After decades of internecine warfare, the tribes of the Tiste Edur have at last united under the Warlock King of the Hiroth. There is peace–but it has been exacted at a terrible price: a pact made with a hidden power whose motives are at best suspect, at worst, deadly.To the south, the expansionist kingdom of Lether, eager to fulfill its long-prophesized renaissance as an Empire reborn, has … reborn, has enslved all its less-civilized neighbors with rapacious hunger. All, that is, save one–the Tiste Edur. And it must be only a matter of time before they too fall–either beneath the suffocating weight of gold, or by slaughter at the edge of a sword. Or so destiny has decreed.
Yet as the two sides gather for a pivotal treaty neither truly wants, ancient forces are awakening. For the impending struggle between these two peoples is but a pale reflection of a far more profound, primal battle–a confrontation with the still-raw wound of an old betrayal and the craving for revenge at its seething heart.
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Another monster epic of a book in the amazing Malazan Book of the Fallen series. I’m in awe of Steven Erikson’s story telling ability. He handles a vast array of characters with a deft touch that blows my mind with how seamless and varied his characterization is.
A direct parallel to his characterization skills is his ability to weave multiple narrative threads together into a seamless (there’s that word again) whole that is both logically coherent (no plot holes) and arranged for powerful emotional effect.
This is super-cool writing.
I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that some of the characters could provide more insight than my gushing fanboying, so let’s ask them.
Fear Sengar: “I signed up for a role titled, ‘Brave Sengar,’ so what’s up with that?”
Trull Sengar: “Playing the role of the honest, non-conformist in a society governed by strict adherence to a set of false beliefs, has been quite the challenge. I had to dig deep emotionally to make it through this story. I might need a holiday, perhaps down at a beach, a bit of peace and quiet. Maybe I’ll go on a long walk afterward.”
Rhulad Sengar: “Hey, all I wanted was a little respect. Was that asking for too much? Geez, (shakes head dolefully, sighs) whoever said, ‘heavy lies the crown,’ was not wrong.”
Hannan Mosag: “Next time I’m using napalm and nukes, that’ll frak them right up!”
Udinass: “I nominated myself for the ‘best friend,’ award but kinda messed it up. My goodness, it got confusing there at the end. I didn’t know if I was coming or going, of who I was with, or was I alone, sheesh!”
Brys Beddict: “By the Errant, this wine is strong… (just quietly, I think I might have a new role going forward).”
Moroch Nevath: “I pulled a hammy in the first quarter of the match, and the coach pulled me from the field for the second quarter. I got a bit of ice, and a rub, and came back good as new for the third quarter. I organised the defense in the second half, faced off the opposition captain and made a good show of it, but now I’m wondering who won the damn game?”
Kuru Qan: “Was this story a measurable delight? Relevant? Yes!”
Turudal Brizad: “I’m too sexy for this shirt…(but really, I just want to be taken seriously don’t cha know).”
Nifadas: “The role of ‘First Eunuch.’ Well, let no one say I didn’t make a sacrifice for the authenticity of my performance in this role.”
Gerun Eberict: “Yeah, so I acquired my position by false flagging the King. Bwahahahahaha…. you’d do the same if you could. Admit it. You all want what I’ve got.”
Seren Pedac: (Waves hand mysteriously). “‘These are not the Crimson Guards you’re looking for.’ Yeah, I think I can get the hang of this…”
Hull Beddict: “I only did what I had too. It was completely justified by past events. It was a spiritual necessity … Oh, hi guys, what are you Nerek’s here for?”
Tehol Beddict: “I nominated Bugg for the best manservant award, his dinners were marvels of inventive resourcefulness.”
Bugg: “I nominated Tehol for best dressed award. His sartorial excellence is legendary.”
Shand (speaking with Rissarh and Hejun): “Okay girls, paper, rock, scissors, whoever wins gets the next session with the member from heaven.”
Ublala Pung: “The bottom line is … well it crosses my knees …”
Kettle: “I consider this role a promotion from playing a little dutch boy with his finger in a dyke, (and no, don’t go there…). Apparently, I’ve won the ‘Cute,’ award, and I have no idea how, perhaps it was the way I fed spies and criminals to the Azath… there was so much blood, and it would get into my hair and make it all sticky, and I was dead, and all, but still moving around. Yeah, ‘Cute.'”
Shurq Elalle: “(ticks off fingers) Stealing scenes, check. Hot, dead chick, check. Got an awesome makeover, check. Ootooloo, check. Okay, fully equipped to kick-ass.”
Iron Bars: “So, who is this Thanos guy? I hear he’s been causing trouble and needs sorting out.”
And there you have it, another amazing, wonderfully entertaining installment in the Malazan super-epic, monster-stupendous, superlative-superlative [INSERT UNUSED SUPERLATIVE]…. (I’m literally out of words) novel.
Recommend to anyone who loves to be entertained*
*Warning – must read books 1 -4 first, lest a spell of confusion and profound perplexity will overtake your mind.
I stand corrected.
Where book 3 in this series was the continuation of book 1, and book 4 was the continuation of book 2, I assumed that this book 5 would be where the two plots converged. I was wrong.
