[Whisperzzzzzzz]

Starting this'un.

[Cyphon]

Amph is Kanse Rooted which is my drago metropolis if that rings any bells.

The snake is both wearisome and has good short snippets. When I first read their sections in the book I groaned, but occasionally I enjoy it.

[Cyphon]

Most of my reading has been in the wee hours joggling a little one so not kept up with notes on this.

The knife Bugg provides is to create the water later?

Deadsmell is a Talon!? The elusive signs he sees can't be Tavore right?

Completely forgotten what Ubala's role here is.

And I forgot the Bridgeburners offer to Kaylth in her moment of need.

Edit; and the arrival to Kharknas was pretty epic. The watch is pretty tropely awesome. Will be interesting to see how it gets to that state in the final book of the trilogy.

Never know how much to disregard of Silchas Ruin's chat with Rud as true or not.

This post has been edited by Cyphon: 20 December 2020 - 07:08 PM

[Cyphon]

Othar Ethil, not sure i buy she was/is Burn. Think it's one of those flawed memory.

Came to the scene with Hetan that Macros hates. It's horrible, fading memory has dulled it. The whole book creeks with dissolution and pathos, and makes it quite a tough read. I wonder what the forum Hetan thought of it when she read it. It's quite a fall of description for the Barghsst compared to where we first meet them. The preceding scene to the hobbling, Hetans perspective is so passive and maternal... and I don't feel like you see that character 'development' over the books which doesn't aid making this all any more understandable.

At least Toc was there for the little uns.

[Keysi]

So yeah what with Christmas and all I totally fell off the wagon for joining in with this read. A malazan book a month is hard going.

[Whisperzzzzzzz]

Keysi, on 27 December 2020 - 11:36 PM, said:

So yeah what with Christmas and all I totally fell off the wagon for joining in with this read. A malazan book a month is hard going.

Agreed. I'm making good progress with DoD, about halfway through. But, it's been almost a year since I've read a book by anyone but ICE or SE. As much as I'm enjoying Malazan, I look forward to reading new writing from other authors.

This post has been edited by Whisperzzzzzzz: 28 December 2020 - 01:04 AM

[Cyphon]

Seconded. I'm about two thirds though.

The Watch and Twilight just stirred mother dark awake. Some nice ancient references to the Azanthanthai in their quarries.

Hetan's death and the barghasts fall, doesn't really seem to have any purpose. I cant see why of this storyline except for making them root for the downfall of tradition and lack of compassion.

[Cyphon]

Nearly finished. I'd say the book gets a lot better after the Hetan debacle and you get more of the plot moving forward and hints and clues to wider plotlines etc.

[Cyphon]

Finished. I had forgotten Icarium's end.

The Barghast/Hetan/Senan plotline seems utterly pointless.

Id say its a book of two halves, pixking up quite a bit after the hobbling.

Is Sulkit a short tail matron or long tail matron?

Onto the Crippled God.

[Cyphon]

And I had forgotten the end of Icarium, which you'd think I'd remember. I dont remember whether the consequence of this new Azath is discussed in tCG but I'll guess I'll find out imminently.

And and and id forgotten the return of Hood. Who else is due to pop out of Dragonipur?

This post has been edited by Cyphon: 06 January 2021 - 06:58 AM

[JPK]

I'm right around halfway now and dreading each new chapter because I know the Hobbling is coming. I forgot how many chapters pass between the death of Tool and the outcome for his family. It's kinda cruel really, gives you time to think maybe it's not coming.

I did forget how enjoyable the Sinn and Grub exploration sections are to read though.

[Stalker]

I finished this over the weekend and am moving into TCG.

The short tails vs. the Bonehunters was a great section - sorcery, munitions, the heavies - lots to enjoy. The Kundryl Burned Tears charging in reminded me of LoTR and Pellanor Fields with the Rohirrim.

The hobbling and continuation of that storyline was awful, as expected. I thought I recalled some positive end to that thread, but nope. Wishful thinking on my part.

[Keysi]

Am I the only one who doesn't hate the Hobbling scene then?

I mean, obviously, as an act its absolutely deplorable, disgusting and I can't even begin to give justice to how awful it is,

but as a piece of writing and the sheer ballsyness of Erikson to include it. I don't think there's anything else in fiction or perhaps even a lot of non fiction that compares to it. I think the story is the better for it being included.

The same of which can be said for several events in this series. The crucifixion of children, many of the battle scenes, pretty much anything in Memories of Ice.... are just a few examples that spring to mind. I've done 8 and a half years in the military and been on a few operations and even I often thought to myself "wtf did I just read". Not nice but still impressive writing.

It definitely cements this series as being the most grim and brutal I've read and am likely to read.

[Cyphon]

I think the issue of why it is included. The whole storyline could be argued to be not relevant to the plot and therefore the rationale for including it is...

At best I'd see it as a parable for the failings of a lack of compassion or adhering to tradition.

[Keysi]

Maybe... I can sorta see that. I read it as necessary in the sense to see the (undeserved) repercussions of Tool's failure. And to show just how disgustingly brutal and vicious the Barghast are as a race.

Do we rank the Barghast as more vicious than humans? Maybe the FA should have been on a mission to wipe them out first then humanity.

I think by that stage I was just wanting to be shocked and mentally manhandled as much as possible. Like gimme yer best shot Erikson.

[ContrarianMalazanReader]

Originally Erikson intended to publish DoD and TCG as one single book, but printing technology would not allow for such an unwieldy book.

Icarium's story reads like a load of nonsense.

I found an inconsistency in the timeline. According to TtH, it's been about five or six years since MoI, but here in DoD they claim it took the Bonehunters about a year to reach Lether and that they've been stationed in Letheras for a few months since RG.

Thankfully Tehol is only in the early part of the book. I don't know why he's so popular among readers, as I find him annoying and perhaps the most overrated character in the series. The reveal that Jannath is expecting struck me as odd, as we get no sense of intimacy between them.

I wasn't the least bit bothered by Hetan's hobbling, and I suspect this is down to her character assassination in RG, where she went from a badass warrior to a boring passive housewife.

The whole Kurald Galain/Kharkanas plot should have been it's own book.