Customer Reviews

Reaper's Gale (Malazan Book 7) (Malazan Book of the Fallen 7)

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Malazan Book of the Fallen is my favorite fantasy series going on right now. It has a beautifully developed world, interesting characters, and epic action. But if you've made it to Book 7 of the series, Reaper's Gale, then you already know all this. For fans of the first 6 books, this latest entry will not disappoint...and will leaving anxiously waiting for book 8.

Reaper's Gale starts off right where Bonehunters left off and picks up some of Midnight Tides loose threads. The Malazan 14th Army under Adjunct Tavore and featuring the remaining Bonehunters is heading to the continient of Lether to deal with another empire. Also heading to Lether are two champions recruited to face the Emperor of a Thousand Deaths in combat: Karsa Orlong and Icarium. Meanwhile, Trull, Onrack, and Quick Ben are recuperating in the realm of Shadow, but they won't be able to remain inactive for long. Picking up from Midnight Tides Tehol and Bugg continue their conspirtacy to undermine the Empire and Fear, Slichas Ruin, Udinaas, Kettle, and Seren Pedac continue their quest, as fugitives, to find the sould Scabandari Bloodeye. All the storylines really begin to come together and this makes for a great read.

That being said, Erikson does add a few new storylines that are tangential at best. We read from the POV of many new Letheri characters, most of whom are part of sinister organizations - and are not very compeling. There is also a storyline featuring a war between the Letheri and a neighboring tribe that seems to bear no relevance to the overall story. Some characters feature briefly and then fade away quickly or seem to be thrown in; Featherwitch and the Errant come to mind.

So while the story does sag with the weight of these additional storylines this is still a great read for all fans of everything Malaz. It has definitely whetted by appetite for Book 8 A Toll of Hounds.

This review is being written with attention to not including spoilers. The book is available from amazon.co.uk and amazon.ca now.

Erikson mostly returns to the letherii continent for this 900-page short book, and carries on the story following the aftermath of the Tiste Edur conquest of Letherii, the Sengar brothers, the eventual arrival of Karsa and Icarium for their fights with Rhulud, as well as bringing elements from The Bonehunters into the story and following events after the end of that novel. Some major plot threads are explored or expanded, others resolved, others left more nebulous than before. He certainly moves his story forward, avoiding the trap so many long-series fantasy authors seem to fall into.

At times Erikson is jumping between literally a dozen perspectives in 5 or more distinct geographic locations, and between pages 500-700 this does begin to get old, but in all this story moves nicely and you are left wishing there was another book in sight to continue...

It's a great story, and well worth the extra shipping expense of ordering now rather than waiting for US publication.

If I could sum it all up in two words, it would have to be "hot damn!"

As Malazan fans, we all know how Steven Erikson enjoys using misdirection to fool us. Every single thread of this convoluted, multilayered plot seems to be twisted upon itself, and nowhere is it more apparent then in this novel. One piece of advice: Expect the unexpected. You think you know where the tale is headed? The author will rapidly disabuse you of that notion! There are more surprises in Reaper's Gale than in the rest of the series, it seems. On several occasions, I found myself closing the book, shaking my head, unable to believe that this had just happened.

Although titanic in size (910 pages), the pace throughout Reaper's Gale keeps you turning those pages, eager to discover more and more. There is no sluggish plotline akin to the Mhybe in Memories of Ice, making this one a veritable page-turner. Still, a few storylines at the very end were, at least in my opinion, a little rushed. It doesn't take anything away from the tale, mind you, yet I would have liked for Erikson to maintain the same rhythm from start to finish, as the pace in this one was more or less perfect. After all, when a book weighs in at over 900 pages, what's 10 or 20 extra pages thrown into the mix!?!

The worldbuilding is, once more, grandiose. No other fantasy series, past or present, can match The Malazan Book of the Fallen in vision, ambition and scope. Steven Erikson seems to delight in making us squirm, offering us tantalizing glimpses that make us beg for more. In a series that already resounds with more depth than anything ever written in the genre, the author still raises the bar even higher.

Most storylines grab hold of you and won't let go. In addition, I felt that many scenes bring a new emotional level that had yet to be seen in the series.

Much like The Bonehunters, this novel contains its share of cliffhangers. With so many different threads interwoven together, I don't believe that it's humanly possible for Erikson to write self-contained installments anymore, not with the action occurring on various continents and realms of existence. Having said that, even though the ending doesn't offer resolution of every single plotline, Reaper's Gale is brought to a satisfying conclusion. Unlike The Bonehunters, which ended with a series of cliffhangers, this one does provide readers with closure.

The characterizations play a major role in this one. Erikson has the damnable ability to introduce us to characters on which very little is known and who somehow become fan favorites. Redmask and Silchas Ruin are two such characters. As for the rest of this immense cast, I must admit that character development made me like Quick Ben, Seren Pedac and Trull Sengar even more. A lot has already been said about the bodycount. As the title implies (Hood is the Reaper of Souls), no on is safe in this novel. There are a lot of casualties in Reaper's Gale, especially toward the end, when several important characters die. I think even George R. R. Martin would be impressed by the number of deaths! Now, everyone is dying (no pun intended) to discover who will live and who will die. Please don't ask me, for I won't say. I'll tell you that one death in particular is as important -- at least to me -- as the one that shocked readers in Memories of Ice. For the rest, you'll have to find out for yourself!

