Steven Erikson

House of Chains (The Malazan Book of the Fallen, Book 4)

House of Chains

Honestly Cotillion is all I wanna think about 

Mara

This took me a while to read it 

Honestly Cotillion is all I wanna think about 

Loved the ending 

Akinwale Oshodi

The fourth book of the series was a slow starter for me.

The story begins with a new character, Karsa Orlong, and his journey away from home in company of two warriors. Karsa evolved over the length of the book from annoying to matured and interesting. I am sure his story has just begun with this book.

I enjoyed the continued stories of Fiddler, Kalam, Crokus and Apsalar.
The intrigues of the gods/ascendants, shifting allegiances and continuous introduction of new characters adds more complexity to an already complicated plot.

Observations
1. What good are Cotillion's agents if he still has to do the job himself? 
2. Since characters don't stay dead in the series, it seems the coming books will keep getting more complicated.

Sade A

"Hatred is a most pernicious weed, finding root in any kind of soil. It feeds on itself"
-Torvald Nom

It's almost funny that what i feel is the general theme for this book in this series is perfectly captured by a minor character in the book. Like all stories in the malazan series, there is the general sense that doing justice to it in my reviews might not always be possible. So here goes nothing.
 
Can i just say before i delve into characters that totally wowed me that Book 4 reminded me eerily of Gardens of the Moon. In that it's not a finished picture, threads are being woven in patterns that aren't really clear for the most part. 


  Cotillion:


  To be a god is to know the burdens of believers. Did you protect? You did not. Did you offer comfort, solace? Were you possessed of compassion? Even pity?
- Karsa

There is a general understanding among majority of the mortal characters in the Malazan world that gods are not to be trusted. There is essentially the idea that the gods take and give nothing back. and that's why it was absolutely breath taking to see an element of dare i say kindness in Cotillion.. I absolutely loved this side of the patron god of assasins and also that rope.. hot damn!!! definitely would not want to get in a fight with him.


  Karsa:

(view spoiler)[WITNESS!!!!!!!! everyone's favourite Toblaki. Ahhh what to say...I still think Karsa is way too arrogant but then again, without his arrogance i guess he wouldn't be what he is. I suppose the only reason his arrogance doesn't chafe as it did in the beginning is because it's tempered with wisdom (Bairoth Delum you finally got through). His redemption was truly beautiful
"My loyalty was misplaced. I served only glory. Words, my friends. And words can wear false nobility. Disguising brutal truths. The words of the past, that so clothed the Teblor in a hero's garb- this is what i served. While the true glory was before me. Beside me. You, Delum Thord. And you, Bairoth Gild"
I almost think the crippled god is rolling in anger whereever he is for the wild card he picked for a knight.. Now that i think about it, Karsa is definitely a rougher version of Paran now.. No god is pushing those two about for any reason.
"When i began this journey, I was young. I believed in one thing. I believed in glory. I know now...that glory is is nothing. Nothing. This is what i now understand...The same cannot be said for mercy" (hide spoiler)]
WITNESSS!!!! Lol


  T'Lan Imass:
 For me the T'lan Imass were definitely one of the biggest shockers. I think because for the most part, at least up to this book, we had only interacted mainly with Tool and he seemed somewhat reasonable but i think in this book we actually see the T'lan Imass for what they really are and it's not pretty. I think at this stage of the book, you begin to wonder was the ritual really, really a good thing?? Maybe Kilava had a point. I think centuries of undead living has rightly left the moral compass of the T'lan Imass skewered.


  Felisin/Whirlwind Goddess
: 
  "Vengence is a wasted emotion, yet i have let it consume me. I gave it like a gift to the goddess"
 ahh Felisin.. This was definitely a character i felt sorry for when i first met but that quickly melted away. I suppose all the anger she felt was legitimate but i couldn't help feeling that she took it too far making her succeptible to the whims of the whirlwind goddess (now that was one crazy goddess)
At the end of this book though, i could only commiserate with Felisin. She had basically walked into the goddess's arms blinded with vengence and there was no coming back from that. (view spoiler)[At the end of it all, Felisin end was heartbreaking "I just wanted to know, Tavore, why you did it. And why you did not love me, when i loved you. I- I think that's what i wanted to know" (hide spoiler)] SOB******

All in all this was an amazing read especially when you realise it basically sets the stage for more epic things to come, i mean what's L'Oric up to exactly? and hello Minala?? What's up with her?? Who's traveler? Do we get shadowthrone's secrets?? what's the rope really up to like really??? well you get what i was saying about the uncompleted picture..

Charles Siboto

All there's to be said about this book is: Karsa freakin' Orlong!!!

