[Sinisdar Toste]

crazy theory time on QB - his first scene, at the spar of andii, he speaks into the blackness, addressing or referring to first, a Mother, then a Father. both capitalized. now, who would someone like quick ben refer to in that way, when he is most assuredly being dominated by a soul that is intimately related to darkness at the time? the mother is clearly mother dark as he talks about her son opening the way, but the Father?

well, i initially thought draconus. but that doesn't fit with how quick was behaving when draconus tried to contact him in DoD. doesn't fit at all, and nobody has ever called Draconus father, to my knowledge. who else could it be? Father Light? i'm not sure... could one of quicks souls be rakes long lost step-brother? this is just a theory mind, but i like the sound of it. i've heard some people speculate the quick has blind gallan in 'im, but i'm not so sure about that now. blind gallan, as far as we know, is a pure-blood andii, would he speak with such familiarity to a "Father" in this context? i'm kind of piling what if's on what if's now so i'll stop, but it would be interesting to find out if it was covered in the Kharkanas trilogy.

quick also mentions the blood being 'old and thin', but that is probably just referring to the fact that he's crowded in with 11 other souls, one of them a jhag, one a soletaken, etc. etc.

[Ceda Cicero]

Sinisdar Toste, on 03 March 2011 - 08:51 PM, said:

crazy theory time on QB - his first scene, at the spar of andii, he speaks into the blackness, addressing or referring to first, a Mother, then a Father. both capitalized. now, who would someone like quick ben refer to in that way, when he is most assuredly being dominated by a soul that is intimately related to darkness at the time? the mother is clearly mother dark as he talks about her son opening the way, but the Father?

well, i initially thought draconus. but that doesn't fit with how quick was behaving when draconus tried to contact him in DoD. doesn't fit at all, and nobody has ever called Draconus father, to my knowledge. who else could it be? Father Light? i'm not sure... could one of quicks souls be rakes long lost step-brother? this is just a theory mind, but i like the sound of it. i've heard some people speculate the quick has blind gallan in 'im, but i'm not so sure about that now. blind gallan, as far as we know, is a pure-blood andii, would he speak with such familiarity to a "Father" in this context? i'm kind of piling what if's on what if's now so i'll stop, but it would be interesting to find out if it was covered in the Kharkanas trilogy.

quick also mentions the blood being 'old and thin', but that is probably just referring to the fact that he's crowded in with 11 other souls, one of them a jhag, one a soletaken, etc. etc.

I'm still of the mind it's Draconus. Don't think it's Father Light as Quick shows no aspect or affinity towards Light (weak argument I know, but hey.) Also he mentions how his father should have "kept him in chains" - Draconus has some affiliation with chains through Dragnipur.

Also mild nitpickiness - "no one has ever called Draconus father" -- what about Spite and Envy?

[Luzburg]

Cicero, on 03 March 2011 - 10:14 PM, said:

Sinisdar Toste, on 03 March 2011 - 08:51 PM, said:

crazy theory time on QB - his first scene, at the spar of andii, he speaks into the blackness, addressing or referring to first, a Mother, then a Father. both capitalized. now, who would someone like quick ben refer to in that way, when he is most assuredly being dominated by a soul that is intimately related to darkness at the time? the mother is clearly mother dark as he talks about her son opening the way, but the Father?

well, i initially thought draconus. but that doesn't fit with how quick was behaving when draconus tried to contact him in DoD. doesn't fit at all, and nobody has ever called Draconus father, to my knowledge. who else could it be? Father Light? i'm not sure... could one of quicks souls be rakes long lost step-brother? this is just a theory mind, but i like the sound of it. i've heard some people speculate the quick has blind gallan in 'im, but i'm not so sure about that now. blind gallan, as far as we know, is a pure-blood andii, would he speak with such familiarity to a "Father" in this context? i'm kind of piling what if's on what if's now so i'll stop, but it would be interesting to find out if it was covered in the Kharkanas trilogy.

quick also mentions the blood being 'old and thin', but that is probably just referring to the fact that he's crowded in with 11 other souls, one of them a jhag, one a soletaken, etc. etc.

I'm still of the mind it's Draconus. Don't think it's Father Light as Quick shows no aspect or affinity towards Light (weak argument I know, but hey.) Also he mentions how his father should have "kept him in chains" - Draconus has some affiliation with chains through Dragnipur.

Also mild nitpickiness - "no one has ever called Draconus father" -- what about Spite and Envy?

