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The Tales of Witness #2
No Life Forsaken
The epic fantasy sequence continues with the new book from the bestselling author of Gardens of the Moon.
A goddess awakens to a new world, only to find that some things never change.
Amidst the ashes of a failed rebellion in Seven Cities, new embers are flaring to life.
There are furrowed brows at the beleaguered Malazan Legion headquarters in G’danisban for it would appear that yet another bloody clash with the revived cult of the Apocalyptic is coming to a head.
Seeking to crush the uprising before it ignites the entire subcontinent, Fist Arenfall has only a few dozen squads of marines at his disposal, and many of those are already dispersed - endeavouring to stamp out multiple brush-fires of dissent. But his soldiers are exhausted, worn down by the grind of a simmering insurrection and the last thing Arenfall needs is the arrival of the new Adjunct, fresh from the capital and the Emperor's side.
The man's mission may be to lend support to Arenfall’s efforts . . . or stick a knife in his back. 'Twas ever thus, of course. That a popular commander should inevitably be seen as a threat to the Emperor - such is the fatal nature of imperial Malazan politics.
And what of the gods? Well, as recent history has proved, their solution to any mortal mess is to make it even messier. In other words, it's just another tumultuous day in the chequered history of the Malazan Empire.
Acclaim for The God is Not Willing:
'Awe-inspiring. Prepare to fall in love with epic fantasy all over again.' ANNA SMITH SPARK, author of The Court of Broken Knives
'As good as I expected it to be . . . Erikson continues to showcase his talents as an impressive wordsmith . . . mesmerising and memorable. Add to this intense battles, witty banter, advanced warfare, new curses, new gods, and escapades with warrens and this world's supernatural and you'll see why I had such a good time.' GRIMDARK magazine
'It is beautiful, it is captivating and utterly enthralling . . . Erikson is unparalleled in both the scope of his imagination and the talent of his prose, but more importantly, he is as insightful and funny as Terry Pratchett ever was.' FANTASY BOOK REVIEW
'Erikson at the top of his game, a lean, sharply honed and powerful addition to what is already in my mind the pre-eminent fantasy universe of the last few decades.' TOR.COM
'Determined, focused, well-paced and immensely rich novel of war, peace, hubris, consequence, sorcery and compassion . . . this is Erikson bringing his A-game, turned up to 11, and delivering what is comfortably one of his three or four best novels to date.' THE WERTZONE
'Could be Erikson's most accessible novel to date . . . a must for all Malazan fans.' FANTASY HOTLIST
'Erikson burnishes his reputation as a superior epic fantasy world-builder . . . a treat both for his returning readers and lovers of George R.R. Martin-style epic fantasy who have yet to discover his work.' PUBLISHERS WEEKLY *starred review
A goddess awakens to a new world, only to find that some things never change.
Amidst the ashes of a failed rebellion in Seven Cities, new embers are flaring to life.
There are furrowed brows at the beleaguered Malazan Legion headquarters in G’danisban for it would appear that yet another bloody clash with the revived cult of the Apocalyptic is coming to a head.
Seeking to crush the uprising before it ignites the entire subcontinent, Fist Arenfall has only a few dozen squads of marines at his disposal, and many of those are already dispersed - endeavouring to stamp out multiple brush-fires of dissent. But his soldiers are exhausted, worn down by the grind of a simmering insurrection and the last thing Arenfall needs is the arrival of the new Adjunct, fresh from the capital and the Emperor's side.
The man's mission may be to lend support to Arenfall’s efforts . . . or stick a knife in his back. 'Twas ever thus, of course. That a popular commander should inevitably be seen as a threat to the Emperor - such is the fatal nature of imperial Malazan politics.
And what of the gods? Well, as recent history has proved, their solution to any mortal mess is to make it even messier. In other words, it's just another tumultuous day in the chequered history of the Malazan Empire.
Acclaim for The God is Not Willing:
'Awe-inspiring. Prepare to fall in love with epic fantasy all over again.' ANNA SMITH SPARK, author of The Court of Broken Knives
'As good as I expected it to be . . . Erikson continues to showcase his talents as an impressive wordsmith . . . mesmerising and memorable. Add to this intense battles, witty banter, advanced warfare, new curses, new gods, and escapades with warrens and this world's supernatural and you'll see why I had such a good time.' GRIMDARK magazine
'It is beautiful, it is captivating and utterly enthralling . . . Erikson is unparalleled in both the scope of his imagination and the talent of his prose, but more importantly, he is as insightful and funny as Terry Pratchett ever was.' FANTASY BOOK REVIEW
'Erikson at the top of his game, a lean, sharply honed and powerful addition to what is already in my mind the pre-eminent fantasy universe of the last few decades.' TOR.COM
'Determined, focused, well-paced and immensely rich novel of war, peace, hubris, consequence, sorcery and compassion . . . this is Erikson bringing his A-game, turned up to 11, and delivering what is comfortably one of his three or four best novels to date.' THE WERTZONE
'Could be Erikson's most accessible novel to date . . . a must for all Malazan fans.' FANTASY HOTLIST
'Erikson burnishes his reputation as a superior epic fantasy world-builder . . . a treat both for his returning readers and lovers of George R.R. Martin-style epic fantasy who have yet to discover his work.' PUBLISHERS WEEKLY *starred review
432 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 23, 2025
381 people are currently reading
2151 people want to read
About the author
Steven Erikson
128 books15k followersSteven Erikson is the pseudonym of Steve Rune Lundin, a Canadian novelist, who was educated and trained as both an archaeologist and anthropologist. His best-known work is the series, the Malazan Book of the Fallen.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/steven...
http://us.macmillan.com/author/steven...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews
October 23, 2025
You would think after 20 books I might start feeling fatigued over any author but somehow Steven Erikson has delivered yet again with one of his best works yet. Moreso a follow up on a few loose threads from the Book of the Fallen rather than the god is not willing in typical Malazan fashion but still beyond fantastic and if the quality keeps ramping up, Witness has the potential to reach the same pedestal that I hold BotF to.
Want to read
April 11, 2025The greatest fantasy author is back
April 12, 2025
It’s Steven Erikson.
November 5, 2025
Sappers!
