Fantasy Book Club Series discussion
Malazan Book of the Fallen
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Return of the Crimson Guard Book II- The Eternal Return
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The arrival of the two ships of the Crimson Guard in Unta was great. I loved Mallick Rel's reaction.
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I agree there. I just thought it was so funny how he had planted the rumor of the Guard's Return and then they show up. I'm thinking he was trying to manipulate them by showing up in the throne room. To what end, though, I have no idea. I think he's just trying to pull down the whold Malazan empire.One question. Was that really Tayschrenn that Cowl talked to in the High Mage's room? I wonder because I've alway pictured Tayschrenn as a younger man. It seemed like he was described as quite old here.
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Maggie wrote: "There is something about being in a leadership role in Laseen's empire that makes people go over the brink...How many Heads has there been of the claw? Where has Topper gone? It is no wonder that..."Perhaps that's why so many of the Old Guard 'drowned' and now have miraculously resurfaced.
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...I know this is WAAAAAAAAY off topic but I JUST HAD TO SHARE with everyone here!!!!! SE has finished his next book about Rake!!!! *see Shelley jumping up and down* Gods I can't WAIT TO READ IT!!!!!!!! Here's a link I've already made the cover my screen saver on my computer!!! Whoooooot!! :) Okay back to work with me! :)
Shelley wrote: "WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...I know this is WAAAAAAAAY off topic but I JUST HAD TO SHARE with everyone here!!!!! SE has finished his next book about Rake!!!! *see Shelley jumpi..."It's not listed on Goodreads yet! ;( That sounds like another awesome book!!!!
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So what about Stalker, Badlands and coot? They just dont seem like the normal deseters to me....do they know what the heck Kyle is?
Maggie wrote: "oh how cool! I know Orb, Sceptre, Throne is supposed to be released in January....right in time for us to add it to our series read!So what about Stalker, Badlands and coot? T..."
Whoooooot!!! So happy to have TWO new Malazan books to read!!!!! So much to look forward too!!!!! Maggie you must have been reading my mind about adding OST to the readings, the thought had crossed my mind when I learned of the release date!! I may try to get a copy from England like I have in the past with this series! :)
Maggie wrote: "oh how cool! I know Orb, Sceptre, Throne is supposed to be released in January....right in time for us to add it to our series read!So what about Stalker, Badlands and coot? T..."
Stalker, Badlands and Coot have been referred to as Assail. Is that related to the Forkrul Assail? I've always thought that Kyle was somehow gifted powers or protection from that being that was killed in the tower near the beginning. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with wind. I've even thought it might be a form of possession such as what happened to Sorry/Apsalar, but a more subtle one. And of course the boat they tried to steal was the one that Travelor and Ereko had built and now they're travelling together. I'm interested to see how things end up for this group. They don't seem to be converging on Heng like everyone else seems to be doing.
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In some ways I wanted them to be related because that Forkrul was pretty awesome. I guess that's just their people's name then. Those three 'Brothers' seem to have sensed something special about Kyle and want to be with him, maybe to see how things unfold.
Amelia wrote: "Maggie wrote: "oh how cool! I know Orb, Sceptre, Throne is supposed to be released in January....right in time for us to add it to our series read!So what about Stalker, Badlands..."
Assail has been referred to thru out the series but not much else!! Something IS happening there but no one will talk about it, and the fact that the whole Logros T'lan Imass were destroyed there is amazing!! So with us meeting the "Brothers", Stalker, Coots and Badlands we finally get some feeling of the place which is very enlightening! Oh and the fact that they describe themselves as "The Lost"....now that is a description isn't it??
With Kyle being from Beal lands is another unexplored land!! But what happen to Kyle at the Spur is a WHOLE other thing and you must wait to find out just what!!! KEEP READING!!!! :)
I was reminded of an event I just learned about and wondered if certain plot points was based on real life events. I've recently returned from a trip to Halifax and St. John, Canada and learned about an explosion that happened there. I'm thinking it was in Halifax, but I might be remembering wrong. Anyway, two ships collided in the harbor, one of them a munitions ship carrying black powder. After the initial collision, the munitions exploded, creating the biggest man-made explosion (until the A-bombs). The part where the Crimson Guard came to Unta and there was the big explosion in the harbor reminded me of this other real life explosion. Do you think ICE based this event on that or is it just a random coincidence?
Amelia wrote: "I was reminded of an event I just learned about and wondered if certain plot points was based on real life events. I've recently returned from a trip to Halifax and St. John, Canada and learned ab..."Could be!! He is from Canada and should have heard of this event you speak of! They both have taken events from their real lives and incorporated them, SE said he used his experiences in Latin America when writing the military scenes!
This was one of those moments, that excited me, because I might actually know what influenced it. Especially since I just barely learned about it.
Amelia wrote: "This was one of those moments, that excited me, because I might actually know what influenced it. Especially since I just barely learned about it."That is awesome Amelia! :) I'll have to check out that news story now!! :)
I'm surprised by how much history they don't teach in school. This happened around WWII, I think. I'd never heard of this explosion before, but it was huge - killing a lot of people and destroying a good portion of the city. Sure I live in the US, but Canada is our neighbor and shouldn't we know about them too?
Amelia wrote: "I'm surprised by how much history they don't teach in school. This happened around WWII, I think. I'd never heard of this explosion before, but it was huge - killing a lot of people and destroyin..."Yep!! I'm a repressed Historian so I completely agree with you!! And not for nothing but I opened my son's 11th grade history book a couple years ago and I looked thru it. I was a soldier in Panama for Operation Just Cause, I know what happened there, the lessons learn there and how they were applied to Gulf War I, ect. and did you know there was not even a foot note about Panama in that so called History book! Still shake my head over that one!! If soldiers die, don't you think it should at least be mentioned somewhere!!!
