House of Chains
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Description
'This is true myth in the making, a drawing upon fantasy to recreate histories and legends as rich as any found within our culture' Interzone
In Northern Genabackis, just before the events recounted in Gardens of the Moon, a raiding party of tribal warriors descends from the mountains into the southern flat lands. Their intention is to wreak havoc among the despised lowlanders but for one amongst their number, it is the beginning of an extraordinary destiny. His name is Karsa Orlong.
Some years later, it is the aftermath of the Chain of Dogs. Coltaine, revered commander of the Malazan 7th Army, is dead. And now Tavore, sister of Ganoes Paran and Adjunct to the Empress, recently arrived at the last remaining Malazan stronghold of the Seven Cities, must take charge. Untested and new to command, she must hone a small army of twelve thousand soldiers, mostly raw recruits, into a viable fighting force and lead them against the masses of Sha'ik's Whirlwind. Her only hope of success rests with the few remaining survivors from Coltaine's legendary march.
In distant Raraku, in the heart of the Holy Desert, the seer Sha'ik waits with her increasingly restless rebel army. And waiting is never easy, especially when a disparate collection of warlords - tribal chiefs, High Mages, a renegade Malazan Fist and his sorceror - is locked in a vicious power struggle that threatens to tear the rebellion apart from within. And Sha'ik herself suffers, haunted by the private knowledge of the one she knows is her nemesis . . .
So begins this epic novel of war, intrigue, betrayal and magic - the awesome fourth chapter in one of the landmark works of epic fantasy, Steven Erikson's The Malazan Book of the Fallen.
'The most masterful piece of fiction I have ever read. It has single-handedly changed everything we thought we knew about fantasy literature and redefined what is possible.' SF Site
'Arguably the best fantasy series ever written.' Fantasy Book Review
Book Information
Posts
House of Chains war eins meiner bisher liebsten Bücher der Reihe, auch wenn ich zu Beginn etwas irritiert war, schon wieder einen völlig neuen Charakter (Karsa Orlong) vorgesetzt zubekommen, mit dem ich erstmal warm werden musste. Was mir dann wirklich gut gefiel, war die sehr auf den Charakter zentrierte Erzählung, denn sowas lieb ich sehr. Im weiteren Verlauf treffen wir dann auf alte Bekannte und es ist hier aufgrund der wahnsinnigen Fülle von Schauplätzen, Figuren und Handlungen immer besonders schön, Vertrautes zu entdecken. Außerdem ging es einen großen Teil des Buches um eine meiner liebsten Figuren, nämlich Felisin. Spannend ist es dann jedes Mal, wie Erikson scheinbar völlig unabhängig voneinander laufende Handlungen zusammenführt und Aha-Momente entstehen lässt…
There is epic fantasy and then there is Steven Erikson's The Malazan Book of the Fallen... the scope is unbelievably big, I guess I need to reread the entire series multiple times to get 3/4 of it :) But I felt like this was the weakest of the four I read. The Genebackis campaign cast was more to my liking. If it wasn't for Karsa Orlong, it would be really hard to finish. Off to the next one (100 pages less yay!)
House of Chains is not my favourite of the four Books of Malazan Book of the Fallen I have read yet. But I am not as critical of it as other reviewers have. One character that is highly discussed, Karsa Orlong, has been a favourite of mine from the very beginning of the book (even if he is not the best person) and his transformation throughout the book, I would even dare call it enlightenment, was a joy to behold. I particularly liked the insight into both sides of Rarakus deciding duel: Tavore vs. Shaikh. Although the decisive battle was a bit lackluster when compared with some similar battles in previous installments, the intrigue and backstabbing of the Whirlwind camp was nothing but spectacular. What I adore this book for is trekking a path that has been trekked before. Rarakus ghosts wandering beside those who wander to the concentration of power, of fates. The Chain of Dogs, Coltaine, The Bridgeburners. In some way all play a part in the battle for the fate of Raraku. But this book is also where said battle ends. The fate of the Seven Cities decided. Yes, I love House of Chains, but do I like it more than Eriksons previous work? I honestly cannot quite say. I just felt that something was missing and some conclusions were either rushed or somehow amiss. Kalam, Crokus & Apsalar, to a lesser extend Lostara Yil & Pearl, were all somewhat present, but no quite at the same time, which leaves a bit of a sour taste behind. I give House of Chains a tentative 4,0/5 and maybe one day, if or when I reread Malazan, I will see it in a different light.
