Tolkien allegedly, and not surprisingly, has an IQ over 200. Erikson can't be far from that. You could line up a million creatives and engineers, and none would be able to put out the quality lit that these two did.
@@asnark7115 Im sorry but whoever told you that made it up. I can absolutely believe that someone like Tolkien who invented entire languages for fun has a substantially above average iq, but 200 is ridiculous, for comparison Stephen Hawking, widely considered the Einstein of our generation, had an iq of 160 and that is still considered staggeringly high.
@@sernoddicusthegallant6986 You make the common error of assuming that men and women with the highest IQ end up as hard-working scientists. They don't. There are as many super-intelligent people who end up in other trades as not. At one time, the highest ever on record was a social life magazine company owner or editor. So saying that, thinking that Tolkein can't be smarter than Hawking or Einstein because they are hard-scientists is laughable. Incidentally, Tolkein's IQ is listed in most of his bios on various websites, as well as sites that feature the IQs of notable people. All you needed was a little background.
@@asnark7115 Sorry, but it's definitely false information. Psychologist-diagnostic here. Intelligence-tests like the WAIS-IV (mostly used) are 'normative tests'. This means that an IQ of 100 is viewed as the mean of the population with a standarddeviation of 15 (e.g. 85-115 = average (+-68%), 115-130 above average (+-13,6%), 130-145 highly intelligent (+-2,1%), 145-155 extraordinarily intelligent (0.1%)). About every 5 years the test get's adjusted to the current population so that 100 is the mean again. This is because of the Flynn effect (which basically means people get used to the types of questions; people do not get more intelligent!!). The maximum achievable score in these tests are 155 (perfect scores all around) and above this one can only guess. Above everything, IQ is just a reductive theory and even psychotherapists do not always agree about what it encompasses. It's just a quantified number based on skills we think are important for education and general functioning, but there are definitely skills that use some type of intelligence that is not quantified in such a test (like musical intelligence). Long story short: sorry, but as a professional I say Tolkien's IQ is irrelevant.
Just wanted to add on ur comment of the chain of dogs ending, the refugees didn’t die. They were allowed into safety in the city. It was the forces that stayed behind to fight korbolo dom and his army that died. Coltaine, bult, the wickens and malazan 7th army. They fought to give the refugees time to get inside the city and then were slaughtered right outside of its gates, the refugees did make it to safety.
Let's get this comment to the top! The death of the 7th army to save the refugees is paramount to a lot of characters choices/opinions/beliefs in house of chains and the bonehunters!!!
With the mention of them being unarmed and defenseless, I get a feeling that the last stand of the 7th and the massacre of the Aren garrison are being accidentally combined.
Four books in and this book is still my favorite with my two favorite lines that will never leave me. “Armour can hide anything until the moment it falls away. Even a child. Especially a child.” And “Children are Dying. The injustices of the world hide in those three words.” My god the beautiful sadness in those lines.
@Not Another Minute I don't want to get in to spoilers, but I was largely disappointed by the continuation in HoC, mainly because it was more about the rebellion's and its factions a whole lot more than Felisin.
The first-time Malazan experience goes like this: during Gardens of the Moon you're completely lost until the very end, when you think you've kind of got a handle on the cast and what they're doing. In Deadhouse gates you're completely lost again because it's a new cast in a new place. Memories of Ice you begin to see there's a bigger picture for the series. In House of Chains you start thinking you can see that bigger picture. In Midnight Tides you're lost again because you're in a new place with completely new people again. It's not until Bonehunters that you actually start getting it. I wish I could read it all again for the first time.
Yeah I have to read the book 1 and 2 again. Hopefully the third one will break the spell and I finally start loving the series. It's fair to say that I don't remember a thing from these books 😂 just the puppet and that I had to read really long recap on internet to actually know what was happening the whole time.
I don't know about that. I recently finished Gardens of the Moon, haven't read anything else in the series yet, but I actually felt that I understood the story and the worldbuilding better in Gardens of the Moon than I did in Sanderson's Way of Kings. I think the primary difference is that to Erikson, the setting IS the character: the elder races, the empires, the Tiste Andii and the rogue warlord up north, the assassin's guild in Darujistan, each of the warrens and Gods-all of these factions are characters in themselves, and the individual characters within each faction exist primarily to give us a view into the machinations of each race/empire/faction. Whereas with Sanderson, the characters or primary agents of the story are the individual characters: Shallan, Kaladan, Dalinar, Nevani-and the setting is just the world they inhabit. The story is less about the rise and fall of empires and races on the shattered plain than it is about what the individual characters do within that world. Because I studied political science in college (which will get you a coffee at Starbucks if you also bring five bucks) and am an amateur history buff, I'm used to looking at the world in terms of nations and competing factions, and that's why Gardens of the Moon made more sense to me. Either way, I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
I think its funny how Midnight Tides is a lot of the multiple time readers favorite book, but on a first time read so many people hate that book the most.
“I see now that the unnamed soldier is a gift. The named soldier-dead, melted wax-demands a response among the living…a response no one can make. Names are no comfort, they’re a call to answer the unanswerable. Why did she die, not him? Why do the survivors remain anonymous-as if cursed-while the dead are revered? Why do we cling to what we lose while we ignore what we still hold? Name none of the fallen, for they stand in our place, and stand there still in each moment of our lives. Let my death hold no glory, and let me die forgotten and unknown. Let it not be said that I was one among the dead to accuse the living.” -Duiker
An honest heartfelt review is more meaningful than a perfectly organized-hit-every-plot-point one. I couldn’t agree more about how Erikson presents many angles of trauma and war but doesn’t tell you how to feel. I love that you took the time to deeply explore these different perspectives. Thank you, Merphy! 🤍
I like to compare scene where Fiddler, Crocus and Sorry encounter child abusers and scene where Raven in Black Company encounters same kind of people. It was so melodramatic in BC that it was honestly hard to read, you could cut yourself on all the edge. I felt like it was handled much better in malazan.
I was miserable with this book the first half. Then in the second half I fell in love with it. But I can certainly say it isn't for everyone. I'm 4 books in now and it remains my favorite. And I know the fans get mad at me for this, and the series may not be overall, but this book is extremely grimdark. It felt like a First Law book in a lot of instances.
It remained my favorite until I finished the series then I reranked and it went down to no. 3. Book 10 and 6 I loved much more. Sorry to all MOI and TTH fans, just a personal preference.
Not mad at you, Mike, but I'm with Erikson on this one - Malazan isn't fundamentally grimdark. Part of the problem is many readers don't have a good understanding of the term. Don't conflate explicit violence and tragedy with grimdark. These elements don't specifically define what grimdark is. On a lighter note, I hope you enjoy reading Midnight Tides next week. I'm interested to see what you think since it represents a departure from the preceding 4 books in terms of setting, characters & tone. As always with Malazan, I maintain the reader has to be in the correct frame of mind to absorb and fully enjoy the experience.
Hi Merphy, I really enjoyed your review. I am so pleased that you experienced that connection with Felisin. She is a wonderfully complex and well realised character. I hope that the rest of the series continues to engage and immerse you. If you are interested I have a discussion with Erikson on my channel about one of the humorous scenes in Deadhouse Gates.
I said this earlier, and the reply disappeared into the interether: One of the great follies in my life is trying to explain what the Malazan Book of the Fallen is about. MalazTube can't do it in less than 10mins. How can I?
Had that conversation a couple of days ago. It is kind of hard to describe what Malazan "is about". The best way to describe it is probably the games of gods and how those mess up everything for mortals, when they are not busy doing horrible things to each other on their own.
this book broke me when I first read it. the final scene had so much pathos and beauty to it while also being extremely tragic. Steven Erikson is writing a poetic epic through malazan book of the fallen and i love it.
Deadhouse Gates is definitely one of those books that lingers with you. The ending is so viscerally sad and I remember just shutting the book and just staring at the wall while tears slowly fell. I’m on book 8 now and I’ve loved them all but Deadhouse Gates is definitely the most memorable and my favorite.
It's such a relief to hear your thoughts on Felisin precisely echo my own. You may not understand the world of Malazan yet, but you certainly understand its characters and themes, which is ultimately the heart of the series. I've a feeling you're gonna increasingly love it going forward.
A major issue I see with a lot of people who try Malazan is that they go into it feeling like they’re owed explanations on everything. Erikson doesn’t let you into the characters heads, and follows the method of “show, don’t tell.” Just enjoy the ride and discover everything at the pace he wants you to.
