The Lees of Laughter's End

The Tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach #3

by Steven Erikson

Librarian note: alternative cover (bind up edition).

In the wake of their blissful sojourn in the city of Lamentable Moll, the intrepid sorcerors Bauchelain and Korbal Broach — along with their newly hired manservant, Emancipor Reese — have set out on the wide open seas aboard the sturdy Suncurl.

Alas, there’s more baggage in the hold than meets the beady eyes of Suncurl’s hapless crew, and once on the cursed sea-lane known as Laughter’s End — the Red Road in which flows the blood of an Elder God — unseemly terrors are prodded awake, to the understated dismay of all.

It is said that it is not the destination that counts, but the journey itself. Such a noble, worthy sentiment. Aye, it is the journey that counts, especially when what counts is horror, murder, mischance and mayhem. For Bauchelain, Korbal Broach and Emancipor Reese, it is of course just one more night on the high seas, on a journey without end — and that counts for a lot.

Third in a series of novellas taking place in the Malazan Empire.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Novella, Horror, Dark Fantasy, Short Stories

133 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Steven 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...

Reviews

[Matt's Fantasy Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Check out my YouTube channel where I show my instant reactions to reading fantasy books as soon as I finish the book.

An enormously funny Pratchett style dark horror story set in the Malazan universe - What a combo!

I am a huge Malazan fan, and think virtually all of the books in this universe - regardless of which author it is (there are two Malazan authors) are top tier books. However, reading the first book in this series I was extremely disappointed. It was trying to be a comedy and set the stage for more books to come, and ultimately failed in both regards.

However, this follow up book (I'm reading these in chronological order, no publication order) made me laugh out loud constantly, gave me a huge grin on my face at all other times, and was the best book that is under 200 pages that I have ever read.

When Steven Erikson is trying to write comedy, the only other fantasy writer that can even be compared with him is Terry Pratchett, and this book was at the top tier of Erikson humor. It's a dark, DARK book but somehow balances that by making you laugh. It's a wonderful combination that I would never think was possible. People are dying gruesome deaths at the hands of hideous abominations, and I'm sitting there loving every single moment of it. And I say this as someone who absolutely hates horror books.

I do not think you will get large enjoyment out of this book without first reading Malazan: Book of the Fallen, or at the very least the first three books of that series, but if you have and you thought the characters of Bachelain and Korbal Broach were the least bit funny, this book will likely leave you in stitches.

[Samir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dark comedy horror story which felt like a Malazan Halloween special. :)

[Gavin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third published book in the Bauchelain and Korbal Broach novella series, but the second book from a chronological standpoint so I've went ahead and read it second.

The events take place right after the end of the first novella with Bauchelain, Korbal, and Mancy leaving Lamentable Moll in a bit of a rush on board the Suncurl. The arrival of the nefarious duo and the luckless Emancipator Reese are just one of many problems for the hapless crew of the Suncurl and soon they are dealing with everything from ghosts and ghouls to cursed statues and sea monsters!

This series feels like a bit like Malazan in miniature. We have the same set up with loads of secondary characters and a bunch of crazy sub-plots all building to one explosive conclusion. The main difference between this series and the regular Malazan series is that there is a much bigger focus on humor here. This was like a crazy Malazan sitcom. Albeit a very dark sitcom!

The ending was a bit of an anticlimax but hopefully that is because the next novella will pick up where this one left off.

All in all I felt like this was a fun read that was not quite as good as the books from the regular series.

Rating: 3 stars.

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Lees of Laughter's End" is the third published novella in the Bauchelain & Korbal Broach series by Steven Erikson. Chronologically, it is set after Blood Follows and before The Wurms of Blearmouth.

In this adventure that takes place aboard a ship called "The Suncurl" which is on her way from Theft to the southern coast of Genabackis, and happens to be followed by a large herd of sharks (among other less friendly and reasonable creatures) . Korbal Broach, in pursuit of his latest project, which may have something to do with the locked and warded chest in his quarters that contains his "child", has been doing some ill-advised fishing, for which he decides he needs bloodier bait.

