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Loading... Night of Knives (Malazan Empire Novels (Unnumbered)) (original 2004; edition 2010)by Ian C. Esslemont
Work InformationNight of Knives by Ian C. Esslemont (2004)
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. 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. ( ) Night of Knives is a difficult book to start reading, mainly because it is jarring, after having read four Erickson books, to have such a different authorial voice speaking of Malazan. Esslemont's style drops the majority of the purple language endemic in Erickson's novels in favor of something much more direct. And, ultimately, this is a good thing. I know of only two authors who can pull off the flowery language (Erickson being one), but even then it can be a chore to read (I'm looking at you, Kruppe), and Esslemont's style brings a welcome change of pace to the Malazan world. Beyond comparisons to Erickson's work, Night of Knives works quite well on its own. Few authors can pull off something with a scope so ambitiously small--the entire novel takes place over the course of a single night--but Esslemont surpasses that challenge with ease, and none of the novel feels like contrived conflict or filler to pad out the page count (unlike the TV show 24). I feel like this review is boiling down to all the things this book is not. It's not Steven Erickson's Malazan as written by Ian C. Esslemont. It's not 24 with magic. What it is, though, is the first return salvo of the Malazan "dialog" through which these two men created this world, and I look forward to the next.
If you have made the commitment to undertake The Malazan Book of the Fallen, it will in all likelihood be the most challenging and rewarding reading experiences you will ever undertake. I couldn't imagine, after having tackled that endeavor, you wouldn't want to take some time to read this small, enjoyable, and enriching entry into the Malazan Empire.
The small island of Malaz and its city gave the great empire its name, but now it is little more than a sleepy, backwater port. Tonight, however, things are different. Tonight the city is on edge, a hive of hurried, sometimes violent activity; its citizens bustle about, barring doors, shuttering windows, avoiding any stranger's stare. Because tonight there is to be a convergence, the once-in-a-generation appearance of a Shadow Moon - an occasion that threatens the good people of Malaz withdemon hounds and other, darker things ... It was also prophesied that this night would witness the return of Emperor Kellanved, and there are those prepared to do anything to prevent this happening. As factions within the greater Empire draw up battle lines over the imperial throne, the Shadow Moon summons a far more ancient and potent presence for an all-out assault upon the island. Witnessing these cataclysmic events are Kiska, a young girl who yearns to flee the constraints of the city, and Temper, a grizzled, battle-weary veteranwho seeks simply to escape his past. Each is to play a part in a conflict that will not only determine the fate of Malaz City, but also of the world beyond ... Drawing on events touched on in the prologue of Steven Erikson's landmark fantasyGardens of the Moon,Night of Knives is a momentous chapter in the unfolding story of the extraordinarily imagined world of Malaz. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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