Instead, Midnight Tides acts as a prequel to the entire saga, set thousands of years before Gardens of the Moon. Aside from only a couple of (long-lived) characters we’ve already known, these are all new people in an all new conflict. New to the reader anyway.
Of all these new characters, I’d say Bug is my favorite. Possibly even tied with my until-now favorite, Kalam. Here’s hoping the two interact at some point!
Like previous entries in this series, the writing by Erikson is fantastic. A sweeping epic with gods, demons, and the folly of man all mix into a powerful tale of destruction and the fall of an empire.
Some people complain about the ‘anti-consumerism’ theme of the story. I for one like it. but perhaps I’m predisposed to entertain those themes. Either way, the sheer awesomeness of the storytelling here is sooo worth reading and I’m continuing the series for sure.
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Midnight Tides, the 5th book in the mega epic that is Malazan Book of the Fallen, is a bit of a departure from the series in many ways, and it’s great!
Steven Erikson has said that unlike other series, the Malazan book does not always flow in a chronological order. Rather it is more of a triangle. It is disorienting at times, especially when you meet the Trull Sengar, who is the only carry over character from a previous book.
Its interesting, because we met Trull back in The House of Chains (book 4), but the events in Midnight Tides actually take place before the events of Book 4. So we are experiencing a “younger” Trull in this book. It’s not much of a big deal once you realize it, but with so many characters to keep track of in this huge world, it took me a bit before the “ah-ha” moment sunk in.
This leads to my next point, which is one of the common complaints I’ve found with the book, is that this story seems altogether separate from much of the rest of the world we’ve been reading about. It isn’t—but it feels that way, at least initially, which seems to be a stumbling block for many readers. The reason is that this book is essentially the beginning of a whole new series of story arcs that are being wove into the larger narrative, not unlike the previous books, but it is being told from two entirely new perspectives—primarily those of the Tiste Edur and the Letherii.
Midnight Tides serves as the tale of the convergence of two discordant cultures. Erikson lets us see the world through the lens of their cultures, and it offers a new and different perspective on many things in the world. Everything from gods, to religions, to races are seen from a different, and sometimes narrower perspective. This is particularly interesting when mention of Jaghut and T’lan Imass come up.
As always, I read with my author’s cap on. In doing so, I try to pick out the things that the author has done well. For me it starts with the cast of characters. There were many very well defined figures through the book. Trull, Rhulad, The Warlock King, Shurq Elalle, Kuru Qan, Udinaas, and of course the perfect duo of Tehol & Bugg. It’s a long list, and they are all offer a unique voice and feel. I also really love the impossible situations that the story throws the characters into. As heartbreaking as some of those situations might be, it is good writing. As with most of his writing, Erikson waxes philosophical a lot regarding war, greed, and economics—and while I don’t agree with his points on all of these, the dialogues are actually quite fascinating. Erikson also has a scene where he deals with trauma and the recovery, which was so real and well portrayed that it sucked you in. The last bit that I REALLY enjoyed was that we finally get a little bit of insight into how the magic actually works within the Malazan universe. It was about time!
As you can gather, there is a lot that I liked about the book, enough to give it a full 5 stars, but there are some things that I just didn’t care for, and at this point I think that they are probably going to continue to be in Erikson’s work. First off, I don’t particularly care for many female characters in these books. In my opinion, they are poorly drawn in most cases, with very few varieties. We have the militant feminists that are miserable and hateful, there are the meek ones who have no depth and usually serve as minor characters, and then their are the seductresses. Not all of the characters fall into those folds, but most do, and the depth is lacking. The romantic relationships are still very poorly developed, and most of the male-female relationships are hostile, if not outright violent. They are annoying. The book is also over-sexed in my opinion. Now sex is present in the previous books, and it is still done “off-screen”, but it just seems like this book took it up a notch. It seems like there was sex or sexual tension in almost every character arc., and there were times where it just felt like overkill.
While those issues are irritating, they are in the entire series, so it doesn’t lower my ranking for the book. Overall the book is still fantastic, and well worth the read for Tehol & Bugg alone.
I can never say enough good things when it comes to Steven Erikson. His writing is something that I find unmatched by anyone else. His worldbuilding is thorough and layered. His characters range from stoic to absolutely hilarious, and every facet in between. What’s more, his grasp of human nature and being able to give reason to our innermost thoughts, fears and desires is nothing short of preternatural. His descriptions, metaphors and similes are poetic and paint the scene like no other. He could run a class on ‘show don’t tell’
Specifically, Midnight tides begins a completely new area of the overall conflict, with little notion as to how this plays into the wider scheme of things, at least, at first. Like so many pawns on a chessboard, plays are being made by an expert player and the other players all think they are playing checkers.
Gone are the characters that we know and love, but instead, we are introduced to new characters to know and love… and love them we do, as Erikson has a knack for taking even the most inconsequential side character and presenting them in such a way that you immediately care about who they are and what will happen to them. Reading this series is just a joy as a writer, and also very humbling. Erikson is a master of the craft…nay, he is THE master of the craft in my opinion.