Easily the best thus far
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The others were great fantasy masterpieces. This is simply a masterpiece. Most of the time truly great literary works are novels although in the last century Tolkein and Rowling seem to have reversed the trend and Steven Erikson continues the new tradition.
Memories of Ice is not just a dark fantasy. That has become a cliche. This is a tradgedy book. I'll try not to give it away, but if I'm going to right this review I have to refer to the greatest part of the book: the end. I have never cried at either a film or book (I am 14 but still...) but this is the closest I've come. There is a death, but it is not simply boohoo my favourite character is dead to save their friend. This death has a real purpose in the big picture and it makes it all the more important.
Even apart from the final 100 pages or so, the book is still head and shoulders above most others. The action is fast-paced, exciting and bloody (sometimes too much, but this is forgivable)and when the characters are not battling it out with some monster or other they are talking and bonding. This creates a genuine tie with them. Again, though, the banter isn't unimportant babble, it develops the plot, even if the same conversation happens three times between different characters, sometimes that is handy to fully understand what it is they're discussing.
This is the best non-fiction book I have ever read (unless the author's future work beats this [doubtful!]). Not reading this is a sin and criticism is blasphemy.
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Read this book!
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Since a friend recommended the first in this series (Gardens of the Moon) I have been utterly addicted to Erikson's fantastic writing. I hadn't read any fantasy for years and thought I had grown out of it but now I count the Malazan books as the best I have ever read. By best I mean not just best fantasy books but best books. Give them a try, you wont be dissapointed.
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One of the True Greats, If not the best
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My first experience with Memories of Ice was, as you might expect the cover, front and back. The quote on the back of the paperback UK edition in my eyes is only a vague glimpse of what this book lives upto.
'Homeric in scope and vision...read and expect to be overpowered, not only by a story that never fails to thrill and entertain, but by a saga that lives upto its name, both intellectually and in its dramatic, visually rich and lavish storytelling'
Memories of Ice is the third installment in Steven Erikson's highly acclaimed fantasy trilogy 'The Malazan Book of the Fallen', MoI (the abbreviation) has long been hailed by most critiques and fans as the best in the series. The events follow chronologically after the events of Gardens of the Moon (Book 1) and happen in tandem with the events of Deadhouse Gates (Book 2).
Memories of Ice explores many different themes throughout its pages, including the theme of motherhood and the theme of coexistance between forces which have different rules, upbringings and goals. These are but a few. Where the book really shines is through its storytelling, it has a unique ability to captivate the reader and keep the large majority of its story arcs interesting whilst or in addition to finding some way of developing the progression of the reader's experience and understanding of the Malazan World.
From the prologue it exceeds, and is really only faulted for one of its story threads and characters, apart from this flaw it is exquisite. Some of the characters that appear in MoI are timeless, the characterisation is generally very good, although naturally in some places it is better than in others. In most books your favourite or likable characters are injected in very small quantities but in MoI you often find reader's having five and upwards amount of favourite characters, this is perfectly common. This is one of the greatest strengths of the novel.
Overall I have no hesitation giving five Stars to this novel, and just for conversion it is definitely one of those rare breeds which i'd rate 9.7-9.8/10. This is the peak of Epic Fantasy.
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The pinnacle of fantasy
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I've just finished re-reading this as prep. for reading The Bonehunters. There is so much in this book that I missed first time round. For example, there is a reference to a body found washed up on a beach, brought there by 'midnight tides', a lead in to Book 5.
MOI is, quite simply, an amazing achievement. Yes, there is a lot of stuff going on, and some of it may not even seem relevant (Broach and Bauchelain, for example), but who knows? They may be lead-ins for later books.
The climax is amazing. Erikson gives you characters that you really feel for. You share their feelings, their successes and failures. While some stuff is revealed, other stuff is hinted at - some endings might not be endings, after all.
For me, the Malazan books leave the rest of the fantasy world in their wake.
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even better than GOTM
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ok let me start by saying that this is what i thought deadhouse gates would be, a straight continuation from GOTM. so i had to wait an extra book, so what. this book is huge and to match that the stakes are equally huge.
several characters return some of whom i never thought i'd see again, and we have some great new characters, including gruntle, itkovian and lady envy. the best though is probably captain paran, and i know alot of you will say that he isn't a new character that he is a returning charachter but beleive me when i say he is so different and prominent that he might as well be a new character.
again i gotta say the ending really hits home hard, you'll see what i mean. also more is revealed about ascendants and the rolls they play not to mention the crippled god features more prominently.
and again the sorcery and battles are second to none. i gotta say one scene where a wizard transports the contents of a waterskin into the lungs of an enemy mage is just genius on the part of the author.
again another brilliant book and i hope the remaining books in the series are released with as mcu hhaste as is humanly possible.
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