Midnight Tides : A Tale of the Malazan Book of the Fallen (Hardcover)

by Steven Erikson (Author) "Here, then, is the tale..." (more)
Key Phrases: tusked seals, mage cadre, shadow wraiths, Hannan Mosag, Tiste Edur, Warlock King (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Those with a taste for massive high fantasy epics will welcome Erikson's fifth entry in his Malazan Book of the Fallen saga (after 2006's House of Chains), though it largely deals with the calm between storms. In the north, the Warlock King has united the tribes of Tiste Edur into a formidable realm, though his four feisty sons may yet cause problems. In the south, the still more formidable kingdom of Lether is using both bribery and military threats to intimidate its neighbors and rebuild its ancient empire. Tiste Edur will have none of this, however, for reasons going back to bloody feuds of centuries past. The author has a rare talent for building character by internal dialogue without slowing the pace. The large cast may daunt new readers, but maps and a glossary help fill the gaps. The ending suggests there'll be a lot more action in the sixth book (out of a projected 10).
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Review

"The series has clearly established itself as a the most significant work of epic fantasy since Stephen R. Donaldson's Chronicles of Thomas Covenant."--SF Site

 

"Extraordinarily enjoyable . . . Erikson is a master of lost and forgotten epochs, a weaver of ancient epics."--Salon.com  

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Product Details Hardcover: 624 pages Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (April 17, 2007) Language: English ISBN-10: 0765310058 ISBN-13: 978-0765310057 Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.5 x 2 inches Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (31 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #94,929 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in this category: (What's this?) #20 in  Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > ( E ) > Erikson, Steven This is item 5 in The Malazan Book of the Fallen Series.

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First Sentence:
Here, then, is the tale. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
tusked seals, mage cadre, shadow wraiths, hundred docks, fifth wing, white nectar, ice wastes, high mage, blooded warrior, dozen heartbeats, five wings, split bones

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Hannan Mosag, Tiste Edur, Warlock King, Feather Witch, Hull Beddict, Seren Pedac, Kuru Qan, Trull Sengar, First Eunuch, Gerun Eberict, Shurq Elalle, Buruk the Pale, Tehol Beddict, Brys Beddict, Turudal Brizad, Rhulad Sengar, Father Shadow, Moroch Nevath, Ezgara Diskanar, High Fort, King's Champion, Prince Quillas, Tiste Andii, First Empire, Fear Sengar

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House of Chains by Steven Erikson

Discusses:

• mage cadre
• high mage
• Tiste Edur

Memories of Ice by Steven Erikson

Discusses:

• mage cadre
• fifth wing
• high mage

Deadhouse Gates by Steven Erikson

Discusses:

• mage cadre
• high mage
• dozen heartbeats

Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson

Discusses:

• mage cadre
• high mage
• split bones

Midnight Tides by Steven Erikson

Discusses:

• tusked seals
• mage cadre
• shadow wraiths

House of Chains by Steven Erikson Discusses: mage cadre high mage Tiste Edur Memories of Ice by Steven Erikson Discusses: mage cadre fifth wing high mage Deadhouse Gates by Steven Erikson Discusses: mage cadre high mage dozen heartbeats Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson Discusses: mage cadre high mage split bones Loading...

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	81% buy the item featured on this page: Midnight Tides : A Tale of the Malazan Book of the Fallen 3.9 out of 5 stars (31) $18.45
	5% buy Memories of Ice (The Malazan Book of the Fallen, Book 3) 4.6 out of 5 stars (45) $7.99
	5% buy House of Chains (The Malazan Book of the Fallen, Book 4) 4.4 out of 5 stars (35) $7.99
	5% buy Deadhouse Gates (The Malazan Book of the Fallen, Book 2) 4.1 out of 5 stars (58) $7.99

