Night of Knives

Much more readable than Erikson (and more enjoyable than many reviews suggest - for example I liked the writing), but also more generic as a fantasy. The Malazan mithology and world still felt overburden for me, though, even in this simplified form, so now I can definitely say I am not a Malazan fan in any form and abandon any further attempts in this world.

I am reading the Malazan series by Erikson and Esslemont in publishing order. This means that after book five of the Malazan Book of the Fallen, it's now time for the first book of Esslemont in the Novels of the Malazan Empire series. The book is not very thick; in Malazan terms, it's almost a novella.

I have mixed feelings about this book.

The good:
As Erikson mentions in the introduction, this is not fan fiction. It is clear that Esslemont and Erikson together invented this world and are responsible for the depth of the lore. This is clearly noticeable. It is also striking that despite being two completely different writers, there are no discrepancies between the different plots of both authors. Esslemont deserves as much credit for this fantasy world as Erikson. If you're a fan of the Malazan series, you get some interesting background stories.

The not so good:
I found the book messy; this could be due to me or the writing style. I found it particularly strange that I thought the book was too long, even though it's a relatively thin book and is full of action. A lot of people run back and forth on the Malaz Island at night, and it's not always clear why exactly. This was probably supposed to contribute to the suspense, but I found it a lot of hassle for ultimately nothing.

It's almost inevitable that Esslemont is compared to Erikson. And in this book, the comparison doesn't work out so well for Esslemont. 3 stars.

2.5 stars.
This book has some rough edges, combat scenes were hard to follow, and there was not a strong hook in the beginning. But through flashbacks, getting to characters I recognized, and warming up to some new ones I ended up enjoying myself. It was very cool seeing this fantasy world through its co-creators eyes.

The flashback with the “Sword” was a highlight, as was the man who walks edges, and a certain Mage with a queue.

I really liked this. It takes place during a single dramatic night and primarily follows two compelling, though foolish and stubborn characters: Temper, an experienced soldier, and Kiska a young, restless woman who just wants to leave her hometown.

I decided to try to not compare the Malazan Empire books to the Books of the Fallen, because I wanted to avoid disappointment over differences.