Malazan Empire: Abyss JUST FINISHED ghosting thru GHOST STORY - Malazan Empire

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Abyss JUST FINISHED ghosting thru GHOST STORY ....BOO! Also, SPOILERS!...

#21 User is offline   champ 

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Posted 29 July 2011 - 07:20 PM

View PostAbyss, on 29 July 2011 - 07:07 PM, said:

It's probably an unfair comparison given the differences between the authors and series', but altho i was enjoying DWD, i'm totally enjoying GS more.


Exactly that... different authors... different styles... but for pure enjoyment thats kept me hooked... GS wins hands down! IMHO!

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Posted 02 August 2011 - 10:56 AM

Ghost Story is fully awesome. Dance wasn't fully awesome. So yeah.
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Posted 02 August 2011 - 11:24 PM

Two very different stories and authors. Ghost was a far better read for me because there are resolutions. Yes still lots of questions but Jim gives mostly satisfying resolutions in every book and leaves you with enough questions that you keep coming back. Jim has a hero that we all like.

George resolves very liitle and keeps adding questions in each book so that as a reader you feel like you are in a never ending maze. He has no heros as they are all varying shades of grey. His fans keep coming back hoping that this will be the book that brings resolution to questions from 3 books ago and usually there is little satisfaction. George is such a good writer of his characters that as a reader you get committed and keep reading to find out what is happening to your favs.

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#24 User is offline   Abyss 

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Posted 03 August 2011 - 06:08 AM

JUST FINISHED
okay people, we are thru the looking glass and balls out for spoilers from here down...

SPOILERS

SPOILERS
UNBLOCKED AND UNDEAD GHOST STORY SPOILERS
SPOILERS
WILL SPOIL YOU IN THE MOST INTIMATE AND NAUGHTY OF WAYS YES THAT'S
RIGHT SPOILERS YOU POOR FRIKKIN BUTCHER LOVING DRESDENCRACK ADDICTS SPOILERS
FOR SWEET FUCK'S SAKE SPOILERS AFTER HERE

SPOILERS

Damn but i do so love my yearly Dresdencrack fix, and Jim 'da Pusher' Butcher delivered yet again.
Was this the bestest dresdencrack ever? No, oh hell no. We've had better, even WAY better, but this was solid Dresden with some great twists and turns, good fun, the usual supporting cast in full glory, more movie refs than you can shake a bag of popcorn at and a whole lot of fun that still moved the characters and story foward ever forward. Seven tail shakes out of ten.

BEST NEW CHARACTER: Sir Stuart. As ghosts go he just chewed scenery every time, even after his death.. ummm his undeath... his semi-memory-sorta-death... oh whatever he was great fun and i'm glad Uriel threw him a second... umm... third... maybe fourth?... chance or whatever at the end.... "Will there be fighting?". Oh yeah.

BEST NOT SO NEW CHARACTER: I want to give this to RagMolly but Mort has to take this hands down. A complete turnaround from the character we've seen before, and Butcher even gave him the dramatic fuck you badguys i'm here to chew gum and kick ass moment at the end. And how!

BEST ACTION SCENE: Surprisingly for the book the follow the sheer explody destructo feste that was CHANGES, this book had a fair share of awesome action... from the ghost fight chez Mort at the start, to Molly and Harry against the Fomor servitors, to Daniel's knifefight against old nasty wizard dude, to Dresden and the Lechter Spectres (can we take a moment to point out how GREAT a team name that is?!) storming the Nevernever to every beat of the finale against Corpsetaker, the book delivered big on the kaboom. In fact, for a book where the protagonist couldn't directly touch anything, there was a fuck of a lot of things being broken, sploded and destroyed.

SHOULD'VE GHOSTED ME WHEN YOU HAD THE CHANCE AWARD: It's not like anyone was surprised when Harry came back as a ghost, or even that he got rebodied at the end (although i did wonder whether this Harry would turn out to be the 'memory' ghost that Mort thought he was and end up actually dissipating and have the next book pick up with Harry recovering with no knowledge of this book's events), but I give Butcher props for setting up a situation where Dresden was genuinely challenged to deal with the tasks in front of him. There was also a bit (tiny, tiny) bit less of the 'the clock is ticking' sense that CHANGES and some other books have, that allowed the reader to enjoy the situation Harry was in without wondering how he was going to wrap it up in two hours or whatever. All of which is to say i think this was a nicely done story about a dead man's ghost trying to help his friends that really took advantage of the 'dead man's ghost' part and i think few authors could have pulled it off nearly as well.

SOB SNIFF AWARDS GALORE: Seriously, this book made me weep (in an entirely manly way)... Mister recognizing Harry, Murphy and co reacting to Harry, virtually every scene between Harry and Molly, "Chewbacca is with her", Murphy not getting to say goodbye, Harry visiting his brother (Justine for the bisexual lingerie model cure win!) to that last scene with Mouse and then Maggie... oh Butcher you bastard you played my heartstrings like the cheap ukele in a hillbilly town and i love you for it.

