Deadhouse Gates
Ratings269
Average rating4.2
4.75 Amazing story, what an ending for one of the story arcs. Really looking forward to pt.3
Wow, what a book! For me, this was a huge step up from GoTM and I finally start to see why people love Malazan. It's still a complex book, but I was more able to understand the story and to not get lost in the density. I didn't have a big need for a companion guide for example.
The best part of Malazan so far is that it completely sinks into my mind. After GoTM I couldn't stop thinking about it and this was also the case while reading DG. During the day I wandered off to think about certain aspects of the story or the characters. I wasn't expecting this to be such an emotional book and it also raises important questions about loneliness, friendship, resilience, racism, humanity, hope, ...
The vastness of this epic is really becoming clear in this 2nd installment of Malazan Book of the Fallen. There is so much going on, yet you get the feeling there is still an element of prelude to whatever is being set up to come. Enjoyed it immensely and looking forward to book 3.
So far, my favorite characters are Kalam, Crokus, Apsalar, and Duiker. One nice thing about this series is that I'm finding each thread pretty equally enjoyable from an attention-standpoint. In most series that switch from thread to thread on a per-chapter basis, there are some threads that I cannot wait to end so I can get to the one(s) I'm enjoying. In Malazan, thus far, they've all been really good. I hope that trend continues. If the author succeeds in this over the course of a 10-book series, it would be a near-miraculous feat.
Deadhouse Gates has been in my thoughts ever since I finished it. There's so much going on, so many layers. Epic fantasy rarely feels this, well, epic!
This book was insane. I found myself scowling and breathing more heavily while reading, in response to the pure carnage that Erikson so capably presented. It's a reminder of how different the world can be, of how different our world once was.
The literary elements of Deadhouse Gates are just about unsurpassed by anything I've yet read. The deep character development, a truly riveting and engrossing plot, and the totally immersive world-building all mark Erikson as a paragon in fantasy authorship and, more humbly, as one of my favorite authors.
I'd like to point out the parallel between Coltaine's march across Seven Cities and Caesar's campaigns in Gaul. A fiercely professional and disciplined force finding itself deep within hostile country, without any prospect of reinforcement. I once watched an interview with Erikson in which he noted how great an inspiration history is to him. But as ever, one can never assume correctness when blindly grasping at the author's intentions.
I was dismayed at the number of typos that somehow made it into print, but I shan't let that dim my opinion of this stellar book. 10/10. I already bought the next book in this series when I was but midway through this one :)
i hate to say it but i only really liked 2 of the major plotlines in this book. hate to have given it such a low score but in hindsight after reading MoI and loving HoC so far, this is probably the weakest malazan book.
Brilliant characters, one-of-a-kind world building, and a plot that builds to one of the saddest endings to military campaign in fantasy literature. Absolutely adore the world and characters Erickson created. Highly, highly recommended!!!!
Deadhouse Gates est le deuxième roman du cycle Malazan Book of the Fallen de Steven Erikson. S’il est peut-être un petit cran en-deçà du premier, il n’en reste pas moins un excellent roman de fantasy épique, servi par des personnages mémorables dans un univers d'une richesse impressionnante.
Weakened by events in Darujhistan, the Malazan Empire teeters on the brink of anarchy. In the vast dominion of Seven Cities, in the Holy Desert Raraku, the seer Sha'ik gathers an army around her in preparation for the long-prophesied uprising named the Whirlwind. Unprecedented in its size and savagery, it will embroil in one of the bloodiest conflicts it has ever known: a maelstrom of fanaticism and bloodlust that will shape destinies and give birth to legends...
In the Otataral mines, Felisin, youngest daughter of the disgraced House of Paran, dreams of revenge against the sister who sentenced her to a life of slavery. Escape leads her to raraku, where her soul will be reborn and her future made clear.
The now-outlawed Bridgeburners, Fiddler and the assassin Kalam, have vowed to return the once god-possessed Apsalar to her homeland, and to confront and kill the Empress Laseen, but events will overtake them too.
Meanwhile, Coltaine, the charismatic commander of the Malaz 7th Army, will lead his battered, war-weary troops in a last, valient running battle to save the lives of thirty thousand refugees and, in so doing, secure an illustrious place in the Empire's chequered history.
And into this blighted land come two ancient wanderers, Mappo and his half-Jaghut companion Icarium, bearers of a devastating secret that threatens to break free of its chains...
