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Its not as good as I would have hoped but its finished.
What do you think?
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House of Chains
Book Four of Malazan Book of the Fallen
Steven Erikson
Steven Erikson is a hurricane. Picking up one of his books is a mad dive into the heart of that storm. At first you have know knowledge of where you’re going. The world is a haze and you are twisted and turned, catching glimpses of the land beyond. After a time your fear passes, the glimpses become overwhelming visions and the storm is more beautiful than anything experienced ever before.
How do I explain Erikson to the uninitiated?
Think of all the most obscure, intricate and downright brilliant stories in all history. Now get them all together and weave them tightly around each other, linking things centuries apart and people continents between. Then have this elaborate story and the characters in it, ruthlessly manoeuvred by a host of gods using mortals as if we were chesspieces. Have empires rise and fall. Have loves lost and loves found. Mystery. Madness. And amidst it all, a manic laughter.
Non-can match the stories told by Steven Erikson in his epic masterpiece “The Malazan Book of the Fallenâ€.
Steven Erikson is not your conventional Fantasy author. All the stories of the archetype farm boy and the ancient prophecy are as children’s tales when compared to this complex tour de force. The common clichés that critics associate with fantasy are non-existent in this world. There is no simple heroes or simple evils, the characters are complex and well developed. The “bad guys†aren’t necessarily bad at all and in fact sometimes the reader will take the “enemy’s†side in an argument. It’s a hard idea to grasp for those who have a prejudice towards imaginary worlds and fantastic stories but something is different about this. The world could be real. Not scientifically or theoretically but from the realism of the characters and the world itself.
Erikson got the idea for the series from Napoleon’s book of the dead in that it catalogues the rise and fall of a mortal empire recounting the tales of its most famous and infamous players. Erikson draws on his knowledge of anthropology and history to create a unique style of work. At the beginnings of each chapter we, the readers get a glimpse into the world he has created. This glimpse comes in the form of poetry, historical footnotes, sayings and quotes. Unlike most other authors Erikson never wastes a sentence every single one is perfect construct, that plays a role in the interpretation of this work. There are many instances when he will describe inconsequential things like weather and rocks, lulling us into a state of lassitude only to rip us out again as we see layers of story beneath the sand and a foreboding symbolism in a wave or wind.
The world Erikson has created is so profound in its depth, the races that inhabit it so rich in culture that they transcend fantasy. Throughout the series every culture we encounter is unique (considering the sheer wealth of cultures, this is quite a considerable achievement, last inaccurate count was at fifty-two!). Along with a huge amount of races and peoples is an expansive history stretching millions of years into the past. The scope of these stories is huge and very daunting it must be said. One of the only negative criticisms of these books is that they doesn’t allow for passive reading. The books are written like a puzzle: when you start reading, you have no idea what you're reading. It's like you have begun reading the complete History of Earth, and started somewhere in the middle.
This is inscribed at the beginning of Gardens of the Moon book one of The Malazan Book of the Fallen
“Now these ashes have grown cold, we open the old book. These oil-stained pages recount the tale of the fallen, a frayed empire, words without warmth. The hearth has ebbed, its gleam and life's sparks are but memories against dimming eyes -what cast my mind, what hue my thought as I open the book of the Fallen and breath the deep scent of history? Listen, then, to these words carried on the breath. These tales are the tales of us all, again and again. We are history relived and that is all, without end that is all.â€
This extract is like something one would see in a history or philosophy text. This is a warning to people who like a hero to live and win the day, who like a simple story in a simple place or time. There is nothing simple here.
The idea we see in this extract, of history repeating itself is a constant theme throughout the books and even adds to the tragedies experienced by the characters. This is another thing that sets Erikson above the field. The characters aren’t air headed heroes they are people of whatever race with realistic emotions and reactions. The characterisation in these books is such that it can leave you laughing, weeping and jumping for joy. Unlike some fantasy authors Erikson isn’t afraid to explore the human condition. To him the idea of fantasy as an escapist genre is a foreign concept. For those who just want a light read I suggest they find another author.
