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I highly recommend this series of books; both the ones written by SE and ICE. These books are probably one of my favourite fantasty collections and while it's size may be daunting it's one of the best things about it in my opinion as the story becomes so huge and engaging with so many varied characters and scenarios occuring. Just my opinion of course.
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May 16, 2011 12:48
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"HppyCmpr" posted:I highly recommend this series of books; both the ones written by SE and ICE. Bit of a controversial opinion to be coming round these parts with!
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May 16, 2011 16:04
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HppyCmpr posted:I highly recommend this series of books; both the ones written by SE and ICE. Good to see your opinion hasn't changed since the last page.
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May 16, 2011 16:29
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Ok so Memories of Ice is pretty depressing 
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May 16, 2011 18:20
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Levitate posted:Ok so Memories of Ice is pretty depressing MOI was the first book in the series I read, I didn't even know it was book three of ten until after the epilogue and it's probably still my favourite even now I've finished the whole series, though Midnight Tides is really close.
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May 17, 2011 03:16
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Yeah, finished it, reading House of Chains now. It's got the "important poo poo got taken care of but at a high price, though I'm not sure Whiskeyjack is actually dead, what with him talking about faking his own death and all. Could have gotten Rake to help him out with that in some way, but regardless, it was a pretty rough spot for everyone else
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May 17, 2011 10:42
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Levitate posted:Yeah, finished it, reading House of Chains now. It's got the "important poo poo got taken care of but at a high price, though I'm not sure Whiskeyjack is actually dead, what with him talking about faking his own death and all. Could have gotten Rake to help him out with that in some way, but regardless, it was a pretty rough spot for everyone else I may have some bad news for you. He died. Electronico6 fucked around with this message at 11:19 on May 17, 2011 |
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May 17, 2011 11:17
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Electronico6 posted:I may have some bad news for you. That's also cool with me. Just seems like one of those series where you're always second guessing what's happening with people, just to be on the safe side.
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May 17, 2011 13:02
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Levitate posted:That's also cool with me. Just seems like one of those series where you're always second guessing what's happening with people, just to be on the safe side.
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May 17, 2011 16:00
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Happened to be watching a movie tonight, "The Long, Hot Summer". Now I know where Quick Ben's name came from. I wonder how one character fits in with the other.
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May 19, 2011 03:40
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coyo7e posted:Happened to be watching a movie tonight, "The Long, Hot Summer". You must be wrong. I thought it was this: 
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May 19, 2011 04:47
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On a similar note, I noticed that there's a Tattersall Drive in Victoria, BC, where Erikson lived for a while.
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May 19, 2011 07:06
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Finished Night of Knives. Now I'm trying to decide if I should plunge headfirst into the super long Bonehunters or take a quick break and read the first Dresden Files book Storm Front(it's short).
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May 19, 2011 16:22
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Juaguocio posted:On a similar note, I noticed that there's a Tattersall Drive in Victoria, BC, where Erikson lived for a while. There's also one in Alaska.
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May 19, 2011 19:39
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Gah gently caress. Got my copy of Stonewielder from Border's online finally, and like fifty pages are cut off on top and are missing about half the text. So, I have to go to a Fedex Kinko's and send the damned thing back, and wait however long to get a new one. Fuckers. 
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May 20, 2011 06:14
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A Nice Boy posted:and wait however long to get a new one. Fuckers. Meh. I wouldn't get too worked up about it.
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May 20, 2011 10:56
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A Nice Boy posted:Gah gently caress. Got my copy of Stonewielder from Border's online finally, and like fifty pages are cut off on top and are missing about half the text. So, I have to go to a Fedex Kinko's and send the damned thing back, and wait however long to get a new one. Fuckers. That same thing happened to me with Return of the Crimson Guard. In the middle of the book I found 30 pages which looked like the binding machine had been replaced with a cross shredder. Another bummer was my first copy of Midnight Tides had 10 pages right near the climax that were blank on just one side of the page. Anyway Stonewielder shows some promise but ultimately flops back into mediocrity. It's a frustrating experience, particularly when he's almost there with certain plot points and characters then just drops them to focus on tertiary stuff or make poor attempts at humor.
