*Michael Palin voice* I'll get you for this Canavan, I'll get you if I have to travel to the four corrrrners of the earth!!! Also, look at Philip smiling all nice and innocent as he sticks a blade in my back by comparing me to Clip.
Yet more evidence of the notorious Dr. Fantasy being the true villain. He hides his nefarious deeds behind his scholarly tweeds. With me, what you see is what you get. I warned you back when I did the first video that I would return to this topic once we got to Toll the Hounds. I have been open and honest the entire time, my honourable opponent. We should have a few more discussions in the New Year. The very best of the Season to you Ruthan. May you and yours have a fantastic, peaceful, and wonderful New Year.
@@ACriticalDragon it seems you got yourself a new nemesis :) Now all we need is to see you, Philip and Ruthan all wearing tweed and discussing Rake and the Tiste Andii :))) It'd be an interesting duel of brilliant minds.
Excellent discussion gentlemen, I completely agree with all the points being made. Anomander Rake is one of Erikson's greatest characters, the emotional depth and the pathos of his entire journey truly touched me as a reader. Every layer is richly nuanced, and as we peel back each one, we see just how intricately the themes of the series are interwoven together with Rake as the narrative fulcrum. Thank you for such an insightful conversation on such a beloved character!
As ever, my friend, it is good to hear from you, although I may need to enlist your aid to help defend against the predictable onslaught from a certain Malazan expert that we know. I look forward to many conversations with you in the coming year. Be very well.
Another wonderful discussion, my friend! Not that Anomander Rake needed any redeeming, but perhaps our efforts will contribute to a fuller picture of this iconic character. Plus, it was fun to give Ruthan Badd a little ribbing! 😁
As ever, it is a pleasure and a privilege to discuss these books with you. Thank you for the conversations, the observations, and even the jokes at my expense. Most of all, thank you for the friendship. All the very best to you and your family, Philip.
@@Vinnie2501 I’m fairly certain that what I said was based on an observation A.P. made somewhere. If it is, it’s not the first thing he’s said that I’ve repeated, and it won’t be the last!
The Rake discussion reminds me of back in MoI when the Tlan Imass were released before the battle of Coral, and as a reader you're like, "No, they would turn the tide...fewer people would die if they're there." But one of you guys spoke to it in those reviews that the point was there would always be a need for the Imass and letting them go was costly but right. The same happens with Rake where you're watching the scene play out with the fight against Traveller, and Dragnipur gets deflected and you think, "what a blow to the allies fighting the Crippled God," not thinking of the implications of getting Hoods realm and Draconus, and all the chained ones ready to be broken out with the breaking of the sword. Thank you guys for covering this book. There was so much that it was hard to keep track of all that was happening, let alone look for themes.
Great discussion. The most telling scene was when he rests his sword on the stone for only a few moments, and the stone almost breaks. That was such an effective way of putting Anomander’s burden into a physical symbol. I also loved how we saw the concurrent journeys of Nimander and Anomander through the book. Ninander’s arc may be my favorite thing about TtH; I actually think of it as a rather conventional Hero’s Journey, with Erikson’s flavor added.
Thank you, a great video as always. I'm liking the fact that you are willing to take separate videos to talk about individual aspects of these books because there are a lot of discussion videos out there that, despite the long runtime or efforts on behalf of the reviewers, still feel like they are missing really cool parts of the books or are going over things superficially and missing the themes and beauty of the books. Keep it up!
You are very welcome. Thank you for watching. It is always difficult to discuss the complexity of literature in any great depth in a timely way. Some people want short to the point evaluations, others want a chapter by chapter breakdown. And then there is the question of spoilers or spoiler free. There is no one good way to do it. But I am very glad that you enjoyed this.
Aww, now that this video is out, it feels like Christmas is finally here. Thank you, A.P. and Philip for this amazing Christmas gift and for honoring us, we are not worthy
Very Merry Christmas. I am so very glad that you enjoyed the video, and as long as you and the good Counsellor feel that I have at least done some justice to Rake then I know it is good enough. Also, I clearly had to tease Ruthan, the secret Tiste fanboy.
