Reviewing Deadhouse Gates without mentioning the mystery of the jade giants? For shame, Larry. 
(And yes, that is entirely sarcastic, Erikson rather lost me with that whole thing I must say.)
That scene in Unta is excellent. Laseen and Tavore are on the whole depicted rather favourably in later books (or in Laseen's case, at the end of DG already), but scenes like this one make clear that their supposed benevolence has to be taken with a grain of salt. The whole culling nobles thing is one of the more interesting aspects of the Malazan series, because on the one hand it makes the reader feel sorry for the nobles, but on the other hand, at a few points it becomes clear why the exigencies of the empire push Laseen in that direction.
And definitely, the characters are more fleshed out here.
I think one can both consider her bitterness justified, and find her unsympathetic and annoying, though I wouldn't go as far as to say I share that opinion. She is one of his better characters, alright, and has rather more depth than her sister, probably more than her brother too.
This reminds me of another instance of what I was complaining about with regards to Toll the Hounds, but I think House of Chains is a better place to discuss that.
The thing with the Chain of Dogs is that - not unlike the defence of Capustan in the next book - it defies belief, and that makes it lose some of its punch if you think back on it afterwards. Its ending is also, really, really frustrating - one of those "throw the book across the room" moments.
I can see why you'd rate Felisin's subplot higher in terms of themes and character development.
I agree to some extent about the Path of Hands, but not so much about Icarium and Mappo. That storyline works best when divided over a number of books, imho, to convey better the endless repetition in Icarium's life, and so it had to start here.
Nice review. A more serious question about something you left out: what did you make of the ending and the Laseen thing, which feels like an afterthought in this novel but is ultimately rather important for the series?
(And yes, that is entirely sarcastic, Erikson rather lost me with that whole thing I must say.) What I noticed more about this book (just as I recall noting about the last four books written by Erikson) compared to the first book is that there is more of a buildup to the action-oriented scenes. Whereas Gardens of the Moon placed the readers in the midst of a multi-sided war with little information provided that would orient the reader as to what was happening (this was intentional, I believe, rather than a mistake in approach, although the execution certainly was not flawless, as I noted in my prior commentary), Deadhouse Gates begins with a vivid scene in the Malazan capital city of Unta. New characters, such as Captain Paran's youngest sister, Felisin, the ex-priest Heboric, the mysterious Baudin, and the Wickan leader of the Malazan Seventh Army, Coltaine, are given strong introductions that allow the reader to find more depth to their characters than the staccato bursts of dialogue that marked much of the character interactions in the first novel. This greater focus on character I believe is the main factor that separates this novel from its predecessor and it serves to offset the structural problems I noticed with the narrative.
That scene in Unta is excellent. Laseen and Tavore are on the whole depicted rather favourably in later books (or in Laseen's case, at the end of DG already), but scenes like this one make clear that their supposed benevolence has to be taken with a grain of salt. The whole culling nobles thing is one of the more interesting aspects of the Malazan series, because on the one hand it makes the reader feel sorry for the nobles, but on the other hand, at a few points it becomes clear why the exigencies of the empire push Laseen in that direction.
And definitely, the characters are more fleshed out here.
Felisin often has been criticized by several readers for being "unsympathetic." I, on the other hand, have always found her to be one of the more complex characters in this series to date and this re-read only strengthened my belief. Erikson does a good job, through the use of this character's actions and her comments to her companions, to show just how battered and embittered she had become during the course of her imprisonment on the orders of her older sister, Tavore, and her subsequent selling of her body in the slave pits in order to gain concessions for herself. Her bitterness at how Heboric and Baudin view her is in part justified, but the times where her actions cannot be defended end up feeling as though Erikson were showing this character's foibles instead of being entirely sympathetic toward her plight. By the time she comes to be Sha'ik Reborn and the leader of the Seven Cities' Rebellion, she has become perhaps the most well-rounded and morally ambiguous characters in the series to date. The scenes where she appears ended up being among my favorites this time.
I think one can both consider her bitterness justified, and find her unsympathetic and annoying, though I wouldn't go as far as to say I share that opinion. She is one of his better characters, alright, and has rather more depth than her sister, probably more than her brother too.
This reminds me of another instance of what I was complaining about with regards to Toll the Hounds, but I think House of Chains is a better place to discuss that.
Most readers would cite the Chain of Dogs as being the emotional heart of the novel. While I agree that it is a well-written novel of honor and courage in the face of antipathy and greed on the part of those being protected by Coltaine's forces, I am not for certain if it is greater than the rise of Felisin from the ashes of her imprisonment. I believe both of these subplots serve to establish the tumults that are taking place in the novel.
