In the vast dominion of Seven Cities, in the Holy Desert Raraku, the seer Sha’ik and her followers prepare for the long-prophesied uprising known as the Whirlwind. Unprecedented in size and savagery, this maelstrom of fanaticism and bloodlust will embroil the Malazan Empire in one of the bloodiest conflicts it has ever known, shaping destinies and giving birth to legends . . . Set in a … brilliantly realized world ravaged by dark, uncontrollable magic, this thrilling novel of war, intrigue and betrayal confirms Steven Eirkson as a storyteller of breathtaking skill, imagination and originality–a new master of epic fantasy.
At the Publisher’s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
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This is such an epic story, I figured a typical review couldn’t do it justice, so I asked for some help from the characters who always know best.
Felisin: “I was told there would be journeys to exotic locations, that I would meet many interesting people, and that I would be admired and even held in awe. Well, I could tell you a thing or two about such promises…”
Coltaine: “Hahahahahahahh….ahahahahahah – Geez, you really got me there (the sky – it’s filled with crows … so many crows …).”
High Fist Pormqual: “I’m flying, I’m really flying, I’m weightless, I’m -”
Historian Duiker: “If you have the heart to see and the courage to witness it, you can find wisdom and compassion within the depths of madness and horror. That about sums it up.”
Heboric Light Touch: (Pointing into the distance) “See, now really look hard, that’s your fate heading toward you with stone driven inevitability – we are but the playthings of the gods.”
Crokus the Thief: “Not a big part this time around, but I’ve put my hand up for more.”
Apsalar: “Personally, I thought the overall book was excellent and I was quite satisfied with what I was offered and I’m sure I’ll see more of myself going forward, (slaps Crokus’ reaching hand), now Crokus you haven’t earned that yet…”
Kulp the Mage: “My scenes were for the most part excellent, however I do believe the story would have been strengthened with a couple of small changes, just a smidgen here and there – but does anyone listen to me. No…”
Baudin: “Well damn it. I really wish everyone would understand the difference between a Claw and a Talon. Right? Yes, am I right about that, or do I really have to come over there and demonstrate?”
Fiddler: “I don’t know, I’ve got a Ph.D in Astro-Hyperdrive-Mechanics, and my agent sent me this role. Still- its been a blast!”
Kalam: “I want some nano-ceramic body armor next time.”
Icarium: “I went on a long walk with my most excellent friend Mappo. We were joined by several boon companions, everyone we met treated us with wonderful politeness. However, I have acquired a headache and I wonder if perhaps we drank too much in an Inn last night, I certainly hope nothing untoward has occurred. Perhaps tomorrow I will remember more…”
Mappo Trell: “I won the award for ‘Best and most Loyal Friend,’ enuf said.”
Iskaral Pust: “Despite my amazing best efforts, sad manners of the author has left me with less than the richly deserved Main Character role. Unrecognised talent horribly wasted, miserable despair will be wet foundation for fresh ambitions.”
Aptorian: “Click, sheesssh, click, tap tap tap, click, sheeshhh. (trans’ ‘I’m such a bad-ass chick.’)”
And there you have it, clearly an epic, monster of a book and well worth 5 stars – strongly recommended for anyone who loves a long and involving read.
I am becoming more and more amazed at Erikson’s world-building in this series. Deadhouse Gates continues this with some awesome battle scenes and depictions of god-like beings.
This 2nd book revolves mostly around 2 different plot lines, that of Kalam (the assassin from book 1) in his mission to assassinate the empress, and that of Felisin the slave girl with surprising connections to the grander scale of the story happening around her.
I’m all-in when it comes to the Hounds, divine beings that resemble dogs the size of a horse, or larger.
Deadhouse Gates seems even bleaker than the first book, with a slow caravan making its way through the most inhospitable place, the desert Raraku. But within this desert await many secrets that will turn the tide of rebellion for all.