@@ACriticalDragonI forgot to mention the thumbnail: fantastiiiic! "Will the Real Anomander Rake Please Stand Up" made me giggle! You and Philip really made our days brighter with these amazing conversations. From the bottom of my heart, thank you
Talking about doubt, another characters that you might have missed are Trull Sengar. He constantly doubts himself and his skills and abilities, yet he was able to stand up against Icarium until his weapon broke. Great video as always, i didn't even know how 47 mins went by so quickly.
@@ACriticalDragon Perhaps you have also learned a lesson in brevity.... I think one of the issues with Trull's sense of inferiority is that he only has Fear to be compared to and was continually being told his feelings were wrong. His sense of worth is skewed by his expectations and what Edur society expects from him.
Great talk, like always. I've wondered, mostly non-seriously, how the three brothers' parents explain their naming. Anomander, sure. Andarist, great. Silchas Ruin - perfect, he can't help but be a normal, well-adjusted adult with that name! He absolutely won't embrace a possible draconic nature with that appellation.
Excellent conversation Philip and AP! I truly glean so much from them. They help to solidify and label the feelings I’m having about the story and it’s people. Yes people, as they have become so real for me. I empathize with so many of them even when I don’t want to!! Rake is so dear to me. Thank you and now I’m on to part 3.
Hi AP. This was a joy to listen to. Have a wonderful Holiday. I want to thank you for all your efforts and discussions this year. You and Philip have made my year. Most of all thanks for listening. Take care AP. Continued success and I will be here for what's to come. 😁
Seth, it is always wonderful to hear from you. I am so glad that you have enjoyed the videos and conversations. It has been a tough year for all of us, and so I thank you for watching, for commenting, and your support. Take care of yourself, and the very best wishes to you and yours.
This was just sublime. I can't thank you both enough for these in depth conversations. Each time I finish these books , I get what I get out of them, first time. Then I get all this extra enrichement and discussion to devour. I would say my appreciation for each of them at least doubles after listening to these, and I look forward to the day when I get aorund to reading them all again. This book in particular , hit me like a tonne of bricks. I know its quite a devisive one in the fandom, but thankfully I am definitely 'Team TTH' . To reference what you said in another video, this one feels seamless, that every thread, while some of them seemingly disconnected, all build and enrich upon the themes. Couple that with what you have discussed here( Rake from other peoples perspectives and the overall sense of the weight, and burden that Rake is carrying) felt to me like a thematic pressure cooker, slowly building up , compressing all those seemingly seperate ingredients into a fine, rich, succulent meal(It's christmas, I'm hungry, forgive the food metaphor ;) ) . Further to that (and I hope the next discussion is focused on the climactic chapters?) as we approached the climax, Erikson just leans so hard into these themes, visually, that the manifestation of all that groundwork carried with it so much weight. The scene with Rake unveiling Dragnipur and dragging the chains through Darujistan - good god man. I could feel it. Then the sacrifice in the duel. On first, frenetic read, I misread it as a glancing blow from Daseem. Re-reading it a few times, Erikson is so precise how he describes Rake's posture there, that the sacrificial act is clear. Then as we move into Dragnipur, the imagery, the scope, tha ambition, the execution here - staggering. Reading that section, with Rake's arrival and all that ensues afterward is , was and always will remain a very significant reading experience for me. I was genuinely shaking reading it. In awe, of Rake, of the imagery, the vision, the ambition, but more than that - of Erikson. He took blank pages, arranged letters into words, words into sentences, sentences into paragraphs and did what he did to my insides. The magic of fiction writ large. Fan for life. Merry Christmas.
I am so glad that you enjoyed the discussion. There is another chat that we have recorded that should be up on Wednesday. Hopefully you will enjoy that too. Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Really enjoyed this video. Rake is my favourite character in the series and is whole arc is so satisfying. I also appreciate how Forge of Darkness enriches his story rather than detracts from it. Merry Christmas!
Thank you for watching and the comments. I am looking forward to rereading Kharkanas with Philip when we get around to it. A very Merry Christmas to you.
This is what makes Rake one of my all time favourite characters in fantasy. You have all these superficially cool characteristics in a single character. But he is also a nuanced, compelling and admirable character. That is a combination that almost no one else has really pulled off.
I am so glad I found your podcasts. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have experienced your humor and insights into Wheel of Time .Philip and A.P. Please never stop. Happy New Year to both of you!