The themes explored by Erikson are deep and memorable. They show the potential of fantasy to explore things that other literature can’t. We see the rigours of immortality and the effects of it on the mind. We see the effects of utter exile and exclusion. False gods and religious deception. We can even track the fall of an empire and lay it done to a specific social flaw. Honour. War and its effects. Greed. Reading this sought of fantasy isn’t an escape it’s simply a different way of teaching important lessons. It’s a gift of fantasy that a person can find it applicable in a thousand ways long after its time (Tolkien’s work for instance).
So far there are five books in the series and there will eventually be ten in all.
I have chosen to do a critique on the fourth book as this lets me look back on the series as whole (the fifth was yet to be released at this time). This book is entitled House of Chains and its tittle is very significant in itself on more that just a story related level. The very first scenes from book one describe a chain of soldiers. And throughout the other books chains are a constant symbol.
Another brilliant fantasy concept that is explored by Erikson (there are too many to name within reason of this review) is the use of a deck of cards. These cards can be likened to tarot cards in that they can tell the future by which gods are taking a hand in events. Despite this the cards are more like a regular deck. They are ordered into houses: light, dark, life, death, shadow and a new house of chains. Also in the deck are the unaligned, which are sought of like a whole heap of jokers only serving different purposes. This is new House of Chains is also what the tittle is referring to.
A fan of these books remarked that the narrative structure is similar to that of a Quentin Tarantino movie, it jumps from character to character, setting to setting and is often told in reverse order introducing new characters only to find they are actually old characters with new names. Thus we begin book four with a seemingly new and unseen character.
Karsa Orlong is a tool of his gods. He is a barbaric fighting machine who leads two of his fellow Teblor (a race best described as barbaric small giants) on a raid into human held lands. After killing and destroying half a city he is finally captured and put in chains (note the chains). Karsa is ruthless and bloodthirsty. We see an evil and barbaric creature whom commits awful crimes and deeds. Erikson takes us on a ride where Karsa becomes our most beloved character, his awful crimes forgotten and forgiven. But throughout the story he is chained, to gods without compassion or mercy. Some complain that Karsa is a poor character who ruins Erikson’s idea of a break from established fantasy because he is so powerful and all conquering. Others believe that Karsa is a good character who progresses as a person through the book.
Its quite strange for an Erikson story that we continue to follow this tale of Karsa as if he were the only character, the other three novels wove a handful of characters into the story. After a hundred and something pages which have only Karsa he reaches a place and becomes a character we already knew. From here the story launches into the format we have come to recognise. Characters new and old weave their stories into a vast tapestry that Erikson has become an adept at creating.
One of the most interesting stories I found was the story of two very different people developing a strong and profound friendship. Both characters are outcasts from their people. One is of a mortal race who, for crimes untold was turned out by his people. Outcast and then forgotten no one he knew may speak with him and none may even speak of him. The second character is immortal. He is of a race who 300,000 years ago pledged themselves to an eternal war transcending death. Only through the collective will of their people and the magic of their shamans do they exist. Onrack is one of these people and early in the story he is defeated in battle and his undead body broken. Amongst his people he is now a failure, useless and discarded. Together they keep each other alive and sane. Trull (the mortal) helps Onrack remember his mortal life before the ritual that made him undead. Their story is touching and deep. It explores things that other literature can’t, to create two very realised characters.
Other characters include an enigmatic soldier who has recently joined a punitive army of the Malazan Empire. The soldier leads a squad who fall in love with their excentric sergeant. Again we find out that he is an old character with a new name. A lot of the characters follow through from the second book (those that remained alive) and closure is brought to that story. Those characters include several formidable assassins who find themselves in a god’s servitude and the deposed priest from the second book.
The characters are unforgettable, the world is vast and its scope is unprecedented but the true brilliance of Erikson is seen the writing. Written as a linear, chronological story this would be a great read. It’s not written like that. Book one and two sort of fit into order although they are set on separate continents. Book three happens during book two and some of it occurs a few millennia before anything else. House of Chains rips it all asunder. The story of Karsa occurs before book one and it is sort of a prelude to book two. The events accounted in volume three are told of again in number four as the characters learn that tragic story. Book five is a prelude to Trull’s story in House of Chains. What this creates is wondrous and a deliberate change from the linear fantasy epics before it. His skill as a writer doesn’t stop there each sentence in House of Chains is a perfect construct, rolling off the page. He can make you hit the book in anger because there is no way someone can be this good! I have included a sample of his more memorable moments that are funny, inspiring and beautiful.
