Assail Malazan Empire Book 6 (Audible Audio Edition) Ian C Esslemont John Banks Random House AudioBooks Books
Download As PDF : Assail Malazan Empire Book 6 (Audible Audio Edition) Ian C Esslemont John Banks Random House AudioBooks Books
Tens of thousands of years of ice is melting, and the land of Assail, long a byword for menace and inaccessibility, is at last yielding its secrets.
Tales of gold discovered in the region's north circulate in every waterfront dive and sailor's tavern, and now adventurers and fortune seekers have set sail in search of riches. And all they have to guide them are legends and garbled tales of the dangers that lie in wait - hostile coasts, fields of ice, impassable barriers and strange, terrifying creatures.
But all accounts concur that the people of the north meet all trespassers with the sword - and should you make it, beyond are rumoured to lurk Elder monsters out of history's very beginnings.
Into this turmoil ventures the mercenary company the Crimson Guard. Not drawn by contract but by the promise of answers answers that Shimmer, second in command, feels should not be sought.
Also heading north, as part of an uneasy alliance of Malazan fortune hunters and Letherii soldiery, comes the bard Fisher kel Tath. With him is a Tiste Andii, who was found washed ashore and cannot remember his past yet commands far more power than he really should. It is also rumoured that a warrior, bearer of a sword that slays gods and who once fought for the Malazans, is also journeying that way. But far to the south, a woman patiently guards the shore. She awaits both allies and enemies. She is Silverfox, newly incarnate Summoner of the undying army of the T'lan Imass, and she will do anything to stop the renewal of an ages-old crusade that could lay waste to the entire continent and beyond.
Casting light on mysteries spanning the Malazan empire, and offering a glimpse of the storied and epic history that shaped it, Assail brings the epic story of the Empire of Malaz to a thrilling close.
Assail Malazan Empire Book 6 (Audible Audio Edition) Ian C Esslemont John Banks Random House AudioBooks Books
Closure is an elusive thing! This book promised answers to questions that had been posed to/ by fans of all things Malazan, myself included, for perhaps a decade or more. All questions open since at least 2001, when "Memories of Ice" came out were howling for answers (being the third and perhaps the best Malazan book written by Steven Erikson). And what questions! The mysterious continent of Assail and its dread secrets, the ultimate fate of the Crimson Guard, the resolution of the stand-off between the undead T'lan Imass and Silverfox, their mortal Summoner... this slim volume (by Malazan standards, at a mere 550 pages) promised answers, at long last.Does it deliver? To me, as a die-hard fan who is now nearly 20 books into this shared world, it mostly delivered. It isn't perfect, but it will do. Except for the rather anti-climactic appearance of a "big bad" at the end, I was quite satisfied that justice had been done with the stories of the characters that are Esselmont's to play with in this shared world. K'azz D'avore, some members of the Malazan Imperial Old Guard, the Crimson Guard, Fisher Tel Kath, Kyle, and Silverfox all get a fitting farewell.
As with any Malazan book it takes off slowly and builds up tension right until the final 100 pages - until you are left on tenterhooks wondering just how the author is going to resolve all that needs resolving in the remaining pages. For the most part the author does manage to deliver closure, although tellingly he resolves a couple of key items only in the epilogue, and closes on a whopper of a revelation that left me cursing, knowing that this was the last (planned) volume in his telling of the tale. Alas, if this is the end, Mr Esselmont has toyed with us one last time in parting. So be it!
I will not write a plot summary, because the jacket blurb for this book serves adequately for that, and I am loathe to reveal spoilers. Suffice it to say this was a breezy read that I could finish in a day and a half of reading.
I am left with only two overall complaints and one fervent hope - the foremost complaint is that this finale didn't quite leave me with the emotional wallop such as what I'd felt at the end of Erikson's main series - the two part finale that was Dust of Dreams and The Crippled God. Esselmont doesn't quite reach the depths that Erikson does when it comes to pulling my heartstrings, and that's that.
My other, rather pedantic complaint regards the tag-line for the book: "A novel of the Malazan Empire" it most certainly is not. It is only loosely related to events in that storied empire, much less so than Esselmont's early books, and on par with (or perhaps less than) his penultimate book Blood and Bone. These last two most certainly felt like outriggers, designed to wrap up the sprawling loose ends.
As for that fervent hope - ah, I only hope this is in fact, not the last story that is told by Mr Esselmont in the Malazan world. There are stories there yet, and while Mr Erikson works on his prequel trilogy, I'd request Mr Esselmont to push ahead on new quests in this wonderful world... not prequels, mind, for I know he is planning a trilogy set in the early empire period - I would want him to continue the threads he and Mr Erikson have not tied off...
