Das Spiel der Götter, No. 4: Die eisige Zeit [Paperback]

Steven Erikson (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 640 pages
• Publisher: Goldmann (April 1, 2004)
• Language: German
• ISBN-10: 344224997X
• ISBN-13: 978-3442249978
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,595,030 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

STEVEN ERIKSON is an archaeologist and anthropologist and a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop. His previous novels in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series--Gardens of the Moon, Deadhouse Gates, Memories of Ice, House of Chains, Midnight Tides, The Bonehunters, and Reaper's Gale--have met with widespread international acclaim and established him as a major voice in the world of fantasy fiction. He lives in Canada.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Masterpiece in a series filled with them, May 7, 2005

By 

B. Davis "HakMajik" (Fort Mill, SC USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Das Spiel der Götter, No. 4: Die eisige Zeit (Paperback)

I admit, I was dubious and disappointed when I first read that Midnight Tides would contain/follow the storyline of but one the protagonists from the first four books of the series (Trull Sengar). Moreover, Trull's character in House of Chains (second weakest book of the series), while intriguing, certainly wasn't a 'star.'

Well, I can fully attest that my fears and predilections were wrong.

Midnight Tides is awesome. It stands right at the (if not above the) top of the line of the series.

The 'backstory' of the Tiste Edur, Tiste Andii, and Letherii empire (remnants of the first empire) was filled with important details for the over-arching story that courses through the Tale of the Malazan Empire.

Additionally, new characters, such as Tehol and Bugg, Iron Bars, and Withal are note-worthy. The familial tragedy of Fear, Rhulad and Trull (and the whole Tiste Edur 'race', for that matter)-- being betrayed, if you will, by a certain pronounced nefarious prescence-- strikes true.

This book is a winner. The series is a winner.

If you love literature. If you love the Fantasy/Sci-Fi genre, get this book. Read this series.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars At first you may resent the story, and then realize it's greatness...., April 4, 2006

By 

Brian D. Gallof "B. D. Gallof" (New York City) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Das Spiel der Götter, No. 4: Die eisige Zeit (Paperback)

It is hard to change gears with Steven Erikson. You love his characters so much that you want them in every plotline and page of his series. When House of Chains ends, you love a new character as much as you missed the others when it first starts....with Midnight Tides, the resentment will be a little more sharper b/c Trull needs to grow on you. The Tiste Edur plotline is tough to get into at first, but as it picks up steam and when it finally climaxes, you are along for the ride.

Above all...nothing beats Rhulad Sengar's tangle with some "war veterans". A laugh-out-loud scene that makes you realize where some "fit" in the scheme of things. Midnight Tides is a very important novel to the series, b/c it carries another step by the Crippled God to amass power. And once this is realized, the plot and series becomes clearer....and it becomes the natural step from House of Chains to the very next after...The Bonehunters.

This book can be ordered thru Amazon.ca (canada)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than excellent, May 7, 2006

By 

J. C. Leung (Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Das Spiel der Götter, No. 4: Die eisige Zeit (Paperback)

This book gives the much needed backstory that fills in several holes in the previous 4 books. At first I couldn't get into it because Erikson completely shifted gear, changing an entire set of characters as well as setting and time. But I'm glad that I didn't end up skipping it.

Plot-wise, it's still complicated with many twists. Very intriguing.

Character-wise, a new set of characters that draws as much sympathy and anger as with the characters of previous books.

At times, it's hard to get through the book. Connection can't be make, but it takes some careful and slower reading to get the full enjoyment of it. It is, no doubt, a masterpiece in the writing alone as well as the story. No other fantasy books can compare with such scale. Every single chapter leaves you wanting for more. And the wit of Erikson keeps showing up in plot and characterisation. I can't help but make a list of quotes at the end of the journey. There's wisdom in it.