#Mbotf

[smokingchagga]

‘Being optimistic’s worthless if it means ignoring the suffering of this world. Worse than worthless. It’s bloody evil. And being pessimistic, well, that’s just the first step on the path, and it’s a path that might take you down Hood’s road, or it takes you to a place where you can settle into doing what you can, hold fast in your fight against that suffering. And that’s an honest place, Cuttle.’

Fiddler, I beg of you, stop being such a good character. Please. There is only so much I can take-

[fallowhearth]

Rereading Malazan Book of the Fallen for probably the fifth time...

"This city was dead long before the sea dried up," Fiddler said, resuming his climb.

Crokus called up after him, "How do you know?"

"Because everything's water-worn, lad. Waves crumbled this sea wall. Century after century of waves. I grew up in a port city, remember. I've seen what water can do. The Emperor had Malaz Bay dredged before the Imperial piers were built-revealed old sea walls and the like." Reaching the top, he paused to catch his breath. "Showed everyone that Malaz City's older than anybody'd realized."

"And that the sea levels have risen since," Mappo observed.

Fascinating to see how a major plot-point of Witness (the new series) was being casually built up as early as book 2 of MBotF - the melting of the Jaghut ice. And perfect of course, that it is Mappo who brings it up: of the group, he's the only one who would have been in a position to know this.

One thing I truly love about this series is the extent to which the world feels lived in. People have lived in the lands for hundreds of thousands of years, and not as static occupiers, but have endured climate change, environmental collapse, invasions, migrations, cultural movements, and political upheavals. Nobody does longue durée quite like Steven Erickson.

He's also an author who cares about subsistence strategies and the way geography shapes human patterns. The major cities emerge in places where water transport and farmland intersect. Plains nomads have pastoral animals apart from horses, plus working dogs, women play key roles in subsistence, and they have distinct material culture in dress and decoration. (As opposed to certain other authors, cf. Bret Devereaux's Dothraki write up). Environmental changes and human movement force new strategies; pretty much every group in the Malazan world is in some kind of flux or process of change outside of the actual plot, and have diverse responses to these pressures in terms of culture and values.

For all that these books can be very dense, I also appreciate Erikson's loving indulgence toward the reader. Yes, it would be funny if a small spoilt lapdog joined a pack of war dogs: so we will have a series of vignettes describing this in the background of real events. Yes, it is very funny to picture a bunch of capering monkeys mocking the High Priest of Shadow and his broom nonsense, so we will get a series of slapstick set pieces again in the background. Characters like Kruppe and Iskaral Pust get to chew the scenery, etc.

[jidaryat]

The shore gives way to the sea. And the sea, my friends, does not dream of you.

— Steven Erikson, Reaper’s Gale (The Malazan Book of the Fallen, #7)

[ahagia-sophia]

If you think about it Malazan Book of the Fallen is just Discworld for people with humanities degrees.

What is the Malazan Empire if not Ankh-Morpork writ large

[auricoma]

you mean to tell me the tlan imass loved their dogs so much they roped them into being undead zombie dudes forever

[estrogenizedquark]

Mappo Trell when he goes anywhere

[hateyourgovernment]

"Assail" - Ian C. Esselmont

[green-robo-rabbit]

Bonehunter

https://greenroborabbit.etsy.com/listing/1758212565

[literary-illuminati]

tbh I am kind of hoping you'll read mbotf to see what things you'll say about my girl felisin paran lol but no pressure

So I mean, I am enjoying Forge of Darkness! Definitely willing to try the main series.

BUT 900 pages is Too Long for one book*. Going to take a looong break from big fantasy chonkers after this. I've got histories of the Commanche and Ancient Near East that have finally that finally arrived** and my hold on the first book in the one xianxia novel series about necromancers everyone's been insane about since 2020 finally came around. So, like, sometime in 2024, probably? :P

*Web serials are different. Also I can read them as they come out.

**The clerk at the bookstore recognizes me by face at this point, I'm kind of curious what they think of my order history.

[smokingchagga]

I love this interaction (and I love Tool)

[fallowhearth]

These books came out too long ago to have a substantial Tumblr fandom. So, since someone has to chronicle the ship-bait, it may as well be me! Part 2.

Picker / Blend (and this one is even canon)

annoying coworkers to lovers... lovers to lesbian bar owners...

[ahagia-sophia]

Scorch and Leff are definitely my favorite iteration of Those Two Guys. Which is among something because MBotF is FULL of Those Two Guys

[malazan-read-through]

ok hear me out you know the thing of two people one brain cell, one of them gets custody

Dancer and shadowthrone both clearly have brain cells but throughout mbotf it seems like dancer has custody of the sole 'sane and decent' brain cell

Until you read later books and discover it's not a duo, its a trio, dassem had all the sane and decent brain cells the trio had and he took them all when he left

[twicetolivetwicetodie]

So.... Memories of Ice

[estrogenizedquark]

Thinking about Felisin Paran’s death again

[digganobz]

“He was not a modest man. Contemplating suicide, he summoned a dragon."

- Gothos' Folly