Return of the Crimson Guard (Malazan Empire) (edition 2011)

If you like the more bad-ass characters that just wade through a crowd in destruction mode then there is plenty of that for you in this book as well. Some of them, such as Ho, are subtly so, but others; such as Rell, Urko, Braven Tooth, Temp, and Traveller are all in your face ass kickers. Sadly, Esslemont doesn't really describe combat in as compelling of a way as Erikson. Most of the one-on-one combat sequences seem to be missing a level of detail and the descriptions, at time, become a little muddled. On the flip side, when the larger engagements happen Esslemont shines in capturing the tension and drama of a battlefield.

Overall this was an enjoyable story but, mainly because I don't feel vested in any of the characters yet, I didn't get into it as much as I have the more recent Erikson novels. Fortunately, Esslemont has set the stage for some far reaching story lines that should prove to be quite interesting. ( )

”I see a mighty clash of wills closing upon us sooner than anyone imagines,” she crooned, dreamily. “I see schemes within schemes and a scurrying hither and thither! I see the New colliding against the Old and a Usurpation! Order inverted! And as the Houses collapse the powers turn upon one another like the rats they are. Brother ‘gainst sister. They all eye the injured but he is not the weakest. No, yet his time will come.”

This is Esslemont’s second contribution to the Malazan world, and I was grateful that it was much improved over his first. That said, it was difficult to accept that so many familiar characters are now handed over to Esslemont for further development – characters who have already been given personalities and behaviors by Erikson, but who now undergo an evolution thanks to differences in the two writers’ narrative styles.

There’s a lot going on in this book, and unlike in his previous volume, Esslemont takes on Erikson’s habit of weaving together nearly infinite story-lines. Following the events at the end of The Bonehunters, the Wickans are being persecuted across Quon Tali as traitors, and civil war looms large over the heart of the Empire. As factions old and new across the continent align and re-align themselves in preparation for the battles to come, an older foe is rumored to have risen again: The Crimson Guard, who once swore an oath to reclaim the land of their patrons the D’Avores, and now return to complete their destruction of the Malazan Empire.

Esslemont is not as good at weaving together so many different characters, motivations, and actions as Erikson. Often he introduces a whole slew of characters, only to immediately leave them and introduce a new set somewhere else. The consequence is a very difficult to follow early part of the novel. But eventually he seems to get his feet under him, and when I was able to ignore the fact that I wasn’t reading Erikson, I actually really enjoyed the book. It is getting over the sky-high expectations that have been generated as a result of being spoiled by Erikson’s books all these years that is the difficult part. Whenever I was able to stop comparing the two in my mind, I would find myself completely engrossed and enjoying the action. And I am grateful for that, because unlike Nght of Knives, which is essentially a prequel to the Malazan books and thus not strictly necessary to read, Return of the Crimson Guard takes place within the same narrative as the main story-arc, picking up on the Imperial continent right where The Bonehunters left off. I suspect that the reading of Crimson Guard will be essential for keeping up with the remaining books of the Malazan.

Really good stuff, and cements for me that Esslemont has his own value to add to the series. ( )

http://speculiction.blogspot.com/2011/10/review-of-malazan-book-of-fallen-by.htm... ( )

in his second contribution to the Malazan Empire series, Esslemont writes with a much surer hand. this one is set in the same period as Erikson's Book of the Fallen. ( )

http://onefinemess.rhinopanda.net/2011/06/25/book-review-return-of-the-crimson-g... ( )