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Midnight Tides (Malazan Book of the Fallen #5) by Steven Erikson
The fifth book in this series of 10 and as I said in my updates, it is kind of a reset or back story to the main goings on from the other books. I assume it will tie into everything in the coming books but I don't know as I stay away from spoilers!
The story takes place on a continent called Lether and this is far away from the Malazan Empire that is in the other books so far. I think they don't know anything about each other. This is also set in an era before Gardens of the Moon which is the first book.
The tribe of Tiste Edur have been unified under the Warlock King and are going to meet the Kingdom of Lether to discuss a treaty. Lether is known to be sneaky so there is suspicion all around. The character of Trull Sengar appears here again. He was in House of Chains and this is like his back story.
Obviously with two superpowers of Tiste Edur and Lether, things get out of hand so war is inevitable. Characters all have different agendas with some wanting to take over their faction and others with secrets! I found the machinations of the different people very complex and intriguing and Erikson really blends everything together brilliantly. The problem is that it isn't the most exciting thing I have ever read!
On the plus side, I found things did indeed pick up after the last update but it still wasn't as exciting as the other books. It was still fun enough but there is no way I would ever read this one again if I was revisiting the series.Mind you, I haven't even finished it yet!
The world building and characterisation is fantastic here but there weren't many battles or fighting. A big anticipated scrap is over in literally a few pages which felt like an anticlimax. The skulduggery and different motivations of the characters is brilliant though and the way Erikson ties it together is great. I thought it could do with a few more fights though especially early in the book.
This is 930 pages so not as bad as some of the others in length. I am now halfway through the series and enjoying them.
Onto the next one now, The Bonehunters!!0 -
Reading The Bonehunters and I am already enjoying it more then Midnight Tides.
This is 1200 pages so a lot longer than the 930 of Midnight Tides but already feels more compelling so it makes me read faster. A lot of the old gang (characters) are back in it!
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The Bonehunters (Malazan Book of the Fallen #6) by Steven Erikson
This is the 6th book and this follows on directly to the 4th book House of Chains. Some events of the 5th book Midnight Tides are alluded to as well.
The Malazan Fourteenth Army has crushed the Seven Cities Rebellion after the Adjunct killed the Sha'ik and they are chasing what is left of the Rebels west. The Rebels are now led by Leoman of the Flails and they are now holed up in the fortress city of Y'Ghatan. This was home to the Malazan's greatest defeat so the army is very nervous about bad omens and history. They worry how deadly and long a siege might last especially as there is now a plague sweeping the area.
The delicate balance of power in the Malazan Empire could be shifting also. Then there are strange black ships sighted on the seas as an expeditionary force from the Letherii Empire try to find warriors worthy of facing Emperor Rhulad Sengar in battle.
There is so much going on in this book and loads to keep track of all the time. Reading these books in sequence really helps me understand things but it still takes a bit of time to put everything together in my head.
As I said in an update, there is a siege/battle of the fortress city that is really thrilling and exciting to read. This is roughly halfway through the book and then then things begin to stew and simmer until the final 100 pages or so. Then there is an unbelievable wind up with so much happening non stop! I could not put it down and stayed up into the early hours reading this.
What is great is that there is a load of things happening/resolved but in true Erikson style, there are a load more of questions too. This was 1200 pages but well worth the read. I really enjoyed the way this book was put together as there was so much crammed in, it could have been a mess but I found it great.
This would be one of my favourite ones too so far. Big improvement on Midnight Tides and now I turn my attention to the next one. The 7th of the series..... Reaper's Gale. This has even slightly more pages.....1280!!! :eek:0 -
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Reapers Gale (Malazan Book of the Fallen #7) by Steven Erikson
This book continues on from Midnight Tides and The Bonehunters and is the 7th book in this series.
Lether is now ruled by the mad Emperor Rhulad. He is now called the Emperor of a Thousand Deaths by the people as he gets resurrected by his sword every time he dies. He gets a little more crazy every time he comes back! He is Tiste Edur and they rule over the Letherii people. The Tiste Edur bring Champion fighters from other areas to fight the Emperor but none can beat him. They kill him but he comes back to life and kills them.
