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Not Al-Qaeda posted:So apparently the 5th book is completely in a different time with all new cast? kinda tempted to skip it and continue with characters already introduced Do not skip. It's jarring, but there's reason and some of the characters introduced may end up being your favorites by the time it's done. Also he connects everything starting in like book 7 and you will be confused. It never fails to surprise me how internet fans miss who you're supposed to feel sorry for. Some people can't handle a character that isn't their aspirational wish fulfillment in every way.
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Mar 31, 2015 19:54
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Does Crokus ever become interesting? I can't tell why or if I'm supposed to care about him. [halfway through Deadhouse Gates]
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Mar 31, 2015 22:42
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Ross posted:Does Crokus ever become interesting? I can't tell why or if I'm supposed to care about him. [halfway through Deadhouse Gates] No, but his friends are neat. Murillo. Grey Frog. Rallick. Thats it I think.
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Apr 1, 2015 00:16
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Confident statement. Greyfrog is awesome.
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Apr 1, 2015 01:00
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Yedan definitely climbed a ridiculous amount in my tiers afterrrrr Toll The Hounds? Whatever one it is. the moment where the tiste liosan are watching the rent and the dragon head comes flying back through is probably in the top 3 moments of the series
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Apr 1, 2015 03:06
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I just got my copy of Deadhouse Gates today. Don't think I've ever read a book shaped like this before, tiny surface area but almost a thousand pages thick.
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Apr 1, 2015 06:07
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krampster2 posted:I just got my copy of Deadhouse Gates today. Don't think I've ever read a book shaped like this before, tiny surface area but almost a thousand pages thick. I have the paperback and it's pretty annoying to read. I feel like the margins are very narrow and it makes the inner bit of of each page nearest the spine very difficult visually/mechanically to read.
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Apr 1, 2015 15:42
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Habibi posted:Confident statement. Greyfrog is awesome. If the current OP title wasn't already perfect, this would be an awesome one.
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Apr 1, 2015 16:10
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10% into The Crippled God, I'm realizing that one of Erickson's talents is allowing the reader to suspend their disbelief. Many of his characters and events are, at their face, patently absurd. Somehow, they still work, and make a great story. To that end, I'm starting to think the OP should be updated with a list of the fun, over-the-top things in this series. Here's my first go at such a list. Feel free to hack it up, make additions, corrections, etc. Full disclosure: I've shamelessly ripped many of these from this thread, and can't be troubled to go back and cite them properly.
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Apr 1, 2015 16:47
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a scene where a grown man and dimension hopping badass in the company of a near Goddess becomes a space velociraptor broodmother's teddy bear that somehow manages to be comedic, sad, and horrifying all at once.
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Apr 1, 2015 17:39
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Captain Monkey posted:a scene where a grown man and dimension hopping badass in the company of a near Goddess becomes a space velociraptor broodmother's teddy bear that somehow manages to be comedic, sad, and horrifying all at once. In other words: Barney the purple dinosaur meets the gimp scene from Pulp Fiction.
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Apr 1, 2015 18:03
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Ynglaur posted:10% into The Crippled God, I'm realizing that one of Erickson's talents is allowing the reader to suspend their disbelief. Many of his characters and events are, at their face, patently absurd. Somehow, they still work, and make a great story. The best part of this is when basically all of them (end TCG)team up to win the final battle against mind-controlled humans and their multi-limbed screaming overlords. Or that if asked, I'd tell people my favourite fantasy battle involved (DoD) an army of ultra-disciplined lizard warriors with tesla coil weapons fighting medieval-era humans using modern infantry tactics and grenades... who eventually retreat and are avenged by the "good" space lizards controlled psychically by two humans who previously rode a boat on top of an undead dragon through the fire dimension and are saved at the last minute by two children who blow up evil flying pyramids.
