Sections
Return of the Crimson Guard is the second novel written by Ian C. Esslemont that complements the main narrative told in The Malazan Book of the Fallen series written by Steven Erikson. If the previous volume, Night of Knives, was simple and straight to the point, here Esslemont aims for a complexity similar to that of Erikson’s, betting on the multitude of points of view, plotlines, and conflicts. The author, however, gets lost amidst his ambition, presenting several poorly developed characters, problematic prose, contradictory discussions, and a climax that focuses on the wrong characters.
As the title indicates, the plot of Return of the Crimson Guard follows the return of [...]
There is a note at the start of Night of Knives, written by Gardens of the Moon author Steven Erikson, stating categorically that despite being a story set in the same rich universe presented in his series of novels, the work of his colleague Ian C. Esslemont cannot be considered fanfiction. The author states that Esslemont participated in the process of developing the characters and conflicts of that world since its inception. And Erikson goes one step further by describing their books as a dialogue between friends – a dialogue made special by the opportunity for readers to read it. Indeed, in Night of Knives, Esslemont proves to be well-acquainted with the world of the Malazan [...]
“The past, even dead, especially dead, could continue to work harm.” – Leslie Fielder.
“The past isn’t dead. It isn’t even past.” – William Faulkner.
The past is a restless, uneasy thing. Suffering constant historical and political revisions, it rarely remains unchanged or static, revealing a worrying tendency to extend its claws to the future and repeat itself. And if the past is the starting point, but also the one of arrival, it denies progress. In The Bonehunters, the sixth installment of The Malazan Book of the Fallen, Steven Erikson works with the idea that the past is prophecy: a relentless foe that is tragically faced, materializing itself as [...]
Expanding even more the world of the series, The Malazan Book of the Fallen‘s fifth volume, Midnight Tides, is an epic about fanaticism, suffering, lack of compassion, and the intrinsic problems of the capitalist culture. Steven Erikson continues to create complex societies and tragic characters, cleverly mixing humor, drama, and action with social criticism in a narrative that is as intricate as it is engrossing.
The story of Midnight Tides takes place before the events of the first novel, Gardens of the Moon. The protagonist is Trull Sengar, a Tiste Edur who suddenly sees his tribe just one step away from war when he watches ships from the human city of Letheras [...]
The fourth installment in The Malazan Book of the Fallen series, written by Steven Erikson, House of Chains is the most problematic book so far. Although it still manages to impress the reader with its thematic complexity, its fragile structure ends up sabotaging the strength of the narrative.
The plot returns to the Seven Cities’ desert, at the time when Adjunct Tavore of the Malazan Empire arrives with her army to end Sha’ik’s rebellion. The inevitable battle between the two forces ends up generating a confluence of powers, making many other characters interested in the outcome of the event.
The novel’s first act, however, has nothing to do with Tavore and the [...]
Memories of Ice, the third volume of The Malazan Book of the Fallen series, written by Steven Erikson, further expands the scope of the main story: if the narrative is not as careful as before in relation to exposition, it makes up for it with the complexity of its storylines and character arcs.
The story of Memories of Ice returns to the main characters of Gardens of the Moon at the end of the military campaign in the city of Darujhistan. However, this time Sargent Whiskeyjack and the Malazan army must ally with their longtime foes, led by Caladan Brood and Anomander Rake, to overcome a menace to all: the advance of the Holy War perpetrated by the Panion Domin, a religious [...]