November 5, 2025
The second tale of Witness continues tracing Karsa Orlong's journey and exploring his legacy through the Malazan world, from Genebackis in TGINW, to the Seven Cities in this novel. Similar to my thoughts on the writing style and structure of the first book, I think this is Erikson at his most distilled: the writing is sharp and elegant, characters are well sketched, the setting is evocatively descriptive, and the narrative lacks the ponderous pace (which I did love) of the Book of the Fallen. Instead, this is a tight-knight, contained story with minimal obfuscation where every plot thread is tied to and converges upon the rebellious unrest in the city of G'danisban. It's great to see Erikson actually doling out satisfactory answers to questions of magic and metaphysics (in small amounts! Which leads to more questions, anyway) rather than seeing it through various layers of unreliable obfuscation. Of course, there is also the typical Malazan craziness, with the inexplicable movements of various Elder Gods, intriguing snippets about the Azath, amnesiac powerhouses trapped for millenia, and conflicts long past, and some returning characters disguised under new names.
We have perspectives from the surprisingly competent High Fist Arenfall, the conflicted Adjunct Inkaras, Inquisitor Bornu Blatt, a non-religious priest of Va'Shaik, High Priestess Shamalle, among many other minor PoVs. We also see some familiar faces: Mael, Iskaral Pust (in minor amounts), and of course, the mule. The marines are somewhat of a lesser presence in this novel, which I quite enjoyed. TGINW had a lot of marine perspectives, and while I love their dialogue and shenangians, this story was better served with a multitude of other perspectives, and the small dose of marines was great for the flow of the story. My favorite character by far was Bornu Blatt; his anger at the injustice of his physical misshapen-ness, his thirst for knowledge, his desire to do good, and his irreligiosity and impiety while being the reluctant Inquisitor for a Whirwind goddess, all combine to produce a compelling character of fascinating contrasts. Throughout, we also get hints as to what major characters we know were up-to after the Cripped God (the mysterious Hasten Thenu, for one).
Erikson once again demonstrates his ability to depict changing political, religious, and cultural traditions in such a realistic evolution as a result of the events of the Book of the Fallen. The continent stirs with rebellion in the name of Va'Shaik once again, repeating cycles of violence and upheaval, and there is commentary on the nature of people in power in such fanatical hierarchies. The setting of Seven Cities is one my favorites in the Malazan world, you can feel the dust and grit and the history of the place as you read, and this was no different here. I did feel that the terseness of the plot took away somewhat from this immersion, since this is one continent which benefits from immense length and slow pace to really be steeped in the atmosphere.
Thematically too, I quite enjoyed what Erikson did with the new religions of Karsa, Va'Shaik, Burning Y'Ghatan, and Coltaine's Crow, with themes of misplaced (and righteous) injustice, cycles of violence and repeating history, and religious fervor. All of it informed by Karsa Orlong's impact on various peoples and events in history that shape interactions and decisions to this day. Overall, a really great follow-up to both book one as well as a return to many threads in Seven Cities that were left hanging after the Bonehunters, resolved and explored in interesting ways following major events later in the Book of the Fallen. I am really looking forward to the next novel to see how this world keeps evolving and what Erikson comes up with next.
We have perspectives from the surprisingly competent High Fist Arenfall, the conflicted Adjunct Inkaras, Inquisitor Bornu Blatt, a non-religious priest of Va'Shaik, High Priestess Shamalle, among many other minor PoVs. We also see some familiar faces: Mael, Iskaral Pust (in minor amounts), and of course, the mule. The marines are somewhat of a lesser presence in this novel, which I quite enjoyed. TGINW had a lot of marine perspectives, and while I love their dialogue and shenangians, this story was better served with a multitude of other perspectives, and the small dose of marines was great for the flow of the story. My favorite character by far was Bornu Blatt; his anger at the injustice of his physical misshapen-ness, his thirst for knowledge, his desire to do good, and his irreligiosity and impiety while being the reluctant Inquisitor for a Whirwind goddess, all combine to produce a compelling character of fascinating contrasts. Throughout, we also get hints as to what major characters we know were up-to after the Cripped God (the mysterious Hasten Thenu, for one).
Erikson once again demonstrates his ability to depict changing political, religious, and cultural traditions in such a realistic evolution as a result of the events of the Book of the Fallen. The continent stirs with rebellion in the name of Va'Shaik once again, repeating cycles of violence and upheaval, and there is commentary on the nature of people in power in such fanatical hierarchies. The setting of Seven Cities is one my favorites in the Malazan world, you can feel the dust and grit and the history of the place as you read, and this was no different here. I did feel that the terseness of the plot took away somewhat from this immersion, since this is one continent which benefits from immense length and slow pace to really be steeped in the atmosphere.
Thematically too, I quite enjoyed what Erikson did with the new religions of Karsa, Va'Shaik, Burning Y'Ghatan, and Coltaine's Crow, with themes of misplaced (and righteous) injustice, cycles of violence and repeating history, and religious fervor. All of it informed by Karsa Orlong's impact on various peoples and events in history that shape interactions and decisions to this day. Overall, a really great follow-up to both book one as well as a return to many threads in Seven Cities that were left hanging after the Bonehunters, resolved and explored in interesting ways following major events later in the Book of the Fallen. I am really looking forward to the next novel to see how this world keeps evolving and what Erikson comes up with next.
November 6, 2025
Yet again, rebellion is stirring on the subcontinent of Seven Cities. More than a decade ago, the native tribes launched a vast rebellion, the Whirlwind, to destroy the occupying armies of the Malazan Empire. Through the legendary last stand of Coltaine and his army, escorting thousands of refugees to safety, and the arrival of the legendary Bonehunters, the rebellion was defeated. But the embers continue to burn and threaten to ignite once more. Events are converging on the city of G'danisban, seat of High Fist Arenfall, as both the Malazans and the followers of the goddess Va'Shaik seek to set in motion the rebellion and resulting bloodbath...or try to stop it.
Twenty years ago, Steven Erikson was gleefully producing his Malazan Book of the Fallen sequence at a pace that even Brandon Sanderson might feel was a bit much. Every year-and-a-bit, Erikson would unload a near-thousand-page brick packed with epic battles, moral philosophising and wry humour. We ate well, my friends, and perhaps took it for granted.