And then things go straight to hell.

Warning: This book can be wildly funny at times

This signed and numbered edition is copy 218 of 500 signed by Steven Erikson and James Barclay who wrote the introduction.

[Margret · Rating 3 out of 5]

......The fuck did I just read?

[Jokoloyo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I originally rated this title as 3 star. The reason was this story has inconclusive ending. Then I read The Wurms of Blearmouth where I found both stories are linked. "The Wurms..." is the direct continuation of "The Lees...".

Well, I am glad with publication of "The Wurms...", because except the big letdown at the ending, I like "The Lees" at beginning and the middle part. The 2 good points that I like on this story:
1. Compared with previous B & KB stories, on this story Korbal Broach has bigger part in the story, not just as a shadow of Bauchelain.
2. The dark humor is getting better than other stories too. That's all that I can say. :)

I recommend to read "The Lees..." first then "The Wurms...".

[Mayim de Vries · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the importance of good mother-daughter relations when darkness falls and laughter ends.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining read. Hapless manservant Emancipor continues to be entertaining.

[Chris Haught · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't help but think this is like Terry Pratchett writing Grimdark...

[Scott Hitchcock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Parts of the book are just too glib for it's own good making it somewhat confusing. Other parts are hilariously funny and sometimes for this exact reason. A good macabre farce. Perhaps I've just never gotten over sophomoric humor but a headless corpse voicing it's objection to being stabbed described as a constipated man's triumph still has me laughing.

[Artavazdah · Rating 5 out of 5]

" BRIV, CARPENTER’S HELPER, STAYED ONE STEP BEHIND Briv, Cook’s helper, and one step ahead of Briv, Rope Braider, who, if she braided ropes as bad as she did her hair, would probably better serve the ship as Cook. Since Cook was a poet. "

Hillarious, innit?

[Stefan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Highly enjoyable Emancipor strikes again! This man... I really love these short stories.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very amusing satire. Or at least it seemed to be satire. I assume all will become clearer in the Healthy Dead novella.

[Niki Hawkes - The Obsessive Bookseller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I now have a Booktube channel! Find me at: The Obsessive Bookseller

Having just read and loved the introduction to Balchelain and Korbal Broach in Blood Follows, Erikson had me hooked and I was eager to continue. This installment took a little of the enthusiasm out of my sails, but I still enjoyed it.

The setting for Lees at Laughter’s End was my favorite element of the novella. Or rather, the atmosphere the author created using a combination of interesting setting, great characters, spooky magickings, and a splash of dark humor. The thing I’m starting to appreciate most from Erikson is his ability to create a totally immersive experience.

What struck me was how curious I still was about the characters at this point. They’re still enigmas and I was absolutely fascinated with some of the things they did in this story. They’re truly unlike any characters I’ve read before, and the combination and execution are downright dazzling.

…but the story was also weird.

I’ll admit I didn’t enjoy this novella quite as much as Blood Follows because it danced on the edge of ridiculous a few times (which is not to my personal taste). It never quite went over the edge, but it was close. The unexpected happenings, while far-fetched, did add a good bit of suspense to the novel (because when anything is possible, no one is safe). And so I can appreciate it for what it was even though it got just a tad wild for me.

Recommendations: this novella would be perfect for Malazan fans who love the fantasy/horror sub-genre. I haven’t read Lovecraft (too creepy), but this reminded me of some elements I’ve heard are prominent in his Cthulhu works. As a completionist, I’d say read all the things. But if you’re trying to determine which to leave out, Blood Follows was a stronger Bachelain/Korbal Broach snippet. That pains me to say though – you should just read all the things too – why make hard decisions?

Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com

Other books you might like:

[Sade · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story picks up from where our trio's adventure ended, now they're sailing out of Lamentable Moll to parts unknown. Unfortunately for them and fortunately for the readers i guess, things take a very macabre turn on the ship. Have to say the only thing that left me scratching my head was Bena Older's out of sync talking, i honestly couldn't figure out if she and Bena Younger were human or something else and why on earth they were up on the mast.

