NoNostalgia4Grover posted:

Tool got TWO happy endings and I'm dreading Tool showing up in the unwritten Karsa trilogy for a 3rd happy ending.

Papal Mainframe posted:

I'm only in book three, and this has been one of my favorite parts of Malazan, when you make a connection between stories, or figure out something about the way magic works or certain relationships, etc. It's awesome

Lunchmeat Larry posted:

Yeah, named in at least the Bonehunters and some dramatis personae - it's the Queen of Dreams.

Fenrir posted:

When I finished the series a couple years ago, I took a 2 or 3 month break then read the whole drat thing again. There was so much I uncovered on the second read that it was almost better than the first, even with it all still so fresh in my mind.

NoNostalgia4Grover posted:

I think it went: Letheri trade war bankrupted the blueroses, letheri took annual dettachments of bluerose calvary as tribute in lieu of debt payment,
bluerose calvary trained the letheri army in utterly retarded stirrup placement as a secret revenge.

Strom Cuzewon posted:

Midnight Tides has Moroch Nevath who gets one of my favourite deaths in the whole series. Even if I did just have to look up their name,

Schwza posted:

It has been a while since I read Fall of Light, am I remembering correctly that in some storage room there was an ancient painting depicting a war with Draconus in the scene. Was it implied that he had failed with an earlier Tiste civilization and this was his second go at making his favored creatures flourish?

Strom Cuzewon posted:

Is he even that bad? Sure, his demeanour and grouchyness is appalling, but he's still pretty competent.

kingturnip posted:

I think Tavore says it's because he's one of the only people to have actual first-hand knowledge of the Chain of Dogs (albeit from the walls of Aren). If he dies, who's there to remember it?, given that it's not clear whether Tavore knows that Duiker is alive.
If she'd demoted him to Captain, he'd have been shanked by his squads (because he's an utter tool) and he wasn't a competent enough soldier to be a Sergeant.

kingturnip posted:

Bear in mind that Dust of Dreams and The Crippled God are basically one book split in two so that you don't sprain your wrist from the act of reading it. Taken as a single book, yes, it is very good.

The finale of Toll The Hounds is clearly important for what comes afterwards. That said, I barely skimmed the Harllo sections on my re-read - I think the themes of 'the corruption of the young' work better in House of Chains (with Bidithal's gang of female genital mutilation girls) - and Stonny's role is so one-note it could be an entirely new character once Gruntle leaves.

Likewise, Crokus' role - once he's delivered Scillara and Barathol - is fairly pointless, since we've seen enough of him since GOTM to know that he's outgrown Darujhistan without needing to see him finding it out for himself.

I like the Nom-Nom bits - those were fun. And - sad though it was - the storyline of K'rul's Bar was good.
And, of course, the finale is superb - I think it has The Crippled God beat in terms of but TCG's finale is something like 250 pages long, so it's more epic.

Ben Nerevarine posted:

10% left in Crippled God. The assault on the Spire is one hell of an unforgettable chapter.

Submarine Sandpaper posted:

Finished the main series and after a malazan break I'll be going into the other ones. What's everyone's rec to start. I know crimson guard is generally frowned upon.

BigHead posted:

Don't forget the chained God's body was also stored in the great ravens. That's why rake's great raven buddy shows up out of loving nowhere in the middle of the finale. I have no idea if the coltain crows and great ravens are related but there you go. They probably aren't related. Crows travel in murders as everyone knows, but ravens prefer pairs or tight knit family units. Crows also go caw, while ravens go croak. Ravens are like writing desks, while crows resemble an abacus. There are other differences (ability to carry Wiccan souls vs godly corporeal forms notwithstanding) too if anyone wants a really interesting lecture.

Strom Cuzewon posted:

I can remember that coming up in book 3, whats the hint in book 1?

CoolHandMat posted:

goons were mentioning Bonehunters a page or two ago and i wanted to dust off this theory, havent seen it out there much if at all, i invite you to prove me wrong, if you can...

In the Bonehunters Sin saves everyone (well not everyone some get fried) from the fire elemental right? but is Sin truly just another undiscovered High Mage? (there do seem to be a bunch of them around... Beak(rip), QB, Bottle? ) or is does Sin somehow become the fire elemental? or does she bond with it, take it into herself somehow?

'What do you mean?'

