@@r1ddhima Anybody who doesn't like Felisin as a character has very little empathy, or can't put themselves in someone else's shoes. I'm not gonna spoil stuff but she can be frustrating but if you think of who she is and what has happened it makes so much sense. Overall I really liked your review!
Beautifully said about the excellence of the prose and the wonderful sense of historical layers in these books -- those are two of my favorite elements about Malazan. That's also a great observation about Erikson's take on immortality. And, yes, the characters are incredibly vivid, and Erikson achieves that in the most economical ways. I'm glad you're enjoying this series so far! Also, I'd love to hear your thoughts on Felisin.
Thanks for watching Dr Chase! I prly wouldn’t have started this series as soon as I did if it weren’t for your videos on it, so thank you for putting me on to this series
Yes, please do a Felisin video! I would click on that in a heartbeat (as I did for this video). I'm very excited you're reading and enjoying this series! I was trying to explain to friends who are intimidated that it's almost impossible for me to describe this series without making it sound intimidating. You, however, did an amazing job explaining why it isn't so hard to read. I also question whether this could be considered grim-dark. I think it has incredible military fantasy elements yet agree that it's not all about war. Wonderful video!
1:20 unfortunately this was not my experience. I found the stigma around Gardens of the Moon being confusing to be quite overblown, but book 2 has been a struggle, at this point I'm finishing it just so I can get to Memories of Ice. This is definitely a book I will revisit one day though, and I anticipate enjoying it more then. But this was a great review!
So happy to see you just storming through this series. Memories of Ice takes a huge leap forward in prose, and in making the overarching message of MBotF even more clear. Excited for you to meet Itkovian, in particular ("I AM NOT YET DONE!"). Thanks for the video.
Some important major arcs get kicked off in this installment, and some of the most important characters are introduced (even if a first-time reader may not recognize that until they've gotten a lot farther).
I'm so glad you liked Felisin, she's gets a pretty bad rap in the Malazan community, the girl just needs some love so I'm glad she's getting at least a little bit. I'd love to see that Felisin video by the way, not an easy character to summarize so I totally understand why you edited that bit out, also the things she deals with in this book... really deserves a separate video in my opinion. Totally agree about the depth of history in the Malazan world, it's one of the reasons I think it's one of the more vibrantly rich fantasy worlds I've read, Seven Cities in particular feels incredibly rich in history. Probably Erikson's background in archaeology has something to do with it. Hope you enjoy MoI!
Loved your review thanks for this! I have just made a video reviewing Deadhouse Gates and just realized we agree on many things! Cant wait to see more of your videos!
I watched all of the non spoiler stuff here and loved it. Every time I consider putting Malazan off my 2021 to read list you change my mind. I can't wait to get to it. I really hope you continue to explore the accessibility of Malazan as you go. Grim dark to me is definitely not exclusively tied to war time. It's more of the tone and then obviously the language/graphic content. But you're right, it's all semantics. Love the vid Rid!
Chiming in here a little late because this has been sitting on my Watch List for a while. Anyway, on the subject of Malazan being perceived as a difficult read, I often recommend the series on the big fantasy genre Facebook groups with the caveat that "it doesn't hold your hand." I'm always tempted to give a ramble about how it's one of the best series ever (I finished #10 just in December) but I find a recommendation with that rider on it does a much better job preparing a prospective reader, especially when I'm not familiar their reading comprehension or preferences. PS, I found your channel after SE pointed out your review of Gardens of the Moon and have been enjoying all of your content since then, Malazan and non-Malazan alike. Thank you and keep up the great work!
I am glad to see you are really invested in this series now. DG is one of my favorites, next to Bonehunters and Toll the Hounds, which I finished last Monday. Yes, Erikson has a few verbal tics. Another one is 'naught but *'... Keep reading!
@@r1ddhima There is one pet verb which Erikson almost always uses wrongly: to hiss. People 'hiss' things a lot. But you can only do that when there is an s sound present...
Great video! I’ve been looking forward to this because I think your... how do I say this, radar for sensing what the narrative emphasizes is really on point, or, rather, you seem to be in tune with the writing. I’m glad you enjoyed DG. Since you brought it up, I would absolutely love to hear your thoughts and feelings on the character of Felisin. I read this novel during a dark period in my life and really connected with the character and on a more literary level find her to be exceptionally well written (I would love to have a detailed discussion with you on it but I’ll save that for later, that is if you decide to make another video) She is a favorite of mine in the series for sure and I find the narrative drama surrounding the character to be rich and compelling. I also love Duiker, so I’m glad you gravitated towards these two characters as well. Along with your reaction to Felisin, I would love to hear your reactions to other events in this book as well. Thank you, hope you enjoy Memories of Ice, it really seals the deal.
I started MOI and I am indeed enjoying it. The return to characters in GOTM has been a lot of fun. I’ll definitely be making a video on felisin soon! Thanks for watching ☺️
I would watch a vid about Felisin she does have a larger arc than just DG but there is a ton to discuss. Are you reading the big 10 on a certain schedule, I am on my 3rd full reread of the entire Malazan world and just DG this month.
Hi, thought I'd drop a comment here as well. Adding to your comments about the sense of history throughout the series, I loved the excerpts that Steven Erickson adds at the start of chapters that seemed to come from history books in the world. I know there are other authors that have done this before and since, but there was just something about them and the way they hint at things that have happened in the past, I just loved it.
yes the attitude regarding the series is really pushing readers. after the first one i easily was able to read the second one coz knew wht to expect and i trusted the author to give me a proper ending which he did. personally i iked the first one more but just by a bit more both of them did great things i cant wait to read memories of ice I just need to be in right headspace for this series
Oh no, I want to hear your Felisin thoughts! She definitely came out of this as my favorite character. I can't talk enough about how much the writing comes across with the addict/cynic/bitterness while at the same time being thrown out by a child who is struggling to grasp with severe trauma. The character just seems written so magnificently for such a dark storyline. I don't think I will ever get past the line of "Armour can hide anything until the moment it falls away. Even a child. Especially a child." Oh my gooooooooooood. Emotion!
this series was pretty good the first time through, but the re-read was absolutely fantastic, the perspective the second time through changes everything
I am reading the series for the 3rd time and feel the first book gets a bad rap because he was working on it being more of a D&D type thing and Deadhouse Gates is more polished because it was 10 years between books, and I think of Felisin to be a kind of Greek Tragedy type of character
Every time the word ochre is used in the WHOLE series, take a shot! It keeps on being used! it's sort of a running joke now, Erikson can somehow use ochre to describe environments that don't contain ochre :D Can't wait to see that video about Felisin! She was my favourite character in DG ! As I was going through the book, I had similar opinions and feelings as you, especially comparing GotM and DG in style, ease of reading, etc. Now, after finishing MoI, I am super curious how you will feel about it! :D
AH, regarding grimdark! As far as I can see there are different opinions on what grimdark means, how it is defined. You seem to be using the one I knew about before looking more into it. It seems to have changed over the years, moving from what it depicts to more about the message it sends to the reader. This video speaks about it specifically in Malazan, and Erikson actually wrote his point of view in the comments regarding it: ua-cam.com/video/XGKRrW655KQ/v-deo.html (no spoilers in it, btw)
I have no clue why people don't like Felisin. Definitely one of my favorite characters even if I don't agree with her actions she's so fascinating. I'm so excited for you to continue! Memories of Ice is a lot of people's favorite and is definitely in my top 2 or 3 and in my opinion it just gets better from here!
Nice review! Fully agree that Malazan is not "hard" to read for the first time, it just reveals more and more deeper levels on repeat readings. Duiker and Coltaine were my personal favorites. While Felisin is not, she do get a very unjust bad rep as "a hard character to like", when that is exactly what can happen to a person (a child even!) being repeatedly abused and used. Would love to hear your take on her, but understand 100% that that is a video that might need some time to fully articulate your opinons. DG is a harsh book, so content warnings are in deed necessary, but I agree 100% with Erikson when he says that there are way worse things that have happen in history and even now. One of my favorite parts of Erikson's writing is that while he justly critique colonialism and imperialism, he is no cultural relativist when it comes to horrible cultural traditions and social structures. As such he gives very good reason for fighting both against and for the Malazan Empire and same with the Whirlwind. About the sense of ancient history and the use of the word "ochre": Here Erikson really show of his field of expertise, archeology: In the earliest undisputed human burial we know of, dating back 100,000 of years at the Skhul cave in Israel, human skeletal remains stained with red ochre were discovered. The use of red ochre have increasingly been found at several Middle Stone Age sites in Africa, 100,000 to 50,000 years ago, and is thought to have played an important role in the earliest human rituals. About Grimdark, I can really recommend Raf Blutaxt's video on the term: ua-cam.com/video/SUrImtc-_YU/v-deo.html Stay warm and healthy!
@@r1ddhima Speaking of the Sun, he just put out a video directly about why Malazan is not Grimdark in his opinion. ua-cam.com/video/XGKRrW655KQ/v-deo.html
This book, about caves and human experience of them has an entire chapter on the importance of ochre and ochre mines to the Indigenous people of Australia - www.goodreads.com/book/show/36701550-underground
Oh well it's not for everyone. I got 80% done with Deadhouse Gates and decided to quit reading Malazan. I just didn't care about anything going on as none of the characters came to life for me.
It’s the only place in my house where I can consistently set up my filming stuff and also film when my family is at home. I tried filming in my room but then you could hear lots of noises in the background.
Loved the review as always. And yes, we would really love to get your views on Fellisin. She I one of my favourite characters as well but I think we are in the minority here.
Here in my garage, and do you know what i like more than my bicycle behind me? The fact that there's no intrusive spiders here thanks to my awesome "spider broom killer". Get yours at chosenbyshadowthrone and use code "Pust" for 10% off your first purchase.
I like Felisin too and don't really get the hatred she gets. Then again I like a lot of other characters many times over than fandom usually prefers Like Fiddler to me is a far more engaging character than Whiskey Jack (not to say Whiskey Jack is bad or anything). I also like this book far more than Memories of Ice, but we all have different opinions. I too love how ancient the Malazan world feels. It's like every corner has a history and it feels like it. It's an impressive accomplishment.
Fiddler was surprisingly very interesting in this book. He was very much a background character in GOTM so it was nice to see him get fleshed out a bit
It gets easier as you are adjusting to the style of writing as well as being more familiar with the terms used. I think people also get frustrated trying to figure out who is a main character and who they might gloss over. Considering the detail put into all of them I think it is a wasted effort and a distraction. Felisin is a divisive figure. I did like her but some of her inner dialogues got repetitive. And yes, definitely adult themes and not for the squeamish. The battle scenes are incredibly vivid and on a huge scale but are also made much smaller as told from various individual's perspectives. A Felisin video would be interesting. Especially if done in parts from book to book as her story arc progresses to get your reaction as well as reacting back to your initial thoughts or predictions.
Ahh, yeah there’s not really a central main character in Malazan. Characters like Fiddler might be in the background in one book then take the forefront in another. Great insights
I'm ok with people saying this series is hard, as long as they add that it's worth it! If new readers have proper expectations I think they're more likely to stick with it. I've noticed a particular obscure/uncommon word in each book that he overuses a bit. ☺️
I couldn't help making this comment. And of course Spoilers for DG: 😭 Duiker, damnit... the paper, he never read the damn paper the Marine Gave to him! He died without having read it! What did she try to tell him? It's just overwhelming sad :-(
I'm gonna push against your gatekeepery point. For some of us Malazan is really difficult and we want to warn others. I'm glad that some people didn't find it as difficult as I did but it's not elitist to let other people know it's difficult
Good point! I could have made myself clearer; I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a warning. I do think that when the only thing you hear about the series is how difficult it is, it turns away people who would otherwise like it.
For me I use difficult or hard as shorthand for 'Malazan demands investment from the reader, beyond even just completing ten big books'. Even explaining yourself to a potential new reader can be quite hard, you want to make them aware that this goes beyond fantasy that is easy to consume. You want to prevent new reader being wholly unprepared and possibly dropping it because of it. I've never seen it used in a gatekeepery way of 'this is hard, so you couldn't or shouldn't even attempt it'.
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I'd love to see that Felisin video. She's such a divisive character in the community and I want to hear your take on it.
I’m really surprised to hear that she’s divisive! I thought she was easily one of the strongest characters in an already stellar cast.
@@r1ddhima Anybody who doesn't like Felisin as a character has very little empathy, or can't put themselves in someone else's shoes. I'm not gonna spoil stuff but she can be frustrating but if you think of who she is and what has happened it makes so much sense.
Overall I really liked your review!
I fucking hate Felisin, great character!
Beautifully said about the excellence of the prose and the wonderful sense of historical layers in these books -- those are two of my favorite elements about Malazan. That's also a great observation about Erikson's take on immortality. And, yes, the characters are incredibly vivid, and Erikson achieves that in the most economical ways. I'm glad you're enjoying this series so far! Also, I'd love to hear your thoughts on Felisin.
Thanks for watching Dr Chase! I prly wouldn’t have started this series as soon as I did if it weren’t for your videos on it, so thank you for putting me on to this series
@@r1ddhima I’m happy you’re reading it!
Yes, please do a Felisin video! I would click on that in a heartbeat (as I did for this video). I'm very excited you're reading and enjoying this series! I was trying to explain to friends who are intimidated that it's almost impossible for me to describe this series without making it sound intimidating. You, however, did an amazing job explaining why it isn't so hard to read. I also question whether this could be considered grim-dark. I think it has incredible military fantasy elements yet agree that it's not all about war. Wonderful video!
Thank you Johanna! I really want people to know that the series can be really enjoyable despite being so intimidating. Thanks for watching :)
Just finish rereading Deadhouse Gates and this time i even got angrier at what happened to Felisin. I would love your take on that storyline (so far)
I’m definitely gonna be refilming it now! Thanks for watching
1:20 unfortunately this was not my experience. I found the stigma around Gardens of the Moon being confusing to be quite overblown, but book 2 has been a struggle, at this point I'm finishing it just so I can get to Memories of Ice. This is definitely a book I will revisit one day though, and I anticipate enjoying it more then. But this was a great review!
Just started Memories of Ice - how I felt exactly
So happy to see you just storming through this series. Memories of Ice takes a huge leap forward in prose, and in making the overarching message of MBotF even more clear. Excited for you to meet Itkovian, in particular ("I AM NOT YET DONE!"). Thanks for the video.
Thanks for watching! I’ll keep an eye out for that character 👀
Great video! I'm becoming a broken record on the subject but I think Deadhouse Gates is the key to understanding the series.
I think a lot of things start to make sense in this book, especially the magic system and the political landscape! You’re not wrong
Some important major arcs get kicked off in this installment, and some of the most important characters are introduced (even if a first-time reader may not recognize that until they've gotten a lot farther).
I'm so glad you liked Felisin, she's gets a pretty bad rap in the Malazan community, the girl just needs some love so I'm glad she's getting at least a little bit. I'd love to see that Felisin video by the way, not an easy character to summarize so I totally understand why you edited that bit out, also the things she deals with in this book... really deserves a separate video in my opinion.
Totally agree about the depth of history in the Malazan world, it's one of the reasons I think it's one of the more vibrantly rich fantasy worlds I've read, Seven Cities in particular feels incredibly rich in history. Probably Erikson's background in archaeology has something to do with it.
Hope you enjoy MoI!
I’m loving it so far! I’m definitely gonna take my time on the felisin video- I don’t want to get it wrong. Thanks for watching Ryan 🥰
I just finished Memories of Ice, can’t wait for you to read it!
I’m currently reading it, it’s insanely good
Chain of Dogs was perfection.
Almost finished with this one too. Goddamnit, it's good.
I think SE has mentioned that some fans have referred to MBOTF as "grimhope" and I tend to go with that label for it. :)
Loved your review thanks for this! I have just made a video reviewing Deadhouse Gates and just realized we agree on many things! Cant wait to see more of your videos!
that's awesome, thanks for watching :)
I'm excited to see how the rest of your journey through malazan goes. Yes to the felisin video please 😀😀
thanks for watching tylor ☺️
I watched all of the non spoiler stuff here and loved it. Every time I consider putting Malazan off my 2021 to read list you change my mind. I can't wait to get to it. I really hope you continue to explore the accessibility of Malazan as you go.
Grim dark to me is definitely not exclusively tied to war time. It's more of the tone and then obviously the language/graphic content. But you're right, it's all semantics.
Love the vid Rid!
I’m really excited for you to read this series! I think your perspective and being more familiar with grimdark would be really interesting to hear.
Chiming in here a little late because this has been sitting on my Watch List for a while. Anyway, on the subject of Malazan being perceived as a difficult read, I often recommend the series on the big fantasy genre Facebook groups with the caveat that "it doesn't hold your hand." I'm always tempted to give a ramble about how it's one of the best series ever (I finished #10 just in December) but I find a recommendation with that rider on it does a much better job preparing a prospective reader, especially when I'm not familiar their reading comprehension or preferences.
PS, I found your channel after SE pointed out your review of Gardens of the Moon and have been enjoying all of your content since then, Malazan and non-Malazan alike. Thank you and keep up the great work!
Thank YOU for watching!
Ooh okay, I’m very intrigued by this series!
It’s definitely worth checking out ☺️
It would later be said that even a gral's horse knew an insult when it saw one 😲
That part makes me wince every time.
@@readingreignbro5680 absolutely buddy, there are so many vivid moments in that book, yet that scene and quote always sticks with me for some reason.
Ouchie 😭
@@r1ddhima indeed! Also great vid and glad you enjoyed the book 👍
Yes yes! Video on felisin!
Absolutely make a Felisin video, please.
I am glad to see you are really invested in this series now. DG is one of my favorites, next to Bonehunters and Toll the Hounds, which I finished last Monday. Yes, Erikson has a few verbal tics. Another one is 'naught but *'... Keep reading!
Yeah I think every writer has their pet phrases haha
@@r1ddhima There is one pet verb which Erikson almost always uses wrongly: to hiss. People 'hiss' things a lot. But you can only do that when there is an s sound present...
Great video! I’ve been looking forward to this because I think your... how do I say this, radar for sensing what the narrative emphasizes is really on point, or, rather, you seem to be in tune with the writing. I’m glad you enjoyed DG.
Since you brought it up, I would absolutely love to hear your thoughts and feelings on the character of Felisin. I read this novel during a dark period in my life and really connected with the character and on a more literary level find her to be exceptionally well written (I would love to have a detailed discussion with you on it but I’ll save that for later, that is if you decide to make another video) She is a favorite of mine in the series for sure and I find the narrative drama surrounding the character to be rich and compelling. I also love Duiker, so I’m glad you gravitated towards these two characters as well. Along with your reaction to Felisin, I would love to hear your reactions to other events in this book as well.
Thank you, hope you enjoy Memories of Ice, it really seals the deal.
I started MOI and I am indeed enjoying it. The return to characters in GOTM has been a lot of fun.
I’ll definitely be making a video on felisin soon! Thanks for watching ☺️
I would watch a vid about Felisin she does have a larger arc than just DG but there is a ton to discuss. Are you reading the big 10 on a certain schedule, I am on my 3rd full reread of the entire Malazan world and just DG this month.
Hi, thought I'd drop a comment here as well. Adding to your comments about the sense of history throughout the series, I loved the excerpts that Steven Erickson adds at the start of chapters that seemed to come from history books in the world. I know there are other authors that have done this before and since, but there was just something about them and the way they hint at things that have happened in the past, I just loved it.
Pure masterpiece and actually the ending is a true dark fantasy
yes the attitude regarding the series is really pushing readers. after the first one i easily was able to read the second one coz knew wht to expect and i trusted the author to give me a proper ending which he did. personally i iked the first one more but just by a bit more both of them did great things i cant wait to read memories of ice I just need to be in right headspace for this series
Oh no, I want to hear your Felisin thoughts! She definitely came out of this as my favorite character. I can't talk enough about how much the writing comes across with the addict/cynic/bitterness while at the same time being thrown out by a child who is struggling to grasp with severe trauma. The character just seems written so magnificently for such a dark storyline. I don't think I will ever get past the line of "Armour can hide anything until the moment it falls away. Even a child.
