[Abyss]

Holy. Wow.


...Spindle's conversation with Monkrat in chapter 11


Also, Oh dammit Limper is Iskar Jarak not Corporal Limp.

But let me back up a bit...

SHE WHO TEARS OFF HEADS! ..and Capt Gruff BLEW HER A KISS.

Damisk is having the weirdest week, between Rant, warbitch, kchain chemalle (not Nahruk), the 6 armed thing guarding the Beast Hold...

RANT COLLECTS JHECK CHAMPIONS
...also Yay back w Damisk!!!

... I need to go listen to Ch 11 a couple more times now....

[Abyss]

3 asshole merc sergeants: Wooo we totally kicked those marines asses we rock wooooo.
Balk: There were 1000 of us. And 50 of them. And we lost 400 mercs.And three of their squads weren't even in the fight. You idiots.
3 ams:


Balk: Wow one marine made all three of those assholes stand down. Wonder which one it was.
Ada: Obviously Oems, Benger, or Stillwater, the three we've identified as the mostest dangerous of them.
Balk: Agreed.
Oems: *Whines about not being a claw, falls asleep to bang ghost demon.*
Benger: *plays practical jokes*
Stillwater: *stabs herself repeatedly in the foot*
Clay Plate: *brushes off dust, kicks back with a beer*






...love this book so so much.

[Abyss]

Abyss, on 05 July 2021 - 05:29 PM, said:

RANT JUST KICKED A D'IVERS JHECK'S BUTT AND GOT A PET DRAGON GHOST WHEEEEEEE

Ok fine it's a Shi'gal not a dragon. Still cool, makes more sense given what happened w the knife.

The two Jheck are hysterical. The earbook narrator is having SO MUCH fun doing their voices i can almost hear her grinning.

The scene where Rant takes out the Teblor hounds and a warrior and then a frikkin dozen Jheck d'ivers wolves - who have been discussing for pages how they would like to kill him - back him up... EP.IC. And we didn't know til then that Nilgar was also d'ivers, which was interesting given the revelation he and Gower are bros.

Karsa's daughters are fairly awesome.


The heavies trying to count townspeople: funny.
Stillwater walking in and asking when to start massacring townspeople: i just ruptured something laughing.

[Cyphon]

Abyss, on 07 July 2021 - 02:34 PM, said:

3 asshole merc sergeants: Wooo we totally kicked those marines asses we rock wooooo.
Balk: There were 1000 of us. And 50 of them. And we lost 400 mercs.And three of their squads weren't even in the fight. You idiots.
3 ams:


Balk: Wow one marine made all three of those assholes stand down. Wonder which one it was.
Ada: Obviously Oems, Benger, or Stillwater, the three we've identified as the mostest dangerous of them.
Balk: Agreed.
Oems: *Whines about not being a claw, falls asleep to bang ghost demon.*
Benger: *plays practical jokes*
Stillwater: *stabs herself repeatedly in the foot*
Clay Plate: *brushes off dust, kicks back with a beer*






...love this book so so much.

Chapter 11 was ace and this bit was brilliant. Seems like there's been a lot of change in the ten years since the unchaining. Must be exhausting living there.

I've fallen behind Abyss so selectively keeping up with posts in this thread. On chapter 12ish now.

[Abyss]

Ch 14... Rant meets his half sisters Delas Fana and Tonith Agra and HOLY FUCKING BLOODOILFUCK DID JUST HAPPEN!?!?!?!?!??!

*listens to it again, then reads it*

YES YES IT DID.


Ch 15

"...rise of the Marine Legion..."


DAMMIT ERIKSON STOP MAKING ME SMILE SO MUCH MY FACE HURTS

[Abyss]

champ, on 05 July 2021 - 06:09 PM, said:

Abyss, on 05 July 2021 - 05:29 PM, said:

RANT JUST KICKED A D'IVERS JHECK'S BUTT AND GOT A PET DRAGON GHOST WHEEEEEEE

And not just any Jheck either, that really made me pause and think heck, how strong is Rant going to be when he really develops and gets going. Great scene.

Cyphon, on 05 July 2021 - 06:38 PM, said:

And is in control of his anger. Cold iron.

Post Ch 14...
Even crazier... with compassion at the outset, a reluctance to kill, and a complete and utter willingness to use violence to protect himself and others. He's Karsa if Karsa had grown up with better role models.
Also, a knife possessed by a Shi'gal assassin, two Jheck D'ivers willing to die for him, a Teblor Hound, and two, possibly three half sisters willing to kill anyone who threatens him.

