No, the problem lay among her shapeshifting, Soletaken clans. And she focused upon a group of tall and ropy Jhek warriors among the crowd of her court. The wolf-warriors – most resentful of her peace, and most eager to return to hunting their traditional enemy. Epitomized by their clan leader – white-haired, lean, and ever with a hungry sharp-toothed smile – Looris. That is the question, is it not? We propose an expedition to discover the truth of this. A shared one.’ Reflexively, she reached out to smooth the plumage of the nearest. All here knew her as ‘the Great High Priestess’, or ‘Bird Mother’, but she thought of herself by another name, a name none among her adopted people knew. She also thought of herself as young still, though carrying an ageing frame and iron-grey hair. And I really like Falar as a set piece. Just like so many Esslemont books we visit a new place and discover it in some detail (another thing that was missing in the last book). The characters there are refreshingly original, and the whole archipelago thing is just pleasant to read. On the fifteenth day the general of the West, Fist Choss, arrived accompanied by his staff and personal guard. Throwing the reins of his mount to a groom, he stomped into the imperial command tent to find the Emperor, Kellanved, sitting at a table heaped with a mess of maps, lists and accounts. Dancer sat aside in a camp chair, arms crossed, his legs straight out before him.

Erikson says he had so much fun writing the Malazan marines in this book that he had to "drag myself out of those scenes to get on with the story." [6] Esslemont nails the feel and flavor of Erikson's books and brings the historical characters to life with a dexterity that will win over even the most skeptical fans."— Publishers Weekly Sadly, the part of the books that felt the least necessary or even relevant to any of the plots was the Crimson Guardsmen plotline. Which is not really a plot so much and Blues and Gwynn and a couple of others were just there, they got shuffled about a lot (by events out of their control). I understand that the Crimson Guard are ICE’s baby and he must have them around in all these books. In all the other entries of this series, it made sense and they were important in the unfolding of events. In this one, not so much.He was searching for something, and, eventually, he found it. Through the gusting snow he spotted thin wisps of fog, or a plume of mist, high up one ice-encrusted face of the mountain. This he struggled towards, and, after a time, he reached.

The second thing I noticed after rereading KR before, was how tight the plot is. We have 3 set pieces, one very big with lots of different POV characters and fractions, also the one where I found the biggest surprise in the story (but a welcome one), and 2 smaller ones which merge together somewhere in the middle. And in the end everything comes together neatly. There is a single story arc that probably sets up the next book, but even this one is interwoven in the main narrative of this book. No character arcs that are completely independent from the rest, no plot lines that go nowhere, nothing that felt cramped in for the sake of it, everything here has its place in the story (unlike with KR). The Fist nodded his agreement. ‘True. However, as we have all seen over the years, everything goes so very much smoother with everyone’s cooperation.’Old legends return, my absolute favourite the K' Chain Che Malle, Dinosaurs with swords for arms, causing absolute mayhem with their slicing and dicing. She waved them down. ‘Very good.’ She turned to Looris. ‘They come openly, in peace … remember that.’

And to fight on this new front, a rag-tag army raised from orphaned units and broken squads is been brought together under Fist Dujek, and joined by a similarly motley fleet under the command of the Emperor himself. These are turbulent, treacherous and bloody times for all caught up in the forging of an Empire and so, amongst the Ice Wastes and in the archipelago of Falar, the Malazans must face two seemingly insurmountable tests, each one potentially the origin of their destruction . . . Around her seat perched a multitude of birds of prey: kestrels, falcons, red hawks, and even two of the Great Eagles of the Fenn Range, each as tall as a boy. Their keen gazes darted all about, as sharp as their hooked razor beaks.Night of Knives • Return of the Crimson Guard • Stonewielder • Orb Sceptre Throne • Blood and Bone • Assail