[Abyss]

THE GOD IS NOT WILLING Abyssmal reading thread...

The rules is this:
my thread,
No spoilers past where I'm at,
Any spoilers for previous Malazan books, SE and ICE are
entirely ok and no blocks needed
Now.... WITNESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Abyss, on 01 July 2021 - 12:15 PM, said:

Abyss, on 01 July 2021 - 12:14 PM, said:

Pausing CHILDREN OF RUIN because maybe THE GOD IS NOT WILLING but i sure as hell AM...Kindle and Audible both just delivered, IT BEGINS.

....FFS the 1st four entries in the Dramatis Personae list just blew my mind.

Time to ded-thread.

[Abyss]

FFS just the Dramatis Personae list is glorious...

Black Jheck!
A shi'gal!

That marine squad name list makes me irrationally happy.

SPINDLE!
MONKRAT!!
BELLAM NOM!!!

...that chapter opener... i am smiling WAY too much...

...and now the prologue...

Damn this new Warleader has been BUSY.

Oh hey there are still Great Ravens around... thats interesting on a couple of levels. Paired w the name of the Jheck goddess from the Personae list and events back in Stoneweilder and im wondering whether the CG is as gone as ST and co were aiming for.


Elaid Thoros... does NOT lack ambition. I like him.

Ch 1

The Stand of the Spike...
...yes SE... one tiny paragraph constructing an entire story i would love to read YES THAT IS WHAT I AM HERE FOR

[champ]

Half way through chapter one and I already know I'm going to really enjoy this book!


Spindle... hell yes, a book with a Bridgeburner, sold!! Loved the way he was teased out.


Also note the curses... "Iskar take me" and "Iskars limp"... the feels...

[Abyss]

champ, on 01 July 2021 - 05:41 PM, said:

Half way through chapter one and I already know I'm going to really enjoy this book!


Spindle... hell yes, a book with a Bridgeburner, sold!! Loved the way he was teased out.


Also note the curses... "Iskar take me" and "Iskars limp"... the feels...

Agreed and agreed. The little nods to the past books are GLORIOUS.

[Abyss]

Abyss, on 01 July 2021 - 05:16 PM, said:

...

Ch 1

The Stand of the Spike...
...yes SE... one tiny paragraph constructing an entire story i would love to read YES THAT IS WHAT I AM HERE FOR

That rooster never stood a chance.



Oams... reads like Claw but no warren. Weird random ghost thingy fuck ew.



SPINDLE!!!!!!!

....ah, Oams is a nightblade. K.... soooOOOoooo what's a nightblade...? I house Company/Squad Claw?



Heh... Stillwater and co, all I hoped for. Folibore is hysterical, the philosophical heavy thing never gets old. The byplaw w Snack, everything about Blanket without even seeing him, Sgt Drillbent not actually saing anything.... love it.



Paltry... humm... no Moranth munitions in a decade... interesting. Wonder if we'll see Hedge's version?



So Bleak... I love the description of the 2 heavies competeing... Gris Mutiny... huh... another ICE book ref?



Oh gods Capt Gruff is PERFECT.



Heh... Stillwater isn't nearly as clever as she or everyone else thinks she is. She DIDNT KNOW ABOUT THE CLAW!



Oh geez they really got their butts kicked by the people they're about to hire.



Blanket is hysterical and gross.



Ch 2



Look at Spindle channeling Fiddler. VERY interesting.



The Deck... hee... "icari to blank the past" "hand over that Korabas"



"CHURCH OF THE EEL"????????? THEY WENT AND GAVE KRUPPE A CHURCH??????



Ah hah, Oams... sapper and possibly Claw...



Yay improv'd munitions that suck!!!



Heavies arguing about song cadence!!!! omg this is like coming home and all your favorite dishes are on the table and also stabbing and splosions...



Shrake giving So Bleak a hard time and secretly wanting him because 'he's so... puppy'... everything about this chat between sgts is great...



"we need to be more like Stillwater."

"that knifey mage of yours?"

"no one knows she's a mage"

"everyone knows"

"SHE doesn't know that!"

...i am dead.

[Cyphon]

Chapter one and two just give all the malazan squad goodness.

Lots of little references to the great flood.

Anyone pick up the implications of the game - if it is anywhere like Fid's then it will provide portents for the future.

[champ]

"It's a flood of disaster, swelling the depleted ranks of Death's Company."


Followed by...


"... Here comes Korabas, Slayer of Magic. The world ends."


Sounds like pretty heavy portents for the future ha. Loved that they called the game Fiddler's Gambit. The new cards are really interesting, goes to show how much of an impact events and characters had on the world in the earlier series.


Folibore is probably my favourite character so far, a thinking heavy always makes for happy reading, it's great to be back with the Malazan marines.


Looking forward to seeing the dodgy ammunitions in action.


A great start to the book, loving all the little nods to the older series.

[Abyss]

Predicting a future scene where they find a supply of Moranth munitions and the semi-sappers just weep openly.

And yah, that game was LOAD-DED. Aryx Fro is interesting, possible talent, possible mage, throwing everyone off by saying everyone else a mage.

[Messremb]

Abyss, on 02 July 2021 - 04:13 PM, said:

Predicting a future scene where they find a supply of Moranth munitions and the semi-sappers just weep openly.

And yah, that game was LOAD-DED. Aryx Fro is interesting, possible talent, possible mage, throwing everyone off by saying everyone else a mage.