In the decade and a half since the Malazan Book of the Fallen was completed in all its yak-stunning, shelf-bending, potsherd-uncovering glory, Erikson has switched to a more well-deserved, chilled pace. He has produced two volumes of a prequel trilogy (put on hold due to slow sales, but he's back at work on the finale now), Kharkanas; several unrelated science fiction works; and has now delivered the second of four books in a planned Malazan sequel series, checking in on the Malazan Empire and its world ten years after the events of The Crippled God.
This new series - The Tales of Witness - feels like the main Malazan sequence in miniature. The original series opened on the continent of Genabackis before switching to Seven Cities. The first book in this new series, The God is Not Willing (2021), checked in on Genabackis and here this second volume switches gears and visits Seven Cities once again. No Life Forsaken acts as a sequel or coda to the entire Seven Cities arc from the original series, in fact, including House of Chains and The Bonehunters. That arc in the original series was about Seven Cities fighting for its independence and ultimately failing, whilst here the original, failed rebellion is now inspiration for a bloodier, renewed fight.
No Life Forsaken muses on the idealism of the cause. The Malazan Empire, especially under the redoubtable Emperor Mallick Rel (the effective villain of the original Seven Cities arc, particularly the monumental Deadhouse Gates), is an imperial, occupying, exploitative power and the natives demanding their independence is understandable. But the natives of Seven Cities are also a fractious and unruly lot, more likely to plunge the subcontinent into an orgy of violence, religious blood-letting, ancestral score-settling and a genocidal pursuit of ideological or holy purity than they are to usher in a new age of enlightened peace. It's interesting that there are those on both sides who seem eager for war and also those anxious to stop the carnage before it can start.
As usual with Erikson, the story rotates through a cast of almost entirely new faces (only three characters and a donkey show up from earlier novels and have a bare handful of paragraphs between them). We have the High Fist of Seven Cities and the Adjunct of the Emperor, who has shown up to gauge the threat of rebellion from both the natives and the charismatic Fist himself. The Claw, the sorcerous and elite agents of the Emperor's will, are on the scene as well. Malazan soldiers and marines, philosopher-savants one and all, also provide perspectives on events, alongside the High Priestess of Va'Shaik in G'danisban and even the goddess herself, along with her Inquisitor, a figure noted for his peculiar brand of atheism. Mercenaries, criminals, a random Toblakai (no, not that one), an Elder God or two, and of course Nub, King of the Bhokaral (all hail Nub!), all chime in. The book may be promising more than its modest page count can allow, in fact, and several subplots are left to unfold off-screen.
Also as usual, Erikson is more interested in the themes of his story than delivering crowd-pleasing results. The book hints at gargantuan battles of apocalyptic proportions and teases vast scenes of carnage, but never quite gets there. Everyone involved in the story seems to have read Deadhouse Gates and The Bonehunters as well, and are not eager to blow up more cities and kill tens of thousands of people for the spectacle. The struggle in the book is less between opposed ideologies or politics or faiths, but between common sense and those who measure success in how high the innocent dead can be stacked like cordwood. No life should be forsaken, indeed.
It's certainly a slower, more thoughtful book than The God is Not Willing, which felt like a more crowd-pleasing, focused, directed slice of Malazan. This book is the other side of the series, the more philosophical, chewing-the-fat and enjoying wry humour side of things. It's not Malazan at its most indulgent - the book fills just 400 pages, making it a novella by some of Erikson's earlier standards - and the story benefits from its slimline approach, but there's definitely less of an urge to deliver the Greatest Hits to readers. Karsa fans will probably be unsurprised to hear that, once again, he is playing the role of Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Volume. On the negative side the book feels like it takes a while to find its feet but, once it does, events accelerate to a typically impressive conclusion.
No Life Forsaken (****½) is a dusty, thoughtful book that takes a while to get going, but once it does it delivers a thoughtful and striking piece of compassionate, intelligent fantasy. And the good news is that we won't have too long to wait for more, as Erikson completed the third book in the series, Legacies of Betrayal, at the same time as this one, and hopefully that should be with us next year. The book is available right now.
Twenty years ago, Steven Erikson was gleefully producing his Malazan Book of the Fallen sequence at a pace that even Brandon Sanderson might feel was a bit much. Every year-and-a-bit, Erikson would unload a near-thousand-page brick packed with epic battles, moral philosophising and wry humour. We ate well, my friends, and perhaps took it for granted.
In the decade and a half since the Malazan Book of the Fallen was completed in all its yak-stunning, shelf-bending, potsherd-uncovering glory, Erikson has switched to a more well-deserved, chilled pace. He has produced two volumes of a prequel trilogy (put on hold due to slow sales, but he's back at work on the finale now), Kharkanas; several unrelated science fiction works; and has now delivered the second of four books in a planned Malazan sequel series, checking in on the Malazan Empire and its world ten years after the events of The Crippled God.
This new series - The Tales of Witness - feels like the main Malazan sequence in miniature. The original series opened on the continent of Genabackis before switching to Seven Cities. The first book in this new series, The God is Not Willing (2021), checked in on Genabackis and here this second volume switches gears and visits Seven Cities once again. No Life Forsaken acts as a sequel or coda to the entire Seven Cities arc from the original series, in fact, including House of Chains and The Bonehunters. That arc in the original series was about Seven Cities fighting for its independence and ultimately failing, whilst here the original, failed rebellion is now inspiration for a bloodier, renewed fight.
No Life Forsaken muses on the idealism of the cause. The Malazan Empire, especially under the redoubtable Emperor Mallick Rel (the effective villain of the original Seven Cities arc, particularly the monumental Deadhouse Gates), is an imperial, occupying, exploitative power and the natives demanding their independence is understandable. But the natives of Seven Cities are also a fractious and unruly lot, more likely to plunge the subcontinent into an orgy of violence, religious blood-letting, ancestral score-settling and a genocidal pursuit of ideological or holy purity than they are to usher in a new age of enlightened peace. It's interesting that there are those on both sides who seem eager for war and also those anxious to stop the carnage before it can start.
