Reached the halfway point of
Assail and my confidence in ICE's ability to provide a fitting end to the Malazan cycle wanes more and more. . .
Still more than 250 pages to go, yet what I've read thus far doesn't show a whole lot of potential, unfortunately. Everything indicates that there will be a great convergence at the end, but the myriad paths leading us there are, at least insofar as I have read, nothing to write home about.
Without spoiling anything, here are my thoughts on each storyline you are familiar with (having read the first chapter at tor.com):
- Silverfox and the T'lan Imass: By far the least exploited thus far, when most fans expected this to be the heart of the tale. This storyline is granted very little "air time" and comes in small bits and pieces. . .
- Kyle: Probably the most interesting part of
Assail so far. Not that it's great by any stretch of the imagination, but stuff actually happens and his story progresses to some extent.
- The Crimson Guard: As was the case in
Blood and Bone, inane Forgotten Realms-like crap so far. . . A major disappointment yet again.
- Various sailors on their way to the gold rush: Mostly filler material in a first half of a novel which features filler material almost exclusively. Those people expecting a doorstopper book answering heaps of Malazan questions will likely be disappointed. Though there is still one half to go. But based on the first half, I wouldn't put money on it.
- Orman: Appears to be one of the plotlines used to unveil a lot of answers regarding Assail and its past. But it recently went down the crapper, so to speak. . .
Fisher (since he's part of the cover blurb): Probably the most interesting storyline of the book, yet it remains unclear what importance it will have in the greater scheme of things.
So based on their first half, I'd say that
Assail is better than
Blood and Bone. The story progresses extremely slowly and nothing much occurs, but it's not drifting aimlessly. So far, it's kind of like
Orb, Sceptre, Throne, which was so-so but with good bits here and there.
Reading on. . .
Patrick