Especially a child." Oh my gooooooooooood. Emotion!
Yes that was one of the quotes I wanted to talk about! Felisin is so fascinating
Love this series....started reading it when Deadhouse Gates came out...and the wait between books was brutal.
Well done Ridd :-) I love that you ended up coming around on Duiker, and yes, like everyone else said, please do the video on Felisin!
Thank you Caleb!! 💕
this series was pretty good the first time through, but the re-read was absolutely fantastic, the perspective the second time through changes everything
And talking about favorite characters, get ready
Glad to have found your channel! I've been debating starting Malazan at some point so it was good to hear your opinions :)
Ahh i hope you enjoy it when you read it!
I have never heard of this series before but I am intrigued!
it’s kind of a cult classic, I’d be curious to hear your thoughts on it if you ever do read it!
I am reading the series for the 3rd time and feel the first book gets a bad rap because he was working on it being more of a D&D type thing and Deadhouse Gates is more polished because it was 10 years between books, and I think of Felisin to be a kind of Greek Tragedy type of character
spoilery discussion of felisin pls x
Every time the word ochre is used in the WHOLE series, take a shot! It keeps on being used! it's sort of a running joke now, Erikson can somehow use ochre to describe environments that don't contain ochre :D Can't wait to see that video about Felisin! She was my favourite character in DG ! As I was going through the book, I had similar opinions and feelings as you, especially comparing GotM and DG in style, ease of reading, etc. Now, after finishing MoI, I am super curious how you will feel about it! :D
AH, regarding grimdark! As far as I can see there are different opinions on what grimdark means, how it is defined. You seem to be using the one I knew about before looking more into it. It seems to have changed over the years, moving from what it depicts to more about the message it sends to the reader. This video speaks about it specifically in Malazan, and Erikson actually wrote his point of view in the comments regarding it: ua-cam.com/video/XGKRrW655KQ/v-deo.html (no spoilers in it, btw)
To be fair: ochre is a nice word. I’m enjoying MoI so far but I’m only about 100 pages in. I’ll check out that video, thanks for sharing ☺️☺️
I have no clue why people don't like Felisin. Definitely one of my favorite characters even if I don't agree with her actions she's so fascinating. I'm so excited for you to continue! Memories of Ice is a lot of people's favorite and is definitely in my top 2 or 3 and in my opinion it just gets better from here!
I’m really enjoying MoI so far, I can see why it’s so many peoples favorite. Thanks for watching :)
Nice review! Fully agree that Malazan is not "hard" to read for the first time, it just reveals more and more deeper levels on repeat readings. Duiker and Coltaine were my personal favorites. While Felisin is not, she do get a very unjust bad rep as "a hard character to like", when that is exactly what can happen to a person (a child even!) being repeatedly abused and used. Would love to hear your take on her, but understand 100% that that is a video that might need some time to fully articulate your opinons.
DG is a harsh book, so content warnings are in deed necessary, but I agree 100% with Erikson when he says that there are way worse things that have happen in history and even now. One of my favorite parts of Erikson's writing is that while he justly critique colonialism and imperialism, he is no cultural relativist when it comes to horrible cultural traditions and social structures. As such he gives very good reason for fighting both against and for the Malazan Empire and same with the Whirlwind.
About the sense of ancient history and the use of the word "ochre": Here Erikson really show of his field of expertise, archeology: In the earliest undisputed human burial we know of, dating back 100,000 of years at the Skhul cave in Israel, human skeletal remains stained with red ochre were discovered. The use of red ochre have increasingly been found at several Middle Stone Age sites in Africa, 100,000 to 50,000 years ago, and is thought to have played an important role in the earliest human rituals.
About Grimdark, I can really recommend Raf Blutaxt's video on the term: ua-cam.com/video/SUrImtc-_YU/v-deo.html
Stay warm and healthy!
