Mass Market Paperback, 666 pages
English language
Published Nov. 4, 2005
Dark forces gather in the Malazan Empire as Empress Laseen, malevolent ruler, turns her attention to Darujhistan, last of the Free Cities of Genabackis, and Sergeant Whiskeyjack and Tattersail recover from the siege of Pale.
(Does putting zero stars count as the worst score?)
This is sort of a review (and more) of the magic in the series. I wrote it after finishing the third book (Memories of Ice) because that's when a lot of my thoughts on it crystalized, but the review is only using stuff from this book.
a-blog-with.relevant-information.com/posts/unabstracted_magic/
Reads like book three of a litrpg series. Names, places, and concepts all pile on with no background or explanation. Lots of contradictions.
What a troublesome book. On one hand, it did have huge scope and imagination, but on the other hand it kept me at arm's length from its characters and left me feeling pretty cold. This is clockwork epic fantasy -- perfectly thought-out but somewhat soulless, or maybe a Michael Bay vision of same -- huge spectacle, but as a reader I didn't really care.
It took me three hundred pages to find something to actually interesting. I had the same problem with Black Company, which I read is a major inspiration here. Even so, I think I might be interested in finding out if the sequels have any more emotion.
