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IC Esselmont's Return of the Crimson Guard
Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 6:57 pm
by I'm Murrin
I noticed we don't have a topic for this one.
The second of Esselmont's Malazan novels, and the first full length, big-scale effort from Erikson's friend and co-creator of the MBotF universe.
Return of the Crimson Guard will pick up where Erikson's
Bonehunters left off, in the old centre of the Empire, Quon Tali.
The return of the mercenary company the Crimson Guard could not have come at a worse time for the Malazan Empire. Drained by constant warfare, weakened by betrayal and rivalries, many see the grip of Empress Laseen weakening. Conquered kingdoms and principalities test their old independence. Into this gathering civil war on Quon Tali - the Empire's homeland - comes the Guard. And with their return comes the memory of their hundred year old vow: undying opposition to the existence of the Empire. Yet, rivalries and betrayals stalk the Guard as well - elements of its elite, the Avowed, scheme to open paths to even greater power. Ancient potent entities, Ascendants, also lend a hand exploiting all sides to further their own arcane ends. Meanwhile, a swordsman, Traveller, and his companion Ereko, move from one strange encounter to another in a mysterious dance meant ultimately to bring the swordsman to a final confrontation from which none have ever returned. As the Crimson Guard gathers itself from around the globe, Empress Laseen faces more immediate threats. To feed her wars she has bled dry provincial garrisons across Quon Tali and now regional nationalists see their chance.
Behind their insurrections stand the veteran commanders of Laseen's predecessor, Emperor Kellanved. These generals and powerful mages, the "Old Hands," have lost patience with what they see as Laseen's mismanagement and have selected their own replacement. Yet, there are hints that Laseen may be using the uprisings to draw out and finally eliminate these last irksome survivors of her predecessor's rule...
Return of the Crimson Guard is scheduled for release in August '08.
Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 7:18 pm
by lucimay
wooo hooodeeee!!!
can't wait!!!
Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 7:41 pm
by Fist and Faith
Damn! Well, I'm nowhere near
Bonehunters, but this is still exciting!!! I've only had a brief taste of the Crimson Guard in GotM, and would LOVE to see more!
Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 10:03 pm
by Holsety
Isn't this a sequel to Night of Knives?
Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 10:08 pm
by I'm Murrin
Not really. Night of Knives was set ten years before them ain series--this book is set after
The Bonehunters. If you've read Reaper's Gale (minor spoiler for RG, and MT sorta)
you'll know that Iron Bars' squad is crossing Korelri toward Quon Tali, where all the previously-scattered Crimson Guard are planning to meet up.
Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 12:43 pm
by Onos T'oolan
Can somebody list all of the non "Book of the Fallen" books? NoK, RotCG, a couple of Korbal/Buch books... I have no idea what's out there.
Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 12:50 pm
by I'm Murrin
Erikson:
Bauchelain & Broach novellas:
Blood Follows
The Healthy Dead
The Lees of Laughter's End
Esselmont:
Night of Knives
Return of the Crimson Guard
That's it, as far as Malazan books go.
Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 1:51 pm
by Menolly
I just submitted a purchase request for my library to order these. I'll give it couple of months, but at these prices I doubt I'll see them. If they don't appear in the library catalog as "on order" after that, I'll try ILLiad instead and see what happens.
Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 3:15 pm
by Onos T'oolan
I don't know if any of them are available in the US. Certainly not all of them are. But in a month, the 8th book in the series come out here, so it's not like you need to worry about getting these non-series books immediately.
Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 6:11 pm
by Menolly
true 'nuff...
But my guys are totally enthralled with Malaz. It will probably be more than a month before the library gets TtH in. If these other books become available there, it will ease their wait I think.
Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 11:23 am
by I'm Murrin
Picked this up from the shop today. From the looks of the synopsis on the back it is set before Toll the Hounds (kind of expected, but it looks like there's a character whose storyline runs through both books).
Posted: Sun Oct 26, 2008 8:29 am
by lucimay
something momentous happens in RotCG!!! something really big!!
Posted: Wed Oct 29, 2008 5:17 pm
by lucimay
hello!!!!!????? has anybody else read this yet???????
i'm dyin here!!! somebody else read it quick!!!
(trying NOT to go over to the malazan board and see what they're all saying about it!!)
Posted: Wed Oct 29, 2008 10:53 pm
by Onos T'oolan
Nope. Where the hell did you get your copy??? I'd LOVELOVELOVE to get one, but don't want to order from England just yet.
Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2008 11:37 am
by variol son
I know a local book store that has RotCG and I'm hoping to buy it next pay day. If Xmas shopping doesn't totally deplete my bank account. I've just finished RG so I need something new to read.
Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 2:49 am
by Onos T'oolan
OK, I'll just say there's a bunch of spoilers below.
So I have 200 pages to go. Really, it's a fantastic book!
One of my favorite moments of ALL the books is when Traveller skewers Kallor!!!!!
Man, Traveller rocks!!!
Interesting to see some of the characters.
-Toc the Older??? (Can't wait to see what happens, since something pretty serious just happened to him! hehe)
-Urko!
-Osserc!! (I've always really liked Osserc, for some reason.)
-Very interesting to see as much of Laseen as I have so far, and I expect there's some good stuff coming with her in the next 200 pages.
And how about that Ryllandaras!! How cool is he?!?! And what could be even cooler?? The lone swordsman, Rell, holding him off!!!!
Ereko... *sigh* Such a good guy. Such a sad thing.
And, oh yeah, the Crimson Guard!
Very happy to see Cowl, after having read about him driving off Silanah and holding off Anomander!
Skinner seems like quite a handful. Can't wait to see what his story is.
Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2009 12:15 pm
by Onos T'oolan
Surprisingly, this is among my top few favorite Malazan books! Surprising because I didn't think anyone could come close to Erikson. But this is superb!!
Yeah, Luci, a major event, eh?
Actually, not too far into the book, I was thinking that might happen. No particular reason, I just kinda had a hunch.
Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 9:22 pm
by aliantha
Finished it. Thanks to a certain T'lan Imass who loaned me his copy.
OMG, Luci!!! Yeah, kind of a big thing!
So this is set after "Bonehunters"? (Well, yeah, clearly...) So all the fighting "for the Empire" that goes on in the books after that is...um.... Wow.
Now I want to see a smackdown in the last book between Tehol Beddict and Mallick Rel... I bet Tehol will win, too!
Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2009 1:50 am
by Onos T'oolan
I assume it comes between RG and TtH. Of course, I don't have my copy with me at the moment, so I can't check dates.
aliantha wrote:So all the fighting "for the Empire" that goes on in the books after that is...um.... Wow.
RIGHT???
Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2009 2:16 am
by aliantha
For some reason I'm reminded of a protest song from the Vietnam era:
One, two, three,
What are we fighting for?
Who cares? I don't give a damn!
Next stop is Vietnam...
(Your book's already on its way back to you, good sir. <bows> )