Deadhouse Gates (Book 2 of The Malazan Book of the Fallen)

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The Emperor would have cut the heart out of this rebellion with its first beat. A short but unremitting bloodbath, followed by a long peace.”

We get an some interesting additions to our knowledge of Otataral here, one of the more mysterious aspects of this world. At first, Erikson shows us the veins running “shallow and long, like rivers of rust between compacted beds filled with fossil plants and shellfish.” Then Heboric’s theory:

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You’ll know by now that the Malazan marines (like Fiddler and Kalam) are the toughest sumbitches this side of Hood’s gate. Notorious for their fatalistic sense of humour and surly rejection of authority, the marines are somewhat legendary in the eyes of new recruits and old foot soldiers alike, though they’re also regarded by some as a thorn in the empire’s side. (Remember the Old Guard I mentioned in the previous guide? Well, they don’t get much older than these next couple of fellas.) Gesler

The new characters are again well formed and easily identifiable, the older characters are further fleshed out and the Malazan Empire is further explored. The separate storylines are all interesting and converge as we near the end of the book. From Raraku the whirlwind of the Apocalypse will come forth. And more, there will be a convergence.”

Raraku is a big desert, and plenty of its occupants don’t give a damn about Tremorlor and the Path of Hands. They’re more focused on helping the Whirlwind rebellion bring down the Malazan occupiers and restoring things to how they used to be. Uh, is it just me, or is this start to the Felisin storyline a bit… *whispers* boring? The long descriptions, the establishing of a new location, the various people in power…I’m just finding it dull—and that is the FIRST time I’ve been able to say that about any Erikson. I am going to be very interested to meet Tavore and T’amber in the future and find out their side of the story….