Swinging this back to the Malazan world, this is why I SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO got Tavore's "Unwitnessed" speech, so many soldiers go un-named yet they stood the line and paid the price, shouldn't someone remember!!?? YET people don't and then you have a character like Mellick Rel twist what was true to fit his desires!
I think it's all those 'unwitnessed' soldiers who should be remembered the most. Mallick Rel, I just hope he doesn't get whatever he desires.
Amelia wrote: "I think it's all those 'unwitnessed' soldiers who should be remembered the most. Mallick Rel, I just hope he doesn't get whatever he desires."
Which is why I love the title so much...The Malazan Book of the Fallen, we are learning their names and what they did to earn their names!
As to Mallick...as much as it pains me to say "No comment", I must!!!! Hate Mallick! :(
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We havent really theorized about who Traveller could be yet, but suffice it to say his sword (and him) ranks way up there. So who and what is Kyle? In this scene, you will notice that Stalker calls him "Soldier of Light"
Hmmmmmm......
Traveller maybe could be (view spoiler) I added spoiler tags because I have no idea if I'm right or not, but I'd hate to spoil something for someone else.
Amelia wrote: "Traveller maybe could be [spoilers removed] I added spoiler tags because I have no idea if I'm right or not, but I'd hate to spoil something for someone else."All I'mm gonna say here is Amelia gets a gold star!!!!! :)
We'll talk more about him when it becomes more apparent to everyone else who he really is! :)
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Maggie wrote: "and we saw that Liosan quartet again! Those guys, I swear, if it weremt for bad luck would have no luck at all...."Hahahahahahahhaahhaahhaaaaa....yeah right!! They do crack me up to no end!! And they keep getting their butts kicked!
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Maggie wrote: "It is interesting this battle at LiHeng...both sides feel like they lost, and that too many of their men were killed. SE is always great at showing that war has no winners..."It's true and he makes you feel torn between both sides, who's right, who's wrong?!?
Also the Wickens story line is pretty awesome!!! WHAT....Coltrain LIVES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) YAY!!
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and Kyle and Erekos party and the Mage Oligarchy of Jacuraku....very strange doings if Ereko is so frightened...how does Kyle manage to save the day?
Finally we see what it is about his sword...and what an amazing thing it is! Some people accuse tthe Malazan of Deus ex Machina, but I think it all tied in nicely
and Ghelel seems to be figuring out that she is being used here. Is she going to get smart? or get dead? It could go either way here in the Malazan world...Finally, she sees what's up! Will she be able to act in time? Does she have the wit it will take?
Maggie wrote: "and we saw that Liosan quartet again! Those guys, I swear, if it weremt for bad luck would have no luck at all...."Random event thrown in the middle of this book, but it was great!
Ok I am into this part of the story. I am not going to read too many of your comments above because I know you're ahead. But I'll post my comments on the book as I go, thanks to Maggie, Shels and Amelia for keeping me company as I catch up, it has been a long road.
God those Seguleh are an interesting bunch. 15 of them? Now that is one scary army. I'd love to see more of those involved in the story as we have only had a peek at them so far.Looks like the wickan brats are taking control, poor old Rillesh, he wont know what has hit him, taking orders from a 10 year old. I assume that Coltiane will be making a come back soon, I always thought it would be through Grub, but since he is no where near this story I am guessing it is through someone else. I hope the historian comes back (Duiker?) too, I liked his character and was expecting to see him a long time ago.
Lee wrote: "This map has helpedReally shows how small Malaz Island is."
Nice map. I've never actually been able to picture the different islands and continents and where they are in relation to the rest. It definitely does help give an overall sense of the world so far.
Those Segulah are amazing. I think it's funny how the sailors all know who they are and are absolutely frightened of them, but Iron Bars has never heard of them.
Amelia wrote: "Lee wrote: "This map has helpedReally shows how small Malaz Island is."
Nice map. I've never actually been able to picture the different islands and continents and where they are in relation to..."
I think that's the same map I posted a link to in an earlier discussion! See, here's the link I have to have a good map, it's the soldier in me!! :)
As to the Segulah, I believe they will play a big role in ICE's "Orb, Scepter, Throne", at least that was the impression I got from reading the discription on Amazon!
I must admit to be itching to get to Toll of the Hounds so I can meet Torvald Rom again. I really enjoyed his character, written in a way that only SE can. I wonder if he'll meet up with Karsa again one day. Good old buddy meetup.
Still not catching up, Have some flights coming up, which translates to reading time.Interesting podcast from SE.
http://www.adventuresinscifipublishin...
Funny how you get a pronunciation of a word in your head and you stick with that, then you hear it said by another and you're thinking "i wonder who is pronouncing it right?". Since it was Erikson himself, I guess he is right.
The word : a minor one, Malazan
I pronounce it Mal-a-zan (the 'a' as in apple, zan like tan)
he said "Mal-ay-seean
Lee wrote: "Still not catching up, Have some flights coming up, which translates to reading time.Interesting podcast from SE.
http://www.adventuresinscifipublishin...
Fu..."
That is interesting Lee!! I think I pronounce it like you do! Oh well........
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Everyone is headed toward Li Heng it seems (except the nobles whoa re trying to run away)....and Storo seems like the only one trying to do anything about it...
The old guard is converging with Ghelel as a figurehead and the Seti in tow...
Rellish is trying to keep the Wickans safe, only to have them saving him and his men...
the Guard are starting to converge, only they're feeling torn in 2 ways, as their leader seems to be a little crazy and have some familiar sounding armor....
the Malazans are stretched way too thin to do anything about any of this, and Lasseen is feeling the pressure!