Memories of Ice

Vengeance yielded a mirror to every atrocity, where notions of right and wrong blurred and lost all relevance.

“Memories of Ice” is the third installment in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series. And so far, each book is getting a bit bigger.
We are once again back on Genebackis, the continent from “Gardens of the Moon.” Most of the main characters from the first book return in the third book, along with some additional characters.
From “Deadhouse Gates,” readers may already know the vivid imagination that Steven Erikson has when it comes to violence, torture, and perversions. He once again uses this ability to full effect in this book.
The fact that he even conceives of it is remarkable, but he describes it with a detached perspective that makes the impact even greater.

Fortunately, this is not the only thing worth mentioning; nowhere do I, as a reader, get the impression that the author is trying to shock for shock's sake. Multiple storylines unfold, layer upon layer, and they come together masterfully in a truly epic conclusion.
Although it is clear that Malazan does not follow the pattern of the “chosen one” on a quest for redemption, Erikson suddenly incorporates a Christ theme into this book. And not even in a subtle way, but rather “in your face.” While it is not clear to me whether this is intended as a nod, it does create a very emotional plotline. One of the many deeply emotional storylines in this book.

When you, as a reader, finally reach the epilogue, it's a moment to catch your breath. However, when the dust settles, there are still some rough edges for me, which is why I'm not giving it a full 5 stars.
Just like in “Gardens of the Moon,” the first book, there are plot twists that seem a bit too convenient. This may be a result of the structure that Stevenson employs, where nothing is explained, and the rules of the ‘game' only become clear as the story progresses. This carries the risk that some ‘rules' seem to suddenly emerge. Is this now a Deus Ex Machina, or an Erikson ex machina, if you will? Or was everything thought out in advance and seamlessly fits into the overarching story without plot holes? I'm not entirely sure, hence deducting half a star.

4/10

The Malazan borefest continues.

As usual, everyone is a freaking philosopher and a master wordsmith ready to spew out seemingly profound wisdom at a moment's notice. Thus making the dialog and inner monologue very pretentious and tiresome to read. And on top of that, I did not care about a single character. And there is Kruppe, whom I hated and wanted to die a very slow and painful death. Kruppe absolutely sucks.

Similar to the previous two books, the plot is very disjointed and confusing. I still have no idea what is going on in this series. What is the point of it all? Other than spamming the word “compassion” a hundred times.

Despite the lower rating, I don't think this book is worse than the previous two. I just got very tired of Erikson's tedious writing and style of storytelling. And it was so unnecessary long.

Probably it's time to call it quits with Malazan. It's just not worth it with those massive door stoppers and no indication of any improvements. If I ever run out of better fantasy to read, I might return to this series.

Het kabbelt voort en het kabbelt voort, en soms weet een mens niet meer goed in welk deel van welk continent we nu precies zijn, maar hoofdstuk na lang hoofdstuk worden de personages echter en echter, en dan bam! zijn we aan vier vijfden van het boek begint de actie, en dan is het een onneerlegbaar boek.

Drie boeken zijn we ver, en nu pas wordt het min of meer een beetje duidelijk wat er allemaal aan het gebeuren is achter de schermen.

Opnieuw een boek vol oorlog, en nog meer dan in de vorige boeken zien we verschillende perspectieven: van verschillende generaties goden over quasi-onsterfelijke wezens over generaals en high mages tot toevallige helden en soldatenvoetvolk.

Mensen en wezens die goed doen en slecht doen, met motivaties en achtergronden, niet te zwart-wit, zeer bijzonder goed. De enige reden om dit niet te lezen zou zijn omdat het veel werk is — een goeie drieduizend bladzijden voor de eerste drie boeken — maar de laatste paar honderd bladzijden alleen al maken het allemaal meer dan waard.