Dust of Dreams by Steven Erikson
Review by George Roesch
I don’t know about you, but I was lead to believe by reading interviews that this book was to be a bit slower paced so that everything could be put in order for that concluding push in the final book. Well I’ll tell you, this is my kind of slow.
We’re back with the Malazans marching into the Wastelands to meet up with their allies the Burned Tears and the Perish to head into territory where they believe they will have the final confrontation with the crippled god. But an uneasiness seems to have taken hold of the Malazans as their leader, Adjunct Tavore has grown even more distant and unfocused while crossing the Wastelands. This is added to by the feelings of betrayal from the “sensitives” in the ranks. Definitely a different view of the Malazans to see them so unsure of themsleves.
There are also many subplots that become resolved amongst the other armies and races. Specifically the Shake find a closure to their past, while the Barghast, Bolkando, and T’lan Imass all find their own kind of closure to the present.
And we’re finally given a real look at the K’Chain Che’melle. Throughout the series they appeared enough that we knew they were not as extinct as everyone thought, and that they would have some crucial part to play, but I didn’t expect they had an army in the shadows. Nor did I expect their former slaves, the “Short Tails” to appear and battle it out with them one last time. Though now we see the conclusion of the warren full of sky keeps Quick Ben found in “Memories of Ice”.
As fror Dragnipur, I was surprised that Draconus was the only entity to make an appearance after the sword was destroyed and everyone trapped inside was set free. I was hoping for a little more mayhem than that to result.
As I stated before, a strength of this series is the way in which major characters are eliminated, but I never imagined the scale in which people disappeared this time. I was getting flashbacks of George R.R. Martin’s A Storm of Swords. But for the first time in this series we have a cliff-hanger ending. With the good news is we only have to wait a year to see who survived.
Dust of Dreams is the 9th book in Erikson's Malazan sequence. For those new to the series, it is advised to start at the very beginning with Gardens of the Moon. Believe us, it is worth it.
Let people know what you think about Dust of Dreams. You can write your own review and award the book the rating that you think it deserves.
Fantasy Book Review Book of the Month, February 2012
A Tolkien inspired romantic fantasy that all starts with an extremely loving and well written letter... G.T. Denny's novel, Deep into the Heart of a Rose, will help usher in a new generation of love sick teens. If you love fantasy and adventure fiction then this book is for you. Well written, charmingly detailed and epic, this truly is a must read for 2012.
Read our full review of Deep into the Heart of a Rose
For more information, visit http://gtdenny.com/
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