In a Tiste Edur fleet, there are more Champions on their way to fight him. Among them is Karsa Orlong who was introduced in House of Chains He is a badass warrior who believes there is no one he cannot kill!!!
Then there are 2 different threats to the Empire of Lether from the outside. To the East, there is a tribe called The Awl that Lether had conquered but they are now led by a warrior that has come back from Exile. He is called Redmask and has sworn vengeance on the Lether Empire. To the west, the Malazans are coming in a flotilla led by the Adjunct......
This book is a lot of fun but I found it very complex near the end. What made things difficult is there are a lot of characters with similar names that I found confusing. There are names such as Tehol, Tanal, Triban, Thom and Tarudal. Buthen, Brohl, Brullvg, Bivatt, Blistig, Brethless, Balgrid, Banaschar and Brevity. Then there were Shurq, Skorgen, Sirryn, Samar, Seren, Silchas, Sands, Sukul, Sheltatha, Sandalath and Skwish!! This made things very hard as I had to keep checking to verify which person this was.
The first third is great and then it dies a bit until halfway. Then it gets very complex for ages but comes back for a great ending. I think around 300 pages could have been cut out of 1260 pages to make it a bit leaner. After halfway there are numerous plot lines to follow and I found it tough to read.
I sound like I am complaining about this book but it is still a good read. It isn't the best one but not as bad as Midnight Tides. The way Erikson brings things together at the end is always great.
So after 3 months of reading, I have 7 read in this series. Next up is "Toll The Hounds" and this one is 1296 pages!0 -
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Toll the Hounds (Malazan Book of the Fallen #8) by Steven Erikson
The 8th book in the series and it is set mostly in Darujhistan and a place called Black Coral. The retired Bridgeburners who now own K'rul's bar are being targeted by the Assassin's Guild. Who has taken out the contract and will they survive? Anomander Rake is also troubled by what seems to be a coming convergence centred about the city of Darujhistan.......
This book is 1096 pages and felt longer than that. It is the worst one that I have read in the series and would have given up on it had it been a standalone book. There are a number of reasons for this.
A lot of it is written in the voice of Kruppe. He is the fat guy who is always eating but seems to know more than he lets on! While I love his character as he talks in a superfluous (using more words than necessary) style, it doesn't work as a narrator. It felt boring and convoluted to me.
This tale is very complex with a load of different characters and it felt like one of those ensemble films with everyone getting a few lines but going around in circles. I can live with complex but then there is kind of philosophy thrown in too and it felt a bit of a chore to read.
I was about 1000 pages into this and really could not care less what happened to anyone. Surprising deaths didn't have much affect on me and I just wanted to get to the end.
You could easily skip 1000 pages and read the last bit and you would not have missed much except for the characters motivations. Because I have read these in sequence, I can understand and follow things but there are a load of callbacks to the other books that if you left a gap or read something else, you would be lost. It is very convoluted and not in a good way.
There are no big battles in this book. A fight halfway through and then a small fight at the end. That's OK too if what is there is interesting but I just didn't care at all. It was a big relief to finish it. I would have given up only that its in a series and i wanted to follow whats going on.
So now only 2 more books left. Next up is "Dust of Dreams" and this is long too.1276 pages. It can't be any worse than this one, can it?!!!!!0 -
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Dust of Dreams (Malazan Book of the Fallen #9) by Steven Erikson
So this is the penultimate chapter in this 10 book series and the renegade/exiled Malazan army commanded by Adjunct Tavore is in Letherii. They are regrouping there and preparing to march into the Wastelands in the East. This to face an unknown enemy and they don't even know why! Meanwhile, Tool of the Barghast is now their Warleader. Lovely when you get a promotion isn't it?!! But because he only wants to fight in just battles, he is viewed as a coward.The Perish are trying to meet up with the rest of the Bonehunters but they have to go through the Bolkando Kingdom first. The Deck of Dragons is read to stunning effects. What will the Letherii do? Then there maybe K'Chain Che'Malle still around...