I think he meant along the lines of Mother Dark, Father Light, Father Shadow.

I think its a mystery!

[Sinisdar Toste]

yeah, Father in the primordial sense, not the literal sense. that's why i don't think draconus is who he's referring to. now if he said Consort...

[tiam]

I like the Blind Gallan theory but that would make QB alot more powerful than he is.

As for the Father Id say FL. Its plausible QB has an Soul in him and address them both. It also explains why the blood is 'thin' as hes not pure Andii, although I admit it could be because hes so crammed full of souls.

As for which Edur we have that list from the Endest Silan POV (did he die btw I assume he did given his absence in this book) abou the civil wars in kharkanas. Could be one of them?

[theimmaterial]

spiralx, on 03 March 2011 - 12:36 AM, said:

Anyway, I've just finished the book and I'm left feeling a bit... meh. There were undoubtedly some amazing scenes and sections of the book, but also lots of elements that seemed only to distract from the story as a whole - whereas some people are saying that they wished various plot lines had have had a resolution, I felt that, especially in the first half of the book, there were just too many scenes that didn't seem to connect to anything else and for me broke the flow of the story. And a lot of minor characters whose stories I didn't really care about to be honest.

This is exactly how I felt. Too many minor people's coming in towards the end (final third?) of the series getting too much facetime and the rest suffering for it. Whilst I don't deny the shake storyline was nice, it could easily have been a separate novella. It pretty much did nothing for the plot. Nothing to do with the crippled god except for a quick one line about them being allied to the forkrul assail, not even a silchas ruin 'Excuse me sir but you appear to have my Hust sword' cameo.

Bolkando, Perish, Shake, Liosan and Niamnder could never have existed and I wouldn't think anything was missing. This isn't to deny that some bits with them were genuinely good but it seemed like unnecessary clutter and it meant other sections got compressed. At times it felt there wasn't enough space for events to unfold in a truly epic manner and rather we got an almost bullet point run down of what had happened. 'There was this fight, this person died, Tavore seemed stressed, would they make it through?. Now back to the shake for another chapter in glorious high definiton.' I saw but I did not feel.

Still a good read by malazan standards (which is a great read by any other). I guess I just expected a little more, something befitting a 10th book finale.

[Ulrik]

Dunno man, I dont want to sound offensive, but... how could you say that, when key leitmotif of TCG are those little, unwitnessed people? I feel their importance underlined in every page - without them Tavore would fail. For me, TCG was exactly about those "tiny" heroes like Shorthand, Pithy, Brevity, regulars...

For me is epic moment when Urb says Hellian that he loves her, Skulldeath falls, Brevity find new best friend, Gruntle dies unwitnessed without changing anything...and so on and so on.

I dare to oppose you!

[miriya]

Luzburg, on 02 March 2011 - 12:04 PM, said:

Iamme, on 02 March 2011 - 11:45 AM, said:

Watch took down a Pure FA just like that and then he killed a frakking dragon! Witness!

And hes gay. Which really shows SE's thinking on how heroism is irrelevant to all the minor things us humans find to downgrade other with.

I found that line where he admits he doesn't like women and the one where he talks about being a prince who won't produce an heir to be powerful. I was thinking he was destined for Skulldeath at that stage. Wouldn't that be a scary duo.

--

Lastly, hood has shown time and again that he is the most compassionate god of all. When he strode through Darujhistan, showing mercy to those who deserved it we saw a glimpse. When we discover he only took up the throne of death to end the horrific war against it we see how vast his love is.

Yedan totally didn't set off my fiction!gaydar, despite these things mentioned. Rather, I thought he was just completely consumed by duty - or, I suppose, that sense of rightness (how he didn't feel as if he'd 'come home', so on) and just didn't have time or inclination for the ladies. Didn't like women, but didn't necessarily like men, you know? Skulldeath, Tavore were both obvious; Yedan's sexuality was a complete non-issue in story, for any sort of purpose. (It's actually kind of interesting, now that I think about it; one could write a hugely interesting essay on sexuality in the Malazan world, and the overarching theme of the story.) Though ... holy crap, they would be quite the duo, haha. But I totally feel you on the tolerance theme, and Hood -- oh god, Hood. Toll the Hounds was my favorite since MoI for that entire trip through Daru (though Anomander destroyed me even more).

leena, on 03 March 2011 - 08:05 PM, said:

Hmmmmmm.

