of the books I read.

I normally look for and like to read epic, long novels. I really had to struggle with gardens of the moon for the first half. I did finally get into it towards the last half. This book I couldnt even finish through chapter 1. None of the characters I know are in here. Its like a whole different novel. I jumped ahead to see if whiskeyjack, kruppe, crokus, any of them make an entrance but couldnt find them. I found myself reading pages then realized I couldnt remember what I just read and have to start over. It gave me a headache so I just gave it up.

Madmen, seers and witches proclaim the coming of the Whirlwind, a rebellion of unprecedented ferocity, a scourge that will wipe the subcontinent of Seven Cities clean of the pestilence of the Malazan Empire. The rulers of the Empire pay no heed, denuding the occupied territories of troops to reinforce the faltering campaign in Genabackis. From that continent comes an assassin, a thief and a former plaything of a shadowy god, who are the unwitting harbingers of the prophecy, and from the east comes a broken women and a shattered priest, who will defy it. As the Whirlwind is unleashed, the Malazan Seventh Army is given an impossible mission: to escort thirty thousand civilian refugees from Hissar to Aren, more than a thousand miles, facing constant attack all the way. This is a task that no ordinary human can handle, only a legend.

Deadhouse Gates is the second novel in the Malazan Book of the Fallen, succeeding (but not a direct sequel to) Gardens of the Moon. Deadhouse Gates relocates the action to the continent of Seven Cities with an almost entirely new cast of characters and a whole new storyline. Although having read Gardens of the Moon will be a help in reading this book, it is not necessary and it is indeed not unknown for readers to be directed to Deadhouse Gates as their first Malazan novel. This unusual recommendation has a solid rationale: Gardens of the Moon is a fine novel, but one that has to overcome a confused and somewhat incoherent opening before it starts to make sense. In contrast, Deadhouse Gates ranks comfortably as one of the single greatest works of epic fantasy ever written.

Indeed, the year 2000 may go down in history as one of the finest for fantasy fiction. That year also saw the publication of China Mieville's Perdido Street Station, Mary Gentle's Ash: A Secret History and George R.R. Martin's A Storm of Swords, three of the defining works of the modern fantasy genre. Deadhouse Gates sits very comfortably in such company.

Compared to the potentially confusing opening to Gardens of the Moon, Deadhouse Gates follows four storylines in a much more linear fashion. In one storyline, and the most epic, the Malazan Seventh Army must cross the entire subcontinent, escorting a refugee train to safety. With echoes of Xenophon's Anabasis (itself later fantasised as Paul Kearney's The Ten Thousand), or even Battlestar Galactica, this is a story of epic battles being fought as the innocent are defended in the face of a remorseless enemy and - sometimes - their own hubris. It's here that Erikson establishes some of his most memorable characters, such as the Imperial Historian Duiker, the indefatigable Bult, the warlocks Nil and Nether, and of course, Coltaine of the Crow Clan, High Fist of the Malazan Empire having formerly been a bitter foe of it. Their story - the Chain of Dogs - is a stunning and gripping narrative in its own right, every league of the journey bringing with it new formidable obstacles to be overcome, new enemies to be defeated and new tragedies to endure. The Chain of Dogs is Steven Erikson's Red Wedding, except drawn out to the length of a novel: an emotionally taut and increasingly shocking story of heroism and betrayal on a colossal scale.

Most novelists would have settled for that, but alongside that epic story we have Erikson's most emotionally intense and internalised struggle, that of Felisin Paran (sister of Ganoes Paran, a key protagonist from Gardens of the Moon). Felisin, a pampered and spoiled noble girl, is arrested and sentenced to exile on a distant island, to toil in criminal slavery. She endures horrors that afflict her soul and she becomes brittle, angry and bitter. Eventually the story takes her to a destiny that she was not expected, and a responsibility she steps into for both vengeance and self-realisation. Felisin's story is hard to read but impressive in its emotional resonance. This is a realistic story, albeit also an incomplete one, with the other half of the story waiting to unfold in House of Chains (the fourth novel in the series; Book 3, Memories of Ice, returns instead to Genabackis and the story of the Bridgeburners).

Next to that we also have two smaller quest narratives: the story of Icarium and Mappo, two wanderers out of the wastelands whom we gradually learn are cursed to live a life of friendship, trust and bitter deception; and the story of some familiar characters from Gardens of the Moon, namely Apsalar, Crokus, Kalam and Fiddler, who are on a journey back to Quon Tali and a confrontation with the treacherous Empress, but who are sucked up instead in the chaos of the Whirlwind.

These four storylines - which ultimately combine to a degree - give the novel a sense of unifying coherence missing from Gardens of the Moon. Instead of the start-stop opening to that book, Deadhouse Gates starts much more slowly and traditionally, the novel gathering a relentless and inexorable pace as it evolves. Erikson's prose is vastly superior to Gardens, the result of the nine year gap that fell between the two books and slightly awkward circumstances that led to its creation: originally Memories of Ice was the second novel, but Erikson lost the manuscript to a hard drive error when he was halfway through writing it; unable to face it, he instead switched to writing what was supposed to be the third book in the series instead, inadvertently giving us the continent-hopping structure of the saga that would become one of its hallmarks. The result is a novel that fairly seethes with intelligence, memorable prose and ambition.

Weaknesses? A first read will occasionally brush against confusion (particularly the introduction of a certain jade statue and the events that spiral out from it), but beyond that there are none. Deadhouse Gates takes all of the strengths of Erikson's writing and loses almost all of the weaknesses.

The Malazan Book of the Fallen is many things. It is a comedy and a drama, but it is also a tragedy - as the title implies - and it is a series about compassion and humanity. Arguably later books in the series suffer to a limited degree from Erikson's increasing introspection at the cost of plot and character, but no such weakness is present here, or in the book that follows it. Deadhouse Gates (*****) is a fantasy novel that does that rare thing and makes you think and feel. It is a good encapsulation of the entire series.

I have read so many fantasy novels that maybe I am just not seeing the good stuff here. This is rambling lunacy! 1/2 way through Dead house gate's, I couldn't take it any more! The disjunct, never-ending jumps between characters and plotlines cannot make this book series good. Those that see more than dark lunatic fringe storytelling are the exception not the mainstream reader. I don't doubt there are some who love this type of storytelling,but reader beware.....these books are not like any other's, I have wasted my time and money!

What a book.

The beginning of Deadhouse Gates was jarring for me. At the end of Gardens of the Moon I was very invested in the characters, and ready to see what was about to unfold. However, I did not get that resolution after starting Deadhouse. Instead I was on an entirely different continent with an (almost) entirely new cast of characters. Needless to say I was a little thrown. In hindsight, I should've been ecstatic, but I did not at that time know the journey I was about to embark on. I am now just as invested in these characters as the cast in Gardens, if not more invested. So now not only do I get to continue on with my favorite characters from Gardens of the Moon in Memories of Ice, but I get to look forward to a return to the characters from Deadhouse in the near future as well.

I was merely enjoying this book up until the Chain of Dogs portion.. and then I was absolutely hooked. Coltaine's march to Aren must somehow be made into a film, just so that non-readers can experience the epicness that is the Chain of Dogs. I marked each battle in my book so that I can re-read them when the need arises (and it undoubtedly will). I realized during one of the Chain of Dogs battles that if I read Erikson too quickly, I lose a lot of comprehension. More so than other authors. Erikson's prose is so detailed, and so extremely descriptive that if you aren't paying very close attention you might end up missing some minor detail that could leave you confused. It happened to me during one of the battles. I decided to flip back about ten pages, and re-read the scene slower, and it was tremendously rewarding and immersive. Erikson really packs a lot of content into little spaces.

The end of this book was magnificent, and an emotional rollercoaster to say the least. It raised a lot of questions. Questions that give the impression of potentially being answered in the future, but at the same time could remain unanswered and leave the reader wondering; Pondering the "what-ifs". I love that tactic in writing. It's used by some of my favorite authors and Erikson uses it perfectly at the end of Deadhouse. I planned on taking a break from Malazan between books two and three but that plan has been shattered. On to Memories of Ice.

Read the first book, complex and author is clearly attempting to pull a Lord of the Rings and create own universe. The issue is using complex names, introducing way too many new characters way too quickly, it is overly complicated and makes for a slow read. The first book I got a hang of it and it actually turned out pretty good and I was wanting to read the next installment.

Then I ordered this book. It does not take off from the last book (at least not right away, I don't know if it does later.) It introduces all new characters with new, complex names and places and who knows what else. I simple set down the book and stopped recommending this. Author is trying waaaaay too hard to create some huge, giant, unique universe and maybe some sort of cult fanbase like Lord of the Rings. The thing about LotR is it was paced well and didn't over complicate things

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. I guess that brings me to my only complaint, so much info, in so short of a time. But hey I can handle it.

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 am hooked and I now need more! So yes I will be continuing this series, and I can’t wait! I know more greatness awaits and I am highly anticipating the journey to come.

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 reading these first two books, I think it is for me.

I liked the first book (Gardens of the Moon) a lot. This book is quite on another level. I loved it. A magnificent read. The only thing I can think to describe it is a mindf*** but in an entirely good way. Everything is just so rich and complex, and such a joy to wrap your mind around. Such fantastic and intriguing characters. Icarium, Mappo and the dynamic of their relationship. Then there is Duiker, so wise with his words. Everything in this book and series is just on a whole other level. I am addicted now! So much so I want to start collecting these marvelous books. Trying to find hardcovers is impossible it seems (for a good price anyhow) if anyone has some idea’s for a broke a** like myself, let me know.

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.

5/5 Stars! - MightyThorJRS

Not prone to hyperbole, I must say, this book crushed me with it's awesomeness. I've read Tolkien, Lewis, Martin, Rothfuss, Brooks, Goodkind, Sanderson, Jordan.....the list goes on and on. All the aforementioned writers have all written, what I regard to be, anyway, fantastic works of fiction. Erikson might be smarter than all of them put together.
Seriously, this guy is so smart it actually makes me stop, put the book down for a second, and wonder how one many could devise all of this in his mind. The interwoven stories are sensational. None of them are boring, and all of the characters are very different, dimensional, hiding a trove of powers and secrets within them. Kalam, Fiddler, Trotts and Icarium, Heboric and Felesin.....the names go on and on and the memories they bring evoke a world wild and lived in.

SPOILER ALERT!!!

The betrayal of Coltaine at the end brought me to tears. The man was a paragon of righteousness and integrity, and in the end, were Dukier not there to say, the history books would have branded him a traitor. The way Erikson set this whole thing up just floors me even thinking about it.

If you don't have an attention span, can't hold together very intricate plot lines, suspend your belief and knowledge for mystery upon mystery, then Erickson is not for you. If you want to delve deep into a world, wild, magical, eternally on the edge of a precipice, then read Erikson, especially to get to this book. You will not be disappointed.

I gave up 100 pages into Gardens of the Moon, so can't say how good this one is. If it's as confusing as the first one, well...I guess 3 stars is about right. I couldn't turn off the star rating feature, so 5 was what I put in.

I made the mistake of buying the 10-in-1 Kindle version, thinking it would save me money in the long run. But Deadhouse Gates might be the last of this series I'll try and read. OK, I'm stubborn, I'll probably try the third book in this series eventually.

First, I will corroborate what others are saying about the Kindle Edition-- not so many spelling errors as formatting ones. Not sure this is the same Kindle Edition as the single volume versions, but pages disappear when you try and go back and reread certain sections or even previous pages.

Plot is better than in Gardens of the Moon... at least one has a sense for what is happening. But I agree with most of the negative reviews. This is a book that throws you in the water and sees if you can swim. Almost all your insight into any character is based on dialogue. The reader never knows what a character is thinking in any depth. Combine that with a 'learn on the run' style of what the very complex heirarchy of magic is, the numerous different sides of the battles involved, shifting alliances, innumerable races, a host of characters. It's a hugely complex world without explanation.

The plot feels not so much like there are holes, but that it is very simple-- except that the author adds seemingly random events that so conveniently provides adventure hooks and excuses for the characters to express melodramatic angst or fortitude or nonchalance depending on the character. There is no depth to the characters. It's not that the fantasy genre is replete with deep characters, it's just that a book this expansive and involved really deserves deeper characters, and a world this complex deserves a stronger framework of reference.

It really comes down to style. An analogy: if you didn't mind that the movie Highlander II did what it did to the concept of Highlander, then this book will probably work for you. It is a very random style that comes together in the end, but it really wasn't so hard because the plot is fairly simple, just overdramatically played. If the author has actual notes on magic systems, races, deities... he should have someone else organize them, publish them, so that the reader can have it on hand to refer to it as they are reading if they prefer (I would). I think I understand what the author is trying to do, and based on the positive reviews it is clear that many enjoy his style. But I agree more with the negative reviews, and feel that it is a random, MTV strobe montage experience that perhaps appeals to a younger generation of reader unused to more story depth.

I used to say that Michael Crichton was not an especially good writer, but he had great ideas. This book is just different. If the abrupt, shallow writing style is intentional- and I can see where if the philosophy behind the book was to create a psychedelic chaos then it might be- then the author succeeded... congratulations. But in a book where my biggest interest turned out to be-- did Duiker sleep with the nameless female marine or not? And did that other woman (can't remember the name) ever hook up with Kalam? Well, I guess that's it. I didn't really care what else happened because it didn't seem like it mattered.

Edited 7/17
Though I really enjoyed Gardens of the Moon, I only started considering Steven Erikson a top-tier fantasy writer after reading Deadhouse Gates. This second Malazan book is a very strong effort generally, and is highlighted by one of the greatest fantasy fiction plot threads I’ve ever encountered. In my mind, DhG ranks with Memories of Ice (book 3) and Midnight Tides (book 5) as the greatest of the Malazan entries. And like book 5, Deadhouse Gates functions well as a stand alone tale. So, if you feel ambivalent about continuing on with this series after reading Gardens of the Moon, or if you are hesitant about even tackling GotM after reading the mixed reviews, I would strongly recommend trying DhG. This book just might convince you-as it has convinced many others-to read the whole series. And one need not even read the whole series to appreciate and enjoy this stellar fantasy offering.

The heart of the book involves the retreat of the Malazan 7th army, led by the Wickan war leader and Malazan Fist Coltaine, across the Seven Cities continent from Hissar to Aren. The Malazan and Wickan forces guide a group of ever growing and recalcitrant refugees along the way, while attempting to stave off destruction at the hands of hunger, thirst, exhaustion, and the bloodthirsty forces of the Seven Cities rebellion who greatly outnumber them. This so-called “chain of dogs” plot thread is the “pearl of great value” in this book, and is easily one of finest pieces of fantasy fiction I have ever had the privilege to read. Erikson in general writes fantasy that is existentially powerful and convincing, but with Coltaine’s march he clearly outdoes himself. This story is a monument to the human spirit. Coltaine, the Imperial historian Duiker, and several others involved in this march are impossible to forget. And Erikson displays here an impressive ability to write about large-scale military engagements and operations. Also, the philosophizing he mixes in (such as Coltaine talking about the importance of memory, or Duiker answering a query about how to respond to the world’s ugliness) feels all the more powerful for being so organically rooted in the story. There is much else that enriches the chain of dogs, such as the “wide-eyed stupid” Malazan engineers, Wickan humor, the harrowing efforts of the Wickan warlocks, and the maturation and the visions of corporal List. This plot thread may well be the highlight of the entire Malazan series.

Another big plot thread involves Felisin, the sister of Ganoes Paran from Gardens of the Moon. She has been sent to a slave-mine for political reasons by her elder sister Tavore, who has recently become Adjunct to the Empress. Felisin, an ex-priest of Fener named Heboric, and a man named Baudin escape the slave-mine as the Seven Cities rebellion erupts. Somehow they manage accidentally to release a God into the mortal realm, and after they make it back to the mainland (with a little help and a very strange detour), events transpire that ensure that the future conflict between the rebellion and Malazan soldiers sent to stamp it out will involve a grudge match between the two sisters. When I first read this book, I tended to think of this bleak plot thread as primarily transitional. Though it certainly does set the stage for later developments, further readings have led me to appreciate better this particular thread on its own merits. Baudin’s task has certain parallels with Coltaine’s, and he goes about it with a similar admirable fortitude. And a scene of his in which he manages to pierce some emotional armor is a real highlight in the book, one made possible by the recognition (made explicit by the mage Kulp) that Baudin and Felisin are actually quite alike.

Two Bridgeburners (Kalam and Fiddler) and several of their associates from book 1 appear in DhG. They are on the continent of Seven Cities as part of an assassination plot. The assassin Kalam quickly establishes his own plot thread as he leaves the rest of this group when presented with an opportunity to wreak some havoc that he finds irresistible. He thus ends up helping to inaugurate the long simmering, rebellion against Malazan occupation of Seven Cities that sets the chain of dogs in motion, a rebellion he hopes will help assist his goals. He intends to meet up with his companions later, though the situation is greatly complicated as others have managed to discern his intentions. The rest of the group, consisting of Fiddler, Apsalar, Crokus, and, at times, the winged monkey Moby, are all, as per the plan, seeking Tremorlor, a hidden Azath/portal in the heart of the Raraku desert that they hope will help lead them closer to their target. Fiddler’s group ends up in the company of Mappo Trell and Icarium, an odd pair with a touching and sad friendship that is put to the test as the book proceeds, and Iskaral Pust, an annoying, manipulative, and unintentionally humorous High Priest of Shadow. (Pust brings some much welcome comic relief to this very grim book.) The journey to Tremorlor is made problematic not only by the rebellion but by a strange convergence of shape-shifting creatures. By the end of book, Kalam learns a valuable lesson about “chasing ghosts,” and has forged not only a new outlook but some new attachments as well. He also is involved in an amazing battle in Malaz City. The divinely exploited Apslalar’s story seemingly comes full circle from book 1. She is on a new journey, accompanied by those who most strongly care about her. Moby (unintentionally) and Fiddler (purposively) find themselves in new roles by the end of the book. And Fiddler’s meeting with a Tanno Spiritwalker early in the novel proves very consequential. Given Iskaral Pust’s penchant for diversionary trickery made apparent in his treatment of the shapeshifters, it is perhaps appropriate (and certainly entertaining) that with regards to a particular shapeshifter, Pust seems to have met his match. Also, it clear that we have not seen the last of those old friends Mappo and Icarium.

Two irreverent, old, hard as nails Malazan soldiers (Gesler and Stormy) and their young recruit (Truth) also spice up the story, and manage to intersect with most of the various plot threads at one point or another. The actions of Gesler and Stormy aboard the ship Silanda, which so impressed the mage Kulp; Gesler’s brief but highly entertaining interaction with Coltaine; a chance meeting between these Malazans and Mappo; all are especially memorable moments that help enrich this book.

Beyond 5 stars

The second entry in Erikson's Malazan series is a good step up from the first book, though I still found it lacking in parts. The first 150 pages were well written and engaging, but then something slipped and the middle didn't quite grip me. The last 150-200 pages were great, engaging and very tumultuous - a highly enjoyable conclusion.

