The second book in Steven Erikson's thrilling epic fantasy series chronicling the ill-fated Malazan Empire.
Weakened by events in Darujhistan, the Malazan Empire teeters on the brink of anarchy. In the vast dominion of Seven Cities, in the Holy Desert Raraku, the seer Sha'ik gathers an army around her in preparation for the long-prophesied uprising named the Whirlwind. Unprecedented in its size and savagery, it will embroil in one of the bloodiest conflicts it has ever known- a maelstrom of fanaticism and bloodlust that will shape destinies and give birth to legends...
In the Otataral mines, Felisin, youngest daughter of the disgraced House of Paran, dreams of revenge against the sister who sentenced her to a life of slavery. Escape leads her to raraku, where her soul will be reborn and her future made clear. The now-outlawed Bridgeburners, Fiddler and the assassin Kalam, have vowed to return the once god-possessed Apsalar to her homeland, and to confront and kill the Empress Laseen, but events will overtake them too. Meanwhile, Coltaine, the charismatic commander of the Malaz 7th Army, will lead his battered, war-weary troops in a last, valient running battle to save the lives of thirty thousand refugees and, in so doing, secure an illustrious place in the Empire's chequered history. And into this blighted land come two ancient wanderers, Mappo and his half-Jaghut companion Icarium, bearers of a devastating secret that threatens to break free of its chains...
Set in a brilliantly-realized world ravaged by anarchy and dark, uncontrollable magic, Deadhouse Gates is the thrilling, brutal second chapter in the Malazan Book of the Fallen. A powerful novel of war, intrigue and betrayal, it confirms Steven Erikson as a storyteller of breathtaking skill, imagination and originality - a new master of epic fantasy.
Industry Reviews
Malazon Sage, Gardens of the Moon, that the achievement of this sequel is doubly surprising. Not only is the vigour and sweep of the earlier book effortlessly recaptured, the complex plot is simultaneously deepened and accelerated, with a grasp of tempo that has the reader inexorably gripped. The Malazan Empire, drained by the punishing wars described in the first book, is weak and demoralized. The powerful seer Sha'ik marshals her forces in the massive dominions of the Seven Cities, and the long-foreseen uprising called the Whirlwind Unprecedented is ready to unleash a bloody carnage. Suffering under a yoke of slavery in the Otataral mines, Felisin, the cast-out daughter of the House of Para, nurses her resentment against the sister who is responsible for her plight. Escaping to the mainland, she prepares for the re-birth of her soul - the first step in reclaiming her future. And Erikson's most memorable protagonists, the outlawed Bridgeburners, Fiddler and the deadly killer Kalam, vow to return from the wilderness and destroy the Empress Laseen. As before, Erikson's ambitions are considerable, and he's not afraid to freight his narrative with a thousand plot strands even at the risk of taxing the reader's ability to keep up. But a growing band of aficionados are well aware that any effort in this area is well worth while, as the author always knows precisely what he is doing. He's perfectly happy to merely touch in details of character and plot, confident that the attentive reader will find this subtlety pays dividends (particularly in a genre which attempts such understated strategies all too rarely), and the introduction of major new characters (such as the ancient wanderer Mappo the Trell) is handled with consummate skill, as we realize that Mappo carries an apocalyptic secret that will alter the destiny of nations, we are happy to switch our attention to this new protagonist. Roll on, book three! (Kirkus UK)