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May 20, 2011 14:22
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Abalieno posted:You must be wrong. I thought it was this: 
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May 22, 2011 19:26
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So I just finished TGC and the thing that's sticking in my mind the most is what the Empresses' deal is. Is she undead? I seem to recall someone going to see her (Pearl?) via the imperial warren way back in like book 6 or something and she was a horrible corpse on a throne? Isn't that the sort of thing people would generally have some questions about? It's been a while since I read the other books so maybe my memory is faulty.
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May 24, 2011 18:45
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angerbeet posted:So I just finished TGC and the thing that's sticking in my mind the most is what the Empresses' deal is. Is she undead? I seem to recall someone going to see her (Pearl?) via the imperial warren way back in like book 6 or something and she was a horrible corpse on a throne? Isn't that the sort of thing people would generally have some questions about? That's the Deadhouse Gates scene where Kalam speaks to her in a room in Malaz City but it's really her voice being projected through a corpse to keep her out of knife range. You see her onpage in The Bonehunters where she's perfectly alive and not dead at all while trying to persuade Kalam to kill Korbolo Dom and Mallick Rel for/with her. Have you read Return of the Crimson Guard? That's got the most information about what she's currently doing.
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May 24, 2011 19:23
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Illuyankas posted:Have you read Return of the Crimson Guard? That's got the most information about what she's currently doing. Well, that would make levying taxes easier than "Your horrible skeleton queen demands a 1% income tax raise" "By Osserc's firey pubes!" No, I've only read the regular series, I got Korebalin and Broach or whatever when I ordered TCG so I might start in more on the extended universe things. Or read a real book to offset the terrible fantasy balance in my life.
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May 24, 2011 22:54
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angerbeet posted:I got Korebalin Who's that guy? 
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May 24, 2011 23:23
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Core Ballin, Quick Ben's less known but certainly more popping cousin.
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May 25, 2011 01:31
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Abalieno posted:Who's that guy? Close enough is who <  >
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May 25, 2011 02:03
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angerbeet posted:Or read a real book to offset the terrible fantasy balance in my life. Might want to steer clear of RotCG then, as it definitely veers into "terrible fantasy" territory a number of times. It's worth reading if you like the Malazan world and want to hear more about some of your favourite characters, but ICE's writing leaves a lot to be desired.
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May 25, 2011 07:44
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So I started the first book and it's a bit ridiculous. I can see why this took forever to find a publisher. In the first 175 pages he's trotted out like two dozen characters and gently caress all if I really know what's going on.
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May 25, 2011 13:15
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angerbeet posted:Well, that would make levying taxes easier than "Your horrible skeleton queen demands a 1% income tax raise" "By Osserc's firey pubes!" If you want to skip what some consider the inferior ICE novel "Return of the Crimson Guard" (I liked it, as did many others, but many also don't) then here's relevant spoilers regarding what's going on back in the Malazan Empire: The Crimson Guard returns. They are driven off during a three way war thing between The Malazans, a rebellion led by Urko Crust/Toc the Elder/some others and the Crimson Guard. Laseen is assassinated during the fighting. Mallick Rel takes over the Malazan Empire during the power vaccuum. The rebellion is crushed, and Urko ends up joining back with the Malazans. Toc the Elder dies. Tayschrenn falls into a crazy void/rift thing while fighting some rear end in a top hat mage who shows up. No idea what's going on with him. The search for him takes up some of Stonewielder, ICE's novel after RotCG, but I don't think that's been figured out yet. I think that's the main stuff. There are references in books 9 and 10 to stuff that happened during RotCG, so it helps to know what happened.