This book is basically the first half of the finale. So it is really one very long book split into 2 long books! It is 1276 pages.A huge improvement on Toll the Hounds because I found that long and tedious. This book started of really well and had me hooked again. Like all these books, Erikson should cut out at least 200 pages if not more. Some subplots are a bit boring but the main plot is great. Another quibble is there is a list of characters given at the start of the book but they are just grouped by faction. Just their names so it is hard to remember what each one is or does within that faction sometimes.
There is a graphic rape/torture scene in the book so be aware of that if it not your thing. Well, of course if it is your thing you need help! But I just say it, in case you don't like that in books. In the context of the story, it was ok with me though.
This book took the same pattern as the books before. Starts off well then dips a bit and has something great in the middle. Then eases off again until a big ending. What I will say is, there is a huge battle at the end of the book and it is outstanding. The way Erikson flicks from each character before it starts is amazing. The tension really ratchets up as each character sees what is coming. I felt like I was there too! Then all hell breaks loose! I would love to see this filmed! I stayed up late finishing this last night until 2 o clock. Couldn't put it down!!
So starting today, I will the reading the final book in this series. "The Crippled God" This has 1200 pages. Should be fun!!!
2021 - 9 books read so far. Reading this Malazan series since Jan 1st though!0 -
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The Crippled God (Malazan Book of the Fallen #10) by Steven Erikson
So we finally come to the final chapter! Here, the Bonehunters are marching to Kolanse. Why? Because Adjunct Tavore says so. Why does she say so? She says there will be a big battle there. How does she know this? I have no idea! (even after finishing the book I have no idea!)
Waiting in Kolanse are the Fokrul Assail. A race of beings that want to destroy civilisation and kill all humanity. Can't we all just get along? :pac:
Then, in the once lost city of Kharkanas ( how do these cities get "lost"?!!!) The Tiste Liosan are coming and the First Shore will be defended by Yedan Derryg.
Can all these armies hold out against the onslaught?
I felt this was like WW2 where Tavore is trying to gather up a United Nations to take on the bad guys at the start and then off everyone goes. Like all these books, there are subplots that are not very interesting. I had no interest in the Kharkanas side of things and this felt put in there to fill up the gaps and to take a break from the main action with the Malazans.
This book is like the others in that it starts off well, settles and gets boring. Livens up for some action at halfway, settles and gets boring once again. Then a big finish.
I enjoyed the finish as there is a big battle that is brilliantly written. Far too much boring stuff for my liking but I just about liked it all. I am a bit punch drunk from Malazan now though and I seem to veer from loving it to hating it and wanting to quit at times. I am a bit all over the place with it!
So tomorrow, I will do a post reflecting on this journey since I started the first one on Jan 1st! This seems like years ago. I just finished this book this afternoon. I am Malazaned out now at this point so I need to begin a new book tonight and then post again about the Malazan series tomorrow! Hopefully be a bit fresher then and look at the whole series after stepping away for a night.
2021 - 10 books read so far.0 -
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The Actuality by Paul Braddon
Finally onto "regular" books this year and I have a load to read!
"The Actuality" is a sci fi book and is the debut novel of Paul Braddon. It is set in England in around 2091 where lifelike robots are around. Other than dumbed down ones that do menial tasks, they have been outlawed. People are afraid of what they can do and there have been a few incidents of where they ran amok killing people. Evie is a robot that lives in an apartment but she never goes out. Matthew is old but very wealthy and had Evie built after his wife died. She is a near perfect representation of the wife of Matthew and lives to serve him. They have been together 40 years but of course she still looks around 21.
The only other person there is Matthews assistant who is called Daniels. Evie cannot leave as any high tech robots get hunted and killed. When something happens inside the apartment, Evie finds herself on the streets. She has to pretend to be human and try to survive for as long as she can. Can she find somewhere safe?
I really loved this book. A simple premise but well executed. The first half is amazing as there are themes of what is it to be human and are robots our slaves if they have sentience. It kind of loses its way a little when Evie is first out on the streets but I thought it finds its way back by the end of the book. I really enjoyed the end of the book.
It really reminded me of the movie "Ex Machina" by Alex Garland. If you loved that movie like I did, then you will like this book too.