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Apr 1, 2015 23:27
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Just finished TCG. Wow. It's always sad when I finish a book series. At least there's still the spinoff books, though. I still want to see Leoman and Kallor get their comeuppance. They never said what Ruthan Gudd's deal was. Anyone care to explain? Why did Karsa smashing an altar kill Fener? Was it supposed to be a good thing that Cotillion stabbed the Crippled God? Also, I still don't get why the Bonehunters had to cross the Glass Desert and resurrect the Crippled God there. They even explicitly stated that his body wasn't located at the barrow they fought on. Eschatos fucked around with this message at 05:50 on Apr 2, 2015 |
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Apr 2, 2015 05:43
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Eschatos posted:Just finished TCG. Wow. It's always sad when I finish a book series. At least there's still the spinoff books, though. I still want to see Leoman and Kallor get their comeuppance. 1) No, hasn't been explained yet, as far as I am aware. 2) IIRC, I think all of that just created a portal while Fener was manifesting over the battle, and Karsa killed him through it 3) Opinions are divided. Personally, I think there are enough hints dropped and explicitly stated that ST/Cotillion were trying to free him, and killing his body was the only way to free his actual being to travel back to his world and leave Wu the hell alone (numerous precedents for which exist in the series). Some people think they just straight up killed him. 4) As I see it, because his heart was in the possession of the Forkrul in whatever that kingdom was, and chances were, they weren't going to be able to get it back without a lot of fighting.
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Apr 2, 2015 06:17
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Eschatos posted:Just finished TCG. Wow. It's always sad when I finish a book series. At least there's still the spinoff books, though. I still want to see Leoman and Kallor get their comeuppance. You'll wish even more once you actually read the ICE books.
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Apr 2, 2015 07:23
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Habibi posted:2) IIRC, I think all of that just created a portal while Fener was manifesting over the battle, and Karsa killed him through it Fener was in some way summoned by Gesler and Stormy, but I actually don't see how considering he became corporeal to avoid Heboric. Maybe he was also after the Crippled Gods heart? Habibi posted:3) Opinions are divided. Personally, I think there are enough hints dropped and explicitly stated that ST/Cotillion were trying to free him, and killing his body was the only way to free his actual being to travel back to his world and leave Wu the hell alone (numerous precedents for which exist in the series). Some people think they just straight up killed him. Pretty much the way I see it as well. Habibi posted:4) As I see it, because his heart was in the possession of the Forkrul in whatever that kingdom was, and chances were, they weren't going to be able to get it back without a lot of fighting. That doesn't explain why they have to cross the Glass desert, considering Brys, the K'Chain Ch'Malle and the Bolkando went around it. The explanation seems to be more of the questing kind, where the Bonehunters have to find the Snake and thus D'rek. D'rek plays a role in the rechaining of Korabas and the manifestation of the Crippled God. Also, I am wondering whether there is anything special in that last scene where Koryk gets more or less captured by the Crippled Gods smile before Cotillon stabs him?
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Apr 2, 2015 07:29
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Eschatos posted:I still want to see Leoman and Kallor get their comeuppance. I think that Kallor's going to end up doing something heroic. "And.... may you one day show your true self. May you, one day, be redeemed in the eyes of the world."
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Apr 2, 2015 10:34
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Cardiac posted:Fener was in some way summoned by Gesler and Stormy, but I actually don't see how considering he became corporeal to avoid Heboric. Maybe he was also after the Crippled Gods heart? Not quite from what I recall. Fener was summoned by Heboric, but was able to hide himself instead of being summoned over a battle - which is what happened when Gesler and Stormy summoned him with entreaties. I believe it's related to his relative decline - at that point in the series he has relatively few worshippers so their entreaties have more of an effect on him than they would have otherwise. Karsa destroying an artifact which... I believe was created from some of his physical remains killed him due to his vulnerable status e: also apparently I'm the only that has some sympathy for Kallor by the end of the series. For all that he's a mass murdering sociopath with an overweening need for power he just can't catch a break. He also undergoes some development which is nice, though not nearly as much as Karsa. Baudin fucked around with this message at 14:49 on Apr 2, 2015 |
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Apr 2, 2015 14:45
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Cardiac posted:
Re: TCG, crossing the Glass Desert - She had a double objective of a) retrieving the heart and b) resurrecting the Crippled God far away from the Akhrast Korvalain gate, the Forkrul Assail's main army, and in a safe place for all the ravens to converge. Korabas also played a role in the freeing of Kaminsod and if she and the hundreds(thousands?) of eleint had come upon the battle at the spire poo poo would've went downhill for the good guys fast (Otataral doesn't negate elder magic), so had to be brought to the middle of nowhere. It's a pretty muddy plan but it probably makes sense somewhere in there, also serves as a badass way to have both a final epic battle and a last stand pyrrhic victory for the finale.