As usual with Erikson, the story rotates through a cast of almost entirely new faces (only three characters and a donkey show up from earlier novels and have a bare handful of paragraphs between them). We have the High Fist of Seven Cities and the Adjunct of the Emperor, who has shown up to gauge the threat of rebellion from both the natives and the charismatic Fist himself. The Claw, the sorcerous and elite agents of the Emperor's will, are on the scene as well. Malazan soldiers and marines, philosopher-savants one and all, also provide perspectives on events, alongside the High Priestess of Va'Shaik in G'danisban and even the goddess herself, along with her Inquisitor, a figure noted for his peculiar brand of atheism. Mercenaries, criminals, a random Toblakai (no, not that one), an Elder God or two, and of course Nub, King of the Bhokaral (all hail Nub!), all chime in. The book may be promising more than its modest page count can allow, in fact, and several subplots are left to unfold off-screen.
Also as usual, Erikson is more interested in the themes of his story than delivering crowd-pleasing results. The book hints at gargantuan battles of apocalyptic proportions and teases vast scenes of carnage, but never quite gets there. Everyone involved in the story seems to have read Deadhouse Gates and The Bonehunters as well, and are not eager to blow up more cities and kill tens of thousands of people for the spectacle. The struggle in the book is less between opposed ideologies or politics or faiths, but between common sense and those who measure success in how high the innocent dead can be stacked like cordwood. No life should be forsaken, indeed.
It's certainly a slower, more thoughtful book than The God is Not Willing, which felt like a more crowd-pleasing, focused, directed slice of Malazan. This book is the other side of the series, the more philosophical, chewing-the-fat and enjoying wry humour side of things. It's not Malazan at its most indulgent - the book fills just 400 pages, making it a novella by some of Erikson's earlier standards - and the story benefits from its slimline approach, but there's definitely less of an urge to deliver the Greatest Hits to readers. Karsa fans will probably be unsurprised to hear that, once again, he is playing the role of Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Volume. On the negative side the book feels like it takes a while to find its feet but, once it does, events accelerate to a typically impressive conclusion.
No Life Forsaken (****½) is a dusty, thoughtful book that takes a while to get going, but once it does it delivers a thoughtful and striking piece of compassionate, intelligent fantasy. And the good news is that we won't have too long to wait for more, as Erikson completed the third book in the series, Legacies of Betrayal, at the same time as this one, and hopefully that should be with us next year. The book is available right now.
November 12, 2025
Turns out I shouldn’t have worried about not remembering the details of The God is not Willing - in the most typical Malazan fashion we’re on a whole other continent, doing something completely different (I did not read the synopsis so this was a nice surprise). Erikson does touch on some elements from that first book, and Karsa Orlong’s… uhhh shadow? Presence? Lack of presence? is still felt.
Scale of the plot is just as substantial as in any entry of MBotF but made to fit the considerably lower page count. Is it me or is this one much more tame than usual? Specifically when it comes to the horrors TM. I’m so used to Ekrison hitting me with some of the most horrific and sad things to eve be put on page, and this didn’t really have anything like that. It was nice? Reminds me a little of Esselmont’s novels, they have a similar tone if I recall correctly.
The new cast of characters is great. Of course they’re great. Erikson is a master at establishing very vivid and striking characters within just a page or two. We have some fun duos as well, of course. Pulcrude and Fedilap; Bornu Blatt (and Gilakas); high Priestess Shamalle, have to be my favorites, to name a few. And I really wanted Inkaras Sollit to be on that list, but something with him was lacking for me. Not how everything develops in the end, but before that.
Next book very likely will be set somewhere else again. I wonder if there’s a way to figure out where that will be…
Scale of the plot is just as substantial as in any entry of MBotF but made to fit the considerably lower page count. Is it me or is this one much more tame than usual? Specifically when it comes to the horrors TM. I’m so used to Ekrison hitting me with some of the most horrific and sad things to eve be put on page, and this didn’t really have anything like that. It was nice? Reminds me a little of Esselmont’s novels, they have a similar tone if I recall correctly.
The new cast of characters is great. Of course they’re great. Erikson is a master at establishing very vivid and striking characters within just a page or two. We have some fun duos as well, of course. Pulcrude and Fedilap; Bornu Blatt (and Gilakas); high Priestess Shamalle, have to be my favorites, to name a few. And I really wanted Inkaras Sollit to be on that list, but something with him was lacking for me. Not how everything develops in the end, but before that.
Next book very likely will be set somewhere else again. I wonder if there’s a way to figure out where that will be…
December 8, 2025
Some very good, some not as good.
Review: https://youtu.be/lGdUkS60JUE?si=bAzoS...
Review: https://youtu.be/lGdUkS60JUE?si=bAzoS...
December 15, 2025
A great read!
I was excited to be back with Erikson, especially in Seven Cities, my favorite of the continents. The first 'book' of NO LIFE is actually some of my favorite Malazan written recently and perhaps my second favorite start to a book, after DUST OF DREAMS. As the book went on, I felt that what was being set up with Part 1 just didn't pan out as I had anticipated it going, but I think this is largely due to the fact that this was split into 2 books, so I'm eagerly awaiting the second one.
Some great new characters introduced here - Bornu, Arenfall, Fedilap, and certainly Shemalle to name a few, and I love what the book has to say about vengeance, buried hurts, and the responsibility of religious leaders toward those they're supposed to guide. Seven Cities remains a continent shrouded in mystery, and I don't understand some of the decisions that Mallick Rel makes, but all in all, a great addition. My hope is that this series spawns more than just two more books.
I was excited to be back with Erikson, especially in Seven Cities, my favorite of the continents. The first 'book' of NO LIFE is actually some of my favorite Malazan written recently and perhaps my second favorite start to a book, after DUST OF DREAMS. As the book went on, I felt that what was being set up with Part 1 just didn't pan out as I had anticipated it going, but I think this is largely due to the fact that this was split into 2 books, so I'm eagerly awaiting the second one.
Some great new characters introduced here - Bornu, Arenfall, Fedilap, and certainly Shemalle to name a few, and I love what the book has to say about vengeance, buried hurts, and the responsibility of religious leaders toward those they're supposed to guide. Seven Cities remains a continent shrouded in mystery, and I don't understand some of the decisions that Mallick Rel makes, but all in all, a great addition. My hope is that this series spawns more than just two more books.
