[Whisperzzzzzzz]

pat5150, on 06 June 2023 - 02:26 PM, said:

But you are still only at volume 3 of the Sun Sword. Some people who have read both claim that the 3 House War books unnecessarily elaborate on the backgrounds of certain characters and events that are concisely and sufficiently explained in the Sun Sword itself. So by the time you reach volume 6, perhaps everything you needs to know will have been revealed.

I don't know who to believe. And as mentioned elsewhere, this is probably one of the main reasons why so few readers have given Michelle West a shot.

I've read all of the published Essalieyan books, and you'll be missing out on a lot if you skip the first 3 House War books. Sure, they're not technically essential, but a lot of the relationships, flavor, and allusion of the later House War books will pass you by without the earlier context.

They're great books, and I don't get why you're so against them 😅

This post has been edited by Whisperzzzzzzz: 06 June 2023 - 04:16 PM

[pat5150]

See, the problem is that as many people say the opposite. :/

I'm not against them. I just want to know what happens next! I'll read them for sure. Bought them all, after all.

But if they're not technically essential, as you say, I'm way more interested in reading about the lead-up to the End of Days than going back into the past for 3 books.

[Abyss]

This is why i ignore reading order debates and just stick w published order for the most part ...tho this one is complicated by the author herself waying in to dispute that.


Also the Sacred Hunt duology is out there hanging, taunting me.

[pat5150]

Abyss, on 06 June 2023 - 04:38 PM, said:

This is why i ignore reading order debates and just stick w published order for the most part ...tho this one is complicated by the author herself waying in to dispute that.


Also the Sacred Hunt duology is out there hanging, taunting me.

Just buy them, Abyss. Resistance is futile. . .

This post has been edited by pat5150: 06 June 2023 - 04:43 PM

[Abyss]

pat5150, on 06 June 2023 - 04:42 PM, said:

Abyss, on 06 June 2023 - 04:38 PM, said:

This is why i ignore reading order debates and just stick w published order for the most part ...tho this one is complicated by the author herself waying in to dispute that.

Also the Sacred Hunt duology is out there hanging, taunting me.

Just buy them, Abyss. Resistance is futile. . .

No earbooks. Futility IS futile.

[Cyphon]

Kobo has all of the sunsword series, but it a bit more spotty on the house war. Does anyone know of a non-amazon location to get Sunsword or house war books that's viable in the UK please? I've done some research just now but with little luck.

I'm sort of musing a birthday splurge for myself.

[Tiste Simeon]

Hive.co.uk has a bunch of Michelle West books in different formats. They do have an ebook facility on there but whether it's compatible with Kobo I don't know. They don't work on Kindle and if I want to use one I've downloaded an Adobe reader app for my phone.

https://www.hive.co....0&productType=0

[Cyphon]

Thanks Tiste!

[Diraldir]

I've joined the forums because I just started reading Malazan this year and saw this thread. I'm gonna go against the grain of Whisperzzz and say House War 1-3 are essential. It's Jewel and her den's backstory, true, it's not what the series becomes in Sun Sword (she's younger), but you have missed so much by not reading it. Not withstanding the fact that her writing and character building is still sublime there. It is indeed more grounded though, and focused on Jewel and her 'Den' as you've probably learned over time in The Sun Sword. And she gets taken in by Old Rath (one of the best characters of the series still). A lot of important events are there for Jewel and the series.

So yes, it's not as epic (although 3 is pretty 'epic' in scale) and not as good (but still pretty great) as Sun Sword 1-6 (I think Sun Sword is the best in the series) and House War 4-8, read everything. Including the Sacred Hunt Duology (that can be read last, but NEEDS to be read since it will tie into the last 5 books she's writing).

This post has been edited by Diraldir: 09 June 2023 - 11:32 PM

[Abyss]

Diraldir, on 08 June 2023 - 06:01 PM, said:

I've joined the forums because I just started reading Malazan this year and saw this thread. I'm gonna go against the grain of Whisperzzz and say House War 1-3 are essential. It's Jewel and her den's backstory, true, it's not what the series becomes in Sun Sword (she's younger), but you have missed so much by not reading it. Not withstanding the fact that her writing and character building is still sublime there. It is indeed more grounded though, and focused on Jewel and her 'Den' as you've probably learned over time in The Sun Sword. And she gets taken in by Old Rath (one of the best characters of the series still). A lot of important events are there.

So yes, it's not as epic (although 3 is pretty 'epic' in scale) and not as good as Sun Sword 1-6 and House War 4-8, read everything. Including the Sacred Hunt Duology (that can be read last, but NEEDS to be read since it will tie into the last 5 books she's writing).

