Return of the Crimson Guard is the second "Malazan Empire" novel written by Ian C. Esslemont, and boy does he hit his stride with this contribution to the Malazan world! As some of you may know, Esslemont is the co-creator of the Malazan world with his friend and co-author, Steven Erikson. Esslemont did a great job with his first novel, Night of Knives, but he really pulled out all the stops in this novel. This is a big, meaty 700+ page novel that you just can't put down.

Return of the Crimson Guard covers events occurring in the Malazan Empire, this time on the subcontinent of Quon Tali. The events and action described in the novel are probably roughly contemporaneous with that occurring in Erikson's Reaper's Gale which follows the exploits of Adjunct Tavore and the Bonehunters in Letheras. Just as he did with Night of Knives, Esslemont has spun his tale to tell the story of what is occurring in other parts of the empire not covered by Erikson in his "Malazan Book of the Fallen" series. Without giving anything away, let me just say that this book tells the story of the rising up and rebellion amongst the city-states and peoples of Quon Tali against the Malazan Empire and its Empress, Laseen. On top of the rebellion, the Crimson Guard, a group of mercenaries that are, shall I say, very long-lived, return to Quon Tali just in time to enter the fray against the Malazan armies. If you recall some of Erikson's early novels in his series, you'll remember references to the Crimson Guard fighting with Caladan Brood and his forces against the Malazan armies on Genabackis. Oh yeah, it just gets crazy!

Esslemont, like Erikson, very effectively uses short vignettes to develop his characters and points-of-view, and then starts bringing everything together with a super convergence beginning in the last third of the novel. Readers of Erikson's books will be delighted to reestablish an acquaintance with several old 'friends' and 'rogues' from earlier books (including Esslemont's own Night of Knives). Also, there are so many moments in this novel where you'll find yourself breathlessly uttering, "Oh My God!" Simply put, there are a number of huge surprises in store for Malazan fans here. The ending of the Return of the Crimson Guard is a stunner and a shocker for many reasons, and will definitely make you stop and re-evaluate your perspective and your previous interpretation of 'facts' gleaned from Erikson's books.

While Esslemont's writing style is clearly distinctive and his own, it is also abundantly clear that he and Erikson have a shared grand vision of this Malazan world, and that both authors are doing a stunningly superb job at making it seamless and ever-so-enjoyable for their readers. Ian C. Esslemont's Return of the Crimson Guard is really and truly a must-read, and once started you'll not be able to put it down. I, for one, can hardly wait for the release of Esslemont's third volume in the series, Stonewielder, to be released in the U.S. in early May 2011.