Malazan Empire: Abyss - Viewing Profile - Malazan Empire

worry, on 01 December 2023 - 07:43 AM, said:

...wait... wut?

Tiste Simeon, on 23 November 2023 - 07:15 PM, said:

How many organs is it worth to you to know?

k i love Abby just a little

ah, we're doing the 'important meeting where everyone important gathers' thing

Spire Atlantis w its ruling etherialist cabal is intriguing. 'The Spectrum'... hee

fascinating the amount of time we're spending w Calliope and the Auroran marines angsting about flying around helping Cavendish massacre colonies - REnaldo is sort of an archetype but i like the byplay tween him and his sgt and Sark

the Auroran duelist Valesko is going to be an absolute asshat and a great villain

k Bridget, Benedict and Rowl's mission to the surface is at once interesting but also feels like we're just getting them out of the way

i like Grim and Bayard's friendship. i dont like how Abby is manipulating it tho it is a good plot point

have to say it again, the visit to the Piker ship is just excellent airship goodness

Ravena is glorious and Grim deserves her

heh, i like Findley more and more

k the Olympian admiral thank Gwen for taking out the silkweaver back in bk 1 was hysterical and totally apropriate.

the Spectrum Ladies' lunch took some wild turns. Abby and Folly were doing an excellent job til Evil Duelist guy showed up. I loved Abby's response, decking the woman who set her up.

huh... we are absolutely looking at a situation where Bayard is taken out and Grim has to fight the duel. And I am here for it.



Ch 27

Fantasy lit NEEDS more giant praying mantis attacks. This entire sequence was so good. It was obvious something was going to attack them to motivate Far to hand over the territory to the minicats, Butcher spent way too much time on the setup for it not to, but the pay-off was solid. I didn't think Bridget or Ben or Rowl were in real peril, but it wasn't looking good. Also, cats vs giant praying mantises!!!!

Also, cat politics are great.

'A Mistmaw'. No clue what that is but i want more of it.

Ch 28-30

Ren and Calliope plotting against Cavendish, great. Ren stating 'I will become a pirate.', YES.

....now why are they on the way to Olympia....?

Yep, Valesko is a problem. That 'practice' duel was as brutal as it had to be to make the point.

Also setting up the Bayard v Valesko duel cleverly w the side discussion re the aeroport dueling platform. That is some Star Wars level 'big hole to fall down' planning.

Maark Abbott, on 30 November 2023 - 08:49 AM, said:

doesn't that mess up the location of the smoke screen and beverage dispenser controls?

Moving back in time, some initial reactions....


Oh hi Calliope!

hi Sark!!!

hi mysterious vaguely evil olverlord spirearch dude!!!

hi CavendishWHAT THE FUCKING FUCK IS SHE DOING
WHAT IS THAT AND WHY IS SHE
WTF WHAT NO SERIOUSLY EW
AND ALSO HOLY FUCK OMG WTH.....

...ok ok everything is alright now that was gross and weird.....

Yay, back on the Predator!!!!
Hi Grimm!
Hi Gwen!!!
And Gwen is XO and i'm loving her witty repartee w the First Mate.

Hi Folly!!!
Folly is having tea w Predator. OMG i love this.

Ah, so we are parallel to events in WARRIORBORN, literally (hee) just ahead of events at the end of the story. Strictly speaking a reader need not have read the short, it's explained well, but that's still a bit of a dick move considering it just became widely available and usually at silly prices.

So technically 'hi Benedict' is appropriate even tho i just saw him in the short story like an hour earlier and we get to meet the minicats again so that's good.


I like Abby and Alex Bayard, fun new characters and their chemistry is nicely done.

Cat politics are so much fun, and Rowl is going to end up completely owned by the minicats here.

Hi Bridget!!!
Hi Rowl!!!! ...riding on a special platform on Bridget's shoulder armor, naturally.