BLAST FROM THE PAST AWARD: Dumorne really was a bastard and we see why. Harry's first meeting with He Who Watches Your Behind was veddy interesting and every bit as suspicious as Lea thought it was.

THE I'M WITH CRAZY AWARD goes to Lea, who continues to chew scenery every time she show up to great great effect. Loved her training Molly, loved her baragaining with Harry, just loved her in general. This cannot be healthy for me.

THE I'M WITH EVEN MORE MORE CRAZY AWARD goes to Molly for simultaneously seriously losing her shit and taking a serious power-up in the process. Her battle against Corpsetaker was awesome. And then we found out why...

BEST WHODUNNIT EVER: Oh, that was sweet... Kincaid, of course it was Kincaid... but the why of it... Harry calling in a favour like THAT... oh fuck me that was a great twist and maybe some of you saw it coming but i sure as fuck didn't and i loved it.

ONLY IN THE MOVIES: I think this book hit a new record for movie quotes, references and one-liners... seriously, i lost track amidst all the Trek and Star Wars but it was a lot of fun even so.

BEST BADDIE: Corpsetaker was an entirely satisfying baddie, but i have to give this to Kemmler/Bob... the whoe nazi necromancer disembodies skull spirit thing was just visually appealing and his lines were pretty much all Evil Overlord Overload. Hope we get to see him again.

BEST ONE-LINER: There were a lot, but i have to give it to Uriel for 'If only i had arranged for some agent to come to her assistance.' just as Mort walks in and saves Molly by dropping a screaming hell-bound freight train of hungry wraiths down Corpsetaker's throat. Boo-yah.

OTHER BEST ONE LINER, PARAPHRASED: "BOO!".... because of everything that went into the delivery. Hah!

BEST MASTERPLAN THAT WASN'T: Butters tried. He really really tried. His warden disguise was clever, brilliant even. Execution... not so much, but points for trying.

TO BE CONTINUED DUH: So of course Harry was brought back, but right into Mab's lap with Deamonreach standing by... ohh... that was creepy and cool and all kinds of psyche up for the next book rolled into one. And Uriel's seven words were a nice touch.

All in all, i'm a satisfied junkie customer and will try to keep the shakes under control until the next fix.
I look fwd to reading what the rest of you addicts thought.

- Abyss, just needed a hit to take the edge off, man...
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#25 User is offline   Use Of Weapons 

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Posted 03 August 2011 - 09:41 AM

Me, I'm looking forward to rereading the scenes on Demonreach with Gatekeeper and trying to piece together just what the hell it might be, besides a really old genius locum. Also, IIRC Demonreach never actually spoke to Harry previously, did it?

Anyway, loved the book. Loved Molly, heartbreaking though it was to see her in such straits. I thought Lea's lesson to both Molly and Harry was extremely pertinent. There was a time around book 3/4 when Harry was keeping people away to keep them "out of danger" (the Alphas mainly), and part of that was keeping knowledge from them. It looks like he slipped into that trap again with Molly, and I was cheering when Lea called him on it. I freakin' _love_ the Sidhe. Would love it if we got to hear about Oberon in _Cold Days_. For me, we've really not had enough action from the Summer side of things. There's the whole eldest Gruff thing still to play out too...

Really, really don't understand why Murphy hasn't taken up Fidelacchius yet, given how the incursion of bad guys has made Chicago such a dangerous place.. Butcher takes pains to put Michael's (and Charity's) faith front and centre, but Murphy's, not so much. Maybe Harry's reappearance (and the closure she will hopefully have got from that) is done, she might actually see it as the next step, to become the protector that he was for Chicago.

Loved the cameo from Murphy's dad -- reckon we'll see more of him, especially given his admonishment to Harry to say nothing. Really deft character painting from Butcher there.

I, too, really need to find "Even Hand". While Marcone doesn't hold the same appeal for me as Mab, he's still a great character and a necessary presence, and I am very interested to find out what he's been up to.
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Posted 03 August 2011 - 12:14 PM

I loved the fact that Uriel said there was a way for the black hats (Fallen) to cheat. Love the Guardian Angels (of Death!)or is that the (Guardian) Angels of Death? I want to see someone do something that lets one of them off the leash.
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#27 User is offline   Slow Ben 

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Posted 03 August 2011 - 10:33 PM

I'm only about halfway through Ghost Story so far. And i havent read any post in this thread. But i had to share.


When Harry said "What would Jack Burton do"?

It was awesome.