The thing with the Chain of Dogs is that - not unlike the defence of Capustan in the next book - it defies belief, and that makes it lose some of its punch if you think back on it afterwards. Its ending is also, really, really frustrating - one of those "throw the book across the room" moments.
I can see why you'd rate Felisin's subplot higher in terms of themes and character development.
The other subplots, however, were at best underdeveloped (or rather, unfinished, since elements of events here appear in the next few novels with greater elaboration) and at worst a detraction from the two main subplots noted above. As intrigued as I was (and to a degree, still am) by the Icarium/Mappo mystery, I felt as though that and the entire Path of Hands were there more to set up events of another novel than building on the thematic issues contained within the Felisin and Chain of Dogs subplots. While I recognize that the Iskaral Pust scenes were meant to provide humorous relief from the traumas of Felisin's experiences and from the tragedy of the Chain of Dogs, there were moments that I felt that those scenes added little and detracted a lot from the narrative flow.
I agree to some extent about the Path of Hands, but not so much about Icarium and Mappo. That storyline works best when divided over a number of books, imho, to convey better the endless repetition in Icarium's life, and so it had to start here.
But despite these concerns about the unevenness of the subplots, on the whole I enjoyed my re-read of Deadhouse Gates. As I stated above, two of the subplots were very well-done, with the others feeling a bit underdeveloped or extraneous for this particular novel. If those had been pared down or excised and placed in a succeeding novel, I believe the story would have been stronger. As it stands, this is where the Malazan story, sprawling and messy as it can be at times, takes off. Looking forward to my re-read of Memories of Ice this weekend.
Nice review. A more serious question about something you left out: what did you make of the ending and the Laseen thing, which feels like an afterthought in this novel but is ultimately rather important for the series?
Steven Erikson and Ian Cameron Esslemont, Malazan Book of the Fallen (series reviews)
- 17/05/2010 01:09:47 PM
1300 Views
Gardens of the Moon (2002-2005 re-reads; 2010 re-read)
- 17/05/2010 01:10:14 PM
913 Views
I have the same experience with rereads of Erikson always bringing new things to the fore.
- 17/05/2010 01:32:28 PM
772 Views
Re: I have the same experience with rereads of Erikson always bringing new things to the fore.
- 19/05/2010 02:12:42 PM
671 Views
MT was just as good as those two, IMHO of course.
- 21/05/2010 12:29:22 PM
613 Views
Re: MT was just as good as those two, IMHO of course.
- 21/05/2010 03:39:10 PM
717 Views
For me, GotM remains a half-failure
- 22/05/2010 06:05:30 PM
907 Views
I think even most fans of the series will agree with you there.
- 22/05/2010 07:32:25 PM
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Re: I think even most fans of the series will agree with you there.
- 23/05/2010 10:32:49 PM
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Ye gods, that reply was long. 
- 27/05/2010 04:20:35 PM
691 Views
- 27/05/2010 04:20:35 PM
691 Views
Re: Ye gods, that reply was long.
- 27/05/2010 10:57:00 PM
783 Views
- 27/05/2010 10:57:00 PM
783 Views
Oh, it's not about a lack of action.
- 28/05/2010 08:56:48 AM
785 Views
I'm pretty sure that I found MbotF from Wotmania, so thanks for that.
- 17/05/2010 03:28:08 PM
737 Views
Never quite thought of Erikson's series as being akin to screwing in the backseat...
- 18/05/2010 07:14:01 PM
882 Views
It's not my cup of tea. Good luck reading it!
- 19/05/2010 03:42:08 PM
811 Views
I've got to ask.
- 20/05/2010 08:56:14 PM
698 Views
Fans of the series told me that "Gardens of the Moon" isn't a good book to start with.
- 21/05/2010 10:47:52 PM
770 Views
Deadhouse Gates (2002-2005 reads; 2010 re-read)
- 21/05/2010 06:13:47 PM
762 Views
You left out the most important part! 
- 21/05/2010 06:45:58 PM
819 Views
- 21/05/2010 06:45:58 PM
819 Views
I find myself...
- 06/06/2010 03:21:07 AM
861 Views
Memories of Ice (2002-2005 reads; 2010 re-read)
- 27/05/2010 08:47:02 AM
778 Views
As I posted in your blog RE: Themes.
- 27/05/2010 05:25:19 PM
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I was going to respond later today to those 
- 27/05/2010 05:39:38 PM
876 Views
- 27/05/2010 05:39:38 PM
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The Pannion Seer had been brainwashed by the Crippled God, he was a slave to his will. Inocent
- 27/05/2010 06:34:05 PM
725 Views