The amazeballs part of it... at the start of the book i found Rant's storyline dark, somewhat frustrating... and somewhere between him punching a d'ivers' face in and meeting his family he became one of my favorite parts of this book.

[Abyss]

Ch 15....

Benger, Anyx, and Stillwater going to help Rant's mom is fascinating.... "we're Malazan Marines... we're here, we help" ...ARGH THE FEELS...
Also casually dropped some bombs about Karsa, his link to Rant, bloodoil, and Anyx saying 'i don't do that kind of magic'.
Spindle just endorsed Mallick Rel as Emperor and i may have thrown up in my mouth a little. '8 years of peace'... wow.

But then he and Rolly went to get it on so ok fine the universe may continue.

The T'lan Imass are gone but the Samehdi Imass are alive and stabby. Got it.

Also, that brief ref to whatever happened to Rolly in the Jhag Odhan that resulted in 'that Jaghut getting spanked' GODDAMIT I WANT TO READ THAT TOO.

[worry]

I'm through Chapter 14. Just wanted to mention I was wondering who Twice Alive could refer to, and then when it's revealed, it's like Of Course. Made me kind of sad though. Karsa ain't the only god who got reluctantly sucked into the job -- there's a few of them. But I guess that's kinda what ST and Cots were going for.

Also seeing Undercart use Blueiron was pretty crazy. If the military is low on High Mages, and your average struggling dude could pull that off, Icarium really opened the -- ahem -- floodgates.

[Abyss]

worry, on 08 July 2021 - 03:26 AM, said:

I'm through Chapter 14. Just wanted to mention I was wondering who Twice Alive could refer to, and then when it's revealed, it's like Of Course. Made me kind of sad though. Karsa ain't the only god who got reluctantly sucked into the job -- there's a few of them. But I guess that's kinda what ST and Cots were going for.

Also seeing Undercart use Blueiron was pretty crazy. If the military is low on High Mages, and your average struggling dude could pull that off, Icarium really opened the -- ahem -- floodgates.

I had the same 'hey who's that...oh yeah' with 2live Paran. Am very curious whether we see him now that he's (supposedly) accepted ascension.

More and more Marine mages are showing their hands, consistent w what the Regulars were whining about earlier.

Ch 15 takes the idea in some interesting directions too, see next post.

[Abyss]

Still Ch 15 and we're still w Benger, Stillwater and Anyx... except that Benger's gone comatose, possibly dead, because working High Denul through Mokra via the Runts is really awkward and also brilliant and then
SUMMONING A DRAGON
WAIT A BLACK DRAGON NOT RED WAIT
HOLY WINGFUCK
THAT'S
ANOMANDER RAKE!
He's... still dead but living in Darkness and also....

AND HE'S BEING CHASED!
BY...
LIKE...
EVERYTHING!!!!!
...and Stilwater's totally unphased and negotiating w Rake and oops fell into the army....
....and then Rake is going after the bloodoil...
...and then Stillwater's scarf ghost witch saves her and opens a can of "Errastas' Hold" whupass...
...and the Anyx is setting demons on fire (warren confirmed) and STABBING AN UNDEAD JAGHUT IN THE BRAINS....
...and Stillwater's back and pissing off demons and Anyx is running w Sarlis and Benger's alive and planned the whole thing because ...
"She's Stillwater."

That... was... k wow.
WOW

[champ]

Special scene that wasn't it, I must have read it a dozen times, everything about it was fuckyes.


Getting Rake and a status update of him was the icing on the cake...


Stillwater falling, fighting then standing up in the ring of shattered bodies shouting, "Look at this, I'm amazing..." had me laughing out loud.


Then we have Still going after her scarf and Benger being a sneaky badtard, so funny. These marines are pretty scary...


And yet, there are better scenes yet to come in the book...


Wonder if the witch is anyone named...


Also the explanation on high Denul was super interesting.

[Cyphon]

Stillwater is like an early version of Karsa, ignorance forged into a weapon.

Chapter 15 was immense. Of course Benger bugged out. You get a sense of a more sane Kevanlled.

You get the sense that these Warrens are much more chaotic and malleable - "I'll add a bit of that, that and that and poof". Maybe more akin to quick Ben's style of magic. Don't know yet whether that's what they're actually like or whether it's just because no one has figured them out at formalised them like the warrens had become.

