Return of the Crimson Guard

Novels of the Malazan Empire #2

by Ian C. Esslemont

The return of the mercenary company, the Crimson Guard, could not have come at a worse time for a Malazan Empire exhausted by warfare and weakened by betrayals and rivalries. Indeed, there are those who wonder whether the Empress Laseen might not be losing her grip on power as she faces increasing unrest as conquered kingdoms and principalities sense freedom once more.

 

Into the seething cauldron of Quon Tali--the Empire's heartland--marches the Guard. With their return comes the memory of the Empire--and yet all is not well with the Guard itself. Elements within its elite, the Avowed, have set their sights on far greater power. There are ancient entities who also seek to further their own arcane ends. And what of the swordsman called Traveller who, with his companion Ereko, has gone in search of a confrontation from which none have ever returned?

 

As the Guard prepares to wage war, so Laseen's own generals and mages, the 'Old Hands', grow impatient at what they see as her mismanagement of the Empire. But could Laseen have outwitted them all? Could she be using the uprisings to draw out and finally eliminate these last irksome survivors from the days of her illustrious predecesor, Kellanved?

Genres: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Fiction, High Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, War, Epic

732 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 15, 2008

About the author

IAN CAMERON ESSLEMONT was born in 1962 in Winnipeg, Canada. He has a degree in Creative Writing, studied and worked as an archaeologist, travelled extensively in South East Asia, and lived in Thailand and Japan for several years. He now lives in Fairbanks, Alaska, with his wife and children and is currently working on his PhD in English Literature.

Ian C. Esslemont and Steven Erikson co-created the Malazan world in 1982 as a backdrop for role-playing games. In 1991 they collaborated on a feature film script set in the same world, entitled Gardens of the Moon. When the script did not sell, Erikson greatly expanded the story and turned it into a novel.

Reviews

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

I was skeptical going into this book because I thought it wouldn't be able to hold a candle to Steven Erikson's Malazan books, but oh how I was wrong.

This book is fantastic from start to finish, and an extremely strong addition into the Malazan universe. It told a story that I desperately wanted to hear about when finishing Toll the Hounds (what happens with Laseen/Malazan Empire) and I cannot wait to read the rest of Esslemont's books.

Erikson fans -- don't sleep on Esslemont!

Check out my new youtube channel where I show my instant reactions to reading fantasy books seconds after I finish the book.

[Gavin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a fantastic addition to the Malazan series and proved that Esslemont is a worthy contributor to the series. Return of the Crimson Guard might have had a few flaws but I still felt like it was actually better than a few of the lesser instalments of Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen series. Yeah, I enjoyed it that much!

I do not really think the books in Esslemont's Novels of the Malazan Empire series work all that well as a standalone series. They really are companion novels to Erikson's Malazan books. Return of the Crimson Guard appeared to be set between the events of The Bonehunters and Toll the Hounds, I'm not sure exactly where it fits in the timeline of Reaper's Gale and not sure it matters that much! The action, mostly, takes place on Quon Tali after the departure of Tavore's fleet. It is a time of civil unrest in the Malazan Empire. Empress Laseen finds her position under threat as wars, and rebellions, on multiple continents have left the army spread too thin and just low on numbers in general. The nations of Quon Tali see it as the perfect time to start some independence uprisings! To make matters worse Laseen faces an internal power struggle for control as her allies have been whittling away over the course of the series and a few of her less trustworthy underlings see a chance to lead themselves. Throw in a few meddling Gods and Ascendants and the untimely return of the legendary Crimson Guard to finally fulfil the terms of their Vow and it made for interesting times in the heart of the Empire!

The story was fantastic. I loved the whole return of the Crimson Guard and the Quon Tali civil uprisings story arcs. They were both compelling and exciting from start to finish. Might be one of my favourite Malazan storylines yet.

Just like Erikson's Malazan books this had a giant cast and plenty of POV's that all offered interesting glimpses into different people on all sides of the various conflicts as well as a few who just had their own stuff going on. Just like any Malazan instalment we got a fun mix of fantasy action blended with a few social musings.

I felt like Esslemont did a great job with both the characters familiar to us Malazan readers and with the new ones he introduced. If I had to pick out two familiar characters I felt like he struggled a bit with I'd pick Shadowthrone and Cotillion. Two I felt like he did a really fantastic job with were Mallick Rell and Traveller.

