First Read - Midnight Tides: Book 5 of the Malazan

Post by **SoulBiter** » Wed Oct 02, 2024 7:15 pm

I like the way this one has started and we get yet more history of this world. The Tisti Andii and the betrayal of the brother that starts this book. The Jaghut that is going to bring about an ice age, an elder God that is enlists his aid. That was just the preface. then we get to Chapter 1 and we get Trull Sengar. We start learning of his past to a degree and how he was a blooded warrior who carries respect but has at least one brother (maybe two) that do not. I suspect more betrayal to come....

Post by **Fist and Faith** » Wed Oct 02, 2024 8:43 pm

His prefaces are always so great! MT among the best. Mael and Gothos!

Post by **Avatar** » Fri Oct 04, 2024 10:16 pm

Unfortunately one of my least favourite books. Also, this is where the overlapping timelines start to hit...Chapter 1 is several years before the end of book 4 IIRC.

--A

Post by **Fist and Faith** » Sat Oct 05, 2024 12:49 am

Tehol and Bugg are worth anything else about the book. And combined with the preludes. And, of course, everything in it is very important for everything that comes later.

And there's Iron Bars.

Post by **Holsety** » Sat Oct 05, 2024 3:22 pm

UBLALA PUNG

EDIT-Hannan Mosag is maybe my favorite villain in this series.

Post by **Avatar** » Sat Oct 12, 2024 9:26 am

Damnit...stop reminding me of the good parts.

I am determined that this should be my least favourite.

(Along with RG.) And don't mention Trull.

--A

Post by **Fist and Faith** » Sat Oct 12, 2024 11:21 am

Mum's the word.

Post by **SoulBiter** » Thu Oct 31, 2024 3:49 pm

Less time to read lately. About 20% in. Not a lot of progress. We have some actual undead. One is now hired as a thief/assassin, and the other is a child who has killed no telling how many. They both seem to be sociopaths with no regard for who they kill or why. On another front the four brothers (Trull, Fear, Rhulad, and Binadas) are being sent on a quest.

I liked the way the book started but now it seems we have these other plots injected that, at least at this point, don't seem to move the story forward. But too invested to stop... I read on!

Post by **Avatar** » Mon Nov 11, 2024 6:22 pm

It's not that they don't move the story forward, it's more that their relevance doesn't become apparent until much later on.

--A

Post by **SoulBiter** » Mon Nov 25, 2024 9:39 pm

Current about 30% in, the brothers finding the frozen wall (that is thawing) like a time capsule.. except its real.. Frigging awesome. I believe they are now close to finding what they were sent after. One of the brothers fell asleep during guard duty.... not good, but was it really his fault? Time will tell.

Holy shit... that was fast. A fight for the sword, we find that Rhulad was not a coward and died fighting and somehow his grip is stuck on the sword. Trull gets lost running back and fights wolves and Jheck... a great running battle that he at one point thinks is just a nightmare. After getting back he almost feels as if they should have failed. A premonition?

Post by **Holsety** » Tue Dec 03, 2024 9:25 pm

Two things from early in the book (like before you even see Letheras or any of the Beddicts):

Spoiler

First off, I never noticed that in the earlier parts of the book, there's a chapter opener that refers to Rhulad's to-be-sword as a spear of Ice, and Hannan Mosag also refers to it as such. This was probably intended to falsely hint that Trull the spearman would be the one to wield the artifact rather than Rhulad...maybe?

In addition, I noticed that the Kris'nan Cadre are shorn from their bloodlines kind of like how Trull is later found shorn in House of Chains. I can't say it's exactly the same procedure, but it's close.

Kevin's Watch

Kevin's Watch