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May 25, 2011 14:03
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Finally finished TCG last night. Just starting to hit me what a ridiculously massive series this was that just came to an end. Overall, I enjoyed the last book, even if there were a bunch of plot stuff that didn't make sense or were left unresolved: The Crippled God's personality basically did a massive 180 at the end. Throughout the whole series he has been a huge rear end in a top hat and delighted in thousands of deaths, and all of a sudden he's like this nice guy who's so happy to witness soldiers dying for him? I don't think Erikson built his change of heart up enough to make me buy it. I was kind of hoping Crokus and Apsalar would have more of a role in the events of the last book. Their little scene in the 2nd epilogue felt thrown in there just to wrap up that story, but in retrospect both their journeys went nowhere after Book 2, and if Erikson wasn't going to do anything with them, he should've finished off their story several books back. Did not really understand Karsa's role at the end there. How could anyone have possibly known Gessler and Stormy would inadvertently call Fener down during the Spire battle, and instruct Karsa on what to do to kill the god? Even I don't buy that Shadowthrone and Cotillion could have predicted that. I guess I don't mind Karsa's tiny role since I know Erikson's gonna write a whole other trilogy wrapping up his storyline. Kinda wish Trull Sengar would've made an appearance, what with so many dead folk popping back up. Or was he supposed to be the lantern guide at the end there with Mael and K'rul? No explanation for how Hetan gets to live. No explanation for who Rathan Gudd was, unless it was explained in Stonewielder, which I haven't read yet. Where did Draconus go? What about his daughters? Why did Gruntle and Tool's sister fight? Didn't really understand that whole thing. Udinaas' dragon son basically did nothing. Also thought Grub would have a bigger role in the end. Where did all the dragons go after Korabas was rechained? I still wish Tavore found out she had killed her own sister, but that's just a personal preference. Why did Cotillion stab TCG in the back? It was from Koryk's POV and meant to look like some sort of betrayal, but I guess it was to help him actually go home? If someone could clarify this that'd be great. Also nothing ever came of Caladan Brood and his 'Destroy the World' hammer. Despite all the nitpicks, I did really enjoy it for the most part, and I really enjoyed the series as a whole. I have no problem with Erikson writing more books in this world, and I will continue to read them. Gonna take a little break now before reading Stonewielder. qbert fucked around with this message at 20:16 on May 25, 2011 |
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May 25, 2011 20:10
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qbert posted:Finally finished TCG last night. Just starting to hit me what a ridiculously massive series this was that just came to an end. qbert posted:Did not really understand Karsa's role at the end there. How could anyone have possibly known Gessler and Stormy would inadvertently call Fener down during the Spire battle, and instruct Karsa on what to do to kill the god? Even I don't buy that Shadowthrone and Cotillion could have predicted that. I guess I don't mind Karsa's tiny role since I know Erikson's gonna write a whole other trilogy wrapping up his storyline. qbert posted:Kinda wish Trull Sengar would've made an appearance, what with so many dead folk popping back up. Or was he supposed to be the lantern guide at the end there with Mael and K'rul? qbert posted:Where did Draconus go? What about his daughters? qbert posted:Why did Gruntle and Tool's sister fight? Didn't really understand that whole thing. qbert posted:Why did Cotillion stab TCG in the back? It was from Koryk's POV and meant to look like some sort of betrayal, but I guess it was to help him actually go home? If someone could clarify this that'd be great.
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May 25, 2011 22:56
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I was writing some comments on Tor re-read, so I thought about asking for opinions here. KEEP IT SPOILER FREE, as I'm not looking for plot details, but just for overall/thematic structure. The line of thought is this: what is that drives the purpose and meaning of the series? One of the central themes of the series is that history is continuous and doesn't have a beginning and end. But then to tell a story you have to divide it into discrete pieces, and the way you make this division is the way you decide to interpret it and give it meaning. So why ten books? As each book tells a relatively self contained story, the whole series, as a collection of ten books, must have a central idea or theme that defines it. A beginning and an end. What is this central idea that drives the whole series and makes it something "finished"? What is the concept, idea, theme or character that unifies it? The first answer a reader could have is: the Crippled God. The CG is what set the plot into movement, as its fate determines the conclusion of the series. Is the "Malazan Book of the Fallen" the story of the Crippled God? My idea comes from those questions. I think that the central conflict in the series is another, and that the Crippled God is only one of the pieces involved in a bigger game. An important one, but not the central one. And if I wanted to choose another that is more "representative" then I would pick Paran.