This scene is of a conversation between two unfriendly allies it is a comical type moment that is typical of all Erikson’s comical moments. That is conversations that are well said and quick. This is a memorable one from the third book. T’lan Imass are a people that lived 300,000 years ago and live on now as undead.
Kallor said: 'I walked this land when the T'lan Imass were but children. I have commanded armies a hundred thousand strong. I have spread the fire of my wrath across entire continents, and sat alone upon tall thrones. Do you grasp the meaning of this?'
'Yes,' said Caladan Brood, 'you never learn.
This next one is the epilogue of the book and it involved the two outcast characters along with two more undead of the same race as Onrack yet these are still. They are sitting in a cavern waiting for a battle with a host of children. It is a powerful scene that shows how the relationship between these two characters has grown. Monok Ochen and Ibra Gholan are members of the same undead race as Onrack only they are not outcast. A bonecaster is like a shaman and the ritual is what made them undead. Tiste Edur is Trull’s race of people (they are pretty much human) and the woman refered to was once Onrack’s wife, until he betrayed her for another.
Trull Sengar barked a laugh. ‘ This is ideal for an unskilled weaver of tales. My audience comprises a score of children who do not understand my native tongue, and three expressionless and indifferent undead. By tale’s end, only I will be weeping … likely for all the wrong reasons.’
Monok Ochen, who was standing three paces back from Ibra Gholan, slowly pivoted until the bonecaster faced Onrack. ‘ You have felt it, then, Broken One. And so you seek distraction.’
Onrack said nothing.
‘Felt what?’ Trull Sengar asked.
‘She is destroyed. The women who gave Onrack her heart in the time before the ritual. The woman to whom he avowed his own heart … only to steal it back. In many ways, she was destroyed then, already begun on her long journey to oblivion. Do you deny that, Onrack?’
‘Bonecaster, I do not.’
‘Madness, of such ferocity as to defeat the vow itself. Like a camp dog that awakens one day with fever in its brain. That snarls and kills in a frenzy. Of course, we had no choice but to track her down, corner her. And so shatter her, imprison her within eternal darkness. Or so we thought. Madness, then, to defy even us. But now oblivion has claimed her soul at last. A violent, painful demise, but none the less … ‘ Monok Ochem paused, then cocked its head. ‘ Trull Sengar, you have not yet begun your tale, yet already you weep.’
The Tiste Edur studied the bonecaster for a long moment, as the tears ran down his gaunt cheeks. ‘I weep, Monok Ochem, because he cannot.’
As is part of his style Erikson begins every chapter with a quote or poem this is a good quote.
It's the curse of history that those who should read it, never do.
This next two are part of several similar pieces done in the same style be an imagined author called “Fisher kel Thatâ€. It features at the beginning of many chapters.
And now here I sit,
on my brow a circlet of fire,
and this kingdom
I rule
is naught but the host
of my life’s recollections,
unruly subjects,
so eager for insurrection,
to usurp the aged man
from his charred throne
and raise up younger versions
one by one
The Crown of Years
Hear them rattle
These chains of living
Bound to every moment passed
Until the wreckage clamours
In deafening wake
And each stride trails
A dirge of the lost.
House of Chains
Erikson is in my mind one of the greatest writers of the modern era. It’s the fault of critics that he is not recognised as such. There is a prejudice towards fantasy and all authors in the genre, misconceptions fuelled by poor imagination and the many fantasy writers that decide to conform to those misconceptions.
Those people who read and enjoy Erikson’s work should try the following authors. George RR Martin, Robin Hobb, R Scott Baker and Guy Gavriel Kay all these write in very vivid worlds with great themes and interesting characters. I strongly suggest that those who have read some fantasy in the past and have disliked it read work by these authors.
Mark the author Steven Erikson. He has torn apart all the clichés associated with modern high fantasy. He builds a new beginning to the genre that is set to destroy the old ideals of publishers and critics. I recommend this author and series to all except those without imagination and people who just want a light read. Erikson combines brilliant writing with complex plot and realised characters to make a brilliant series and fabulous books. Once you have entered this storm chains will ever bind you to this fantastic world.
The End
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This is the written review I did on HoC.
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I HATE PORMQUAL 
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Posted 06 July 2006 - 02:08 AM
extensive.
two thumbs WAY UP
two thumbs WAY UP
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