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Orb Sceptre Throne: A Novel of the Malazan Empire (Novels of the Malazan Empire) [Paperback]

Ian C. Esslemont
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)

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Book Description

May 22, 2012 Novels of the Malazan Empire
The epic new chapter in the history of Malaz—the new epic fantasy from Steven Erikson's friend and co-creator of this extraordinary and exciting imagined world.
 
Darujhistan, city of dreams, city of blue flames, is peaceful at last; its citizens free to return to politicking, bickering, trading and, above all, enjoying the good things in life. Yet there are those who will not allow the past to remain buried. A scholar digging in the plains stumbles across an ancient sealed vault. The merchant Humble Measure schemes to drive out the remaining Malazan invaders. And the surviving agents of a long-lost power are stirring, for they sense change and so, opportunity. While, as ever at the centre of everything, a thief in a red waistcoat and of rotund proportions walks the streets, juggling in one hand custard pastries, and in the other the fate of the city itself.
 
Far to the south, fragments of the titanic Moon's Spawn have crashed into the Rivan Sea creating a series of isles...and a fortune hunter's dream. A Malazan veteran calling himself 'Red' ventures out to try his luck—and perhaps say goodbye to old friends. But there he finds far more than he'd bargained for as the rush to claim the Spawn's treasures descends into a mad scramble of chaos and bloodshed. For powers from across the world have gathered here, searching for the legendary Throne of Night. The impact of these events are far reaching, it seems. On an unremarkable island off the coast of Genabackis, a people who had turned their backs upon all such strivings now lift their masked faces towards the mainland and recall the ancient prophesy of a return.
 
And what about the ex-Claw of the Malazan Empire who now walks the uttermost edge of creation? His mission—the success or failure of which the Queen of Dreams saw long ago—is destined to shape far more than anyone could have ever imagined.

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Orb Sceptre Throne: A Novel of the Malazan Empire (Novels of the Malazan Empire) + Stonewielder: A Novel of the Malazan Empire
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Esslemont ... spins a tale of adventure and history that is both weighty and electrifying, both breakneck and intricate.... A worthy and satisfying installment."
--Publishers Weekly

About the Author

IAN CAMERON ESSLEMONT grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He has studied archaeology and creative writing, has traveled extensively in South East Asia, and lived in Thailand and Japan for several years. He now lives in Alaska with his wife and children and is currently working on another novel set in the world of Malaz, a world he co-created with Steven Erikson.


Product Details

  • Paperback: 608 pages
  • Publisher: Tor Books; First Edition edition (May 22, 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 9780765329998
  • ISBN-13: 978-0765329998
  • ASIN: 0765329999
  • Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #205,302 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Love this book and all other Malazan book of the fallen. Michael Jay Justice  |  11 reviewers made a similar statement
Maybe it was obvious to the author, but it sure wasn't to me! R. Nicholson  |  4 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
"Orb Sceptre Throne: A Novel of the Malazan Empire" is a standalone book in the ongoing Malazan series by author Ian C. Esslemont. This book is available in both paperback and e-book form. The paperback edition is 608 pages in length and retails for $12.91, while the Kindle e-version sell for $9.99.

General theme <spoilers> No specific detail revealed.

The continent of Genbackis has be living in relative quiet for some years now. That is until Scholar Ebbin uncovers a malevolent artifact in a sealed tomb. Some things are better left undisturbed and buried.

End <spoilers>

Some thoughts on "Orb Sceptre Throne"...

The Pros:
1.a) as with nearly all Malazan novels, this one starts with several seemingly unrelated story lines. These individual tales of course, eventually come together at the end.
1.b) all 'stories' are told in fairly short segments, i.e. there are no prolonged gaps between individual subtales that leave the reader almost forgetting what has gone on before.

2.) generally well written with interesting dialogues and a sprinkling of humor.

3.) an intriguing story filled with intrigue, betrayals, clandestine plotting, battles both individual and between armies, plus many unexpected twists and turns.

4.) some solid character development

5.) reacquaintance with several old Malazan characters from previous novels (See Cons: 1 below)

6.) two maps... a great map of the city of Darujhistan (the main locale for this novel) and a second map of the southern part of Genbackis (see Cons: 3 below).

The Cons:
1.) lack of knowledge of previous Malazan books...
... Read more ›
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Better than Stonewielder... May 31, 2012
By Woofdog
Format:Paperback
This short version, spoiler-free or relatively so.....

I read this pretty quickly, remained interested in most story threads. i didn't get annoyed (unlike toll the hounds and crippled god...)

I didn't like Esslemont adopting Erickson's style of writing 1 to 3 pages with a particular character, then moving on. I didn't like it in toll the hounds or the crippled god, and I don't like it here. tastes vary, of course.

Erikson used to deal with overlapping viewpoint events by simply writing one viewpoint till a long-term termination point, and moving to the other one. You already knew some of what the second viewpoint would encounter, but the series apparently managed to survive the early malazan novels. The authors should take note. Do we really need 1 page or less to that group sitting in location x to let us know they are still sitting there? Is this phenomenon curable?

