The two things that I really liked about Deadhouse
Gates was first that Steven Erikson’s writing style has improved and second
was the nonstop action of the Chain of Dogs sequence, giving that book a great
score of 8/10. The third novel in the Malazan:
Book of the Fallen is Memories of Ice and takes those two aspects of
Deadhouse Gates and turns them up to eleven. The plot takes place right after Gardens
of the Moon, following many of the characters the reader was introduced to
in that first novel as the war moves away from Pale and Darujhistan as the
Malazan Empire and Bridgeburners with the uneasy and mistrustful allies. Memories of Ice is at its core a quest
to the besieged city of Capustan where further alliances can be pursued. The siege of Capustan is the centerpiece of Memories
of Ice and demonstrates Erikson’s improvement of writing style and plot: Gardens
of the Moon had the Siege of Pale a centerpiece, but the reader never
actually was privy to the Siege, instead only seeing the aftermath and the
various parties endure. The third part
of Memories of Ice focuses exclusively on the forces converging on
Capustan. The besieged city as presented
to the reader is a perfect example of Erikson’s skill with presenting imagery:
the reader sees the squalor and devastation of Capustan, bodies pile in the
streets while armies attempt to get in and everything is clearly coming to a
head. There are other parties involved,
including an entity called the Crippled God, presented almost as the big bad, a
chessmaster pulling the strings behind the scenes. Characters ascend to godhood, a sleeping god
wakes and makes a last stand, characters are reunited, lovers find each other
and are lost, making Memories of Ice one of those fast moving books.
As Gardens of the Moon established, Tattersail
has been reincarnated as Silverfox among a group of tribesmen called the
Rhivi. Silverfox shows just how to do a
reincarnated character correctly: she is not Tattersail, although the soul and
memories are there, instead is a child manipulating events and those around
her. She was born to the Mhybe, this
young woman who over the course of the novel finds herself under Silverfox’s
thumb both literally and figuratively.
The story of the Mhybe is one of tragedy, Silverfox is a parasite,
taking the Mhybe’s life away from her, slowly aging her throughout the novel, which
doesn’t cover a lot of time, and ending the novel dead. Silverfox also manipulates Paran, pulling on
the previous relationship in Gardens of the Moon. Their reunion here and the big reveal that
Silverfox is indeed Tattersail reborn, is incredibly tense, and Paran is suitably
disgusted of this child acting as if she was his lover at some point in
time. Paran as a character is one of the
few who seems to try for the moral high ground.
He’s gaining power throughout the novel, power that he really doesn’t
wish to have, but the gods and other parties have plans. The sequences in the warrens with Paran,
especially regarding Dragnipur, Draconis, Annomander Rake, and becoming Master
of the Deck, all in their own right bringing the drama and character development
for this man who has already gone through hell and lost his family. The dead Hounds of Shadow have been
reincarnated and the Crippled God is set to be loosened on the world very soon.
Annomander Rake, the Tiste Andii, and their connection
to the other Tiste races are brought back to the forefront in places here. Rake is used sparingly, instead having Crone
appear more often. Crone is given more depth
and seems to be scheming for her own gain, or possibly her master’s, it isn’t
clear. Crone has this wit and often
provides some nice dry comedy into whatever scene it features in. Once again a lot of the climax involves the
Soletaken abilities of Rake, among others.
There are other Tiste Andii, including one who has a touching romance
with Whiskeyjack. Whiskeyjack and Korlat’s
story becomes intertwined and like the romances in Gardens of the Moon
ends poorly with a complete shakeup.
Caladan Brood is another of those very different characters who is
trying to gain his own power, although this is one of those storylines that
doesn’t quite end as he kind of becomes a background character. The zombie T’lan Imass rise and become the
main foe to fight, though the Jaghut contingent from Gardens of the Moon
is subverted in several places (you’ll understand once you read the book.
There is also a party including Toc the Younger, a
character I didn’t mention in Gardens of the Moon, deepening a
friendship and being given a new name, witnessing the death of a god, and
travelling with Lady Envy, a sorceress.
The way that this plot, and the plot of Quick Ben and necromancers Bauchelain
and Korbal Broach (who have essentially their own spin-off novella series). The necromancers are such a brilliant double
act, again being a source of comedy, while Lady Envy is one of those characters
that the reader will love to hate.
Everything builds up to the end of the novel leaving characters dead, a
new Warren created, Quick Ben and Kruppe (both brilliant characters, Kruppe
improving greatly over his characterization in Gardens of the Moon) each
having their own plans, and the events of Deadhouse Gates brought to our
characters, implying that things will be converging in the next few books. Memories of Ice is one of those novels
that makes the reader laugh and cry, and it feels like Steven Erikson really is
getting into the groove of writing these.
Overall, if a reader was struggling with the first two Malazan Book
of the Fallen novels, Memories of Ice might make them change their minds
on the quality of the series. It’s less
obtuse, but still as dense as Erikson’s other work, but told in chronological
order, and yes there are more questions than answers, but it is one of the best
rides I’ve gone on. 10/10.
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