'I mean a fire elemental's being born here, I think. A fire spirit, a godling. We got a firestorm on the way, and that will announce its arrival – and that's when we die if we ain't dead already. But an elemental is alive. It's got a will, a mind, damned hungry and eager to kill. But it knows fear, fear because it knows it won't last long – too fierce, too hot – days at best. And it knows other kinds of fear, too, and that's where maybe I can do something – illusions. Of water, but not just water. A water elemental.' He stared round at the others, who were all staring back, then shrugged. 'Maybe, maybe not. How smart is an elemental? Got to be smart to be fooled, you see. Dog-smart, at least, better if it was smarter. Problem is, not everybody agrees that elementals even exist. I mean, I'm convinced it's a good theory—'

Balm cracked him across the head. 'All this on a theory? You wasted all that air on that? Gods below, Widdershins, I'm minded to kill you right now.' He rose. 'Let's get going, while we can. To Hood with the damned palace – let's take the alley opposite and when the theoretical elemental arrives we can shake its hand and curse it to the nonexistent Abyss. Come on – and you, Widdershins, not another word, got it?'
Bonehunters Chapter 7

Cardiac posted:

My mailbox says tomorrow.
Also not through Amazon.
Something something book release schemes in different countries.

Modest Mouse cover band posted:

I managed to finish book 1 after about 10 tries. It wasn't bad it was just a difficult read for some reason. It sounds like book 2 and up are easier to get through?

snoremac posted:

I forget: is convergence a fan term for how characters always converge at the end of a Malazan book or does it have a similar kind of meaning within the books?

NoNotTheMindProbe posted:

I decided to read this for the first time. There's 5 pages of DRAMATIS PERSONAE at the start of the first book. gently caress.

Cardiac posted:

Not by his choice.
Nightchill is an Elder God.

Fuzzy Mammal posted:

COOL CORN posted:

So I'm reading the first book now, and... Well I'm told it gets better. I like the story and the setting is great but good lord does he ever begin sitting characters who have normal loving conversations? Everything is like

"Where do you want to eat," the man snarled, his lips a thin curl.
Her breath caught in her throat, as she remembered an ancient poem.
"Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun..." A tear welled up in her eye.
"Hood's breath, woman!" The man gruffed, gruffly. "speak plainly!"
"You know its name as well as I..." The woman said frowning in a way that was angry and sad at the same time.
Her head pounded and she rubbed her temples.

Like just have a simple conversation without it being so drat grimdark.

Real talk though I am enjoying it

cptn_dr posted:

I'm partial to Hood's opinion. "Never much liked them" indeed.

1994 Toyota Celica posted:

"I have had enough of your justice," is definitely my favorite line in the series

Andrigaar posted:

Finished "House of Chains" a few days ago and have been taking a moment to digest instead of just grabbing "Midnight Tides" off the stack.

It's probably been said a hundred times, but I seriously wish I had an ebook copy so I could search for how many times " chain" shows up as a text string. It's probably not as many times as it seemed.

COOL CORN posted:

Which reminds me that the audiobook's pronunciation of names, and my pronunciation of names are wildly different.

Challice vs. shuh-LEECE
Jah-GOOT vs. JAG-hut

etc.

kingturnip posted:

"I have never much liked Forkrul Assail" is still one of my favourite one-liners from the series.

Gravity Cant Apple posted:

Was Tool ever fired from being First Sword? I thought he still held the title while he was traveling with Envy and co in Memories of Ice? The title was one of the big reasons why the Seguleh were so keen on dueling him, and when he lost to Mok, Kilava got pissed and tried to kill Mok for beating the First Sword of the T'lan Imass. I'm pretty sure First Sword of the Empire is a separate title from First Sword of the T'lan Imass. The rest of what you said checks out though.

Jan posted:

I'm in the middle of rereading Dust of Dreams, and I'm gonna be quite honest: I just skipped absolutely everything Barghast related past O'nos Toolan's death. The stuff that happens after that is vile and the characters are so irrelevant that I didn't seem to lose anything from skipping a whole chapter.

Wolfsheim posted:

I do remember WJ's sister being claimed by Hood which is why the Queen of Dreams was annoyed when Leoman brought her along on his escape route, but they seemed like such a team that it was very odd to me that when he finally returns in ICE's book she doesn't seem to get referenced at all.