I love that every time I make my way through Malazan I do not only feel like I am learning something new, but I actually seem to find large swaths of information that didnt seem to even register with me in the prior reading. I view Malazan more as an experience than simply a "story"...and one that keeps unfolding with every reading... especially after Karkanas and Esslemonts books are worked in. The characters all seem to have "loose ends" much like the people we meet during our walk through life. We almost never know everything about people we meet. We see aspects of them. Thats whats so unsettling about Malazan characters. I can't claim to know a great deal about Caladan Brood or Kallor or Admiral Nok or Skinner or Humble Measure or Tehol Beddect or Kruppe or almost anyone great or small. Some more than others, but rarely enough to feel like I have them "figured out." Sure I know more about some than others, but never so much that I get bored with them or so little that am not intrigued to learn more. While there is much that is different in the styles of Erikson and Esslemont, they both give fascinating characters who we want to meet again and learn more about. And when some of them die it seems like a real loss even when our acquaintance was only partial or transitory...much lije real life.
Wonderful discussion on Anomander Rake! I really enjoyed some of the details you two discussed such as the way Rake interacted with the high priestess in her quarters and comparisons between Nimander and Annomander. I'm pretty close to finishing The Crippled God and have a lot to reflect on. Thanks!
Hi Johanna, I am so pleased that you enjoyed it. Toll the Hounds is such a powerful book for me, one that I really do love and appreciate. So I am really happy when people enjoy the discussions about it. I hope that you are having a wonderful holiday season. My best wishes for you and yours.
Thank you for another great conversation. One thing I really appreciate about Anomander is that Erikson leaves a lot of mystery for the reader to think about. Or, I am simply dense… 😏
Hi Francois, I am glad that you enjoyed it. I have said it frequently enough that I greatly appreciate Erikson leaving significant space for individual reader interpretation. It isn't that common to have an author trust the reader to that extent.
This was amazing thank you. I know these books are so rich and packed with so much that you could never hope to get to it all. However, I was hoping for your breakdown on one of the best comedic scenes ever written. Where Pust and Kruppe confront each other on their war mules. So so funny
The moment you realize that Dragnipur is a cool magic sword, yes - but Anomander would be so much more powerful if he didn't need to devote so much power and energy to carrying it... "oooooh... daayyummn" 😱😳 Also.. could Nimander's group and Clip's people be part of a plan of Anomander to create colonies of Andii? A way to let them grow up without the ennui constantly around them, under circumstances that force them to evolve on their own. Make their own choices, instead of automatically depending on and worshipping him (or Mother Dark for that matter)? Wonderful exploration of a great character - as a proponent of allowing doubt in our lives I love Anomander and Nimander.
Another one is needed. You didn't mention Gaz and Thordy. Or Hood. Hoods whole manifestation sequence. Torvald and Rallick. And Karsa sobbing. Part three please guys. And Merry Christmas.
@@ACriticalDragon While the Tiste (Andii, Liosan and Edur) quite clearly are Erikson and ICE’s anthropological take on Dark, Light/High and Wood Elves, having recently read some comics regarding two Moorcock antiheroes, Elric and Corum, (and knowing ICE having acknowledged Moorcock as inspiration for him at least) I cannot help but imagine the existential crisis of those two as precursors of Rake and expanded to a sociological collective with the Tiste Andii. Especially Corum with his Celtic connections, made me think of the Tiste in terms of the Ancient Races of Irish Myth, such as the Tuatha De Danann.
I think this is such a divisive book because the reader is just along for the ride. The Dying God are is a call back from many books ago and might not seem satisfying. There also so many why's about the sacrifice of Rake - why is it important the gate has to move, what caused the turning away (insert Floyd) who Draconus is, etc. Some might get hung up in the details and feel lost rather than just go with it. There us just sooo much going on all at once. Personally, I would like to know more details but didnjust get swept up in the emotions of the events.
@@ACriticalDragon I am tempted to read this one just on its own. There is just so much going all at once, and reading Karkanas adds a different perspective. You too.
Can we have a conversation about the whole intricacy of this scheme? Draconus has zero idea what's going on. We don't really. Every reveal is amazing. So cinematic. Imagine Draconus railing at Hood and then Hood just saying "you didn't think I came alone did you?" And we get bridgeburners. It never let's up. It's just so fucking good. So much trust went into the arrangement. We even hear Hood sort of try to stop the whole thing but Rake just chops him. Then for the end. Why did it have to be Traveller?