Description
'This is true myth in the making, a drawing upon fantasy to recreate histories and legends as rich as any found within our culture' Interzone
In Northern Genabackis, just before the events recounted in Gardens of the Moon, a raiding party of tribal warriors descends from the mountains into the southern flat lands. Their intention is to wreak havoc among the despised lowlanders but for one amongst their number, it is the beginning of an extraordinary destiny. His name is Karsa Orlong.
Some years later, it is the aftermath of the Chain of Dogs. Coltaine, revered commander of the Malazan 7th Army, is dead. And now Tavore, sister of Ganoes Paran and Adjunct to the Empress, recently arrived at the last remaining Malazan stronghold of the Seven Cities, must take charge. Untested and new to command, she must hone a small army of twelve thousand soldiers, mostly raw recruits, into a viable fighting force and lead them against the masses of Sha'ik's Whirlwind. Her only hope of success rests with the few remaining survivors from Coltaine's legendary march.
In distant Raraku, in the heart of the Holy Desert, the seer Sha'ik waits with her increasingly restless rebel army. And waiting is never easy, especially when a disparate collection of warlords - tribal chiefs, High Mages, a renegade Malazan Fist and his sorceror - is locked in a vicious power struggle that threatens to tear the rebellion apart from within. And Sha'ik herself suffers, haunted by the private knowledge of the one she knows is her nemesis . . .
So begins this epic novel of war, intrigue, betrayal and magic - the awesome fourth chapter in one of the landmark works of epic fantasy, Steven Erikson's The Malazan Book of the Fallen.
'The most masterful piece of fiction I have ever read. It has single-handedly changed everything we thought we knew about fantasy literature and redefined what is possible.' SF Site
'Arguably the best fantasy series ever written.' Fantasy Book Review
Book Information
Posts
House of Chains war eins meiner bisher liebsten Bücher der Reihe, auch wenn ich zu Beginn etwas irritiert war, schon wieder einen völlig neuen Charakter (Karsa Orlong) vorgesetzt zubekommen, mit dem ich erstmal warm werden musste. Was mir dann wirklich gut gefiel, war die sehr auf den Charakter zentrierte Erzählung, denn sowas lieb ich sehr. Im weiteren Verlauf treffen wir dann auf alte Bekannte und es ist hier aufgrund der wahnsinnigen Fülle von Schauplätzen, Figuren und Handlungen immer besonders schön, Vertrautes zu entdecken. Außerdem ging es einen großen Teil des Buches um eine meiner liebsten Figuren, nämlich Felisin. Spannend ist es dann jedes Mal, wie Erikson scheinbar völlig unabhängig voneinander laufende Handlungen zusammenführt und Aha-Momente entstehen lässt…
There is epic fantasy and then there is Steven Erikson's The Malazan Book of the Fallen... the scope is unbelievably big, I guess I need to reread the entire series multiple times to get 3/4 of it :) But I felt like this was the weakest of the four I read. The Genebackis campaign cast was more to my liking. If it wasn't for Karsa Orlong, it would be really hard to finish. Off to the next one (100 pages less yay!)
House of Chains is not my favourite of the four Books of Malazan Book of the Fallen I have read yet. But I am not as critical of it as other reviewers have. One character that is highly discussed, Karsa Orlong, has been a favourite of mine from the very beginning of the book (even if he is not the best person) and his transformation throughout the book, I would even dare call it enlightenment, was a joy to behold. I particularly liked the insight into both sides of Rarakus deciding duel: Tavore vs. Shaikh. Although the decisive battle was a bit lackluster when compared with some similar battles in previous installments, the intrigue and backstabbing of the Whirlwind camp was nothing but spectacular. What I adore this book for is trekking a path that has been trekked before. Rarakus ghosts wandering beside those who wander to the concentration of power, of fates. The Chain of Dogs, Coltaine, The Bridgeburners. In some way all play a part in the battle for the fate of Raraku. But this book is also where said battle ends. The fate of the Seven Cities decided. Yes, I love House of Chains, but do I like it more than Eriksons previous work? I honestly cannot quite say. I just felt that something was missing and some conclusions were either rushed or somehow amiss. Kalam, Crokus & Apsalar, to a lesser extend Lostara Yil & Pearl, were all somewhat present, but no quite at the same time, which leaves a bit of a sour taste behind. I give House of Chains a tentative 4,0/5 and maybe one day, if or when I reread Malazan, I will see it in a different light.