Orlion reads The Malazan Book of the Fallen

[Orlion]

Picked up Deadhouse Gates yesterday, and I am currently on chapter 4. Liking it so much, I've ordered the rest from Amazon (well...the ones I don't have yet...) I shall post my feelings here as a sorta alternative blog to the Re-read at Tor.com. I'm avoiding that due to the warnings of spoilers.

Initial reactions: It's great to have Fiddler as a main POV character... I felt he wasn't in GotM enough, and Kalam is just a bad-ass, I always enjoy reading from his point of view.

New storylines are fairly interesting as well, and I look forward to how they intersect with the other "main" storylines.

And as always, I like how Erikson is completly insensitive to the fact that the beginning reader doesn't know how his world works It gives it a nice sense of wonder and granduer, while at the same time giving you more to ponder about!

[aliantha]

...and confuses the hell out of you, too. And then just about when you feel like you've got a handle on the characters and the story line, he switches *continents*.

But keep reading. It's a great ride.

[Onos T'oolan]

I hope we agree about this book a lot more than that other book. (You know, the one I'm not reading. ) I was stunned by the power and emotion of DG recently, on my third reading. I expected to simply refresh my memory of things, and probably pick up things I'd missed the first two times. I was not expecting to be so moved yet again.

[Orlion]

I hope we agree about this book a lot more than that other book. (You know, the one I'm not reading. ) I was stunned by the power and emotion of DG recently, on my third reading. I expected to simply refresh my memory of things, and probably pick up things I'd missed the first two times. I was not expecting to be so moved yet again.

You're right, there's a lot of powerful writing here, and the themes and ornateness of it all, amazing!

The stories at this point seem to be more down to earth this time around (at least, there is no direct encounter with any gods yet, I'm not counting the Whirlwind until it is verified as such)... though I gotta admit... I was kinda shocked to find

Spoiler

that Dancer and the Emperor Kele-something are alledged to be the Rope and Shadowthrone... I'm not sure what to believe with that, that would make it seem that a) his ascension happened fairly recently or b) he was all ready a bloody god when he was expanding his Empire! I wonder how much of this ol' Surly knows...

Oh, and the Sh'iank has had her brains scrambled.

[duchess of malfi]

Good book and happy times in store for you.

The Chain of Dogs storyline (which you will get to later in the book) is one of the most powerful in all of epic fantasy.

Wish I could read that again for the first time <sigh>.

[aliantha]

Agreed -- the Chain of Dogs is gut-wrenchingly amazing.

[Orlion]

Well, the Felisin storyline is a bit... confusing... seems like very important things are happening, I'm just not sure what they are. The T'lan Imass are something else entirely...and Warrens can be wounded? That kinda means they can be "killed", then? And just as a clarification, all these Warrens stem from chaos, right?

Anyway, Kalam just continues to be the awesome Clint Eastwood of the Malazan Empire.

I'm just one chapter from this "Chain of Dogs" part that everyone keeps raving about... just in time for final exams too

[duchess of malfi]

Ah poor Felisin...

She is probably the most well developed and tragic of Erikson's characters (to me anyway).

Spoiler

We first hear of her back in GOTM in what is one of the most important bits of foreshadowing in the series - when Ganoes Parran goes home and talks to his other sister, Tavore.

Who could guess at that point how important all three of these siblings would turn out to be?

Sheltered and innocent, her family's darling girl - Felisin is betrayed and put into a horrible situation where she must barter her body to survive. She hates herself for it - and when she finds it to be easier than she thought to sell her body, hates herself even more for that.

Poor poor girl.

[Orlion]

Ah poor Felisin...

She is probably the most well developed and tragic of Erikson's characters (to me anyway).

Spoiler

We first hear of her back in GOTM in what is one of the most important bits of foreshadowing in the series - when Ganoes Parran goes home and talks to his other sister, Tavore.

Who could guess at that point how important all three of these siblings would turn out to be?

Sheltered and innocent, her family's darling girl - Felisin is betrayed and put into a horrible situation where she must barter her body to survive. She hates herself for it - and when she finds it to be easier than she thought to sell her body, hates herself even more for that.

Poor poor girl.

Agreed.

Spoiler

And it's this self-hatred that leads her to be antagonistic to her companions, I believe. I think Hebrioc understands this (and is possibly going through the same thing) and maybe Baudin as well... but who knows? There's also some bitterness there in that she doesn't feel any gratitude from them either for her sacrifices... though that doesn't surprise me, they're probably ashamed of it.