Pale and disappearing for days. I'm thinking perhaps an unaware Talent of Shadow/Darkness who gets pulled away unknowing then returned and the drugs are how they explain the blank sections of memory to themselves.

B&W Jheck is going to be interesting.

I missed Monkrat in the DP. Oams seems familiar somehow.

[Abyss]

Ok, if there was any forgetting that Karsa was a fairly horrible person way back when, Rant's story serves as a fairly horrible reminder.
Gods that went all kinds of dark and uncomfortable.

I liked the intersection w Damisk's story.

I VERY liked when the Kahrhivi undead witch showed up to save him. And the mission she charged his with to warn the Teblor about the waters is straight out opposing Elaid and co's plan not to tell anyone so this is going to be very very interesting when Rant catches up with the Teblor.

Spindle has become a LOT more clever. His chat w Balk was interesting.

Yes, the three merc sargents really do need to die.

Say what Oames... what was that about Shadowthrone and a worldwide spell not to think about Shadowthrone WHAT?

Barrow of a one armed Tiste really just screams for us to think it's Jethiss/Spinnock but i'm reasonably sure he lost his arm at the shoulder, not elbow.

I'm not sure what was more fun to read... Stillwater taking on the warlock, or Balk's reaction. Sure she didn't actually kill the guy, just chase him off and oops hello Baran or possibly Doan, but she beat him.

[Abyss]

Messremb, on 04 July 2021 - 07:49 PM, said:

Abyss, on 02 July 2021 - 04:13 PM, said:

Predicting a future scene where they find a supply of Moranth munitions and the semi-sappers just weep openly.

And yah, that game was LOAD-DED. Aryx Fro is interesting, possible talent, possible mage, throwing everyone off by saying everyone else a mage.

Pale and disappearing for days. I'm thinking perhaps an unaware Talent of Shadow/Darkness who gets pulled away unknowing then returned and the drugs are how they explain the blank sections of memory to themselves.

B&W Jheck is going to be interesting.

I missed Monkrat in the DP. Oams seems familiar somehow.

Am guessing Anyx is actually the only Claw present.

The Black and White Jheck... oh hell yes i am here for that.

[champ]

Abyss, on 05 July 2021 - 01:55 AM, said:

Say what Oames... what was that about Shadowthrone and a worldwide spell not to think about Shadowthrone WHAT?

Barrow of a one armed Tiste really just screams for us to think it's Jethiss/Spinnock but i'm reasonably sure he lost his arm at the shoulder, not elbow.

I'm not sure what was more fun to read... Stillwater taking on the warlock, or Balk's reaction. Sure she didn't actually kill the guy, just chase him off and oops hello Baran or possibly Doan, but she beat him.

The ST comment was thrown in as an absolute teaser written to make you think there is spell like that, I read that and was like holy shit... I wouldn't put it past ST.

The entire scene of Stillwater and the warlock was just glorious shenanigans... I was racking my brain trying to think if we came across any Tiste with an amber pomel sword. No one came to mind.

[Cyphon]

It seems Abyss and I were keeping pace!

Rant and Damisks chapters are really Well done, and highlights the horrible consequences of Karsa. That early bit was just horrific.

I don't think it was Jethiss on the basis that their sword is fairly unique based on bones, so the pommel Still takes out doesn't scan with that.

Having just read FoL plenty of candidates who this could be in the third of the trilogy as that's supposed to focus on the rise of shadow isn't it? The Mask Still retained is going to come back somehow.

Spindle's death/soul tendrils being a gift of the only known alive bridgenurner? Wonder if that interacts with humans too, and not just terrifying horses.

Oams, and Anyx Fro, classic marine enigmas. Not got a clue what they are yet.

Balk clearly the resistance leader for the Nathil, but not sure he's aware of the flood implications...

[James Hutton]

Abyss, on 05 July 2021 - 01:55 AM, said:

Barrow of a one armed Tiste really just screams for us to think it's Jethiss/Spinnock but i'm reasonably sure he lost his arm at the shoulder, not elbow.

Stillwater finds the barrow in what she calls the Shadow Realm or Shadow, and the corpse, wrapped in deer-hide, is wearing crude (black-iron) armor as well as a necklace of supposedly rat teeth. This all sounds more Edur than Andii to me.

[Abyss]

James Hutton, on 05 July 2021 - 12:12 PM, said:

Abyss, on 05 July 2021 - 01:55 AM, said:

Barrow of a one armed Tiste really just screams for us to think it's Jethiss/Spinnock but i'm reasonably sure he lost his arm at the shoulder, not elbow.

Stillwater finds the barrow in what she calls the Shadow Realm or Shadow, and the corpse, wrapped in deer-hide, is wearing crude (black-iron) armor as well as a necklace of supposedly rat teeth. This all sounds more Edur than Andii to me.

Stillwater confirms that's her impression as well a bit further on.

[Abyss]

Cyphon, on 05 July 2021 - 10:35 AM, said:

..

Spindle's death/soul tendrils being a gift of the only known alive bridgenurner? Wonder if that interacts with humans too, and not just terrifying horses. ...

This jumped out at me. We've know about Spindle's affinity for animals for ages, but it's never been clear what it was, and the idea is was nice or benevolent was just an assumption.

[Abyss]

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

[champ]

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]

And is in control of his anger. Cold iron.

[Abyss]

'LIMPER'S FUCKED KNEE' IS A CURSE I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!!