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Assail Malazan Empire Book 6 (Audible Audio Edition) Ian C Esslemont John Banks Random House AudioBooks Books Reviews
Maybe more like a 3.75 star book, but eh. I was feeling generous here at the end of my Malazan journey (well, until I zoom back in time for the prequels that is), and he ended the book well. I always give bonus points for a good ending.
I enjoyed Assail. It was the closest to my favorite of the ICE books, that being Return of the Crimson Guard. Those being the top, I'd probably place OST next, followed by Stonewielder, Blood and Bone, and then Night of Knives. So I was happy to end what has been a somewhat mediocre series on a higher note. I don't feel the need to rehash my issues with ICE's style or anything like that, I've done that before in previous reviews of his books. I'll just focus on the good for this one.
I think that the characters we have been following since the beginning of the ICE books all were featured an appropriate amount, and had fitting ends. Specifically Kyle and the Crimson Guard. It was fun to finally pierce the mystery surrounding the island of Assail, something I'd been waiting to do for a long time (readers of the main series will share that feeling I think). Finally catching back up with Silverfox was a treat. She and the others mentioned had their time to shine here, while at the same time leaving room for expansion. I'm left wondering if Erikson will pick up any of the threads here in his new Karsa trilogy. That would be pretty cool. Aside from the familiar faces we had some new characters shine as well, and quite a bit of really well-written seafaring going on. I was impressed by some of the naval scenes, and there were more of them than usual as everyone and their mother is sailing out to strike gold on Assail (literally).
Not much more to say. It was a good one. I'll definitely be diving into ICE's aforementioned prequel series soon, as I've heard nothing but good things. I also understand that he severely cuts down on his number of POVs for that story which may just potentially earn him a five-star rating. Time will tell!
Closure is an elusive thing! This book promised answers to questions that had been posed to/ by fans of all things Malazan, myself included, for perhaps a decade or more. All questions open since at least 2001, when "Memories of Ice" came out were howling for answers (being the third and perhaps the best Malazan book written by Steven Erikson). And what questions! The mysterious continent of Assail and its dread secrets, the ultimate fate of the Crimson Guard, the resolution of the stand-off between the undead T'lan Imass and Silverfox, their mortal Summoner... this slim volume (by Malazan standards, at a mere 550 pages) promised answers, at long last.
Does it deliver? To me, as a die-hard fan who is now nearly 20 books into this shared world, it mostly delivered. It isn't perfect, but it will do. Except for the rather anti-climactic appearance of a "big bad" at the end, I was quite satisfied that justice had been done with the stories of the characters that are Esselmont's to play with in this shared world. K'azz D'avore, some members of the Malazan Imperial Old Guard, the Crimson Guard, Fisher Tel Kath, Kyle, and Silverfox all get a fitting farewell.
As with any Malazan book it takes off slowly and builds up tension right until the final 100 pages - until you are left on tenterhooks wondering just how the author is going to resolve all that needs resolving in the remaining pages. For the most part the author does manage to deliver closure, although tellingly he resolves a couple of key items only in the epilogue, and closes on a whopper of a revelation that left me cursing, knowing that this was the last (planned) volume in his telling of the tale. Alas, if this is the end, Mr Esselmont has toyed with us one last time in parting. So be it!
I will not write a plot summary, because the jacket blurb for this book serves adequately for that, and I am loathe to reveal spoilers. Suffice it to say this was a breezy read that I could finish in a day and a half of reading.
I am left with only two overall complaints and one fervent hope - the foremost complaint is that this finale didn't quite leave me with the emotional wallop such as what I'd felt at the end of Erikson's main series - the two part finale that was Dust of Dreams and The Crippled God. Esselmont doesn't quite reach the depths that Erikson does when it comes to pulling my heartstrings, and that's that.
My other, rather pedantic complaint regards the tag-line for the book "A novel of the Malazan Empire" it most certainly is not. It is only loosely related to events in that storied empire, much less so than Esselmont's early books, and on par with (or perhaps less than) his penultimate book Blood and Bone. These last two most certainly felt like outriggers, designed to wrap up the sprawling loose ends.
As for that fervent hope - ah, I only hope this is in fact, not the last story that is told by Mr Esselmont in the Malazan world. There are stories there yet, and while Mr Erikson works on his prequel trilogy, I'd request Mr Esselmont to push ahead on new quests in this wonderful world... not prequels, mind, for I know he is planning a trilogy set in the early empire period - I would want him to continue the threads he and Mr Erikson have not tied off...
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