16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Staggeringly expensive short story, but enjoyable, January 9, 2007
So you are addicted to the Malazan Book of the Fallen series, and have read all 6 published novels to date (up through the Bonehunters at present), even ordering the 5th and 6th used or from canada or the UK rather than wait, and now you have read them all and other authors just don't seem as interesting....then you notice these two 'short novels' about the necromancers from Memories of Ice (i think), Bauchelain and Korbal Broach....
1) these short novels are around 110-20 pages each, but that is only half the story. typeface is larger, the books themselves are quite small, and you end up with only 27 lines per page versus 37-38 avg in the larger books, and somewhat less letters per line to boot. I bet if reduced to the more narrow typeface of the main novels, these would be less than 75 pages each. These are short stories, and they go quite quickly.
2) you are going to pay for these short stories - even at the amazon price (34 bucks for both) you are paying more than you would for the first 4 in paperback, and we are talking about maybe 2500-3000 pages of story there versus a converted equivalent of maybe 150 in BOTH of these.
3) you are going to finish them FAST, as in a couple of hours.
all that considered, they are entertaining for what they are, with Blood Follows being the backstory on the origin of Emancipor Reese and how he came to be in the employ of the necromancers. There is a sub-plot involving their doings in the city of Moll, with some focus on a character leading the investigation of the murders by (surprise) Korbal Broach.
I did not include price in my star rating, but it is worth considering how annoyed you will be when you see the size of what you are buying.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
quality not quantity, March 30, 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: Blood Follows (Hardcover)
If you have read Steven Erikson Books of the fallen you will love this account of his two anti-heroes involved of murder and magic of the worst kind. If you are not acclimatised to Erikson then you will probably find it an amusing if slightly bizarre/disturbing short story. This book was a signed limited edition and I was lucky to get hold off it but I believe that a limited edition reprint (of the paper back) is coming up May '04 so if you want to read this I would strongly recommend pre-ordering.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Blood Follows...a short Malazan adventure, August 26, 2005
Another great story from Steven Erikson.
This is a short novella (121 pages long), but don't let the size fool you. It contains the same quality of story telling that fantasy readers have come to know and relish with this author's " Malazan Book of the Fallen" series. (in fact the story itself takes place in the Malazan sphere of influence)
I really like Erikson's descriptive narrative abilities; he has such a natural way of making the words on the page transport you to another place and make you feel a part of the surroundings. In this instance, it's a sombre mood with a chilling atmosphere in a town called "Lamentable Moll" (don't you just love the name). A place as seedy as they come, where there has been murder, multiple murders in fact, and the local gendarme has been charged to find out what is going on. And what he finds out is...well, lets say, unexpected.
All in all, a wonderful read; if you like the "Malazan" series you'll love this. Highly recommended!
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