I think the thing with SE's writing is that he wants the reader to read between the lines with a lots of things, use our imaginations and that. I dont see how it can be THAT dissapointing to the point of deppresingly so. Wouldnt we be a lot more dissapointed if SE spent paragraphs and paragraphs (warning: here follows an admittedly poor and slightly retarded example-) describing how Skulldeath survives, meets a nice boy, runs off into the sunset, finally orgasms and magically gives birth to a large and happy family? I want SE to emotionally punch me in the face repeatedly by giving some much-loved charachters short (and sometimes underwhelming) deaths, I like the idea that theres loose-ends and moments where you have to put the book down and wonder what just happened, or feel genuine dissapointment that something happens the way you wherent expecting it. I think a simple way to put it is that, like many things in life, you either "get it" or you dont. For me, its not about fight scenes that last chapter after chapter, where the "heroes" of the book get the epic page space they deserve. I take from the whole series the actual meanings put across (about humanity etc.etc.) and personally I think if you do get the meanings and views SE puts across it can be life changing.
And Quick Ben and Kalam being amazing helps as well.

I think so sometimes, but on the other hand (especially in TTH and TCG) we were spoonfed oodles of information via Inner Monologue; I love it so I had no qualms, but I could definitely see where some people wouldn't like it as much, and why you'll hear the argument of 'told, not shown'. And god, don't bring HP into this, haaaaaaa, god not another hideous epilogue. (Though Skully is looking for his queen, and he doesn't mean that kind of queen, eh?) As for "I want SE to emotionally punch me in the face repeatedly by giving some much-loved charachters short (and sometimes underwhelming) deaths ...." This. Holy sacred god of everything, this. I was intrigued by GotM despite the slow start, but DG, and the Chain of Dogs and the utter heartwrenching tragedy of all of that is why I really really got into it. I love that curb-stomped feeling, and honestly I think it's why SE is my favorite author -- I've never seen anyone do it (again, and again, and again) and manage to not make those deaths and tragedies trite. Absolute proof: Beak's sacrifice in Letheras; I was heartbroken for weeks. And when Gruntle bit the dust, I sobbed like a little girl. Those last two lines did it, and did it well, and the last few books had hinted at this tragedy of such epic proportions that I refused to touch the last few hundred pages at work lest I break down into a sobbing, gooey wreck (which I totally was, not going to lie). And yet ...

And yet, my disappointment comes from gearing up for the most tragic thing in the history of ever, and ... not so much. Like the sense that some orphanage for cancer kids is about to go up in flames, and then someone running over a squirrel, or something. Which sounds stupid; I'm not saying I'm disappointed that it's not sad enough because holy crap those single lines of heart destruction kept coming, but all the build up hinted at so much more. Badalle was a complete cocktease in this regard - she says she'll never see Fid again, because Fathers go away and never come back and I was sure he was toast, and then ... nope. And what was that line? Like, 'when the last of you fall, I will raise you up again?' I thought we had another Chain of Dogs complete annihilation on our hands, and ... no. It's nice to see that folks survived, and I'm curious as to what happens to them next (especially given the current clusterfunk that is the Malazan Empire and wtf is it going to do with no armies?) and life will go on, so ... yeah. A few untied threads, people and gods I thought really would have been there at the end (Kruppe, Kallor, Karsa, various other K-people, Envy & Spite etc) or, y'know, at least been heard from. But overall? It was very, very good, and I'm taking a little bit of time to savor it before hitting up Wise Man's Fear. (SE, you know where my loyalties lie, sir.)

...and okay, it's been irritating me the entire series; how's about that mason of death? Was it Whiskeyjack, or was it Fid? I know things got switched and tilted, but six full read-throughs (through DoD at least) and each time I found something to implicate either one of them. Random yes, but here we are.

Carry on!

[spiralx]

Ulrik, on 05 March 2011 - 08:39 AM, said:

Dunno man, I dont want to sound offensive, but... how could you say that, when key leitmotif of TCG are those little, unwitnessed people? I feel their importance underlined in every page - without them Tavore would fail. For me, TCG was exactly about those "tiny" heroes like Shorthand, Pithy, Brevity, regulars...

For me is epic moment when Urb says Hellian that he loves her, Skulldeath falls, Brevity find new best friend, Gruntle dies unwitnessed without changing anything...and so on and so on.

I dare to oppose you!

