The Malazan Book of the Fallen: Too many wor'ds.

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imagine dungeons: Jan 24, 2008; Like an arrow, I was only passing through.

FoD was alright if a bit frustrating. Still haven't read FoL if that tells you anything, though.

# ? May 25, 2022 21:40

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# ? Apr 27, 2024 01:05

dishwasherlove: Nov 26, 2007; The ultimate fusion of man and machine.

I don't feel FoD rewrites much, just Erikson showing us how wonky history is. It's definitely its own thing and yeah ok, it's fair to be critical of it.

Thank you whoever recommended the audiobook of The God is Not Willing. Never listened to an audiobook before, I don't have much of a commute, but the narrator for this one is worth making time for.

# ? May 25, 2022 22:40

Man with Hat: Dec 26, 2007; Open up your Dethday present
It's a box of fucking nothing; Exciting Lemon

Wolfsheim posted:

I do remember WJ's sister being claimed by Hood which is why the Queen of Dreams was annoyed when Leoman brought her along on his escape route, but they seemed like such a team that it was very odd to me that when he finally returns in ICE's book she doesn't seem to get referenced at all.

I always thought that was the Errant's doing for some reason

# ? Jun 1, 2022 09:25

Wolfsheim: Dec 23, 2003; "Ah," Ratz had said, at last, "the artiste."

Orb Scepter Throne is ICE's best book yet, much like Erikson he clearly gets better with each attempt but it's taking him a lot longer to get there lol

It probably helps that it's set somewhere I already liked following characters I already liked. Antsy's trek through all the various bandit groups trying to kill each other on the crashed Moon's Spawn was probably my favorite bit, though all the Seguleh stuff was pretty good too.

# ? Jun 17, 2022 07:53

coathat: May 21, 2007

Odd Malazan siting of the day: In season 2 of the Swedish/Danish crime show The Bridge one of the characters has a copy of Blood and Bone and another ICE book I couldn't make out on her desk.

# ? Jun 23, 2022 00:24

Macdeo Lurjtux: Jul 5, 2011; BRRREADSTOOORRM!

Its been maybe 4 years since I finished The Crippled God and I tried diving back in with The Gods Not Willing. Found myself putting it down to browse the wikia to jog my memory about a character and falling in a wiki hole that take the entire night 3 times so far.

# ? Jul 17, 2022 05:08

dishwasherlove: Nov 26, 2007; The ultimate fusion of man and machine.

I mean other than the Karsa plot I think there are only five other named characters (no doubt there are some pseudonyms) that overlap with the main series. Blaze through it's a great book.

# ? Jul 17, 2022 06:46

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

Yeah, I finished reading it about a week ago and it was a surprisingly comfortable dive back into the Malazan world.

_{still wish he'd finished Walk in Shadow first though}

anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 09:55 on Jul 17, 2022

# ? Jul 17, 2022 09:52

Macdeo Lurjtux: Jul 5, 2011; BRRREADSTOOORRM!

Yeah, I'm getting past it okay. And it's less the actual repeating characters but the marine's names tend be kind of reminiscent so I have to double check sometimes if I'm supposed to know these people besides the obvious one.

# ? Jul 18, 2022 15:07

Daric: Dec 23, 2007; Shawn:
Do you really want to know my process?

Lassiter:
Absolutely.

Shawn:
Well it starts with a holla! and ends with a Creamsicle.

I think my favorite part of the book (and this really goes to the Malazans in general I guess) is how the one main bad guy was like �I don�t know who these people are but one of them is very dangerous� and you as the reader are just sitting there laughing like �you idiot, they�re all extremely dangerous!�

It really had me hooked again.

