House of Chains

3.75. First part of the book was amazing, the middle was way too slow and the end was less spectaculair than anticipated. All in all less than I hope for but I will continue this series for sure. Lots of mystery to be uncovered and battle that need to be fought

“Oh mother, look at us now.”

best character writing and emotional moments of malazan so far. I didn't like deadhouse gates and didn't expect to like this. this is the best malazan book by a LARGE margin so far. can't wait to read more.

4.5 ⭐️ this book was fantastic! Really enjoyed my time back in Seven Cities!

WITNESS

I could write an actual review but I have read the fine print and believe I am legally required to say:

WITNESS

House of Chains est le quatrième roman du cycle de fantasy Malazan Book of the Fallen de Steven Erikson. Le récit prend la suite de celui du deuxième roman, Deadhouse Gates, sur le continent des Sept Cités où la rébellion fait rage contre l’occupant malazéen.

In Northern Genabackis, a raiding party of savage tribal warriors descends from the mountains into the southern flatlands. Their intention is to wreak havoc amongst the despised lowlanders, but for the one named Karsa Orlong it marks the beginning of what will prove to be an extraordinary destiny.

Some years later, it is the aftermath of the Chain of Dogs. Tavore, the Adjunct to the Empress, has arrived in the last remaining Malazan stronghold of Seven Cities. New to command, she must hone twelve thousand soldiers, mostly raw recruits but for a handful of veterans of Coltaine's legendary march, into a force capable of challenging the massed hordes of Sha'ik's Whirlwind who lie in wait in the heart of the Holy Desert.

But waiting is never easy. The seer's warlords are locked into a power struggle that threatens the very soul of the rebellion, while Sha'ik herself suffers, haunted by the knowledge of her nemesis: her own sister, Tavore.

Je l’ai dit, le récit poursuit celui du deuxième roman, mais en réalité il commence par une première longue partie qui peut sembler sans rapport avec ce qui précédait, puisqu’elle nous raconte les aventures de Karsa Orlong, un guerrier orgueilleux venu des montagnes au nord du continent de Genebackis. Le début est assez surprenant, d’autant que l’auteur nous avait habitué à multiplier les points de vue, alors que cette première partie se déroule uniquement à travers les yeux de Karsa Orlong. Cependant, cela a parfaitement fonctionné pour moi, et j’ai aimé détester ce personnage qui ne brille pas par sa sympathie et sa finesse au premier abord.

La suite nous replonge dans la rébellion des Sept Cités contre l’Empire malazéen, et nous avons le plaisir de suivre les deux camps de l’intérieur, à travers plusieurs personnages anciens ou nouveaux. J’ai beaucoup aimé passer d’un côté à l’autre, sans parvenir à prendre parti pour la rébellion ou pour l’empire, tant leurs causes sont défendues par des personnages plaisants et d’autres détestables. Quitte à suivre une guerre, autant qu’elle soit décrite de façon non manichéenne, ce que fait parfaitement Steven Erikson dans ce tome.

Ce que j’ai beaucoup aimé dans ce roman, c’est sa gestion du rythme. J’avais regretté dans le tome précédent, Memories of Ice, un ventre mou difficile à passer au milieu du roman, et je n’ai pas eu la même impression ici. C’est assez remarquable pour être signalé, s’agissant d’un pavé de plus de mille pages !

Je continue donc avec grand plaisir ma découverte de ce cycle de fantasy épique, et je vais aussitôt attaquer le cinquième tome, Midnight Tides.

As of November 16th 2023 I would rate this more as a 4.25.

The Whirlwind's rage had never before been so fierce, leading him suspect that the Malazan army was drawing close, that the final clash of wills was fast approaching. This was, in truth, a convergence, and the currents had trapped other powers, pulling them along with relentless force.

And behind it all, the whispers of a song...

House of Chains is the fourth installment in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series. Like its predecessors, the book is divided into four sub-books. In the first book, “Faces in the Rock,” Erikson introduces a new set of characters and writes the book from a single point of view. While Erikson frequently introduces new characters, dedicating an entire sub-book (250 pages) to the same point of view is a departure from his usual style. In the subsequent part of the book, Erikson returns to his “usual” style.

It's not entirely clear to me what the purpose of the single point of view opening is. While it can allow for quicker character development, this could apply to any character. Erikson often employs specific literary devices to support the story and plot intentionally, but in this case, it seems like he wanted to try something different—perhaps flexing his literary muscles and showcasing his capabilities. However, it didn't fully convince me.

