Customer Reviews

Midnight Tides A Tale of Malazan Book of the Fallen

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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

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!

For the third time in the series, Erikson starts off a book with characters, setting, and history completely new to the reader. As deep into the series as book five, this would be considered taboo for most writers. Yet somehow, I came to enjoy each and every one of the new characters. The story is again epic, yet it seems extremely well managed and simple, as if Erikson is getting even more comfortable with his complex and broad scope of storytelling.

Despite the fact the story tells of a tragedy spanning two empires, humour is abundant in this book. The amusing exchanges between Tehol Bennedict and pretty much anyone he meets keeps the mood light in the face of the dark nature of the novel as a whole. The book starts slow since the reader is unfamiliar with many of the characters, but like all the preceding books, it takes off a quarter of the way in, and builds to an incredible climactic ending which pulls together threads spanning a continent.

Within the scope of the series, the only book I enjoyed more was Book 3, Memories of Ice. Within the scope of the entire fantasy genre, I'd still say the same. Including Tolkein, Jordan, Goodkind, Martin, Donaldson, Feist, and about 15 others I've read. Erikson is by far the best and brightest author to come into the fantasy scene since Martin (and better than Martin anyway).

Warning however, to those who don't enjoy complexity in plots and ambivilant characterization in their main characters, for that is here. And that's why I'm going to stay here right until the end.

I respect Erikson's productivity tremendously. It is no easy feat to pump out a thick volume every year and maintain consistency and continuity. Thankfully, Erikson has managed to avoid the Robert Jordan curse (so far).

After every Erikson book, I have the same first impression: Too much! I would love to be an imp perched on the author's shoulder pleading with him that "less is more". Erikson creates with such excess--in characters, ideas, storylines, etc.--that the novel often left me with a headache. I believe that the reader suffers some disconnect due to the abundance of major characters (at least 6) and important supporting characters (a dozen). It is difficult to sympathize and understand one character, much less several.

At first, I thought that the novel would be better if it were 100 pages lighter. I mean, Shurq and Ublala are funny, but are they necessary? Do the three sisters serve a significant purpose? Sometimes I think that his world building overshadows his characters, who are starting to feel alike. How many god-like warriors can one world have?

On second thought, I recognize that volume and audacity are part of Erikson's style. He wants to confuse and bewilder. He strives to populate a massive world with lots of significant, powerful characters. Asking him to tone it down would only damage his world building, which is the strength of the series. He has created something new and different. The best way to read an Erikson novel is to revel in the size, scope, and originality.

I am not surprised that many consider Midnight Tides one of the best in the series. By limiting the novel to (mostly) one setting, Erikson tells the clearest story yet. I also like how he contrasts the Edur and Letherii societies. For example, Lether is founded on money and greed, yet Edur bury their dead in a coating of coins. That is not a coincidence. I also like the parallelism: for example, both societies features brothers as major characters, the Sengars in Edur and the Beddicts in Lether. It is also his funniest novel, exemplified in the banter between Tehol and Bugg. I recommend it to anyone who is tired of elves and orcs.

The content of the book is really good, probably Erikson's best in a series of very delightful books. Sadly, the implementation for the Kindle leaves some things desired. Firstly, the book seems to be scanned in via OCR, revealing several errors ("rn" instead of "m" in some words for example) common with OCR. At other times only parts of a sentence is italic, other words are in normal face. Interestingly the more difficult things (like names) are usually correct.

Secondly, and this is the really annoying part, someone forgot to put two line spaces in when the narrative thread (and there are many in the book) changes/a new paragraph begins. Without the line space there is no indication of it, and it looks as if the paragraph continues on, and it is very annoying when you only realise after the confusion of a few sentences that simply don't fit to the narration that you have changed characters and narrative thread because a new paragraph had begun. Owning the paper version of the book I know that there is a clear indication of paragraphs in it. The earlier Kindle versions of "The Book of Malazan Fallen" do not have this particular problem (they however all have the same issues regarding OCR errors).

Book 5/5
Kindle-implementation: 3/5

This installment of the Malazan Book of the Fallen series introduces us to the Lethii and the Tiste Ande battle for an empire. This is the final of the 3 major plot lines to be introduced by Erkison. The humorous interchanges between Tehol and Bugg keep you turning the pages. As with his other books, it took me 3 days to get through the first 300 pages, and one day for the last 633! Once the momentum picks up, you can't stop devouring chapter after chapter...
There are only a couple of very tiny interactions to the first 5 books of the series -- concentrate on this as a new story as you read it. Some of the characters he introduces are very interesting -- a living dead girl, an ancient, conflicted mage, and a deity serving in a most conspicuous manner with the mortals...

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, and because this is a new setting, with new characters. Trull Sengar and the Crippled God are the only previous characters mentioned in any of the previous four books. So I'll admit I was bored throughout the first part of the book. But as usual with Erikson he somehow made this into an excellent book.

The second half picked up when the Tiste Edur began their conquest, and ended in the royal throne room in Letharas. This build up to the final showdown had some twists and turns, but still ended up the way you thought it would, which was unexpected. This is weird to state, but somehow Erikson made the obvious still a mystery up until the end. So the second half of the book made it exciting for me, but as it stands this was my least favorite book in the series. But that's not saying much as the series has been excellent.