# ? Jul 19, 2022 14:19

Fuzzy Mammal: Aug 15, 2001; Lipstick Apathy

Teaser chapter from SE:

quote:

Chapter XXXX
You call this normal?
In the garden butterflies
Do their daily dance
Answering sun�s rise and day�s light
In random flurry of life
The flowers turn their heads
Tracking time�s florid insolence
The grinning grinding persistence
Awaiting the final season�s grey curtain
You call this surface simple?
Above the tomb�s deep dive
All the blood flowing unseen
In channels of unending night
I have no name for this
The thumping thundering susurration
Of all these beating hearts
Somewhere a hand lurks
Prodding pushing killing
And here again comes the dawn
Of another harrowing day
Lest It Be Named
Fisher kel Tath
The city of G�danisban was a faded study in dun tones and weary paint in the waning afternoon light. Built of sandstone and mortar, blockish and chaotic as befitted a settlement born before the era of carts, much less carriages, every street was an alley and every alley a tortured, winding maze between buildings. A bird wheeling overhead would see little more than clotheslines on flat roofs, festooned with flags, every nation a home, every army a household, all in rich dyes and flapping in the hot wind.
The central palace had once been a fortress, a bastion of those who eventually climbed to power, generation layered upon generation, addition upon addition, enforcing the illusion of continuity which, should the bird fly ever higher, was not an illusion at all. But some things were too bitter to contemplate.
Fist Jalan Arenfall sighed, his thick, scarred forearms resting on the low adobe wall enclosing the flat roof, his slate-eyed gaze scanning the maze of drying clothes, stone and shadows of the city below. What made this such a knot in the heart of Seven Cities? Barely thirty thousand souls dwelt here, every one of them besieged by seething acolytes of a score or more competing temples, with hands held out and dire warnings on their tongues. Extortion extending into the realm of souls, no less. What manner of beast is man and woman?
Most days, he bore his second name with just enough wry acknowledgement to fashion something like equanimity in the company of his staff, city and provincial officials, officers and clerks and all the rest of his daily entourage. Arenfall. Before his time, the city of Aren�s true conquest � to the Malazans � of course. But his Aren�s fall to the Malazans was not, however, the origin of his name. His attribution referred to a later event. Namely, the day that Aren did not fall. When it held fast against the Rebellion, an island of life surrounded by death.
The fall, indeed, occurred outside the city�s walls. A detail of such significance that the great city had suffered a fatal shift in the regard and sensibilities of an entire empire. No longer Aren, but now Aren Outside the Fall. A mouthful to be sure.
Was it not a wonder So, how was it that one man�s death could change the world? Or give a rebel�s son his second name in the manner of an empty promise?
Over the city, almost level with where the Fist stood, swallows spun and wheeled through the turgid, dusty air. Their presence, flying out from nests in holes built into the palace�s high walls, made an eternal paint of guano down every side of the building, and occasionally, when the winds fell away, a fetid reek as well. Yet he did not begrudge them � was anything more glorious than their aerial dance and piercing song? And now that a freshwater sea occupied what had once been a desert basin, not too far away, malaria had returned to the area. Bats and swallows were welcome to eat their fill of mosquitoes, to the benefit of all.
He heard footsteps approaching and stifled a second sigh. Moments of contemplation were getting rare. Straightening, he turned to study the two men with whom he now shared the roof-top. The captain, Hadalin Bhilad, remained close to the hatch leading into the rooms below, thumbs tucked into his weapon-belt, his off-white telaba�s hood raised to shade his head and face. There was enough in his stance to tell Jalan that not all was well between the captain and the other man, who was now joining the Fist close to the wall.
Jalan dipped his head. �Adjunct.�
�I have unwittingly shattered your sanctuary,� Adjunct Inkaras Sollit said. �Forgive me.�
�Pondering the city below yields little sanctuary,� Jalan replied, �although this view is removed enough to offer some relief.�
�And, I would think, perspective?� Inkaras moved to lean on the wall, matching Jalan�s pose only a few moments ago. The dusky blue of his hands and bared forearms delivered a stark contrast to the magenta-dyed telaba he wore. While many foreigners struggled with the telaba as a garment, given its peculiar folds and bias cut, the Adjunct might well have been born in one, such was his apparent comfort wearing the traditional desert garb. And yet, he was no native to this land.
�Are you settled in your chambers, Adjunct? Given no announcement as to your pending arrival��
�You did very well indeed, Fist. The rooms are most satisfactory.� He paused, and a half-smile flitted across his blunt, battered features. �The heat, on the other hand�.�
�I would think the Napan Isles��
�I was born on Malaz Island,� Inkaras interrupted. �Jakata, to be more precise, which began as a Napan colony. Or so it is said and given the predominance of blue-skinned inhabitants on that side of the island, it seems likely. In any case,� he went on, �my family were fishers, living on Break Island facing the Inside Passage, where the winds from the south were icy year-round.�
Jalan Arenfall considered, and then said, �Icy no longer, I would think.�
�True enough,� Inkaras agreed. �The world of my childhood is not the world
around me now. But then, can we not all say that? After all,� he continued, gaze still on the city roofs below, �you were a child-soldier in the rebel army of Korbolo Dom, your father one of his most trusted commanders. I am curious � what does your father think of your life now? A Fist of the Empire. Poet and musician. And utterly godless.�
Jalan was silent for a moment, wondering why the Adjunct had neglected to mention Jalan�s most notorious trait: namely, his infamous propensity for violence. If baiting, then a dangerous game indeed, especially with the man within reach, and seemingly intent upon the scene below. Arrogance? Confidence? If either, then twice misplaced.
If he chose to kill this man, here and now, none could stop him. Not the captain ten paces behind them. Not the Adjunct himself, since no magic need be called upon.
�Arenfall,� Inkaras went on, still oblivious, �is therefore a peculiar appellation. Then, of course, there is your other name, the one barely whispered in shadows, which I find � fascinating. What meaning, then, is �Blinker�?�
The question faltered on the last word, as the Adjunct now found himself staring at the point of a knife, hovering in front of his right eye.
�Ah,� Inkaras said shakily, �In the blink of an eye, then. I comprehend.�
�Less than you imagine,� Jalan replied, slowly withdrawing the blued blade and taking a single step back � whereupon he felt the broad tip of the captain�s sword between his shoulder-blades, poking against the cloth of his telaba.
�We share the flaw,� the Adjunct murmured.
�We do not,� Jalan replied. �Had I taken your life in that instant, Adjunct, your captain would have followed in the next. The point made here, Inkaras Sollit, had already been delivered.�
�And how do you imagine the Emperor would feel about you killing his Adjunct?�
�Upset, I�m sure.�
�Not enough for tears,� Inkaras said, apparently amused. �But your grave would be unmarked.�
Jalan loosed a heavy sigh. �Do you not think, Adjunct, we already have too many revered tombs? Too many venerated barrows? Why are you here, if not to address this seething cauldron of dead martyrs? No, I welcome a nameless hole for my bones.�
�Just not today,� the Adjunct said.
Jalan shrugged, slowly turning to stare down the captain.
�Return to our quarters, beloved,� murmured Inkaras to Hadalin Bhilad. �For the discussion to follow, it must be the Fist and myself and no other.�
The captain�s cold gaze held for a moment longer on Jalan�s eyes, and then he lowered and sheathed his otataral longsword and stepped back. walking back wheeled and walked towards the hatch, down which he noiselessly went. He strode stiffly back to the hatch in the roof. Descending, then gone.
�Yes,� the Fist allowed, �he is fast indeed.� the Fist allowed.
�But not fast enough.�
�At ten paces, no-one is.�
�I am surprised the Claw did not pay you a visit long ago, with skills such as you have just displayed.�
Jalan Arenfall frowned across at the Adjunct. �Well, the Claw are not likely to record their failures, are they?�
�At recruiting you?�
�No, Adjunct, at surviving the encounter. Did you not know? I used to hunt down and kill Claw for a living.�
Now it was the Adjunct�s turn to stare. �The Emperor was somewhat terse, it seems. How is it you are now a Fist? This makes no sense.�
�There is a perennial problem with the imperial secret assassins, enough to send cold sweat down the back of any emperor. Accordingly, periodically, a cull is required.�
Now the Adjunct�s eyes were wide. �The Emperor hired you to clean house?�
Jalan shrugged. �There was precedent.�
�There was?�
�Kalam Mekhar did much the same for Empress Laseen. In Malaz City, in fact. After that bloody night, she could breathe easy for a time.�
�Hardly at all!�
�Well, other matters intervened.�
�What other matters?�
�The Crimson Guard�s untimely return, I suppose.� Jalan then shrugged. �Is this what we are to discuss, Adjunct?�
�No, but finding my feet is taking longer than expected.�
That was an honest enough admission. Jalan decided to ease out a notch. �My father disapproves of all that I am, Adjunct. We do not speak and have not in years. Accordingly, he knows less of me than he thinks.�
�And you are certain of that?�
�No, but in truth, it hardly matters. Leoman the Flail�s betrayal broke him. My father hasn�t faced a day sober in many years. Not an uncommon fate for the broken-hearted.�
�You sound almost forgiving.�
�A preferred outcome to obsessive, murderous rage, Adjunct.� He paused, and then said, �A world of broken-hearted people sounds � peaceful.�
Breath gusted from Inkaras. �Blessed Laseen, you leave me rattled at every turn!�
�Apologies, Adjunct. Of all the titles given me, it is �poet� that cuts deepest.�
�Why is that?�
�It is the only curse among them.�

Check the fb post for lots of context and commentary: https://www.facebook.com/steveneriksonofficial/posts/601335174680708

# ? Jul 26, 2022 03:35

dishwasherlove: Nov 26, 2007; The ultimate fusion of man and machine.

Uh it's book two of the Witness Trilogy if you don't want to spoil yourself, though there aren't really any spoilers in that text.

# ? Jul 26, 2022 06:02

Mentat Radnor: Apr 24, 2008; ~Water flowers every day~

I just picked up the first book in paperback form a week ago, and now I'm totally engrossed 300 pages in.

Obviously I'm not going to really read this thread because spoilers, but I just wanted to rave a bit about how great it was to be thrown headfirst into epic events with zero exposition. Having no idea what was going just made me hugely thirsty to figure out the workings of the world I was presented with. Rating "death metal af / 10", best five dollars I've ever spent.

# ? Jul 26, 2022 18:27

anilEhilated: Feb 17, 2014; But I say fuck the rain.; Grimey Drawer

Please do keep sharing your impressions, first-time reads are always a treat.

# ? Jul 26, 2022 20:04

Mentat Radnor: Apr 24, 2008; ~Water flowers every day~

anilEhilated posted:

Please do keep sharing your impressions, first-time reads are always a treat.

I'll be sure to post my thoughts and wild speculations once I finish the first book for the entertainment of everyone here who has read the whole series.

# ? Jul 26, 2022 20:41

Strom Cuzewon: Jul 1, 2010

I loving live for wild speculations. Was great to get two rounds of it with aSoiaF and GoT. So yes, please, :speculate:

# ? Jul 26, 2022 20:49

mischief: Jun 3, 2003

Oh my sweet summer child, you are in for a slog. It is a punishing series to read but the good parts make it so incredibly worth it. My wife still bounces off the first book and I keep telling her... worth it. I've never had to put a paperback down and physically walk away from it before. So, so good.

# ? Aug 2, 2022 19:26

^burtle: Jul 17, 2001; God of Boomin'

How do I catch that vibe with Toll the Hounds cause 60% in and I am struggling.

# ? Aug 2, 2022 19:52

latinotwink1997: Jan 2, 2008; Taste my Ball of Hope, foul dragon!

The end is completely worth it

# ? Aug 2, 2022 20:06

Jaxyon: Mar 7, 2016; I’m just saying I would like to see a man beat a woman in a cage. Just to be sure.

^burtle posted:

How do I catch that vibe with Toll the Hounds cause 60% in and I am struggling.

Yeah stick with it for another 15% or so and the last quarter is a real ride.

