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02-6611-0142-1 posted:Months later, I am still enjoying the Caladan Brood album and I am still ashamed of it. never be ashamed. echoes of battle is badass
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Mar 20, 2014 15:14
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I didn't love Gardens of the Moon, and in some ways wasn't any less confused several books in. I started enjoying the story a lot more, however, when I just acknowledged that not having any clue what was going on is part of the story-telling. Some authors hide the Big Bad Monster. Some authors hide distant lands. Erickson hides the plot.
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Mar 20, 2014 15:45
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I think the most annoying thing about Gardens of the Moon, after you've read more of the books, is that some of the stuff that happens clearly gets retconned in later books and it all just doesn't quite fit together right. Either that or he was a bad enough writer that he just really couldn't get his point across until later books
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Mar 20, 2014 15:49
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Is Grub an ascendant?
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Mar 20, 2014 16:58
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Seems more like a natural mage that sensitivities to things and hasn't learned to control all of it yet. There's also a chapter blurb in house of chains that indicates that he later becomes the First Sword of the Late Empire period which is kind of interesting
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Mar 20, 2014 17:10
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amuayse posted:Is Grub an ascendant? I'm inclined to say probably. He was a natural counterbalance to Sinn who was also probably an ascendant since she was able to kill Stormy, who was most likely an ascendant. The requirements for ascendancy are so loosely defined that it's hard to say with any certainty. There was a cool quote I missed from House of Chains that mentions that Grub eventually became First Sword of the Late Empire, whatever that means. Maybe Erikson will write a Grub trilogy after the Karsa trilogy.
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Mar 20, 2014 17:16
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Gardens of the Moon is an awesome book, one that I appreciate more and more as time goes by. Its fantastic for re-reads and has some of the most striking imagery of the entire series, I personally would have it in my top 3 for the series as a whole.
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Mar 20, 2014 19:14
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bucketybuck posted:Gardens of the Moon is an awesome book, one that I appreciate more and more as time goes by. Its fantastic for re-reads and has some of the most striking imagery of the entire series, I personally would have it in my top 3 for the series as a whole. I thought Gardens was already way better than most fantasy I'd read (and I've read too much) when I first encountered it. The writing was a bit rough, but the storytelling was already incredible. But I also don't think there's nearly as much retconning from it as some people believe. 
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Mar 20, 2014 19:37
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Yeah I really don't get the hate for Gardens. Or the confusion with it. Granted it was like a decade ago now but when I read it the first time I recall being sucked in immediately and rolling with the (lack) of explanations. I've talked to other people who had trouble starting the series and I've never understood them I guess. Maybe that sounds smug I don't know.
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Mar 20, 2014 19:44
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apophenium posted:I'm inclined to say probably. He was a natural counterbalance to Sinn who was also probably an ascendant since she was able to kill Stormy, who was most likely an ascendant. The requirements for ascendancy are so loosely defined that it's hard to say with any certainty. There was a cool quote I missed from House of Chains that mentions that Grub eventually became First Sword of the Late Empire, whatever that means. Maybe Erikson will write a Grub trilogy after the Karsa trilogy. Keeping track who is an ascendant is kinda hard in this series. And killing ascendants does not require one to be one. There is one passage in Deadhouse Gates, where the Coltaines crew kills off one Rebellion ascendant and Karsa must have killed off a bunch as well, just because it is Karsa. That is actually an interesting question, is Karsa an Ascendant? One would think so, but he literally gives no poo poo about it. Ublala Pung regards him as one as well as other Toblakai, but he has sofar shown no interest in that direction.
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Mar 21, 2014 12:34
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The laughing monk certainly thought so.
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Mar 21, 2014 14:22
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Just finished Reaper's Gale. Erickson really LOVES assassins.  And hugging yourself.
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Mar 23, 2014 00:28
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amuayse posted:Just finished Reaper's Gale. Hugs from other people are dangerous, they might be assassins looking to knife you in the back.
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Mar 23, 2014 09:36
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Leospeare posted:Hugs from other people are dangerous, they might be assassins looking to knife you in the back. Or the side. Or the front. You never know with those sneaky assassins.
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Mar 25, 2014 17:22
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Habibi posted:Or the side. Or the front. You never know with those sneaky assassins. Or from above. Shi'Gal assassins 
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Mar 25, 2014 18:24
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 Tens of thousands of years of ice is melting, and the land of Assail, long a byword for menace and inaccessibility, is at last yielding its secrets. Tales of gold discovered in the region’s north circulate in every waterfront dive and sailor’s tavern and now countless adventurers and fortune-seekers have set sail in search of riches. All these adventurers have to guide them are legends and garbled tales of the dangers that lie in wait - hostile coasts, fields of ice, impassable barriers and strange, terrifying creatures. But all accounts concur that the people of the north meet all trespassers with the sword. And beyond are rumoured to lurk Elder monsters out of history’s very beginnings. Into this turmoil ventures the mercenary company, the Crimson Guard. Not drawn by contract, but by the promise of answers: answers that Shimmer, second in command, feels should not be sought. Also heading north, as part of an uneasy alliance of Malazan fortune-hunters and Letherii soldiery, comes the bard Fisher kel Tath. With him is a Tiste Andii who was found washed ashore and cannot remember his past and yet commands far more power than he really should. It is also rumoured that a warrior, bearer of a sword that slays gods and who once fought for the Malazans, is also journeying that way. But far to the south, a woman patiently guards the shore. She awaits both allies and enemies. She is Silverfox, newly incarnate Summoner of the undying army of the T’lan Imass, and she will do anything to stop the renewal of an ages-old crusade that could lay waste to the entire continent and beyond. Casting light on mysteries spanning the Malazan empire, and offering a glimpse of the storied and epic history that shaped it, Assail brings the epic story of the Empire of Malaz to a thrilling close.