I don't think this spoils anything further in but just in case, you have been warned: Traveller is revealed or at least heavily hinted to be Dassem Ultor and Dessembrae, who wanted vengeance on Hood for sacrificing his daughter at the last Chaining ritual. So he arrives in Darujhistan to kill Hood only to see that Anomander has already stolen his vengeance, and he attacks Anomander instead. Very fitting since his title as the god Dessembrae is "Lord of Tragedy".
Hi Gareth, there is another video coming up on Wednesday. That might address some of your questions. We did say that there was too much for us to cover in one discussion. 😁
@@smoothbrane I meant it more as a Dassem fan boy. Seeing his grief after killing Anomander. And the way it happened. I suppose it wouldn't have been as emotional if some random Segulah turned up and did the deed instead.
Really interesting discussion. I am catching up on Toll the Hounds discussion. Ps: congrats on almost 4k subscribers! Also are you growing out your hair to play Anomander in an upcoming adaptation?
Wait, some people don't like Anomander? I occasionally think there must be different versions of these books available as, sometimes, it feels like they can't be reading the same ones I am.
Are there any plans of adapting the malazan book of the fallen to a game or a tv series because this malazan world deserves to be a tv series more than any other fantasy world out there.
Hmm, For Anomander and this idea of implicit personal doubt placed upon him it sits a bit uneasy with me. There is Nimander who explicitly states doubts and as a reader are given more insight into his personal anguish over Phaed and all future decisions made from it. Anomander seems either too long lived even compared to his children or self-assured that much like Dassum's saying 'fight for what is right' as a foundation that for Anomander to doubt it seems it wouldn't be self focused, but rather external in his plots and dealings. Such as Kilamandoros, Baruk, Hood, Shadowthrone, where the world too large cannot be precisely calculated and that is his doubt and his worry. He just doesn't approach it like Shadowthrone with a 'Hee Hee'.
So basicly what you're saying is that Anomander could be the perfect person? (If he was a bit less "emo" and had a sence of humour maybe?) I don't dislike him in any way, but he's also not my favourite, i'm more of a bad-guy person i guess (like Tehol...)
A Rake hater?????? Noooooooooooooo!!!!!!!! And I thought that we could be friends. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I hope you have a fantastic New Year (and see the error of your ways and join us in revering the Black Winged Lord, Rake).
*Michael Palin voice* I'll get you for this Canavan, I'll get you if I have to travel to the four corrrrners of the earth!!!
Also, look at Philip smiling all nice and innocent as he sticks a blade in my back by comparing me to Clip.
Yet more evidence of the notorious Dr. Fantasy being the true villain. He hides his nefarious deeds behind his scholarly tweeds. With me, what you see is what you get.
I warned you back when I did the first video that I would return to this topic once we got to Toll the Hounds. I have been open and honest the entire time, my honourable opponent. We should have a few more discussions in the New Year.
The very best of the Season to you Ruthan. May you and yours have a fantastic, peaceful, and wonderful New Year.
@@ACriticalDragon it seems you got yourself a new nemesis :) Now all we need is to see you, Philip and Ruthan all wearing tweed and discussing Rake and the Tiste Andii :))) It'd be an interesting duel of brilliant minds.
A man is measured by the quality of his enemies. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
More of a garrote than a knife, eh?
@@ACriticalDragon That could be a tag line - Dr Fantasy: Hiding nefarious deeds behind scholarly tweeds since 2020. ©
Excellent discussion gentlemen, I completely agree with all the points being made. Anomander Rake is one of Erikson's greatest characters, the emotional depth and the pathos of his entire journey truly touched me as a reader. Every layer is richly nuanced, and as we peel back each one, we see just how intricately the themes of the series are interwoven together with Rake as the narrative fulcrum. Thank you for such an insightful conversation on such a beloved character!
As ever, my friend, it is good to hear from you, although I may need to enlist your aid to help defend against the predictable onslaught from a certain Malazan expert that we know.
I look forward to many conversations with you in the coming year.
Be very well.
gods below, you so eloquently expressed what I couldn't! So this is your Rake and Tiste Andii loving alter ego, right? :)
Hey, I like this well spoken gentleman!
