RotCG - Chapter Two - NO SPOILERS

[Lee, High Priest of Shadow]

Chapter Two - Please use series spoiler tags

[Eugenio]

Chapter 2, and so much information!

Kyle is now hearing voices (talking sword, could it be?) and dreaming of ladies, perfume and tasty fountains!! I will have to assume this is the Queen of Dreams (dreams being the operative word here). Kyle also has a connection to the Deck of Dragons that causes Slate to call off the reading. There is more to Kyle than meets the eye!

The Crimson Guard are able to not be attacked by the Stormriders?!? Was this in part due to Kyle and his talking sword, or as Greymane wasn't far from hand, could Greymane's history reveal a connection to their safe passage? Also, what did Greymane do that got "a lot of people killed that didn't have to"??

The Crimson Guard vow.... sounds very much like the Imass vow. Now I understand why they wouldn't fight for Kellevand against the CG.

Ereko and Traveller continue their road trip and we are given a look at how they first met. Traveller standing his ground at the wall and then talking with the Stormriders! Wow. Having read the BotF series, I can see how he is able to achieve this. The funny bit with Ereko saving Traveller and then having to go back for Traveller's sword, plus the road trip element, it's a buddy comedy!!

Chapter finishes with Toc the Elder making an appearance and it feels like this is a start to an Old Guard versus New Guard war. The Dramatus Personae made sure to reference who was 'old' and 'new' so I feel like battle lines are being drawn in the Malazan ranks.

Let's go chapter 3! Can't wait!

[Carl]

Did every single person in the Dramatis Personae get a POV in that chapter? It certainly felt like it. Very spread out this book at the moment.

[Lee, High Priest of Shadow]

I have a ton of highlights to post and discuss, but need a key board, so will do later today, but this chapter had all sorts of interesting things in it.

[Lee, High Priest of Shadow]

Wow what a chapter. Huge in length and info dumping. Here a few of the key points that jumped out at me.

The death-cheaters. The defiers. All the withholders and arrogators

SE and ICE seem to find words that I have never heard of. Arrogators is a word such. A very good word for Laseen.

Possum bowed but caught himself in time. Laseen disappeared into the crowd. He returned to leaning against the wall. 'He told me you wouldn't tell her'

I am assuming that the talking head is sending messages from Kellavend. I have nothing concrete to prove it, but just given the context, I am pretty sure.

A bodyguard selected by me since Pearl's disaster on Malaz took so many.

I am wracking my brains on this one, obviously the readers of BoftF come to learn much about Pearl, but I can not remember if we are given any details to his historyor how he ends up on the march through the desert. I am eager to find out what exactly his history was with this disaster on Malaz. It doesn't sound like a small thing, to wipeout a large contingent of Claw right?

Kellanved brought it down with an earthquake. He killed thousands of his own men

I really don't think we get to see just how ruthless kellanved was. We hear he had the Imass, but don't get to read what he did with them. And this statement just shows exactly how ruthless he was. Which just shows how rough it is for the Bridgeburners at the Battle of Pale. The enemy facing you, might not be the biggest danger.

I heard the Imass said only that it would be wrong for them to oppose such a vow. Yet I am sure that by now, to all those who swore it, this vow must seem more of a curse

Fascinating. We know why the Imass swore their vow and how much it cost them. They completely understand why the Crimson Guard made theirs and could not in all honesty fight against
those who made such a similar vow. Again this raises the question, which I am sure will be a series in the future, just how did Kellanved come to control the Imass.

The Gold Moranth (Remember them? Bit part players in this series that SURELY have a larger story to tell in future books) come by all distances from far north Genebackis.

The moranth play an important part in the early story and their munitions play a role throughout the story. But much of what they are or their internal politics is unknown.
This certainly shows that the colours were not all in harmony and playing favourite to different factions in this story.

Easier if they'd just call him Curst or Urko

Well there you go! Urko, one of the major players in the old guard, assumed drowned with Nok. More of the old guard who disappeared assumed dead turning up again.

remains of the poor victims of that fiend Coltaine's death march.'