October 22, 2025
Yes I did read this. This novel feels more like a Malazan book than TGinW, especially since it takes place in the Seven Cities continent. The characters are diverse and the plot lines tie up rather neatly. Soon you too will Witness.
October 28, 2025
This book is everything you love about Malazan, I cannot convey how much I love this series, this world, these characters. Even when they’re new characters it’s like visiting old friends. I cannot get this readers high from any other series.
Back to seven Cuties where a new Whirlwind is raising but times have changed, new characters, same scenario amazing excecution.
Arenfall was a badass character, scratch that, I loved them all. And so many cameos !! Old faces in the background that didn’t overshadow the new.
Really hope Erikson just says "Fuck it" and does 10 books
Back to seven Cuties where a new Whirlwind is raising but times have changed, new characters, same scenario amazing excecution.
Arenfall was a badass character, scratch that, I loved them all. And so many cameos !! Old faces in the background that didn’t overshadow the new.
Really hope Erikson just says "Fuck it" and does 10 books
December 2, 2025
What can you expect? Erikson confirms his status as the greatest fantasy author. He somehow manages to distill the complexity of a Malazan book into a shorter, tighter novel but still has all of the signature philosophy, mystery, powerful characters and edge of your seat action scenes
In typical Erikson fashion this is book 2 of a series but barely has any returning characters from book 1. Instead we have a whole host epic new characters as well as some returning characters from the main Malazan series as well as the Kharkhanas trilogy too. There's so many connections and plot threads picked up from previous series this almost feels like a bit of a sequel to Bonehunters.
The story returns to Seven Cities where once again the Apocalypse is threatening with a major rebellion and the High Fist needs to deal with it. The various cults in the cities are fighting and there's new gods that have risen and are now worshipped to replace the ones that have died.
We have marines, we have an assassins war, we have a religious war and to top it all off we have a supernatural disaster too. What more can one want?
The sad thing is that now we have to wait for the next book. The good thing is that Erikson has actually already finished it and will likely be published next year.
I'm really hoping that after this series he writes another 10 book mega series with 1000 pages per book. Because these shorter books really leave me wanting for me.
In typical Erikson fashion this is book 2 of a series but barely has any returning characters from book 1. Instead we have a whole host epic new characters as well as some returning characters from the main Malazan series as well as the Kharkhanas trilogy too. There's so many connections and plot threads picked up from previous series this almost feels like a bit of a sequel to Bonehunters.
The story returns to Seven Cities where once again the Apocalypse is threatening with a major rebellion and the High Fist needs to deal with it. The various cults in the cities are fighting and there's new gods that have risen and are now worshipped to replace the ones that have died.
We have marines, we have an assassins war, we have a religious war and to top it all off we have a supernatural disaster too. What more can one want?
The sad thing is that now we have to wait for the next book. The good thing is that Erikson has actually already finished it and will likely be published next year.
I'm really hoping that after this series he writes another 10 book mega series with 1000 pages per book. Because these shorter books really leave me wanting for me.
October 29, 2025
Fascinating tale.
In No Life Forsaken Erikson revisits a region known for rebellion and discontent for its latest episode of resisting the empire.
The novel discusses freedom, religion, worship, corruption, and love. As always, the dissection of humanity is complex and insightful.
The humor and absurdity in the story were also very entertaining to experience.
Cannot wait to see how the Witness series is going to come together.
In No Life Forsaken Erikson revisits a region known for rebellion and discontent for its latest episode of resisting the empire.
The novel discusses freedom, religion, worship, corruption, and love. As always, the dissection of humanity is complex and insightful.
The humor and absurdity in the story were also very entertaining to experience.
Cannot wait to see how the Witness series is going to come together.
November 20, 2025
Savored the ending. Might be time to do my Book of the Fallen reread now!
October 29, 2025
Втори пропуск след Fall of Light, може би е рано и затова виждам само позитивните ревюта, но не разбирам въобще какво са харесали в тази книга феновете.
Сюжетът е объркан разтегнат локум без ясно начало или край, целият първи том сякаш не принадлежи на тази книга, а средните два сякаш са част от друга, която не приключва в четвъртия. Ериксън ползва няколко тропи, които мога да нарека най-ясно като марвелски, колко пъти трябва да ни се напомни, че герой, който даже не играе важна роля в историята, е гей? Колко пъти ще видим някакви персонажи от предишни романи, без те реално да направят каквото и да е за развитието на действието? Колко пъти ще се отварят някакви 'мистерии' за да не бъдат споменати повече? Нима трябва да чакаме трета или четвърта книга, за да разберем аджеба каква е била идеята зад Мют или Хастен Тену? Авторът си е оставил ръцете, романът не се усеща като нищо друго, което е писал, а имайки предвид, че това е втора книга от уж четирилогия, която нито е свързана с предишната, нито играе ролята на основа на нещо, което да го последва, не мога да кажа друга дума за романа освен тази -- разочарование.
Сюжетът е объркан разтегнат локум без ясно начало или край, целият първи том сякаш не принадлежи на тази книга, а средните два сякаш са част от друга, която не приключва в четвъртия. Ериксън ползва няколко тропи, които мога да нарека най-ясно като марвелски, колко пъти трябва да ни се напомни, че герой, който даже не играе важна роля в историята, е гей? Колко пъти ще видим някакви персонажи от предишни романи, без те реално да направят каквото и да е за развитието на действието? Колко пъти ще се отварят някакви 'мистерии' за да не бъдат споменати повече? Нима трябва да чакаме трета или четвърта книга, за да разберем аджеба каква е била идеята зад Мют или Хастен Тену? Авторът си е оставил ръцете, романът не се усеща като нищо друго, което е писал, а имайки предвид, че това е втора книга от уж четирилогия, която нито е свързана с предишната, нито играе ролята на основа на нещо, което да го последва, не мога да кажа друга дума за романа освен тази -- разочарование.
November 22, 2025
I 🩶 shamalle
October 29, 2025
Steven Erikson does it again! Take a bow, sir! In a reminder of how he started his Malazan Book of the Fallen series, this book shows events concurrent with or just after the first book. While the first is set on the continent of Genabackis (like Gardens of the Moon), this one picks up on the continent of Seven Cities (like Deadhouse Gates) where there's another rebellion brewing. On the surface, nothing connects the plot except some character cameos. Turns out the end of the first book that left a key character in Seven Cities was a misdirect... but just like with Deadhouse Gates, this book Delivers. There's a convergence of plots and characters at the end that subverts expectations... it's just another banger Malazan Empire tale!