While many of the characters from the last book are left behind, there are a handful who remain. This has a balance between good and bad: having to associate/build relationships with new characters is started from scratch in most cases, but it also provides a platform for wider storytelling and a new start for Erikson at character development.

Fortunately, he succeeded in this, though not entirely. Character development is much more fleshed out here, though there are still enough cardboard cutouts running around (be assured, the entire character profile will become obvious if the character either squeals or growls). There's a wider variety of characters, each with their own struggles and character crises, and the way Erikson handles them borders on impressive.

The plot is sprawling. There are numerous plotlines to follow here, other sub-plots happening, and then a huge undercurrent of implication. There's alot more military action (in great detail) in this book, as well as some sea voyaging, desert trecking, so on and so forth. With such a wide story, though, things do become a bit harder to follow, with there being 300-400 page gaps between rather short scenes which seem to carry a great deal of significance; in one instance there was a not insubstantial reference to a character from the previous book which took an internet search to recall.

The writing itself, again, leaves something to be desired. Erikson continues to flit between characters, but much less frequently than the previous book. How it seems he's structured most of the book is that each chapter covers a portion of the timeline, and each portion of that timeline is covered from all the characters perspectives. The story could do with more chapter breaks; while a tight timeline can be good, forcing it in such a way isn't necessary; there are enough opportunities for chapter breaks within the chapters as they are, considering that many of the sections with each character are long enough to warrant their own chapters.

There's also a problem with descriptiveness. It's very uneven. Some things need less description, other things more. The character perspectives in this regard tend to be weak and unfocused; Erikson is, after all, trying to tell this from third person subjective, and I find he varies from this perspective in describing whichever setting the characters are in.

Also, his transitions between scenes leave something to be desired. Alot of the scenes open with a description of the environmental surroundings which, while good for setting the scene, are confusing because he'll wait until the next paragraph to introduce the character whose perspective we're behind. It's slightly baffling because 1) there's no indication that there may have been a switch between characters and 2) without a character to give some the narrative some solidity, something for the reader to hold on to, the story enters a temporary freefall.

I'm tempted to give it a high rating because of the opening and closing sections mentioned at the start, but the middle and the writing issues can't be disregarded.

3.5/5

I have been reading fantasy for about 22 years now having read Tolkien, Martin (my latest favorite), Jordan, Jones, Feist, Eddings, Brooks, Weis & Hickman, Donaldson, Stewart, McKiernan, LeGuin, Drake, and even 3 1/2 books of Goodkind. I gave up on a couple of the above authors, but hands down the worst of them all has been Steven Erikson.

After pushing myself to finish Gardens of the Moon I decided to give him another chance with Deadhouse Gates in hopes things would get better. After quitting 100 pages into DG I was convinced by a friend to keep going and actually made it through another 250 pages before throwing in the towel. Unfortunately it's practically unreadable. Not once did I feel an interest or connection with any of the characters. Malazan is filled with people who are completely flat with very little description or personality to set them apart. Erikson gives you little to care about in any way. The world itself is poorly described. That might be because it's a barren desert most of the time. He needs to try placing a little detail with the topography.

Erikson is also a poor storyteller. He jumps from one set of bland characters to another with very little plot to keep them going. Unlike Martin where he gives you perspectives from all sides and develops complex characters bursting with unique personalities, Erikson comes up empty on all counts. We actually see very little of what's behind the Empire or Laseen. They are simply a massive force looking to conquer all. A flat one dimensional enemy. She could kill every one of the main characters so far and it wouldn't bother me a bit. I am truly amazed how much he can write, with absolutely zero character development.

Another major weakness is that there seems to be an unlimited amount of magic or magical creatures that can pour out of any warren or place at any given time. It's both silly and boring at the same time. What did it for me was the following event a little over 140 pages into DG. On one page alone one of the many groups of flat characters came across a ruined temple in the desert (only the brick floor remained) and one of the characters by some magical means managed to release a bunch of rats, who then attacked a bundle of snakes. Then a swarm of wasps and fire ants started attacking right before a black 12 foot demon popped out and started shooting fire before engaging in battle with a white bear (shapeshifter). This ended by one mage punching the one that started it in the jaw to end the nightmare and then everything returned to normal. Within a single page he throws everything and the kitchen sink at you and then a quick return to complete normalcy. When this much magic can occur at practically anytime, it really numbs the reader and cheapens it all in my opinion.

Once I found out that the world of Malazan was really a D&D campaign that Erikson transformed into a novel it all started making sense to me. His idea of character development is giving numerical values to dexterity, charisma, and hit points.

Erikson is the master at muddying shallow waters (or keeping you in the dark) to give the impression of depth. But there's really not much there. I give him high marks for effort, just an F for delivery.

Patient readers who struggled through Gardens of the Moon are amply rewarded for their guts and patience in Deadhouse Gates. In Gardens of the Moon, Erikson drops the reader, unprepared, into the middle of a world war that spans continents. Deadhouse Gates returns to the same world and a few of the same characters, but is a much easier read for those already familiar with the Malazan world.

Malazan is an empire that expands its boundaries and riches through military conquest. The aristocracy of each conquered land are culled upon defeat. Culled means killed or sent to the ottataral mines. Enter Felisin, daughter of an aristocratic house who is given to the cull for her city by her sister, Tavore, new adjunct to the Empress. Deadhouse Gates follows Felisin's trip to the mines and her trip to despair and ultimately a way to challenge the might of the Malazan Empire and her sister.

A revolution is brewing as well and the Malazan cities have been taken back in a brutal uprising that leaves Coltain, a Malazan commander, fleeing across inhospitable desert with tens of thousands of refugees in his charge and a revolutionary force dogging his every step to safety. This portion of the book is narrated by the Malazan historian, Duiker and makes for stunning reading.

Crokus and Apsalar and Kalam and new characters in the form of Icarium, Mappo and Pust are also wandering this vast desert and the magic of the world, which both helps and hinders is present in every storyline as well. Deadhouse Gates is as rich and complex as Gardens of the Moon, but reads more easily, though the astute reader may wish to revisit certain parts of the tale in subsequent readings as other information becomes available in further volumes.

Erikson has reset the bar for complex epic fantasy. His imagination and attention to detail are astounding. His writing is a joy. Recommended for serious lovers of intricate fantasy.

Another tale of the Malazan book of the fallen by masterful writer Steven Erikson, comes the second book within a series that has captured my imagination. Deadhouse gates cannot fail to capture your attention with its spectacular, vibrant & bold cover that is so striking and so mystical that you feel compelled to open the pages and glimpse inside...Met with widespread international acclaim this spectacular original fantasy creation is something to admire and which is totally remarkable and astonishing; I guarantee you will have not encountered anything similar. This author is extraordinary whose fresh, new and exciting style is so distinctive that brings complex plot and detailed narrative to life. Vivid, atmospheric and rich his world-building is second to none with an inner suggestion to an intricate history, lore and mythology which lies beneath the surface. Truly epic and astonishing scope his books are just breathtaking, spellbinding and magical which have you lost for hours and that certainly had me captivated under their spell. Thrilling action and fantastic sword & sorcery the realistic battle scenes and drama spring to life from the page, as the words jump out at you with such unmistakable energy. Absorbing and totally gripping this story maintains its momentum throughout, hence you will never find yourself bored or becoming weary with endless pages of description - as Erikson has got the balance between action & description just right!

This tale continues in the Holy Desert with Raraku (the seer sha'ik) who is preparing for the long-awaited uprising named the whirlwind. Meanwhile enslaved in the mines Felisin (youngest scion of the disgraced house of paran) dreams of that longed freedom and also bitter revenge, which is eating away at their inner core bit by painful bit... Whilst the outlaws Fiddler and Kalam plan to rid the world of the Empress Laseen, two ancient warriors who bear a devastating secret emerge out of the shadows. Finally the Mazalan 7th army now weary is led in a valiant running battle to save the lives of thirty-thousand refugees. This thrilling chapter in the epic story of the Malazan Empire, war and betrayal, intrigue and magic collide, thus shaping dynasties and giving birth to legends...

The depth of this world is staggering to comprehend and I am so impressed by this author, whose series is amazing and which I shall certainly be reading time and time again. The mixture of well-defined and individualistic, memorable characters within an absorbing and fast-paced narrative keeps you hooked to the page for hours on end so that you find yourself unable to put this down. If you love the fantasy genre then this author is one to put at the top of your list and who never fails to amaze me with each new installment within this lengthy and spectacular saga. Complete with some beautifully detailed maps at the front of the book and a stunning cover, these are books to collect and treasure.

I just cannot fault Steven Erikson's series nor his writing, hence why the Malazan book of the fallen series is at the top of my must-read list for the fantasy genre (specifically epic fantasy)!!

Not as confusing as Gardens of the Moon but still very dense. Too dense I would say. There are so many allusions to other places/people/things that are outside the scope of this particular book, that presumably only come into play in later books. Still it is an impressive feat of world building. But the plot is unrelenting in its bleakness. Erikson puts his characters through the ringer again and again and again until the reader just goes numb. It is atrocity after horror after barbarity. I know Erikson is trying to subvert Fantasy conventions but it's too much. Still I will probably proceed with the series.

I must confess that I quite enjoyed Gardens of the Moon, however, I was left wondering how some of Erikson's universe worked. Now I am starting to see that this universe is simply massive which could deter many from reading this series completely. *Some minimal spoilers await*

The Good
-The information one gleans from the Deadhouse completely blew my mind (I will hold off on going into more detail as I don't want to spoil anyhting)
-Duiker maintaining his role as the historian is fantastic as you get much of the strategic depth of Coltraine and see the battles from an excellent vantage point
-Icarium, Mappo and Iskarel Pust were both interesting and entertaining
-Apsalar, Crokus and Fiddler were entertaining
-An appearance of the Hounds of Shadow
-Insight into Cotillion and his House of Shadow
-The showdown between the Imperial Claw and Corporal Kalam

The Bad (or maybe better put slightly annoying)
-The book took a while to really draw me in. It wasn't until the last 100 or so pages until I really got hooked. I think this book may be setting up a future book to really wow me.
-The whole shipwreck/flooded warren confused me but I think more light will be shed later in the series

The Ugly (OK this could be rephrased 'absolutely annoying')
-Like Jordan's Wheel of Time the character list continues to grow which is quite easy to lose track of
-Felisin, need I really say more? A very annoying character indeed although things may improve in future works
-Lack of maps: I hate not knowing where I am period. It would be nice if the publisher took a few pages to give you all the continents on maps and then the entire Malazan Empire as well!

Be on your guard in this book as you will need to remember some important pieces of information for future books, not to mention in this book itself! I have also noticed many complaints about Erikson's writing style but I find it absolutely fascinating. This series is not for the faint hearted and for any reader a reasonable amount of previous fantasy reading should be mandatory as well as an analytical capacity. Happy reading!

In and around the Seven Cities, the wind blowing from the holy Raraku Desert carries the warnings of a rebellion brewing in the whole continent. As Sha'ik unlocks the Whirlwind and sends her followers out on a holy war, the continent becomes a very dangerous place for the Malazans.

We were in Darujhistan when we turned the last page of the Gardens of the Moon. However in Deadhouse Gates Erikson brings us to the Seven Cities, on a different continent.

As soon as I decided to read Deadhouse Gates, the first question that came to my mind was: "Will I read about the same characters in this book?" Well... If you're asking the same question then let me tell you that the only characters from the Gardens of the Moon that we encounter in Deadhouse Gates are Fiddler, Crokus, Apsalar and Kalam. The story of the first three is told in one of the story threads as Erikson masterfully manages four main story lines in parallel. We find the charismatic Kalam in the second story thread. The third thread is about a trio who just fell into slavery: Felisin Paran, a noble teenager (whose family name should be familiar), Heboric, an excommunicated priest of Fener the Boar God, and Beneth, a brute. The last main story thread revolves around the imperial historian Duiker (whose name was mentioned in the first book) who accompanies the Seventh Army in a perilous journey. Contrary to Gardens of the Moon, though, the characters in each story thread in Deadhouse Gates are most of the time separated by very long distances.

From the first page to the last, Deadhouse Gates progresses as a runaway train that imprisons the reader's attention. The parallel story lines are well crafted and have well balanced weights. These stories pull the reader in different directions, most of the time in different parts of the continent. Furthermore, Erikson continues his world building without overwhelming the reader. He's not afraid of showing gore and blood, and he proves that he is one the best fantasy writers to describe martial action and battle scenes.

I also noticed two things after reading the second book of the series: There is not any deep romance in Erikson's books, at least not in the first two books of the Malazan book of the Fallen. And Erikson seems to be just like George R. R. Martin in that no protagonist is safe in his books. There's something good about being caught off guard that way but it's also sad to see one of your favorite characters disappear.

All in all, in Deadhouse Gates, Steven Erikson raises the bar one more notch. It was an incredible read and I'm definitely thirsty for more. My mind is already set on Memories of Ice. I can't wait...

Deadhouse Gates begins shortly after the events at the conclusion of Gardens of the Moon, but features an almost entirely different cast of characters, and is set on an entirely different continent. This transition can be disconcerting, but is a prevalent feature across the Malazan books, and an appealing one, I find. Rather than the same location and characters becoming stale book after book after book, Erikson constantly brings us to new places, where we meet new and interesting people and creatures, each more fantastical than the last.

Without going into detail, the best way to describe it would be to say it is like Gardens of the Moon, but better. In every way. Erikson is famous for the pacing of his books, which always start with many disparate elements that slowly start to meander about, gathering speed, until they suddenly converge in the book's climax. Not the most complex structure, perhaps, but Erikson delivers it with a punch like a freight train each time, and while the conclusion of Gardens of the Moon was a tad lacking in terms of weight, this one pulls no punches. The plotlines and characters are gripping, and you will cheer for them and feel for them like never before.

If you read Gardens of the Moon and liked it, this is a no-brainer. Read this book. You won't regret it. If you read Gardens of the Moon and were on the fence about it, I think you owe it to yourself to give this one a try. Gardens of the Moon was Steven Erikson's first foray into novel writing, and it shows in some of his stumbles in that book. This one suffers from no such problems, and should provide a much better idea of whether the series is one you will enjoy.

I just finished Steven Erikson's follow-up to his first Malazan Book of the Fallen installment, Gardens of the Moon, and despite a small handful of flaws, found it to be an immensely enjoyable read.

Like it's predecessor,Deadhouse Gates is hard to summarize. It consists of multiple points of view chronicling a period of time in the vast world the Malazan Empire and the other nations are located in. There are a ton of races, both existing and extinct, and of characters. A lot of storylines. A highly complicated and intricate magic system as well as an equally complex pantheon of deities. And an almost overwhelmingly complex history. All of these aspects combine to create a magnificently complex and realized universe that feels alive and truly sucks you in. The poems and excepts of historical records before each chapter lend even more atmosphere to the book.

In this installment, the action shifts from Genabackis and the city of Darujistan that Erikson introduced us to in GotM to Seven Cities, a desert territory of the Malazan Empire in which a bloody, religious uprising known as The Apocalypse is about to begin. At the same time, a mysterious convergence of supernatural shapeshifters is taking place, destroying everything in its wake.

The book basically chronicles how the main characters are caught up in these occurrences. As I mentioned, there are a ton of characters, and multiple Points of View. However, unlike in GotM, it is easy to keep track of the 'main' POV characters and group them together. I picked out 5 main POVs (though there are more, just not featured as much):
--Kalam, assassin and Bridgeburner last seen in GotM, traveling alongside...
--...Fiddler, fellow Bridgeburner and sapper, who along with fellow GotM characters Apsalar and Crokus embarks on a mysterious mission with Kalam, obstensibly to escort Apsalar to her homeland.
--Mappo, long-time companion of the amnesiac wanderer, Icarium (both mentioned but unseen in GotM.)
--Felisin, younger sister of GotM character Ganoes Paran, who along with the crippled priest Heboric and mysterious thug Baudin tries to survive her harsh new life as an imperial prisoner.
--Duiker, an old and cynical historian who witnesses events that deeply impact him while traveling with Coltaine, a newly appointed Imperial Fist.

In additon to these protagonists, there's a slew of incredibly fascinating supporting characters, too many to mention in detail here, though for me, Coltaine, the deranged priest Iskaral Pust, and the Coastal Guard trio stood out as the best. I almost wish we got to see things from their perspective.

As for the POVs, I found Felisin and Duiker to be the most heart-wrenching and gripping perspectives, though all are excellent. The stories told in DG definitely top GotM in every way. DG is gripping, dark, and often very gory stuff. Like it's predecessor, DG contains incredibly detailer military battles that are simply epic, as well as some awesome one on one fights.

While not as frustratingly mysterious and complicated as GotM, DG, particularly towards the last 200 or so pages, still gets lost in itself, and I found myself finishing chapters and thinking "wait...what the hell just happened?" with no explanation offered, subtle or expository.

Also, and I had this problem with GotM too, the character, setting, and glossary guides were utterly useless. I understand Erikson not wanting to simply explain everything, as that would take away from the magic of it all, but still, it would have been nice to have a easy to refer to guide to refresh the memory, as it is quite easy to get lost in it all. I daresay that if there was an actually helpful guide, I would give the book 5 stars.

Nevertheless, Deadhouse Gates is still a wickedly fun read, with some surprising moments of humor between all the gore, war, and drama. A dark fantasy arguably on the same level as George Martin and Joe Abercrombie's works, the Malazan Book of the Fallen continues to be one of the better fantasy series I have read recently.

I can't think of any novel quite like this one. Its dense plotting, with its torrent of bizarre supernatural concepts and hastily sketched characters, is often blindingly difficult to follow, and there were times when I looked forward to ending the book.

However, once I did finish, something almost unique happened: I had a genuine emotional response. This is particularly rare in fantasy. I don't read much of the genre because it's hard to find good, original writing and ideas that aren't derived from Tolkien. But this story ultimately produces a profound emotional impact, and while I may quibble with Erikson's obscure concepts and welter of detail, I can't deny his ability to make us care. That is quite an achievement.

This second volume in Erikson's mammoth "Malazan Book of the Fallen" does not pick where the first volume left off. With these exception of three characters from "Gardens of the Moon", you'll have to wait for the third volume, "Memories of Ice", to find out what happens next. But don't skip this one. Erikson is slowly revealing an almost impossibly bizarre world, one that is much closer to Greek mythology than the Celtic-derived world of Tolkien, and you'll miss important information that's revealed in this second book.

Gods and goddesses, immortals and demigods populate the narrative along with the mortal/human characters. The gods squabble and meddle in human affairs, much as in the Iliad and the Odyssey, which are clearly Erikson's models. It's like a mixture of Homer and H. P. Lovecraft, with perhaps a dash of A. E. Van Vogt, David Wingrove, and George R. R. Martin, but it's all uniquely Erikson and uniquely weird, easily repaying the effort it takes to make the journey.

