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

by Steven Erikson (Author) "Where is this one from?'..." (more)
Key Phrases: crippled god, first concubine, high mage, Tiste Edur, Silchas Ruin, Seren Pedac (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In this bloody and dour seventh entry in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series (after 2006's The Bonehunters), the Letherii empire is under siege from within and without. The Tiste Edur uneasily rule the Empire of Lether, against the will of the Letherii people. Several factions in Lether seek to overthrow Rhulad, the emperor of a Thousand Deaths, who is quite probably insane and sinks further into madness every time he dies in combat and his sword resurrects him. Two forces also threaten Lether from the outside: the tribal Awl, led by the brutal warrior Redmask, force a confrontation, while a flotilla from the Malazan Empire sails toward the Letherii capital. The plethora of characters, attacks and counterattacks, hidden schemes and battling gods will mostly appeal to serious fans of brutal and complex epics, at least those who have fortified themselves by reading the earlier books. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

“Truly epic in scope, Erikson has no peer when it comes to action and imagination, and joins the ranks of Tolkien and Donaldson in his mythic vision and perhaps then goes one better.”--SF Site “Rare is the writer who so fluidly combines a sense of mythic power and depth of world with fully realized characters and thrilling action, but Steven Erikson manages it spectacularly.”--Michael A. Stackpole
 
"Extraordinarily enjoyable . . . Erikson is a master of lost and forgotten epochs, a weaver of ancient epics."--Salon.com  

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 1280 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (May 13, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553813161
• ISBN-13: 978-0553813166
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,580,444 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Saga Keeps Rolling, August 15, 2007

By	M. Schroeder (Connecticut) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Reaper's Gale (Malazan Book 7) (Malazan Book of the Fallen) (Hardcover)

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.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 4.5 stars rounded up...., July 22, 2007

By	Woofdog (Miami) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Reaper's Gale (Malazan Book 7) (Malazan Book of the Fallen) (Hardcover)

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars extremely complex fantasy, March 6, 2008

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Reaper's Gale: Book Seven of The Malazan Book of the Fallen (Hardcover)

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