Steven Erikson's broadness of vision fills me with awe. Reaper's Gale is one of the best Malazan volumes, second only to Memories of Ice and Deadhouse Gates. It is definitely one of the fantasy books to read this year. If you only have money to buy a single book this spring, this is the one to purchase!

Call me crazy, but for my money The Malazan Book of the Fallen is the best fantasy series around! I know it's early yet, but unless Jordan and/or Martin release something before the end of 2007, Reaper's Gale could well be the fantasy book of the year.

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The brutal Tiste Edur tribe of the north rules the Letherii Empire that they only recently conquered, but their control is weak and shaky as most people oppose them and Chancellor Gnol still runs the government. The Emperor of a Thousand Deaths Rhulad Senger symbolizes all that is wrong with the monarchy as everyone believes he is insane even his own people yet he sits on the throne. As the Edur purists fear Letherii economic assimilation, opposition from within grows as each time Rhulad dies, he returns to life less lucid and coherent.

That inside threat is still jelling but the external assaults are greater to the stability of the tottering empire. Redmask leads the belligerent Awl'dan tribes of the east against the Letherii and the powerful rival Malazan Empire sees an opportunity has sent its armada to take the capital by sea. Others also seek to usurp the Edur.

REAPER'S GALE, tale seven of the Malazan Book of the Fallen, is an extremely complex fantasy and fans of the series will marvel at the epic scope; newcomers need to start at the beginning (see GARDENS OF THE MOON). The myriad of subplots are much more convoluted and complicated than the simplicity described above, but for the most part the often vividly brutal events tie to the beleaguered Edur and its rule over the Letherii Empire. The threads left dangling forebode quite a future in this saga as Steven Erickson provides his strongest entry in a deep series in quite awhile.

Harriet Klausner

With every book Erikson writes I become more and more impressed. In the beginning I thought it was good writing, interesting story and world, but wasn't too sure. Book 1 was pretty good, book 2 fell a little short, but book 3 picked up and from then on each successive book got that much better, which brings us to the most recent book, by far the best so far.

Erikson writes epic fantasy on a level all his own. The world is massive and engaging. It is at once believable and yet otherworldly, creating a fusion of worlds that leaves your jaw hanging. I am amazed at how well he writes the characters and holds such a complex and huge story together, with each book at least 800 pages.

In Reaper's Gale we finally see the two worlds, the Malazan and the Letherii, finally begin to converge. We get to see the Bonehunters as well as the Tiste Edur. But it wouldn't be Erikson if some new aspect were not introduced to add such color and flavor to an already mind numbingly full bodied book. We see the Awl, the Benetract, an Ascendent previously undisclosed and a bunch of Elder gods.

I could go on and on but I wouldn't do the book or Erikson justice. His writing is amazing. His world is amazing. Everything is amazing about this series. I think he is by far my favorite fantasy author out there right now, and is one of the few authors who can write more than a three book series and make every single one of them an amazingly complex book that is also a page turner. Bravo Erikson.

If I could give this a 10 out of 5, I wouldn't hesitate. And the upside? Book 8 is coming out in a few months so we don't have long to wait to indulge ourselves once again.

5 stars.

The main storylines of this book following the situation in Letheras between the Edur and Letherii as well as the guerilla war waged by the Bonehunters when they hit the continent at about the halfway point are excellent.

That being said, is there anyone that can justify the Twilight/Shake storyline or the Redmask/Awl war as being anything more than fat to satisfy Tor's need to publish obscenely long fantasy novels?

The fifth major storyline, involving Silcas Ruin, Seren, Udinaas et al seems a bit more necessary as we push closer to the truth of what these ascendants did to the dragons way back when, but did anyone actually find any of these characters likable?

And for god's sake, can we stop inventing storylines where a character such as Quick Ben may be needed for something near the end of the book, so we are forced to spend 800 pages watching them wander a featureless, barren realm until the story needs them? This happens far too often in Erikson's books as he cannot let go of certain characters, and I am convinced that the vagueness surrounding the idea of 'ascendancy' is deliberate so that he can bring dead characters back at will.

Any chance that Toll the Hounds can focus on the main story without having to invent 300 or 400 pages of filler? Imagine, a Malazan book that wraps up in about 500 or 600 pages.

Can't say enough about Erikson and the Malazan Book of the Fallen. However, this trade paperback of Reaper's Gale had a packet missing in it. 32 pages were repeated after page 544, so I missed 32 pages of action. Very annoying. I don't know if it was just my copy or all of them, but I was pretty upset about this. TOR really should proof their ashcans before sending them to press, or at least pull the bad copies before shipping them to market.

Another great addition to the "Malazan Book of the Fallen" series.