For myself personally I wasn't referring to the Bonehunters themselves when I said "minor characters", their story is the core of the series after all, and all the scenes you mention were ones I loved. But I just didn't really care much for say, who was sleeping with who in the Khundryl, or the the Trygalle lot bickering endlessly. Especially when, as miriya said, there was a lot of inner monologue that for me at times seemed less like the thoughts of an actual person, and more like the contents of a writing class exercise like "have a character contemplate the nature of futility". That works for some of the characters - Ascendents, gods and the like - but not for the wife of the chief of a clan of horse nomads.

After having thought about it for a bit I guess I feel it was all a bit anti-climatic, not so much because there were loose threads at the end, but because the final goal, the freeing of the CG, is something we only find out about in this book, and it's in direct opposition to how things seem in the earlier books, with their tighter focus and more emotional punch (IMO). While SE is as good as ever as making you feel emotionally invested in the outcome, I just didn't feel it was enough to close a 10 book series I've spent the last 12 years or so reading.

[Salt-Man Z]

Just finished it this weekend, and it was great. But still fairly disappointing in many ways. The irrelevance of the Shake plotline to the rest of the series (with the Liosan coming completely out of left field) is just one point. Like miriya, I was expecting a lot more tragedy than actually occurred; honestly, TCG was like a big "and they all lived happily ever" for the series, which was just...weird, but I guess that's just SE subverting expectations or something?

Anyway, I'd summarize my feelings for TCG as: lots of resolutions, few answers.

This post has been edited by Salt-Man Z: 06 March 2011 - 11:13 PM

[leena'saurus]

I dont know how to copy peoples words into my reply, but anyways- Miriya, good points. I agree that sometimes the "red herrings" of the book where a bit of a let down. When some of the regulars survived I think I actually said out loud "wtf are you chatting about then Badelle?!?!?!?!!" and I am (probably like a lot of you) incredibly biased when it come to SE's writing, to the point where I think he could write "Hi, my names Steven with a 'v'" and i would praise it as a piece of literary genius with controversial undertones, but I can see where people are coming from about being a bit dissapointed with it. I personally thought it was amazing. When I read Gesler and Stormys death I sobbed. I just think we will have to wait for the ICEman to release a couple more books and maybe a few questions will get answered.

Ooo, quick question- why didnt Tavore shed a little blood before that point in the story to get the magical water? Have I missed something? because she well could of saved a few more lives. I tryed really hard to like Tavore, and I did start to feel something more than indifference mixed with a bit of pity towards her but then the whole "yo Lostara, put this necklace on for me......OMG ITS A TALON!!!" bit just made me think she was a dickhead.

This post has been edited by leena'saurus: 07 March 2011 - 10:22 AM

[Dutch]

leena, on 07 March 2011 - 10:21 AM, said:

Ooo, quick question- why didnt Tavore shed a little blood before that point in the story to get the magical water? Have I missed something? because she well could of saved a few more lives. I tryed really hard to like Tavore, and I did start to feel something more than indifference mixed with a bit of pity towards her but then the whole "yo Lostara, put this necklace on for me......OMG ITS A TALON!!!" bit just made me think she was a dickhead.

I think because she completely forgot about it and when she got got that knife back in DoD they didn't say like when your are on the bottom of an ancient seabed in the glass desert, cut your hand, let it spill blood on the soil to get water.
Besides what I understood, only a part of the glass desert was an ancient seabed and it wouldn't work anywhere else.

I might be wrong, but that was my impression.

And to get the quote, just click on reply on the bottom of the post you want to react to. MultiQuote is next to it.

This post has been edited by Dutch: 07 March 2011 - 11:10 AM

[Luzburg]

leena, on 07 March 2011 - 10:21 AM, said:

I dont know how to copy peoples words into my reply, but anyways- Miriya, good points. I agree that sometimes the "red herrings" of the book where a bit of a let down. When some of the regulars survived I think I actually said out loud "wtf are you chatting about then Badelle?!?!?!?!!" and I am (probably like a lot of you) incredibly biased when it come to SE's writing, to the point where I think he could write "Hi, my names Steven with a 'v'" and i would praise it as a piece of literary genius with controversial undertones, but I can see where people are coming from about being a bit dissapointed with it. I personally thought it was amazing. When I read Gesler and Stormys death I sobbed. I just think we will have to wait for the ICEman to release a couple more books and maybe a few questions will get answered.