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Mar 26, 2014 01:47
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My interest is aroused, along with other things.
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Mar 26, 2014 01:51
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I'm not a fan of the guy-standing-with-his-back-to-the-camera style Malazan covers.
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Mar 26, 2014 01:58
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I intend to read the Esslemont books eventually but cananyone give me a general idea of wtf is up with the continent of Assail, or has that really not been covered in previous books yet and this is the one we're waiting for to get some clarity?
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Mar 26, 2014 14:32
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Levitate posted:I intend to read the Esslemont books eventually but cananyone give me a general idea of wtf is up with the continent of Assail, or has that really not been covered in previous books yet and this is the one we're waiting for to get some clarity? It's been mentioned a couple of times. First big appearance was at the end of Memories of Ice with Silverfox etc.
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Mar 26, 2014 15:16
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Levitate posted:I intend to read the Esslemont books eventually but cananyone give me a general idea of wtf is up with the continent of Assail, or has that really not been covered in previous books yet and this is the one we're waiting for to get some clarity? We don't know, that is the whole story of it. We know that Silverfox and the T'lan Imass went there after memories of Ice since apparently 2 T'lan Imass armies have been all but obliterated there. We know that the Crimson Guard, and more specifically Iron Bars have been there and not had a good time. It seems like a place that have seen massive actions that have scarred numerous powerful groups and individuals. The general reaction to characters coming out of the continent have been: "gently caress you were there and you survived?". All in all, the continent seems like a hot bed for conflict and it is going to get worse with all ascendants going there now. Hopefully we will get more information on Dassem Ultor, who haven't been covered that much in the main series. Also on Fisher, and I expect the Jaghut to make an appearance. I'm so hyped about this.
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Mar 26, 2014 15:26
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I think we also know that the war on Assail that keeps kicking Imass rear end is being perpetrated by a human.
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Mar 26, 2014 15:49
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There are a few 'normal peasants' that we meet that are from Assail that are also very badass.
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Mar 26, 2014 15:55
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Habibi posted:I think we also know that the war on Assail that keeps kicking Imass rear end is being perpetrated by a human. Yeah in MoI I think the T'Lan Imass that Envy meets on the Meckros city says she came from there and they were being destroyed by humans or something. Spermy Smurf posted:There are a few 'normal peasants' that we meet that are from Assail that are also very badass. Who?
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Mar 26, 2014 17:28
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Kyle is the 'peasant,' but Stalker/Coots/Badlands are also from there but are from more of a military background so that shows why they can stand toe to toe or shoulder to shoulder with Avowed and not bat an eyelash
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Mar 26, 2014 18:03
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Cardiac posted:We don't know, that is the whole story of it. Well we know pretty much what happens to Dassem from earlier Esslemont books (OST specifically. BTW probably my favourite of ICE's story arcs). And from the blurb above 'sword that kills gods' tells me Karsa is going to be involved here too.
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Mar 26, 2014 18:35
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We also know the 'Tyrants' (and it's confirmed, I think from memory, that these are Human Tyrants, not Jaghut at the end of Memories of Ice) of Assail have been chewing through Imass in unprecedented numbers...The Bonehunters posted:'To Hood with Assail!' Cotillion shouted, his voice echoing wildly in the cavern. 'This is nothing but pride! You cannot win there! You send clan after clan, all into the same destructive maw! You drat fools - disengage! There is nothing worth fighting for on that miserable nightmare of a continent! Don't you see? Among the Tyrants there, it is nothing but a game!'
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Mar 26, 2014 23:42
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It's intriguing that the humans on Assail are so much more powerful compared to the humans elsewhere. Is it the place where in a T'lan Imass flashback three sorcerers battled them? Seems like Assail might have some kind of sorcerer game of thrones poo poo going down. Sounds fun, I hope Esslemont can do it justice.