Wow that’s so interesting! Thanks for sharing your insight, I’ll have to check out that video
@@r1ddhima Speaking of the Sun, he just put out a video directly about why Malazan is not Grimdark in his opinion. ua-cam.com/video/XGKRrW655KQ/v-deo.html
This book, about caves and human experience of them has an entire chapter on the importance of ochre and ochre mines to the Indigenous people of Australia - www.goodreads.com/book/show/36701550-underground
I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW YOUR RAMBLY THOUGHTS ON FELISIN!
im working on it! :)
So far deadhouse gates is my favorite in the series 💝💖🥰👍
Oh well it's not for everyone. I got 80% done with Deadhouse Gates and decided to quit reading Malazan. I just didn't care about anything going on as none of the characters came to life for me.
Why can you only film in the garage?
It’s the only place in my house where I can consistently set up my filming stuff and also film when my family is at home. I tried filming in my room but then you could hear lots of noises in the background.
Loved the review as always. And yes, we would really love to get your views on Fellisin. She I one of my favourite characters as well but I think we are in the minority here.
Another word he uses a lot is potsherds, lots and lots of potsherds throughout these books
we stan potsherds in this house
Here in my garage, and do you know what i like more than my bicycle behind me? The fact that there's no intrusive spiders here thanks to my awesome "spider broom killer". Get yours at chosenbyshadowthrone and use code "Pust" for 10% off your first purchase.
I like Felisin too and don't really get the hatred she gets. Then again I like a lot of other characters many times over than fandom usually prefers Like Fiddler to me is a far more engaging character than Whiskey Jack (not to say Whiskey Jack is bad or anything). I also like this book far more than Memories of Ice, but we all have different opinions.
I too love how ancient the Malazan world feels. It's like every corner has a history and it feels like it. It's an impressive accomplishment.
Fiddler was surprisingly very interesting in this book. He was very much a background character in GOTM so it was nice to see him get fleshed out a bit
Memories of ice is peak fantasy. You wait
It gets easier as you are adjusting to the style of writing as well as being more familiar with the terms used.
I think people also get frustrated trying to figure out who is a main character and who they might gloss over. Considering the detail put into all of them I think it is a wasted effort and a distraction.
Felisin is a divisive figure. I did like her but some of her inner dialogues got repetitive. And yes, definitely adult themes and not for the squeamish.
The battle scenes are incredibly vivid and on a huge scale but are also made much smaller as told from various individual's perspectives.
A Felisin video would be interesting. Especially if done in parts from book to book as her story arc progresses to get your reaction as well as reacting back to your initial thoughts or predictions.
Ahh, yeah there’s not really a central main character in Malazan. Characters like Fiddler might be in the background in one book then take the forefront in another. Great insights
I'm ok with people saying this series is hard, as long as they add that it's worth it! If new readers have proper expectations I think they're more likely to stick with it.
I've noticed a particular obscure/uncommon word in each book that he overuses a bit. ☺️
I can’t wait to see what the Word is for memories of ice 👀👀
*possible spoiler for story elements*
And Kudos to Erikson 4 coming up with the Magic Conch concept before Spongebob Squarepants.😋
LOOOL
please be safe @riddhima
aw thank you, and dw im quite safe and sound :)
yeah his obsession with ochre in this book is weird haha
I couldn't help making this comment. And of course Spoilers for DG:
😭 Duiker, damnit... the paper, he never read the damn paper the Marine Gave to him! He died without having read it! What did she try to tell him?
It's just overwhelming sad :-(
Nooo, that’s an extra twist of the knife I didn’t need 😭
I'm gonna push against your gatekeepery point. For some of us Malazan is really difficult and we want to warn others. I'm glad that some people didn't find it as difficult as I did but it's not elitist to let other people know it's difficult
Good point! I could have made myself clearer; I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a warning. I do think that when the only thing you hear about the series is how difficult it is, it turns away people who would otherwise like it.
For me I use difficult or hard as shorthand for 'Malazan demands investment from the reader, beyond even just completing ten big books'.
Even explaining yourself to a potential new reader can be quite hard, you want to make them aware that this goes beyond fantasy that is easy to consume. You want to prevent new reader being wholly unprepared and possibly dropping it because of it.
I've never seen it used in a gatekeepery way of 'this is hard, so you couldn't or shouldn't even attempt it'.