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Apr 2, 2015 15:59
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Baudin posted:He also undergoes some development which is nice, though not nearly as much as Karsa. I still find myself surprised by just how much I ended up liking Karsa after nearly being turned off of the series as a whole by his intro chapter. It was so different in tone, and it's not that he was badly written, it's that I had just attempted Rothfuss' lovely excuse for literature and then suddenly Karsa was the biggest total badass in the world who was so full of himself, and awesome and everything he did was amazing, and I nearly just put the book down and gave up on fantasy literature as a thing I used to read as a kid. Though that's more of a testament to just how completely and unforgivably awful Rothfuss is than anything to do with the Malazan stuff.
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Apr 2, 2015 16:02
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Captain Monkey posted:I still find myself surprised by just how much I ended up liking Karsa after nearly being turned off of the series as a whole by his intro chapter. His introduction was the single more jarring section of the series for me, by a long shot. It makes sense once you see where Erikson goes with it, but man is it a rough ride to start.
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Apr 2, 2015 16:08
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Baudin posted:His introduction was the single more jarring section of the series for me, by a long shot. It makes sense once you see where Erikson goes with it, but man is it a rough ride to start. It's the first time the reader is reading from the point of view of the "noble savage.". If you're reading the series in order, a casual reader may still think well of the Barghast at that point.
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Apr 2, 2015 17:54
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I loved Karsa's intro. Y'all are weird.
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Apr 2, 2015 17:59
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After having some time to think about it, there are some pretty major plot lines left unresolved. Like, aren't all of the remaining Eleint loose to do whatever they want? And seriously, the Errant gets away without any consequences? Eschatos fucked around with this message at 21:37 on Apr 2, 2015 |
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Apr 2, 2015 18:47
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Habibi posted:I loved Karsa's intro. Y'all are weird. People are reacting to the character. Intro Karsa is quite a terrible person.
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Apr 2, 2015 20:36
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It also really breaks the pace the first time you're reading. I was pretty drat disappointed by not getting straight to the war in Raraku and instead having to read all about the misadventures of some barbarian rear end in a top hat. But I'll freely admit I never cared much for Karsa. Still don't.
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Apr 2, 2015 20:42
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acumen posted:Re: TCG, crossing the Glass Desert - She had a double objective of a) retrieving the heart and b) resurrecting the Crippled God far away from the Akhrast Korvalain gate, the Forkrul Assail's main army, and in a safe place for all the ravens to converge. Korabas also played a role in the freeing of Kaminsod and if she and the hundreds(thousands?) of eleint had come upon the battle at the spire poo poo would've went downhill for the good guys fast (Otataral doesn't negate elder magic), so had to be brought to the middle of nowhere. It's a pretty muddy plan but it probably makes sense somewhere in there, also serves as a badass way to have both a final epic battle and a last stand pyrrhic victory for the finale. How could anyone have known what was going to happen with Korabas and the Eleint? It was a secret between Kilmandaros, Sechul Lath, and the Errant up until they freed Korabas.
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Apr 2, 2015 21:38
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Eschatos posted:How could anyone have known what was going to happen with Korabas and the Eleint? It was a secret between Kilmandaros, Sechul Lath, and the Errant up until they freed Korabas. Theoretically via the prophetic means allowed for in the series, ie Deck of Dragons. Folks could have anticipated that the elder gods are spiteful dicks and would have said "gently caress it burn it all down". But yeah it's a stretch.
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Apr 2, 2015 21:43
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anilEhilated posted:I'd also argue that Crokus' level of badassery is actually very, very low (and it's better that way). The whole Cutter thing is meant to be awkward. He does manage to stick Ralleck Nom before either of them can think twice. He also kills Gorlas Vidikas, a man famous for killing people with swords, before anyone can blink. And he was no slouch fighting the Edur on Drift Avalii. He's certainly no Apsalar or Kalam, but he was probably the nastiest assassin in Darujhistan after Vorcan in TtH. I'm smack in the middle of my first time through the Toll the Hounds convergence right now. I like Hood. I like him a whole drat lot. But then that's been the case since Beak's big scene.
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Apr 3, 2015 02:11
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You'll love Hood by the end of TCG.
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Apr 3, 2015 10:54
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Zeitgueist posted:People are reacting to the character. Intro Karsa is quite a terrible person. That's exactly what's brilliant about it. I'd much rather have characters I personally have a problem with, than everyone being generic badasses with a heart of gold.
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Apr 3, 2015 11:56
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Shockeh posted:That's exactly what's brilliant about it. I'd much rather have characters I personally have a problem with, than everyone being generic badasses with a heart of gold. I absolutely agree. But the intro was still a bit jarring because while I have disliked some characters in the past I just straight up hated Karsa until about midway through that book. I was almost skipping chapters, and I never do that on a first read through.
