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First read - House of Chains: Book 4 of the Malazan
Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2024 1:29 pm
by SoulBiter
A change in pace for this book. Mostly staying (at 12% in) on the same story and not switching around in timeline and plot line, at least so far. Karsa seems destined to create chaos and war as warleader of a hunting party. He calls another race "children", that is interesting. It sad what happened to Delum. That was harsh.
First read - House of Chains: Book 4 of the Malazan
Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2024 8:39 pm
by Fist and Faith
Karsa. *whew*
Yeah, it's definitely different having a couple hundred pages about one character.
First read - House of Chains: Book 4 of the Malazan
Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2024 11:05 pm
by Holsety
SoulBiter wrote: ↑
A change in pace for this book. Mostly staying (at 12% in) on the same story and not switching around in timeline and plot line, at least so far. Karsa seems destined to create chaos and war as warleader of a hunting party. He calls another race "children", that is interesting. It sad what happened to Delum. That was harsh.
You know, in The Close, Sgt Null said something like, if someone kills a child, they've lost their right to life. Maybe he meant it's still OK to kill Teblor.
FYI-If you've been following ancestries/shared ties of certain races, you have probably figured out some connections between Karsa's people and some others.
First read - House of Chains: Book 4 of the Malazan
Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2024 3:22 pm
by Avatar
Ah, House of Chains...for a long time my favourite of them. TBH, these days I skim over the first bit...at least until
he gets captured.
That's when it becomes really interesting.
But he is definitely one of my favourite characters in the whole series.
--A
First read - House of Chains: Book 4 of the Malazan
Posted: Tue Sep 10, 2024 10:06 pm
by SoulBiter
About 25% through now. Holy crap... yeah after being captured he was a wild man! Course I thought he was a badass until he got his ribs busted by a single hit from Keeper. Wonder what his story is? No don't tell me.
Nom seems to be a good companion who has his back. All that being said, Silgar got what he deserved...finally. He didnt earn a swift death.
And now we have moved to Book 2 of this book and a new story line.
First read - House of Chains: Book 4 of the Malazan
Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2024 2:50 pm
by SoulBiter
As I start this part of the book, they are giving some back story to the fall of the House of Paran but also some very interesting backstory of The Malazan and its expansion. plus how the Deadhouse gave them interesting gifts after staying there for a while. I have to say the more I read, the more I feel like I have to eventually return to the first two books for a re-read to coalesce this story back together.
First read - House of Chains: Book 4 of the Malazan
Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2024 4:11 pm
by Fist and Faith
SoulBiter wrote: ↑
I have to say the more I read, the more I feel like I have to eventually return to the first two books for a re-read to coalesce this story back together.
When I read the series, I read 1-4. Before starting Midnight Tides, I read 1-4 again, feeling the same need as you to have a better handle on things. Then I read 5-10.
Then I wanted to reread the whole series. So I read 1-4 for the third time. Sadly, that's where I burned out. Reading is a very slow process for me. Even before I developed apnea.
First read - House of Chains: Book 4 of the Malazan
Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2024 1:47 pm
by Avatar
SoulBiter wrote: ↑
I have to say the more I read, the more I feel like I have to eventually return to the first two books for a re-read to coalesce this story back together.
Yeah, I felt the same way...especially GotM...it didn't make any sense to me until I went back to it after reading bk 4.
That's why I now consider Night of Knives to be essential pre-GotM reading...
--A
First read - House of Chains: Book 4 of the Malazan
Posted: Wed Sep 18, 2024 3:59 pm
by SoulBiter
Ahhhhhh Bridgeburners are back in the storyline! And Heboric!!
First read - House of Chains: Book 4 of the Malazan
Posted: Wed Sep 18, 2024 10:21 pm
by Fist and Faith
Yes!!
First read - House of Chains: Book 4 of the Malazan
Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2024 12:28 am
by SoulBiter
So many old friends have shown up! Kalam, Apsalar, Fiddler/Stings... its just one after the other.. and now Iksaral Pust! Such fun!
First read - House of Chains: Book 4 of the Malazan
Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2024 1:01 am
by Fist and Faith
Such power in this book. And a couple of my favorite moments in the whole series. But not until way towards the end.
First read - House of Chains: Book 4 of the Malazan
Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2024 8:38 pm
by SoulBiter
Holy cow...Heboric got his eyesight and hearing back and then some. Karsa has now taken quite a journey and is getting ready to make a new blade. He seems to set his own course. Felisin... OMG she just keeps getting used... I hate it for her!
First read - House of Chains: Book 4 of the Malazan
Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2024 11:16 pm
by Fist and Faith
Felisin is a polarizing character. So many people don't like her, because she says this, or does that. Hood's balls, look at what she goes through!
First read - House of Chains: Book 4 of the Malazan
Posted: Sat Sep 28, 2024 10:56 pm
by SoulBiter
90% complete. Heboric has been injured but I think lives, dragged back to his sanctuary. L'oric has been stabbed and now his familiar.... a demon, has left Felosin to feed. A big convergence of powers on the whirlwind... Karsa is here with his big stone sword and steed. He can most likely kill God's. Can't wait to see how this ends if there is even an end.
First read - House of Chains: Book 4 of the Malazan
Posted: Sun Sep 29, 2024 12:12 am
by Fist and Faith
My Kindle says you just passed a moment I love, between Fiddler and Bottle.
Ah! And another even before that, this fantastic scene:
‘Spiritwalker? Is that the name I will acquire? Is it an honorific? Or the acknowledgement of a curse?’
First read - House of Chains: Book 4 of the Malazan
Posted: Sun Sep 29, 2024 1:59 pm
by SoulBiter
Finished up last night. Awesome book. I actually prefer the pacing in this one. On to book 5
First read - House of Chains: Book 4 of the Malazan
Posted: Sun Nov 24, 2024 1:19 am
by Holsety
Regarding Onrack and Tool.
I'm pretty sure in Memories of Ice, they say that Tool's significance is because his clan was killed besides Kilava (incidentally, Kilava did the killing) and then the Ritual made him the only isolated Imass. But then it turns out Onrack is clanless, but he isn't singular quite like Onos is, as far as I can tell. And then when Onrack discusses his involvement in Kilava's non-undead immortality, he says that she wasn't able to kill the first sword. The way he talks about it makes me think that Onos was already the First Sword, before the ritual. Maybe I'm being too skeptical, though.
First read - House of Chains: Book 4 of the Malazan
Posted: Mon Dec 02, 2024 1:41 am
by Holsety
Regarding Tavore and the cull of the nobles (this comes VERY late in this book, so probably just come back if you're not quite done with HoC.
I'm sure we all know that Felisin ended up in the Otataral mines because of Tavore, and Baudin was also put there specifically due to Tavore. Here's my issue - late in HoC, they reveal that the reason Ranal is as high as he is in the army despite being a noble whom Tavore knows is incompetent is because the noble cull was actually unsuccessful and in fact, Tavore's army has many noble officers. Honestly I just can't feel this is great writing, it's like Tavore was far better at screwing over her own sister whom she really wanted to save than she was at getting rid of genuine enemies which the empress was on board with eliminating. I understand the idea of Murphy's Law but with so little attention paid to the nobleborn as characters aside from the Paran trinity, it's just kind of annoying to me that we get this handwave. OK, I'm not really annoyed, but I feel like I would be if I cared more about this. Tavore and the Empress wanted to kill the nobles to keep incompetency out of the military, but they were so incompetent and the incompetent nobles ended up in the military despite their incompetency? Are the nobleborn the second coming of Kellanved and Dancer or something? Are they going to ascend to high house carrion eater?