I think it is more that they are used to reading series that hold your hand. If I'm trying to get someone into the series i usually tell them that they wont really be able to make the connections that are strewn throughout all the novels until their 3rd read through of the series. Listening to Ten Very Big Books every once in a while shows me how correct my statement is. Since the host of that show has a very poor grasp on the series.despite him being a re-reader.
I know you said that Erikson doesn’t force morality on the reader but compassion is one of the main themes of the series as a whole, which makes it insane how some readers perceive Felisin.
But I would submit that Erikson not forcing you to choose sides and telling you who is good and who is evil (except maybe Kallor, he can rot 🤪) allows you to feel empathy even with characters who would be villains in traditional fantasy. In another series, Felisin would absolutely be a villain, because she wants to see the side all our protagonists are on burn. But because we've walked her path to Shai'ik Reborn, we empathize with her choice. Even as we go, "This cannot end well for anyone." Merphy is right when she talks about the tragic structure enabling that. Erikson rejects Grimdark because despite displaying this brutality, be never revels in it. Seeing this brokenness is meant to stir empathy. Even as he admits the lack of it led us here.
I love your Malazan reviews Merphy. It's funny how at the start, I thought one storyline was going to be boring. 'I don't know these people! There's not really anything magic going on!' But by the end I was totally invested and it was heart-wrenching.
Honestly your rambling reviews of Malazan are just amazing! I think my favorite parts of the books are the absolutely amazing friendship duos. You’ve met some of them so far but don’t worry the best are still to come!
Merphy, your humanity, compassion, and emotional honesty in this review were beautiful to see. I recently finished Deadhouse Gates and I hope to be able to process everything you've said here and incorporate it into my own, developing response, as it left me kind of dead and numb inside. I can already feel my empathy rebuilding, and I thank you for that.
Really enjoyed this video, I love how heartfelt it was! I like to refer to Malazan as "Grimhope". Yes, the world is dark, but that doesn't mean you can't do something good.
Thanks for the Felisin perspective. I didn't entirely get that people deal with abuse differently, and that her rudeness was one way to deal with it. I was always fixated on "that's not how I'd react", which I now know would be a harmful outlook. Waiting for your review of House of Chains (book four) to push me through finishing that book.
This book, for all its horrifying moments, i found it to be incredibly beautiful. It makes you feel so much compassion: for Felisin and everything she goes through and how she reacts to the world as a consequence; for Icarium and Mappo and their beautiful, complex friendship, but also for its metaphor on humanity's incapacity to remember its own mistakes and tragedies and repeat them endlessly. Definitely one of my favorite books in the series for the themes it tackles. As the sadness wanes, you'll find the themes emerge more clearly and you'll see the beauty in this book.
It's a shame that Erikson isn't really commenting on UA-cam videos anymore because I *know* he would have appreciated your grasp of the themes and your emotional honesty. These books can be a slog for various reasons, but there is a beautiful soul to them and they will be no crueller than is absolutely necessary. Hold the course!
About Icarium. He's a gentle soul with lots of power that when tapped becomes an unstoppable force and he's cursed to forget it. His killing of "animals" isn't linked with his amnesia. He just loses memories a lot
I'll never really get over how Icarium felt like he belonged in an anime instead of Malazan. There's maybe just about 4 or so characters that do this, and he's one of them. Just the way he seems to have unstoppable power and the ability to use his sword (from what I remember) like a literal whirlwind of destruction. Feels like an anime character and that he doesn't really belong in the series. And I normally *like* anime but not in this case.
1. Re: Humour. I think I'm among the only five people in the world who read both Malazan and One Piece. Jokes aside, I do find they often hit similar notes in terms of humour: unhinged eccentric characters, crazy circumstances, and silly remarks. Basically, those chaotic One Piece panels where everyone's doing their antic shenanigans. Like how Stormy and Gesler would casually wave to a passing undead dragon (something I imagine Luffy would do), or how Coltaine kept promoting his underlings, unsuccessfully. These incidents are some scenes that likely happen in Impel Down or among Marine officers. 2. Re: Friendship and Found Families. In general, Erikson has excellent friendships throughout the series, especially bromantic duos. So far you've met Fiddler and Hedge (the Malazan sapper/engineers), Kalam and Quick Ben (the assassin and the wizard), Stormy and Gesler (the Malazan marines who got on the undead boat), Icarium and Mappo. Rest assured, you'll see more of those iconic duos and then some more. 3. Re: Felisin. Yeah, she's quite divisive in the fandom, but you're spot on. Erikson did intend to write her as a complex character (he even wrote quite an elaborate essay on this). Basically, she's just a minor who went through abuse and so much pain and lashing out was her sole defence mechanism. It's not that her companions were exactly good, but some parts of the fandom weirdly and easily tolerate them compared to Felisin. She's not meant to be likeable but her circumstances were what made and shape her. You'll see her arc will echo in some future key characters, with equally fascinating circumstances. 4. Re: Foreshadowings, Curveballs, Red Herrings, and Payoffs. Since you seem to enjoy those I have a good feeling you'll love the sequels even more. 5. Re: Tragedy and Hope. Another spot on. As you aptly mentioned, what I love about Malazan is that it doesn't revel in darkness and misery. However, it also shows people who fight back for what they believe. Sometimes they succeed, sometimes they failed. Great video!
After watching your 'My Favorite Tropes' video I've been looking forward to your review of Deadhouse Gates, and was so happy to see your reaction to Mappo & Icarium. And, your take on Felisin is spot-on. I've read Deadhouse Gates 5 or so times, and it breaks me every time. Take your time between Malazan books, they're a roller coaster.
It's an awesome series, I'm very glad you started it and enjoyed some much. Looking forward to Memories of Ice review. All the best to you and your family.
I feel as much for Felisin as much as you described in the video. Though, I have 8 more chapters left in DG. Still think Felisin, Kalam, and Fiddler would stay as the most memorable, favorite characters till the end. Nice review!
I've always approached Malazan as a Fantasy History text, this isn't trying to spoon feed me a single narrative and make me feel comfortable, these are fantasy world Herodotus and Homers journals, its up to you to study this massive collection of vast interconnected world events, stories, mythos and put together the pieces. Truly "The Book of Malazan" lol I first found the series when I was still in school and the first two books almost felt like a fever dream mushroom trip into some far off world, had to come back to the series a few years later.
Seeing as Erikson himself has pointed at The Black Company (which does similarly), the Iliad, the annals of Napoleon's Marshals (which inspired the title) among other historical/mythological influences. You're not wrong. Despite Andy Smith's protestations about calling it such. Especially since "what is history"? And what historians do are recurring themes in the series.
I'm glad I watched your review of Deadhouse Gates. I rarely watch book reviews through these days but Malazan has been my favorite books since 2013 and yours is one of the most heartfelt review I've seen. Can't wait for your heart to break even more in books 3 through 10! Trust me, it'll happen.
I've been saving watching your review for when i finally got to book 2 and finished it (today!). It was so heart-wrenching but about halfway through the book was when I realized that I think i'm going to be hooked on this series. Devastating. Cried a lot. But It was SO GOOD. I definitely echo all of your sentiments.
Hey Merphy! Long time watcher, love your videos, and lately you've been talking about my two favourite fantasy series: Malazan and One Piece. It's fantastic. Thank you! Theres nothing quite like malazan anywhere (except maybe the Black Company, but it was SE's inspiration for malazan so it's not so surprising). It's so gratifying to see you appreciate all the best stuff about it. I think Deadhouse Gates is kinda like the REAL starting point of Malazan. By this I mean I think it has the most 'seeds' that come to fruition later on. The events of this book reverberate throughout the whole series (and beyond). It'll make sense later hopefully. Really looking forward to your one piece videos as well. One Piece is the greatest fantasy being written imo; can't wait to see more of what you think! :)
I love your empathy for Felisin. It's always a little sad to see people despise her, and the reasoning generally comes from a surface level look at her actions and character.