Don't worry about trying to understand everything that's going on. You can't. Just sit back and enjoy the ride, and as you get into the third volume, more will become clear. (And things will keep on getting weirder.) If you're looking for something to get lost in for a long while, this should fill the bill.

What a phenomenal sophomore effort from Mr. Erikson, following Gardens of the Moon (GOTM). This is one of the most fascinating stories I've ever read! The level of detail of the suffering, trials, and conflicts faced by the characters -- especially in The Chain of Dogs portion -- was thoroughly riveting, and at times, quite disturbing. My brand-new paperback is now dog-eared after 4 days of use -- it went everywhere with me, whether it was in my work bag, gym bag, or my cargo pocket. I couldn't get away from it. I thought GOTM was a pretty good book, but the second installment of The Malazan Book of the Fallen series takes it to a whole new level. The hard work reading GOTM (especially the first half) paid off, as the story really begins to flow smoothly in this book.
As I've mentioned in other reviews, I've read just about all of the popular fantasy & sci-fi series under the sun, and had been saving this one until it was nearly completed, but I did not expect it to be this good. I have no idea how he can keep up this level of intense storytelling for thousands more pages, but I intend to find out with book 3, Memories of Ice, sitting here at my side.

Admittedly, I had a hard time getting into Gardens of the Moon. Took about 4 tries, but then I really liked it. The series really gets going in Deadhouse gates. Erikson hits his stride from page 1, and the book just gets better and better. Deadhouse Gates is a masterwork of multi-genre dark epic fantasy fiction, possibly surpassing (for me) Martin. Deadhouse Gates was make or break for the Malazan series for me. If it was better than GoTM, then I decided to finish the series. If it was the same or worse, I decided to take a break and read A Dance With Dragons when it comes out, and maybe a few others I've got on the shelf. Not only is Dedhouse gates better than GoTM, it's one of the best I've read from any genre. Characters are interesting, and developed very well. The plot is complex, yet more focused and easier to understand on the first read than GoTM.

To be fair, Erikson was doing a lot of "setting the stage" in GoTM, so I can understand some of it's shortcomings, although it's still a 4.5 out of 5 stars for me. Once you dig into Deadhouse Gates, you won't regret the time you spent re-reading GoTM. I'm really excited about reading the rest of the series, although I might take a break for A Dance With Dragons.

Cette critique suit le découpage VO de la série The Malazan Boof of the Fallen. Ainsi, il ne sera établi aucun distinguo entre les deux tomes de la traduction française sortie jadis chez Calmann-Levy, à savoir Les portes de la maison des morts et La chaîne des chiens, auxquels on préférera le titre VO : Deadhouse Gates.

Comme expliqué lors de la critique de Gardens of the Moon, premier volume de la décalogie de l'écrivain canadien Steven Erikson, le destin éditorial tragique du cycle The Malazan Book of the Fallen en France ne permet plus d'envisager une traduction digne de ce nom avant très longtemps. Pire encore, son échec éditorial chez Calmann-Levy à l'époque ainsi que l'imposant nombre de pages de cette épopée fantasy rendent son retour quasiment impossible dans la langue de Molière en l'état actuel des choses. C'est donc vers les versions originales que se tourneront les plus vaillants lecteurs pour plonger dans cet univers gigantesque à la réputation des plus flatteuses. Gardens of the Moons laissait déjà entrevoir tout l’énorme potentiel du monde d'Erikson tout en révélant quelques lacunes de jeunesse que l'on espère corrigés pour ce second tome de 836 pages : Deadhouse Gates.

Remise en situation.
Après la tournure pour le moins dramatique des événements de Genabackis pour les armées malazéennes, l'impératrice Laseen a déclaré les Brûleurs de Pont, la seconde Armée et Dujek Onearm lui-même comme traîtres à l'empire. Steven Erikson fait donc le choix de scinder son fil narratif en deux. D'un côté les personnages restants sur Genabackis que l'on retrouvera dans Memories of Ice - troisième volume du cycle - de l'autre ceux qui partent pour le continent des Sept Cités pour mener à bien une mission secrète fomentée par Whiskeyjack, Kalam et Quick Ben.
Du coup, on suit cette fois une partie des personnages de Gardens of The Moon, à savoir Kalam, Crokus et Apsalar (anciennement Sorry), qui débarque sur un continent où une sanglante révolte est sur le point d'éclater : le Whirlwind, mené par la prophétie de Dryjhna qui annonçait la venue de la déesse Sha'ik pour repousser l'envahisseur malazéen. Bien conscient que l'Apocalypse arrive, Coltaine, Fist (aka commandant) de la septième armée malazéenne et chef du clan Wickan des Corbeaux se prépare à protéger les civils dont il a la garde contre la rage des fanatiques de Sha'ik. Duiker, historien impérial, va être le témoin privilégié de la longue marche de Coltaine à travers le continent pour sauver des dizaines de milliers d'hommes, femmes et enfants du massacre.
Pendant ce temps, à Unta, les nobles continuent à subir le courroux de Laseen et de son nouvel adjoint, la redoutable Tavore Paran. Celle-ci faisant même arrêter sa propre sœur, Felisin, pour l'envoyer en compagnie de l'ancien prêtre de Fener, Heboric, et de nombreux brigands et voleurs, dont l'impressionnant Baudin, vers les mines d'Ototoral de Skullcup.
Enfin, Mappo et Icarium, un Trell et un Jaghut, traversent le désert de Raraku à la recherche du chemin des Ascendants pour y trouver des réponses à un lointain passé.
Tous ces destins vont se croiser pour le meilleur, mais surtout pour le pire.

Steven Erikson fait un choix radical avec Deadhouse Gates. Au lieu de continuer de façon linéaire son récit, il abandonne quasiment toutes les bases qu'il a posé dans Gardens of the Moon pour les relayer au second plan et s'intéresser à un tout autre continent. On se retrouve ainsi dans un univers presque neuf où tout reste à découvrir... ou presque. Presque parce qu'Erikson a déjà placé ses bases auparavant : les maisons des Dieux - Shadowthrone, Hood, Cotillion...- l'histoire de l'empire malazéen, la magie...c'est tout le reste qui change en réalité. Du coup, il n'y a aucune redite dans Deadhouse Gates, c'est même tout le contraire. Le canadien prend un risque salutaire et qui, finalement, s'avère payant. Utilisant à fond l'aspect fantasy de son univers (à l'opposé total d'un Trône de Fer), l'écrivain nous fait retourner dans un monde bourré de magie, de mythes, de légendes et de créatures inquiétantes. Nous sommes dans un monde de Dark Fantasy qui s'assume et se revendique comme tel.

Pourtant, n'allez pas croire qu'il s'agisse là de Big Commercial Fantasy. Non. Erikson met sur pied un univers tellement riche et tellement immense qu'il faut vraiment s'accrocher pour comprendre tout ce que l'auteur veut dire. Contrairement à la plupart des écrivains du genre, Erikson ne prend pas son lecteur par la main, au contraire. Ici, il faut parfois attendre une centaine de pages pour comprendre un élément de l'histoire tout simplement parce que l'explication viendra quand il sera clairement justifié qu'elle apparaisse, et pas juste pour guider le lecteur. Prenons par exemple le système de magie constitué de Warrens - sortes d'univers à part du monde réel -, chacun de ses Warrens se révèle propres à certaines races ou même parfois personnages. Du coup, merci au lexique de fin pour réussir à comprendre quelque chose là-dedans. Mais ce qui fascine dans Deadhouse Gates, c'est de voir à quel point Erikson déborde d'idées et à quel point son univers est une mine d'or quasiment infinie de trouvailles. Les races anciennes par exemple constituent à elles seules de fascinantes sous-intrigues (la guerre entre Jaghut et T'lan Imass) que l'on retrouve cette fois plus directement avec le compagnonnage de Mappo et Icarium.

Ces deux derniers personnages - et ce ne seront pas les seuls - corrigent l'un des défauts de jeunesse majeurs de Gardens of The Moon, à savoir le manque d'empathie du lecteur pour les héros de l'aventure. Cette fois, Erikson s'attache à décrire avec sensibilité l'épreuve que doit subir Mappo pour accompagner Icarium, une charge terrible qui dure depuis une éternité. Du coup, lorsque le pire doit se produire et devant la candeur d'Icarium, l'émotion jaillit avec aisance. L'auteur canadien dresse de même une galerie de personnages profonds et touchant. Sa capacité à travailler la psychologie des héros de Deadhouse Gates est décuplée par son entêtement à prendre à contre-pied les attentes de son lectorat. Une jeune fille noble qui se fait déporter a toute les raisons d'être une fragile petite chose....alors Erikson en fait une garce à la détermination froide et prête à tout pour manipuler les gens. Un commandant soumis par l'empire malazéen à qui l'on confie le commandement d'une nouvelle armée à la veille de la révolte devrait en toute logique cracher sur ceux qui l'ont vaincu à la première occasion...mais il va tout sacrifier pour protéger les civils du dit-empire. L'un des traits de génie des personnages de Deadhouse Gates c'est de ne jamais être ce que l'on attend d'eux, de vivre avec fureur et grandeur sous la plume d'Erikson.

Si Deadhouse Gates continue au moins pour une petite partie Gardens of the Moon avec l'intrigue de Kalam, Fiddler et compagnie, il se concentre avant tout sur l'Apocalypse, le Whirlwind et la chute des Sept Cités lors d'une révolte sanglante. C'est certainement dans cet aspect que le roman s'avère le plus grandiose. Dans cet arc, on suit deux personnages, Duiker et le Coltaine, à la tête d'une armée de dizaines de milliers d'hommes tentant désespérément de protéger des dizaines de milliers de réfugiés civils de la fureur d'un continent entier. Les batailles qui jalonnent la retraite de Coltaine et ses troupes donneront des moments épiques en diable, mis en scène magistralement par Erikson. Deadhouse Gates se révèle être une histoire noire et adulte d'autant plus dans cet arc scénaristique. Des milliers d'enfants crucifiés par les rebelles pour l'exemple, des batailles de sang et de larmes, et un final...Un final qui mériterait des dizaines de pages de commentaires à lui seul. Le destin extraordinaire de Duiker et Coltaine entre dans la légende de la fantasy de façon instantanée.

Enfin, il faut rendre honneur à l'habilité d'Erikson pour entrelacer les fils narratifs, faire se recouper les différentes intrigues et, surtout, arriver à mener de front plusieurs versants narratifs. Le premier revient sur la mythologie et le passé de l'univers Malazéen, lui conférant une profondeur folle et un potentiel incroyable, le second s'attache à conter la guerre sanglante qui secoue le continent des Sept Cités, et le dernier nous parle de ce qui se passe dans les royaumes divins, notamment de la maison Shadow. C'est encore l'une des particularités de la série du canadien : ici, les Dieux interviennent de façon directe dans les affaires des mortels. Les mortels pouvant d'ailleurs devenir des Dieux eux-même en passant par la case ascendance. Du coup, les divinités présentent des caractéristiques humaines tout à fait délectables et peuvent être déjouées, voir même détruites, par les mortels ajoutant une nouvelle facette au déjà très retors univers de Steven Erikson.
Il faut concéder que, bien davantage que Gardens of The Moon, Deadhouse Gates établit The Malazan Book of the Fallen comme une série pour lecteurs aguerris qui aiment l'ambition et la complexité. Un défaut qui en rebutera certain mais qui devrait pourtant jouer largement en faveur de l'oeuvre au final. Rarement une oeuvre de fantasy flamboyante n'aura été si convaincante et grandiose.

Deadhouse Gates corrige tous les défauts de jeunesse de Gardens of The Moon, élargit l'univers malazéen de façon audacieuse et spectaculaire, dépeint des personnages inoubliables et finit par conclure ses intrigues de façon magistrale. Immense réussite donc pour ce deuxième roman de Steven Erikson et forcément une envie irrépressible pour le lecteur de se jeter sur Memories of Ice.
Just A Word

One of the previous reviewers said that this book was different from other fanatasy books he's wrong. The story has been done before, in Deadhouse Gates you read echoes of Glen Cook and David Gemmell, but then there is the scope and depth of Paul Edwin Zimmer. "Deadhouse Gates" features some characters from the previous "Gardens of the Moon". The premis is simple a plot has been hatched to slay the empress against this background you have the sub plot of an entire continent in rebellion, the fulfilmet of an ancient prophecy and the corresponding jihad it set's in motion, the introduction of a pair of immortal wanderers one who is potentially the deadliest threat to mankind and all who live, the machinations of shadowthrone, more on the eternal war between the T'lan mass and the Jaghut and on a more intimate and somewhat mundane level the development of a number characters from the previous book. It is all in all a very good read, with heroism that will sate any fan of Gemmell, unrelenting brutality and humour at it's blackest for any Glen Cook fan and finally depth and scope for those few fans of Paul Edwin Zimmer.
It's nice to really have despicable villians that you can detest with relish.
One character does deserve special mention Coltraine a study of stoic fatalism and master of the wry comment, his campaign of the chain of dogs alone is worth the read.
I've been derisive of some writers who seem to write massive tomes with very little substance but Deadhouse Gates is almost 900 pages long, the pages literally turn themselves it's one of the few times that I curse my ability to read fast.
I hope Robert Jordan reads this he might get a few ideas on how to get the point. Sorry couldn't resist that but I really have come to dislike his Wheel of Time series as some sort of pointless excerise of female emancipation.
Not that there is anything wrong with female emancipation but come on surely I'm not the only one thats finding his series quite the yawn.

Didn't enjoy this book nearly as much as Gardens of the Moon. On the strength of it, purchased the entire set, so I am worried.

Problems for me are...
Switching characters and storylines too often. While imaginative, these storylines are not as interesting as Book 1, and some are just boring.
Even more of a tendency to leave things unexplained
Verbose
Author has really latched on to the word "Keening". He used it at least a dozen times. In the first book, his favorite word seemed to be "scowled", which he also overused badly.

This really lived up to my expectations. The action if fast paced, especially in the second half. We follow the Chain of Dogs, which is a Commander trying to lead civilians and his troops to safety, while at the same times being chased by the uprising. We see the actions of that through a Historians point of view. Also we meet both Paran's sisters, both in suprise positions. And you meet great new characters, Icarium and Mappo, who's names where mentioned in GOTM. The assasins in this are superb, and the way Erikson describes it, is top class. Actually all the action, fighting and battle scenes are the best drawn and detailed scenes in any fanasty books. Normally when a battle, or fight is going on in a fantasy book, you don't really get know what is going on, and the detail is not that well done, but Erikson knows how exactly to write the battles. The Assasin Kalam, is awesome in this one, and we find out more than you would expect from Laseen and about the empire.
If you've read Glen Cooks The Black company series, You will not want to miss this. Or if your a fan of any fantasy type of book, get this, its got a mixture of all types of the fantasy in one.

If you like Lord of the Rings, you may want to give Deadhouse Gates a try. This is epic fantasy on a massive scale. Intriguing and uniquely individual characters, a beautifully described world, a no holds barred view of the atrocities of war, and an interesting magical system make this a must read for any fantasy fan. The only reason this isn't a five star book for me, is because it was perhaps a little too complex and vast. There is so much going on in this book that the story often dwarfs the characters and for me characters are the most important part of a story. Still, this is a book I would highly recommend.

A great fantasy read!

Although Erikson's style and skill as a fantasy writer is evident throughout this entire series (and also in his short stories, "Blood Follows" and "The Healthy Dead"); I feel this is his finest writing achievement to date... let me elaborate a little.

As with his other books in this Malazan series, there are several story lines in this novel as well, but the main tale of Coltaine and his soldiers of the Seventh Malazan Army simply excels; this hopelessly outnumbered group tries to protect thousands of refugees while traveling vast distances across hostile terrain and against countless odds. It was to me, one of the truly stirring, written accounts of any epic journey... anywhere; one of those rare narratives that has the ability to sweep you up and almost make you a part of the story line. I was emotionally involved with the telling of this wonderfully drawn out tale and unashamedly distraught at it's end.

Some "side" stories (for example, Mappo and Icarium and also that of Fiddler and Kalam, to mention a couple) are nearly as good the main plot, with their own interesting twists and turns.

All in all, just great fantasy writing! If you love this genre, you simply must have this book. Highly recommended!

Steven Erikson shows with his series The Malazan Book of the Fallen (Deadhouse Gates is book 2) that a true master of the Fantasy genre has arrived. Erikson grabs you by your neck and doesn't let go.

Deadhouse Gates picks up where Gardens of the Moon left off and just keeps getting better.

Don't bother reading his books if you want simplistic fluff.

Don't bother reading his books if you want your questions answered within a few pages.

Don't bother reading his books if you need a storyline spoon fed to you.

For those of you that like a challenge, like a unique world and a unique system of magic then this is for you.

When you first enter his world you're liable to be either slightly/somewhat/completely confused. He throws his reader in, with little or no explanation of what or why or how anything is happening. The discovery of the how and the why makes things more interesting than just having all answers laid out for you in the 1st two chapters. Over the course of the book you learn and as you learn you discover that his 1st book is really just the tip of a massive fantasy epic that ranks in the top 3 of the genre next to Tolkein and G.R.R.Martin.

I have read his entire series so far and without exception Erikson proves he is a Master of Fantasy

In the world of Steven Erikson, the destination is secondary to the journey.

This is the second book in the series, but shares little common ground with the first installment (The Gardens of the Moon). Geographically, it is set on a different continent, linked within a multi-continental empire. Regarding characters, only a select few carry over from book one- including Apsalar, Crokus, and Kalam (among the mortals) and several familiar deities. There are plenty of new faces, though, so the reader should be prepared to meet a huge and largely unfamiliar cast.

That said, Erikson's world functions on so many levels that is becomes difficult to unravel. Politically, it concerns the rebellion of the Seven Cities from the Malazan Empire; and there are plenty of shifting loyalties in this scope alone. However, a nearly seperate quest is ongoing in the heart of the revolt of the supernatural sort. It is enjoyable to read about either one, but the real fun is watching the two plots converge (often through several shifting points-of-view), with true significance difficult to discern. The magic system and racial structures are complex, and Erikson rarely feels the need to define the limits of magical potential or give the "flashback" scene to explicate the scenario- at least, never entirely. Finally, the intensity level is set high and maintained through much of the book, all leading to a sense of weariness that can daunt any reader. This works to keep the pages turning, if somewhat frustrating the reader who longs for a deeper understanding.

The conclusion is wild and unpredictable- only occasionally does a book surprise me quite like this one! All character threads are dealt with, some with more finality than others, with a few open-ended storylines typical of epic fantasy. However, the real hook for this reader is to figure out the full motives for the unexplained or half-explained actions of Kalam, Quick Ben, and the Malazan Empress (to name a few). One thing is clear at the end of this novel; the waters of Erikson's world run much deeper than the surface can tell, and it will require several more books just to plumb their depths! Very decent fantasy, but not for the young or the faint of heart.