Onto Chapter 16

This post has been edited by Cyphon: 09 July 2021 - 07:58 AM

[Abyss]

champ, on 08 July 2021 - 06:53 PM, said:

Stillwater falling, fighting then standing up in the ring of shattered bodies shouting, "Look at this, I'm amazing..." had me laughing out loud.
...

And the conversation that followed... the witch ghost had saved her life, was insanely old and powerful, flat out stated she was there because of the scarf...
"Yeah, whatever, i want my scarf back."


i LOL'd.

Again.

Again again.

[champ]

Cyphon, on 09 July 2021 - 07:58 AM, said:

You get the sense that these Warrens are much more chaotic and malleable - "I'll add a bit of that, that and that and poof". Maybe more akin to quick Ben's style of magic. Don't know yet whether that's what they're actually like or whether it's just because no one has figured them out at formalised them like the warrens had become.

I'm thinking it's because they are new and untamed, the laws and rules aren't fully defined yet and the rulers of these warrens probably haven't found their feet yet, unchecked power leads to big bang for your buck.

Abyss, on 09 July 2021 - 03:51 PM, said:

champ, on 08 July 2021 - 06:53 PM, said:

Stillwater falling, fighting then standing up in the ring of shattered bodies shouting, "Look at this, I'm amazing..." had me laughing out loud.
...

And the conversation that followed... the witch ghost had saved her life, was insanely old and powerful, flat out stated she was there because of the scarf...
"Yeah, whatever, i want my scarf back."


i LOL'd.

Again.

Again again.

Aye, pure gold writing haha...


Anyx Fro's reaction to Still wanting her scarf back and staring at her "stone faced," when she was told to leave her behind had me creased too just thinking about what would be going through her head right then... "Yep, she's an utterly adorable lunatic of the highest order!" Maybe something along those lines.


Quality book isn't it.

This post has been edited by champ: 09 July 2021 - 05:49 PM

[Abyss]

Cyphon, on 09 July 2021 - 07:58 AM, said:

Stillwater is like an early version of Karsa, ignorance forged into a weapon.

This. So much this.

Quote

You get the sense that these Warrens are much more chaotic and malleable - "I'll add a bit of that, that and that and poof". Maybe more akin to quick Ben's style of magic. Don't know yet whether that's what they're actually like or whether it's just because no one has figured them out at formalised them like the warrens had become.

Also this. The near randomness of the different sides of the Runts really suggests that while ages now have strengths and preferences, we're in a way way more flexible place now.

Also, other little hints that there is less magic generally, like the Forest tribe Balk and Ada discussed depending on a single warlock, or their merc company having all of three mages only one any good, the Saemdhi Imass bonecasters being easy pickings for the bear... the concentration of mages in the Marines is unusual and significant.

[Abyss]

Ch 16

Capt Gruff is probably the bestest Malazan Captain we've ever had. Yes, better than Paran, there, i said it, come at me.

Elade Tharos is turning out to be a complete dickhead and i am disappointed.

Interesting that when everyone was treating Rant as a man he stepped up, and when they treat him as a child he is reduced to near inactivity. I did like his snark at Thoros tho'.

Ah Damisk. I was sort of hoping War-Bitch would come along and pull a last second repreive but nope. Buh bye.

[Abyss]

Ch 17

Heh... the seamstress...
Anyx just invented a cannon. Right. What could possibly go wrong?
The second she showed her invention and aimed for the forest, i knew that spy was doomed.


oh. dear. gods. Philosophical heavies are the bestest. Except for Blanket... poor Creature.

Benger taking out Sarlys' bloodoil infection affected magic around the entire town... interesting. Likely goes to the flow between her and Karsa being cut off.

"The dragons left Darujhistan years ago." i know this could just be a ref to the finale of GotM but in my head some epic shit went down while we were away.

[James Hutton]

Abyss, on 09 July 2021 - 06:49 PM, said:

Capt Gruff is probably the bestest Malazan Captain we've ever had. Yes, better than Paran, there, i said it, come at me.

I will Kindly have to ask you to reassess your opinion.





I'm kidding, I'm kidding!
Noo, leave my brain alone!

[champ]

Re chapter 16, The Unloved Woman... Made me think of Tavore...

This post has been edited by champ: 09 July 2021 - 07:34 PM

[Cyphon]

Chapter 17 is really setting up for and epic convergence in little Old silver lake. And this isn't even the main thrust of the Hunnic northern invasion.