? Eh...?
Ruthan Gudd can be so eloquent.
Another wonderful discussion, my friend! Not that Anomander Rake needed any redeeming, but perhaps our efforts will contribute to a fuller picture of this iconic character. Plus, it was fun to give Ruthan Badd a little ribbing! 😁
As ever, it is a pleasure and a privilege to discuss these books with you.
Thank you for the conversations, the observations, and even the jokes at my expense.
Most of all, thank you for the friendship.
All the very best to you and your family, Philip.
Great contrast between Anomander and Silchas. Never looked at it that way before.
Loved the Nimander talk AP. And Endest.
@@Vinnie2501 I’m fairly certain that what I said was based on an observation A.P. made somewhere. If it is, it’s not the first thing he’s said that I’ve repeated, and it won’t be the last!
The Rake discussion reminds me of back in MoI when the Tlan Imass were released before the battle of Coral, and as a reader you're like, "No, they would turn the tide...fewer people would die if they're there." But one of you guys spoke to it in those reviews that the point was there would always be a need for the Imass and letting them go was costly but right. The same happens with Rake where you're watching the scene play out with the fight against Traveller, and Dragnipur gets deflected and you think, "what a blow to the allies fighting the Crippled God," not thinking of the implications of getting Hoods realm and Draconus, and all the chained ones ready to be broken out with the breaking of the sword. Thank you guys for covering this book. There was so much that it was hard to keep track of all that was happening, let alone look for themes.
Thank you, Brett, not only for watching but the lovely comment. I am really pleased that you enjoyed the discussion.
Great discussion. Anomander Rake has been one of my favorites from the very beginning. Such an awesome character.
I am very glad that you enjoyed the discussion.
Thanks for watching.
Merry Christmas.
Thank You! It makes a difference having these videos while reading the book!
Great discussion. The most telling scene was when he rests his sword on the stone for only a few moments, and the stone almost breaks. That was such an effective way of putting Anomander’s burden into a physical symbol.
I also loved how we saw the concurrent journeys of Nimander and Anomander through the book. Ninander’s arc may be my favorite thing about TtH; I actually think of it as a rather conventional Hero’s Journey, with Erikson’s flavor added.
I love that scene. It so neatly illustrated the curse of the power.
Thank you, a great video as always. I'm liking the fact that you are willing to take separate videos to talk about individual aspects of these books because there are a lot of discussion videos out there that, despite the long runtime or efforts on behalf of the reviewers, still feel like they are missing really cool parts of the books or are going over things superficially and missing the themes and beauty of the books. Keep it up!
You are very welcome. Thank you for watching.
It is always difficult to discuss the complexity of literature in any great depth in a timely way. Some people want short to the point evaluations, others want a chapter by chapter breakdown. And then there is the question of spoilers or spoiler free.
There is no one good way to do it.
But I am very glad that you enjoyed this.
Aww, now that this video is out, it feels like Christmas is finally here. Thank you, A.P. and Philip for this amazing Christmas gift and for honoring us, we are not worthy
Very Merry Christmas. I am so very glad that you enjoyed the video, and as long as you and the good Counsellor feel that I have at least done some justice to Rake then I know it is good enough.
Also, I clearly had to tease Ruthan, the secret Tiste fanboy.
@@ACriticalDragonI forgot to mention the thumbnail: fantastiiiic! "Will the Real Anomander Rake Please Stand Up" made me giggle! You and Philip really made our days brighter with these amazing conversations. From the bottom of my heart, thank you
Talking about doubt, another characters that you might have missed are Trull Sengar. He constantly doubts himself and his skills and abilities, yet he was able to stand up against Icarium until his weapon broke.
Great video as always, i didn't even know how 47 mins went by so quickly.
Great point. Trull is definitely another of those characters. Thanks for watching.
@@ACriticalDragon Perhaps you have also learned a lesson in brevity....
I think one of the issues with Trull's sense of inferiority is that he only has Fear to be compared to and was continually being told his feelings were wrong. His sense of worth is skewed by his expectations and what Edur society expects from him.
Great talk, like always.
I've wondered, mostly non-seriously, how the three brothers' parents explain their naming. Anomander, sure. Andarist, great. Silchas Ruin - perfect, he can't help but be a normal, well-adjusted adult with that name! He absolutely won't embrace a possible draconic nature with that appellation.
You have no idea how many times I have those thoughts when it comes to Fantasy characters. 😂😂😂
Thanks for watching. Have a great Christmas.
@@ACriticalDragon Happy Christmas to you, too AP - Scott
Excellent conversation Philip and AP! I truly glean so much from them. They help to solidify and label the feelings I’m having about the story and it’s people. Yes people, as they have become so real for me. I empathize with so many of them even when I don’t want to!! Rake is so dear to me. Thank you and now I’m on to part 3.
Hi AP. This was a joy to listen to.
Have a wonderful Holiday. I want to thank you for all your efforts and discussions this year. You and Philip have made my year. Most of all thanks for listening.
Take care AP. Continued success and I will be here for what's to come. 😁
Seth, it is always wonderful to hear from you. I am so glad that you have enjoyed the videos and conversations.
It has been a tough year for all of us, and so I thank you for watching, for commenting, and your support.
Take care of yourself, and the very best wishes to you and yours.
This was just sublime. I can't thank you both enough for these in depth conversations. Each time I finish these books , I get what I get out of them, first time. Then I get all this extra enrichement and discussion to devour. I would say my appreciation for each of them at least doubles after listening to these, and I look forward to the day when I get aorund to reading them all again. This book in particular , hit me like a tonne of bricks. I know its quite a devisive one in the fandom, but thankfully I am definitely 'Team TTH' . To reference what you said in another video, this one feels seamless, that every thread, while some of them seemingly disconnected, all build and enrich upon the themes. Couple that with what you have discussed here( Rake from other peoples perspectives and the overall sense of the weight, and burden that Rake is carrying) felt to me like a thematic pressure cooker, slowly building up , compressing all those seemingly seperate ingredients into a fine, rich, succulent meal(It's christmas, I'm hungry, forgive the food metaphor ;) ) . Further to that (and I hope the next discussion is focused on the climactic chapters?) as we approached the climax, Erikson just leans so hard into these themes, visually, that the manifestation of all that groundwork carried with it so much weight. The scene with Rake unveiling Dragnipur and dragging the chains through Darujistan - good god man. I could feel it. Then the sacrifice in the duel. On first, frenetic read, I misread it as a glancing blow from Daseem. Re-reading it a few times, Erikson is so precise how he describes Rake's posture there, that the sacrificial act is clear. Then as we move into Dragnipur, the imagery, the scope, tha ambition, the execution here - staggering. Reading that section, with Rake's arrival and all that ensues afterward is , was and always will remain a very significant reading experience for me. I was genuinely shaking reading it. In awe, of Rake, of the imagery, the vision, the ambition, but more than that - of Erikson. He took blank pages, arranged letters into words, words into sentences, sentences into paragraphs and did what he did to my insides. The magic of fiction writ large. Fan for life. Merry Christmas.
I am so glad that you enjoyed the discussion. There is another chat that we have recorded that should be up on Wednesday. Hopefully you will enjoy that too.
Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Really enjoyed this video. Rake is my favourite character in the series and is whole arc is so satisfying.
I also appreciate how Forge of Darkness enriches his story rather than detracts from it.
Merry Christmas!
Thank you for watching and the comments. I am looking forward to rereading Kharkanas with Philip when we get around to it.
A very Merry Christmas to you.
This is what makes Rake one of my all time favourite characters in fantasy. You have all these superficially cool characteristics in a single character. But he is also a nuanced, compelling and admirable character. That is a combination that almost no one else has really pulled off.
I am glad that you enjoyed the video. Thank you for watching.
I am so glad I found your podcasts. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have experienced your humor and insights into Wheel of Time .Philip and A.P. Please never stop. Happy New Year to both of you!
Thank you for watching, Charisse. I am glad that you have enjoyed the discussions. Have a fantastic New Year.
I cannot wait to watch these. Soon...Soon
I love this book
I hope that you enjoyed it.
Have a fantastic Christmas.
@@ACriticalDragon merry Christmas to you too good sir. Shall watch these as a boxing day treat ;)
I love that every time I make my way through Malazan I do not only feel like I am learning something new, but I actually seem to find large swaths of information that didnt seem to even register with me in the prior reading. I view Malazan more as an experience than simply a "story"...and one that keeps unfolding with every reading... especially after Karkanas and Esslemonts books are worked in.
The characters all seem to have "loose ends" much like the people we meet during our walk through life. We almost never know everything about people we meet. We see aspects of them. Thats whats so unsettling about Malazan characters. I can't claim to know a great deal about Caladan Brood or Kallor or Admiral Nok or Skinner or Humble Measure or Tehol Beddect or Kruppe or almost anyone great or small. Some more than others, but rarely enough to feel like I have them "figured out."
Sure I know more about some than others, but never so much that I get bored with them or so little that am not intrigued to learn more. While there is much that is different in the styles of Erikson and Esslemont, they both give fascinating characters who we want to meet again and learn more about. And when some of them die it seems like a real loss even when our acquaintance was only partial or transitory...much lije real life.
Wonderful discussion on Anomander Rake! I really enjoyed some of the details you two discussed such as the way Rake interacted with the high priestess in her quarters and comparisons between Nimander and Annomander. I'm pretty close to finishing The Crippled God and have a lot to reflect on. Thanks!
Hi Johanna, I am so pleased that you enjoyed it. Toll the Hounds is such a powerful book for me, one that I really do love and appreciate. So I am really happy when people enjoy the discussions about it.
I hope that you are having a wonderful holiday season. My best wishes for you and yours.
Thank you for another great conversation. One thing I really appreciate about Anomander is that Erikson leaves a lot of mystery for the reader to think about. Or, I am simply dense… 😏
Hi Francois, I am glad that you enjoyed it.
I have said it frequently enough that I greatly appreciate Erikson leaving significant space for individual reader interpretation. It isn't that common to have an author trust the reader to that extent.
You both should ask ICE and SE to have a chat about the the Darujisthan characters from TtH and OSP with spoilers.
Hi Gareth, I can always ask them.
This was amazing thank you. I know these books are so rich and packed with so much that you could never hope to get to it all. However, I was hoping for your breakdown on one of the best comedic scenes ever written. Where Pust and Kruppe confront each other on their war mules. So so funny
But could anyone ever do justice to the dueling mules? Somethings just remain a mystery. 😂
Merry Christmas guys and another brilliant watch, this year not been the best for most but your content has 🎄
Thank you, Stephen.
Have a fantastic Christmas.
So what was Mother Dark doing for 300000 years? happy new year
Knitting. It was a really long scarf.
The moment you realize that Dragnipur is a cool magic sword, yes - but Anomander would be so much more powerful if he didn't need to devote so much power and energy to carrying it... "oooooh... daayyummn" 😱😳
Also.. could Nimander's group and Clip's people be part of a plan of Anomander to create colonies of Andii? A way to let them grow up without the ennui constantly around them, under circumstances that force them to evolve on their own. Make their own choices, instead of automatically depending on and worshipping him (or Mother Dark for that matter)?
Wonderful exploration of a great character - as a proponent of allowing doubt in our lives I love Anomander and Nimander.
Rob, those are fantastic points. Thank you.
Have a great Christmas.
Another one is needed. You didn't mention Gaz and Thordy. Or Hood. Hoods whole manifestation sequence. Torvald and Rallick. And Karsa sobbing. Part three please guys. And Merry Christmas.
Part three is already recorded.
To paraphrase from Witcher S2: “Dark Lords are born from deeds done, not looks!”
And quite often a BDSM fetish. It is an odd correlation.
@@ACriticalDragon While the Tiste (Andii, Liosan and Edur) quite clearly are Erikson and ICE’s anthropological take on Dark, Light/High and Wood Elves, having recently read some comics regarding two Moorcock antiheroes, Elric and Corum, (and knowing ICE having acknowledged Moorcock as inspiration for him at least) I cannot help but imagine the existential crisis of those two as precursors of Rake and expanded to a sociological collective with the Tiste Andii. Especially Corum with his Celtic connections, made me think of the Tiste in terms of the Ancient Races of Irish Myth, such as the Tuatha De Danann.
I think this is such a divisive book because the reader is just along for the ride.
The Dying God are is a call back from many books ago and might not seem satisfying.
There also so many why's about the sacrifice of Rake - why is it important the gate has to move, what caused the turning away (insert Floyd) who Draconus is, etc. Some might get hung up in the details and feel lost rather than just go with it. There us just sooo much going on all at once.