If you're looking for a low-calorie dish of light fantasy, this ain't it. If you're looking for a nine-course riot of taste and texture, exotically spiced to make your eyes water, your heart pump faster and your brain do cartwheels inside your cranium, I know a great little Thai place downtown. Or, if you want something analogous to that in your reading, stop at the 'E's and pick up the latest from Steven Erikson.
Like 'Gardens of the Moon', and indeed like the whole concept for the 10-volume Malazan series, Deadhouse Gates is an ambitious work that is sometimes in danger of over-reaching itself. But if you can buckle down for the ride, it sure is a frightening one.
I don't know what to say, this is the greatest fantasy book I have read ever for a few years. The book starts of a bit slow and your not sure what is happening, as you read on you start to understand what is happening. The book is not just focused on one Character, but serveral. Like most fantasy goods, its good vs Evil, this is different, Good guys do bad things and bad guys do good things and sometimes things that look good are actually bad. So you don't know who's side you are on. In GOTM (Gardens of the Moon), people were say there was not enough history background info, but you find out much in this book, and I'm sure we will find out much more in the future books. The second half of the book, starts to set off fireworks, fast pace action, this book makes you think. Kalam, Crokus, Apsalar, and Fiddler are back, and they got business to sort out.
The characters have totally different personalities, and aims. Also we see alot of Parans younger sister Fesilin, and hear much about his older sister. The book is building up to a massive climax for the seven cities, where each side will later have to gamble, take risks, and have the nerves to do what they need to. Also you learn much more about Shadowthrone's and co, history. And the new characters are wicked. S.E really knows all about writing battles, and descripbing exactly what is happening. You'll know what I mean when you read about the Chain Of Dogs.
It is quite challenging to read, but when you have finished it, you'll be demanding more. I just can't wait for the next one to come out when they return to Genabackis, coming out in Sep 2001 called 'Memories of Ice'.

This continues a fascinating and engaging story arc. The writing is superb as the author spins several stories that keeps you constantly engaged and appauled at points due to the violent and evil actions made by rival characters.

Deadhouse Gates and also its prequel, Gardens of the Moon, seem to defy all convention that is known to the genre of fantasy. These books are so different, in fact, that it is hard to compare them to most fantasy. For many readers who are tired of the usual sword and sorcery quest filled with heroes who are overly righteous and villains who cannot be any more villainous, these books will be quite refreshment. Deadhouse Gates shows you the real side of war that is usually untouched in most fantasy. It's a sight that at some times is so depressing that you feel that peace and happiness will never ever reign. The excellence of Erikson's writing ability shines through in this new novel. His characters are wonderfully human and have real human emotions that drive them to do human actions. There are no invincible "good guys" who always 'do the right thing' and win against impossible odds. And although Deadhouse plays out with mostly different characters, a wholly different plot, and on a totally different continent than its predecessor, the book still reads with a believable and connecting storyline. Deadhouse is not without its faults, yet is a distinct improvement from Gardens, which I felt was only adequate and sorely lacking what is necessary for a good fantasy novel.
One of Erikson's greatest achievements here in Deadhouse Gates is his viewpoint characters. While Gardens of the Moon was plagued with over 20 different character viewpoints, Deadhouse is told through the eyes of only seven people; Mappo, Felisin, Duiker, Kalam, Fiddler, Kulp, and to a lesser extent, Lostara. These characters are vivid in their portrayals of simple people trying to survive and keep their sanity while lost within the horrific wars that are unleashed across the Seven Cities. There are no super heroes in Deadhouse Gates, no flame-throwing, Forsaken-killing do-gooders. These wonderfully gray characters do what they do to stay alive and that's it. While this war-torn crowd is usually hard to like, you can't help but to be holding you breath in the hopes that they will win out in the end.
When Steven Erikson writes well, he writes superbly, drawing you into his story just like the mighty Whirlwind itself that encompasses Deadhouse Gates. His battle scenes are written so brilliantly and with such stunning ferocity that you can actually picture them in your mind down to the finest detail. In this sense, Erikson shows you a different side of fantasy that is usually shied away from, military fantasy. A large portion of Deadhouse is spent on the Chain of Dogs, an army that is `escorting' thousands of refugees to safety. Here, you spend you time in the throes of battle after battle and live though exhaustion, dehydration, and depression. Reading about the Chain of Dogs can be so disheartening that at some times you almost have to put the book down. Deadhouse Gates is for a much more mature audience for it encompasses very bloody battles. Erikson also provides some very interesting, new stories of what actually happened to the Emperor and Dancer and shows a side of the Empress that you might not have thought possible. And at the same time, he keeps you updated on what is happening with some of the characters from Gardens of the Moon on Genabackis.
Yet among the splendors that I have reaped upon Deadhouse Gates, it does have its flaws. Many times the story seems absolutely aimless and redundant on it self. These characters seem to spend so much time wandering and wandering that it can really get tiring and you wonder that Erikson is really leading to. Also, some of the storylines, especially Mappo, are rather confusing. You don't really understand the reason for the characters actions. The storyline between Mappo, Icarium, and Iskaral is rather difficult to understand. Of course, things are resolved and understood in the end, but it would have been more interesting to learn then earlier on. Also, Deadhouse Gates seems so totally depressing and unrelenting in its brutality. Many fantasy readers have commented on how brutal and cold Martin's `Song of Ice and Fire' series is. Yet, this series makes Martin's look like a Disney movie. I don't even think that the characters in Deadhouse Gates know how to smile.
Despite it disheartening storyline and sometimes slow, aimless plot, Deadhouse Gates is an excellent and very worthy read. It is extremely different from most of what is out in the fantasy market and will draw you in with its realistic writing and engaging characters. Erikson has shown himself to be an important new face in the fantasy field and have surpassed many authors whose books are only read as time-consumers between the next books in "the Song of Ice and Fire" and "Wheel of Time" series. I have heard that Erikson's next book, Memories of Ice, returns Genabackis and continues the Malazan storyline in what hopes to be an excellent new series.

This book is even better than the preceding book, which a lot of people don't like nearly as much as they enjoy the books that follow in this series. It is very long and contains complex layering of various plot threads, often several in each chapter, but the convergence at the end is as stunning and climactic as one would expect after reading through the entire book and wondering how all the subplots relate to one another.

Of course, the characters are enjoyable. Some are quite tragic, while others are hilarious. The wry humor of the soldiery in Erikson's books never ceases to be amusing. Similarly, his ability to write characters that the reader is emotionally invested in only heightens the drama the unfolds over the course of the book as you see them making decisions that are difficult, ones that you may not agree with but that you understand, even if they are in opposition to the characters you are rooting for... This only makes you want to keep reading, hoping that things will work out, that characters who are initially in opposition will reach an understanding, but never doubting the realism or motivations behind any plot development.

Unlike quite a lot of fantasy today, the characters at the center of the Malazan series are never boring, nor are they stereotypical of anything. Erikson does not bother with predictable and unoriginal plot twists, nor are there any unbelievably righteous characters making wildly uncharacteristic decisions when faced with adversity. It is easy to imagine these characters really exist in a world where there are no convenient answers to the question of what is good and what is evil. This is fantasy that is so realistic you will never be bored, and because it shares all the moral ambiguity and ethical vagaries of life in the real world, it is never predictable.

This was a first-read for me. I've come to understand this series has a unique longevity in that more is gained from re-reads.

Whilst I had difficulty following the book for about the first 3/4, I found it easier to follow than the first.

I can see there is so much more depth to this series that I can't pick up on the first read. Trying to follow multiple plot lines across vast continents is a big ask.

The story all came together in the end with the various stories in the book coming to climatic ends.

This series has a strength in the reader being able to really connect with the characters.

The most I can take away from this series is that I have a lot to look forward to with the books to follow in the series and re-reads.

"Deadhouse Gates" continues "The Malazan Book of the Fallen" saga immediately after "Gardens of the Moon" with a darker story with scenes and insinuations not appropriate for young readers. However superb battles compliment the fine tale introducing numerous characters and exploring new locations while keeping Crokus and company as an integral part of the plot. The author appears to capture the internal and external struggles of a forced march by a tough foreign commander to save Malazan refugees.

Felisin, Ganoes Paran's youngest sister, justifies the brutal treatment by her desire for vengeance and ultimately her destiny. Mappo and Icarium, a Trell and a memory challenged half-Jaghut, are an interesting duo wandering the land seeking to unlock Icarium's past. Yet excommunicated priest Heboric Light Touch and the assassin Kalam develop into the most fascinating characters.

Many characters have unusually high skills, whether combat or magical, which unbalances the series. I find myself frustrated by unnecessary implied remarks or half-said comments but enjoyed the novel nonetheless.

A better comprehensive appendix would have been useful addressing racial characteristics, relating magical powers, and describing creatures along with catch phrases and terms.

I recommend this series to any fan of the fantasy genre.

Thank you.

After reading Gardens of the Moon, I had the distinct impression this was going to be a grand tale the likes of which is rarely seen in the fantasy genre. Once this tale is complete, I am under the belief it will be one of the best for a long long time.

Now, before I start on this review, know that I loved Gardens of the Moon.

In Deadhouse Gates at times I felt like I was being pulled in too many directions at a time. I fully understand that there are multiple plot lines with-in this book, but I'm not sure if having all 6 plot lines in one chapter is the right delivery was the right way to do it.

With that said, the vastness of the various plot lines is fantastic. I love the fact that Erikson has no qualms about killing a character if it will better tell the story. Unlike most Forgotten Realms/Dragonlance books, characters shouldn't always 'make it'. There needs to be some reality mixed in and that is certainly present here.

I enjoy the richness of the world building that Erikson pus forth. It is fairly easy world to 'see' in your mind as Erikson mixes in a good amount of detail. He toes the fine line of not telling the reader too much detail to let the reader see things how they want to.

His character development continues to be very good as well. Although, just when I though I was understanding a character, he went and killed him. Each and every character is a complex individual person with their own ideals of what should happen within their part of the world. Erikson does a great job of mixing these ideals between characters and between plot lines.

While I personally don't think Deadhouse Gates is as good as Gardens of the Moon I don't think it's a terrible book either. If fact I enjoyed it quite a bit, except for the pulling in too many directions.

http://readfantasybooks.wordpress.com

Even though I struggled reading Gardens of the Moon, I am glad I read this book. I thought Deadhouse Gates was a fantastic read! It was very complex and long, yet still interesting and engaging. I can’t decide which book of the series is my favorite so far; they’re just so good. I just have to keep reading to find out if one really jumps out at me even more!

As in the previous book, the plot is very complex and there are many different events occurring throughout the novel. I thought the pace was absolutely perfect; however there were some parts I wasn’t as engaged in as I was in others, and that is just because I thought it was uninteresting at that time. I also liked following certain groups of characters more because their part of the story was more exciting. I also didn’t have as hard of a time understanding what was going on throughout the book. I think I am starting to become more familiar with Erikson’s world and his writing style.

The detail within this book is indescribable! I can’t believe how well Erikson can write and the emotions he can portray. Some of the scenes in the book were almost too horrible to read because you can just picture what the characters are seeing and feeling; really empathize with them. Just….wow! I felt the same way with his previous novel.

Also, with a novel of this size I was greatly impressed that there was no repetition from the previous novel. I hope this continues with the others. There are many other fantasy books that would be a lot shorter if everything that was restated was taken out. The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind is a great example of an irritating writing style.

Erikson made character swaps in this book, so we follow a few new characters and some old ones. The others are left for the next book I think. There are tons of characters in the book, but I think it’s important to pay special attention to some of them and there were some I enjoyed more than others.

There are several different threads we are following and the one I found most interesting was with Felisin (Paran’s sister from Gardens of the Moon), Heboric (ex priest and exiled historian) and Baudin who is their companion. I loved following their story because it was exciting and the characters are all very interesting.

The next group of characters are familiar to us. Fiddler, Crokus, Apsalar, and Kalam. There character building was awesome as well and there story. I loved learning more about them and having them become characters who I care about. Kalam separates from the group to go on his own mission and he finds Apt, whom I love! I had some major anxiety at the end of the book with Kalam and his mission. So exciting!

There are also Icarium (Jaghut), Mappo (his Trell companion), and Iskaral Pust who is a High Priest of Shadow. I found their story to be the least interesting of all of the threads. I’m not really sure why exactly. It’s hard to say. I just enjoyed the other groups so much more and not a lot seemed to happen with this group. However, they are important to the story and I loved the relationship between Icarium and Mappo!

There is also Duiker who is a historian. His story wasn’t very interesting at first, but by the end of the book I really liked him as a character and there are some things that happen with him that just left me horrified. I suppose his story wasn’t too interesting for me because it involved a lot of military tactics and the like because he travels with Coltaine’s army. There is just a point when I can’t read about battle strategies, etc. anymore. However, these battles are well described and towards the end left me speechless.

Some other important characters include Coltaine, who you get to know quite well through Duiker, and Korbolo Dom and Kamist Reloe who are opposing Coltaine. You don’t get to read from the point of view of Korbolo or Kamist so you don’t get to know them too well, but they are important characters.

I think that if I re-read the book I would enjoy the characters even more knowing what I know now and pick up on some things I might have missed. I have read many reviews and the people who re-read these books get ALOT more out of them the second time.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I can’t wait to start the next one. Just like Gardens of the Moon this book is pretty much a self-contained story, but it still helps to read the previous book. Even though it does have a pseudo ending, I believe you will be looking forward to reading the next novel. I think because this series is so complex I should just read them all back to back if I can. Better that way because I won’t forget what was going on. The Malazan Book of the Fallen is such an amazing series so far and is written by an author who has some major talent. I highly recommend reading the series even if you don’t like complex plots. There are tons of summaries available to help you understand. Anyone who loves fantasy books such as The Black Company and Game of Thrones will love these books!

Erickson's debut novel, "Gardens of the Moon", was one of the finest fantasies to appear in recent years.
"Deadhouse Gates", Erickson's second (and the second chapter in the "Malazan" series) lives up to the promise of its predecessor. It is like "Gardens" in many ways, but it is very much its own story.
Consider: Like "Gardens" it is very intricate. At the same time, however, it is coherently plotted and admirably plausible. It is extremely violent, but through it runs a strong vein of empathy (and it is assuredly not, as some have remarked, cynical). There is a backdrop of extraordinarily deep history and myth; on the other hand, this is a very "in your face" and direct narrative.
"Gates" shares all these traits with "Gardens". But it is still, as I said, very much its own story.
Consider also: It is set in a different continent (the Seven Cities), with its own costumes, society, and history. And only a very few of the characters from "Gardens" make an appearance in "Gates", even though the events take place immediately after "Gardens". And, most importantly, whilst the background of both tales is the same - the struggle between the Malazan Empire and those that oppose it - the focus of "Gates" is very different to "Gardens". In "Gardens" the story revolved around a free city attempting to avoid subjugation and finding help amongst rebel Malazans. In "Gates", the opposite is true: this story centers around the efforts of a Malazan general to save his army and the civilians it defends from a rebellion gone out of control.
This last bit might sound confusing (who are the good guys here, anyway?), but bear in mind that the basic premise any reader would have after reading "Gardens" - that Empress woman sure is bad news - is succinctly (though not yet irrevocably) turned upside down by a few deliberately ambivalent paragraphs in "Gates".
This alone is arresting and makes me curious to see what will happen next. But I would buy the next volume anyway: this is Good Stuff.
In fact, it is excellent.

It is with a sense of great anticipation that i sit down to commence this review. Book one of this extraordinary saga was a classic of the genre, one that is destined to be read, and re-read by millions of people around the world for many years to come. It is both a complete fantasy classic in its own right, as well as the quintessential opening chapter (pun intended) to one of the greatest, grandest, and most epic fantasy tales ever developed. It is one that demands to be read and re- read not just for entertainment value, but also to ensure the reader is on top of the story before he or she goes onto book two.

The prologue to book two of this series opens in the desert. But not just any desert. It is a Steven Erikson desert. Amongst the swirling chaos of drifting sand, a priest appears. Covered in a mass of flies, his name is not important (or is it?) but he carries a message. His form is revealed eventually to the reader as well as those present in the sand, but this information (joyfully) raises more questions than it answers. And so it is with the mind of Steven Erikson.

The language and descriptive prose used by Mr Erikson in this wonderful tome, is of the same high quality that was found in book one. Characterisation is as strong as ever. World building can only be described as incredible. My judge of the book's plotting will have to wait until i delve further into the book. Humour in its own right does not have a role to play but sarcasm, dry wit and observations are the right of every man, woman and child who lives, and that rule applies to the fictional universe, as well.

Once again i refer to the world's press to conclude my own review. Overwhelmingly positive would be a good way to describe my findings. Consequently i award this book a well deserved full marks. I hope to update these comments with my own detailed analysis as I progress through it.

BFN Greggorio!

Deadhouse Gates is the continuation of the Malazan Book of the Fallen series by Steven Erikson. It continued to build upon the world first created in the first book of the series, The Gardens of the Moon, but took me to an entirely different place in the world. Some of the old characters are back from the first book, but it also introduces a whole new cast of great personalities. Overall, the book succeeds on many levels, but may be headed toward the more confusing side.

As in The Gardens of the Moon, Erikson crafts Deadhouse Gates from multiple story perspectives. One of them is of Felisin, a noble woman of house Paran. Her story chronicles her journey, with all of its highs and lows, across the world and her personal story. Another is of the Jaghut, Icarium, and his Trell companion, Mappo, as they wander around the world. This book is filled with many more different viewpoints that are all connected in some form. While this created the opportunity for Erikson to explore more parts of the world and weave a much more complicated tapestry of stories, I felt that it may have made the story slightly confusing. The amount of detail that Erikson put in to make each part of the book is amazing, but I found that it was a little too much to handle. It far surpasses the similarly written A Song of Ice and Fire series from George R.R. Martin in complexity in my opinion.

The cast of characters is a mix of brand new people and returning member of the first book. Once again, they are well defined and thought out. Each person has their unique personality and I was able to see how each one grew throughout the entire book. The interactions between them bring out what is special about each one of them.

One of the highlights of the Malazan Book of the Fallen series is the rich world that Erikson created to house his growing number of intricate interaction among individuals and nations. The world only grew in size and scope in this book, as he introduced many new lands and nations into the global picture of the world. The interesting form of magic permeates through this book and I feel that while it added many new questions about how magic actually works in this series, it also answered many of them from the last book.

There was a stark change in the amount of violence and the style and mood of the book. It felt darker and much more violent than The Gardens of the Moon. This mainly stemmed from the fact that violence was a key part in this book, much more so than the previous. I liked that Erikson has opened up the world by pulling in increasing amounts of nations and groups through the idea violence and war and I expect to see this new style stick through the future.

Erikson did an amazing job building upon his already amazing first book. He introduced whole new set of characters and lands to continue building upon the first book, while providing a familiar tie for readers with the inclusion of some of the old faces. However, the growing complexity may overwhelm people and become a problem in the future. The world continues to grow from what it started with and I am looking forward to reading the next book.