Sadly a lot of people have this problem with that book, the pacing is hosed because it's the author moving people to where they need to be to get the end of the series rolling.

And also reading the angsty Tiste Andii chapters can be a real drag because they're emo as gently caress, and the interesting stuff isn't explicitly written.

# ? Aug 2, 2022 21:28

mischief: Jun 3, 2003

For all of his faults as an author the guy can write a finale. I always appreciated, even with the weaker books, the point that he takes all these threads and stories and it just condenses into a few chapters of just incredibly well written chaos. There's a few other moments in the middle of the books but after you read a few of his finales you know it is worth pushing on through.

That said, y'all can loving have the Kharkanas trilogy. Just miserable books. Give me more Karsa.

Edit: It was Deadhouse Gates that ruined me. That is just a ridiculously well written horrible story.

mischief fucked around with this message at 21:35 on Aug 2, 2022

# ? Aug 2, 2022 21:29

The Ninth Layer: Jun 20, 2007

Mentat Radnor posted:

I just picked up the first book in paperback form a week ago, and now I'm totally engrossed 300 pages in.

Obviously I'm not going to really read this thread because spoilers, but I just wanted to rave a bit about how great it was to be thrown headfirst into epic events with zero exposition. Having no idea what was going just made me hugely thirsty to figure out the workings of the world I was presented with. Rating "death metal af / 10", best five dollars I've ever spent.

You're past the hardest part of the series and imo it's all uphill once the Bridgeburners reach Darujhistan. Those three hundred pages took me three separate tries to get through.

# ? Aug 2, 2022 21:52

dishwasherlove: Nov 26, 2007; The ultimate fusion of man and machine.

^burtle posted:

How do I catch that vibe with Toll the Hounds cause 60% in and I am struggling.

Embrace the ennui. Love the mule. Strap in for the last 20%.

# ? Aug 2, 2022 22:28

Jaxyon: Mar 7, 2016; I’m just saying I would like to see a man beat a woman in a cage. Just to be sure.

The tiste kids are all gigantic badasses but that's subtext. They've got the same mood disorders all the Tiste seem to have, that Anomander largely avoids.

So much like many of the characters in the series, if you just listen to what they say, you're like "these fuckers are worthless miserable shits" but if you pay attention to what they're doing, they'd have their own epic poems.

Doesn't make it not a slog to read though.

# ? Aug 3, 2022 01:18

Macdeo Lurjtux: Jul 5, 2011; BRRREADSTOOORRM!

mischief posted:

That said, y'all can loving have the Kharkanas trilogy. Just miserable books. Give me more Karsa.

Erickson talking about the play session Karsa comes from made me lose it. it's the same trick he used in the novel. The player didn't know he was playing a giant and that children was slang for regular sized humans. He was facing some serious existential dread over Erickson telling him it was time for him to 'go into the valley and kill the children you find.' He only found out when he charged the city and Erickson described the front gate being the same size as Karsa

# ? Aug 3, 2022 03:12

Eediot Jedi: Dec 25, 2007; This is where I begin to speculate what being a
man of my word costs me

Is Toll the one where he was writing while grieving for his dad?

mischief posted:

Edit: It was Deadhouse Gates that ruined me. That is just a ridiculously well written horrible story.

Magic, bombs, titanic mythology dudes running around, apostrophes. This poo poo is going to be typical high fantasy pap.

oh god why am I crying

# ? Aug 3, 2022 03:24

mischief: Jun 3, 2003

Eediot Jedi posted:

oh god why am I crying

I read it in paperback and had to literally distance myself from the book and take a break. There's sequences in that book that would absolutely change fantasy films forever if someone could accurately realize them. I still think the miniseries idea is the best, I don't know that it would fare as well as the Tolkien books, but I would happily throw money at a miniseries just to see some of those characters brought to life. Fid, Kalam, Paran, Hedge, Toc, Karsa...

# ? Aug 4, 2022 02:41

Jaxyon: Mar 7, 2016; I’m just saying I would like to see a man beat a woman in a cage. Just to be sure.