Incredible characters get fully fleshed out in no time. Their monologues are both insightful (Bornu Blatt), rip roaring funny (Shamalle, who at this point I want to see have a conversation with Kruppe) or heartbreaking (Pash/ Inkaras). Arenfall is a wonderful new enigma, and I loved speculating who he is (Grub?)
This is the third time Erikson completely revamps the magic system, and deliciously so. The events of The Crippled God and thebfate of Icarium loom large on the book, as does the disposition of Icarium's frenemy Karsa Orlong, who again does not make an appearance (!) but that's ok, we good.
Look, if you're a fan of the Malazan series, this is a must read. It convinces me that if he wants, Erikson could write another ten books set in this world and there's plenty of juice. If you're not steeped in the lore and a fan, sorry, this is not a book for you. It explains little and you'll miss half the plot or the many character cameos and obscure interconnecions. Reading this without reading at least 8 or 10 prior books will be like watching Agatha all Along as your first MCU content :)
Me? Happy customer! I read this in one of the more trying weeks of my life and it was my one escape... a timeless, familiar and intriguing place. Not unlike Arenfall's private warren actually! :)
Incredible characters get fully fleshed out in no time. Their monologues are both insightful (Bornu Blatt), rip roaring funny (Shamalle, who at this point I want to see have a conversation with Kruppe) or heartbreaking (Pash/ Inkaras). Arenfall is a wonderful new enigma, and I loved speculating who he is (Grub?)
This is the third time Erikson completely revamps the magic system, and deliciously so. The events of The Crippled God and thebfate of Icarium loom large on the book, as does the disposition of Icarium's frenemy Karsa Orlong, who again does not make an appearance (!) but that's ok, we good.
Look, if you're a fan of the Malazan series, this is a must read. It convinces me that if he wants, Erikson could write another ten books set in this world and there's plenty of juice. If you're not steeped in the lore and a fan, sorry, this is not a book for you. It explains little and you'll miss half the plot or the many character cameos and obscure interconnecions. Reading this without reading at least 8 or 10 prior books will be like watching Agatha all Along as your first MCU content :)
Me? Happy customer! I read this in one of the more trying weeks of my life and it was my one escape... a timeless, familiar and intriguing place. Not unlike Arenfall's private warren actually! :)
November 17, 2025
5/5
Some of the best assassins plots in all of Malazan. Decent politics and some fun marine and god play.
Love how Erickson is bring in stuff from all the other malazan series. We have stuff in here from path to ascendancy to Kharkanas.
If Karsa is not in book 3 we ROIT.
This is in my book of the year contention for 2025.
Some of the best assassins plots in all of Malazan. Decent politics and some fun marine and god play.
Love how Erickson is bring in stuff from all the other malazan series. We have stuff in here from path to ascendancy to Kharkanas.
If Karsa is not in book 3 we ROIT.
This is in my book of the year contention for 2025.
November 7, 2025
I wanted to love this more than I did. I have a feeling it’ll be one of those books I’ll like more on a reread once there’s more context. A classic Erikson move of throwing us in with a new cast which I enjoyed but I was hoping for more connections to TGINW. That said, some great characters here Shamalle!!
December 10, 2025
I think this is his best yet, I am extremely bias towards the Seven Cities but this is all thriller and no filler. I have more questions than before I read it, as a MALAZAN! nutter this is my preferred state. Now I must read again.
November 14, 2025
Worthy sequel to Deadhouse Gates, House of Chains, The Bonehunters and the whole of Malazan Book of the Fallen.
Witness.
Witness.
October 30, 2025
4.5/5 stars. It's everything I love about Erikson's writing. Not as fast paced, action-heavy as TGiNW, but when it does pick up it *really* picks up. I wish it was longer though, especially the final third. The philosophical musings on godhood and what it means to follow a god are, as always, incredible.
November 11, 2025
It was fine. Maybe it will give a better account once the whole series is complete. Right now it is fine, but has all the usual flaws of Erikson -- all characters sound the same, they philosophize a lot, and the poetry that opens sections has definitely gotten more wordy and less interesting. Some interesting plot and world developments, but meh.
December 22, 2025
The first book since The Return of the Crimson Guard that's left me fatigued with Malazan. I felt like I've this book before, by the same author, exploring the same themes and plots, in his earlier books. There wasn't much new ground to cover and this was personally the least interesting take on these subject by Erikson to date.
November 17, 2025
Great book, don't think I understood all the implications but thought it was a lot closer to classic Malazan and had really awesome world building elements. I liked The God is not Willing quite a bit but liked this substantially more.
Also the prose is top tier Erikson at the top of his game, definitely wish it was larger and even more epic.
Also the prose is top tier Erikson at the top of his game, definitely wish it was larger and even more epic.
November 17, 2025
I'm a huge Erikson fan having picked up Gardens shortly after release in my university days 20+ years ago. His early stuff up to Bonehunters was sublime, later stuff including the Tiste books was a lull from his high standards as he went really self indulgent.
tGinW seemed like a fantastic return to form. Capturing his characterisation at its best, a vast interconnected story/world mixed with the right amount of emotional depth/philosophising he likes.
This? it's a weird book. It starts and ends excellently but the middle is him at his self-indulgent worst once again. A host of mostly pointless characters with unearned arcs who own a swathe of page time for no real purpose, dead end storylines, hints that lead nowhere... I know Erikson plays the long game but a lot of this felt ill thought out as opposed to foreshadowing.
The marines in this were boring and lacked the flair he normally brings. Arenfall was fascinating but not really fleshed out. Pash was irritatingly pointless. Shaemalle felt like just re-writing Pusk/Kruppe/Tehol with a new mask. The new adjunct(s) were purposeless....
There's a lot to dislike and it feels like it could be 100 pages longer and benefit from it, or, the snoozefest that was parts 2 & 3 could have been edited better and pages assigned to more worthwhile storylines.
I feel like I'm being hyper-critical but having just re-read the excellent tGinW in advance of this it really brings home how average this entry was.