Even now, I still find this difficult to read. Mallick Rell must be the most hated character in the MboftF right? The whole Coltaine, chain of Dogs story was amazing, awful and downright
frustrating, that a man like that got away with so much. Here he is, strutting around, still weaving his deceit among the powerful who continue to underestimate his ambition.

Taya Radok of Darujhistan. Daughter of Vorcan Radok herself, Premier assassin of that city.
Come to Unta to extract revenge against an empire that slew her mother.

Well that bodes well for Mallack, but not so much for any of his enemies. We know who well Vorcan was respected in Daru. So you can image Taya will have similar skills. It is also interesting
that Taya still thinks Vorcan is dead, but as we know already, she was taken to the finnest house by Rellick Nom (is that the right name?).

In regards to Mallick
He seemed to have a talent for collecting an old tattoed mage, long imprisoned in the gaol of Aren - how easy to effect his escape and gain his loyalty.

I m trying to work out who this is. I originally assumed Hebroic. But of course he was imprisoned on Otataral Island.

Finally, this caught my attention. Kyle is getting his cards read in the Deck of Dragons. We learn that the House of Chains has now been added.
He draws his card and gets drawn into it.

It was of a hut or a shack, some sort of shabby dwelling, and it struck Kyle as a kind of mockery of what Slate had named the others, houses.

So the first thing that kind to mind for me was where Withal is and meets Sandalath DruKorlat. Kaminsod, is sitting in there, with all the smoke and it clearly is nothing but a shack on the beach.

So I have to say, Chapter two has masses of info and was absolutely huge. If I had remembered it being that long, or had the pysical book to count the pages,
I would have broken that chapter into two parts for this read. I didn't even touch on the raiders, or Ghelal Tayliin, or the predictions of the old seer that Taya works with. I feel like I spent the whole day reading this chapter and annotating.

[James]

As you guys have said - a lot going on in this chapter.

Possum and the talking head was interesting and I agree, he was using the Warren of Shadow so was this a message from Shadowthrone?

I really like Ereko's discussion of meeting Traveller on the Stormwall. I want to know more about this place. Also, in these two chapters he has spoken more about Stormriders than Erikson did in the whole MBOTF. I like it when Traveller talks about old battles and about the Crimson Guard, gives clues about who he really is.

Even more intrigued about Kyle now, with his friendly talking sword (poetentially) that helped him get to the boat and when he fought the demon that made him say lines such as....
'Who are you to have done this'
'I was not forewarned that one of your stature awaited' - Interesting... & also that the stormriders seemed salute at either him or Greymane.

Even though Mallick Rel is everyones favourite baddie - I am intrigued to see what this book will bring.

ICE has mentioned the Deck of Dragons quite a bit, there is that small 'reading' where Kyle views the king of chains but I think what is stated in the Deck going forwards will be highly important... only makes sense as he keeps referencing it...

Long chapter... towards the end I had to keep going back to the Dramatis Personae to check out who the new characters were.

Either way, really enjoying it.. on to the next one. x

[Eugenio]

Did the talking head use the Warren of Shadow? Possum has access to that Warren, but I thought the head may have been getting messages from Hood himself. The face the message references the long lived and evaders of death.

Let's discuss!

[Lee, High Priest of Shadow]

I was under the impression that when the head said 'he said you'd say that' I assumed it was Kellanved, but it certainly could be Hood given he also talks about those defying death.

[James]

I think he said something like.. I am in the presence of hood which I took as meaning the dead heads on spikes.. he doesn't have access to hoods warren so i thought it was maybe a message from Shadowthrone.

[Eugenio]

In the morning I will need to go back and find the exact wording. It may be left vague, just to leave us out of the loop

[Eugenio]

Possum references the fact that the voice "had spoken from Hood's Path" even before he knew it was from the heads on top of the wall. Adding the fact that it seems like the ghost of that one head speaking to him is the actual spirit of one of "the last ruling council of Unta" it made me believe Hood had a hand in this.

Now, what would Hood care about Possum? What was the message truly about?

'They are returning'. Who are they? The Crimson Guard? But he also points to Laseen as one of 'them'.... What are your thoughts?