Le premier tome m'avait déjà habitué à la multitude de personnages mis en scène par Steven Erikson, mais celui-ci va encore plus loin. Pas forcément par le nombre de personnages, mais par le fait qu'ils sont disséminés d'un bout d'un continent à l'autre, sans qu'on perçoive tout d'abord les liens entre les différentes intrigues. La convergence finit par se faire, mais elle est moins directe et moins évidente que dans le roman précédent, où toutes les intrigues tournaient assez clairement autour des mêmes enjeux. Au milieu de ce long pavé, j'ai parfois été perdu, mais les derniers chapitres m'ont laissé une très forte impression.
J’ai hâte d’attaquer le troisième tome, Memories of Ice, d’autant qu’il parait que c’est l’un des meilleurs du cycle.
Originally posted at write.as.
3.5 rounded up to 4. Much better than the first book both in terms of plot and writing style (i.e. it was easier to follow along). I liked the character of Duiker in particular. The book could have been much shorter though; the plot did not justify 800+ pages. The prose is (still) turgid.
That was a fantastic and long book (not in a bad way). It had some of the best battle scenes I have ever read as well as character insights. I certainly understood even less of this entry than Gardens of the Moon but found all the new details and reveals so interesting. It is so complex and almost every paragraph leaves you with more questions but it gives answers subtlety throughout the following pages...some...maybe!
I feel I preferred Gardens of the Moon slightly more, I really enjoyed the characters in this but not quite as much as book one. These character grew on me in all ways throughout the story whereas in Gardens of the Moon I felt they all just gripped me from the start!
Once I finish the series and reread this book it could easily jump to a higher rating and that all my opinions and thoughts will change. Plus its possible that once it has all sunk in over the next few days it might get bumped up too.
Bloody great book, bring on Memories of Ice
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
I feel kinda bad for giving this book this rating because most everyone speaks very highly of it, but I was actually so bored reading the majority of this book. I almost feel like there's something wrong with me as a fantasy fan because I think this is perhaps the first major fantasy series I have such a differing opinion from what's commonly held..but yeah this story didn't do it for me. There were only a couple characters that interested me, Felisin (who sucks but that's what made her interesting), Mappo/Icarium, and Kalam. Everything else I was a little eh on. I enjoyed the first book more than I did this one when it's usually the other way around from what I've read. I'll still read the third book since it's supposedly the best or near best in the series, and probably still read all the books just so I can say I did.
Took me a very long time to finish this book. It's very dark and difficult to read as there are so many different characters and plot lines to follow. It does get easier in the second half once you understand what's going on a bit more. It's worth sticking with it because the world building is amazing, and the characters are complicated and interesting.
A desert epic following a rebellion, a refugee caravan desperate for the last safe city, and a young girl who will do anything to survive the horrors of slavery.
I read this in 2006. I remembered very little. This was really good, though bleak and painful. I challenge anyone to read this and then keep talking about the glory of war.
It moves continents from the first one and most of the characters are new. I miss many of the characters from Gardens of the Moon, but there are many interesting characters here too. Mappo & Icarium, Duiker, Heboric, Felisin, Coltaine and many more.
For the life of me I can't remember if I ever read Memories of Ice...
Oh, the things I could say about this book. Complexity of characters and world building, are just a few. Recommended for fantasy readers who have patience and are not looking for a quick read.
Incredibly complex world but really well written and compelling. The mass of characters can be confusing but I'll be intrigued to see where the series goes next.
When everyone said that the second Malazan book is better than the first, they weren't wrong. Deadhouse Gates is a much more cohesive story and allows for a lot more character depth than first novel, which in turn, allows you to care much more for them. Which, on the flip side, also allows for a lot more heartbreak this time around.
Erikson's writing definitely improved between the two novels and although he still doesn't give you answers on a plate, the threads of the story itself I found much easier to follow and I was much more emotionally invested in what was going on.
There were so many great characters to follow, the magic, myth and history is staggering and SO interesting. I am blown away by the imaginative world-building and continue to like the fact that the magic in this world is very prevalent and intrinsically part of what's going on. It isn't in the background, but it also doesn't take away from the characters, which I really enjoyed.
I did find there was a bit of a lull in the middle of the book which I had a hard time trudging through, but sticking it out is MORE than worth it, as the ending manages to gut punch you again and again and again as all the threads of the story converge and fate of the characters is revealed. Sometimes it's heartbreaking (okay honestly, most of the time it's heartbreaking), others bring a smile to your face.
