Grant
I am contented in the ending. That alone feels like a miracle for a behemoth of a series.
I put down this book feeling hopeful. I'm a bit amazed by that fact. These books are full of despair and hard living. Shadow and doubt are raised up a major positive thematic elements. Despite all that, there were potent moments reading this series that reminded me of Tolkien's search for goodness, albeit a much, much more post-modern and existentialist search.
I suspect camaraderie will be Malazan's lasting impression with me . It is touching and funny and captures little a bit of Beauty.
I am contented in the ending. That alone feels like a miracle for a behemoth of a series.
I put down this book feeling hopeful. I'm a bit amazed by that fact. These books are full of despair and hard living. Shadow and doubt are raised up a major positive thematic elements. Despite all that, there were potent moments reading this series that reminded me of Tolkien's search for goodness, albeit a much, much more post-modern and existentialist search.
I suspect camaraderie will be Malazan's lasting impression with me . It is touching and funny and captures little a bit of Beauty.
I used the story of an insect surrounded by lizards who then have an owl come as a framing device for the whole book. It was fun trying to place where each faction thought they were in the food chain vs where it seemed they actually were.
Pressure and the necessity of opposing forces are two themes from this book that resonated with me. They also seem indicative of Erikson's ethos for Malazan - the balance between obliteration of dreams and a humanistic spirit clinging to hope. You see that in Erikson's critique of cycles of oppression, the false hope of "justice", and the makeup of the Malazan marines' psyches.
I find myself still chewing on the idea and imagery of power as occupying space vs exerting control over another. Bugg remarks on it, Torrent reflects on it, and Fiddler provides an example of it with the Deck reading. At the very end of the book, the Malazan/Letherii/Khundryl refusal to give ground against the Short-tails is a tragic illustration of it. It's a concept that works well with Erikson's archaeological bend, his love of writing nomadic tribes, and strengthens the environmentalist messaging these books hint at.
I think I've seen that Dust of Dreams is considered one of the weaker entries in the series. I can see how people arrive at that response, but I was gripped. Some of that was just finally getting lore answers because I'm not sure if plot or character relationships were as compelling for me in this entry.
Probably last thing? The violence against women and some of the jealousy between women was difficult. I don't think that all novels need to be perfectly sanitized or that certain evils can't/shouldn't be portrayed. I also don't think Erikson included those scenes for shock value or without consideration. They just didn't quite pass the sniff test for me, though perhaps that's the point.
I'm excited to finish the series.
I used the story of an insect surrounded by lizards who then have an owl come as a framing device for the whole book. It was fun trying to place where each faction thought they were in the food chain vs where it seemed they actually were.
Pressure and the necessity of opposing forces are two themes from this book that resonated with me. They also seem indicative of Erikson's ethos for Malazan - the balance between obliteration of dreams and a humanistic spirit clinging to hope. You see that in Erikson's critique of cycles of oppression, the false hope of "justice", and the makeup of the Malazan marines' psyches.
I find myself still chewing on the idea and imagery of power as occupying space vs exerting control over another. Bugg remarks on it, Torrent reflects on it, and Fiddler provides an example of it with the Deck reading. At the very end of the book, the Malazan/Letherii/Khundryl refusal to give ground against the Short-tails is a tragic illustration of it. It's a concept that works well with Erikson's archaeological bend, his love of writing nomadic tribes, and strengthens the environmentalist messaging these books hint at.
I think I've seen that Dust of Dreams is considered one of the weaker entries in the series. I can see how people arrive at that response, but I was gripped. Some of that was just finally getting lore answers because I'm not sure if plot or character relationships were as compelling for me in this entry.
Probably last thing? The violence against women and some of the jealousy between women was difficult. I don't think that all novels need to be perfectly sanitized or that certain evils can't/shouldn't be portrayed. I also don't think Erikson included those scenes for shock value or without consideration. They just didn't quite pass the sniff test for me, though perhaps that's the point.
I'm excited to finish the series.
I used the story of an insect surrounded by lizards who then have an owl come as a framing device for the whole book. It was fun trying to place where each faction thought they were in the food chain vs where it seemed they actually were.
Pressure and the necessity of opposing forces are two themes from this book that resonated with me. They also seem indicative of Erikson's ethos for Malazan - the balance between obliteration of dreams and a humanistic spirit clinging to hope. You see that in Erikson's critique of cycles of oppression, the false hope of "justice", and the makeup of the Malazan marines' psyches.
I find myself still chewing on the idea and imagery of power as occupying space vs exerting control over another was explored more. Bugg remarks on it, Torrent reflects on it, and Fiddler provides an example of it with the Deck reading. At the very end of the book, the Malazan/Letherii/Khundryl refusal to give ground against the Short-tails is a tragic illustration of it. It's a concept that works well with Erikson's archaeological bend, his love of writing nomadic tribes, and strengthens the environmentalist messaging these books hint at.
I think I've seen that Dust of Dreams is considered one of the weaker entries in the series. I can see how people arrive at that response, but I was gripped. Some of that was just finally getting lore answers because I'm not sure if plot or character relationships were as compelling for me in this entry.
Probably last thing? The violence against women and some of the jealousy between women was difficult. I don't think that all novels need to be perfectly sanitized or that certain evils can't/shouldn't be portrayed. I also don't think Erikson included those scenes for shock value or without consideration. They just didn't quite pass the sniff test for me, though perhaps that's the point.
I'm excited to finish the series.
I used the story of an insect surrounded by lizards who then have an owl come as a framing device for the whole book. It was fun trying to place where each faction thought they were in the food chain vs where it seemed they actually were.
Pressure and the necessity of opposing forces are two themes from this book that resonated with me. They also seem indicative of Erikson's ethos for Malazan - the balance between obliteration of dreams and a humanistic spirit clinging to hope. You see that in Erikson's critique of cycles of oppression, the false hope of "justice", and the makeup of the Malazan marines' psyches.
I find myself still chewing on the idea and imagery of power as occupying space vs exerting control over another was explored more. Bugg remarks on it, Torrent reflects on it, and Fiddler provides an example of it with the Deck reading. At the very end of the book, the Malazan/Letherii/Khundryl refusal to give ground against the Short-tails is a tragic illustration of it. It's a concept that works well with Erikson's archaeological bend, his love of writing nomadic tribes, and strengthens the environmentalist messaging these books hint at.
I think I've seen that Dust of Dreams is considered one of the weaker entries in the series. I can see how people arrive at that response, but I was gripped. Some of that was just finally getting lore answers because I'm not sure if plot or character relationships were as compelling for me in this entry.
Probably last thing? The violence against women and some of the jealousy between women was difficult. I don't think that all novels need to be perfectly sanitized or that certain evils can't/shouldn't be portrayed. I also don't think Erikson included those scenes for shock value or without consideration. They just didn't quite pass the sniff test for me, though perhaps that's the point.
I'm excited to finish the series.