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31 Reviews 5 star:  (13) 4 star:  (9) 3 star:  (4) 2 star:  (3) 1 star:  (2)           Average Customer Review 3.9 out of 5 stars (31 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 10 of 11 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Perhaps the best in the series, May 29, 2007 By  newyork2dallas (Dallas, Texas United States) - See all my reviews This review is from: Midnight Tides (Malazan Book of the Fallen, Book 5) (Paperback) Midnight Tides is the fifth book of Steven Erikson's 10-volume series The Malazan Book of the Fallen. Unlike other multi-volume big-book fantasy writers, Erikson's production has been consistent: about a volume per year and he has completed 7, of which five are available through his US publisher, Tor. This book is somewhat different in tone and feel from the first four. This is partly because it introduces the third main story thread of the series after the Genabackis and Seven Cities plotlines from previous books. There are other major differences. First, the action occurs before the events of volumes 1-4. Second, the characters, other than one from book four, House of Chains, are entirely new. Third, the story focuses on a distinct conflict between two peoples -- the Tiste Edur of the northlands and the human empire Letheras that seeks to expand and conquer. Fourth, the two sides are shown through two major families, the four Sengar brothers (Fear the elder, Trull the dutiful, Binadas the mysterious, Rhulad the covetous) of the Edur, and the three human Beddict brothers (Hull, who has been broken by his past; Tehol, who is an eccentric genius; and Brys the King's champion). Erikson displays family relations, political alignments within the two societies, bonds between brothers and the separate societies through these two lenses. This is one of the most emotionally charged books of the series. Unlike Gardens of the Moon, which basically started after a cataclysmic event and revealed details of the situation later, Midnight Tides has a set beginning -- the Warlock King who has united the Edur tribes seeks a powerful talisman to maintain control, while the Letheras empire threatens to conquer the whole continent. Within this background are the numerous story threads in each Erikson book: political intrigue, gods and monsters interacting with "normal" people and references to the overall arc of the story which Erikson started to divulge in book 3. And of course, there's plenty of action: from small parties fighting in the arctic wilderness to major military battles. This book is also flat-out funny -- the interaction between Tehol and his amazingly resourceful manservant Bugg is among the best comic relief in any major fantasy series and it enlivens book 7, Reaper's Gale (available in the UK and Canada) too. The detractions are standard for the genre -- the books are long and completion is years away. All of the volumes except the first are more than 600 pages in trade paperback and they're getting longer -- book 7 is more than 900! But the quality of Erikson's work hasn't diminished, unlike so many other major "doorstopper" fantasy writers. And his publishing pace is good: it takes him 8 months to write each volume and he's hitting a one-per-year rate for new books (Tor is publishing US versions of previous UK editions every 8-9 months). So making the commitment is more rewarding than it is for some other works. Overall, the series, and especially this volume, is highly recommended 3 of 3 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Build a nest...Tear it down!, May 8, 2007 By  J. Clark "5thAvenue" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    At first I couldn't get into this book of the Malazan Series. It started off with new characters and new plot lines. But, as you read you realize how it all ties in together with the other books, just like Karsa's story in House of Chains. In the end, I loved this book. The humor is more evident, especially between Tehol and Bugg. Their conversations can't help but make you smile and laugh! I tried to place this book in order of which books out of the series I liked best and I couldn't. It was right up there with Memories of Ice and House of Chains! If you've liked this series so far, you will not be disappointed with this one! 