Fantastic review. Thank you so much for the empathy, understating and compassion you showed Felisin. It was beautiful to see your emotions. I was in the darkest period of my life when first reading DG and I had a profound connection with Felisin. Every page with her was heartbreaking. And yes, her reaction to the trauma, her resulting emotions and behavior are very ugly. It’s difficult to read. It does not mean she is to blame or that she is a bad person however. It’s challenging to remain compassionate when she grows increasingly toxic and bitter. And I love how Erikson challenges us. In the end though, I couldn’t help but feel more sorrow for her as this young, promising, sensitive compassionate girl was twisted into something she is not. At the same time though, Erikson still writes the character with so much understanding, empathy and compassion. For someone who hated themselves for the ugly emotions inside them, to see Erikson write Felisin with so much love and understanding helped me immensely, and I cannot thank him enough. And beyond the personal/emotional, the character herself is just greatly written. I love character studies, and to explore their damaged psyche with such depth and complexity is engaging. For as dark as this series is and for how much emotional strain it puts on us, I truly believe it makes us better people. There is moments of hope and love amidst the darkness. Looking forward to your future thoughts. I also enjoy your One Piece reviews a lot, and I am glad you have a wholesome series like One Piece to counterbalance Malazan haha, have a good one!
Erikson, I feel, is a master of writing the extreme sort of scenes. The heartwarming scenes make you feel really,really good, all warm and full of life, while the sad scenes make you feel as if your heart is being wrenched out. The more grimdark scenes have always made me feel disgusted with the perpetrators, and I believe Erikson accomplished doing what he set out to do by writing those scenes- make us sympathize with the real-world victims of such trauma.
I don't usually shit on other authors, but considering Malazan was inspired by Black Company, I felt like Malazan handled dark/extreme themes so much better. The melodrama and edgyness in Black Company destroyed any emotional impact for me.
And his comedy scenes almost always hit too. The man orchestrates the readers emotions into whatever composition he wishes. He’s really something else.
@@nenadmilovanovic5271 Black Company was written for a very different era and audience, before it had been shown that there was really an audience for this style of material. It's also from the viewpoint of a very unreliable narrator with a whole lot invested in what they need to believe to deal with the things they've done. And then it's probably fair to say that Black Company was a "dumbing down for broader appeal" of the Dread Empire novels, which are MUCH closer to Erikson in maturity of how the themes are handled.
Mikes Book Revies and Daniel Greene have done some great videos on the series that I recommend if you want to get a better idea of the series before jumping in.
You have to try it, you cannot guess if it's gonna fit you or not. I was afraid of Firsts Law because everyone was saying it is very character focused and almost without plot (and it is exactly like this), I thought it would be hard for me to get through.. so I just tried it and I frickin LOVE it. Malazan though.. that's a different story for me - just try it, I think it's easy to get attached to the characters at least. You will see.
It's a world so not every thread will be resolved. Esslemont's books get better with each publication to the point where when I read Path to Ascendancy, it was up there with the best
The starting tone from Book 1 review and Book 2 is stark and totally understandable 😅 Spooky that just as you mentioned humour I thought of the undead slaves carrying that character as well 😂
for every Felisin hater, you strengthen the call to Steven Erikson to tell you what you're missing about Felisin 50x over, since SO MANY PEOPLE GET HER WRONG AND REVIEWER SPACES ARE OVERRATED. *flips a table*
I can understand why people hate Felisin, she's an unpleasant head to be in, she does a lot of annoying stuff like messing with the people who are trying to help her and actively sabotaging herself. But that's realistic, isn't it? I can respect how well written she is but I didn't enjoy reading about her until she became Shaik Reborn where things get really interesting. She hates herself so much she can't understand other characters not hating her and she clings to the idea of Beneth even though he treated her awfully. But again, it makes sense. There's such great payoff to her story in House Of Chains and I can't wait to see Merphy's reaction to that.
I'm so glad you are enjoying the experience of Malazan book of the fallen. It's such a difference experience to other fantasy series. You seem to have an excellent handle on things that I didn't get my head around until a lot later on.
Okay you convinced me to pick the book up again. I got most of the way through but Felisin's story hit me way too hard and I couldn't keep going at the time. Hearing a bunch of the things you enjoyed and going "oh yeah! I loved that too" really reminds how much I was enjoying it even though it's just so dark and bleak at times
Between Deadhouse Gates and Marineford sounds like you've had a rough week. Though your thoughts on the Malazan series as a whole not being a tragedy, but DH being one are honestly really insightful for this point in the series. I look forward to your thoughts on the rest. Can't believe you didn't touch on Stormy, Gesler and Truth and their pirate adventures on the Grand Line though. For shame!!
Memories of Ice was probably the most horrific, for sure lol but Crippled God had the best action sequences lol the majority of the book is only 3 battles it’s gloriously soul killing
Beautiful review! Take your time with the series. Glad you are not a Felisin hater! And I feel like Memories of Ice is when you can START to see the little hints at what is actually going on. So I will wait patiently to see your review of that book!
The ending of this book is when I finally fell in love with Malazan. Finished it 2 weeks ago and I've already finished Memories of Ice and am 300 pages into House of Chains!
I‘m so glad you DNFed this series. The first time around we only got a three sentence goodreads review and I questioned whether you had read the same book as me. Now this is a reaction I can relate to. I‘m so glad that you are coming back now that you have the capacity for this gigantic story. Have a wild ride!
When Phillip Chase talked about this not being Grimdark on Mike's channel, I said, "Malazan uses the expectations of Grimdark to subvert Grimdark." You are absolutely right that Erikson uses tragic arcs and brutally dark scenes to display the brokenness of his world, and the people in it, but you're also right to see he never revels in it. As I see too much of Grimdark do. Sure like Grimdark, villains often win and even the protagonists make decisions we find hard to stomach. But when, against those moments, we see true sacrifice, compassion, or a refusal to let that "win" be the coda on the story, it shows us that there is more to this thing we call human existence than the depravity we are all capable of. And that without that awareness of our capability for darkness, we would never find meaning in our small acts of hope, redemption, and honor. And yes, that's a theme Erikson will continue to reach for through to Book 10. But you will see it sharply in Book 3, promise.
Merphy I am getting addicted to your content. So much so that I have toughest exam to crack and I wait for week impatiently for your content. I must stop! Oh god! I must stop!
I just found your channel! And also just started MoI, after a five year gap since reading DG, I loved it so much but it hit me the hardest I think of any of my modern fantasy reads for the last decade, i remember it really well which for me really shows the impact it made whilst i read it. Looking forward to diving into more of your vids! :D
I’m blasting through Malazan atm , it took me 10 years to finish gardens of the moon but I’m just loving Malazan now. You telling us that it’s okay to not understand it all was helpful
The thing about Felisin is a test of empathy - I've seen a lot of hate against her, and I always assume those people either haven't experienced much pain in life or just don't open themselves up to empathy, or just wants strong and cool characters in cool fights, and don't care about characters that are alive in a story and hinders the plot a bit. But those characters are the usually the most interesting, because you imagine your own emotions and try to relate with your own experiences, and also wonder how you would have been in that situation, and in that way also feel for them. I never understood people that hate characters just because they are not acting good or honorably, they're not your real life friends.
Oh geezus, Malazan series… I loved Gardens of the Moon. Then stalled halfway in Deadhouse Gates. I’m gonna have to start this book from the beginning and I’m dreading it.
Wonderful review. I have never finished a Malazan book and not needed a long, long think about what it all meant. Erikson has a true gift for planting certain ideas and images so deeply in the reader's mind that they really stay with you long after you finish reading.
Wonderful and spot on review!! Just finished the book this morning and of course I’m going through my go to sources( like you ) for their thoughts as I process it all, trying to affirm that I read it “right”! I was very moved by your review and I also found myself wondering why I wasn’t reading this book faster than I was…. though I was absolutely enthralled by it all. I was floored when Fiddler found out more about Icarium’s background! Loved your commentary “ at the end of every journey is not always a victory “.
finished DG last night. exhausting, expansive, and brutal. Most importantly it got the emotional hooks in me that I was missing in GotM. The Chain of Dogs and Mappo/Icarium storylines turned out to be wonderfully written arcs. I'm onto reading Heroes now and you're right! Abercrombie and Erikson use plentiful humor to bring levity to insanely bleak moments. Abercrombie kind of has this rollicking, wicked sarcasm to his characters, and Erikson loves knowing winks and sly, understated jokes. Very fun to bounce back and forth between these authors.
I love watching these reviews knowing what you haven't gone through yet (At the time).... this series broke my brain.. i honestly don't read the same now. BTW.. duiker at the end of this book... best writing i have ever read. P.S. i wish your friends hadn't warned you about book 3... Malazan should never be spoiled :)
Yeah, that ending is grim and it's dark and it's sad... But (like you said) that's just war. One thing that might help you along the way is that Erikson also makes points about compassion. It's there in every turn and you start expecting it after some time. That scene with Mappo Runt salvaging what little was left of the chain of dogs by using such a valuable healing elixir in two dogs... That's just beautiful. Thank you for sharing and evoking great memories... Of ice.