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. I wanted more immediately, but I knew that MT would not offer me the characters or settings I was familiar with. So, I waited on it...reading other books, reading around the Internet to see whether or not I could skip MT and move directly to The Bonehunters (book 6 of the series). After seeing on Wiki that this book introduced a storyline I probably should know before BH, I picked it up. Am I ever glad I did not skip this one!

Yes, MT introduces you to an almost completely new set of characters and a new continent in Erikson's world. BUT, these characters are well developed, very interesting, and (now I see) going to very integral to the larger Malazan series storyline.

As usual, Erikson does a great job putting you in his world. This new continent of Lether is just as interesting and full of history as the others. Erikson's writing in MT might just be his best in the series so far. The action is great, descriptions of places/people is great, and some dialogue is genuinely funny. Seeing The Crippled God take an active role unlike the previous four books was also very good.

I am very anxious to get back with the Malazan Army, etc. in Tne Bonehunters, but MT was excellent and should not be missed.

Steven Erikson does it again. By 'it' I mean that he has provided us with another masterpiece. That is praise I can't give to a lot of contemporary fantasy novelists, who, based on current offerings, seem to be pressed to release something readable. Erikson's ability to create and tell a story is criminal. How are we, as readers, supposed to function normally at home and work if he keeps us so engrossed in his stories. I can't even remember my girlfriend's name, and I definitely haven't gotten any work done this week. I'm lucky my boss hasn't caught me reading on the job. Honestly, I don't think I will last much past the next U.S. release of Mr. Erikson's.

It's only been 10 minutes and 37 seconds since I finished reading Midnight Tides and I am already going through withdrawal. I only hope that Mr. Erikson stays well ahead of the U.S. publishing with his writing. Despite the long wait for his debut, american readers have definitely been spoiled with the rapid fire release of his novels, a new novel every 8 to 10 months.

That being said, lets get to the fun stuff! While it only has a few of the characters that have appeared in previous episodes of The Tales of the Malazan Book of the Fallen, and most of them only mentioned in passing, it exhibits a strong class of characters with whom the reader is immediately drawn to. As with previous novels, the black and white, good and evil dichotomy is ignored at the character level. Each character is likable or detestable based on their personal actions and merits.

It has been said that each of the books in Steven Erikson's series can be read as a stand alone novel, which is true to a certain extent. Read them, you'll see what I mean. Erikson doesn't jerk his readers around with to 'be continued' episodes at the end of his books, and while prior knowledge about characters and preceding events helps orient the reader, it isn't as important with Erikson's Malazan saga. However, it is my opinion that each of the novels should be read in the sequence they have been released, with the exception of Midnight Tides. I could have started with this book and not noticed the difference. Although, I do believe that having a good introduction to the Malazan Empire and its major players is important, hence the release of the prior 4 novels.

Midnight Tides takes place in a completely new geographic area and involves 1 new group of people, the Letherii, and 1 group of people that was briefly touched on in preceding novels, the Tiste Edur. Of the Tiste Edur we have already been introduced to Trull Sengar, as he played a significant part in the previous novel House of Chains.

In fact, it appears that Midnight Tides has been released out of chronological sequence in the series, occuring at a period in Trull Sengar's life prior to his involvement in the story told in House of Chains.

At the beginning of reading the book, fans of the `Bridgeburner' characters may be a little disappointed that none of them are involved in Midnight Tides. That disappointment will not last long. Erikson, has gone to great lengths to bring to life new, and possibly more engrossing, characters in this release. Two names come to mind, Tehol Beddict and Bugg. Those are only two of the great new characters introduced in the story, be ready to enjoy a whole new cast of characters as they live, die, and fall into the history of Erikson's gargantuan story.

Vaipre
Vaipre's Weekly Fantasy Lense

I am currently reading this series of books (in order) and haven't been disapointed yet. Some of the negative reviews of Midnight Tides really don't do it justice. Even as Erikson continues to tell the amazing story of the malazan universe, in Midnight Tides I feel like hes taken some of his biggest risks (so far). The biggest risk of all is creating an almost whole new set of characters half-way through a series. This at first put me back into the mode of confusion, learning whole new sets of characters, beliefs, legends and viewpoints. You are going to be forced to look at the cultures you thought you knew from the previous books in new ways.

It starts off alot like I remember feeling when reading the first book - this huge world that I'm going to struggle to keep up with because of its vastness. And because of this, the book starts out slow. That would be the only negative I really felt about this book. It takes until about a quarter of the way through the book in order to get past all of the narrative of the different cultures and into the real meat of the story.

But once you get there, it quickly picks up pace. I didn't want to put it down. And the characters... great as always. Following the same trend as his other books, your are going to be hearing this story from at least a few view points. There were two characters in particular that I always loved to hear about because their pieces made me laugh. They were genuinely funny, which is not something that I can really say consistently about any of the other characters in the series thus far and I appreciate the break from the seriousness of the subject matter occasionally. I really hope Erikson continues to tell the story of these characters in future novels.

This book takes longer than previous books to draw itself back into the over-arching plot of the malazan universe. In it, you are going to hear even more important events about the past thats shaped this massive series. But once you get towards the end, you'll once again see how this is just another link in the chain thats holding this world together. Do not skip reading this great book.

P.S.As far as the kindle edition goes: yes theres mistakes but nothing so huge as to take away from the story. If you've been reading the series on the kindle as I have up to this point, the mistakes are pretty much the same things as in the previous books.