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful: 3.0 out of 5 stars I keep trying..., May 25, 2009 By  J. Coulborn - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    This review is from: Midnight Tides (The Malazan Book of the Fallen, Book 5) (Mass Market Paperback) I'm sorry; I don't get it. This is the fifth of Erikson's books that I've read, and each one has yet to actually satisfy. His books are ambitious and the world building great, but his characters are flat and the magic "system" is seemingly incomprehensible. This book is another display of that. The most interesting characters to me are the brothers Beddict, Tehol especially. Tehol's interactions with Bugg are especially amusing. However, this highlights a weakness of his: nearly every one of his bizarre characters (Tehol, Iskaral Pust, Kruppe) are bizarre in that they speak in strange inside jokes or other such eccentricities. Most other characters are stock; almost all soldiers are the exact same with highly introspective internal dialogue. Like all of his other books, the plot moves along with either random interventions from gods or massively powerful and unexplained mages. Personally, the most interesting plot point was Tehol and the Tolls. Unfortunately, it's never explained exactly how he gets control of the stock market and it never really figures into the story as he doesn't rig a collapse of the economy as the whole country is already in possession of the Edur. Also, the readers get a very distinct view of the author's view of capitalism: greed ruins the world and all capitalists are rapacious. He goes the Goodkind route on this and beats you over the head with his philosophy a few times with it; the relief is that it's not as heavy handed as Goodkind's. In all, a book that had good ideas, yet fails to make it. Just like his other books.		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars The Encroaching Kingdom Midnight Tides (2004) is the fifth Fantasy novel in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series, following House of Chains. Read more Published 7 months ago by Arthur W. Jordin 1.0 out of 5 stars Save your money, skip this book in the series Save your money, skip this book in the series, you will not miss anything, or lack any knowledge of anything else. Read more Published 7 months ago by Eric L. Kang 3.0 out of 5 stars not a midnight adventure [no spoilers] The entire fifth novel of "The Malazan Book of the Fallen", "Midnight Tides", precedes the initial installment "Gardens of the Moon" and addresses events leading up to and... Read more Published 7 months ago by Oscar 2.0 out of 5 stars The best Malazan tale so far I think Midnight Tides is the best Malazan book so far - because it has nothing to do with the Malazan Empire whatsoever. Read more Published 8 months ago by Brendan M. Funnell 3.0 out of 5 stars Same formula a little tired, but ends up being good anyway This one by Erikson took me a while to get into, the first of his books to do so. I think it was a combination of the writing style, as it was the same as all the pervious books,... Read more Published 8 months ago by G. Guthrie 5.0 out of 5 stars Funniest book so far! This book is about on par with the other books in terms of story, so if you liked the others, this one equals them in story. Read more Published 9 months ago by c70 5.0 out of 5 stars New characters, new location.....perhaps Erikson's best so far! I had Midnight Tides on my shelf for a few months before I read it. After finishing House of Chains, I was completely in awe of Erikson's masterpiece series. Read more Published 11 months ago by J. Long 4.0 out of 5 stars Good book in the Malazan Series This is the fifth book in the Malazan series and Erikson does something amazing with it. He introduces a whole new set of characters on a different contintent. Read more Published 11 months ago by Kenneth Rosenberg 5.0 out of 5 stars The best fantasy being written today Just amazing stuff. I can't really say much that hasn't been said already, but I will say that I agree that this may be the best book in the series. Read more Published 15 months ago by Maureen A. Burke 5.0 out of 5 stars Best Writing in Series so Far It seems Erikson becomes a better writer with each book and in this book he has finally matured into an efforless storyteller. Read more Published 16 months ago by D. Marks Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 624 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (April 17, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765310058
• ISBN-13: 978-0765310057
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.5 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #94,929 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #20 in

  Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > ( E ) > Erikson, Steven

• This is item 5 in The Malazan Book of the Fallen Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perhaps the best in the series, May 29, 2007

By	newyork2dallas (Dallas, Texas United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Midnight Tides (Malazan Book of the Fallen, Book 5) (Paperback)

Midnight Tides is the fifth book of Steven Erikson's 10-volume series The Malazan Book of the Fallen. Unlike other multi-volume big-book fantasy writers, Erikson's production has been consistent: about a volume per year and he has completed 7, of which five are available through his US publisher, Tor.

This book is somewhat different in tone and feel from the first four. This is partly because it introduces the third main story thread of the series after the Genabackis and Seven Cities plotlines from previous books. There are other major differences.

First, the action occurs before the events of volumes 1-4. Second, the characters, other than one from book four, House of Chains, are entirely new. Third, the story focuses on a distinct conflict between two peoples -- the Tiste Edur of the northlands and the human empire Letheras that seeks to expand and conquer. Fourth, the two sides are shown through two major families, the four Sengar brothers (Fear the elder, Trull the dutiful, Binadas the mysterious, Rhulad the covetous) of the Edur, and the three human Beddict brothers (Hull, who has been broken by his past; Tehol, who is an eccentric genius; and Brys the King's champion). Erikson displays family relations, political alignments within the two societies, bonds between brothers and the separate societies through these two lenses. This is one of the most emotionally charged books of the series.

Unlike Gardens of the Moon, which basically started after a cataclysmic event and revealed details of the situation later, Midnight Tides has a set beginning -- the Warlock King who has united the Edur tribes seeks a powerful talisman to maintain control, while the Letheras empire threatens to conquer the whole continent. Within this background are the numerous story threads in each Erikson book: political intrigue, gods and monsters interacting with "normal" people and references to the overall arc of the story which Erikson started to divulge in book 3. And of course, there's plenty of action: from small parties fighting in the arctic wilderness to major military battles.

This book is also flat-out funny -- the interaction between Tehol and his amazingly resourceful manservant Bugg is among the best comic relief in any major fantasy series and it enlivens book 7, Reaper's Gale (available in the UK and Canada) too.

The detractions are standard for the genre -- the books are long and completion is years away. All of the volumes except the first are more than 600 pages in trade paperback and they're getting longer -- book 7 is more than 900! But the quality of Erikson's work hasn't diminished, unlike so many other major "doorstopper" fantasy writers. And his publishing pace is good: it takes him 8 months to write each volume and he's hitting a one-per-year rate for new books (Tor is publishing US versions of previous UK editions every 8-9 months). So making the commitment is more rewarding than it is for some other works.

Overall, the series, and especially this volume, is highly recommended

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Build a nest...Tear it down!, May 8, 2007

By	J. Clark "5thAvenue" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

At first I couldn't get into this book of the Malazan Series. It started off with new characters and new plot lines. But, as you read you realize how it all ties in together with the other books, just like Karsa's story in House of Chains. In the end, I loved this book. The humor is more evident, especially between Tehol and Bugg. Their conversations can't help but make you smile and laugh! I tried to place this book in order of which books out of the series I liked best and I couldn't. It was right up there with Memories of Ice and House of Chains! If you've liked this series so far, you will not be disappointed with this one!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I keep trying..., May 25, 2009

By	J. Coulborn - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Midnight Tides (The Malazan Book of the Fallen, Book 5) (Mass Market Paperback)

I'm sorry; I don't get it. This is the fifth of Erikson's books that I've read, and each one has yet to actually satisfy. His books are ambitious and the world building great, but his characters are flat and the magic "system" is seemingly incomprehensible.
This book is another display of that. The most interesting characters to me are the brothers Beddict, Tehol especially. Tehol's interactions with Bugg are especially amusing. However, this highlights a weakness of his: nearly every one of his bizarre characters (Tehol, Iskaral Pust, Kruppe) are bizarre in that they speak in strange inside jokes or other such eccentricities. Most other characters are stock; almost all soldiers are the exact same with highly introspective internal dialogue.
Like all of his other books, the plot moves along with either random interventions from gods or massively powerful and unexplained mages.
Personally, the most interesting plot point was Tehol and the Tolls. Unfortunately, it's never explained exactly how he gets control of the stock market and it never really figures into the story as he doesn't rig a collapse of the economy as the whole country is already in possession of the Edur. Also, the readers get a very distinct view of the author's view of capitalism: greed ruins the world and all capitalists are rapacious. He goes the Goodkind route on this and beats you over the head with his philosophy a few times with it; the relief is that it's not as heavy handed as Goodkind's.
In all, a book that had good ideas, yet fails to make it. Just like his other books.