u/amish_novelty

I am currently making my way through Malazan bit by bit, doing my best to keep track of the characters, lore, and connections with the help of a reading guide, and goddamn is it worth the effort. 

These books are absolutely unforgiving in how events unfold. Particularly in military engagements where, in most books, one gets used to seeing the army one is rooting for win the day with ease or get rescued at the last minute by another armed force. 

That is definitely not the case with Malazan. Erikson is going to make you feel the cost of winning these engagements with the deaths of many a character who die in sudden, violent flashes that give you scarcely a page to process what’s just happened before moving onto the next scene. Sometimes multiple deaths hit in the span of a few paragraphs. I think the most obvious, stand out demise in Memories of Ice is >!Whiskeyjack!< who I can very much see as a fan favorite. Man just wanted to settle down with his sad, immortal Tiste Andii girlfriend somewhere. Looking back on that part now, I guess the two of them attempting to have something approaching a romantic relationship in this fucked up world is pretty damning.

I will say, spending time among the Bridgeburners again was an absolute blast. So many wonderfully funny and memorable side characters infused with so much life populate the cast of sappers. I loved the scene of them realizing their top tier Dragon Deck table was in the hands of a warlord wielding a hammer capable of destroying the world and their first thought is, “Yep, let’s steal that back.”

Also loved having Kruppe back in the fold. Like the Bridgeburners, he brought a lot of levity to an otherwise dark and brutal military campaign. I also love that, as seemingly kind and self-effacing as he is, you can still see him working his influence into major events in subtle ways. Also fucking died when he got the better of Hetan and went full Barghast after getting some one on one time with her. 

Was also not expecting the presence of fucking >!undead, sword-wielding dinosaurs!< in this book, but here we are. That goes double for the Tenescowri who are majorly fucked up. The concept of the Children of the Dead Seed is… interesting to say the least.

Out of everything in Memories of Ice, though, the major thing that’s becoming more and more apparent is how much of a cost is being paid for these characters to win both personal and large scale battles. The T’lan Imass and their wolf brethren have an exceptionally tragic backstory interwoven with Toc the Younger’s, Silverfox’s and the Mhybe’s fates. Not to mention Itkovian, whose fate is one of the few times I actually teared up reading. 

The overall toll the Bridgeburners, Malazans, Tiste Andii, Brood’s forces, Barghast clans, and Morinth paid to win is insane. And you really feel those losses. So much so that their winning doesn’t truly resonate as a triumph. Just an empty, broken lull where they’re not under immediate threat.
I’m absolutely loving the brutality, comedy, lore, and weight of this series. Looking forward to House of Chains!

What were your favorite moments from this book?