I hope it's building towards something but if recent books are anything to by I expect the two interesting characters in this book (Arenfall and Thenu (obviously Quick)) will fade away for another brand new cast for the third book.
I'll keep reading, I love the series as a whole, and this compared to generic fantasy is streets ahead, but for Erikson's extremely high standards this felt average.
tGinW seemed like a fantastic return to form. Capturing his characterisation at its best, a vast interconnected story/world mixed with the right amount of emotional depth/philosophising he likes.
This? it's a weird book. It starts and ends excellently but the middle is him at his self-indulgent worst once again. A host of mostly pointless characters with unearned arcs who own a swathe of page time for no real purpose, dead end storylines, hints that lead nowhere... I know Erikson plays the long game but a lot of this felt ill thought out as opposed to foreshadowing.
The marines in this were boring and lacked the flair he normally brings. Arenfall was fascinating but not really fleshed out. Pash was irritatingly pointless. Shaemalle felt like just re-writing Pusk/Kruppe/Tehol with a new mask. The new adjunct(s) were purposeless....
There's a lot to dislike and it feels like it could be 100 pages longer and benefit from it, or, the snoozefest that was parts 2 & 3 could have been edited better and pages assigned to more worthwhile storylines.
I feel like I'm being hyper-critical but having just re-read the excellent tGinW in advance of this it really brings home how average this entry was.
I hope it's building towards something but if recent books are anything to by I expect the two interesting characters in this book (Arenfall and Thenu (obviously Quick)) will fade away for another brand new cast for the third book.
I'll keep reading, I love the series as a whole, and this compared to generic fantasy is streets ahead, but for Erikson's extremely high standards this felt average.
December 10, 2025
The second novel in the Witness sequel series to Erikson’s Malazan book of the Fallen (see also excellent The God is Not Willing), and just like in the first series, we swap continents and characters and now find ourselves back in Seven Cities. This novel is both engaged in tidying up a lot of loose plot threads from the Book of the Fallen and setting up new characters and conflicts. I really enjoyed it and this sequel series is quickly becoming a fantastic continuation of the main series. I prefer The God is Not Willing over this one, though, because that one felt like a fuller, more substantial novel, while No Life Forsaken felt more like a smaller version of Deadhouse Gates, and some of the things it set up didn’t have much payoff.
Much action in the city G’danisban. This city houses the High Fist of the Malazan legions in Seven Cities, but when rebellion stirs again and the priests of the new Sha’ik cult make their way to the city, and the new Adjunct to the Emperor arrives as well to keep an eye on things, G’danisban becomes another beehive of plots, assassins and nightly murder. For veteran Malazan readers, such a milieu will feel very familiar, for we have seen this sort of thing before in Darujhistan and Malaz City. And we can count on it that Shadowthrone is playing games again.
Erikson’s writing style is honed to precision and has reached a satisfying maturity in this series. His writing is not as frenetic as in the early Malazan novels, nor as heavily ponderous as in the last few novels of that same series, but action, philosophy and comedy are all in balance, and his chapters are masterfully constructed, each with their intriguing opening paragraphs and poetic closing lines. I savoured each chapter. Character work is excellent here. The High Fist Arenfall, the Adjunct Inkaras, the high priestess Shamalle and even Nub, the King of the Bokharala, are by turns pitiable, hilarious, anguished or full of intrigue, and I greatly enjoyed getting to know them. As always, Erikson deploys a show-don’t-tell approach to their introductions to great effect.
A big theme in No Life Forsaken is an investigation of faith and religion. The Sha’ik rebellion has reemerged, stronger than ever, because it is tied now to the new goddess in its midst, the woman who was once Felisin Younger, and now a proper religion has grown around her with its own tenets, temples and power structures. As such, the novel is a great continuation of plot lines that began in House of Chains and The Bonehunters, and it is asking the question: is this what religious dogma is about? Grabbing power? Is it truly necessary to build such things around the purer emotion of faith? Is religion used, even sacrificed, for the efforts of rebellion, or is it a driving force behind it? Why do zeal and violence so often go together?
These questions are explored through characters who differ a lot in how they regard religion. High priestess Shamalle doesn’t seem full of zeal at all. Full of cupcakes, more like, but her mellow observance has a humanising effect on the cult. Felisin’s new Inquisitor, Bornu Blatt, isn’t even religious at all. He’s just a secular administrator and a scholar and confused by the religious people around him, but chosen by the Goddess to embark on journeys for her. Erikson walks a fine line with this character, because there are literal Gods and Goddesses in the Malazan universe and Bornu acknowledges their powers, but considers faith a different thing entirely. What is missing, perhaps, is the perspective of a true believer, to balance it all out. If Erikson wants to say anything, then his story is mostly an argument against fanaticism and how casually it throws away human lives, hence the title No Life Forsaken. The novel acknowledges the rage that comes from injustice. Felisin and Bornu both experienced injustice, which only fuels the rage of the Whirlwind goddess more, but religious violence can’t be the answer.
Compared to The God is Not Willing, this novel has a lot of politics in it. The Marines and the Adjunct both have their own agendas, supported by organised groups of assassins. The Sha’ik cult is in danger of schism. Mercenaries are hired, spies send out everywhere. For readers who are hoping for crazy fantasy creatures and wild magic, it is there, but not right away. Have some patience and soon the Jaghut, Toblakai and Azath begin popping up, and the questions multiply. In fact, the novel feels schizophrenic at times. One moment it is discussing imperial politics, the next moment we are in some runt Warren talking to an Elder God. But that is why we love Malazan. I am also left a little unsatisfied with characters arcs, which started strongly in the first 200 pages and then were foreshortened or made way for a lot of warren hopping.
All in all, very well written with some good character work and great nuggets of wild fantasy, but lacked a wow factor to truly stand among the best novels of the Malazan series, while the previous novel did achieve that for me.
Much action in the city G’danisban. This city houses the High Fist of the Malazan legions in Seven Cities, but when rebellion stirs again and the priests of the new Sha’ik cult make their way to the city, and the new Adjunct to the Emperor arrives as well to keep an eye on things, G’danisban becomes another beehive of plots, assassins and nightly murder. For veteran Malazan readers, such a milieu will feel very familiar, for we have seen this sort of thing before in Darujhistan and Malaz City. And we can count on it that Shadowthrone is playing games again.