I finished Malazan about a year ago, and I can’t say without a doubt based of your reaction to this book you will love the rest of this series. It’s funny to me that you’re reading One Piece alongside Malazan since for me these two are the absolute best when it comes to world building. The twists get better, the connections become more clear, and you start to love these characters more and more with each novel. Every single one of these books other than Gardens of The Moon brought me to tears at one point or another
The first time you read through the Malazan Book of the Fallen, you think it's a pretty great series. The second time you read through it and catch everything you missed now that you understand the world, you think it's the best series ever written.
The "I don't get this and that's ok" is a key mindset for this series. It's ok not to get it. As you pointed out, he does that to you on purpose. You definitely will get it (well, most of it, probably). You just gotta keep going. Deadhouse is certainly a book that makes a lot more sense later on. You'll appreciate it and everything it sets up when you're able to look back at it with new knowledge. If you've stuck with it and liked it up to now, Memories of Ice is going to blow your mind.
I love how Erikson writes. It took me 5 books to really get into the series, but man am I invested now! Great novels all have a "Soul" and WOW does Erikson know how to give his books a Soul. And if you think this was a tear-jerk ending, you have a LONG way to go!
Great review, very emotional like my reaction on this book. Loved it. It wasn't easy but amazed me with every new scene. And even 1 year after the 1st book I remember it quit clear - can't beleive myself 😮
I finished the gardens of the moon in 3 days and started the DHG straight away 2 days ago and in the middle of the book! So epic! You try to hold a bit a catch your breath…and you just cannot!❤️
I remember when Heboric "accidentally" brought Fener into the physical world. I remember specifically feeling TERRIFIED....for a GOD! Writing that made me feel visceral terror for a being of immense power, suddenly vulnerable, made me jump out of my chair and start pacing to calm down.
What's amazing about those readers who sputter about how much they hate Felisin is their complete failure at compassion and empathy, or even mere sympathy, for a person (albeit fictional) who is clearly a victim. This is taking victim blaming to extremes and shows how little they understand the major themes of Erikson's Malazan books.
I definitely agree with you on that literally she's been through such abuse and trauma in her young life at this point I really don't understand why people have such a hatred for her
About what you were saying about Malazan not being completely grimdark, there are a lot of things in store that are arguably worse than Deadhouse Gates (that one scene in book 9). Even though there are a few scenes in the series of great acts of compassion, that just isn't the way Erikson likes to give readers hope. He likes to give back in small ways, like that scene where Mappo heals the two dogs after the tragedy of the Chain of Dogs. It's in those small moments that Erikson really shines.
Eriksons writing just gets better and better, peaks at toll the hounds for me, so good. Memories of ice up next and its a little easier to read now so much has been touched on, but still things you won't understand and it's ok, that'll come! I also love how you just can't predict these books at all, no way of knowing how they end!
These are my favorite books, I’m slowly working my way through the entire series, the Esselmont add-ones as well as the main series haha I’m just finishing up house of chains lol only halfway through
This book is beautifully brutal. I've almost finished this book on my third time through, and I absolutely love it each time. I'm currently working through all the Malazan series in chronological order, both Erikson and Esselmont, starti
I read this series pretty much straight through over the course of like 3 years while in high school and in retrospect I have no idea how I managed that.
I didn't like this book (like I did Gardens) but your review made me like it a bit better, gave me a bit more appreciation for it. Great review! I wonder if I understood correctly that the identities of certain gods were revealed in this book (Cotillion and Shadowthrone). And it seems like a character achieved ascendancy, but I'm not sure.
I didn't like this book that much either. Can't put my finger on it, but I think it's the pacing for me. And I've read it twice now! Not sure if you plan on continuing the series, but the next book, Memories of Ice, is often considered a fan favorite and starts bringing the over arching conflict of the series into the mix. Plus it's a direct continuation of Gardens of the Moon. As for the gods ascending question, yes this book does reveal that Shadowthrone and Cotillion are in fact Emperor Kellanved and Dancer. What's even better is if you go back and read the epigraph that precedes the prologue in Gardens of the Moon, that fact is glaring at you right in the face, but on a first read you're unable to process what you're reading. Honestly, despite Deadhouse Gates being my least favorite of the series, it's full of hugely important events. No spoilers, but a lot of things that happen get referenced/elaborated on later in some of the other books. Erikson is a great storyteller and the way he leaves bread crumbs exposition makes the pay off even better by the end. Just know that all will be revealed if you are feeling confused.
You definitely need a break between these books… a lighter read. But when you come back… you always get an appreciation for the greatness of the books you are reading.
I'll just say, hold on to those "pockets of hope" and reflect on them. Doing so will aid in the recognition of the overarching and central theme of the series. As Erikson has said elsewhere, the Book of the Fallen is a "call to compassion". While the series definitely takes an emotional toll, for me, it is one I gladly pay.
I am currently in the process of re-reading the entire series and am just about at the climax of this book. This time, I've been taking the time to find answers to questions and really look with the clarity that comes from reading the entire series. This book was my absolute favourite of the series during my first read through and reading through it a second time really cemented how much I took joy out of this book. No fantasy book I've read before or since has had as powerful and impactful an ending as this books. The characters of the world might sing stronger in Memories of Ice and Bonehunters but this book was still a marvel and will stand as one of my favourite reads of all time.
I listened to the series at the beginning of the year (all 10 books in about 2 months). I was confused most of the time. I had to watch videos like this just to get some understanding what was going on. Watching this video made me realize that I need to listen to the series again.
Tolkien was a linguist and it shows. Erikson is an anthropologist and archeologist and somehow that's even more apparent.
Tolkien allegedly, and not surprisingly, has an IQ over 200. Erikson can't be far from that. You could line up a million creatives and engineers, and none would be able to put out the quality lit that these two did.
@@asnark7115 Im sorry but whoever told you that made it up. I can absolutely believe that someone like Tolkien who invented entire languages for fun has a substantially above average iq, but 200 is ridiculous, for comparison Stephen Hawking, widely considered the Einstein of our generation, had an iq of 160 and that is still considered staggeringly high.
@@sernoddicusthegallant6986 You make the common error of assuming that men and women with the highest IQ end up as hard-working scientists. They don't. There are as many super-intelligent people who end up in other trades as not. At one time, the highest ever on record was a social life magazine company owner or editor. So saying that, thinking that Tolkein can't be smarter than Hawking or Einstein because they are hard-scientists is laughable. Incidentally, Tolkein's IQ is listed in most of his bios on various websites, as well as sites that feature the IQs of notable people. All you needed was a little background.
@@asnark7115 Sorry, but it's definitely false information. Psychologist-diagnostic here. Intelligence-tests like the WAIS-IV (mostly used) are 'normative tests'. This means that an IQ of 100 is viewed as the mean of the population with a standarddeviation of 15 (e.g. 85-115 = average (+-68%), 115-130 above average (+-13,6%), 130-145 highly intelligent (+-2,1%), 145-155 extraordinarily intelligent (0.1%)). About every 5 years the test get's adjusted to the current population so that 100 is the mean again. This is because of the Flynn effect (which basically means people get used to the types of questions; people do not get more intelligent!!).
The maximum achievable score in these tests are 155 (perfect scores all around) and above this one can only guess.
Above everything, IQ is just a reductive theory and even psychotherapists do not always agree about what it encompasses. It's just a quantified number based on skills we think are important for education and general functioning, but there are definitely skills that use some type of intelligence that is not quantified in such a test (like musical intelligence).
Long story short: sorry, but as a professional I say Tolkien's IQ is irrelevant.
@@asnark7115IQ points are a meaningless measurement, lol
I actually cried near the end of this book. "RELEASE HIM. PLEASE!"
I cry every time I reread this book!
Just wanted to add on ur comment of the chain of dogs ending, the refugees didn’t die. They were allowed into safety in the city. It was the forces that stayed behind to fight korbolo dom and his army that died. Coltaine, bult, the wickens and malazan 7th army. They fought to give the refugees time to get inside the city and then were slaughtered right outside of its gates, the refugees did make it to safety.
Let's get this comment to the top! The death of the 7th army to save the refugees is paramount to a lot of characters choices/opinions/beliefs in house of chains and the bonehunters!!!