That aside i have to say this novella totally surprised me with how funny it was, i'm not talking about happy comedy humor more like dark humor. I found myself laughing out loud at the various antics of the crew.
Good read and i'm totally going to finish these series.

[Aventinus · Rating 2 out of 5]

Αίμα, βία, χιούμορ, σεξ, νεκρομαντεία και περισσότερο αίμα σε ένα καταραμένο πλοίο. Και στη μέση ο Emancipor, Mancy the Luckless.

Δεν μπορώ να πω πως ήταν κακό αλλά σίγουρα υπήρξε βαρετό κυρίως στο δεύτερο μισό. Δεν είχε την πλοκή και το μυστήριο που περιμένω από τον Erikson και ο antagonist ήταν απλά... Αστείος. Υποθέτω πως σε ακριβώς αυτό στόχευε ο Erikson οπότε σε αυτή την περίπτωση δεν ήταν για μένα. Παρόλα αυτά, έχω πει πως θα διαβάσω τα πάντα από το Malazan με την προτεινόμενη σειρά οπότε δε μετανιώνω τίποτα.

[DS25 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Letto come secondo nonostante, tecnicamente, sia il terzo della serie di Bauchelain.

Sostanzialmente un delirante racconto di una battaglia su una nave, dove succedono delle cose tra l'allucinante, il grottesco e l'ilare.
Una specie di Capustan in piccolo, se vogliamo, ma senza l'epicità.

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Life is like a clam,' Bird Mottle's father once told her. 'Year's filtering shit then some bastard cracks you open and scrapes you into its damned mouth. End of story, precious pearl, end of story.'

This quote above all, probably best describes what happened in this short story.

This third story of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach actually follows their first story chronologically. And so the ultimate Malazan reading order directs readers to this book as one's next conquest, which as a newcomer to this world, I am made to take others' word for it and skip past its second novella for now.

When we last left our less-than-noble heroes in Blood Follows, it was hinted that there was something amiss about the ship that they had requested passage from. While I wouldn't go as far to say as it made Bauchelain worried, it did make him quirk an quizzical eyebrow.

In The Lees of Laughter's End we quickly learned that a quirked eyebrow by Bauchelain is paramount to a dire warning to mortals to run as fast and far as one could manage. Which unfortunately, being trapped upon a boat about to enter a cursed sea-lane in which flows the blood of an Elder God, isn't very far at all.

Of the three stories in this diversion from the primary series so far, this one is easily the most action packed, with the most happening between its pages for both our intrepid sorcerers as well as our luckless manservant Emancipor Reese. It is here that we first witness the power that belongs to both our mysterious employers and realize just how much trouble either of these can cause just by their mere presence.

But there is such a thing as too much action.

The pace for this story was forced to such a speed that it made things much more confusing page-by-page and rather difficult to comprehend where and who everyone was. The character development of newcomers to the chaos that is the two sorcerers also suffered from the speed in which the events took place, despite the author's best attempts, to the point that some flashbacks made for further disorientations rather than clarification.

There were moments of levity; that is if black, macabre humour is something you can appreciate. There was also the distinct sense that neither Bauchelain and Broach were much concerned as to the horror that has befallen the ship that they were travelling upon and so went about their deeds with a bit of a ho-humness that made one wonder as to the source of their nonchalance.

But such things did little to slow the whole thing down.

In a way, the events of this book can best be described as sheer cacophony. Because outside of Bauchelain and Broach, no one seemed to have a clear idea of what was happening aboard the Suncurl, and so the reader was made to follow suit in the form of neck-twisting lurches much as the boat lurched beneath the weight of the battle upon it.

For me, this was likely the most difficult of the three to read, if simply because of how disorienting the action was and the seemingly out of chronological order the action occurred in. The ending was also lacked in a satisfactory conclusion in that it felt as if we were left upon a cliff-hanger waiting for the next shoe to fall. Although perhaps I should have expected that.