Sheila

SO MANY FEELS IN THIS BOOK I JUST CANNOT EVEN WAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH
Literally every time I read the Malazan books in public I'm just like


bc there's everything about the BRIDGEBURNERS


with Onrack & Trull Sengar


the amazingness that is Karsa Orlong, Cotillion, & just everythinggggggggg


I will admit that I'm pretty nhf Tavore, Felisin's ending was so sad even though I pm hated her by Deadhouse Gates, everything that happened to Felisin Younger made me sob, and L'ORICCCCCCCCCCCCC <33333

Crokus's character shift to Cutter is also intriguing, and I think it makes him a more interesting character to read about. I want to know what will happen to Apsalar too. COTILLIONNNNNN T____T

yeah wow there's no way I make sense rn, god damn these books UGH

Jenna Kathleen

Wow. Just when I was starting to think it couldn't get any better, it did.

After three Malazan books, I was accustomed to Erikson's writing style and his massive cast of characters whose perspectives change, seemingly, every other page. So, of course, to keep everyone on their toes, the format is totally different for the first book of House of Chains and we only follow one character: Karsa Orlong. Yet another character who has made it onto my ever-growing list of favourites. I could follow a whole separate side series of just Karsa Orlong, but for now, I will settle for the huge portion he is granted in House of Chains.

In general, I found the plot moves quite slower throughout the book than the first three of the series, especially after "book one". The middle was not without its ups and downs, but on a whole, they were not as eventful as the middle sections of the previous installments. However, there are tons of great characters, new and old in HOC.

The Rakaru storyline was well done. I loved all the scheming and the mystery, especially surrounding L'oric. It was interesting to see Sha'ik's struggle between (view spoiler)[ her identity as the goddess and Felisin. The few moments Felisin shined through gave great emotional depth to her character; in particular, the obsession she has with Tavore and her reflections on her sister  (hide spoiler)].

A new duo I ended up liking a lot was Pearl and Lostara. Both with their own agendas, wandering the desert.

There was also a lot of old favourites I was glad to see: (view spoiler)[ Crokus, now Cutter, and Apsalar, Fiddler, and Kalam with short appearance by Quick Ben.  (hide spoiler)] I loved watching them all doing their own separate thing.

Cotillion was another great character with a large role, but not as much physical presence as some of the main characters. I was excited whenever he came in the main plot, and he's got his hands controlling quite a number of people so it will be interesting to see what he's up to.

Of course, in typical Erikson fashion, the ending is what makes HOC really fantastic. I blew through 200 pages in one sitting because I just needed to know how events would unfold. It was just wonderfully done. A last minute appearance by (view spoiler)[ Quick Ben to help Kalam and let him know the Brigdeburners have ascended: wow. The House of Chains is sanctioned and Karsa Orlong kicking ass - Bidithal's death was perfect. He deserved all of it.  (hide spoiler)]. Then, after all the news and the awesome fighting displays, all of the sudden, there is an immediate drop in the tone. The duel was just so heartbreaking and now I need time to recover.

Ben Nathan

This book blew me away on so many levels. It felt perfect. The characters and the story, the action and the pauses. I almost want to reread it right away, but I think I should focus on reading the rest of the series first.

Also, Karsa is my favorite...

Anyaconda

What a ride... Wow 😳
This is my favorite malazan book so far.

In Northern Genabackis, just before the events recounted in GARDENS OF THE MOON, a raiding party of savage tribal warriors descends from the mountains into the southern flat lands. Their intention is to wreak havoc among the despised lowlanders, but for the one named Karsa Orlong it marks the beginning of what will prove an extraordinary destiny. Some years later, it is the aftermath of the Chain of Dogs. Coltaine, revered commander of the Malazan 7th Army is dead. And now Tavore, elder sister of Ganoes Paran and Adjunct to the Empress, has arrived in the last remaining Malazan stronghold of the Seven Cities to take charge. Untested and new to command, she must hone a small army of twelve thousand soldiers, mostly raw recruits, into a viable fighting force and lead them into battle against the massed hordes of Sha'ik's Whirlwind. Her only hope lies in resurrecting the shattered faith of the few remaining survivors from Coltaine's legendary march, veterans one and all. In distant Raraku, in the heart of the Holy Desert, the seer Sha'ik waits with her rebel army. But waiting is never easy. Her disparate collection of warlords - tribal chiefs, High Mages, a renegade Malazan Fist and his sorceror - is locked in a vicious power struggle that threatens to tear the rebellion apart from within. And Sha'ik herself suffers, haunted by the private knowledge of her nemesis, Tavore...her own sister. So begins the awesome new chapter in Steven Erikson's MALAZAN BOOK OF THE FALLEN - an epic novel of war, intrigue, magic and betrayal from a writer regarded as one of the most original, imaginative and exciting storytellers in fantasy today.

House of Chains (The Malazan Book of the Fallen, Book 4)

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