Personally, I would like to know more details but didnjust get swept up in the emotions of the events.
Different readers, different perspectives, it makes the discussions interesting.
I just happen to really love this book.
Have a fantastic Christmas.
@@ACriticalDragon I am tempted to read this one just on its own. There is just so much going all at once, and reading Karkanas adds a different perspective.
You too.
Merry Christmas AP & family x
Merry Christmas to you, Derri.
I hope that next year is a year of even greater success.
Can we have a conversation about the whole intricacy of this scheme? Draconus has zero idea what's going on. We don't really. Every reveal is amazing. So cinematic. Imagine Draconus railing at Hood and then Hood just saying "you didn't think I came alone did you?" And we get bridgeburners. It never let's up. It's just so fucking good. So much trust went into the arrangement. We even hear Hood sort of try to stop the whole thing but Rake just chops him. Then for the end. Why did it have to be Traveller?
I don't think this spoils anything further in but just in case, you have been warned:
Traveller is revealed or at least heavily hinted to be Dassem Ultor and Dessembrae, who wanted vengeance on Hood for sacrificing his daughter at the last Chaining ritual. So he arrives in Darujhistan to kill Hood only to see that Anomander has already stolen his vengeance, and he attacks Anomander instead. Very fitting since his title as the god Dessembrae is "Lord of Tragedy".
Hi Gareth, there is another video coming up on Wednesday. That might address some of your questions.
We did say that there was too much for us to cover in one discussion. 😁
@@smoothbrane I meant it more as a Dassem fan boy. Seeing his grief after killing Anomander. And the way it happened. I suppose it wouldn't have been as emotional if some random Segulah turned up and did the deed instead.
@@ACriticalDragon made my day AP
Ha ha, I'm not sure Phillip knows what Timotei is!!
I might need to Americanise my vocabulary a little bit better. 🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@ACriticalDragon I surprised he doesn't know what it is considering how beautiful his hair is ha ha
Really interesting discussion. I am catching up on Toll the Hounds discussion.
Ps: congrats on almost 4k subscribers!
Also are you growing out your hair to play Anomander in an upcoming adaptation?
Please. Anomandaris Dragnipurake. He didn't drink dragon blood to be called just Rake, thank you.
I knew him back when he was called Kevin. He never grew out of his Goth phase.
@@ACriticalDragon 😂😂😂
I am at chapter 5 and I feel very very lost
Wait, some people don't like Anomander? I occasionally think there must be different versions of these books available as, sometimes, it feels like they can't be reading the same ones I am.
Different perspectives, different people, it makes life interesting.
Have a very Merry Christmas.
@@ACriticalDragon Indeed it does.
Merry Christmas to you too.
Are there any plans of adapting the malazan book of the fallen to a game or a tv series because this malazan world deserves to be a tv series more than any other fantasy world out there.
Not that I am currently aware of, unfortunately. I would love to see some adaptations out there.
Let's be honest here, they would just ruin it. Look at what they did to WOT among many others
Hmm, For Anomander and this idea of implicit personal doubt placed upon him it sits a bit uneasy with me. There is Nimander who explicitly states doubts and as a reader are given more insight into his personal anguish over Phaed and all future decisions made from it. Anomander seems either too long lived even compared to his children or self-assured that much like Dassum's saying 'fight for what is right' as a foundation that for Anomander to doubt it seems it wouldn't be self focused, but rather external in his plots and dealings. Such as Kilamandoros, Baruk, Hood, Shadowthrone, where the world too large cannot be precisely calculated and that is his doubt and his worry. He just doesn't approach it like Shadowthrone with a 'Hee Hee'.
off topic, but do you ever plan to write your own novel?
So basicly what you're saying is that Anomander could be the perfect person?
(If he was a bit less "emo" and had a sence of humour maybe?)
I don't dislike him in any way, but he's also not my favourite, i'm more of a bad-guy person i guess (like Tehol...)
A Rake hater?????? Noooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!
And I thought that we could be friends. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I hope you have a fantastic New Year (and see the error of your ways and join us in revering the Black Winged Lord, Rake).
@@ACriticalDragon sorry (kind of) to have disappointed you 😊, happy New Year to you and your loved ones!
Chip apologist Philip!! :)