Ooo, quick question- why didnt Tavore shed a little blood before that point in the story to get the magical water? Have I missed something? because she well could of saved a few more lives. I tryed really hard to like Tavore, and I did start to feel something more than indifference mixed with a bit of pity towards her but then the whole "yo Lostara, put this necklace on for me......OMG ITS A TALON!!!" bit just made me think she was a dickhead.

Yea I felt that too. I think she is a bitch now. Especially that lameass comment to Deadsmell about Hood being alive. Knowitall!

[Use Of Weapons]

It's interesting to compare reactions in this thread to those earliest reactions to TTH.

[Traveller]

Kityhawk, on 28 February 2011 - 12:40 AM, said:

I know I'm probably going to get a lot of disagreement to this post but this is just my opinion and I felt compelled to write it.

Like many people on this forum I have very much looked forward to the release of The Crippled God to see how this epic series ends and where the twists and turns of the plot will eventually take the characters. I came in search of answers, of explanations, of closure. And for the great majority of the book I got absolutely none of it.

I personally don't see how you could have read through this entire series and expected everything to tie up nicely at the end.
So many story arcs, so many threads, the majority of which were drawn to some sort of close, or at least explained in far less abiguous detail than previously.

Most of the things I liked about the book were that the Shake storyline was quite well ended and I found myself far more drawn to the characters of Yan Tovis and Yeddan Derryg than in any previous book.

Agree there, it was a fine if tragic ending - and an epic battle.

Among the things I hated about this book were:

• The much anticipated meeting between Ganoes and Tavore was pathetically short lasting a mere third of a page.

Yes, and in that meeting there was the moment when Tavore finally, finally broke... I thought it was moving enough without
counting the words. And the moment when she drew her sword... and you think 'shes going to do it again!'....

• Characters such as Karsa, Kruppe, Heboric, Cutter/Crokus and Apsalar were relegated to blink-and-you-miss-it parts, particularly in the case of the last 2.

They had played their parts out in previous books. Their addition at all was a nice touch, and referenced the earlier stories, without going into too much detail. I didn't need a LOTR's multiple ending scenario.

Other characters such as Leoman, Felisin Younger, Korbolo Dom and Mallick Rel and many others aren't even in the story at all. In fact the whole Seven Cities and Malaz City stories are simply forgotten. Maybe SE says that they are all finished but it really didn't seem that way to me, and it is an exceedingly disappointing end to so many interesting developments.

Again, I'd say these characters parts in the main story arc had played out. It makes it more of a chronicle, a record, I don't think the story needed a review at the end of what happened to every character throughout the entire series.

Tavore and Ganoes again. Because Ganoes isn't given nearly enough time in the story. Somehow him and his army manage to magic their way to the other continent (yeah real convenient that) to eventually join with Tavore. But for a major character who's been away so long Ganoes isn't given nearly enough detail in the book and as far as I can make out we have no idea what the heck he's been doing between Bonehunters and The Crippled God.

Yes, Warren travel is convenient, but it's used throughout the rest of the series, so why the surprise? And he got quite a lot of time imo, including some new uses for cards... come on, a whole army charging through one gate into an unprepared enemy? And that ending..

And Tavore again because she has always been a character that could put the German enigma to shame (along with Quick Ben to some degree). But this is the end of the series I would have been nice to know what exactly was going on in her head instead of just more cryptic hints and clues. And we still don't even know for sure if she knows she killed her sister. Even Hood's not telling when asked he says 'irrelevant'. I felt like dropping a large heavy object on him after reading that.

Of course she didn't know - those who knew made sure she never found out. And for me, as her purpose was fulfilled, her character started to show.. when her helm is removed, she says' sorry, I must have been a mess..' and later asks if her statue will be beautiful.. I think finally she was showing the woman underneath, now that her cold 'armour' was no longer required. It was, after all the enigma, an insight into her as a person. Her coldness was already revealed as her compassion. I think it's a great bit of writing when so much can be conveyed in so few words.


Other annoying things are when Sinn goes psycho. I have no idea why or how (but maybe I've just missed something). And while I was sad to see Gesler and Stormy die I thought it odd they didn't seem to wonder why she'd gone all fire-crazy and didn't seem to have any qualms about killing her considering how long she'd been with the Bonehunters and was just a kid.

Sinn was taken over by a fire demon, which she'd used to 'cleanse' herself of her memories of rape. It had, in the end, consumed her, and her outrage was out of control.