Kalam is quickly becoming my favorite character, but the way this book ends leaves me wondering where his story will continue, if at all. But then again, there are MANY more characters to follow. An awesome read from a fellow Canadian author!
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At times, it’s hard for me to put into words how I feel about Deadhouse Gates. The second book in the Malazan series, the book mostly stands alone, continuing the journey of some characters from the first book while introducing us to a host of new and memorable friends and foes.
The trademarks of the Malazan series are present here: deep world building, massive plots, and spectacular magic. Personally, I love Erikson’s writing. He manages to capture moods that are difficult to put on the page. This is a true grim-dark fantasy, and Erikson guides us through it with beautiful description and just the right amount of humor.
The showpiece of the story, without doubt, is the Chain of Dogs. I’ll say no more, so as not to spoil the story, but rarely as a plot line made me feel such a depth of feeling.
Also – definitely not for fans of rainbows and unicorns.
Now if you read my review for the first book in the series, you’d probably be surprised that I gave Gardens of the Moon 4 stars, considering the many faults I found with the book. That first book was a struggle for me, but I saw so much potential that I couldn’t justify giving it a rating any lower until I read more of the series. Now that I have read the second book in the series, I am confident that was a wise decision. This series is EPIC.
Deadhouse Gates is an excellent story, but I will be completely honest, I struggled with it at first too. I originally started the audiobook a few months ago and only got about an hour (out of 27 hours) into it before putting it down for a while. The part that I struggled with, was that unlike most series that you read, Deadhouse Gates did not really pick up in familiar territory. Yes there were a few familiar faces, but the book did not have very many characters carried over from the first story. Without spoiling it, the only real characters that we journey with are Fiddler, Kalam, Apsalar, and Crokus (and Moby of course). The rest of the storylines focus on entirely new characters, which can be confusing since we already met a littany of them in the first book. This turned me off initially, but it really shouldn’t have.
See despite the addition of several new characters in Deadhouse Gates, Erikson did a good job of really just focusing on four distinct storylines. Now those storylines get deep and rather complex in some places, but it is so well written that it is fairly easy to follow. The only issue I had with following along is the lack of a quality map, and that the audiobook narrators don’t always do a good job when the narrative switches to an alternate storyline. Were I actually reading the book, this would not have been an issue.
Now again if you had read my review for Gardens of the Moon, you would notice that another one of my gripes with that book was that I felt that Erikson did not have well developed, distinct characters (despite a few gems). I can honestly say that is NOT a problem in Deadhouse Gates. Erikson has done an absolutely fantastic job creating a diverse host of unique characters and personalities that make the book a joy to read. While I absolutely detested Felisin Paran, I fell in love with Fiddler, Kalam, Icarium, Mappo, Duiker, Coltaine, and yes even Iskaral Pust!
Among other improvements from the first book, Erikson also was markedly improved in his use of dialogue and overall character development in terms of their motivations and decision making. It felt less of a predetermined deathmarch narrative, because it felt like you were actually watching the characters make decisions, rather than plodding along some pre-ordained path. In this book, Erikson also does a slightly better job building relationships between characters—to an extent. In my opinion he does a phenomenal job creating and sharing the heart-breaking relationship between Icarium and Mappo, and he also does a fair job establishing friendships, and he does a good job creating the broken and abusive relationship that Felisin finds herself in, but when it comes to romantic relationships—Erikson falls flat. It’s not that they don’t exist, it’s just that they once again feel cheap and contrived. While some characters do fall into love with someone, it is still never well developed, and instead feels more like “I’m a boy and you’re a girl…so yeah.” This flaw is certainly not enough to diminish my appreciation for the book.
Overall what you have is a series of four epic, sometimes heartbreaking stories that are all set in a world that is far grander in scope that probably anything you have every read, and the more you read the more you realize that you are only scratching the surface. Erikson (and his co-creator Ian Esslemont) have created something so epic, that it makes me sometimes wonder if I know anything about writing & worldbuilding.