Deadhouse Gatesby Steven Erikson

SPOILER WARNING - DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW


Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen series seems to evoke strong reactions, and I count myself amongst the fervently converted. If you like your fantasy to be simple, lighthearted escapism these are NOT the books for you. If you like gritty military fantasy that challenges the reader, give it a try. For me, it is the best of the epic fantasy series currently underway (even better than Song of Ice and Fire, although if Martin can maintain the qualilty of A Storm of Swords through next few books I may consider them equals).

The world of the Malazan series is an ancient and complex morass of human and non-human races and civilizations, of powerful "ascendants" who war for power and influence, and of magical warrens open to priests and sorcerers of various disciples. Humans are latecomers to this world, and are generally ignored by the ancient feuding races, but frequently used as pawns in the various schemes of the ascendants. These books are confusing; you really have to work to understand what is going on, and just when you reach a point where things begin to make sense, Erikson throws you an entirely new level of detail, mystery and/or mythology. The good news is that if you are willing to put in the work, you ultimately can begin to make sense of a logically coherent and frequently fascinating universe.

Gardens of the Moon, the first book of the series, introduced us to the Malazan Empire, engaged in a campaign of conquest of the continent Genabackis. The Malazans are superb warriors, conquering the known world of humanity bit by bit, thanks to a superbly trained army led by brilliant strategist and tacticians (think Roman-era technology enhanced by magic and an occasional hand-grenade). It tells the story of the Malazan's ultimately unsuccessful effort to take Darujhistan, the last remaining major free city of Genabackis, through subterfuge and political scheming. The main protagonist is Ganoes Parran, only son of a noble clan who is given a new commission with an elite army corps, and later reassigned as personal aide to the Empress' Adjunct (Chief of Staff), who is personally overseeing implementation of the Empire's schemes.

Deadhouse Gates picks up shortly after the events of Gardens of the Moon, but it is set on a different continent and tells the stories of an almost entirely different cast of characters. In the vast dominions of Seven Cities, in the heart of which lies the Holy Desert Raraku, the seer Sha’ik gathers a vast army around her in preparation for the long-prophesied uprising named the Whirlwind. Unprecedented in its size and savagery, it will draw the entire subcontinent into one of the bloodiest conflicts the Empire has ever known. A maelstrom of fanaticism and bloodlust, it will shape destinies and give birth to legends.

As the series progresses the narrative style, like the world in which the story is set, becomes more complicated; at any given time you can expect to be jumping back and forth between four to six story lines. The most compelling of the stories follows Coltaine, the charismatic but untried new commander of the Malazan 7th Army, who with the Imperial Historian Duiker, lead leads a group of battered, war-weary troops in a valiant running battle to save the lives of thirty thousand refugees. Another other principal story follows Parran's sister Felisin, who is victim of a savage purge of the nobility orchestrated by the new Adjunct (Parran's other sister Tavore). She is subsequently imprisoned in a ugly, brutal mining colony, ultimately escapes with a group of other political prisoners, and heads towards a truly surprising fate. The third major story line follows a group from Gardens of the Moon as they try to return Apsalar (a young teenage girl who was possessed by the patron saint of assassins in book 1), back to her homeland. One of their members is the Empress' most accomplished assassin, who is rather displeased with his mistress after the events of book 1 and is seeking a personal interview to express in displeasure in forceful terms. There are several other plotlines, but I won't even begin to try to cover them all here. If the story sounds complicated, that's because it is complicated.

Why do I like this book? It may be hard work, but Erikson repays the effort. Just like the world itself, the characters are complicated and compelling. The story is a series of imaginative, surprising, even "myth-making" turns. The tension builds to an amazing climax, that left me in tears (not many books have this affect on me).