This^^
With the mention of them being unarmed and defenseless, I get a feeling that the last stand of the 7th and the massacre of the Aren garrison are being accidentally combined.
Also, not part of Coltaine's chain of dogs, but almost the entirety of Aren's army was killed and crucified in the trees
@@donaldpratt2296 Yeah, I think you're right
Four books in and this book is still my favorite with my two favorite lines that will never leave me. “Armour can hide anything until the moment it falls away. Even a child. Especially a child.” And “Children are Dying. The injustices of the world hide in those three words.”
My god the beautiful sadness in those lines.
@Not Another Minute I don't want to get in to spoilers, but I was largely disappointed by the continuation in HoC, mainly because it was more about the rebellion's and its factions a whole lot more than Felisin.
@@colburn0004
I still love the payoff at the end with Felisin AHHH I wish I could talk spoilers, damn XD
He has many great quotables throughout the series lol
The first-time Malazan experience goes like this: during Gardens of the Moon you're completely lost until the very end, when you think you've kind of got a handle on the cast and what they're doing. In Deadhouse gates you're completely lost again because it's a new cast in a new place. Memories of Ice you begin to see there's a bigger picture for the series. In House of Chains you start thinking you can see that bigger picture. In Midnight Tides you're lost again because you're in a new place with completely new people again. It's not until Bonehunters that you actually start getting it.
I wish I could read it all again for the first time.
I'm reading Midnight Tides now and you're absolutely right. I'm really enjoying the book though.
Yeah I have to read the book 1 and 2 again. Hopefully the third one will break the spell and I finally start loving the series. It's fair to say that I don't remember a thing from these books 😂 just the puppet and that I had to read really long recap on internet to actually know what was happening the whole time.
Just finished Bonehunters last night and your description is spot on. Now, on to Reapers Gale!
I don't know about that. I recently finished Gardens of the Moon, haven't read anything else in the series yet, but I actually felt that I understood the story and the worldbuilding better in Gardens of the Moon than I did in Sanderson's Way of Kings.
I think the primary difference is that to Erikson, the setting IS the character: the elder races, the empires, the Tiste Andii and the rogue warlord up north, the assassin's guild in Darujistan, each of the warrens and Gods-all of these factions are characters in themselves, and the individual characters within each faction exist primarily to give us a view into the machinations of each race/empire/faction.
Whereas with Sanderson, the characters or primary agents of the story are the individual characters: Shallan, Kaladan, Dalinar, Nevani-and the setting is just the world they inhabit. The story is less about the rise and fall of empires and races on the shattered plain than it is about what the individual characters do within that world.
Because I studied political science in college (which will get you a coffee at Starbucks if you also bring five bucks) and am an amateur history buff, I'm used to looking at the world in terms of nations and competing factions, and that's why Gardens of the Moon made more sense to me. Either way, I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
I think its funny how Midnight Tides is a lot of the multiple time readers favorite book, but on a first time read so many people hate that book the most.
“I see now that the unnamed soldier is a gift. The named soldier-dead, melted wax-demands a response among the living…a response no one can make. Names are no comfort, they’re a call to answer the unanswerable. Why did she die, not him? Why do the survivors remain anonymous-as if cursed-while the dead are revered? Why do we cling to what we lose while we ignore what we still hold? Name none of the fallen, for they stand in our place, and stand there still in each moment of our lives. Let my death hold no glory, and let me die forgotten and unknown. Let it not be said that I was one among the dead to accuse the living.” -Duiker
Considering the ending of this book, this quote is even more beautiful.
I finished this book two days ago and now reading this quote made me tear up all over again
Absolutely amazing
An honest heartfelt review is more meaningful than a perfectly organized-hit-every-plot-point one. I couldn’t agree more about how Erikson presents many angles of trauma and war but doesn’t tell you how to feel. I love that you took the time to deeply explore these different perspectives. Thank you, Merphy! 🤍
merphy is the perfect reviewer for this exact reason.
I like to compare scene where Fiddler, Crocus and Sorry encounter child abusers and scene where Raven in Black Company encounters same kind of people. It was so melodramatic in BC that it was honestly hard to read, you could cut yourself on all the edge. I felt like it was handled much better in malazan.
I was miserable with this book the first half. Then in the second half I fell in love with it. But I can certainly say it isn't for everyone. I'm 4 books in now and it remains my favorite. And I know the fans get mad at me for this, and the series may not be overall, but this book is extremely grimdark. It felt like a First Law book in a lot of instances.
It remained my favorite until I finished the series then I reranked and it went down to no. 3. Book 10 and 6 I loved much more. Sorry to all MOI and TTH fans, just a personal preference.
Not mad at you, Mike, but I'm with Erikson on this one - Malazan isn't fundamentally grimdark. Part of the problem is many readers don't have a good understanding of the term. Don't conflate explicit violence and tragedy with grimdark. These elements don't specifically define what grimdark is.
On a lighter note, I hope you enjoy reading Midnight Tides next week. I'm interested to see what you think since it represents a departure from the preceding 4 books in terms of setting, characters & tone. As always with Malazan, I maintain the reader has to be in the correct frame of mind to absorb and fully enjoy the experience.
This and the 8th book were my favorite on my readthrough.
Hi Merphy, I really enjoyed your review.
I am so pleased that you experienced that connection with Felisin. She is a wonderfully complex and well realised character.
I hope that the rest of the series continues to engage and immerse you.
If you are interested I have a discussion with Erikson on my channel about one of the humorous scenes in Deadhouse Gates.
Professor Fireballs is in chat! Duck!
Me: Yeah, I'm reading the Malazan series.
Friend: Cool, what's it about.
Me: *1,000 yard stare*
I said this earlier, and the reply disappeared into the interether: One of the great follies in my life is trying to explain what the Malazan Book of the Fallen is about. MalazTube can't do it in less than 10mins. How can I?
…..compassion…..
@@shawngillogly6873 that isd easy - it's about seeing how fucked up the world is and saying fuck that.
Had that conversation a couple of days ago. It is kind of hard to describe what Malazan "is about". The best way to describe it is probably the games of gods and how those mess up everything for mortals, when they are not busy doing horrible things to each other on their own.
Malazan and One Piece are 2 of my favorite series so I'm having a lot of fun watching you discover them both for the first time. :)
this book broke me when I first read it. the final scene had so much pathos and beauty to it while also being extremely tragic. Steven Erikson is writing a poetic epic through malazan book of the fallen and i love it.
Deadhouse Gates is definitely one of those books that lingers with you. The ending is so viscerally sad and I remember just shutting the book and just staring at the wall while tears slowly fell. I’m on book 8 now and I’ve loved them all but Deadhouse Gates is definitely the most memorable and my favorite.
Erikson is mean, at the end of MoI after that last fight im heartbroken and he puts duiker telling the chain of dogs tale.
@@pugnaska can u not spoil
It's such a relief to hear your thoughts on Felisin precisely echo my own.
You may not understand the world of Malazan yet, but you certainly understand its characters and themes, which is ultimately the heart of the series. I've a feeling you're gonna increasingly love it going forward.
A major issue I see with a lot of people who try Malazan is that they go into it feeling like they’re owed explanations on everything. Erikson doesn’t let you into the characters heads, and follows the method of “show, don’t tell.” Just enjoy the ride and discover everything at the pace he wants you to.
I think it is more that they are used to reading series that hold your hand. If I'm trying to get someone into the series i usually tell them that they wont really be able to make the connections that are strewn throughout all the novels until their 3rd read through of the series. Listening to Ten Very Big Books every once in a while shows me how correct my statement is. Since the host of that show has a very poor grasp on the series.despite him being a re-reader.
I know you said that Erikson doesn’t force morality on the reader but compassion is one of the main themes of the series as a whole, which makes it insane how some readers perceive Felisin.
But I would submit that Erikson not forcing you to choose sides and telling you who is good and who is evil (except maybe Kallor, he can rot 🤪) allows you to feel empathy even with characters who would be villains in traditional fantasy.
In another series, Felisin would absolutely be a villain, because she wants to see the side all our protagonists are on burn. But because we've walked her path to Shai'ik Reborn, we empathize with her choice. Even as we go, "This cannot end well for anyone."
Merphy is right when she talks about the tragic structure enabling that. Erikson rejects Grimdark because despite displaying this brutality, be never revels in it. Seeing this brokenness is meant to stir empathy. Even as he admits the lack of it led us here.
