Right at the start of Chapter 24 we have a neat little reminder of all the themes we’ve seen throughout the rest of the novel: blood and insects, mostly! Might have known Fiddler would have more than one name! Most do in these books. Wonder how long ago he was born? Captain Turqa will see you out.” He stepped close and laid a hand on Fiddler’s shoulder. “Kimloc Spiritwalker thanks you.”

I also loved the pictographic language and for the same reasons: its sense of difference, its subtle nature,the way it isn’t overplayed, the vividness of its description, and the visualizing of what the city may look like. The Jhag has arrows with warrens carved into the shafts that can bring down dragons! These sound amazing—and supremely powerful… Yet another random weirdo in Sha’ik’s motley menagerie, L’oric at least seems to be much more morally palatable than the likes of Bidithal—on the surface, at least—and walks very much in the light while ol’ Bidithal skulks in shadow. Mebra And as well his anxiety over the Dosii and Sawark’s seemingly willful ignorance of them and talk of rebellion. (Echoes of the same worries Duiker thinks of as he goes into the traders’ tent earlier.) I know it isn’t particularly insightful to point out that a foretelling by a character is foreshadowing, but yes, that divination is key. Let’s just all remember: “Face to Face. The blood is the same, the two are the same, and salty waves shall wash the shores of Raraku. The Holy Desert remembers its past.” (As we remember the poem that opened in chapter one telling us the desert was once a sea.) Look for that “face to face” construction later.Fiddler grimaced. “Confusing times for us all. We’ve been outlawed by Laseen, but does that make us any less soldiers of the Empire? Malaz isn’t the Empress and the Empress isn’t Malaz-” The action moves forward to immediately after the events of Deadhouse Gates. The Chain of Dogs - the evacuation of 50,000 Malazan civilians across 1,500 miles of hostile territory - has ended in the tragic loss of the entire 7th army and its heroic commander, Coltaine. However, their sacrifice has bought the lives of nearly 30,000 refugees. The Chain of Dogs has become a legend spreading across Seven Cities, cowing even those responsible for its destruction. Now, Adjunct Tavore Paran arrives in Seven Cities at the head of the 14th Army, largely consisting of untried recruits. Their mission is to advance into the heart of the Holy Desert Raraku, the very heart of the rebellion known as the Whirlwind, and destroy Sha'ik and her forces once and for all.

Mappo. I like how what he does is set up by his monologue to Icarium about how he mourns Icarium’s memory loss—losing his horrible memories canceled out by losing as well memories of “gifts freely given.” And then another line that echoes throughout the series: “how would you answer this” Stay alive, Felisin . . . One day you’ll find yourself face to face with your sister, and an ocean of blood pouring from Tavore’s veins won’t be enough . . . One day, face to face, sister” (recall the divination witnessed by Duiker: “Two fountains of raging blood! Face to face. The blood is the same.” At the end of the book there is the horrifying crucifixion of Coltaine and the entire Seventh Army all along the Aren road for miles, much to the horror of everyone watching from Aren's city wall.

Heboric, last to leave, still stares at the corpse, still hearing laughter in his head, and wonders why is he blind: is it cruel joke or mercy Is it Fener or the jade He tells Fener he wishes “to come home.” Macabre Moth Motif: The whole sub-continent is sinking into bloody rebellion, and the capemoth, a native kind of moth that thrives on rotting flesh, can be seen everywhere. It is also one of the symbols associated with Hood, Lord of Death.

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Coltaine and the Seventh Army escort thirty thousand Malazan civilians across Seven Cities, and are systematically decimated by the Armies of the Apocalypse in the process, only to finally be slaughtered within sight of the walls of Aren, the last city in the subcontinent under Malazan control. Anti-Climax: After a bloody journey across the continents and through other dimensions, Kalam finally reaches the Empress to assassinate her. They talk it out. And she wasn't really there anyway. There is a lot here in book two that will pay dividends not just in book three, but books 6, 8, and yes, 10. The ride is just beginning folks…. Big, beardy, and even more miserable than his best mate Gesler, Corporal Stormy isn’t named for his calm and tolerant temperament. Formerly Adjutant Stormy in the days of the old Emperor (see: Old Guard), he’s got that whole “serial demotion” thing down to an even finer art than Ges. That may well have something to do with the fact that he doesn’t take shit from anyone—including his superiors—and that he’s never afraid to share his opinion. Truth Does the fact that Sha’ik is a willing vessel make her any less of a victim than Sorry? You’ll probably never get the chance to ask her, I’m afraid. She’s protected very fiercely indeed by her two loyal bodyguards: Leoman, and Toblakai. Leoman of the FlailsKalam heads south toward Aren, accompanied by Apt and pursued by Yil. He learns of a traitor Jhistal within Pormqual's camp in Aren from rebels he affects to join as he travels, and joins a Malazan family fleeing toward Aren after he helps them defeat the rebels, including Captain Keneb and his wife's sister Minala, both warriors. Together we witnessed a vision sent by a spirit of great power, a spirit whose face is one among many. This spirit promised armageddon.” There’s going to be a lot of speculation on Otataral coming, and I’m not sure we can do much here without some spoilers, but I did want to point out how early we get some very interesting information on it (and from an appropriate source).