[thompsjt1]

I guess I am in the minority here but I just finished Memories of Ice and with all the hype I was hearing about it and how it was the best book of the series that is hard to top, I just don't feel the same way. Now the battles were very cool and there was just destruction happening everywhere. But the battles honestly did not "PUT ME THERE" like deadhouse gates did with the chains of dogs. Most of the book was completely the calm before the storm and I feel a little short changed by this book for some reason and it was so perdictable.

So being that deadhouse has got to be the favorite book so far, heck as confusing as gardens of the moon was, I think I enjoyed that better than memories of ice. I am now wondering if I should just be happy with what deadhouse gates gave me and not bother with house of chains or midnight tides or even bonehunters as these have been labeled over and over again as weaker than memories of ice, but yet I did not care much for memories of ice so what confidence does that give me for the rest of the series. There just seems to be too much grinding in this series and I thought that was only the 1st book that was suppose to happen, but it seems to have alot of parts that just drag. Anyone else feel this way?

[ch'arlz]

thompsjt1;206741 said:

There just seems to be too much grinding in this series and I thought that was only the 1st book that was suppose to happen, but it seems to have alot of parts that just drag. Anyone else feel this way?

Not really, but I can see why some people might. Where you see grinding, I see a level of detail and plot development where very little is accidental or incidental -- rather Joycean in that respect -- with many rewards for the patient and attentive reader. The battle scenes keep improving btw and fwiw.

-ch'arlz, hasn't kept so many notecards since Ulysses in college.

[chill]

It's all about what you expect from the books or prefer to read. De gustibus non est disputandum.

I think MoI is fine, but HoC is still my favourite.

[Folken]

Anyone who thinks MoI is any lower than 2nd highest in this series...deserves to be shot:p Seriously I don't understand how people don't like this book. It was 1200 pages of pure awesomeness

[Illuyankas]

Folken, MOI IS still my favourite book, but, the Mhybe.

[Folken]

Skip her parts...lol she only really gets annoying towards the end during her conversations with Toc...then she just sleeps lol. Really...no any lower than 2nd and you should be shot. I place it at the top...WAY top. If SE is to rekindle my interest in this series he needs to write another MoI...though I seriously doubt thats humanly possible.

[Ezgara (the insect)]

I think Memories of Ice was amazing, but I realize we're not all the same. However, as you tend to disagree with the majority, maybe you'll also disagree with us about the rest of the series. So I'd give the books a chance ^^

[thompsjt1]

I thought the battles were quite epic and you knew throughout the book that the shit was going to hit the fan, but deadhouse gates battles through the eyes of the historian was just remarkable and so vivid. The whole gods switching places and wolf gods here and there showing up and dreams etc. replacing other gods are just so ridiculously boring and unintresting. But the author clearly comes across and really does a good job and makes you feel the humanity with all the mortals and feel sad for them. and whiskeyjacks death of course was very sad, but very predictable. O and the chained god though was quite sinister and looks to be quite a badass villian

[Ezgara (the insect)]

thompsjt1;206766 said:

I thought the battles were quite epic and you knew throughout the book that the shit was going to hit the fan, but deadhouse gates battles through the eyes of the historian was just remarkable and so vivid. The whole gods switching places and wolf gods here and there showing up and dreams etc. replacing other gods are just so ridiculously boring and unintresting. But the author clearly comes across and really does a good job and makes you feel the humanity with all the mortals and feel sad for them. and whiskeyjacks death of course was very sad, but very predictable. O and the chained god though was quite sinister and looks to be quite a badass villian

I really liked Duiker's perspective in Deadhouse Gates as well. And the dreams and visions may seems boring or difficult to follow now, but I found them much more interesting when I reread the series (and knew what was to come, because they often hint at that). I think that is one of the things I really like about the series: it is all so complex that you can not really grasp everything the first time, and some books I liked more the second time I read them than the first time, because my perspective was changed (knowing what was to come).

[thompsjt1]

Well I will continue on and hopefully be back on track for this series. Just ordered:

House of Chains : Steven Erikson (Hardcover, 2006)
Condition: Like New
Price: $5.00

[Ezgara (the insect)]

Great!
Hope you'll like it.
Just thinking about HoC makes me wanna reread it again

[Dolorous Menhir]

Ezgara (the insect);206763 said:

I think Memories of Ice was amazing, but I realize we're not all the same. However, as you tend to disagree with the majority, maybe you'll also disagree with us about the rest of the series. So I'd give the books a chance ^^

That's what I was going to say.

Got to say, I've never seen Erikson criticised for being predictable before. I did not see Whiskeyjack's death coming - I'm curious, did you just anticipate that he would die at some point, or the manner and time of his death too?

[thompsjt1]

Dolorous Menhir;206781 said:

That's what I was going to say.

Got to say, I've never seen Erikson criticised for being predictable before. I did not see Whiskeyjack's death coming - I'm curious, did you just anticipate that he would die at some point, or the manner and time of his death too?

No I had a feeling it was coming with the tension between Nightchill, Whiskeyjack and Kallor, but I just didn't know WHEN it was coming.

[Illuyankas]

Personally, WJ's conversations with Dujek and Itkovian were practically a huge sign saying "THIS CHARACTER WILL NOT SURVIVE THE BOOK."

[ShadowOwl]

Ah, but do you know why? Who was really behind that happening? What was their motive? What are the eventual repercussions of this act? Why did Whiskeyjack not get Mallet to heal his leg? Why did he think he never had time? In reading further, you find out the why, or what you think is why and that every action has a reaction and part of the mystique of these novels is that there is always a why and sometimes it is hidden in thousands of years of history, tales and untruths.

[Dolorous Menhir]

ShadowOwl;206794 said:

Ah, but do you know why? Who was really behind that happening? What was their motive? What are the eventual repercussions of this act? Why did Whiskeyjack not get Mallet to heal his leg? Why did he think he never had time? In reading further, you find out the why, or what you think is why and that every action has a reaction and part of the mystique of these novels is that there is always a why and sometimes it is hidden in thousands of years of history, tales and untruths.

I bet you drink lots of coffee.