@@shawngillogly6873 Give spoiler alert next time. 😒
@@stromblessed3724 a name-which was mentioned earlier in the series- is not a spoiler.
@@shawngillogly6873 "Walked her path to Shai'k Reborn." Seriously, you think this wasn't a spoiler.😑
@@stromblessed3724 merphy specifically says that she thinks she understands that Felisin is Sha'ik reborn.
I love your Malazan reviews Merphy. It's funny how at the start, I thought one storyline was going to be boring. 'I don't know these people! There's not really anything magic going on!' But by the end I was totally invested and it was heart-wrenching.
Honestly your rambling reviews of Malazan are just amazing!
I think my favorite parts of the books are the absolutely amazing friendship duos. You’ve met some of them so far but don’t worry the best are still to come!
Merphy, your humanity, compassion, and emotional honesty in this review were beautiful to see. I recently finished Deadhouse Gates and I hope to be able to process everything you've said here and incorporate it into my own, developing response, as it left me kind of dead and numb inside. I can already feel my empathy rebuilding, and I thank you for that.
Really enjoyed this video, I love how heartfelt it was!
I like to refer to Malazan as "Grimhope". Yes, the world is dark, but that doesn't mean you can't do something good.
I'm stealing that description, it's brilliant!
excellent work. I will definitely steal "grimhope" as well.
Thanks for the Felisin perspective. I didn't entirely get that people deal with abuse differently, and that her rudeness was one way to deal with it. I was always fixated on "that's not how I'd react", which I now know would be a harmful outlook. Waiting for your review of House of Chains (book four) to push me through finishing that book.
Glad you enjoyed it!
This book, for all its horrifying moments, i found it to be incredibly beautiful. It makes you feel so much compassion: for Felisin and everything she goes through and how she reacts to the world as a consequence; for Icarium and Mappo and their beautiful, complex friendship, but also for its metaphor on humanity's incapacity to remember its own mistakes and tragedies and repeat them endlessly. Definitely one of my favorite books in the series for the themes it tackles. As the sadness wanes, you'll find the themes emerge more clearly and you'll see the beauty in this book.
Yes, was wondering when this would come out, can't belive you've read it alongside everything else including one piece, you're my hero haha
This is why I come back to your channel time and again. I appreciate your heartfelt reviews and connections made being a character driven reader.
I really enjoyed your review, I hope you continue reading Malazan!
It's a shame that Erikson isn't really commenting on UA-cam videos anymore because I *know* he would have appreciated your grasp of the themes and your emotional honesty. These books can be a slog for various reasons, but there is a beautiful soul to them and they will be no crueller than is absolutely necessary. Hold the course!
On Book 5 right now and the series just gets better and better
About Icarium. He's a gentle soul with lots of power that when tapped becomes an unstoppable force and he's cursed to forget it. His killing of "animals" isn't linked with his amnesia. He just loses memories a lot
I'll never really get over how Icarium felt like he belonged in an anime instead of Malazan. There's maybe just about 4 or so characters that do this, and he's one of them. Just the way he seems to have unstoppable power and the ability to use his sword (from what I remember) like a literal whirlwind of destruction. Feels like an anime character and that he doesn't really belong in the series. And I normally *like* anime but not in this case.
1. Re: Humour. I think I'm among the only five people in the world who read both Malazan and One Piece. Jokes aside, I do find they often hit similar notes in terms of humour: unhinged eccentric characters, crazy circumstances, and silly remarks. Basically, those chaotic One Piece panels where everyone's doing their antic shenanigans. Like how Stormy and Gesler would casually wave to a passing undead dragon (something I imagine Luffy would do), or how Coltaine kept promoting his underlings, unsuccessfully. These incidents are some scenes that likely happen in Impel Down or among Marine officers.
2. Re: Friendship and Found Families. In general, Erikson has excellent friendships throughout the series, especially bromantic duos. So far you've met Fiddler and Hedge (the Malazan sapper/engineers), Kalam and Quick Ben (the assassin and the wizard), Stormy and Gesler (the Malazan marines who got on the undead boat), Icarium and Mappo. Rest assured, you'll see more of those iconic duos and then some more.
3. Re: Felisin. Yeah, she's quite divisive in the fandom, but you're spot on. Erikson did intend to write her as a complex character (he even wrote quite an elaborate essay on this). Basically, she's just a minor who went through abuse and so much pain and lashing out was her sole defence mechanism. It's not that her companions were exactly good, but some parts of the fandom weirdly and easily tolerate them compared to Felisin. She's not meant to be likeable but her circumstances were what made and shape her. You'll see her arc will echo in some future key characters, with equally fascinating circumstances.
4. Re: Foreshadowings, Curveballs, Red Herrings, and Payoffs. Since you seem to enjoy those I have a good feeling you'll love the sequels even more.
5. Re: Tragedy and Hope. Another spot on. As you aptly mentioned, what I love about Malazan is that it doesn't revel in darkness and misery. However, it also shows people who fight back for what they believe. Sometimes they succeed, sometimes they failed.
Great video!
one of the other five here! lmao
Number three here!
Seven (I'm counting likes as well)
There's dozens of us!
After watching your 'My Favorite Tropes' video I've been looking forward to your review of Deadhouse Gates, and was so happy to see your reaction to Mappo & Icarium. And, your take on Felisin is spot-on.
I've read Deadhouse Gates 5 or so times, and it breaks me every time. Take your time between Malazan books, they're a roller coaster.
Wow - great review. Just finished this book and working my way through the series. Love your take on Felisin and completely agree.
It's an awesome series, I'm very glad you started it and enjoyed some much. Looking forward to Memories of Ice review. All the best to you and your family.
I feel as much for Felisin as much as you described in the video. Though, I have 8 more chapters left in DG. Still think Felisin, Kalam, and Fiddler would stay as the most memorable, favorite characters till the end. Nice review!
I've always approached Malazan as a Fantasy History text, this isn't trying to spoon feed me a single narrative and make me feel comfortable, these are fantasy world Herodotus and Homers journals, its up to you to study this massive collection of vast interconnected world events, stories, mythos and put together the pieces. Truly "The Book of Malazan" lol
I first found the series when I was still in school and the first two books almost felt like a fever dream mushroom trip into some far off world, had to come back to the series a few years later.
Seeing as Erikson himself has pointed at The Black Company (which does similarly), the Iliad, the annals of Napoleon's Marshals (which inspired the title) among other historical/mythological influences. You're not wrong. Despite Andy Smith's protestations about calling it such. Especially since "what is history"? And what historians do are recurring themes in the series.
I'm glad I watched your review of Deadhouse Gates. I rarely watch book reviews through these days but Malazan has been my favorite books since 2013 and yours is one of the most heartfelt review I've seen. Can't wait for your heart to break even more in books 3 through 10! Trust me, it'll happen.
I've been saving watching your review for when i finally got to book 2 and finished it (today!). It was so heart-wrenching but about halfway through the book was when I realized that I think i'm going to be hooked on this series. Devastating. Cried a lot. But It was SO GOOD. I definitely echo all of your sentiments.
Hey Merphy! Long time watcher, love your videos, and lately you've been talking about my two favourite fantasy series: Malazan and One Piece. It's fantastic. Thank you!
Theres nothing quite like malazan anywhere (except maybe the Black Company, but it was SE's inspiration for malazan so it's not so surprising). It's so gratifying to see you appreciate all the best stuff about it. I think Deadhouse Gates is kinda like the REAL starting point of Malazan. By this I mean I think it has the most 'seeds' that come to fruition later on. The events of this book reverberate throughout the whole series (and beyond). It'll make sense later hopefully.
Really looking forward to your one piece videos as well. One Piece is the greatest fantasy being written imo; can't wait to see more of what you think! :)
There is a reason they don't call the series the Malazan Book of Everyone Lives
Malazan is my all time favorite Epic fantasy. You’re reviewing both of my all time favorites( One Piece and Malazan)
I love your empathy for Felisin. It's always a little sad to see people despise her, and the reasoning generally comes from a surface level look at her actions and character.
