[Ulrik]

One thing to the "bribes for reviewers" thing. I work as journalist, mainly writing reviews...forums all full of this bullshit about bribes...only time I was close to be bribed was on previe action with Halo: Reach and it was fresh energy drink from nearby shop...and I paid for it. Sorry...unless you are writing for New York Times...and even there I doubt it...

[Angel]

Ulrik, on 25 October 2010 - 05:41 PM, said:

One thing to the "bribes for reviewers" thing. I work as journalist, mainly writing reviews...forums all full of this bullshit about bribes...only time I was close to be bribed was on previe action with Halo: Reach and it was fresh energy drink from nearby shop...and I paid for it. Sorry...unless you are writing for New York Times...and even there I doubt it...

Redirect: Alright Pat, thanks for popping in... can you at least offer some more specific details on the style of writing, the quality, characterisation etc? It doesn't have to be specific because, as has been kindly pointed out to me numersous times, you don't do spoilers. But that isn't what I'm after. I just don't want to get overly excited over a book ( like RotCG) that will then have me put it down at the end and go... what was that?!? :S

[pat5150]

Sorry, can't really offer more at the moment. I'm sworn to secrecy, so to speak. . .

And believe me: Stonewielder delivers.

Have you read the prologue, by the way? It will give you an idea about the style and tone of the book.

Patrick

[Spiridon_Deannis]

Hilarious li´l thread.

Can´t say that I was too thrilled about NoK or RotCG, but once we get the PB-version, I´ll give Stonewielder a shot. THEN I´ll bitch...or not.

[Skywalker]

Hey Pat - heads up... I get this message every time I try to visit your blog in Google Chrome:

 Dayum.jpg (53.67K)
Number of downloads: 2

ETA: Sorry for the minor forum breaking huge attachment thingie

This post has been edited by Skywalker: 01 November 2010 - 01:37 PM

[Zendog13]

Thank you for the input Pat, much appreciated.

[Godfather Darkness]

Great review Pat, its reassuring to see that the next installment really delivers. After Nok i was unsure of ICE's style but RotCG was a big improvement. Needless to say, the series is in gud hands. Much appreciated pat .

[pat5150]

Skywalker, on 01 November 2010 - 01:35 PM, said:

Hey Pat - heads up... I get this message every time I try to visit your blog in Google Chrome:

Dayum.jpg

ETA: Sorry for the minor forum breaking huge attachment thingie

Some people using Chrome have experienced the same thing. Seems like there was a fuck-up with their latest update... Does the same thing with CNN.com, I'm told...

Patrick

[Werthead]

Stonewielder, the new MALAZAN novel by Ian Esslemont

Quote

Thirty years ago the Malazan Empire launched a devastating invasion of the island continent of Korelri. With the north-western approaches denied by the ferocious sea-dwelling creatures known as the Stormriders, the Malazans swung wide to the east and invaded the island of Fist, at the furthest edge of the archipelago. There, under the command of Greymane, a grinding war of attrition was fought across decades to no end, for the islands of Korelri are protected by a goddess known as the Blessed Lady. Her very presence inhibits the operation of Warren magic, the cornerstone of Imperial tactics. Eventually Greymane abandoned his post and the war effort faltered.

Now things are changing. In the wake of a devastating civil war on Quon Tali, a new Emperor sits the throne of Malaz, and he has determined that the time has come to take Korelri once and for all, despite the power of the goddess. A new invasion force is assembled, its task formidable but its soldiers keen. As war erupts once more, the stoic soldiers of the Stormwall keep to their task, holding the alien Riders back from their shores. Amongst them is a new champion, a warrior beyond compare, a soldier who cannot die...but his comrades are coming for him.

Stonewielder is the third novel by Ian Cameron Esslemont, the co-creator (along with Steve Erikson) of the world of the Malazan Book of the Fallen. Stonewielder takes place on that world, slotting into the timeline a few months after the events of Return of the Crimson Guard, roughly around the same time as Toll the Hounds. Familiarity with the Malazan novels is a major asset in reading this book, but only really Return of the Crimson Guard is needed to fully understand what is going on: several character and storylines begun in Return continue directly here. I also strongly recommend reading this novel before tackling Erikson's The Crippled God in a few months, as the ending of Stonewielder appears to be a direct set-up for that novel.