Good writing, but dammit...

[I'm Murrin]

But neither does she offer them any gratitude for their efforts. Baudin's disdain seems to stem from the fact that she turned so easily to thinking and acting that way, and is so caught up in self pity that she can't appreciate what they do for her.

[Orlion]

They do pay each other back in kind, huh?

[Avatar]

Oh you have no idea...

--A

[Orlion]

And the plot thickens...answers given, confusion ensuing! So it's been verified again that the Emperor and Dancer are Shadowthrone and the Rope... or, at least, that they had ascended. Also, Shadowthrone seems to be wary of the Priest, maybe even implying that Apsalar becoming the leader of the Apocalypse was not part of the plan, but who knows? Apt is a used up demon-whore... very interesting scene of crucifixion, I'll expect results later on!

Something about Warren traveling: Kalam claimed that you only need to think where you're going, and you end up there. Does that mean that, let's say, that Kalam decided to go to Dajur instead of Aren, that the person trailing him wouldn't be able to follow him anymore? Lucky for her, she seems to have guessed where Kalam is going, and this is because he ran across those Malazans.

Good stuff

[I'm Murrin]

Apsalar becoming the leader of the Apocalypse

Apsalar? I think you may be slightly mixed up there.

[Orlion]

Apsalar becoming the leader of the Apocalypse

Apsalar? I think you may be slightly mixed up there.

Maybe worded improperly, but not mixed up. Fiddler and Mappo believe that the High Priest of Shadow, Pust, is trying to make Apsalar take up this role, as a sort of rebirth of the Shi'ack. Conversations seem to imply this as well, but that could be deceiving. They're trying to catch her as she searches for her father, thinking that this is only going to lead to the "re-birth".

Granted, it hasn't happened....yet...

[Orlion]

Ok, just have to post this:
The non-noble refugees call themselves "mud-bloods"? Really? Is Erikson that stripped for ideas that he has to rip-off Harry Potter? How lame is that? This book and the entire series now sucks as a result of him using a common phrase that I just so happen to link with another series.

This satire is brought to you by Annie's Macaroni and Cheese. It's got the Rabbit of Approval!

And just to be clear, the above is just satire, I still love the book and wouldn't really have noticed the "connection" if it wasn't for other postings in other forums...

[Onos T'oolan]

OK, it was funny, I'll grant you that. But really, that's just something funny to point out, not a reason I'm not reading AATE. Hell, the main villain all along is Lord Foul, of all silly names!

Anyway, back to DG! Heh

Yeah, Kellanved and Dancer Ascended, and are Shadowthrone and Cotillion. That bothers me for one reason. It happened only seven years before Ch 1 of GotM. But it seems they participated in a second chaining, which, obviously, happened even more recently. But why is so little said of what must have been a remarkably powerful, important action that many took part in, that happened a scant few years ago?

The relationship between Shadowthrone and Pust is difficult to understand. Mainly because they're both a bit off their rocker. (Perhaps Pust is because his god is?) The relationship between either of them and anyone else is difficult to understand, so their relationship to each other... Best to just enjoy the ride on some things.

And Apt ain't quite "used up", as you'll see.


Regarding warrens...

Spoiler

Yeeeeeeeeeeees. They can be wounded. And killed, as in shattered. Among the most important events in the entire mythos is the shatterning of the Elder warren of Shadow, Kurald Emurlahn. We run across various fragments of it. Shadowthrone and Cotillion rule Shadow, which is the biggest chunk of it. The Whirlwind is another. In Ch 9 of Book One (Raraku) of DG, the T'lan Imass Bonecaster named Hentos Ilm hints at it when speaking to Kulp about his warren, Meanas Rashan, another fragment.

I think I've interpreted all that right?

[Orlion]

Don't worry, "Onos", it wasn't direct at you though I must ask, is the spoilered part from a later book, or DHG?

[Onos T'oolan]

Much of what I said is from DG. Some is further explained in later books, but is still at least mentioned and hinted at in DG.

[Orlion]

Well, I finished DHG, now time to do some final exams before continuing onward...stupid school

That, of course, is kinda a lie, I read the prologue to Memories of Ice (which can only be referring to Jaghuts! ) And that was something else... apparently Brood's second in command is a genocidal maniac.

More thoughts later...