Fantastic review. Thank you so much for the empathy, understating and compassion you showed Felisin. It was beautiful to see your emotions. I was in the darkest period of my life when first reading DG and I had a profound connection with Felisin. Every page with her was heartbreaking. And yes, her reaction to the trauma, her resulting emotions and behavior are very ugly. It’s difficult to read. It does not mean she is to blame or that she is a bad person however. It’s challenging to remain compassionate when she grows increasingly toxic and bitter. And I love how Erikson challenges us. In the end though, I couldn’t help but feel more sorrow for her as this young, promising, sensitive compassionate girl was twisted into something she is not. At the same time though, Erikson still writes the character with so much understanding, empathy and compassion. For someone who hated themselves for the ugly emotions inside them, to see Erikson write Felisin with so much love and understanding helped me immensely, and I cannot thank him enough. And beyond the personal/emotional, the character herself is just greatly written. I love character studies, and to explore their damaged psyche with such depth and complexity is engaging.
For as dark as this series is and for how much emotional strain it puts on us, I truly believe it makes us better people. There is moments of hope and love amidst the darkness. Looking forward to your future thoughts. I also enjoy your One Piece reviews a lot, and I am glad you have a wholesome series like One Piece to counterbalance Malazan haha, have a good one!
Erikson, I feel, is a master of writing the extreme sort of scenes. The heartwarming scenes make you feel really,really good, all warm and full of life, while the sad scenes make you feel as if your heart is being wrenched out. The more grimdark scenes have always made me feel disgusted with the perpetrators, and I believe Erikson accomplished doing what he set out to do by writing those scenes- make us sympathize with the real-world victims of such trauma.
I don't usually shit on other authors, but considering Malazan was inspired by Black Company, I felt like Malazan handled dark/extreme themes so much better. The melodrama and edgyness in Black Company destroyed any emotional impact for me.
And his comedy scenes almost always hit too. The man orchestrates the readers emotions into whatever composition he wishes. He’s really something else.
@@nenadmilovanovic5271 Black Company was written for a very different era and audience, before it had been shown that there was really an audience for this style of material. It's also from the viewpoint of a very unreliable narrator with a whole lot invested in what they need to believe to deal with the things they've done. And then it's probably fair to say that Black Company was a "dumbing down for broader appeal" of the Dread Empire novels, which are MUCH closer to Erikson in maturity of how the themes are handled.
Hope once you finish the series to see your overall thoughts- still avoiding starting myself until hear more reviews
Mikes Book Revies and Daniel Greene have done some great videos on the series that I recommend if you want to get a better idea of the series before jumping in.
Read it, read them all. All the Esselmont add-ons as well, they fill in some gaps and are great on their own.
You have to try it, you cannot guess if it's gonna fit you or not. I was afraid of Firsts Law because everyone was saying it is very character focused and almost without plot (and it is exactly like this), I thought it would be hard for me to get through.. so I just tried it and I frickin LOVE it. Malazan though.. that's a different story for me - just try it, I think it's easy to get attached to the characters at least. You will see.
@@Deni-mt9bj And then there are people like me, who don't enjoy Abercrombie or Grimdark as such. But still love Malazan.
It's a world so not every thread will be resolved. Esslemont's books get better with each publication to the point where when I read Path to Ascendancy, it was up there with the best
The starting tone from Book 1 review and Book 2 is stark and totally understandable 😅
Spooky that just as you mentioned humour I thought of the undead slaves carrying that character as well 😂
I swear if we get Felisin haters in here I’m starting a riot!!!!
for every Felisin hater, you strengthen the call to Steven Erikson to tell you what you're missing about Felisin 50x over, since SO MANY PEOPLE GET HER WRONG AND REVIEWER SPACES ARE OVERRATED. *flips a table*
I can understand why people hate Felisin, she's an unpleasant head to be in, she does a lot of annoying stuff like messing with the people who are trying to help her and actively sabotaging herself. But that's realistic, isn't it? I can respect how well written she is but I didn't enjoy reading about her until she became Shaik Reborn where things get really interesting. She hates herself so much she can't understand other characters not hating her and she clings to the idea of Beneth even though he treated her awfully. But again, it makes sense. There's such great payoff to her story in House Of Chains and I can't wait to see Merphy's reaction to that.
Which one? The first one was pretty good, the second one turned into a hedonist lol
@@widdershins5383
Careful with the spoilers dude
Felisin is just such a great character
I'm so glad you are enjoying the experience of Malazan book of the fallen. It's such a difference experience to other fantasy series. You seem to have an excellent handle on things that I didn't get my head around until a lot later on.
Okay you convinced me to pick the book up again. I got most of the way through but Felisin's story hit me way too hard and I couldn't keep going at the time. Hearing a bunch of the things you enjoyed and going "oh yeah! I loved that too" really reminds how much I was enjoying it even though it's just so dark and bleak at times
Yes. She likes Felisin😭
Welcome to the Malazan world Murphy!
Between Deadhouse Gates and Marineford sounds like you've had a rough week.
Though your thoughts on the Malazan series as a whole not being a tragedy, but DH being one are honestly really insightful for this point in the series. I look forward to your thoughts on the rest. Can't believe you didn't touch on Stormy, Gesler and Truth and their pirate adventures on the Grand Line though. For shame!!
One of my favorite fantasy series book 3 my favorite
Memories of Ice was probably the most horrific, for sure lol but Crippled God had the best action sequences lol the majority of the book is only 3 battles it’s gloriously soul killing
Beautiful review! Take your time with the series. Glad you are not a Felisin hater! And I feel like Memories of Ice is when you can START to see the little hints at what is actually going on. So I will wait patiently to see your review of that book!
The ending of this book is when I finally fell in love with Malazan. Finished it 2 weeks ago and I've already finished Memories of Ice and am 300 pages into House of Chains!
It took 2 days to hit me. The weight of what happened to Coltain. The scene is magnificent and disturbing.
Can´t wait till you read Memories of Ice, is amazing and by what you said, I think you´re gonna love it too.
I‘m so glad you DNFed this series. The first time around we only got a three sentence goodreads review and I questioned whether you had read the same book as me. Now this is a reaction I can relate to. I‘m so glad that you are coming back now that you have the capacity for this gigantic story. Have a wild ride!
When Phillip Chase talked about this not being Grimdark on Mike's channel, I said, "Malazan uses the expectations of Grimdark to subvert Grimdark."
You are absolutely right that Erikson uses tragic arcs and brutally dark scenes to display the brokenness of his world, and the people in it, but you're also right to see he never revels in it. As I see too much of Grimdark do. Sure like Grimdark, villains often win and even the protagonists make decisions we find hard to stomach. But when, against those moments, we see true sacrifice, compassion, or a refusal to let that "win" be the coda on the story, it shows us that there is more to this thing we call human existence than the depravity we are all capable of. And that without that awareness of our capability for darkness, we would never find meaning in our small acts of hope, redemption, and honor. And yes, that's a theme Erikson will continue to reach for through to Book 10. But you will see it sharply in Book 3, promise.
Merphy I am getting addicted to your content. So much so that I have toughest exam to crack and I wait for week impatiently for your content. I must stop! Oh god! I must stop!
let it flow through you 😈
I love how you can love a book and not completely understand it. I think people would love reading if they were like you. Excellent review!
I just found your channel! And also just started MoI, after a five year gap since reading DG, I loved it so much but it hit me the hardest I think of any of my modern fantasy reads for the last decade, i remember it really well which for me really shows the impact it made whilst i read it. Looking forward to diving into more of your vids! :D
Four books in and this is my favourite. Duiker and Coltaine is my favourite story I’ve ever read and I love Icarium and Mappo’s travels.
I’m blasting through Malazan atm , it took me 10 years to finish gardens of the moon but I’m just loving Malazan now. You telling us that it’s okay to not understand it all was helpful
The thing about Felisin is a test of empathy - I've seen a lot of hate against her, and I always assume those people either haven't experienced much pain in life or just don't open themselves up to empathy, or just wants strong and cool characters in cool fights, and don't care about characters that are alive in a story and hinders the plot a bit. But those characters are the usually the most interesting, because you imagine your own emotions and try to relate with your own experiences, and also wonder how you would have been in that situation, and in that way also feel for them. I never understood people that hate characters just because they are not acting good or honorably, they're not your real life friends.
Oh geezus, Malazan series… I loved Gardens of the Moon. Then stalled halfway in Deadhouse Gates. I’m gonna have to start this book from the beginning and I’m dreading it.
Wonderful review.
I have never finished a Malazan book and not needed a long, long think about what it all meant. Erikson has a true gift for planting certain ideas and images so deeply in the reader's mind that they really stay with you long after you finish reading.
