Reaper's Gale

When I started reading this I didn't expect the story would go this way and that so many main characters would die. And others somewhat become alive again...
Erikson continues to amaze me with every page turned. I have to admit, though, that there were way too many POV characters and sometimes, when he returned to them after 400-600 pages I had to think hard about who they were and what was going on.
I went in with low expectations, not mamy people consider this book as a highlight of the series but it really surprised. Is it better than MoI or TB? Definitely not, but it has its moments. Just like DG and MoI, it can crush your heart.
The last thing I'm gonna say are Quick Bens words:
“Don't you pity him, Fid. You understand me? Don't you pity him!”

Reaper's Gale est le septième tome du cycle de fantasy Malazan Book of the Fallen de Steven Erikson.

Jusque là, le cinquième tome, Midnight Tides, était mon préféré du cycle. J'y avais notamment adoré la confrontation entre les tribus Tiste Edur et l'empire de Lether, deux civilisations représentant deux modèles de société différents, avec des échos contemporains qui n'étaient pas pour me déplaire. Je crois que Reaper's Gale m'a encore plu d'avantage. J'y ai retrouvé le cadre et les personnages que j'avais tant apprécié dans Midnight Tides, avec une intrigue encore plus forte. Steven Erikson poursuit, et parfois achève, l'histoire de certains personnages, et il le fait de façon mémorable.

Je ne sais pas ce que me réservent les trois derniers romans du cycle, mais j'espère de tout coeur y retrouver tout ce que j'ai aimé dans celui-ci.

Reel back you tottering forests this nightthe black waves crash on the black shoreto steal the flesh from your bony rootsdeath comes, shouldering aside in cold legionin a marching wind this dread this bloodthis reaper's gale

“Reaper's Gale” is the seventh installment in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series. It picks up the threads from both “Midnight Tides” and “The Bonehunters,” slowly intertwining their storylines. The convergence unfolds gradually, as Erikson takes his time in weaving them together. Despite the intricate build-up, a new storyline is introduced.

Managing a multitude of characters creates a complex situation, making it challenging to do justice to all points of view. The book's pacing is deliberate, and anticipated clashes take time to unfold. Nevertheless, “Reaper's Gale” delivers impactful and emotional moments that rise above mere spectacle.

Erikson delves into familiar themes like religion, power, possession, self-determination, and assimilation. Additionally, he subverts “The hero's journey.” Eventually, Erikson skillfully merges the plotlines in his unique way, opening the door to the series' final segment. The accomplishment, however, comes at the cost of a considerable number of pages.

I rate it just above 4 stars: 4.25.

I'm still enjoying my journey through the Malazan Book of the Fallen. Am seriously considering that I may have to upgrade all the titles to 5 stars. These books are so good, and I keep thinking about events and characters long after I read the books.

I don't generally care that much about the bad guys, so it's kind of amazing how much I pity a despicable character like Rhulad. My favourite parts of this book were probably the Fiddler and the Tehol parts. Oh, and Beak made me cry so hard!

“People with no sense or appreciation of humour, Invigilator, always take money too seriously. It's possession, anyway. Which is why they spend all their time stacking coins, counting this and that, gazing lovingly over their hoards and so on. They're compensating for the abject penury everywhere else in their lives.”

Executive Summary: After what has to be my favorite of the series [b:The Bonehunters 478951 The Bonehunters (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #6) Steven Erikson https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1320434864s/478951.jpg 3898723], this one is a big letdown. Too many new characters really bog the story down for far too long, but it ends strong enough to save it from being a bad book.Full ReviewThis book seems to take everything about [b:Midnight Tides 345299 Midnight Tides (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #5) Steven Erikson https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1366996057s/345299.jpg 3898719] and ramp it up. Unlike that book however, I didn't find myself confused and frustrated at the beginning. I was simply uninterested. So unlike Midnight Tides where I enjoyed the story once I got my bearings, this one just kept leaving me bored for far too much of the book.One of the flaws I often see in Epic fantasy is introducing too many characters and subplots that it bogs the story down. This is the main fault I found with the Wheel of Time series that could badly use editing to make books 8-10 into 1 or 2 much tighter novels.This one isn't quite at that extreme, but I hope that things turn around with [b:Toll the Hounds 938544 Toll the Hounds (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #8) Steven Erikson https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1316126179s/938544.jpg 3898730].The Letherii/Tiste Edur story just isn't that interesting to me. Maybe it's because I find almost no likable characters in the bunch apart from Tehol and Bugg. All of the new characters, especially the Patriotists are despicable. That's all well and good, but I feel Mr. Erikson spends entirely too much time convincing just how despicable they are. I think there were enough (or nearly enough) characters from [b:Midnight Tides 345299 Midnight Tides (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #5) Steven Erikson https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1366996057s/345299.jpg 3898719] that could have been used to tell this story without adding so many new faces.Thankfully the Malazans come to the rescue of this story, albeit a lot later than I would have liked. Old favorites like Fiddler and Quick Ben and the banter of the Marines are a relief from the tedium that is the Letherii/Edur story.Mr. Erikson seems to always write really terrible beginnings (even though I know he's capable of writing good ones) but really excellent endings. This one is no different. However I won't let another strong ending fool me into forgetting about how bored I was for far too much of this novel.There were enough enjoyable chapters in this book to save it from a 2-star rating, but overall this has been the weakest novel in the series for me so far. Readers who enjoyed [b:Midnight Tides 345299 Midnight Tides (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #5) Steven Erikson https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1366996057s/345299.jpg 3898719] more than I did may come away with a different opinion, but I for one am happy to move on.