NOT HELPING

[QuickTidal]

Abyss, on 09 June 2023 - 01:55 PM, said:

Diraldir, on 08 June 2023 - 06:01 PM, said:

I've joined the forums because I just started reading Malazan this year and saw this thread. I'm gonna go against the grain of Whisperzzz and say House War 1-3 are essential. It's Jewel and her den's backstory, true, it's not what the series becomes in Sun Sword (she's younger), but you have missed so much by not reading it. Not withstanding the fact that her writing and character building is still sublime there. It is indeed more grounded though, and focused on Jewel and her 'Den' as you've probably learned over time in The Sun Sword. And she gets taken in by Old Rath (one of the best characters of the series still). A lot of important events are there.

So yes, it's not as epic (although 3 is pretty 'epic' in scale) and not as good as Sun Sword 1-6 and House War 4-8, read everything. Including the Sacred Hunt Duology (that can be read last, but NEEDS to be read since it will tie into the last 5 books she's writing).

NOT HELPING

They are right though.

[pat5150]

Too late. Will let you know how it goes, though I don't expect to be missing much in Skirmish as it only covers the first 3 days of Jewel's return.

And if I'm forced to backtrack and go back to The Hidden City and the other early House War books, you can say, "I told you so."

Otherwise, the first 3 volumes and the Sacred Hunt duology will be waiting for me when I'm done.

[pat5150]

About 25% into Skirmish and I must say that the smaller scale is not too my liking.

What I loved the most about the Sun Sword was its epicness, its grand vision and scope, its vast tapestry of POVs. There are so few in this one compared to the Sun Sword installments that there's no dramatis personae in the House War books.

I understand that it's unfair to say that at this point, what with Skirmish only covering 3 days in the timeline. And the action takes place before the end of the war in the South, so it's not like key Northern players can appear just yet. But here's to hoping that the storylines will expand in the fifth volume. They have to, with Meralonne on the cover.

I opened the last volume, War, just to check the dates, and it appears that the last 5 House War books only cover a year or so. Which means that the majority of the plot threads that were left dangling at the end of The Sun Sword will likely not be addressed at all and we'll have to wait for the series West is writing now to find out what happens next. But with titles like Firstborn and Oracle, it's obvious that some shit will hit the fan.

Man, I'm really missing the perspectives of characters such as Diora, Teresa, Kallandras, Ramiro, Valedan, etc. Finch and Teller simply can't compete with that.

The pace drags the same way the first half of The Broken Crown did, yet it doesn't have the fascinating bits that the other had.

I understand that my expectations are through the roofs and that perhaps nothing else by Michelle West will ever live up to them. After all, the Sun Sword now ranks among my favorite SFF reads of all time. We will see. . .

Things will probably pick up at some point in this novel, so there is hope yet.

[QuickTidal]

I'm not going to say it....but you know what I would say Pat...LOL

[champ]

Aye man, I'm having the opposite of that effect...


I'm going from a contained story to multi POV expansion and loving it with not having to stress about going back to read the prequel books!

[QuickTidal]

champ, on 13 June 2023 - 01:09 PM, said:

Aye man, I'm having the opposite of that effect...


I'm going from a contained story to multi POV expansion and loving it with not having to stress about going back to read the prequel books!

The funny thing is that I think West's writing in the House War books is tighter as a straight result of the smaller casts in those books, and the focus being narrower....I like the Sun Sword books a lot...but I'd be lying if I didn't say the HOOK for me was the House War books.

[pat5150]

QuickTidal, on 13 June 2023 - 12:02 PM, said:

I'm not going to say it....but you know what I would say Pat...LOL

I highly doubt that I'd enjoy Skirmish more having read the first three House War book, QT. As things stand, it's 99% furthering Sun Sword threads. But not by much.

It's just that after such a multilayered series with so many POVs, the downsizing feels a little bit boring.

Can't say what the novel is about and why it only covers 3 days because it's a major spoiler. But after the events of the Sun Sword, this is decidedly anticlimactic. But it's early yet and I've learned to have faith in West.

[Abyss]

This is not helping the reading order discussion at all, but as long as demons repeatedly resort to utterly lame plans that involve monologues and ineffective full frontal attacks on people who repeatedly kick their butts, everything should be fine.


...what were we talking about?

[QuickTidal]

Abyss, on 13 June 2023 - 03:41 PM, said:

This is not helping the reading order discussion at all, but as long as demons repeatedly resort to utterly lame plans that involve monologues and ineffective full frontal attacks on people who repeatedly kick their butts, everything should be fine.


...what were we talking about?

The demon events in House War 2 are not only creepy, and REALLY genuinely disturbing... but it's treated more like an inexorable horror movie than anything in Sun Sword where they are more....typical "movie villain-esque"

There's a whole section of CITY OF NIGHT that creeped me the fuck out.

[pat5150]

Ah, thanks to Celleriant and Sigurne, things have become a lot more interesting.

The main problem with the first quarter of Skirmish is that it mostly deals with Jewel being brought up to speed and being told what to do/what not to do now that she's back. It's mostly about House business and House politics, which relies on big info-dumps disguised as conversations.

But The Shining Court and Sea of Sorrows showed that there is much more in store for Jewel than whatever happens with House Terafin, and it was nice of West to remind us of that just now.

Things are looking up!