Fall of Light
The Second Book in the Kharkanas Trilogy
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4.8 • 11 Ratings
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
Before the Malazan Empire, there was a time that set the stage for all those tales yet to be told . . .
The winter is bitter. Civil war threatens Kurald Galain for the warrior Urusander’s army has begun its march on the city of Kharkanas. Led by the ruthless Hunn Raal, it intends to cast aside Mother Dark’s consort, Draconus, and set Urusander himself on the throne beside the Living Goddess. Those who would stand in the way of the rebels lie scattered and weakened – leaderless since Anomander went in search of an estranged brother. In his stead, Silchas Ruin resolves to gather the Houseblades of the Highborn families to him, and to resurrect the legendary Hust Legion, but time is not on his side.
Far to the west, an unlikely army musters. It seeks an enemy without form, in a place none can find. And yet Hood’s call has been heard and the long-abandoned city of Omtose Phellack is now home to a rabble of new arrivals: Dog-Runners from the south, Jheck warriors, and blue-skinned strangers from across the Western Sea have come to offer Hood their swords. From the distant mountains and isolated valleys of the North, Thel Akai arrive to pledge themselves in this seemingly impossible war. Soon, they will set forth with weapons drawn under the banners of the living in pursuit of Death itself.
Such events presage chaos, and now magic bleeds into this realm. Unconstrained, mysterious and savage, it begins to run loose and wild and following its scent, seeking the places of wounding and hurt – new and ancient entities gather.
In a world becoming rotten with sorcery, can honour truly exist?
Customer Reviews
Fall of Light
Another fantastic Malazan book- though not so much Malazan; time unfathomable separates this trilogy and that particular empire. This second book followed the absolutely brilliant Forge of Darkness. I would presume that this will not be loved by everyone. The way some people reacted to "Toll the Hounds" would be an indication of this. Of that, some readers complained they didn't like the style (or in some cases- that it was a change in style). I saw one reader review stating that the book sounded like it was narrated by Kruppe. He probably should have chewed on that thought a little longer. He, and many others may have appreciated the story a bit more. Anyway, I saw a similar comment on the language and speech regarding Forge of Darkness. It should be clear to people who know this world why this trilogy is written in such a way. The races that dominate the events of this time period in Kurald Galain are not humans. The original Tiste see very human like- but different as well. The people who would become the Tiste Andii are very metaphorical and not always clear and precise. Indeed, the highborn have a very poetic language, and are inclined to look at simple plain speech with disdain and one of the key traits to distinguish them from peasants. The strange Thel Akai peoples are similar in their way of speaking- though certainly not so obscure. Jaghut are more to the point- barring a couple of them- though extraordinary is their wisdom, intelligence, and their understanding of the way of things. Azathanai are very much gods among the different people. They are ever a mystery, and are philosophical mostly in their musing and conversations with each other especially. Finally, for me the only peoples I hated reading when it came to spoken words were the dog runners (early Imass). They were barely present luckily. I always liked the T'lan Imass in the other books- but the couple of Dog Runners in this story were just non-sensical. Anyway, I really have rambled on enough. I could babble all week about the wonderful series of books that Erikson and Esslemont have gifted the world. Hopefully this helps somebody a little in some way. Thank you S.E. for another one. I loved how long this one was. Now I wait patiently for Call to Shadow.