The Malazan Book of the Fallen is by far the best fantasy series I have read. Why is it different than the rest you may ask? First, the scale is epic in the full sense of the word - a lot of continents, hundreds of tribes, races, states, characters, more than a hundred thousand years history of the world, legends, many gods, factions and intrigues. Secondly, Steven Erikson writes superbly - the sentences flow effortlessly and he can play on the readers emotions like few other authors. He uses words people like Robert Jordan don't know that even exist in the dictionary. His characters are neither "good" or "bad" and his plot is as little cliche-plagued as possible while actually staying in the epic fantasy genre. Plus Erikson is a master of the humorous dialogue and hilarious characters.
About this volume - most of the characters are different from the Gardens of the Moon which may annoy some readers but be assured the cast from GotM returns in Book 3. This book is Dark fantasy in the true meaning of the word dark - bloody (and I mean really bloody) rebellion, gruesome battles, slave labor mines etc but SE doesn't describe the details with the sick passion of G.R.R.Martin he just shows us the real face of war. Erikson's world is not the nicest place to be.:) The Chain of Dogs military campaign is the best in the genre and its ending is one of the most emotionally touching scenes I have ever read in any book from any genre. If you like non-conventional fantasy you just have to give the Malazan Book of the Fallen a chance.

4.4 stars.

SPOILERS

The most important thing that I learned from this book is that Mr. Erikson loves "ochre." A lot. I guesstimate that he employed the word approximately 200 times in the book.

I really enjoyed this work. Very good characters, great battle scenes, twists, a significant blurring of who is "good" or "bad" based on perspective, and intelligence that pours from the pages.

The "downsides" to this book are twofold:

(1) The sheer immensity of the world in terms of geography (including separate magical dimensions called "warrens"), characters, and time. Mr. Erikson jumps around the world throughout the book, and if you put this book down for any period of time, you're likely to forget who and what you were reading about. Although less so than Gardens of the Moon, I felt as if I still were learning critical background information about the world little by little, which does not sit well with my OCD. As I issue this criticism, however, I recognize that as the tale progresses the size of the world will become a positive.

(2) I personally like the good guy to win. Always. I dislike seeing "good" characters whom I become fond of killed off (and a couple of very substantial ones go bye-bye here), and I do not like evil characters getting away more-or-less scot-free (as occurs at the end in a big way).

I'm on to Book 3.

The sequel to the quite good Gardens Of The Moon, Deadhouse Gates continues Erikson's breathtaking invention.
Firstly, perhaps it is just me, but Deadhouse Gates is less awe inspiring in it's invention. There is no 'gawd, would you look at that' type of thing in DhG, as in GotM with Moon's Spawn and the Azath. Personally, I find this to be a good move by Erikson, as more focus is on the plot and the characters. This is where DhG truly shines. Much like Shakespearean tragedy, the characters drive the plot, not the other way around.
There is no 'most important' plot within DhG, all of them contribute to the book. In fact, what emerges is synergy, where the entirity is greater than the sum of it's parts. Each thread has it's own throbbing emotion which is beautifully lugubrious. I must make special note of the Chain Of Dogs sub-plot. The final episodes are the most amazing I have read in all of fantasy. In my opinion, fantasy has never produced anything so heartbreaking as the final few chapters of DhG.
The characters are worth special note in DhG. They are all solidly constructed, drawing our sympathy, and in some cases - Mappo especially - our empathy. That Erikson achieves this is a true testament to his writing skill. To be able to handle so many characters so deftly and sensitively is a rare feat. Duiker, Felisin, Heboric, Icarium; all are followed with our compassion throughout the novel.
While there are moments where it seems characters are walking mindlessly, with nothing going on, there is an important point to these moments. The Seven Cities is a place where the soul wanders, and returns different to what it was. Ultimately, this is what drives DhG. The development of characters. As for claims that some plots are difficult to understand, this is quite untrue. DhG is driven by emotion, not the military intrigue of GotM, or the ancient mysteries of Memories Of Ice. To understand DhG is to feel.
Last, but definitely not least: the pace of the novel is still excellent. While the journies of characters are sometimes overwhelmingly detailed, they do not move in circles like Jordan's novels. Everything in Erikson is very direct.
In short, better than GotM, and without doubt one of the greatest fantasy novels of all time.

As slow to begin as the first book, once Deadhouse Gates gets into it however, I could barely put it down. Coltaine's march is a lot like the great ride undertaken by Subodei Bahatur and the Mongols (fighting through a very long distance of enemy territory). I wish it had more of the characters of the first book, and a lot of the tihngs that happen aren't explained until the third one, but the presence of enough interesting characters such as Coltaine and Iccarium kept me enjoying it.

It is with a sense of great anticipation that i sit down to commence this review. Book one of this extraordinary saga was a classic of the genre, one that is destined to be read, and re-read by millions of people around the world for many years to come. It is both a complete fantasy classic in its own right, as well as the quintessential opening chapter (pun intended) to one of the greatest, grandest, and most epic fantasy tales ever developed. It is one that demands to be read and re- read not just for entertainment value, but also to ensure the reader is on top of the story before he or she goes onto book two.

The prologue to book two of this series opens in the desert. But not just any desert. It is a Steven Erikson desert. Amongst the swirling chaos of drifting sand, a priest appears. Covered in a mass of flies, his name is not important (or is it?) but he carries a message. His form is revealed eventually to the reader as well as those present in the sand, but this information (joyfully) raises more questions than it answers. And so it is with the mind of Steven Erikson.

The language and descriptive prose used by Mr Erikson in this wonderful tome, is of the same high quality that was found in book one. Characterisation is as strong as ever. World building can only be described as incredible. My judge of the book's plotting will have to wait until i delve further into the book. Humour in its own right does not have a role to play but sarcasm, dry wit and observations are the right of every man, woman and child who lives, and that rule applies to the fictional universe, as well.

Once again i refer to the world's press to conclude my own review. Overwhelmingly positive would be a good way to describe my findings. Consequently i award this book a well deserved full marks. I hope to update these comments with my own detailed analysis as I progress through it.

BFN Greggorio!

Deadhouse Gates is the continuation of the Malazan Book of the Fallen series by Steven Erikson. It continued to build upon the world first created in the first book of the series, The Gardens of the Moon, but took me to an entirely different place in the world. Some of the old characters are back from the first book, but it also introduces a whole new cast of great personalities. Overall, the book succeeds on many levels, but may be headed toward the more confusing side.

As in The Gardens of the Moon, Erikson crafts Deadhouse Gates from multiple story perspectives. One of them is of Felisin, a noble woman of house Paran. Her story chronicles her journey, with all of its highs and lows, across the world and her personal story. Another is of the Jaghut, Icarium, and his Trell companion, Mappo, as they wander around the world. This book is filled with many more different viewpoints that are all connected in some form. While this created the opportunity for Erikson to explore more parts of the world and weave a much more complicated tapestry of stories, I felt that it may have made the story slightly confusing. The amount of detail that Erikson put in to make each part of the book is amazing, but I found that it was a little too much to handle. It far surpasses the similarly written A Song of Ice and Fire series from George R.R. Martin in complexity in my opinion.

The cast of characters is a mix of brand new people and returning member of the first book. Once again, they are well defined and thought out. Each person has their unique personality and I was able to see how each one grew throughout the entire book. The interactions between them bring out what is special about each one of them.

One of the highlights of the Malazan Book of the Fallen series is the rich world that Erikson created to house his growing number of intricate interaction among individuals and nations. The world only grew in size and scope in this book, as he introduced many new lands and nations into the global picture of the world. The interesting form of magic permeates through this book and I feel that while it added many new questions about how magic actually works in this series, it also answered many of them from the last book.

There was a stark change in the amount of violence and the style and mood of the book. It felt darker and much more violent than The Gardens of the Moon. This mainly stemmed from the fact that violence was a key part in this book, much more so than the previous. I liked that Erikson has opened up the world by pulling in increasing amounts of nations and groups through the idea violence and war and I expect to see this new style stick through the future.

Erikson did an amazing job building upon his already amazing first book. He introduced whole new set of characters and lands to continue building upon the first book, while providing a familiar tie for readers with the inclusion of some of the old faces. However, the growing complexity may overwhelm people and become a problem in the future. The world continues to grow from what it started with and I am looking forward to reading the next book.

The Malazan Book of the Fallen is by far the best fantasy series I have read. Why is it different than the rest you may ask? First, the scale is epic in the full sense of the word - a lot of continents, hundreds of tribes, races, states, characters, more than a hundred thousand years history of the world, legends, many gods, factions and intrigues. Secondly, Steven Erikson writes superbly - the sentences flow effortlessly and he can play on the readers emotions like few other authors. He uses words people like Robert Jordan don't know that even exist in the dictionary. His characters are neither "good" or "bad" and his plot is as little cliche-plagued as possible while actually staying in the epic fantasy genre. Plus Erikson is a master of the humorous dialogue and hilarious characters.
About this volume - most of the characters are different from the Gardens of the Moon which may annoy some readers but be assured the cast from GotM returns in Book 3. This book is Dark fantasy in the true meaning of the word dark - bloody (and I mean really bloody) rebellion, gruesome battles, slave labor mines etc but SE doesn't describe the details with the sick passion of G.R.R.Martin he just shows us the real face of war. Erikson's world is not the nicest place to be.:) The Chain of Dogs military campaign is the best in the genre and its ending is one of the most emotionally touching scenes I have ever read in any book from any genre. If you like non-conventional fantasy you just have to give the Malazan Book of the Fallen a chance.

4.4 stars.

SPOILERS

The most important thing that I learned from this book is that Mr. Erikson loves "ochre." A lot. I guesstimate that he employed the word approximately 200 times in the book.

I really enjoyed this work. Very good characters, great battle scenes, twists, a significant blurring of who is "good" or "bad" based on perspective, and intelligence that pours from the pages.

The "downsides" to this book are twofold:

(1) The sheer immensity of the world in terms of geography (including separate magical dimensions called "warrens"), characters, and time. Mr. Erikson jumps around the world throughout the book, and if you put this book down for any period of time, you're likely to forget who and what you were reading about. Although less so than Gardens of the Moon, I felt as if I still were learning critical background information about the world little by little, which does not sit well with my OCD. As I issue this criticism, however, I recognize that as the tale progresses the size of the world will become a positive.

(2) I personally like the good guy to win. Always. I dislike seeing "good" characters whom I become fond of killed off (and a couple of very substantial ones go bye-bye here), and I do not like evil characters getting away more-or-less scot-free (as occurs at the end in a big way).

I'm on to Book 3.

The sequel to the quite good Gardens Of The Moon, Deadhouse Gates continues Erikson's breathtaking invention.
Firstly, perhaps it is just me, but Deadhouse Gates is less awe inspiring in it's invention. There is no 'gawd, would you look at that' type of thing in DhG, as in GotM with Moon's Spawn and the Azath. Personally, I find this to be a good move by Erikson, as more focus is on the plot and the characters. This is where DhG truly shines. Much like Shakespearean tragedy, the characters drive the plot, not the other way around.
There is no 'most important' plot within DhG, all of them contribute to the book. In fact, what emerges is synergy, where the entirity is greater than the sum of it's parts. Each thread has it's own throbbing emotion which is beautifully lugubrious. I must make special note of the Chain Of Dogs sub-plot. The final episodes are the most amazing I have read in all of fantasy. In my opinion, fantasy has never produced anything so heartbreaking as the final few chapters of DhG.
The characters are worth special note in DhG. They are all solidly constructed, drawing our sympathy, and in some cases - Mappo especially - our empathy. That Erikson achieves this is a true testament to his writing skill. To be able to handle so many characters so deftly and sensitively is a rare feat. Duiker, Felisin, Heboric, Icarium; all are followed with our compassion throughout the novel.
While there are moments where it seems characters are walking mindlessly, with nothing going on, there is an important point to these moments. The Seven Cities is a place where the soul wanders, and returns different to what it was. Ultimately, this is what drives DhG. The development of characters. As for claims that some plots are difficult to understand, this is quite untrue. DhG is driven by emotion, not the military intrigue of GotM, or the ancient mysteries of Memories Of Ice. To understand DhG is to feel.
Last, but definitely not least: the pace of the novel is still excellent. While the journies of characters are sometimes overwhelmingly detailed, they do not move in circles like Jordan's novels. Everything in Erikson is very direct.
In short, better than GotM, and without doubt one of the greatest fantasy novels of all time.

As slow to begin as the first book, once Deadhouse Gates gets into it however, I could barely put it down. Coltaine's march is a lot like the great ride undertaken by Subodei Bahatur and the Mongols (fighting through a very long distance of enemy territory). I wish it had more of the characters of the first book, and a lot of the tihngs that happen aren't explained until the third one, but the presence of enough interesting characters such as Coltaine and Iccarium kept me enjoying it.

Even if you never read the first book, Deadhouse Gates is a book worth reading. It is Military Fantasy at it's finest. This is Glenn Cook's The Black Company on steroids.

Pros
Action, Plot, and Feel are all right up there with the best in fantasy.
There is a unique solid magic system, a system of higher powers that is intriguing.
This book has some of the most impressive characters in modern fantasy.
You can really feel the fear while waiting and the thrill of combat as if you were there.

Cons
This is a long series with some major clinkers in it.

Such a complex story, deep in the fantasy history and massive world-building departments, well littered with realistic, complex characters that mingle, breathe, and die unpredictably. For one thing, several notable characters died by the end of the book, and even though I hadn't recognized them from the first book, I got to know them and like them so well over the course of this book that their deaths were startling, despite the fact that all odds were against them. Then again, despite my sorrow at their apparent deaths, that's not the end of their stories. I felt cheated, frankly, to cry over so-and-so's sudden, gruesome, undeserved death, only to have it negated in such a contrived manner.

I'm hooked on this series, but I see that main characters in one volume probably won't appear in the next volume, so all the emotional attachment and history/setting memorization for one volume gets voided at the end of that particular volume. And the following volume will require brand-new emotional investment and history tracking. The thought wearies me. Seriously, I never put this much energy into studying REAL history!

I was quite eager to read this second book in Mr. Erikson's series after finishing the first a few weeks ago; unfortunately I have been underwhelmed, if not worse, by this sequel.

Some moderate to minor spoilers follow.

The story follows the exploits of Fiddler, Kalam, Apsalar(ex-Sorry) as well as 2 new sets of characters, Felisin & friends, Icarium & Mappo, and Duiker and friends. The first half of the novel moved quickly, but into page 500 and beyond, it just seemed as if the author had too many things which had to be slowly moved forward to get any plot momentum going. I found myself starting another book, and looking at what else I had on deck to read. While the overall plot does move forward, I do think pacing needs some help in this matter.

I will start the third book at some point, and presumably pacing will pick up, but hopefully Mr. Erikson will avoid this pitfall further into this series. At one point late in the book when a certain character was in a situation with no escape, I began guessing which other plot device would be introduced or used to facilitate said escape. Something is wrong in a book when you start thinking like that.

On the positive side, this is a fascinating constructed world, with depth of history which shows in how his places and cities are described. I reserve final comment on the series until I see how future books are mapped out plot-wise.

Ok. So I've read the first two books in this massive undertaking. And after 1500 pages and countless characters I've come to the conclusion that there is not a single character I care about in the least. And the magic/warren/ascendant system is completely nonsensical.

But addressing this book in particular, there is simply far too much of a feeling that the story is being forced upon the reader. Mr. Erikson has a story that he wants to tell, so he devises ways to make them happen even if means taking deux ex machina to new extremes. I applaud his ambition and attempts at grand world building, but it's based on concepts that are as vague as his writing style. I don't feel the least bit immersed in his world. If anything, I feel like the utter hopelessness that permeates every page is trying to keep me at a distance.

I have most of the books in the series, but I don't believe I'll be reading any of them. It's a shame. I had very high hopes.

Hands down, one of the best fantasy books I have ever read.

I am not usually the type to complain about Tolkien-like books, and in fact I enjoy generic fantasy books quite a bit. I tend to steer clear of books such as Deadhouse Gates and its predecessor, Gardens of the Moon, because so often authors try to be original and instead come up with an R or X rated version of Tolkien.

Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen series does not fall into the previous category. The scope of history behind his work, as well as the living qualities possessed by all the societies and characters set him above any other book of this type.

Although Deadhouse Gates follows an entirely different set of characters (for the most part) from the first book in the series, it does not take long to realize that although you might not have seen the actors before they are just as important as the "main" characters who make no appearance such as Whiskeyjack.

As far as dramatic and sensational endings, this book ends on a note that will make even hardened readers cringe. Once again, it is not that Erikson employs an overabundance of violence (although plenty of that is included). Erikson brings the trials of Coltaine and his men to life, and it is through the life given to his characters that the reader ends up feeling the ending in his/her gut, right where the author intended.

This is the greatest novel I have ever read, and I've read many.

This book is so very visceral, so raw and unapologetic, so sympathetic and compassionate, so mysterious, and so good. I have never read a book like this, even in the rest of Erikson's (rather impressive) Malazan Book of the Fallen. There are portions of it that alternately confuse, disgust, thrill, and break your heart. This book is truly an anomoaly among novels. The only downside I can offer is the necessity of trudging through Gardens of the Moon (the preceding volume) before venturing into Deadhouse Gates. You gotta do it. You'll be impossibly lost if you don't. But believe me. it's worth it.

I don't know what it is about Deadhouse Gates that grabs tight and won't let go - like I said, it's an anomaly. But in hundreds of pages of conflict, romance, mystery and adventure Erikson does not make a single misstep - not one false note. Even the ending, which would come across as forced and ham-fisted in any other book, simply flows into the imagination of the reader like a bittersweet wave. I love this book. The subsequent volumes of the Book of the Fallen (all 7 of them) certainly have their moments... but for some reason nothing quite rings true like Deadhouse Gates. I've recommended it to many non-fantasy fans and never heard a complaint.

Got some bedtime reading to do? get Gardens of the Moon (2 stars) and Deadhouse Gates (5 stars), you won't be sorry.

While Gardens of the Moon was, though a great book in its own right, the worst book in this series, Deadhouse Gates is one of the best. However, Deadhouse Gates is also one of the two most difficult reads of the series. Not only is it long, 943 pages, but it is extremely heavy reading. I won't give you any details, don't want to spoil the book, but the story follows a small army of refugees known as the Chain of Dogs, as they attempt to make their way across a continent in the midst of rebellion. This book and the next in the series Memories of Ice contain the most difficult, and most mature, thematic material that I have come across in the series, and it would not be entirely inappropriate to compare them to works such as Schindler's List or events like the Trail of Tears (in my opinion a possible source of partial inspiration for the story here, though I am not privy to Erikson's mind). That being said, Erikson handles difficult subject matter beautifully, and what results is a deeply moving, emotionally trying, and ultimately uplifting reading experience.

Overall: 10/10

Where Garden's of the Moon was the easiest of the series to read, its immediate sequel, Deadhouse Gates, is possibly the most difficult. However, though a difficult read, it is also a phenomenal examination of both the best, and the worst, of human nature. You will find yourself enamored of characters like Coltaine and Duiker, hurting for Felisin, and laughing at the antics of Iskaral Pust. All together this book weaves several storylines into one, like most of Erikson's work, while still keeping each story distinct and important.

