Product Details

• Series: Malazan Book of the Fallen Series (Book 1)
• MP3 CD
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio; MP3 Una edition (May 6, 2014)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1491514949
• ISBN-13: 978-1491514948
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.7 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces

Editorial Reviews From Publishers Weekly In this sprawling fantasy epic of the Malazan empire at war with its enemiesand itself, the first of a projected 10-volume series, Canadian newcomerErikson offers many larger-than-life scenes and ideas, but his characters seemto shrink to fit the story. Perhaps they need to stay small enough for thereader to keep them all in mind. Jumping often between plot lines, the novelfollows Ganoes Stabro Paran from his boyhood dreaming of soldiers to hisescape from imperial service. Paran travels on journeys of body and soul,going from innocent to hardened rebel against gods and empire without losinghis moral core. Other characters may go further, to death and back even, butnone is as sharply portrayed. The book features a plethora of princes andpaupers, powers and principalities, with much inventive detail to dazzle andimpart a patina of mystery and ages past. The fast-moving plot, with sieges,duels (of sword and of spell), rebellions, intrigue and revenge, unearthedmonsters and earth-striding gods, doesn’t leave much room for real depth.Heroes win, villains lose, fairness reigns, tragedy is averted. Erikson mayaspire to China Mieville heights, but he settles comfortably in George R.R.Martin country. Copyright (C) Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. Allrights reserved. _–This text refers to an out of print or unavailable editionof this title._ From Booklist In the first of a projected 10 volumes of the Malazan Book of the Fallen, theMalazan Empire is up to its eyebrows in the intrigues of mage Anomander Rakeand his sorcerous minions, the Tiste Andii. The empress Laseen pursues hergrisly ambitions with the aid of the Ninja-like Claw assassins, but Eriksonfocuses on the grunt-level fighting of military engineers Sergeant Whiskeyjackand his Bridgeburners and the field-grade mage Tattersall, who are more thanready to go home, when the empress commands a battle in and around the FreeCity of Darujhistan. Erikson portrays this hurly-burly–something very likethe Lord of the Rings’ Battle of the Pellenor Fields–from the perspective ofthose who had to get out of the way of the charges and exchanges of spells andsometimes died anyway. It remains to be seen whether Erikson’s excellentwriting will carry through nine more volumes of this gritty, realistic fantasyin the manner of Glen Cook’s Dark Company series. Wager on fantasy readers’robust appetites, however. _Roland Green_ _Copyright (C) American Library Association. All rights reserved_ _–This textrefers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title._ See all Editorial Reviews