Erikson’s writing style is honed to precision and has reached a satisfying maturity in this series. His writing is not as frenetic as in the early Malazan novels, nor as heavily ponderous as in the last few novels of that same series, but action, philosophy and comedy are all in balance, and his chapters are masterfully constructed, each with their intriguing opening paragraphs and poetic closing lines. I savoured each chapter. Character work is excellent here. The High Fist Arenfall, the Adjunct Inkaras, the high priestess Shamalle and even Nub, the King of the Bokharala, are by turns pitiable, hilarious, anguished or full of intrigue, and I greatly enjoyed getting to know them. As always, Erikson deploys a show-don’t-tell approach to their introductions to great effect.
A big theme in No Life Forsaken is an investigation of faith and religion. The Sha’ik rebellion has reemerged, stronger than ever, because it is tied now to the new goddess in its midst, the woman who was once Felisin Younger, and now a proper religion has grown around her with its own tenets, temples and power structures. As such, the novel is a great continuation of plot lines that began in House of Chains and The Bonehunters, and it is asking the question: is this what religious dogma is about? Grabbing power? Is it truly necessary to build such things around the purer emotion of faith? Is religion used, even sacrificed, for the efforts of rebellion, or is it a driving force behind it? Why do zeal and violence so often go together?
These questions are explored through characters who differ a lot in how they regard religion. High priestess Shamalle doesn’t seem full of zeal at all. Full of cupcakes, more like, but her mellow observance has a humanising effect on the cult. Felisin’s new Inquisitor, Bornu Blatt, isn’t even religious at all. He’s just a secular administrator and a scholar and confused by the religious people around him, but chosen by the Goddess to embark on journeys for her. Erikson walks a fine line with this character, because there are literal Gods and Goddesses in the Malazan universe and Bornu acknowledges their powers, but considers faith a different thing entirely. What is missing, perhaps, is the perspective of a true believer, to balance it all out. If Erikson wants to say anything, then his story is mostly an argument against fanaticism and how casually it throws away human lives, hence the title No Life Forsaken. The novel acknowledges the rage that comes from injustice. Felisin and Bornu both experienced injustice, which only fuels the rage of the Whirlwind goddess more, but religious violence can’t be the answer.
Compared to The God is Not Willing, this novel has a lot of politics in it. The Marines and the Adjunct both have their own agendas, supported by organised groups of assassins. The Sha’ik cult is in danger of schism. Mercenaries are hired, spies send out everywhere. For readers who are hoping for crazy fantasy creatures and wild magic, it is there, but not right away. Have some patience and soon the Jaghut, Toblakai and Azath begin popping up, and the questions multiply. In fact, the novel feels schizophrenic at times. One moment it is discussing imperial politics, the next moment we are in some runt Warren talking to an Elder God. But that is why we love Malazan. I am also left a little unsatisfied with characters arcs, which started strongly in the first 200 pages and then were foreshortened or made way for a lot of warren hopping.
All in all, very well written with some good character work and great nuggets of wild fantasy, but lacked a wow factor to truly stand among the best novels of the Malazan series, while the previous novel did achieve that for me.
November 14, 2025
I really liked this book. I read it slow on purpose. Luxuriated in being back in 'present day' Malazan. Liked, loved, hated, shook my head at at the new characters. Got a couple "oooooo"s in at appearances from Bonehunters... wanted more of the Witness book #1 cast, but didn't get it. I strongly suspect this will be another series that reads even better on re-read once its done (like Malazan proper).
I didn't give it 5 stars mainly because it was too short, both in pages and in connections. I know people like short books, and I do sometimes, but I wanted so much more of everything here. That being said, 4 stars for me is a very good book one I will likely re-read and definitely suggest to others. It just didn't meet *and* exceed the specific expectations I had for it. Which, admittedly, were probably too high ;).
If you enjoyed any of the previous Erikson Malazan books, I don't think you can go wrong with this one. It was a bit of a joy to read. If you're like me and want far more about the new warrens, the runts, what happened to characters from previous books (even the one right before this one!), what's going on in the world in general, you may come away a bit hungry. But hey...there's at least one more book in this series - which may even have the titular character in it! ...but I'm not going to get my hopes up. SERIOUSLY. I would not be surprised if Karsa did not actually appear in the series, because sometimes what Erikson (or his character) is saying/doing is buried. And can be said without them even being directly on the page). Also Walk in Shadow is coming too!
I didn't give it 5 stars mainly because it was too short, both in pages and in connections. I know people like short books, and I do sometimes, but I wanted so much more of everything here. That being said, 4 stars for me is a very good book one I will likely re-read and definitely suggest to others. It just didn't meet *and* exceed the specific expectations I had for it. Which, admittedly, were probably too high ;).
If you enjoyed any of the previous Erikson Malazan books, I don't think you can go wrong with this one. It was a bit of a joy to read. If you're like me and want far more about the new warrens, the runts, what happened to characters from previous books (even the one right before this one!), what's going on in the world in general, you may come away a bit hungry. But hey...there's at least one more book in this series - which may even have the titular character in it! ...but I'm not going to get my hopes up. SERIOUSLY. I would not be surprised if Karsa did not actually appear in the series, because sometimes what Erikson (or his character) is saying/doing is buried. And can be said without them even being directly on the page). Also Walk in Shadow is coming too!
December 24, 2025
It seems that this trilogy isn't going to have much connection between the different books, since it isn't continuing any storylines from the first book and doesn't feature any returning characters. Instead, it's more connected to some of the early books in the main Malazan series, returning to the Seven Cities area of the setting and charting another rising of the apocalyptic cult. Since it has been a generation since those previous books the cast is mostly new, with one major exception and some cameos. I think that portion of the original Malazan books was one of the strongest parts of the series, so it is interesting to return to it, and although one theme might be about history repeating, things are different enough this time around for it not feel repetitive. I thought that some of the new characters were interesting, particularly the librarian reluctantly pressed into service as an inquisitor for a religion he does not believe in. The story builds to a strong conclusion, although a couple of subplots did feel like they were left hanging along the way. I thought that this was a good addition to the series.
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