The island-continent/subcontinent (as we learn in the book, different governments and geographers argue as much as fans do about which it is) of Korel/Korelri/Fist (and we get another explanation why the place has so many names as well) has been discussed in hushed terms ever since Gardens of the Moon was published more than a decade ago, but curiously Korelri natives have been thin on the ground in the published novels and every character seems to have heard something different about what was going on there. Stonewielder clears all of this up, exposing secrets the Malazan Empire has been keeping about the place and the original invasion for some time. The first surprise is how small the place is: based on the map at the front of the book, it appears to be less than half the size of Quon Tali, itself a small landmass. Why hasn't the Malazan Empire outflanked and conquered it? As the book continues we learn why, and the frustrations of the Malazan high command become easier to understand.

Esslemont continues to develop and grow as a writer although, pleasingly, not in terms of word-count. Stonewielder is actually shorter than Return of the Crimson Guard and, whilst you'd never call a 620-pages-in-hardcover novel 'short', it's the shortest novel in the entire combined series bar only Night of Knives. At the same time it's as epic and vast as any of Erikson's novels, packing in a huge amount of story, major events and characters and still finding time for moments of comedy (Manask may now be my favourite Malazan comic character) and high tragedy. There's even some amusing metacommentary about fan discussions about the series: at one point two Malazan soldiers get into a discussion not about high philosophy, but about if the Malazans could beat the Seguleh in a stand-up fight, a discussion that feels like it's come right off the Malazanempire discussion boards.

Esslemont's characterisation is strong, stronger than his previous books, with characters like Suth (our resident new 'ordinary soldier' POV) set-up and well-motivated economically and skillfully, whilst Hiam, commander of the Stormwall, is an interesting character whose arc is full of pathos. Kyle, the callow youth soldier POV from Return of the Crimson Guard, has matured into a more interesting protagonist as well, whilst the Crimson Guard are more fully-rounded individuals this time, with better-established motivations. The action is also well-depicted, with both major land battles and naval engagements (featuring the occasionally-mentioned Moranth Blue doing some impressive things against the storied armada of Mare) showing that the Malazan Empire is still capable of kicking ass, even after its recent catastrophes.

On the weaker side of things, there is a lengthy subplot involving Kiska and a sojourn into the Warren of Shadow which is basically just set-up for future events (both in Esslemont's novels and possibly in The Crippled God and Erikson's planned Toblakai Trilogy as well). This section is well-written and features and the unexpected return of a fan-favourite character, but it lacks a defining climax.

Still, Stonewielder (****½) is both a gripping, bloat-free military fantasy which further illuminates and explores this intriguing world, and one of the strongest books in the series since the mighty Memories of Ice. The novel is available now in the UK and will be published in May 2011 in the USA.

[champ]

Great review Wert and I have to agree about Manask, definately rivals Tehol/Bugg for sheer comedy...

[Abalieno]

champooon, on 30 November 2010 - 05:01 PM, said:

Great review Wert and I have to agree about Manask

Is that the character that in the last Q&A Erikson said that Esslemont writes better than how he "played" it?

[Deragoth]

No offence, but this review is a joke. The storyline, characters and plot are all "pell-mell" to quote an ICE phrase. This is by far the worst story in the malazan line of novels. Characters are uninteresting, plotlines serve almost entirely no purpose and the integral scenes are forced quickly with no buildup or payoff. I own every malazan story there is, but this one seriously makes me reconsider purchasing anymore from I.C.E.

[Sinisdar Toste]

well it's good that you've got that off your chest. hope you can live your life to its fullest now that you've let us know of your displeasure.

[Aptorian]

But he has a point really.

It's been a little week since I finished the book and I've been thinking. Considering the disappointment I felt finishing the book, if this was any other author and series, I would stop buying the books and begin borrowing them from the library. RCG and SW were both "okay" reads that entertained and had their moments, but they were also both flawed books that I would not recommend buying unless you were a big Malazan fan.

But lets be honest here, I am a Malazan addict, and despite it's glaring faults, SW is still better fantasy than much of the pop fantasy released right now.

[champ]

It's all about perspective for us Malazan fans here...

Were on these forums for a reason, the fact that we love these books and we have such high expectations when a new book is released, with the bar SE sets is it a suprise if we get a little disappointed by a book released by an author still finding his feet and voice in this series! I cant imagine a harder task than coming late to the party and joining in with the best author out there...

But when you compare it against most other books released this year, it's a top read as far as Im concerned, I've read a lot of new books this year and that is the first I've read in one go, thats kept me up all night... But then I guess Im biased, as Apt says, Malazan addict!