Also Grub's character seemed to fizzle out but end of the book. We hear it's vital that he be protected and not die as he is the hope for the future. But he doesn't really do anything to justify that and we never really find out why he knows all that information that he shouldn't.

Grub steps up when he's needed to take control. Standing on a ridge, sitting astride a V'gath... the future High Fist, as predicted as far back as Deadhouse gates. This is his beginning - in no way does he 'fizzle out.'

I'm not trying to get into some massive argument. Nor do I consider myself a troll. In fact this post will probably be my last words on this forum. I was not an absolutely devoted fan of the series. But I bought and read all of the books after reading books 2 and 3 of the Book of the Fallen, which were 2 of the greatest novels I had ever read at the time. I also very much liked books 1, 5, 6, 7, and 9. But after reading the end of the Crippled God I just feel that the whole series is completely lost to me. And I take no pleasure in that knowledge because it has made me feel I have wasted all the years of my life I have spent reading it.

If the Crippled God was in some way totally different from those books you say you enjoyed, I might understand what you're saying, but really. I thought the ending would be more... catastrophic, based on the build up, and previous endings. magic could have been wiped from the earth. The Bonehunters could have gone down in a Coltaine like, nail biting blaze of blood and glory. But I like the fact that we were led to expect that, and it was different. I didn't predict how it would end, and I found the balance of who survived, and who didn't... satisfactory.

I curse the day I laid eyes upon the Malazan Book of the Fallen.

And I hope that the rest of you do not feel the same way.

I certainly don't. It's the best series I've ever read, and I will continue to get more out of it when I re-read it, as i'm sure a lot of people who appreciated it will.

This post has been edited by Traveller: 07 March 2011 - 08:41 PM

[Sinisdar Toste]

Dutch, on 07 March 2011 - 11:08 AM, said:

leena, on 07 March 2011 - 10:21 AM, said:

Ooo, quick question- why didnt Tavore shed a little blood before that point in the story to get the magical water? Have I missed something? because she well could of saved a few more lives. I tryed really hard to like Tavore, and I did start to feel something more than indifference mixed with a bit of pity towards her but then the whole "yo Lostara, put this necklace on for me......OMG ITS A TALON!!!" bit just made me think she was a dickhead.

I think because she completely forgot about it and when she got got that knife back in DoD they didn't say like when your are on the bottom of an ancient seabed in the glass desert, cut your hand, let it spill blood on the soil to get water.
Besides what I understood, only a part of the glass desert was an ancient seabed and it wouldn't work anywhere else.

I might be wrong, but that was my impression.

And to get the quote, just click on reply on the bottom of the post you want to react to. MultiQuote is next to it.

my understanding was that she had to wait until that point because if she had done it before, they would not have made it off the glass desert before it became inundated, inflicting upon the army the terrible irony of drowning just days after they had been dying of thirst

[Ceda Cicero]

How inundated was the Glass Desert? Was the whole thing transformed into a lake, or was it just one basin? I thought it was a basin, rather than the entirity of the region.

Either way my impression upon first read was that she waited that long because to do it earlier would've been premature. Keep in mind they were still something like 7 days from Icarias and 10 days from making it out of the desert when she used the knife - she asked for these estimates just before she used it, making me think that the calculations were important. If she'd done it earlier, they stocked up on a lake, but then had like 20 more days of marching to go, it might not have been enough.

Or something.

[Abyss]

Kityhawk, on 28 February 2011 - 12:40 AM, said:

...

• The much anticipated meeting between Ganoes and Tavore was pathetically short lasting a mere third of a page.

Characters ... were relegated to blink-and-you-miss-it parts, particularly in the case of the last 2.

• Other characters ...are simply forgotten. Maybe SE says that they are all finished but it really didn't seem that way to me, and it is an exceedingly disappointing end to so many interesting developments.

• Tavore and Ganoes again. Because Ganoes isn't given nearly enough time in the story. ...

I realize the OPoster has fled the scene (sure) but since others echo these comments i'll throw in my $0.02... the series had a cast of hundreds, if not thousands. Sure, everyone has their faves they want to see more or more in depth of, but that's the author's call.

I don't see how after enjoying nine books, one can write off the finale because certain events didn't happen the way the reader apprently wanted them to. if anything, that speaks volumes 9pun intended) to the level of care the author triggered for the characters.

Quote

... Other annoying things are when Sinn goes psycho. ...

Has been set up since her first appreance in HoC.