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Posted 04 August 2011 - 09:26 AM

That line fell totally flat for me, as I have no idea who Jack Burton is/was.
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Posted 04 August 2011 - 09:33 AM

View PostUseOfWeapons, on 04 August 2011 - 09:26 AM, said:

That line fell totally flat for me, as I have no idea who Jack Burton is/was.

JB is Kurt Russell's character from Big Trouble in Little China, and kinda like a less accomplished Dresden in how he accidentally gets out of bad situations.
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#30 User is offline   acesn8s 

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Posted 04 August 2011 - 01:08 PM

View Postamphibian, on 04 August 2011 - 09:33 AM, said:

View PostUseOfWeapons, on 04 August 2011 - 09:26 AM, said:

That line fell totally flat for me, as I have no idea who Jack Burton is/was.

JB is Kurt Russell's character from Big Trouble in Little China, and kinda like a less accomplished Dresden in how he accidentally gets out of bad situations.


Jack Burton is the quintessential weirdness magnet. The poor guy just wanted his truck back.

And you know what ol' Jack Burton would do? He'd stare that big sucker in the eye and say, ""Have ya paid your dues, Jack?" "Yessir, the check is in the mail.""
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#31 User is offline   QuickTidal 

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Posted 05 August 2011 - 05:32 PM

View Postacesn8s, on 04 August 2011 - 01:08 PM, said:

View Postamphibian, on 04 August 2011 - 09:33 AM, said:

View PostUseOfWeapons, on 04 August 2011 - 09:26 AM, said:

That line fell totally flat for me, as I have no idea who Jack Burton is/was.

JB is Kurt Russell's character from Big Trouble in Little China, and kinda like a less accomplished Dresden in how he accidentally gets out of bad situations.


Jack Burton is the quintessential weirdness magnet. The poor guy just wanted his truck back.

And you know what ol' Jack Burton would do? He'd stare that big sucker in the eye and say, ""Have ya paid your dues, Jack?" "Yessir, the check is in the mail.""


"No horsehit Wang?"

You know what ol' Jack always says at a time like this? Ol' Jack says "What the hell"
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#32 User is offline   Obdigore 

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Posted 05 August 2011 - 09:45 PM

Finished it in AK. It was pretty awesome. I expected him to end up in a different body so he could make that break from his friends, but I suppose that this way works as well...

6 months and the whole world has gone to hell, not literally yet, but still...

I can't help but think that the fact that The One Who Walks Behind wasn't trying to kill Harry as he remembered is something very very very very important for the future.
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Posted 06 August 2011 - 10:01 AM

if He Who Walks Behind and the Fomor are lovecraftian in nature (as I suggested in the other thread) then you can see the claim that they'll return soon in connection with Dresden being child of the stars (or something like that) and the great old ones returning when the stars are right as written by Lovecraft.
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#34 User is offline   Obdigore 

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Posted 08 August 2011 - 06:40 PM

View PostMorgoth, on 06 August 2011 - 10:01 AM, said:

if He Who Walks Behind and the Fomor are lovecraftian in nature (as I suggested in the other thread) then you can see the claim that they'll return soon in connection with Dresden being child of the stars (or something like that) and the great old ones returning when the stars are right as written by Lovecraft.


I'm not up at all on Lovecraft, but what if when he says things are coming back, all the stories of all the tribes of humankind are real? Ancient Egyptian gods fighting the Greek/Roman pantheon? We know the Christian God, and the Norse Cycle exist as well as the American Indian stuff.

Perhaps that is why Harry is getting all this power? He is going to have to end squabbles between gods to save what is left of the earth after their battles? I freely admit to not being up on say chinese/indian(much)/russian(did they have specific gods before the coming of the orthodox church? Toot implies they had something but I don't know what)/Samoan/Australian Native/African Tribesman?

Perhaps their respective powers are directly related to the locations they have risen from accompanied by the number of followers almost as it was in Kraken by China-man?

Hasn't the whole story up to this point nearly said that everything we have 'myths' about did exist in some form or another?

This post has been edited by Obdigore: 08 August 2011 - 06:42 PM

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#35 User is offline   Aptorian 

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Posted 08 August 2011 - 07:24 PM

Everything and more. Even Santa Clause and Spider-man exists if you want to believe Bob.

I think the issue lies in what is left of the civilizations and pantheons that once were. A lot of those gods are probably outright dead or destroyed. The memories of their reign and their religions are gone. Others, like Odin and the Asgaard have adapted or changed. And those that are left are suppressed by the status quo. If these old powers are going to return it is implied that the current ones need to be weakened or destroyed. Explaining the actions of the Black Council and the attack on Mab.

What has me curious is why the Angels are so interested in Dresden. What are their lot in things? If you want to believe the lore "The White Christ" and the Archangels are extremely powerful and it seems they are omnipotent (to an extent). How do you fight them?