For a first time book, this was very good so I can't wait for more from Braddon. If you like science fiction then this book is well recommended.
2021 - 11 books read so far.0 -
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Back in 2019 I read The Martian and Artemis which are both written by Andy Weir and here he is back with his latest book.
Project Hail Mary is about an Astronaut called Ryland Grace who wakes up on a spaceship a very long way from home and finds his two other crewmates dead. The problem is his memories are very fuzzy and he can barely remember his own name. He remembers that he is on a mission to save humanity but can't remember what he is meant to do.
He is alone on the ship that has been put together by all the governments on Earth and sent off into space quickly as planet Earth is facing extinction. If only he could remember how and what he is meant to do! But maybe, he is not alone in space after all......
This book was really good and i really enjoyed it a lot! The only quibble is that it really is a rethread of The Martian Essentially Macgyver in space again as Grace struggles to figure who he is, what he needs to do and how to do it.
So if you hated that book then avoid this! But if you liked it as I did, then you will find this fun. It is told in first person from Grace as he comes across each problem and fixes it. He has a load of technical issues but the book seems to stay within the bounds of "OK, this is possible given those conditions" Of course, that's me only guessing but things are explained rationally so I went with it!
I hope that Weir doesn't go back to this type of scenario again of a guy alone in space in trouble as that's two i have read of his! This one is really good though too so i will let him off this last time! Grace sounds the exact same as the character in the Martian. That kind of wise cracking every day man that can fix anything! So Macgyver basically!! Here he is meant to be just a science teacher that somehow winds his way in space!
The good thing in this book, the storyline of him alone in space is broken up by him remembering things that happened in the lead up to him taking off in the spaceship. This does help to break up things so we learn a bit more about him rather than just constant alone with his thoughts.
All in all a fun read that is very much recommended!!
2021 - 12 books read so far.0 -
Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby
Blacktop Wasteland is a brilliant thriller that had me hooked from the start. Beauregard "Bug" Montage is an honest mechanic and family man that has given up being a getaway driver. He now has his own Auto shop and he has a car that was left to him from his father who left when he was young.
Bug is running out of money though as business is very slow. He has bills mounting up from rent for his shop, needing to pay for his mother's care in a hospital and his daughter is looking to go to College. He may lose everything he worked so hard for and his old life of crime is very appealing especially when he gets word of a job that needs a getaway driver. His wife says to sell the old car and stay away from crime but Bug just cannot part with it. One job would be all it would take for Bug to get out of the hole he is in.
Can he get the job done and all the money while he keeps his family safe?
This is a great book that really put me in the driver's seat along with Bug as he burns rubber down the road! I loved the dialogue as well as the action in this. It is an old story of the guy doing one last crime before he gets out but this is well done. You really feel for Bug as he desperately tries to stay out of his old life but circumstances draw him back in. It is the prefect length for this type of book at only 286 pages so there is no filler. It is well written though and very enjoyable so this is highly recommended!
2021 - 13 books read so far.0 -
Gallowglass by SJ Morden
I have already read One Way and No Way and Bright Morning Star by SJ Morden so here is his latest one!
This is set slightly in the future and is about Jack who is desperate to escape Earth and joins a team on a spaceship. They are basically mining asteroids and find one that if successfully mined can make them all a lot of money that they can retire! The problem is that everyone on the ship is desperate also and will do anything to take the spoils.
I was expecting a thriller in space similar to his other books but this was not really anything like them. Each chapter starts with a quote from some article or website that is basically climate change denial. Doesn't really bother me usually except that here it has nothing really to do with the story. So that's a head scratcher.
Then it starts off about Jack trying to escape from his billionaire parents to getting away on a spaceship. This whole sequence is very strange as its like a mini story until Jack gets on the ship. Suddenly, he is a navigator on an asteroid mining ship.....!! Then the story settles down with them mining until another abrupt time jump.
This is well written but just felt a little dry and not very exciting. I think it needed a bit more work to make it a bit more energetic and fix the pacing. I wasn't really engaged at all in the story.
