Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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)

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.

Steven Erikson has done it again; Another great fantasy read!

This episode contains new locales and characters (with one exception) in the ongoing "Malazan Book of the Fallen" series.

The story alternates between two different regions that are preparing for war with each other. Again we have Erikson's writing talents giving us the intriguing assortment of betrayals, deceit and magic. As well, this tale has some great character development: people(and other beings) that you can readily identify with and care about. There is also a line of developing humour sprinkled throughout the book in the chapters envolving Tehol and Bugg.

All in all, fantasy writing at its best. Highly recommended!

The Malazan Book of the Fallen Series is an impressive set of work. Scott Erickson weaves a complex story with many many different elements together. Essentially it has three major plot streams the third of which is instigated with Midnight Tides. Within the story almost all characters introduced are new and this made the novel more engaging for me as a result. To really appreciate the novel the earlier books in the series need to be read first or one will not pick up many nuances in the story. The author folds within the book substantial amounts of implied social commentary and in this respect Midnight Tides reminds me (emotionally only) of China Mieville's "Iron Council". There is also substantial humour embedded in an otherwise rather grim tale and in this sense improves on the past books in providing more contrasts between characters. I do not understand the negative comments related by some reviewers that this novel is disappointing since it does not continue the story of the multitude of characters included in the past four books. There are so many and none in my opinion are important to the story as a whole. Indeed it is already clear to see that the author paints on a very broad canvas that goes beyond a story focussed on simple fixed points of view. This fact is actually what makes the story have a unique, epic feel. Highly recommended for those who like fiction, especially in the fantasy genre.

I'm beginning to feel like you have to love Erikson to love his books. They are long, more or less connected, enormous, wonderfully detailed. A masterful exercise in world-building. But they require a lot of effort on the part of the reader, who will be rewarded with some of the most original genre work in many years. Not for the faint of heart.

Well this was written when this book was Midnight Tides, though it appears to have morphed into the german version of House of Chains. Go figure.

With the exception of Trull Sengar, introduced briefly in the House of Chains, this novel does not include characters from previous novels, and in fact is set in a completely different land from the previous 4 novels. While it follows the stories of several characters, all are involved in the same central conflict, though from different locations and perspectives. This is a departure from his previous writing style, where 2 or more completely divergent plots were developed concurrently in differing locations.

The story involves the backstory of Trull, who was banished at the beginning of book 4 from the Tiste Edur. There is a notable military campaign in the last half of the novel, substantial political involvement both in the human and tiste edur camps, and some humor in the form of the dialogue of Tehol as well as the rat catcher's guild which I found very tedious. Half a star was removed for this reason.

This is a great novel, and despite weighing in at 900+ pages (paperback) it still seemed too short.

This (as well as book 6) is available now on the amazon.ca (canada) site, though the hardback of book 5 is coming in the US soon.

For me this is the weakest book in the series, other than Gardens of the Moon. I find it to be slow and plodding - and in dire need of editing (probably a few hundred of the near thousand pages could be cut and it would probably make the story move a lot better). There is a really good story in here screaming to get out!!!!!!!!!!

Even though I LOVED Deadhouse Gates, Memories of Ice, and House of Chains - I keep falling asleep over this one.

I realize that many things are going on that are important to the overall series plot.

But I keep nodding off pretty much everytime I open the book anyway.

Not a single character I can relate to, and I prefer character driven stories.

This book also seems to take place years before the other four books in the series, and in another part of the world, with a completely different cast of characters.

However, I am still going to give this three stars, as it is still better than a lot of the pap that passes for fantasy these days. Erikson is a heckuva writer with a fascinating world with lots of history behind it and a lot of thought put into it. But man - does he ever need a really good editor!

I hope that things will pick up in The Bonehunters!!!

Each book in this series just gets better. I thought House of Chains couldn't be surpassed but I ofund this noivel (which I had to order from overseas) was even batter. The characterizations get richer and are worthy of the intricate worlds that Erikson has succeeds in creating. Read this series!!!!

I don't know what it has been about the last 2 books in this series, but the magical tales that he created in the first 3 books have somewhat disappeared in the last two. Again, I was disappointed in the ending. You want a little more after you read a book this long than what he gives to you in this one. This was by far the easier book in the series to follow, but at times toward the end he confused me as to Who is that? What? Etc.... I wish that Evil Rhulad had been created to have a little more battle skill. It got really boring and repetitive knowing that he was basically going to die and die and die and die again every time he stepped foot on the battle field. I still enjoyed this book but I would be lying if I didn't say that I was relieved when I finished this book so that I could move onto something else. He again creates a new set of characters that are well created, intriguing. I just hope I enjoy the next one more so that I will want to continue plowing through this 10 book masterpiece.