The plot of House of Chains is characterized by the concept of “convergence.” Multiple storylines converge around Raraku as the central point. Considering the other books in the series, I expected a grand climax. Without the context of the previous books, it would have been a satisfactory ending. However, with that context, it was somewhat disappointing. While there are still significant and emotional events, they have less impact compared to the first three parts.

It's a good book, but not exceptional. I would give it 4 stars.

Lead us, Warleader

Als het op nietsdoenvakanties aankomst, zijn er wat mij betreft boekenleesvakanties en tv-kijkvakanties. Deze vakantie is een tv-kijkvakantie, veel boeken komen er dus niet aan te pas.

Wél deel vier van Malazan Book of the Fallen uitgelezen. In heel erg veel stukjes en beetjes, en dat was misschien niet zo enorm hard een goed idee: 't is naar Erikson-gewoonte complex, en alle vorige boeken moeten in uw hoofd zitten, en ge moogt geen moment de aandacht laten verslappen.

Ik had het boek tien of zo jaar geleden al gelezen, en dat hielp: het is bij momenten waarlijk schoon en ontroerend. Spannend? Niet aangehouden. Veel vaart? Ook niet echt voortdurend.

Zoals bij het vorige boek, en bij de volgende boeken, heeft het weinig of geen zin om zelfs maar te beginnen proberen in detail te vertellen waar het over gaat, wegens een dramatis personæ van ettelijke bladzijden lang, een behoorlijk complexe wereld, en een verhaal dat op verschillende continenten, in verschillende tijdsgewrichten en dimensies plaatsvindt.

Niet het beste boek van de reeks, maar niet overslaanbaar voor wie zoals ik de tien boeken wil (her)lezen. En zeer de moeite waard, voor wie zoals ik dit soort boeken graag leest.

Executive Summary: The best book in the series so far. There are just a few subplots in this book that slow it down and prevent me from giving it a 5.Full ReviewThis novel is very different from the first 3. The first “book” is not only 25% of the novel, it all focuses on one character. Karsa Orlong is not a very likable character. His story is still an interesting one.His is one of the most straightforward stories of the series so far, and the one with the most character growth so far. The Karsa Orlong at the end of the novel isn't that fundamentally different from the one at the start, yet I find myself liking him now, and I'm still not sure how Mr. Erikson managed that. He's obviously a genius when it comes characters and making the point that people aren't black and white, but many shades of grey.This story isn't just about Karsa Orlong however. This book returns back to Seven Cities and the conflicts that were left looming at the end of [b:Deadhouse Gates 55401 Deadhouse Gates (The Malazan Book of the Fallen, #2) Steven Erikson http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1316126263s/55401.jpg 3898716].Some of my favorites are back, like Fiddler and Kalam Mekhar, as well as others I just don't really care for, like Felisin and Heboric. Really I find pretty much everyone associated with Sha'ik's Army of the Apocalypse basically unlikable. At first. Once again everything isn't so black and white, and I found myself changing my mind on some of the characters.Mr. Erikson seems to have a fondness for duos, as there have been many such pairs throughout the series so far. One of the newer ones I've come to enjoy in this book is that of the Claw Pearl and Lostara Yil. We are also once again rewarded with more Iskaral Pust and Mogora, which offer some pretty amusing dialogues.The only thing that detracted from this book for me was the story of Trull Sengar and Onrack. I just found myself indifferent and eager to get through there parts. It wasn't that I didn't like them, every good story needs unlikable characters. I just didn't care. Hopefully that will change with future books.All and all this was a great entry to the series, and I'm looking forward to continuing on with [b:Midnight Tides 345299 Midnight Tides (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #5) Steven Erikson http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1366996057s/345299.jpg 3898719] shortly.

I'm really enjoying this series with the twist and turns as well as how the author has set up the books. I never feel like I'm jumping around between different scenes like I do in other books. The story is being told in different places for each book I've read maybe at the same time, maybe back in time, or maybe just a bit before or after. Either way I don't feel jolted.


There were a couple of scenes that were just poetic to me: Felisin and Gamet dying the way they did. It was just really simple and eloquent, especially Gamet's death.

I'm so, so happy that the Bridgeburners Ascended maybe they will restore some order to the ascendancy “clan”. I love how my favorite characters are woven through the book and how I meet new favorite characters. In this case, welcome back Fiddler and thank you for the complexed yet simple character of Karsa Orlong. I love how much he grew during the book but still remained true to him self. I might start quoting him in real life....”Too many words!”

I just love how Erikson weaves his world and how interconnected it all is. I would have never guessed that that Onrack was the reason for the Goddess and her madness leading to a need for total and complete destruction. They were never spoken of together until the last. Welcome back Raraku!!

Looking forward to the next book and further exploration of this world.