Erikson's latest book (the 7th in the series) is set in the locale of Lether; an area that has been conquered by the Tiste Edur but is stilled "governed" by the Letheriis (with some non-too subtle direction from the Edur). Some internal strife is beginning to show and the backstabbing and double dealing has begun. As with previous books in the series, there are several side tales that add to the overall enjoyment of this latest installment.

The book is rife with the Erikson's usual host of intriguing characters; some kinky, some downright perverted and some with unusual talents and skills. Needless to say these various personalities can make for interesting exchanges at times...with sometimes unexpected results.

As well as the usual cast of our favorite Malazan army regulars (although not introduced until about halfway through), this novel reacquaints us with two old friends from "Midnite Tides"; that being Tehol and Bugg. These were two of my favorite "benign" characters from that novel and they've returned with their usual weird (but often funny), devious schemings.

In addition, at the front of the book there is a good map and a list of characters (with brief descriptions) that you'll meet in this novel.

What makes this (and others in the series) so good?...it's Erikson's extraordinary skill with prose; that ability to seemingly transport you to the scene of the action using the vehicle of the written word on paper...amazing. I've been a devoted Erikson fan ever since the first book ("Gardens of the Moon") and feel his works easily rank beside the upper echelon of writers of the fantasy genre.

My only minor complaint of this work would be that I found one particular side story a little hard to follow at times...but this doesn't take away anything from the overall quality of this excellent novel.

900 pages long and these seemed to just fly by; I can hardly wait for the next installment. 5 Stars... more if I could.

R. Nicholson

In Reaper's Gale we return to Letheras, where the events of Midnight Tides and The Bonehunters - books 5 and 6 respectively in this series - tie together, as well as several loose ends from Memories of Ice - book 3 - are picked up.

I think it would be unfair to say Erikson's lost control of his story here - he's in control, sure, but the breadth of his story has continued to grow and it's really stretching this book. Several old plotlines are continued, and several more are begun. The thing is, as I noted in my review of Bonehunters, whilst most of these plotlines span the timeframe of the novel, they each have differing levels of content. As a result, there are often several main plotlines which take up the bulk of the novel, while other plotlines are stretched out, with a scene here and there, so that they span the timeline. It's a shame, because several of these shorter plots are fantastic, but lose their potency because of the one or two hundred page gaps between new scenes. It's also a shame because it means this book had the biggest sagging middle of the lot, and to get the whole thing up, running and running smoothly requires more and more effort and more and more space.

In addition to this, some of these plotlines didn't have any conclusion or seeming relevance to the main story. They have questionable worth being in this book, unless they become significant in a later volume. We also get a few more perspectives from people which aren't really needed, padding the book out a bit more; at the length of this book, this was more annoying than anything else, and as much as I like characters these perspectives didn't really serve much use.

Despite the above complaints, I found Reapers Gale to be the most emotionally moving of the books yet. There were three moments throughout this book which moved me to tears. One was a new character, and one involved a set of quite possibly my favourite characters in the series resurfacing from Memories of ice - both of whom share a certain honourable journey (you'll know when you get there) - and one character who was introduced in House of Chains, and their own group of characters. These were, unsurprisingly, the characters who had less time involved with plot-driven action and more time with character-driven relationships. Unfortunately, though, in Reaper's Gale they were all part of the shorter plotlines, and so I fear some impact was lost with the stretching of their stories.

I've come to a realisation with Erikson's characters. There are a handful who are exceptionally compelling, and who always engage me; another handful who are compelling, but as I spend large amounts of time with them I become more engaged; a few handfulls who fall flat, one-dimensional and unbelievable; and the rest, all of which tend to be compelling, but I don't get to spend much time with them and so, until the plot picks up, are only mildly interesting. And the thing is, Erikson is trying to elaborate on these compelling characters, by showing large chunks of introspection, but his writing style of constantly skipping between characters and perspectives prevents that, making these introspective sections annoying rather than engaging.

Several reviews i've read have noted an apparant loss of direction in regards to themes, particularly the ones prevalent earlier on in the series of compassion. I don't think that's quite the case though - rather, Erikson is tackling the theme in a different way. I think this is most obvious with the three characters I mentioned above which so moved me. Yes, compassion is still the main theme, but simply in a different way.

All in all, I think this is the weakest of the series since Deadhouse Gates. The middle section dragged, and the conclusion - apart from those few shining lights here and there - either isn't quite up to the standard of the previous books, or there was just too much to cover earlier to get to the payoff.

3.5/5

This series has been accused of having too many characters and too many plots and sub-plots and of the author using deus ex machina too often, and I never really felt that until this book. At more than 1,200 pages, for the first time in this series, I truly felt it could have lost a bunch of pages, at least 300. And I finally got what some complainants meant by the deus ex machina because there were a few situations in the end where the "saving grace" was a little out of the blue, at least for the overall series if not for this one particular novel (ie. characters who had never been around before suddenly showing up in this particular novel to save the day in the end ... then only to disappear in one fashion or another). But, that being said, the payoff in the end makes up for a lot. This is still the best fantasy series I've read in a long time, and I'm looking forward to reading the next book.