Also at the end, I realized that while we were witness to the power that belonged to Korbal Broach and Bauchelain, that was really all we saw. This left one feeling a little bereft, for it was a revelation that lacked substance. One had hoped coming in to have discovered more about these two mysterious figures, only to find that what was given wasn't enough to satiate one's thirst.

Of all of these books, this one likely could best afford a re-visit and a re-read after one finishes the series, if only because later events will likely clarify and clear what happened when Bauchelain and Korbal Broach walked upon the Suncurl.

[Fantasy boy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compare to Blood Follows, The Lees of Laughter’s End is funnier and more comical. Monsters was being chased by monsters, the poet is a cook, Krobal used Bush’s bodies to create his hound fishing monsters on the ship. This novella has variously Malazan style of stories, confusing and cryptic, less darker shades more lighter shades in the story. I think this is good to see Bauchelain and Korbal novellas are humorous, especially Malazan series tend to be dismay or despondent.

I think Bauchelain and Korbal broach series is doozy, I hope I can see more Malazan Novellas like those.

[Bookish_Austin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marketed as a dark horror comedy, that is exactly what this provides. A lot of Erikson's strengths are present and I enjoyed the novella as a whole but it failed to grab my like Erikson's other works. I was hoping to get more info about the three main characters these novellas follow and that wasn't the case.

Still, the horror aspects had me interested and the dark humor seemingly gets better and better. Onto the next one!

[Ty MaC · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Bryan Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

ReRead 2024
Re-reading this as part of the chronological attempt to go through the series. Poor Mancy continues to be an agent of chaos yet surviving while things around him fall apart. There is a lot of humor in this book that I didn't mention before. But much of it is of the stop right before saying the funny thing part so it's an exercise to the reader. I found it quite amusing and worth the mental investment to complete the joke.



If the first story was a semi-detective story this one is a semi-monster story. The characters from the first book have set off escaping Lamentable Moll on a ship named the Suncurl. Unfortunately Emancipor Reese, otherwise know as Mancy the Luckless, is a passenger. He's already walked away from two shipwrecks and this promises to be another terrible trip.

It doesn't help that many of the crew are not what they seem, nor are the nails used used in repairing the boat. Then add on the mysterious loot locked away, the many pursuers, and the strange disappearance of birds and rats makes for a a cruise no one would want.

Things, predictably, go awry and a monster (or more, you know, spoilers) is released to start it's terrible work.

[CHIP · Rating 5 out of 5]

Might be book 3 but it's technically the 2nd book chronologically and that's the recommended read order. This has been some good eats, if you enjoyed these characters when they showed up in memories of ice these novellas are perfect for you.

[Daniy ♠ · Rating 2 out of 5]

So this would be a five start but there is such a useless rape scene, not that rape scenes are usually useful but in this case it really serves no purpose at all.

[Matt on Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

A claustrophobic horror story, a nautical mystery romp and a hilarious comedy of errors, all in one.

[Sina Tavousi Masrour · Rating 4 out of 5]

"My spleen. It wants to eat me."
Enough said.

[Wouter Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining short story that continues where the first short story of Bauchelain and Korbal left of. Nice setting on a boat with ridiculous creatures, fun narrative an cool open ending with the other boat.

Overall Rating 3.5/5
World Building 4/5
Writing Style 4/5
Plot Development 3,5/5
Originality 4/5
Engagingness 3.5/5
Characters 4/5
Pacing 3.5/5
Enjoyment 3.5/5
Production value 2/5. Sloippy mass market paperback because nothing else besides Kindle is available