2021 - 14 books read so far.0 -
Ten Low by Stark Holborn
No, I have not stopped reading and gone away! :pac: Work really picked up and with the euros on, my reading time has cut down but i am looking to get going again properly. I had started another book but stopped and began a different one. Just because I had lost track of the story with having too long between reads!
I saw this book advertised as a space western and "The most vibrant world since Dune" so I decided to order it. It has a really great cover with an authors name of Stark Holborn! Looked like a winner surely?!!
Ten Low is an ex-army medic, one of many convicts eking out a living at the universe's edge. She's desperate to escape her memories of the interstellar war, and the crimes she committed. A spaceship crashes and she rescues and helps heal a teenage girl. But this girl is a genetically engineered soldier and now other people want this girl dead. Can Ten Low help her survive and what about Ten Lows past? It may come back as something knows who she is and what she is running from.
I had really high hopes for this as the premise seems great and the whole concept seems intriguing. Unfortunately it is a bit of a let down due to its world building. I didn't really feel that this world existed as not much is explained. This can be good such as in the Ericsons books that I read this year but here I just felt confused and not able to buy into it.
The dialogue is very good though and this is where Stark Holborn shines. A heroine that I believed in and was bad ass. I can definitely see more novels for this character and maybe flesh out the universe she is in properly. There seemed to be an overabundance of female characters with only one male character prominent. He seemed like a rip off of Han Solo from the Star Wars movies as well. It did feel different at least having female characters at the forefront for a change so that was a good thing at least.
The other problem I had, is this book is divided up into 4 sections and is 320 pages. There are no chapters and I find this annoying as there are no natural breaks to take a breather or target to read until! Maybe this is just me though!!
It sounds like I didn't like it but I did. It just needed a bit more work in my opinion. This still felt fresh and exciting and is worth a read. I would be interested in more books with this character and world fleshed out more!
2021 - 15 books read so far.0 -
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Everything is Flammable by Gabrielle Bell
After my serious last book, I needed something lighter to read and here is a comic/graphic memoir by Gabrielle Bell. It is about a year in her life where her mother's home burned down and she is trying to help her with a new home. It is part funny, sad and poignant throughout.
I didn't think I would like this much when I started but I found myself been "drawn" into Gabrielle's world (excuse the pun!!!) I really liked her style of drawing. See below for example...
My only gripe is that it doesn't really go anywhere and is more like a year in the life of someone. Nothing crazy happens but I think that's the point. It is a snapshot in time where she is helping her mother to get a new place to live.
If you like graphic novels or comics then this is one that is definitely worth checking out. The more I read the more I liked it!!!0 -
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Cynical Theories by Helen Pluckrose and James Lindsay
This is a non-fiction book that is subtitled "How Universities Made Everything about Race, Gender, and Identity - And Why This Harms Everybody" and is about how activism and scholarship in colleges and universities does more harm than good. It is 350 pages but around 70 pages are notes and references so it is not as bad as it looks!
So this book deals with Critical Theory and how is has seemed to got everywhere and into nearly every subject. In layman's terms in case you still have no idea, it is about the type of woke culture that is around nowadays.
The book is spaced out well where the authors identify what they mean, go into the history of it and how it affects us all nowadays. Stuff like language is violence, science is sexist, obese is healthy, that there is no such thing as biological sex, or that only white people can be racist.
They go into a deep dive into "Postmodernism" and even though I think the authors really explain it so that an ordinary person like me can understand, I still found myself glazing over with a bit of boredom. It felt like a textbook you read in school but I will say they did their best with a boring subject to explain it in a way I could understand!
Basically, they blame "applied postmodernism" which focuses on ought rather than is and how it has displaced other approaches to activism and scholarship. They go through with examples how this is a bad thing for us all.
When they go through things happening today, I was able to understand things even better and this is where the book is at its best and in my view, more accessible to the regular joe like me!
So, if these type of books interest you such as why we are where we are now, then this book is a must read. If you don't care at all, avoid like the plague! The second half of the book is the best part, but I suppose as this is a more academic type book, they needed to go through the history and how we got to today.
I think you are either into these type of books or you are not!! You probably know already!
2021 - 17 books read so far.0
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