Quote

Also Grub's character seemed to fizzle out but end of the book. We hear it's vital that he be protected and not die as he is the hope for the future. But he doesn't really do anything to justify that and we never really find out why he knows all that information that he shouldn't.

Despite losing his powers that were apparently just borrowed from Sinn in the first place, he takes command of the Letherii line when Brys drops. As well, we find out he's aspected to the Chain of Dogs and NOT a normal child by any stretch.

Quote

I curse the day I laid eyes upon the Malazan Book of the Fallen.

That's a hell of a statement after enjoying nine books, but hey, it's an informed opinion and so she's entitled to it.

Iamme, on 02 March 2011 - 09:44 AM, said:

People expect books to end the way they want it to end, not the way author envisioned it to end. That's why so many are disappointed.

P.S: It seems Liosan and Assail were in cahoots.

Yep. the Nah'ruk too.

Luzburg, on 02 March 2011 - 12:04 PM, said:

Iamme, on 02 March 2011 - 11:45 AM, said:

Watch took down a Pure FA just like that and then he killed a frakking dragon! Witness!

And hes gay....

I didn't read it that way. He was just uninterested in more than the stabby.

Findarato, on 02 March 2011 - 04:53 PM, said:

chaosek, on 02 March 2011 - 03:22 PM, said:

QB has twelve souls, one of those belongs to the brother of that sister. Also we don't get the childhood memories from QB but from his sister. I have two theories on this, either the Andii soul is dominant or the souls are working together. Either way the body that houses the twelve souls is the one with the sister.

Thanks for the answers. I knew all this, but my confusion was about this one Andii soul being active, and the others not. As you said, it makes more sense to me, that the one soul is dominating.

I understood that the original Delat soul is dominant in some way but there's a Jhag and a part Andii in there so tons of potentialy goings on.

Quote

...and okay, it's been irritating me the entire series; how's about that mason of death? Was it Whiskeyjack, or was it Fid? I know things got switched and tilted, but six full read-throughs (through DoD at least) and each time I found something to implicate either one of them. Random yes, but here we are.

Neither of them were part of the pantheon in that role. But they may have played it at some point for the purposes of a Reading or events.

Salt-Man Z, on 06 March 2011 - 11:10 PM, said:

... I'd summarize my feelings for TCG as: lots of resolutions, few answers.

There were too many questions to ever expect complete answers. Part of the magic of the series is also part of what will frustrate readers who 'need' all the answers, i suppose.

leena, on 07 March 2011 - 10:21 AM, said:

...why didnt Tavore shed a little blood before that point in the story to get the magical water? Have I missed something? because she well could of saved a few more lives. ...

She waited until they were exactly half way because any sooner and they would not have had enough water to make it the rest of the way.

Don't forget that they started the trip with full stores (water and food) and made it ten days, halfway to their destination, with the added burden of the Snake kids, before they could go no further.

Had Tavore triggered Mael's dagger any sooner, they would have had water for ten more days - but that wouldn't have gotten them to where they needed to be and the army would have entirely died in the desert.


- Abyss, bets a horsepeetini makes a great aperatif...

[spiralx]

Cicero, on 07 March 2011 - 08:56 PM, said:

How inundated was the Glass Desert? Was the whole thing transformed into a lake, or was it just one basin? I thought it was a basin, rather than the entirity of the region.

I'm not actually sure - from when it formed it seemed as though it was just a lake, but towards the end of the story I'm sure someone mentions a new sea in or where the Glass Desert was.

[D'rek]

Abyss, on 10 March 2011 - 05:25 PM, said:

leena, on 07 March 2011 - 10:21 AM, said:

...why didnt Tavore shed a little blood before that point in the story to get the magical water? Have I missed something? because she well could of saved a few more lives. ...

She waited until they were exactly half way because any sooner and they would not have had enough water to make it the rest of the way.

Don't forget that they started the trip with full stores (water and food) and made it ten days, halfway to their destination, with the added burden of the Snake kids, before they could go no further.

Had Tavore triggered Mael's dagger any sooner, they would have had water for ten more days - but that wouldn't have gotten them to where they needed to be and the army would have entirely died in the desert.


- Abyss, bets a horsepeetini makes a great aperatif...

Funny thing is, looks like Tavore had planned it quite well but was foiled by the Snake kids showing up and depleting their water prematurely. Without the Shake I think she could've done it before a ton of fights broke out over the water and people died.