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Mar 27, 2014 00:40
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Fuzzy Mammal posted:Well we know pretty much what happens to Dassem from earlier Esslemont books (OST specifically. BTW probably my favourite of ICE's story arcs). And from the blurb above 'sword that kills gods' tells me Karsa is going to be involved here too. With Dasssem I'm thinking more about his backstory, which I would like to read more about. In both of the series he plays a role, but the backstory we only have some excerpts from. Sword that kills gods, that should easily be Dassem Ultors sword Vengeance (?) since he killed Rake . Even though we meet Karsa in OST, isn't he more of Eriksons darling than Esslemonts? Spermy Smurf posted:Kyle is the 'peasant,' but Stalker/Coots/Badlands are also from there but are from more of a military background so that shows why they can stand toe to toe or shoulder to shoulder with Avowed and not bat an eyelash I was thinking about them, but couldn't remember their names. Assail seems like a continent populated by so many bad-asses that I fear the story will be ridiculous. Return of the Crimson Guard was almost too much in that regard.
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Mar 27, 2014 09:54
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As if it hasn't already been ridiculous.
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Mar 27, 2014 13:58
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Xachariah posted:It's intriguing that the humans on Assail are so much more powerful compared to the humans elsewhere. I mean, the Seguleh are humans...it sounds like Assail is kind of just a closed system with some very powerful people that have some crazy poo poo going on, but why are the T'lan Imass all into trying to kill them? The three sorcerers thing is interesting though yeah, I just read that part in Dust of Dreams and it comes across as a bit of a mystery other than, you know, the humans killing and eating the last of the Imass nucleicmaxid posted:As if it hasn't already been ridiculous. Just depends on whether Esslemont can make a ridiculous story/situation good. And yeah I thought that blurb was about Dassem since it says something about a warrior who used to fight for the Malazans, which Karsa hasn't really ever done
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Mar 27, 2014 15:38
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Levitate posted:I mean, the Seguleh are humans...it sounds like Assail is kind of just a closed system with some very powerful people that have some crazy poo poo going on, but why are the T'lan Imass all into trying to kill them? Well, given that the Tellan Imass became T'lan Imass due to the Jaghut Tyrants, they are kinda allergic to tyrants. They also have a track record of involving themselves in human affairs, for instance when Dessimbelackis performed the beast ritual and created the D'ivers.
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Mar 27, 2014 15:46
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So in some very unexpected news, in an interview with Steven Erikson it states he was lined up to write a tie-in novel for Bungie's (the Halo series dudes) new game Destiny at the time the interview was conducted in 2012, despite it only being published now. Since then the agreement with Bungie was cancelled but wrote a sci-fi novel instead. All it says is:quote:Well, I am. This summer (note: summer 2012) I’m writing for Bungie, the game company. I am writing a tie-in novel to their new game in development. I signed a non-disclosure agreement. I can’t give you any information beyond that beside it’s a tie-in novel to the game they’re working for the five past years since Halo finished. So that steps me outside the Malazan world and all the rest. It should be an interesting exercise. (note : Steven Erikson has since parted ways with this deal but he has written a SF novel, called Willful Child, which should come out in 2014) I did some googling on the sci-fi book and found a sample chapter here on the Tor blog, also from 2012. Haven't found much about it since. Amazon has an estimated date of (25 Sep 2014 but we all know how those can be just placeholders. Any thoughts? It seems really different to his other work aside from the Kruppe/Iskaral Pust/Marine banter but seems like it could be a great read. Any thoughts? ed balls balls man fucked around with this message at 21:29 on Mar 29, 2014 |
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Mar 29, 2014 19:56
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Huh, interesting. I just started as a writer with Bungie and my boss was the Tor handler (editor?) for the Malazan Book of the Fallen. I suspect that's where the connection comes from.
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Mar 29, 2014 20:28
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savinhill posted:I'm not a fan of the guy-standing-with-his-back-to-the-camera style Malazan covers. I bet there's just this one guy who is self conscious that he can't draw faces properly
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Mar 29, 2014 23:26
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Cardiac posted:
He killed Rake by striking Rake's guard with so much force that it drove Dragnipur's back edge into Rake's head. That's how Rake got inside Dragnipur to release Mother Dark. Vengeance didn't kill Rake, except indirectly. Karsa is the first name that comes to mind for a sword that kills Gods; he's done it before, after all.
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Mar 30, 2014 03:10
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Khizan posted:He killed Rake by striking Rake's guard with so much force that it drove Dragnipur's back edge into Rake's head.
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Mar 30, 2014 04:50
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Well, yes, ostensibly, but the fact remains that, no matter what happened, Vengeance didn't kill him.
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Mar 30, 2014 05:15
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Khizan posted:Well, yes, ostensibly, but the fact remains that, no matter what happened, Vengeance didn't kill him. Yeah I was just commenting on the force thing.
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Mar 30, 2014 11:08
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Just finished the series. Threat title should be: "I have had enough of your monologue" That said it was still very enjoyable and the action scenes were very well done, plus some surprisingly good humor with Tehol Bugg and Karsa. And Hood plus Jaghut crew. I didn't really like Jaghuts at first, too mopey and the half jag Icarium was probably my least favorite character but now I see it was because Hood took alnost all the fun allotted to the entire race. I also appreciate not having magic and ascendency explained like a video game progression tree and the conflicts weren't always resolved by who was just downright more powerful/ancient/whatever. Much more exciting that way and less formulaic. Xguard86 fucked around with this message at 05:44 on Mar 31, 2014 |
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Mar 31, 2014 05:41
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