Writing: 9.5/10

Erikson's writing is at its best in Deadhouse Gates. While it lacks the flowing grace of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach, Deadhouse Gates is written in a masterful style that manages to be both simple and meaningful at the same time.

Characters: 10/10

Erikson's characters are always wonderful. However, the devastating events of Deadhouse Gates truly allow his characters to shine. Like Whiskeyjack and Quickben in the first novel, you will find characters here that you will never forget. However, they will be all the more meaningful because of the situations through which they shine. Coltaine and Duiker stand out as my two favorite characters in this novel, both because of their intense realism, but also because of their overwhelming humanity. Through these two characters Erikson shows us some of the best of which men are capable.

World: 10/10

While we do not see much of the continent of Genabackis (the setting for Gardens of the Moon), Deadhouse Gates takes the reader on a long, and sometimes meandering, tour of the Seven Cities, a large and very barren continent. The world that Erikson creates here is not only broad, but real (often devastatingly so), and humbling. Erikson's world truly begins to take on the shape that it was missing throughout Gardens of the Moon, and this draws the reader in that much further.

Plot: 10/10

Deadhouse Gates is not only original, epic, and realistic in its plot, but it sets the tone for the series as a whole. Erikson's work in this book feels complete, but it is not until two books later, at the end of Chain of Dogs, that you realize how much he begins here that he does not end. This ability to provide a complete story, while creating foreshadowing, and unknown anticipation for what is to come, becomes a hallmark of the Malazan Book of the Fallen. I have never before read a series that allowed me to feel that the story was complete, while at the same time knowing that there must be more to come - to be satisfied, and yet yearning for more.

Pacing: 9/10

While the pacing in Deadhouse Gates is excellent, it is a slow novel overall, and this will make reading it even more difficult for those of you who lack patience.

Commentary: 10/10

Deadhouse Gates has some incredible commentary on the nature of man, both good and bad. Erikson also offers us brief comments on the value and place of academia, and the purpose of power.

Conclusion:

If you can finish Deadhouse Gates, then you will want to read the rest of the series. If you can't finish it, either because of length, the nature of the content, or the depth of the content, then the rest of the series probably isn't for you.

Deadhouse Gates is better than 90 percent of fantasy fiction; however, it is overrated in my opinion, plagued with repetitiveness, fragmented storytelling, and cliches. Erikson reminds me of China Mieville, who also excels at world building and original premises, but sometimes lets his words and ideas overshadow the narrative flow. Deadhouse Gates is not a page turner, and I do not recommend it to casual readers. The first 200 pages are a struggle because the pace is slow and the fragmented style forces the reader to pay attention. Many of the events and story elements are hazy and left unexplained, such as the Whirlwind, Azath, and Path of the Hands. Does anyone really know what's going on? The mystical mumbo-jumbo gets in the way of the storytelling and character development. The usual cliches abound: prophecies, invincible yet soft-spoken warriors, demons, dragons, wise old men, elder races. All of the characters seem to have a mysterious past--no one is quite what he or she seems. Erikson makes a valid point about sorcery, gods, and demons: Although the novel is rife with them, instances are rare, and the majority of people never witness them. Felisin acts as the ordinary witness to extraordinary events, but her experiences mar what should be undiluted horror and awe. The novel feels like an epic, with its mega-roster of characters and multiple storylines, but I wonder if the novel would be more approachable if it dealt with only a single primary plot. Imagine a military adventure about Coltaine's flight with the refugees (reminiscent of Xenophon's Ten Thousand) or high fantasy starring Mappo and Icarium and their tested partnership. There are 3 or 4 novels crammed into this epic. My biggest nag focuses on the dialogue. Everyone speaks with measured words, and most of the dialogue reads like soliloquies. The passages in italics are the worst, filled with pretension. I also hate how often characters say, "I would hear that tale some day" or something like it. Everyone has a tale, and everyone else wants to hear it. I get the point, Erickson; you don't have to repeat it 10 times. Despite my criticisms, I advise any serious fan of fantasy to read Deadhouse Gates and appreciate Erickson's originality, scope, and often brilliant writing.

Steven Erikson, Deadhouse Gates (Tor, 2000)

I finished up page 598 of Deadhouse Gates, and my next act was to go to my library's website and put the third book in the series, Memories of Ice, on hold.

Deadhouse Gates is Erikson's second entry in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series, which, despite its rather clumsy series name, is bang-up stuff. Few authors write martial scenes quite this well in high fantasy; Tolkein's final battle in Return of the King, Elizabeth Moon's depictions of day-to-day troop life in The Deed of Paksennarion, just about every aspect of George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. Yes, I'd rank Erikson with those three. Easily.

Readers of Gardens of the Moon may find themselves slightly confused when opening up Deadhouse Gates, no doubt because it takes place half a world away from Darujhistan, the city at the heart of Gardens of the Moon. You'll remember that everyone was worried, at the end of that novel, about something called the Pannion Seer. Well, you'll not see the Pannion Seer, nor most of the surviving characters from Gardens of the Moon, here (from the description I just read, that tale continues in Memories of Ice). Instead, a select few characters have fled east across the sea for various reasons, and only they link the tales.

Like Gardens of the Moon, Deadhouse Gates is an ensemble tale, but is even more sprawling in scope; at any given time, Erikson is following between two and six plot threads in alternating sections of any given chapter. There are four main plot threads, through they meander towards and away from each other, split off, and join together differently, throughout the text. The first concerns a trio pressed into slavery-- an ex-priest of Fener the Boar God, a noble-born teen, and a barbarian, none of whom seem to have anything in common, yet who are forced by circumstances to forge an uneasy bond. The second revolves around Duiker, the Imperial Historian (mentioned, but never met, in Gardens of the Moon), who accompanies the Seventh Army on a grueling overland journey from the northern city of Hissar to the southern city of Aren. The third involves Crokus, Apsalar, and Fiddler, three of the characters from Gardens of the Moon, who have come east to try and get Apsalar home to her father. The fourth involves another refugee, Kalam, who has come east for decidedly different means.

Deadhouse Gates is, essentially, a tale of journeys. In epic fantasy series (and this one is truly epic in scope; the first three books alone total close to twenty-five hundred pages), the book of journeys, or the book of transitions, is often the weakest in the series (cf. Martin's A Clash of Kings, or King's The Waste Lands). Erikson, on the other hand, has crafted an amazing piece of work in Deadhouse Gates, investing the journeys, and the underlying transitions, with more than enough action and intelligence to keep the reader going, while still getting all the boring stuff out of the way under the surface. Everyone gets where they're going, all the plot threads are eventually sewn up (except those left as obvious hooks into the remainder of the series), all the details that one almost expects, these days, to see disappear into the dust of all these riders on their journeys come to satisfying conclusions. Erikson's eye for detail is truly astounding in some cases.

One word of warning, though, in case you hadn't yet realized it after reading Gardens of the Moon. Erikson is just as hard on his main characters as is George R. R. Martin; some of the characters in this novel have a decidedly Janet Leigh air about them, but Erikson never once, in the hundreds of pages before he dispatches them, lets you know which ones they'll be, and their deaths often come with the same surprise (and surprisingly-felt sorrow) as the surprising death at the climax of A Game of Thrones (the identity of the victim of which I shall not reveal here to spare those handful of you who have not yet started that equally brilliant series).

An incredible piece of work, quite likely to find its way onto my Best-I-Read list for 2005. **** ½

Okay, right off the bat if you don't like lots and lots of characters this book...no this series...isn't for you. But, this is real world building, not some tale that centers around a central character with just multiple people coming in and out of scenes. I have yet to define a main character. This is why its real world building, because in the real world there are many many people who all play their roles. Erikson weaves an interesting plot with characters that are complex, not just flat/static people. Now he does bail some characters out when it gets tough, but other big characters he doesn't. The book kept me enthralled all the way to the end. Yes, its long, but whats wrong with that personally i think thats good, more to read for me!

Having read all 5 of the Malazan books (released in other parts of the world), I can say without a shred of doubt that these are one of the top 5 fantasy series of all time.

This book follows some of the same characters from the first book "Gardens of the Moon", but adds in others as well. The Bridgeburners that readers of the first book remember are not as involved, mostly playing a cameo role, with the exception of a few off on their own missions.

Kalam and Fiddler are on their way back to the Seven Cities, the birthplace of the Bridgeburners. On a mission to pay someone important back for betryaing them on Genbackis.

The Holy Desert of Raruku has brought forth it's prophet, signalling a cleansing of the Empire from the Seven Cities.

Erikson's sense of scope and the epic feel of the books would compare favorably to the Song of Fire and Ice books (and after my last re-reads of the 2 series, surpass them in my mind.)
The dialogue never seems strained and the characters are vibrant.

If you can stick through the first part of "Gardens of the Moon", until you understand the world, everything becomes clear. This is an excellent followup.
An excellent read for all fans of fantasy.

The Deadhouse Gates is bar none the best of the Malazan Book of the Fallen series. It isn't my favorite (that would have to be Memories of Ice or The Bonehunters), it's just the best. I have read reviews of Erikson that state that he is a great "world builder", but isn't a great writer. I have to disagree. The ONLY fantasy writer that "writes" better is Guy Gavirel Kay (yes that includes George R R Martin). Erikson's work flows off the page. It isn't the writing that slows people down, it's the content.

This book is tough to handle at times. The battle sequences are gritty, gory, and thoroughly believable. I read one review that compared it to a fantasy version of the movie Platoon and I think that is without a doubt the best comparison I have heard. The sheer pathos of the end of the Chain of Dogs is enough to make even the hardest tough guy wipe a tear from his/her eye.

This book also begins the twisting of characters. In Gardens of the Moon, the Empress is viewed as "evil", but in this book, we learn more of her motivations.

Sheer genius.

Wow...I stayed up until 3am finishing this book (and immediately wanted to reach for the 3rd book despite the time)...and now half a day later I'm still emotionally devastated. This series is amazing and intense. I was worried I would have a hard time getting into this book because I knew it wasn't going to be the same characters from Gardens of the Moon (that I was completely invested in). I had no such problem becoming invested in this book...and became I was so invested, this book really hurt.

I really love how Erikson writes - especially his interactions between characters - Icarium/Mappo, Iskarel Pusk, the sappers etc. I especially appreciate the moments of humor thrown in which help break up some of the very heavy scenes.

Only downside is that I have an enormous book-crush on Anomander Rake and he wasn't in this book!

Seriously - I'm blown away by this series already.

Fantastic writing with literay depth, gritty realism in the action scenes takes you by the hand and you feel like a participant amidst the desert heat,drought and roar of battle.

There are at least three major story lines with two of them linked to the first novel. This would be a great read as a stan-alone book but the connection is established through known characters as well as the unmistaken feel of the author's dialogue.

Do not put the book down for too long between reading bouts, a chapter a night before sleep is going to frustrate you because the myriad of characters, their connections and directions are very diverse yet connect in a magnificent manner.

Well done again Mr. Erickson. anxiously wait the arrival of the next episode.

This was an incredibly good read! It wasn't as confusing as the first book, manily because it was broken down into 3 main stories. I am definitely as excited about continuing this series as I was when I plowed through the first 3 books of Song of Fire and Ice. The difference.... I have 3 more already published books to continue in this journey, and don't have to wait until George finally decides that the damn book that he has left so many of us hanging on is good enough to be published. I would rank Erikson up there with Martin in authors with the ability to create a very complex story line and leave you wanting more after reading 1000 pages or more. The difference? Steven somehow writes faster without sacrificing quality. If you are a Martin fan, grab this series, you'll love it!

This book is definitely better than Gardens of the Moon. Let me establish that up front. Unlike Gardens, where I was struggling through the first 200 pages before finally putting the book away, Deadhouse actually was very enjoyable to read for the first 250 pages. The prologue, in particular, is memorable and well-done.

And that's where the problems began. It's not that Erikson can't write strong, in-depth characters. Felisin was arguably well-written in this book, although the same can't be said for most of the other characters. Nor is the plot entirely uninteresting, although it is nothing new, to be frank.

It's more that it feels like Erikson is burying you under a mix of details and plot elements, to the point where the quality characters get swamped and start losing development, and the poorly developed characters just become awful to read. The characters run into one "warren this" or "god that" every two seconds, along with all kinds of Ancient Mysteries, to the point where you are wondering, "What's the point?" You just never get a good framework for all these details, like you do in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, for example.

Other than that, my only complaint is that parts of the books felt anachronistic for the technology and society described. This and the above did very little to draw me into the Malazan world.

Deadhouse gates is not simply just a great book but also has one of the best tales you are likely to encounter in fantasy. Gardens of the moon was more like taster to help the reader understand this magnificent world that Erikson has created and deadhouse gates gets down to business. The character portrayal is excellent as each individual in this epic struggles in the name of revenge, sinister secrets, honour but mostly survival. Seven cities is on the brink of rebellion and the blood lust is contagious.

The plot grips you from the start and you still have to keep sharp as it is a complex tale. But Erikson's superb writing creates awesome scenes and a brutal atmosphere that will make you sympathise with many characters. In contrast to the mostly gritty and violent events in the story, Erikson injects a good amount of humour usually bizarre but which complements the story.

There are 4 major stories. Kalam, Fiddler, Crokus and Aspalar are on their way to the capital and decide to pass through seven cities. We are introduced to Felsin the youngest daughter of the Paran house as she is being carried off to slavery, yet the indifference of her sister - the new Adjunct- is more painful. Duiker is the imperial historian is in seven cities and will live the full horror of rebellion, as Coltaine the new fist struggles for the lives of thousands of refugees. Then there is the powerful yet tragic story of Icarium, Mappo and their friendship. There is also more mystery in the form of a gruesome convergence drawing nightmares from all over to the holy desert.

Power draws power and power must be contained or risk unbalance. But even with all this world shattering power and the super beings wielding it, the more basic and human struggles make the most impact. And even on my second read I was still moved by this tale. However I got an idea of the magnitude and scope that I had missed in the first read and am humbled. The connection between history, sub plots, main stories and even short conversions or poems made me consider taking notes. All plots are relevant and some minor statement could be the solution to a great mystery, it is fantasy at its best.

With this second instalment Erikson shot himself up on par with Martin, in memories of ice (book 3) he went 1 up.

An amazing series which deserves more praise.

Without characters such as Kruppe, Paran, Whiskeyjack, and Quick Ben it took me a while to care about the new characters in book two. That being said, Duiker was incredible, once I really began to understand the devastating chain of dogs and it's impact on the human psyche I began to appreciate this novel more and more. Also Iskaral Pust was fantastic. Wasn't such a huge fan of the story between Mappo and Icarium but it was nonetheless interesting. Hopefully it expands into something more exciting. All in all it felt like a bridge gap for the next few installments. Not the best but entertaining enough. If you're expecting gardens of the moon it falls short but I'm sure erikson will deliver on the next few.

It's taken me less than 2 weeks to read both Gardens of the Moon and Deadhouse gates. The Malazan series is exactly what I've been looking for a loooooooong time to satisfy most all of my reading preferences. I can't recall the last time I've been so immersed in a world, its history and people - well, yes I can, back in the early 1980's when I read Donaldson's Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. I think I've met Erikson at the perfect time - this series takes patience and maturity, but the rewards are incredible. Onward to Memories of Ice...

I purchased this book in April of 2015. Fast-forward to now and I am nearly finished with the 10th book in this series. Getting into the series was daunting, but I am glad I did. I can only compare the series as being "Game of Thrones on steroids." I read and enjoyed the GoT series, but it doesn't compare to The Malazan Book of the Fallen. The interconnectedness, depth, and breadth of the plot are all astounding. Characters are well-developed and examine topical issues that relate outside the book. If you are considering starting this series, do it. You will not be disappointed.

Steven Erikson wins again, his first book in the series, "Gardens of the Moon" was amazing, one of the best I have read in years, and is up there sharing space at the top of my all-time list with greats like Robert Jordan, JRR Tolkien and more.

The story is such a wild mix of characters, magic, battles, good and evil, and those in between, that it really holds on to you and keeps you going. As in the first, this book starts off building up the story, leading to non-stop action and a great climax at the end.

Without a doubt, I would recomend this book along with the first in the series, and anything by Steven ERikson, to anyone who is a true fan of fantasy.

If Gardens of the Moon was the bait, Deadhouse Gates was the hook that pulled me into the Malazan series.
Man, it's like Erikson wrote Gardens of the Moon, read A Game of Thrones, and then turned the "grit" dial from a 3 to an 11.
Do not come into the second book expecting any child-like puppet wizard plot developments (thank god they killed Hairlock), this book dives headfirst into some heavy themes: rape, slavery, loss of faith and drug addiction just to name a few.
It was honestly kind of a shock going from book 1 with one off-page sex scene and Hairlock the puppet to Deadhouse Gates with slaves being raped and children being crucified in the first 200 pages.
I remember starting the second book and groaning when I saw who the main characters from the first book were going to be: Crokus, Sorry/Apsalar, Fiddler, and Kalam? Aside from Kalam, it sounded like I was in for a a 1-dimensional character snoozefest. What about Whiskeyjack, Anomander Rake, Paran, and Quick Ben?
Not only was I wrong (especially about Fiddler), but a host of vastly interesting new characters were introduced as well.
The emotional journey of Felisin and Heboric, the slow unveiling of Icarium's past and Mappo's tortured friendship with him, and Coltaine's heroic resolve while leading the Chain of Dogs could each have been freestanding novels on their own but as a combined story they form a masterpiece worthy of competing with A Song of Ice and Fire.

Have you ever woken up and just KNOWN that dessert was on the menu? That's what this book and this series is like for me. I open up the cover and I know that not only will I have fun, but my mind and heart are going to be engaged. Erikson brings the world and characters therein, to life in a powerfully subtle manner that just drives them that much deeper into your consciousness. Him and Ian have a lot left to give... and I can't wait!

"Deadhouse Gates" is a complex fantasy tale interweaving the plots of multiple characters. Part of what makes it such a fascinating read is these characters have very different agendas. In this way, the reader is able to understand major plot developments from various perspectives.

Such a mode of storytelling may not be for everyone but it is executed well. Steven Erikson's writing is generally quite precise and easy to follow -- it has to be in order for him to carry off such a sprawling narrative.

Finally, I'll say that I was often surprised, sometimes even shocked, at how the plot developed. I enjoyed this as Erikson kept me on my toes in a way that few authors can.

So - Just finished this and I tend not to write reviews, yet I feel compelled. The book drew me in with it's plots and exclusive magic system. The main characters, every single one, is a person you feel for - whether you despise them or love them. Erikson weaves his characters and the plots of the story in such a way that I find most to my liking. Reading this book I found myself so thoroughly drawn in to the point of feeling actual fatigue and pleasure and shock and disgust accordingly to what was happening in the book. One section that still rings vividly in my imagination is the fall of Coltaine and the gritty struggle that followed that, almost to the point where I couldn't bear reading anymore.