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Apr 3, 2015 15:12
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Eschatos posted:How could anyone have known what was going to happen with Korabas and the Eleint? It was a secret between Kilmandaros, Sechul Lath, and the Errant up until they freed Korabas. Someone had to. Korabas had to be there at the end, as (1) the whole point of Tavores' otataral sword was to summon her, and (2) her negating effect was the only thing that could have shattered TCG's chains. Point being, Errastas' plan may not have been entirely his own. With specific regards to the Glass Desert, I believe the idea was to hide her forces, as no one believed or expected that an army was capable of crossing it.
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Apr 3, 2015 15:20
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Habibi posted:Someone had to. Korabas had to be there at the end, as (1) the whole point of Tavores' otataral sword was to summon her, and (2) her negating effect was the only thing that could have shattered TCG's chains. Point being, Errastas' plan may not have been entirely his own. You also had ST/Cot setting Silchas up with the Hust Sword and recruiting those three dragons for him so he'd have some bros to help defend Korabas from the eleint. So either they were sharp enough to guess that the comically evil Errastas would seek to release Korabas or they had insider info from Mael or something.
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Apr 3, 2015 15:45
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Currently reading the end of The Bonehunters (last two or three chapters), and since I'm typing on a phone with the SA app and don't know how to mark spoilers, let me just say that I'm incredibly frustrated (in a good way), excited and awestruck. I'm so glad that I decided to just start reading this series after I finished ASoIaF, GotM was difficult for the first half, but from the last half of it onward I've been uniformly amazed by the depth, quality and genius of every book in the series. I'm dreading the day that I finish TCG. Also, I've been listening to the audiobooks through the whole series, and I just want to make sure that anyone else who considers doing so makes sure to get the newer audiobooks narrated by Ralph Lister (first three, so sad that he's gone now) and Michael Page (four onward, he's got some problems with pronunciation for the fourth book, but he gets a lot better). For the love of god, do NOT get the version read by John Haag.
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Apr 4, 2015 19:24
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"zeal" posted:Beak 
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Apr 4, 2015 20:21
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3D GAY WORLD posted:Also, I've been listening to the audiobooks through the whole series, and I just want to make sure that anyone else who considers doing so makes sure to get the newer audiobooks narrated by Ralph Lister (first three, so sad that he's gone now) and Michael Page (four onward, he's got some problems with pronunciation for the fourth book, but he gets a lot better). For the love of god, do NOT get the version read by John Haag. Are the John Haag ones the really amateurish ones? I assumed that was a fan or something reading them. Really bad. No sense of drama or flow and the audio quality is garbage. The Ralph Lister readings are, as you said, excellent. I was disappointed that he didn't come back for the rest. Gardens of the Moon was a little shaky but he really hit his stride with Deadhouse Gates. Don't dread finishing TCG! It puts everything into perspective and when you go back and reread it adds multiple new layers of enjoyment. I am on my second reading of the series and enjoying it even more than the first time! And, to second a common sentiment here, Gardens of the Moon was much, much better the second time around.
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Apr 4, 2015 23:16
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denimgorilla posted:Are the John Haag ones the really amateurish ones? I assumed that was a fan or something reading them. Really bad. No sense of drama or flow and the audio quality is garbage. The Ralph Lister readings are, as you said, excellent. I was disappointed that he didn't come back for the rest. Gardens of the Moon was a little shaky but he really hit his stride with Deadhouse Gates. Yeah, John Haag did the awful ones that I think are actually just for the library of congress, not actually for any commercial release (explains why he didn't even try). I actually am really looking forward to rereading, at the very least, the first two books, since those two are the only two I really feel like I missed large chunks of. Memories of Ice, what a great goddamn book; as has been said, Itkovian is an absolute badass and that entire plot with the Panion Domin just felt so disturbing, apocalyptic and (to use an extremely overused word) epic. Not that the other books are any lesser.
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Apr 5, 2015 01:41
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Habibi posted:I loved Karsa's intro. Y'all are weird. I was so tired of badasses with survivor guilt I was ready to give up at the end of the third book. I'd already bought the fourth and eighth and ninth so, gently caress it. Karsa was the perfect remedy, goddamn, I was so happy. Ecstatic, even.
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Apr 5, 2015 01:47
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Also, I refuse to live in a world where Karsa is not played by Conan Stevens and voiced by Ric Flair. 
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Apr 5, 2015 01:52
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