[Hacen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 3.75

[M F · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this novella, a spin-off of Steven Erikson’s excellent Malazan Book of the Fallen series, which was a pleasant surprise, since I didn’t like either of the other two Bauchelain and Broach tales I’ve read. The Lees of Laughter’s End is set entirely on a stolen ship carrying our titular heroes, along with a classic, Eriksonian, motley crew—a cook who can’t cook, a captain who knows nothing about sailing, a trio of shipworkers all named Briv, a mentally ill young girl cooped up in the crow’s nest with the desiccated corpse of her mother (whose voice she mimics, Norman Bates-style), and so on--toward the blood-red seas of Laughter’s End. The ship, of course, is haunted, or possessed, by at least one demonic force and is being pursued by something, or someone, else because of some dryland mischief perpetrated by three of the crew. I won’t say much more about what ensues, because it won’t make any damn sense, anyway, until you see it in action, but it’s essentially a horror-farce skewed heavily humorous. Picture Event Horizon but on the sea and written and performed by the Shaun of the Dead crew, and you’ll have an approximation of what you’re getting here. Erikson’s great at writing wry and ironic dialogue, and he supplements that here with some fine physical comedy, toilet humour, and puns (Shakespeare would be proud). The whole thing is equal parts ridiculous and entertaining; I even laughed out loud at a couple points (poor Gust Hubb), which I don’t think I’ve ever even done in the Malazan series.

There is one aspect of the piece that wasn’t enjoyable, though. Erikson’s stories are fairly equitable in terms of gender representation, with authority figures, villains, and heroes as likely to be women as men (and with none of the “well, would you look at that, a woman in power”-type ado). However, he’s not immune to the odd, sketchy sexual dynamic, such as when Bauchelain accidentally ingests bloodwine, which turns him (momentarily) into a sort of sexual berserker. He grabs Captain Sater by the throat while his manservant, Emancipoor Reese, sneaks out of the room against a background of rough sex sounds. The whole thing, as you might surmise, is quite rapey (at one point, Erikson describes Bauchelain being “busy spilling an endless flood of seed into a barely sensate and in no way resisting Captain Sater down in his cabin”), but Erikson also makes clear that Slater thoroughly enjoyed her experience. This would be problematic enough in its own right, given how the encounter began, but when Sater accuses Bauchelain of rape once he has come to his senses, Bauchelain brushes it off, apologizing but explaining that “Bloodwine … effect[s] a complementary lust in the victim,” so “[r]ape ceased as a relevant notion.” Though Sater persists, noting that it “[d]oesn’t matter when it ceased being whatever” since “[i]t’s not like I consented, is it,” the tone of their banter is lighthearted, and the whole thing winds up being played mostly for laughs—after all, Erikson’s logic goes, if she enjoyed it, she can’t really be too upset, right? The whole thing felt gross, and though it’s a fairly minor incident in terms of the structure of the text, it’s symptomatic of the lingering malignancy of toxic masculinity and the rape culture it perpetuates.

If you can get past this one aspect of the text, and if you’re a fan of the Erikson universe, The Lees of Laughter’s End is an exceptionally well-executed farce, and is by far the best of the first three Bauchelain/Broach tales (in fact, it's the only one I'd recommend reading).

[Bryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am between three stars and four on this, the third tale of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach. I suppose that makes it my 'lowest ranked' of the collection, if you're into that sort of thing. But it was a fun one nevertheless.

The Lees of Laughter's End, though released as the third tale, takes place chronologically before the second and after the first. Immediately after, in fact, as we pick back up with our unlikely trio aboard the Suncurl, the ship they hired to take them away from Lamentable Moll at the end of Blood Follows. Only, it seems that they aren't the only additions to the ship that were made in Moll. And that's just the beginning of the troubles leading up to the blood red straits of Laughter's End. This story takes place during just one night. And what a night it is...

That wraps up the first collection of these novellas. I'll be diving into the fourth story (the beginning of the second collection) soon.

Wizards delegate. One could always tell the wizards who did by the way they sat around in their towers day and night concocting evil schemes of world domination. Somebody else was scrubbing out the bedpan. Wizards who didn’t delegate never had the time to think up a black age of tyranny, much less execute what was necessary to achieve it.