One thing that I found slightly tiring was the constant inner-conflict with Duiker and those around him, so mentally delved in to the book as I was it was frankly depressing and exhausting. I understand the need to show how traumatized everyone was but after the first 6 mentions it just became draining and outright unpleasant. Nonetheless that plot was in itself a magnifico story-line. It's almost as if 3 separate books are in this one. I am deeply impressed how Erikson merges separate threads in a very very enjoyable way. You never quite know who is who (for instance Pearl). The charcters and so uterly intricate and careful constructed it amazes me - I ponder how any sane person can write so. Kruppe in the first book and then Pust in this one - though I might have predicted Kruppe, Pust was not something I foresaw.

One slight complaint I could show is the simple naming of the category "God(s)" - I'd be lying if I said revering to certain characters as Gods irked me. To me a God in a book is an one of the most powerful characters, not just a mighty character - refering to Icarium, the Azath, If anything Ascendants should be separate from Gods. Calling a character a God is more than just a simple category - it holds much meaning and characterism. Oponn in the first book fails to meet these standards.

Overall completely satisfying and undeniably Epic.

The second book I've read from this series. My review is nearly identical to the first book. I really enjoy the world, the races, the characters that Erikson has created. The book is a slow read and difficult at times but worth the effort. There are more editing errors than seem permissible, all cases where one real word is substituted for a very similarly spelled word. Also there is a lag in the 100 or so pages before the finale and the clean up take a bit long and is heavy on the deus ex machina (literally).

Complaints aside, it really is a good book. I will read more of the series and I would recommend the book to anyone interested in some interesting fantasy.

It is actually a tribute to Steven Erikson's writing that this book is so hard to plow through. This is because his vivid descriptions of the central heroic event of the novel -- a retreat from a conquering army that is akin to Mao's Long March (although it's the potential "good guys" who are retreating, not a future oppressor of 1/2 of Asia) -- is so realistic. The retreating army's despair, desperation, resignation, determination, heroism, intelligence, brutality (and those of its enemy) are palpable to the point that it is difficult to read of the dire straits of the heroes. The second main plot thread is nearly as dreary as the youngest sister of Gardens of the Moon (book 1) hero Ganoes Paran is captured and sentenced to imprisonment in a mining camp. Her transformation from happy noble youth to defeated young woman to embodying a cultural icon conveys numerous tribulations, and few triumphs.

Deadhouse Gates also has three or more other major story threads that are largely separate from Gardens of the Moon (book 1 of the Malazan Empire series), and is essentially a stand-alone novel. Nonetheless, Deadhouse Gates fits squarely within the overarching narrative that connects all the books in the series (and which becomes more apparent in Memories of Ice, book 3 of the series). It contains the story elements that have launched Erikson's career -- gritty stories of heroism and villainy, vivid action, intriguing cultural elements, a long and rich history preceding the story at hand, unquestioned originality (especially in comparison to 95% of the fantasy fiction available) and the feel that the world he created is starting toward a gargantuan eruption with innumerable initial tremors.

Note that the whole Malazan Cycle is projected at 10 books total, but Erikson writes relatively fast (he's slowed to about 3 Malazan books per every four years, which is pretty good considering the size of the books and the side projects he is working on). Nonetheless, they're worth the time and effort to procure and read.

Highly Recommended.

After reading book 1, it was a little disconcerting to start with another new set of characters, though it was nice to have a couple of the old ones. His detailed narration of strategy, war, and his character developments are just incomparable. I've never been so blown away by any other author. I LOVE erikson's writing. His stories each stand apart, and this is the FIRST fantasy writer (other than Tolkien) who's sequel does not in ANY WAY sell the reader short. I bawled my eyes out at the end. It's amazing! His style, writing, and command of a story... breath-taking. There is not praise enough to give for this writer.

Erickson's debut novel, "Gardens of the Moon", was one of the finest fantasies to appear in recent years.
"Deadhouse Gates", Erickson's second (and the second chapter in the "Malazan" series) lives up to the promise of its predecessor. It is like "Gardens" in many ways, but it is very much its own story.
Consider: Like "Gardens" it is very intricate. At the same time, however, it is coherently plotted and admirably plausible. It is extremely violent, but through it runs a strong vein of empathy (and it is assuredly not, as some have remarked, cynical). There is a backdrop of extraordinarily deep history and myth; on the other hand, this is a very "in your face" and direct narrative.
"Gates" shares all these traits with "Gardens". But it is still, as I said, very much its own story.
Consider also: It is set in a different continent (the Seven Cities), with its own costumes, society, and history. And only a very few of the characters from "Gardens" make an appearance in "Gates", even though the events take place immediately after "Gardens". And, most importantly, whilst the background of both tales is the same - the struggle between the Malazan Empire and those that oppose it - the focus of "Gates" is very different to "Gardens". In "Gardens" the story revolved around a free city attempting to avoid subjugation and finding help amongst rebel Malazans. In "Gates", the opposite is true: this story centers around the efforts of a Malazan general to save his army and the civilians it defends from a rebellion gone out of control.
This last bit might sound confusing (who are the good guys here, anyway?), but bear in mind that the basic premise any reader would have after reading "Gardens" - that Empress woman sure is bad news - is succinctly (though not yet irrevocably) turned upside down by a few deliberately ambivalent paragraphs in "Gates".
This alone is arresting and makes me curious to see what will happen next. But I would buy the next volume anyway: this is Good Stuff.
In fact, it is excellent.

The Chain of Dogs.

wow. What an incredible tale. Just imagine making it into a movie. The raw emotions in the soldiers and the refugees were written so realistically that I found it hard wading through them. well, the emotions as well as the blood and gore.

Try imagining yourself as one of the refugees, and you can see why human nature is such a debatable topic. In the worst of times, it either flowers or descends into the pit of hell. Human selfishness. Betraying the very people who're risking their lives to keep you alive. Look at the cook pots.... too ghastly. A commander who is so hard as to be made from iron. Without his iron will, the Chain of Dogs would have died when it starts marching.

Reading through this book is an incredible journey. It's soul-scarring and heart-wrenching. Gardens of the Moon pales besides it. I first picked up book 2 of Erikson's series. Not because of its plot because I tend to shy away from novels that are too painful to read. But I got hooked by Erikson's beautiful and vivid writing on the first page. A painful read? uh, but it's well worth it. I've read this book two times. It's by far my favourite out of all the Malazan books.

More complex than the first book and yet completely engrossing. Only a few of the characters featured in Gardens are present in Deadhouse, but I'll be damned if one of the secondary characters in Gardens (Kalam), doesn't turn out to be one of the greatest characters in modern fantasy. Incredibly, each plot thread is woven with what has to be an enormous payoff, and yet the reader never loses interest. Well done again.

Broadens the fantasy universe. Check. Adds new interesting characters. Check. Will kill a few major characters. Check (sort of). As sophisticated as Song of Ice and Fire. Check. Worth a read if you've read the first book and are willing to read the rest. Audio is well done too.

This volume of the Malazan Book of the Fallen series is my favorite yet. The level of human emotional detail interspersed with a dark militaristic fantasy setting that this book provides gives me goosebumps. I highly recommend this book and the entire series.

Do yourself a favor. Read the entire series. Slowly. Savor it. It's the best of all, and when you get to book nine, you'll regret that there will only be one more and a real wrap up. Unlike Robert Jordan, Erikson's books get better and better.

Deadhouse Gates (2000) is the second Fantasy novel of the Malazan Book of the Fallen, following Gardens of the Moon. In the previous volume, Adjunct Lorn ran afoul of the Crimson Guard and received her death from assassins of the Eel. Captain Paran scared off the Oponn Twins. Anomander Rake took the soul of the Galayn Lord.

Crokus saved Baruk from Vorcan and then Rallick Nom saved Vorcan from the Tiste Andii by fleeing with her into the young Azath Deadhouse. Kalam and Fiddler sailed off with Crokus and Apsalar to take them back to her home in Itko Kan. Captain Paran, Whiskeyjack and the Bridgeburners rejoined Dujek Onearm to begin their new career as outlaws.

In this novel, in Unta, the Malazan Capital, Felisin -- youngest child in the Noble House of Paran -- finds herself among the chained nobles of the Cull. Behind her on the long chain of three hundred slaves is the ex-priest of Fener, Heboric Light Touch, and before her is the common thug, Baudin. After walking the gauntlet of commoners -- cannot run when chained together -- the survivors are shipped to the Otataral mines.

In the Pan'potsun Odhan, Mappo Runt the Trell watches a corkscrew plume of dust race across the Basin while he chews a wedge of emrag cactus. Beside him, Icarium the Jhag idly flicks a pebble over the cliff edge. His black hair is dripping black sweat onto the bleached rock. After Mappo finishes his repast, the pair checks their weapons, Mappo packs the tents, utensils and bedding onto his large leather bag, and the two go down the path to the basin.

Mappo and Icarium wander among countless ruins from long dead civilizations. They come upon a six-foot-high column and Icarium examines its sides. Near the base, he finds a scattering of tiny hand prints. The seekers are on the Trail; in this case, a set of rat D'ivers, probably Gryllen. There are others -- both Soletaken and D'ivers -- who seek the Path of Hands to Ascendancy.

Icarium, however, is searching for his memories. He knows that they are gone and is convinced that they are very important to him. But Mappo travels with Icarium to keep him from discovering these memories; the Nameless Ones have given him this task and he is determined to fulfill their directives. Yet Mappo is beginning to have doubts.

In Hissar, on the Seven Cities subcontinent, the Imperial Historian Duiker and Mallick Rel, the High Fist Pormqual's representative, watch Wickan horsesoldiers of the Seventh Army disembark from their ship. A cordon of Hissar Guard held back the demonstrative Wickans, hitching their shields and unsheathing their tulwars. The Wickans recoil and then draw their long-knives. A tall Wickan with fetishes in his hair waves his lone long-knife and bellows encouragement.

Then the tall man issues a wild scream and the Wickans sheath their weapons, saddle their horses, mount the horses and guide them into a parade formation. The tall man -- Fist Coltraine himself -- leads the Wickan formation to their barracks. Duiker later meets with Coltraine and Bult, his uncle.

On the Kansu Sea, a fisherboat carrying Apsalar, Crokus, Fiddler, Kalam, and Moby the familiar lands by a village on the Ehrlitan coast. The Seven Cities are about to rebel against the Malazan Empire and Kalam wants to acquire some inside information. Fiddler goes for a walk in the marketplace and rescues two young girls from the Red Swords and a pimp, then takes them home to their grandfather, Kimloc the Tano Spiritwalker.

Kalam acquires a pair of long knives and a package to deliver to the Holy Desert Raraku. Fiddler finds that all ships have left the harbor and plans to take Apsalar and Crokus overland to Tremorlor as a newly married couple on a pilgrimage. He disguises himself as a Gral tribesman.

In this story, Kalam and Fiddler find themselves amidst an insurrection. Both travel as natives, but Kalam is unknowingly followed by Red Swords. Fiddler finds his Gral disguise handy, but soon is being pursued by real Gral tribesmen. Apsalar has occasion to use her assassin talents and Crokus improves his skills with knives.

Kalam briefly meets Sha'ik, the leader of the uprising. Felisin, Heboric and Baudin are caught in the insurrection on Otataral Island and flee across the island desert to the coast. After the initial rebel attacks, Kulp -- a cadre mage -- and a party of coastal marines sail to Otataral Island to rescue Heboric.

This story recounts the massive rebellion of the Seven Cities natives against the Malazans. Everywhere on the subcontinent, Malazans are captured, tortured and killed. Others flee and some, such as Captain Keneb, successfully evade their native pursuers, but still lose kith and kin to the insurrection.

The Seven Cities under the Malazan Empire is much like India under the British Raj. This particular story seems strongly influenced by the Indian Mutiny -- AKA Sepoy Mutiny -- of 1857. In most instances, the Malazans -- like the British troops -- were better disciplined than the natives. Still, the Malazans in this story do not use native troops as much as the British did, but the tribes are relatively more powerful.

The Seven Cities tribesmen are as well armed as the Malazan soldiers, with the single exception of the Moranth munitions. Even their sorcery is comparable to that available to the Malazans actually on the subcontinent. Of course, the Malazan Empire, as a whole, has much more military and sorcerous power available to it than the Seven Cities forces, but such power is not immediately accessible.

Highly recommended for Erikson fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of native insurrections, military tactics and imperial corruption.

-Arthur W. Jordin

This books can be a bit slow to ramp up, especially because it builds from scratch again on an entirely new continent with nearly a completely new cast of characters. But after reading this book it nearly left me in tears it was so amazing. Characters you love will die. Men will be transformed into something more. Gods you might not suspect willingly aid protagonists. Also epic battles, rife with incredible magic. So yeah if you read GotM get this book duh.

One of the best books I've ever read. Like the first book, it's a masterpiece and unfortunately makes the other books that I've read (3-6) seem rushed and incomplete. It's just an amazingly intense book. I was also amazed how he's created his world without borrowing themes and creatures from Tolkien or AD&D.

First note: Parents, I would rate these books NC16
Erikson's first two books have been notable from the outset in four ways:
1. He immediately plunges us into his system of magic and introduces very powerful figures (like gods). These types of characters are often used very sparingly in more typical fantasy fare. I liked that change.

2. He has obviously spent huge amounts of time fleshing out his history and backstory, the books have the richness and texture that the best fantasy novels have and you feel pulled into a very deep and layered world.

3. Mr Erikson loves gore and horror, but likes writing fantasy novels. So his fantasy novel has LOTS of gore, horror, rape, blood, the murder and rape of children (more often than is appropriate). He is unrelenting and it is off putting and makes the books very difficult. I understand these are "dark" novels, but he rarely balances that darkness. I don't expect levity from him, but at least a respite here and there. He rarely lets an opportunity to stop and fetishize a horror go pass. Instead of main character riding through a square the writer has them encounter a child who men are attempting to rape, the child is saved but the men are murdered in the most grisly fashion possible. In other parts of the book the child isn't saved. He is a talented writer and I am intrigued by his world building, and I recognize that some of this horror is necessary for his style, but I am getting put out by it... I think I will read through book three and if things don't even out then I will be done with this series, the books are really starting to bring on a mood for me that I don't enjoy.

4. The almost total lack of romantic or simple kindness in love. People are loyal, they are comrades in arms, they back each other up as soldiers, but there is no overt caring or sympathy even between characters that truly seem to have that kind of relationship. I don't think he likes to write these scenes, so he doesn't... not when someone could be beheaded instead! I don't want the books to be mushy, I want Mr Erikson to stay true to his style, but the books are missing something so far, and I'm curious to see if he adds any more layers sometime soon.

This is a very interesting, but convoluted book, as the other Malazan Series book I read. Its like I have to read a quarter of it to figure out whats going on. I general very interesting and a worthy read.

I don't get all the Erikson hype... Especially this book. People said that this was their favorite of all of them. If this book was people's favorite then I don't think I will be reading any more of this series.

Here is a list of my main problems with the book (beware spoilers):

1. Pace

This book slogged so badly. Every single character just pushed and pushed and pushed to survive. It was very slow getting anywhere. I guess it had a lot of action, but I just couldn't care about the characters. I realized that it just didn't matter if anyone died.

2. Pointless plot elements

My main issue here was the whole deal with the soletaken and d'ivers converging on the path of hands. It seemed that the only reason these beast things exist is for the characters to have a level of risk and something to fight against. I almost laughed at the end when fiddler told Kalam that they had no trouble getting through to tremorlor and Kalam said "at least one of us had it easy. "

3. Unreasonable character decisions

Why did the lady go after Kalam? She was in love with him? Why? There was literally nothing in the book to show WHY she had feelings for him.

Why did Fiddler choose to go re-enlist? Loyalty to the empire? He was a member of the bridge burners... He worked with whisky jack and dujek... Literally no reason for him to go fight in the war.

Why did duiker decide to join coltain? He could have gone to try and join up with his other friends. Almost everything duiker does seems like an excuse to show certain plot points.

4. Overpowered characters.

Kalam gets stabbed and almost a dies... Then he successfully fights off several groups of highly skilled assassins with little to no trouble? Then he gets rescued by his woman on a horse? Dues ex machina at its best.

5. Lack of convincing resolution to the plot.

We have at the end Kalam just randomly being in the same city as the empress and she is expecting him? I guess the claw warren he was in led him to the empress, but what's the point? Why?

Then you have the melodramatic deaths of everyone you cared about in the chain of dogs. Utter pointless ending to everything.

Oh and the fact that shadow throne shows up at the end and gives everyone a bounty. Just pointless.

I should probably given this book 1 star but I gave it 2.

This books is much easier to follow than the first one. I read a lot at a fairly high level and struggled with understanding what was going on all the time. The second book is much easier to follow.

The overall quality of this book is fairly high and I can't wait to finish up the series.

Sadly this book returned to the fantasy morasse that I delightedly found 'Gardens of the Moon' to be free from: static characters and miles and miles of battle scenes. Once I became so bored I started skipping pages without missing the plot I knew I was done with this book. Erickson's worldbuilding and imagination and writing skills are all impressive, but this novel would be twice as good if it was half as long. I hope the next book is as good as 'Gardens' was.

Just finished Deadhouse Gates...

Wow...

My words won't do this masterpiece justice.

Simply put, this is one of the greatest works of art I have had the privilege of reading, fiction or no.

Full of surprises, I found myself touched, moved, amazed...time and again.

Masterwork.

I've decided that after reading the first two books in the Malazan series they are a lot like listening to the stories my 4 year old son tells me. The stories my son makes up are stream-of-consciousness and full of things that appear out of the blue but serve to keep the story going. Reading Erikson has been similar - the author has a great deal of creativity going, but the writing seems somewhat stream-of-consciousness, and when the characters get in a bind, something comes in from out of the blue to keep the story moving along. It can be fun, but also very frustrating.

To be fair, Deadhouse Gates is somewhat better written than the first book in the series and at least one of the storylines invokes only a couple of "out of the blue" events and is set up quite well. It even includes a character who questions what is going on, so that other characters can explain things to the reader - something that was sorely lacking in the first volume of the series. The other main storylines have more "divine intervention" from godlike/immortal beings; as with the first volume this tends to be a weak spot in Erikson's writing so these plotlines generally feel a little more like listening to a story a certain previously mentioned four-year old might make up.

I want to like Erikson's work; the world and the sort of adventures are generally my cup of tea. And I did enjoy this book at a certain level - the one where I really suspended my disbelief, read the story very much in the moment and tried not worry about where things were going or why they were happening. But in the end I want something that is better planned and better explained; something with good contextual underpinnings and good character motivation. Taken as a whole, this book reveals too many inconsistencies and happy (or sometimes unhappy) coincidences to stand up to any in-depth analysis; as such I can't recommend it as more than a group of entertaining (if sometimes a bit gruesome and depressing) adventure stories.