This post has been edited by Nyapt Cat: 08 August 2011 - 07:26 PM

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#36 User is offline   Obdigore 

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Posted 08 August 2011 - 07:52 PM

View PostNyapt Cat, on 08 August 2011 - 07:24 PM, said:

Everything and more. Even Santa Clause and Spider-man exists if you want to believe Bob.

I think the issue lies in what is left of the civilizations and pantheons that once were. A lot of those gods are probably outright dead or destroyed. The memories of their reign and their religions are gone. Others, like Odin and the Asgaard have adapted or changed. And those that are left are suppressed by the status quo. If these old powers are going to return it is implied that the current ones need to be weakened or destroyed. Explaining the actions of the Black Council and the attack on Mab.

What has me curious is why the Angels are so interested in Dresden. What are their lot in things? If you want to believe the lore "The White Christ" and the Archangels are extremely powerful and it seems they are omnipotent (to an extent). How do you fight them?


Interesting. The only response I have besides agreement with what you have posted is that the only way to fight angels/christian god is through free will. If the great white Satan, or possibly any other immortal/godlike being interferes with free will in a mortal (or possibly one of the fae? I wonder...) then the Archangels can get involved by, while not interfering with free will, but offering the mortals a chance or a choice to 'take back' their forced action.

Am I making any sense?

Anyway I would like to know what Satan (or another immortal/godlike being) did to Harry to override his free will which allowed Uriel to get involved?
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#37 User is offline   Aptorian 

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Posted 08 August 2011 - 08:11 PM

They didn't take his free will. Rather they whispered a lie to him in a moment when he was susceptible to that kind of manipulation. Nudging him down an avenue of thought that he would not otherwise had gone down. I can't remember the exact explanation in the scene where Harry was lying in the church, but basically they told him that he had run out of choices. Become a slave to Mab or kill yourself. Or something like that. I think. What makes this explanation curious is why a Fallen didn't appear to him and offer him a Coin outright. Something tells me that the Fallen wants Harry dead more than they want to recruit him, which again lends wait to the notion that Dresden is very important in the upcomming apocalypse.

What has me really curious is what the point was. Everything that happened in that book was about teaching Harry a lesson. A lesson in humility I guess. Teaching him about the error of his way and showing him how destructive a path he was going down. But why? From the ending we can understand that Harry was never going to "die die" Mab intercepted him and would have brought him back to life in no time. But Uriel interfered. He ferried away Harry's soul so that he could use him. Why did that take 6 months? Was there a point in waking Harry up then? Like Harry said, Uriel was hitting more than one bird with one stone, that stone being Harry. But if Harry had not been missing for 6 months, then the situation would not have been so severe in Chicago, making the exercise pointless.

So confusing. God damn enigmatic Angels.

This post has been edited by Nyapt Cat: 08 August 2011 - 08:14 PM

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#38 User is offline   Obdigore 

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Posted 08 August 2011 - 08:18 PM

Are we sure that it was what whisper when his back was broken in Changes? I thought that was Harrys assumption, not something stated by Uriel? I read the book quite quickly on my phone and I need to go back and read it again slowly and catching more stuff.
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#39 User is offline   Aptorian 

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Posted 08 August 2011 - 08:26 PM

I think somebody needs to get a quote from the scene so that we can get Uriels meaning. It was seven words. Whispered in his ear. I'd find it now but I really need to get to bed.
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Posted 08 August 2011 - 09:47 PM

Quote

And it was all your fault, Harry.


That would appear to have been the whisper. 7 words, just like when Uriel gives his little whisper to Harry when Mab and Demonreach are talking

Quote

"Lies. Mab cannot change who you are.”



Here is a longer snippet of that scene with Uriel and Harry

Quote

I did remember. I remembered with perfect clarity, in fact.
“I thought that I’d been defeated before. That people had even died because I failed. But those people had never been my own flesh and blood. They hadn’t been my child. I’d lost. I was beaten.” I shook my head. “I remember saying to myself that it was all over. And it was all your fault, Harry.”
“Ah,” Uriel said as I finished the last sentence, and he lifted his hand. “Now look.”
I blinked at him and then at the image of me lying on the cot. “I don’t . . .” I frowned. There was something odd about the shadows in the room, but . . .
“Here,” Uriel said, lifting a hand. Light shone from it as though from a sudden sunrise. It revealed the room, casting everything in stark relief—and I saw it.
A slender shadow crouched beside the cot, vague and difficult to notice, even by Uriel’s light—but it was there, and
it was leaning as though to whisper in my ear.
And it was all your fault, Harry.
The thought, the memory, resonated in my head for a moment, and I shivered.
“That . . . that shadow. It’s an angel?”
“It was once,” he said, and his voice was gentle—and infinitely sad. “A long, long time ago.”
“One of the Fallen,” I breathed. “Yes. Who knew how to lie to you, Harry.”


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