![]() ![]() What make these friendships so special is how genuine they are, how people truly care about each other, be loyal to each other.Īnd on top of all those, while Malazan can be dark, it also boasts absurdist, almost Pythonesque sense of humour.ĭeadhouse Gates 4.2/5 - Futility of war and cyclical history Here, you'll see friendship blooms between mortals and immortals, between the livings and the undeads, between humans and demons, between dragons, and so on. While his romance is mostly the cases of hit and miss, the depicted friendships are on the point almost all the time. Friends may turn into enemies and vice versa, but there always be true friends whose bond cannot be broken or severed, even literally by death.įriendship is also greatly explored by Erikson. This makes a very engaging read when you see the balance of power in the world constantly shifts. In this scenario, forces will clash and there will be opportunists who make use of this chance to further their agenda. Whenever an individual or a party exposes its power, it will draw other powerful beings nearer. The world is inhabited by very powerful beings: gods, ascendants, Elder Races, mages, shapeshifters, dragons, and various ancient beings. Power draws power is the arc phrase throughout the series. While such good deeds may go unwitnessed in history, it doesn't reduce their meaning or importance in the slightest.Ĭonvergence of powers is another big theme. There are numerous idealistic and heroic characters who strive for justice, flawed as they are, and the notion of kindness is never undermined throughout the series. #Malazan book of the fallen goodreads full#The world of Malazan is bleak and suffering is rife, but it never really goes full grimdark and nihilistic. Compassion is one of the core themes in this series. #Malazan book of the fallen goodreads series#However, when it delivers, it delivers, and I personally find this series really rewarding and enriching, so yes it is a very worth read.įurthermore, MBotF features a rich cast of characters, vivid worldbuilding with diverse cultures, superb prose, and most importantly intriguing themes. It is also not a perfect series in my book, since there are some issues with pacing and half-developed characters in the latter half of the series. On top of that, it is a huge commitment: 10 big books with over 11,000 pages and 3,300,000 words. Again, the language and in medias res setting, not to mention complex plot and worldbuilding may throw some people off. It is a niche series, so they might not be the most accessible books for everyone. In its core, Malazan is an epic dark fantasy with strong military tones. The Fallen refers to the fallen soldiers, but at the same time it also addresses fallen civilisations and the Fallen One, the Crippled God who's arguably the central villain in the series. On top of that, there are gods who are not happy with Malazan's expansionist deeds, and lurking in the backgrounds are people from various Elder Races, some are in league with the Malazans while others may have their own malicious agenda, some can be traced back to 300,000 years ago. And even after Laseen took the throne, there are various movements of rebellion and resistance brewing in different continents. The Emperor Kellanved and his foremost companion Dancer were presumably ousted and killed. Nearing its 100th anniversary, there's a major coup d'etat by Surly, now named Laseen, the Mistress of Claw (the empire's assassin organisation). Despite its reputation of embracing diversity and inclusiveness, it also suffers from a lot of political turmoils and backstabbings. However, Malazan Empire is not without flaw. In some ways, it can be read as an optimistic, maybe slightly too idealised version of colonisation. Men and women from various background have the equal opportunities to rise in rank. There is almost no cultural genocide save for problematic practices like human and blood sacrifices, also slavery. Despite its predation of several civilisations, each of them still thrives in one way or another. There are parallels of Roman Empire on how the military operates and how they also improve the infrastructure and society. Malazan Empire is an expansionist nation that conquers nations and civilisations over several continents. MBotF mainly tells the story and deeds of Malazan armies (the Bridgeburners, the 7th, the Bonehunters) and also various parties of mortals and gods alike. It's just the matter of dense prose and sometimes unusual diction (that as a non-native speaker I find challenging at times). It has reputation of being difficult read, which in my honest opinion not exactly the case. Over the course of last 5 months (starting roughly in the end of the June with about 2 weeks break), I have been immersed myself in Malazan Book of the Fallen. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |