The Bonehunters

Just need to take a break. Plan on returning, but some other things I want to read before

‘we went hunting...through the bones of the damned city. And then, with the captain's help, we crawled outa that grave.'
The Adjunct's gaze left the ragged man, travelled slowly along the line, the gaunt faces, the deathly eyes staring out from dust-caked faces, the naked, blistered skin. ‘Bonehunters in truth, then.'

“The Bonehunters,” part 6 in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series, has been noted by Erikson himself in interviews and talks as essentially two books combined. This is evident in the structure of the novel.

While the first five books introduce various independent storylines, they converge one by one in this book. The initial part of the book culminates in a 120-page chapter, which could have been a novella on its own. This chapter vividly describes the siege of a city that captivates the reader. In this single chapter, Erikson showcases his writing prowess - a fantastic segment. Following this, the aftermath is detailed, setting the stage for the second half of the book.

The latter part involves a less focused storyline but a more tactical maneuvering of players on the Malazan chessboard. Erikson introduces new storylines and ensures that the resolution of the book provides an opening for the rest of the series. Personally, I find the conclusion very intriguing.

Despite containing fantastic chapters, the overall impression is somewhat messy, lacking the tight composition seen in Midnight Tides. Erikson also explores themes such as religion, fanaticism, progress, and civilization.

On religion and fanaticism, for instance:
“All those bickering worshippers, each one convinced their version is the right one. Imagine getting prayers from ten million believers, not one of them believing the same thing as the one kneeling beside him or her. Imagine all those Holy Books, not one of them agreeing on anything, yet all of them purporting to be the word of that one god. Imagine two armies annihilating each other, both in that god's name. Who wouldn't be driven mad by all that?”“Show me a god that does not demand mortal suffering. Show me a god that celebrates diversity, a celebration that embraces even non-believers and is not threatened by them. Show me a god who understands the meaning of peace.”

And regarding progress and civilization:
“And so you still do not comprehend the great gift of civilization—' ‘I comprehend it fine,' Karsa Orlong replied around a mouthful of meat. ‘The savage proceeds into civilization through improvements—' ‘Yes!' ‘Improvements in the manner and efficiency of killing people.' ‘Hold on—' ‘Improvements in the unassailable rules of degradation and misery.' ‘Karsa—' ‘Improvements in ways to humiliate, impose suffering and justify slaughtering those savages too stupid and too trusting to resist what you hold as inevitable. Namely, their extinction.”

In this context, he also casually touches on the theme of the assimilation of many indigenous cultures by colonial cultures. The commentary on these themes by various characters in the story adds relevance that goes beyond just being a good fantasy tale.

Rated 4.5 stars.

This book has some of the best characters and battle scenes I have ever read. I wanted to read this book whenever I had a chance. Malazan continues to deeply explore its themes with well written characters, action, and humor. It was a joy to see the story from the previous five books start to come together. 

The Bonehunters est le sixième roman du cycle Malazan Book of the Fallen de Steven Erikson, et c'est peut-être celui que j'ai le moins aimé pour l'instant. Alors bien sûr, quand on connait la qualité de cette série, cela ne veut pas dire que ce tome est mauvais, mais disons qu'il m'a moins plu que les précédents.

La principale raison, c'est que le récit m'a semblé trainer en longueur, notamment en raison de personnages secondaires dont l'histoire ne m'intéressait pas beaucoup. Le coeur du récit reste passionnant et très bien écrit, mais j'aurais aimé éviter quelques longueurs dans ce gros pavé parfois indigeste.

J'espère que le prochain tome retrouvera un rythme plus agréable pour moi.

Definitely one of the top 3 in the Malazan Book of the Fallen, for me. ♥️

“The existence of many gods conveys true complexity of mortal life. Conversely, the assertion of but one god leads to a denial of complexity, and encourages the need to make the world simple.”

I'm not religious, so I don't necessarily agree with this, but there's something interesting about that quote.

I really liked this book! Continuing the journey through the Malazan Book of the Fallen, and as always that journey is difficult and exciting and gives me lots to think about. This had some very strong, dramatic events, and as usual lots of characters that are fascinating to follow. Quick Ben, Kalamazoo, Apsalar, Lostara Yil, Fiddler, Bottle, Hellian, Icarium, Tavore to mention a few.

This next quote made me laugh:

“Ignoring him, she stepped back out of the ellipse and began singing in the Woman's Language, which was, of course, unintelligible to Iskaral's ears. Just as the Man's Language - which Mogora called gibberish - was beyond her ability to understand. The reason for that, Iskaral Pust knew, was that the Man's Language was gibberish, designed specifically to confound women. It's a fact that men don't need words, but women do. We have penises after all. Who needs words when you have a penis?”

Too long but good.

Lots happening. Gods. War, burning cities and overall alot happenning but also a long read. At times struggled to keep my attention but overall enjoyed the read

What a stunning ride. It's unbelievable but this series is only getting better. It took me long to finish this giant but not because I didn't want to read it. With these books it's like with the best wine you've ever tasted - you just can't drink it in three mouthfuls and be done with it. You savour the taste and enjoy all the 1200 pages (sips).

Executive Summary: This has been my favorite book of the series thus far. There are just a few minor things that prevent me from giving it a 5 star rating.Full ReviewThe book probably introduces the fewest number of new characters. As we've passed the halfway point of the series, it appears that the majority of the very large ensemble cast has been introduced and the stage is finally set for the looming battle.Sides are forming up, but just who is on which side still isn't clear. This book contains most of my favorite characters, many of which are together again. I'm especially partial to the scenes of Quick Ben and Kalam, of which this book has many. Not only that, but they are hanging out with Fiddler as well.Things with the Crippled God are heating up and things are looking bleaker for the soldiers of the Malazan's 14th.I finally feel like I have a handle on the series, and while the start of this book introduces some new characters, I didn't feel like I was thrown into the deep end with this one like I did with [b:Midnight Tides 345299 Midnight Tides (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #5) Steven Erikson http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1366996057s/345299.jpg 3898719].My only complaint is that Mr. Erikson likes to conceal things from the reader beyond what seems necessary. It's one thing to have information withheld from the reader when the point of view character doesn't know it. It's quite another when he does things like playing the pronoun game with characters we already know or don't allow us to hear a conversation that the point of view character is involved in.This series is complicated enough with a huge amount of depth. This just seems overkill and the reason I can't give this book a 5 star rating.Still this has been the most enjoyable of the series thus far. I rushed a bit ahead of the Malazan Fallen group to finish a week early. I'm eager to see what happens next.4.5 Stars.