House of Chains
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4.6 • 390 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
In Northern Genabackis, a raiding party of savage tribal warriors descends from the mountains into the southern flatlands. Their intention is to wreak havoc amongst the despised lowlanders, but for the one named Karsa Orlong it marks the beginning of what will prove to be an extraordinary destiny.
Some years later, it is the aftermath of the Chain of Dogs. Tavore, the Adjunct to the Empress, has arrived in the last remaining Malazan stronghold of Seven Cities. New to command, she must hone twelve thousand soldiers, mostly raw recruits but for a handful of veterans of Coltaine's legendary march, into a force capable of challenging the massed hordes of Sha'ik's Whirlwind who lie in wait in the heart of the Holy Desert.
But waiting is never easy. The seer's warlords are locked into a power struggle that threatens the very soul of the rebellion, while Sha'ik herself suffers, haunted by the knowledge of her nemesis: her own sister, Tavore.
And so begins this awesome new chapter in Steven Erikson's acclaimed Malazan Book of the Fallen . . .
At the publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management software (DRM) applied.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Longtime fans may be surprised by the fourth book in Erikson's masterful fantasy epic that began with Gardens of the Moon (2004), because the long opening section follows a single character, the Teblor warrior Karsa Orlong, and his companions on a gory raid through enemy territory and into the human lowlands of Northern Genabackis. The time-hopping, perspective-shifting, looping story lines typical of this Canadian author return later, as Erikson ties Karsa's actions to the ultimate showdown between the forces of the Malazan Empire and Sha'ik's Army of the Apocalypse. Against a backdrop of brutal power struggles, the stubbornly determined Karsa is able to accomplish more than even he could have imagined. Unusual among fantasy writers, Erikson succeeds in making readers empathize equally with all sides involved in his world's vast, century-spanning conflict. Newcomers will eagerly seek out previous books in the series.
Customer Reviews
Nails
This book is so deeply layered and great. Don’t we all drag heavy chains behind us? Laden with the past, failure and unrequited love…
Tough series to enjoy
I have many thoughts about this book and series as a whole. I hear a lot how rich the world is and for many it’s their favorite fantasy series of all time. Similarly, almost all the reviews talk about how confusing and lost you feel in this book and to that part I think it’s true. I’m sure the author is far more intelligent than I, but I don’t know if it was his sole purpose in making this series as hard and difficult to understand as possible. Some may lawd him in his writing style and prose but I’m critical of his storytelling. I don’t care how rich the world is because he hasn’t given me a single character or story arc to truly care about. I look at this series like a hungry man excited to go to a buffet. Food smells good, you’re hungry you load your first plate with 10 different dishes. Problem is only 2 of the dishes taste good and suddenly you’re no longer hungry because it’s such a bland disappointment. The prose is good here but there’s no real story to follow. You just wander this world with characters that aren’t fleshed out in a world where you don’t understand the rules. Apparently, book 5 or 6 is where things start to make sense in this series, but to ask audiences to blindly follow you through 5k+ pages is too tall a task IMO.
Awesome
This series is a great read.