Will I continue in this series? I'm really not sure. Certainly I won't be rushing right out to get a copy of the next volume, I feel I have better options to spend my reading time on right now.

The second book in an absolutely superb series. The US is finally catching up with this, and although they are still three books behind, hopefully Tor will be up to speed by the time the 10 book series is finished. The only series that comes even close is Martin's Song of Fire and Ice. Buy Garden's of the Moon, then buy this.

I have already reviewed the first volume of this series; the whole series is among my favorite ever.
For the sake of those who share my appreciation, I want to point you towards a recently discovered (by me) series which is excellent and in the same genre: Richard Morgan's The Steel Remains trilogy. Check it out! (But not if you are seriously homophobic....).
Also, Joe Abercrombie's books are in the same category--excellent writing, vivid characterization, nitty-gritty brutal.

Having been utterly amazed by the world building and utterly disappointed in the story telling of Gardens of the Moon, I started Deadhouse Gates. Had it not been for the epic world building and the positive opinions of people whose reading tastes and preferences generally aligns with my own I would have stopped right there with the Malazan Book of the Fallen. All over the internet almost everyone agrees that Gardens of the Moon is the weakest of the series, and that after you read Deadhouse Gates or (in some opinions) the third book, Memories of Ice, you will be hooked. Generally speaking, upwards of three thousand pages is a hefty undertaking, especially considering the return on investment is not so apparent. I have to say that Deadhouse Gates was a considerably better told story than its predecessor; but I'm not sure at this point if the time and energy spent was equivalent to the output received from Deadhouse Gates.

The first (and most obvious) thing to note is that this book starts a whole new storyline on an entirely different continent than the events that occur in Gardens of the Moon. This tactic works well because it establishes how epic and vast the worldly struggle is. The problem, of course, is with Erikson's writing style it is a huge personal struggle to get engaged with the new characters and the background of the area. If you enjoyed the confusion from Gardens of the Moon of being dropped in the middle of a sweeping landscape of political turmoil and magical/metaphysical trouble then you have that to look forward to again; although Erikson has definitely improved in area of character introductions. Some might be frustrated that it took 650+ pages to finally understand who the characters were in Gardens of the Moon and now they aren't in the second volume. If the third volume really plants me into this series (as it supposedly will) then having the multiple plotlines spanning multiple books will be a solid victory in establishing this series as an epic wartime dark fantasy series.

I thought the plotting of Deadhouse Gates was better than Gardens of the Moon and the storyline/character motivations were much more real and believable. In fact, I believe that Coltaine, the commander of the 7th army, is the most fascinating character of the series thus far. I was engaged with his hard nosed, duty stricken nature, cursed by both his objective of saving 30,000 refugees and his location in the heart of a savage desert. In addition to the plotting, the writing is so heavy and almost cumbersome to read at points. It takes a lot of focus and energy to read Erikson's writing.

I think the most significant struggle with Erikson's series is not that the book is not descriptive; it is ripe with description; the struggle is that it is descriptive in the wrong areas. There is still too many random occurrences and/or knowledge of the world, magic, culture, and army hierarchy that feels like it should be basic knowledge to the reader; but it isn't. I find that overall the sheer lack of information (that supposedly all comes to light in later volumes) is simply more frustrating than the benefit I received from the epic world building and the few extremely fascinating characters. A reader should not have to read seven massive tomes and over 5,000 pages to fully appreciate the first 650 pages of the series; and if a reader doesn't mind doing that or being confused, lost, or overwhelmed more power to him or her; but, I still cannot in good faith recommend this series to anyone outside the die hard fantasy junkies.

The cover art is wonderful and the maps, Dramatis Personae, and glossary are welcome additions to the overall purchase.

Am I planning on reading the third installment, Memories of Ice? Yes, although at this point I feel it would have to be an unbelievably spectacular experience in order to make the return on this reading investment worthwhile.

Good reading,

It took me a bit to get into it, much like the first book. Mainly, it is because there is little introduction to the new characters - it simply takes off running.Eventually I caught up and enjoyed the ride, but the first few chapters were rough. There are new characters in this book, while also a few returning characters from book one. Things don't end like I thought they would, but that is a good thing, having not already guessed the outcome.

Steven Eriksons world of the Malazan is complex and beautifully written. Deadhouse Gates is the second book in the series and is full of bloody battles, interesting characters and wonderful stories, enough to satisfy any fantasy lover.

Some people may have been turned off by Gardens of the Moons complexity, but with Deadhouse Gates, Eriksons writing and storytelling has improved greatly.

Check it out.

Gardens of the Moon was decent enough that decided to read this book. I cannot believe people are calling this a page turner. Don't believe the reviews that place this book, or Gardens of the Moon for that matter, on a level with Wheel of Time, A Song of Ice and FIre (Game of Thrones), The Stormlight Archive, Sword of Truth, etc. I doubt I'll read further.

This book is freaking incredible! Erikson's writing is beautiful and heartbreaking. Also, just a thought, this series feels more complex than ASOIAF, which I think is great, but be warned: this is not light reading.

Even better than Gardens of the Moon! Confusing? Often. Reading Erikson requires patience. If you have patience, if you like LONG tales because of the potential for the author to create true depth, READ THIS BOOK. And then go on and read the next one, which is EVEN BETTER.

So many characters, factions, races, creatures, places to remember! At times I find this series more challenging to keep up with than The Wheel of Time series, but it is so worth it. Don't get overwhelmed, cross reference thinks with Malazan wiki, but stick with it; only gets better.

Characters are appealing and overall, the universe could have been great if Steven Erikson was not trying so hard to play to the game "I will try to get my reader lost by having 100 different characters"...

It was recommend by a colleague with A Song of Ice & Fire and if I like the "A song" series, this series is not for a reader just trying to enjoy an epic heroic fantasy tale but more for those looking for a brain-damaging experience.

This is book Two of the Malazan Boook of the Fallen series-which I didn't find out until reading the title page... Usually it's not a huge problem coming in on the second book of a series, but in this case... Tons of characters are mentioned and I have NO idea who they are and what they are doing or what's going on... And as this book is 600 pages long, that's a BIG problem. I suspect that I still wouldn't be any more enlightened if I had read the first book, however. This is a big epic mess about tons of races and magic and slavery-fitted around a military campaign that is somewhat like a forced march beset by enemies... after a sort of Jihad-like revolution called the Whirlwind is begun. And that's about all I can figure. This is one of the few books I've read recently that I really didn't care for in any respect. No sympathetic characters (I really wanted to rally around Felisin--but she is SUCH a horrible person to be around, even if she does have some cause, that it was unbearable). There were one or two somewhat interesting characters (the two historians, Heboric, who is an ex-priest with powers and a mysterious past, and Duiker, who wants to free Heboric from slavery. I also was intrigued and repelled by Baudin, another slave, mostly wondering what he was up to), but they really didn't really go anywhere--I was still as mystified by them at the end of the book as I was at the beginning. There was nothing about the plot that captivated me. This reminded me of later Robert Jordan books where a lot was going on but nothing really happening. I didn't even find the world that interesting. Actually, it reminded me a lot of Jordan's later books. (You must know that I stopped reading that series out of sheer boredom! And this had nothing to do with my ability to absorb details and to concentrate on an intricate plot!) This book just didn't grab me at all.

THE GOOD: I must have read a different book than some of the other reviewers because the only thing I can say good about this book is I did not waste my time finishing it - though I tried.

THE BAD: Have you ever smacked yourself in the head with a mallet, over and over again? That is what reading this book was like. It started out really good - in fact, when I say started I mean like the first five pages or so. Then it descends into - god knows what - until the "plot" becomes so convaluted that I had no idea what was going on. It was like reading a bunch of random chapters someone stapled together and called a book. This lack of unifying plotline made it very difficult for me to get into this book.

THE UGLY: AGAIN the author shoves us into a world that he refuses to flesh out. For anyone reading Song of Fire and Ice, imagine picking that series up at A Feast For Crows, with all the plot lines and characters already established. You would have a hard time trying to figure out what was going on and why it was important. That is the problem with this book. It is the same immersion Martin gives without the backstory to fill you in on what is happening. Without that history, this book becomes a very frustrating read.

Ubermonkey says put the mallet down and find yourself a Martin book.

OK, so "gardens of the moon" wasn't amazing, but it's really only a small beginning to something much bigger. huge. out of this world.
even if you weren't a fan of the first book, do yourself a favor and try the second one. everything about it is better than the first. such a powerful story, and the ending will blow your mind.

4 aspect I will judge this story by, Story, Worldbuilding, Characterization and Emotional response.

Story: 3 stars

Characterization:3 stars

Worldbuilding:4 stars

Emotional response: 4 stars

The first page should be the one the author revised and revised until it was perfect. I can't review the rest of this book because I didn't get past the first page.

Try (try hard!) the first paragraph: "He came shambling into Judgement's Round from the Avenue of Souls, a misshapen mass of flies. Seething lumps crawled on his body in mindless migration, black and glittering and occasionally falling away in frenzied clumps that exploded into fragmented flight as they struck the cobbles." If that's your style, be my guest.

Later on the same page, "The brothers had then moved in procession out onto the streets of Unta to greet the god's sprites, enjoining the mortal dance that marked the Season of Rot's last day." "Enjoining"?? what does that even mean here? Not "forbidding," I suppose. "Requiring"?? "Joining"? Beats me. And how about "mortal dance"? A dance doomed to die? A dance danced by mortals? (But then are the sprites mortal?) Beats me again. I think Erikson just threw in words he thought sounded good.

A very little bit later two characters confront each other, and I realized that I was so distracted by the language that I didn't know who they were or how they got there. Was one of them the "he" from the first sentence? Beats me again, again. I gave up.

Dorothy Parker used to have two lists for new books in her New Yorker column. One was titled, "Have You Read?" and the second, "Can You Read?" Deadhouse Gates goes in the second list, for me at least.

Though Gardens of the Moon was tripe, oftentimes a sequel can redeem a failure's legacy. Unfortunately things get worse. Gardens of the Moon was childish in how much magic there was and every main character was important based on their power levels and their affinity with Flat Random God A. But that is Shakespearean compared to this moronic excuse of a story.

The story involves the Seven Cities Rebellion, known as the Whirlwind, announced at the end of Gardens of the Moon which is rising to challenge the ruling Malazan forces. As a result of this pending outbreak into anarchy, the Malazan forces are worried and paranoid about what might happen, so they entrust leadership of their army to a group of slaves under Coltaine known as the Wickans, who are the most one-dimensional savage minority characters you'll ever get this side of Alabama. There's other story arcs, involving a group of escaped slaves, including Felisin Paran, desperately struggling to survive domestic and wild horrors, Fiddler and Kalam coming to kill Laseen and deliver the newly exorcised Apsalar home, and a generic schizophrenic uber-warrior named Icarium on the search for his memories while his companion Mappo does everything in his power to prevent him from discovering his brutal origins.

If you don't care now, you won't ever. For the first two hundred pages, all the characters do is talk about their plight. Essentially, aside from Felisin's story, everyone repeats how bad things are with a dash of nonsensical prophetic mysticism in order to remind readers that this is fantasy and hey, if you don't get it at first, it's deep right?

Then things do happen and the Whirlwind and the routed Malazan forces do battle while everyone else in between is left helpless at the behest of natural and supernatural forces out to kill them. People die and animals are killed but no one should care since there isn't enough prior buildup to care about either the Malazan Empire or the Whirlwind and no memorable people or events are ever mentioned.

Oh, and despite the body count per page recorded in these battles as well as some of the dire straits faced, we know that no one will die and if they do, so what? Why does a traveling wizard party arrive just in the brink of time to save Coltaine's party on their death throes with fresh resources and viands? Why did Felisin's party find a ghost ship where there is a magical wound that was coincidentally the destination of a group of traveling undead warriors looking to cure it who arrived just on the scene to save them from a bloodthirsty stalker? A WIZARD DID IT!

That's actually an acceptable explanation for this series, making for comedy gold.

The other story lines involve lots and lots of walking like Lord of the Rings minus the beautiful imagery and locales visited. The characters inevitably encounter dangers along the road like random bandits, hunger, and other difficulties but as mentioned before, there's always a solution. Exhibit B with Felisin's group involves that they're wandering in a desert and a sandstorm comes up but they luckily find a mountain for shelter. They're starving and it just so happens there's an old spring and food in the mountain.

It would have been great if Erikson decided to wink at us subtly considering all these artificial plot devices and let us know he's in on the joke. I question whether anyone can actually keep a straight face when they read some of the more random salvations that occur, including Kalam's near death from the total Claw assassin troupe cornering him and then all of a sudden a rundown stranger he met earlier pops up out of the blue to save him on a horse as if a reversal on the knight in shining armor to the rescue on his valiant steed. Maybe that's the point after all. I did laugh quite a few times at not only the quantity of the deus ex machina's performed but also the quality and how none ever seemed to remark on how many consecutive lucky strokes they had.

The dialogue is almost painful to read. Erikson betrays his nerdy RPG-ing roots, where people will say, "How dare you mortal!" or, "You disgusting warrior!", or better yet, "That's a good joke, human." Overinflated internal monologues choke with angst and it's clear just how ignorant he is of basic rules of persuasion, this one being, "Less is more."

Ineffable magic phenomena still happens that attacks characters and suddenly makes them the host of some boring dormant angry god ready to kill some other god that looked at him the wrong way and you'll never understand how or why. There's one particularly ludicrous scene where the exorcised Apsalar suddenly has her memories under Cotillion flare back out of nowhere, making sure she's not only overpowered but also giving Erikson an excuse to make her conflicted in an instant without any proper character development. It still feels contrived.

Some say the closest thing to Erikson is ancient mythical stories like Homer or Virgil. If my death rest was disrupted by people associating my beautiful saga with twirling mustache top hat wearing villain gods and generic grizzled warriors spouting adolescent philosophy, I'd start some cursed chain letters to punish this slander.

I thought Erikson's Tales of Malazan couldn't get any worse after "Gardens of the Moon", and second-efforts often improve the first. Not so in this case. It gets worse: much worse. In fact, so bad I found it funny when hit over the head with such profound insights as "all of history and historical study boils down to three words: children are dying."

Such 'metaphysical' banalities assault the reader on a regular basis. Nobles exist to oppress their servants for no reason, peasants exist to be wiped out en masse for no reason, every nation has massive standing armies of professional soldiers (no one ever goes home for harvest) with no economy to support them and so on. Wars are faught for Power in the post-modernist sense. No war is ever caused by famine, crop failure, point of Honour (as if honour exists in fantasy medieval societies!), territorial claim, change of ruler by marriage and all the rest of actual medieval, pre-industrial life. In fact, I have no idea why the Seven Cities rose in rebellion other than some vague prophecy about the Whirlwind.

Just post-modern, politically correct 'narrative' disguised as a story: it has no conclusion, like "Gardens", just some random events that happen to characters for no readily apparent reason, and plenty of "Get Out of Jail Free" cards supplied to all important characters at every juncture: the ones you want to see die a grisly death always get rescued from nowhere for no reason.

It's written, like "Gardens", as a screenplay, not a novel. Scenes are set in boring detail, to cut to another scene in counter-point, to "flashback" scene, to "dream-sequence" scene. You know he is trying to intensify the action when he seems to be describing camera angles rather than the action itself. One page - Cut! - next character view - Cut! and so on. But nothing happens anyweay, just a series of POV cuts and 'camera angles'.

Also, claiming Flashman as inspiration for the battlefield descriptions doesn't hold water. Fraser was describing historical battles people could (and did) check on. Erikson just makes it all up as he goes along, making for a very confused description of the action, and explains everything away as "magic" or "the gods". Why anyone worships these gods is not clear: no paradise or moral high ground or self-transformation to be found in this hideous caracature of religion, just blood-thirsty ex-humans who exist to fill in the ludicrous gaps of the absurd non-story.

900 pages to say nothing of interest to an adult mind and tell no story whatsoever is, in its way, quite an achievement, one Erikson has mastered if the first 2 volumes are any indication. It was no surprise in its way to find out that these were all rejected screenplays from a non-D&D RPG campaign (GURPS was the English system laughed at by 'serious' gamers of the time) rewritten through a Writers Workshop 101 class, and it shows in the poor standard of writing and lack of story. Seems to me to be a sequence of serial-drama teleplays, not novels or an epic at all.

Save your money, or try to get a laugh. It's a hard slog any which way you look at it. I'd just like to find a fantasy author who doesn't project modern and post-modern politics, sensibilities and philosophies onto pseudo-medieval realms.

This is simply one of the most (if not the most) captivating fantasy novels I have ever read (and thats including the Wheel of Time, Song of Ice and Fire, among countless others). This is simply superb, can't say enough. A MUST READ!

After two books in this series, I simply don't follow all the praise. This book is better written than Gardens of the Moon by a large margin, and Erikson does display some good detailed writing earlier on the book. However, as it treads on, some of that detail is lost and the book begins to spiral a bit out of control. The interesting stories become uninteresting, and the characters (which are not his specialty) never develop distinct personalities. Reading these books, I have yet to really like or care about anyone in them.

I did not finish, though I got up around the 80% mark. Simply didn't care enough and moved onto other books. I'm not in love with his world, his characters, or his inability to really change up writing styles. You read one chapter, they all read the same. The writing never has a distinct flair from character to character. In fantasy, this is important since your books are carried by your characters.

Say what you will about Salvatore, Sanderson, and others ... but at least they have characters that you somewhat remember when putting the book down. I can't recall anyone's names from two books now outside of maybe Icarus, and only because he was supposed to be powerful. All the other guys who all start with "K" were basically the same man, IMO, except that I was told one was a mage (though he never did anything magical), another an assassin, and another was something else irrelevant, like a captain or a merc or a ... see my point?

No thanks.

I'm gonna break down my review to 3 parts:

THE STORY (no spoilers ahead):
The story itself was rather good. I expected that it will follow the story from where it ended in Gardens of the Moon, but it plays on a different continent, with mostly different characters. Anyhow, it was rather good, especially the end when it became busy and desperate. The world building was fine, I began to like Coltain as well, and it was satisfactory to learn what's up with Ikarium and Mappo.

THE KINDLE EDITION:
X-ray is still a mess. It's a shame since there are terms and names collected and described at the back of the text. It would only take a few minutes to incorporate that into the X-ray. That would be an instant improvement. Also there are still problems with names like "Fiddler", "Sorry" etc, like there was with Gardens of the Moon.

THE AUDIBLE:
Ralph Lister reads rather good. Most of the voice he gave to the characters were consistent, and some of them were brilliant: the madness of Iskaral Pust was evident from his first spoken word. And when Mr Lister was crying: "THE WICKANS!! THE WICKAAAANS!" then I just simply lost it. Pure genius!

Steven Erickson makes fantasy fresh and unexpected. He has such skill in weaving a tale that has so much depth and antiquity. I recommend all the books of the fallen series. They may be read individually, but if read together the stories paint a larger picture. If you are considering it, and you enjoy contemporary fantasy you can’t go wrong with this series.