Wonderful and spot on review!! Just finished the book this morning and of course I’m going through my go to sources( like you ) for their thoughts as I process it all, trying to affirm that I read it “right”! I was very moved by your review and I also found myself wondering why I wasn’t reading this book faster than I was…. though I was absolutely enthralled by it all. I was floored when Fiddler found out more about Icarium’s background! Loved your commentary “ at the end of every journey is not always a victory “.
finished DG last night. exhausting, expansive, and brutal. Most importantly it got the emotional hooks in me that I was missing in GotM. The Chain of Dogs and Mappo/Icarium storylines turned out to be wonderfully written arcs. I'm onto reading Heroes now and you're right! Abercrombie and Erikson use plentiful humor to bring levity to insanely bleak moments. Abercrombie kind of has this rollicking, wicked sarcasm to his characters, and Erikson loves knowing winks and sly, understated jokes. Very fun to bounce back and forth between these authors.
I always loved how Erikson writes so many characters, and still he manages to tells us so much about them. Have you met Iskaral Pust yet?
the Mule!
I truly enjoy your dives into these Malazan books so far. Excited to see your reactions to the series.
I love watching these reviews knowing what you haven't gone through yet (At the time).... this series broke my brain.. i honestly don't read the same now. BTW.. duiker at the end of this book... best writing i have ever read.
P.S. i wish your friends hadn't warned you about book 3... Malazan should never be spoiled :)
Yeah, that ending is grim and it's dark and it's sad... But (like you said) that's just war. One thing that might help you along the way is that Erikson also makes points about compassion. It's there in every turn and you start expecting it after some time. That scene with Mappo Runt salvaging what little was left of the chain of dogs by using such a valuable healing elixir in two dogs... That's just beautiful. Thank you for sharing and evoking great memories... Of ice.
I finished Malazan about a year ago, and I can’t say without a doubt based of your reaction to this book you will love the rest of this series. It’s funny to me that you’re reading One Piece alongside Malazan since for me these two are the absolute best when it comes to world building. The twists get better, the connections become more clear, and you start to love these characters more and more with each novel. Every single one of these books other than Gardens of The Moon brought me to tears at one point or another
Which world building is better?
Thanks for the review Merphy! Appreciate it! :)
The first time you read through the Malazan Book of the Fallen, you think it's a pretty great series. The second time you read through it and catch everything you missed now that you understand the world, you think it's the best series ever written.
The "I don't get this and that's ok" is a key mindset for this series. It's ok not to get it. As you pointed out, he does that to you on purpose. You definitely will get it (well, most of it, probably). You just gotta keep going. Deadhouse is certainly a book that makes a lot more sense later on. You'll appreciate it and everything it sets up when you're able to look back at it with new knowledge. If you've stuck with it and liked it up to now, Memories of Ice is going to blow your mind.
Steven Erikson
Loves: Horses
Hates: Nobles
This book was great! I really struggled with Gardens but I loved this book from start to finish.
Omg I’ve been waiting for this review forever!!!
I love how Erikson writes. It took me 5 books to really get into the series, but man am I invested now! Great novels all have a "Soul" and WOW does Erikson know how to give his books a Soul. And if you think this was a tear-jerk ending, you have a LONG way to go!
Great review, very emotional like my reaction on this book. Loved it. It wasn't easy but amazed me with every new scene. And even 1 year after the 1st book I remember it quit clear - can't beleive myself 😮
I finished the gardens of the moon in 3 days and started the DHG straight away 2 days ago and in the middle of the book! So epic! You try to hold a bit a catch your breath…and you just cannot!❤️
I remember when Heboric "accidentally" brought Fener into the physical world. I remember specifically feeling TERRIFIED....for a GOD! Writing that made me feel visceral terror for a being of immense power, suddenly vulnerable, made me jump out of my chair and start pacing to calm down.
Started following from the one piece stuff but I have always loved this series, loved the review!
What's amazing about those readers who sputter about how much they hate Felisin is their complete failure at compassion and empathy, or even mere sympathy, for a person (albeit fictional) who is clearly a victim. This is taking victim blaming to extremes and shows how little they understand the major themes of Erikson's Malazan books.
I definitely agree with you on that
literally she's been through such abuse and trauma in her young life at this point I really don't understand why people have such a hatred for her
That satisfied feeling when you things come together is amazing and happens through out the series.
Is there a review for Memories of Ice
About what you were saying about Malazan not being completely grimdark, there are a lot of things in store that are arguably worse than Deadhouse Gates (that one scene in book 9). Even though there are a few scenes in the series of great acts of compassion, that just isn't the way Erikson likes to give readers hope. He likes to give back in small ways, like that scene where Mappo heals the two dogs after the tragedy of the Chain of Dogs. It's in those small moments that Erikson really shines.
Loved this!! Such a great job talking about Felisin, can’t wait to see what you have to say about MoI. I think you will really, really enjoy it. :)
Eriksons writing just gets better and better, peaks at toll the hounds for me, so good. Memories of ice up next and its a little easier to read now so much has been touched on, but still things you won't understand and it's ok, that'll come! I also love how you just can't predict these books at all, no way of knowing how they end!
These are my favorite books, I’m slowly working my way through the entire series, the Esselmont add-ones as well as the main series haha I’m just finishing up house of chains lol only halfway through
I read it a decade ago and the ending still haunts me.
This book is beautifully brutal. I've almost finished this book on my third time through, and I absolutely love it each time. I'm currently working through all the Malazan series in chronological order, both Erikson and Esselmont, starti
Starting with Path of Ascension, and I'm seeing so much more this time through.
I read this series pretty much straight through over the course of like 3 years while in high school and in retrospect I have no idea how I managed that.
I didn't like this book (like I did Gardens) but your review made me like it a bit better, gave me a bit more appreciation for it. Great review!
I wonder if I understood correctly that the identities of certain gods were revealed in this book (Cotillion and Shadowthrone). And it seems like a character achieved ascendancy, but I'm not sure.
I didn't like this book that much either. Can't put my finger on it, but I think it's the pacing for me. And I've read it twice now! Not sure if you plan on continuing the series, but the next book, Memories of Ice, is often considered a fan favorite and starts bringing the over arching conflict of the series into the mix. Plus it's a direct continuation of Gardens of the Moon.
As for the gods ascending question, yes this book does reveal that Shadowthrone and Cotillion are in fact Emperor Kellanved and Dancer. What's even better is if you go back and read the epigraph that precedes the prologue in Gardens of the Moon, that fact is glaring at you right in the face, but on a first read you're unable to process what you're reading. Honestly, despite Deadhouse Gates being my least favorite of the series, it's full of hugely important events. No spoilers, but a lot of things that happen get referenced/elaborated on later in some of the other books.
Erikson is a great storyteller and the way he leaves bread crumbs exposition makes the pay off even better by the end. Just know that all will be revealed if you are feeling confused.
@@matthewwhite3967 I do plan on reading Memories of Ice, but I'll drop the series if I don't like it.
It took like 400 pages before I was fully down with the book, but in all book two is easily my favorite thus far. Absolutely crushing, I love it
I really want to watch your reviews of the rest of the books. I hope you haven't give up.
"Not even dancer will take on kalam merkha one to one" topper. That was just pure hype.
Yeah, Dancer shows his skills later in the series.
You definitely need a break between these books… a lighter read. But when you come back… you always get an appreciation for the greatness of the books you are reading.
I'll just say, hold on to those "pockets of hope" and reflect on them. Doing so will aid in the recognition of the overarching and central theme of the series. As Erikson has said elsewhere, the Book of the Fallen is a "call to compassion". While the series definitely takes an emotional toll, for me, it is one I gladly pay.
I am currently in the process of re-reading the entire series and am just about at the climax of this book. This time, I've been taking the time to find answers to questions and really look with the clarity that comes from reading the entire series. This book was my absolute favourite of the series during my first read through and reading through it a second time really cemented how much I took joy out of this book. No fantasy book I've read before or since has had as powerful and impactful an ending as this books. The characters of the world might sing stronger in Memories of Ice and Bonehunters but this book was still a marvel and will stand as one of my favourite reads of all time.
I just remember feeling I couldn’t retain anything for the first two books but maybe I should try the fathers and push through!
I listened to the series at the beginning of the year (all 10 books in about 2 months). I was confused most of the time. I had to watch videos like this just to get some understanding what was going on. Watching this video made me realize that I need to listen to the series again.
one piece reviews brought me here, homegirl can review a cook book and still get me stoked about it