Well worth reading for the story and world material included. Folks are commenting on Kruppe (who apparently is impossible to emulate in prose) but just be thankful (or mournful, as you will) that kruppe was a minor part of the story.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent entry in the Malazan Empire series. August 17, 2012
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Easily Esslemont's best to date. With 'Orb Sceptre Throne" he has found his own distinctive voice while remaining true to both the spirit and mythos of the series. Well-plotted and compelling. Advances the story of some of the key players in the series while also introducing a cast of compelling new characters.
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read May 28, 2012
By JP
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Overall I did enjoy this new addition to the Malazan Empire books. Ian did a good job of bringing in old characters, and expanding the lore of this universe. Throughout these books I liked how each of the people and organisations are built over time. In this book we get updates about those in and around Darujhistan.

So far this is my favorite book that I have read from Ian C Esslemont. I feel that his character development was much better than in "Night of Knives". So in my opinion he is a good author and continues to improve. So for me, if you liked his previous work, you would enjoy this book.

While some of my favorite characters may not have been further expanded, this book did a good job of introducing new characters. With all of the characters and plot lines that the books cover, there is only certain amount that a book can cover. My main beef is more of a personal preference is that I don't like it when authors feel the need to use excessive profanity. While I can understand that it may seem to add to the coarse nature of the characters, for me it detracts from the overall quality of the book. I do prefer it when authors decide to use creative methods of profanity. For Hood's Balls you can make a point without falling back on f***. But again that is just a personal preference and I know it isn't shared by a lot of people.

This is a great book, an awesome read, and I would recommend it to anyone. I had a hard time putting the book down. This is especially good for those who have loved the other books.

So thank you to the authors of the world of Malaz and the characters inside.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Esslemont's postwar storyline continues. November 16, 2012
Format:Hardcover
Ian C. Esslemont, <strong>Orb Sceptre Throne</strong> (Tor, 2012)

Ian Esslemont, the co-creator of the world where Steven Erikson set his massive, wonderful Malazan Book of the Fallen series, returns with his fourth novel set in that world. It's a bit of a step back from <em>Steonwielder</em>, but not much of one. (And I will admit: after fifty pages I thought I was going to be getting the book I've wanted since day one, the Book of Kruppe, and I was more than a little disappointed this ended up not being it, which probably affected my judgment summat. Your mileage may vary.)

It's usually a silly undertaking to try and even come up with a main plotline in a Malazan-themed novel, but two plots do eventually win out as "main" plots. One revolves around the city of Darujhistan, where it all began. Darujhistan is (relatively) at peace now, and it's back to the crazy political scheming and day-to-day nastiness that defines life in a big town, and little bits of it sift down into, and begin to influence, the doings at K'rul's Bar, the establishment owned by a number of former Bridgeburners and patronized by some of their best friends (Duiker the historian, for once) and most valuable acquaintances, even if no one actually seems to like them all that much (Kruppe! Dear Kruppe!). When an amateur scholar south of the city uncovers a long-sealed tomb, he discovers that some things are meant to remain underground...and the only people who can stop them are the patrons of K'rul's, ineptly aided by everyone's favorite drunkards, Scorch and Leff, who had tried to make a quick buck by hiring on as the scholar's bodyguards.
... Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Beware the coming of the Seguleh
Darujihstan is an amazing city one never gets to hear enough about. Answers regarding Moon's Spawn are answered and who knew the importance surrounding the fallen structure. Read more
Published 17 hours ago by Tim
5.0 out of 5 stars Phenomonal Series
Esslemont doesn't quite have the "Flair" or "Buildup" that Eriksson put in to his books, but he is good and I love that he is fleshing out the series and bringing... Read more
Published 4 days ago by Ronald E De St Germain
3.0 out of 5 stars good read
having read all of the Malazan series I looked forward to this one. some of the characters feel Off - either because of description or dialogue that seemed out of character. Read more
Published 6 days ago by Terri Rawasia
5.0 out of 5 stars Another great addition to the Malazan Series
If you have already read all the other books of the series you will want to read this one also. The story starts slow with multiple plot lines that slowly build together for a... Read more
Published 16 days ago by Udaberri
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun Read
Probably like most readers I finished Erikson's 10 book Malazan saga and then went looking for more. Read more
Published 20 days ago by V. Davis
5.0 out of 5 stars The World of the Malazan. Orb Sceptre Throne.
Like all Malazan books, world created by Erikson and Esslemont, you are back with old friends and meeting new ones. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Sandra Wallace
2.0 out of 5 stars Disconnected reading. Hard to pick up again.
This moves so slowly and has so many subplots and characters it was hard to keep track of the action until I got halfway through. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Allen D. Bennett
4.0 out of 5 stars Never gets old.
I must first admit that I have a weakness for this series, most especially when it involves the Bridgeburners. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mikel
5.0 out of 5 stars Another Malazan gem
Love this book and all other Malazan book of the fallen. Id read the main series before this one however.
Published 3 months ago by Michael Jay Justice
5.0 out of 5 stars Orb Sceptre Throne
Another excellent book from the co-creator of the Malazan Universe! This time it's centred in and around Darujhistan. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Toolamondo
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