Eediot Jedi posted:

Is Toll the one where he was writing while grieving for his dad?

Magic, bombs, titanic mythology dudes running around, apostrophes. This poo poo is going to be typical high fantasy pap.

oh god why am I crying

It's such an absolutely ridiculous follow up to GotM

Like GotM is neat but it ends with a dragon on dragon brawl.

DG is like "ok cool so we're going to talk about a horrifying land war and refugee crisis"

# ? Aug 4, 2022 19:56

Dalmuti: Apr 8, 2007

Dg has dragons. Like at least 4 of em

# ? Aug 4, 2022 20:19

^burtle: Jul 17, 2001; God of Boomin'

Alright you guys sold me, I�m going back in.

# ? Aug 4, 2022 20:20

imagine dungeons: Jan 24, 2008; Like an arrow, I was only passing through.

^burtle posted:

Alright you guys sold me, I�m going back in.

To circle back your reaction to Toll the Hounds is pretty common. Its also pretty common to do a 180 on it by the end. Enjoy!

# ? Aug 4, 2022 20:26

mischief: Jun 3, 2003

^burtle posted:

Alright you guys sold me, I�m going back in.

When you get done please post your reactions here. :allears:

The whole series is just incredible. There are definitely parts that drag but holy crap it is a ride.

# ? Aug 4, 2022 21:10

Jaxyon: Mar 7, 2016; I’m just saying I would like to see a man beat a woman in a cage. Just to be sure.

Dalmuti posted:

Dg has dragons. Like at least 4 of em

I mean it also has dragons.

# ? Aug 4, 2022 21:11

Strom Cuzewon: Jul 1, 2010

I actually really like the depressing brooding parts of TtH. I think about this bit a lot:

quote:

Survivors do not mourn together. They each mourn alone, even when in the same place. Grief is the most solitary of all feelings. Grief isolates, and every ritual, every gesture, every embrace, is a hopeless effort to break through that isolation.

Dalmuti posted:

Dg has dragons. Like at least 4 of em

I thought it had exactly 1 dragon.

# ? Aug 4, 2022 21:27

Jaxyon: Mar 7, 2016; I’m just saying I would like to see a man beat a woman in a cage. Just to be sure.

Strom Cuzewon posted:

I thought it had exactly 1 dragon.

Depends on how you define Dhenrabi

# ? Aug 4, 2022 21:32

Strom Cuzewon: Jul 1, 2010

Jaxyon posted:

Depends on how you define Dhenrabi

Terrifying sea-centipede

# ? Aug 4, 2022 21:38

Dalmuti: Apr 8, 2007

There were 3 brown dragons flying around in the azath, muchacho

In addition to the 1 already mentioned

# ? Aug 4, 2022 22:06

Jaxyon: Mar 7, 2016; I’m just saying I would like to see a man beat a woman in a cage. Just to be sure.

Dalmuti posted:

There were 3 brown dragons flying around in the azath, muchacho

In addition to the 1 already mentioned

I didn't remember those.

There's enough other ridiculous awesome stuff that it hardly matters.

# ? Aug 4, 2022 22:58

Hand Row: May 28, 2001

Strom Cuzewon posted:

I actually really like the depressing brooding parts of TtH. I think about this bit a lot:

I thought it had exactly 1 dragon.

On reread the books are so much better. First time it drags rear end because you just want to know what�s going to happen, but on reread the scenic tours are the best.

# ? Aug 5, 2022 00:25

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# ? Apr 27, 2024 01:05

Khizan: Jul 30, 2013

TtH has some of my favorite moments in the series. So many good scenes, they're just all crammed into the last ~20% of the book. All the deaths that follow in Hood's wake as he walks Darujhistan. Endest Silann holding back the corruption. Seerdomin's last stand before the barrow of the Redeemer. The death of Rake. Spinnock Durav holding back Kallor at the crossroads.

# ? Aug 5, 2022 00:54

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > The Book Barn > The Malazan Book of the Fallen: Too many wor'ds.

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