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May 28, 2011 17:26
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Abalieno posted:I was writing some comments on Tor re-read, so I thought about asking for opinions here. KEEP IT SPOILER FREE, as I'm not looking for plot details, but just for overall/thematic structure. The Crippled God? Hmm I don't think so. I think the series belongs to Shadowthrone and Cotillion, which ties to it's central theme(and consequential your question). Old vs New. Shadowthrone and Cotillion set off a chain of events(Even before Gardens of the Moon starts) that changes the world of Malazan and it's balance of power. Old ideas, old gods, old powers now must face change or get forgotten and useless. So I guess that's it basically. Malazan Book of the Fallen is about Old vs New and the change that comes from that confrontation. You see it all the time during the series. Old creatures that are suppose to be all powerful, but fail to match the new breed of species and it's tactics.
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May 28, 2011 21:24
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Electronico6 posted:The Crippled God? Hmm I don't think so. I think the series belongs to Shadowthrone and Cotillion, which ties to it's central theme(and consequential your question). It's about convergence. The Crippled God is just the card that forces everybody's hand. I agree, the series really is about old against new, but it's also about order against chaos. Tiste Liosan and Forkrul Assail fight just about everyone else, Jaghut fight T'lan Imass, etc. The Malazan empire exists in a world where there is a constant struggle for power between beast, man (and Tiste, Jaghut, Imass, etc), ascended, and gods. What I like is that many characters don't fall into a single category, and it's possible to move between categories. Is Ryllandaras man, beast or ascended? How about Anomander Rake?
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May 28, 2011 22:41
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Abalieno posted:What is this central idea that drives the whole series and makes it something "finished"? What is the concept, idea, theme or character that unifies it? Archaeology. The entire Malazan series is fantasy, history, comedy, tragedy, poetry and whatever else filtered through Erikson's archaeological/anthropological lens. This is one of the series' greatest strengths, but is also its greatest weakness in my opinion.
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May 29, 2011 00:48
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More archaeologists should do fantasy books then.
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May 29, 2011 01:54
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Abalieno, I'd say it was compassion.
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May 29, 2011 04:09
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Vanilla Mint Ice posted:More archaeologists should do fantasy books then. Only if they're like Erikson and not ICE.
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May 29, 2011 04:12
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I would think a large part of the theme would have to be made up of humanity and it's ability to adapt, endure, and prevail. Countless times, the long lived beings of the series, and Gods especially are, tormented, aghast, in awe, and stupefied by human tenacity. I think they're standins for disease, weather, environment, predators, etc. that have been a part of humanity since its birth. The Malazans Empire kinda standins for humanity as a whole.
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May 29, 2011 04:21
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Yeah, Electronico6 and Loving Life Partner nailed it. Especially if you join these two answers together. "Compassion" sure, is a theme along the whole series, but it's not something that could justify why the story is divided like that. You can tell a story about compassion even in just one book. So it is a central theme but also one among others.
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May 29, 2011 05:57
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I think Icarium's pretty central to the heart of the series, but I couldn't tell you why. He was far from my favourite character, but something about the brutality of the cycles of history. Like, history is brutal and doomed to repeat itself, but humanity can break the cycles and improve the world if they put their heart into it. That's the vibe I got from the whole thing.
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May 30, 2011 02:03
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Hood does not like Forkrul Assail.
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May 30, 2011 02:08
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