Definitely a worthy and highly recommended fantasy series! It's been while since I've been motivated to read epic fantasy and many have fell by the wayside, but this one has grabbed a hold of me and won't let go, so it's definitely quickly becoming one of my favourites.
Executive Summary: Like [b:Gardens of the Moon 55399 Gardens of the Moon (The Malazan Book of the Fallen, #1) Steven Erikson http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1355144064s/55399.jpg 2646042] this book is a tough read. It is a lot more gruesome than it's predecessor however. This book is not for the feint of heart. While there are some lighter moments to interrupt the violence, this book has some truly disturbing scenes.Full Review I found the beginning of this book very frustrating. Just when I felt like I had a pretty good handle on things we shift not only location, but get almost entirely a new set of characters to learn.If not for my Group Read, I might have considered taking a break.I read for fun, not to be frustrated. I don't normally like to have to work so hard for something in my free time. I honestly don't know if I'd enjoy this outside of a group setting. The confusion level I felt while reading this did make for great discussion though. I found it reassuring that even the re-readers were confused on certain points.Mr. Erikson does seem to reward your patience and careful reading. As the book went on, and I started getting used to this new cast of characters, my frustration greatly lessened. This book started as 3 starts but slowly rose to 4 stars.There are 4 main plot lines with a few side lines that diverge and converge as the story goes on. My favorite was the story of Kalam, who was one of the few characters in the first book to appear in this one. Maybe it's because I've always gravitated towards rogues and ranger types in RPGs that I found his story so interest.You learn a little bit more about his past, and find out just how badass a well trained assassin can be. Kalam in on a self-appointed mission for the good of the Empire, or so he believes.The other major plotline of this book was from the perspective of Duiker, the Imperial Historian as he chronicles the months long evacuation of “The Chain of Dogs”, Malazan refugees fleeing for their lives, in the midst of a great rebellion of the Seven Cities.This leads to some of most gruesome battle scenes I have ever encountered. Mr. Erikson makes no attempt to sugar coat the horrors of war.The final two fairly major plot lines in this book are enjoyable as well, but both of them tie back to the two I highlighted. Their cast of characters were interesting (and one of the two groups contained all the rest of the characters that appeared in the first two books). I felt like these were mostly interludes to the other action though. The book comes to a reasonable stopping point, though if this were a stand alone book I'd find myself with too many questions to be satisfied by it.It's hard for me to recommend this to someone to read on their own. If you don't mind working for your reward, or have someone you can read/discuss this with, and are not offput by gruesome and disturbing scenes it's another good entry in what so far has been a mostly enjoyable series.I'm also a bit nervous about starting [b:Memories of Ice 175983 Memories of Ice (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #3) Steven Erikson http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1316729348s/175983.jpg 836462] that I'll get frustrated all over again. Peaking ahead though it seems like we see a return of many of the characters from [b:Gardens of the Moon 55399 Gardens of the Moon (The Malazan Book of the Fallen, #1) Steven Erikson http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1355144064s/55399.jpg 2646042].
I'm still not sure what to think of this series. It isn't one of those series I tear through and can't put the books down but I did enjoy this book better than the first, [b:Gardens of the Moon 55399 Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #1) Steven Erikson http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255890454s/55399.jpg 2646042]. I'm enjoying the complexity of the characters and I do look forward to reading the next in the series. I think that this book also sets up things more and drives the storyline but I want more things tied up while the series keeps bringing up new things. I am concerned about the Chain of Dogs storyline and hope that it leads to some great revelation and storyline down the line. I will have to trust the author and those opinions of others that love these books and keep driving through. Some of the Chain of Dogs storyline reminded me of the [b:Phoenix Transformed 6352652 Phoenix Transformed (The Enduring Flame, #3) Mercedes Lackey http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255582941s/6352652.jpg 6539241]. Where refugees where shuttled around the desert and people died and people died protected them. Don't get me wrong [b:Deadhouse Gates 55401 Deadhouse Gates (The Malazan Book of the Fallen, #2) Steven Erikson http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51VJH2TSVHL.SL75.jpg 3898716] was much better written and I feel that there was a point to it all (unlike [b:Phoenix Transformed 6352652 Phoenix Transformed (The Enduring Flame, #3) Mercedes Lackey http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255582941s/6352652.jpg 6539241]) but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth and maybe that was the point. Maybe it was to point out the futility of war, or make us look at our history on this planet, either way I'm in it for the long haul.