Stand out new characters were Silk, Rillish, Rel, and Shimmer.

Outside of the awesome Quon Tali stuff I loved learning a bit more about the continent of Assail and enjoyed the glimpse this instalment of the series gave us into Traveller's nature and issues.

Esselmont's writing style is a bit different to Erikson's but, importantly, his story did retain the feel of a Malazan book. The plot was suitably entertaining and complex and Esselmont just has a really engaging writing style in his own right.

So how does Esslemont compare to Erikson? He is not quite so talented a writer. Big areas I feel like Erikson is better are:

-He lacks Erikson's ability to smoothly slip clues and foreshadowing into bits of description. Esslemont does do it just not quite as well or smoothly!
-He also lacks Erikson's ability to engage me emotionally with the same degree of depth and regularity. It was ever a talent of Erikson that he could have me totally sucked into the story of tiny side character all within a few pages. Esslemont never quite managed that same level of emotional engagement.
-Erikson's dialogue and banter between the characters tends to be a tiny bit more engaging and fun. Mostly because his dialogue contains a lot more humour. There is a little less humour in Esslemont's books and it tends to be a bit more low key and subtle for the most part.
-The other big thing Erikson gets better in the Malazan books is the idea of gender neutrality. It is one of my absolute favourite things about the Malazan series. The Malazans as a society just completely lack any gender bias! Well, they seemed to in Erikson's Malazan instalments. Esslemont seemed to struggle a bit more with the idea of envisioning a society free of the sort of gender biases that plague our own. The difference between Erikson and Esslemont in this regard is not big but it does make all the difference. Both guys show the Malazan world as one where woman are in positions of equal authority and prominence to the men and both guys write stories that are packed full of strong and prominent female characters. The difference is that in Esslemont's stories he seems to feel the need to mention gender as a factor. The fact that it was never a consideration, even in the mind of his characters, is the subtle way that Erikson's Malazan world achieved its fun sense of gender balance. At least that is how it seems to me. I'll pay more attention in the next Erikson Malazan book I'm reading in case I'm doing Esslemont a disservice here!

So if Esslemont lags behind Erikson in all those areas then why did I still end up loving RotCG more than a few of Erikson's Malazan books I hear you asking? Well, while Esslemont lacks a bit of Erikson's talent in writing it by no way means he is a poor writer. He is pretty talented in his own regard and I find his more direct approach to be quite engaging and compelling. While Esslemont lags behind Erikson in a few key areas he also manages to avoid a few of the flaws that are present in some of Erikson's Malazan books. The main ones being:

-An overly gloomy and depressing tone. A few of Erikson's books and story arcs just lack the right amount of balance between the hope and despair for my liking. Prime examples being the likes of Deadhouse Gates and Toll the Hounds. Return of the Crimson Guard just lacked that same air or doom and gloom despite some fairly dark happenings!
-Philosophical musings and character voices. These can be a real strength for Erikson when he gets them right. The pinnacle of Erikson achieving the perfect balance between characters, story, and social commentary came in Midnight Tides and The Bonehunters. Sadly, it can be an issue when Erikson overindulges to the point where it feels like minor characters all speak with the one voice and that whole story arcs are completely throwaway outside of their value in providing a vehicle to discuss a few social messages and musings. This was most noticeable in Reaper's Gale. I feel like Esslemont managed to provide a bunch of interesting social musings (perhaps a bit less than we are used to from Erikson) but that he got the balance better than Erikson at his most flawed.
-This one is not really a flaw on Erikson's part but I do quite enjoy seeing Esslemont's take on a few of the familiar characters in the series. They are sometimes subtly different to Erikson's and can cast the characters in a new light. I enjoy characters like Traveller, Tayschren, and Laseen a lot more for having read Esslemont's take on them!

Reading a Malazan book by Esslemont sort of reminds me of reading the Sanderson Wheel of Time books. It is a little different but the spirit and feel of a Malazan book remains!

All in all I really loved this instalment of the Malazan series. It had some suitably epic Malazan moments and was just a fun read from start to finish. I felt like Night of Knives was not really essential reading for Malazan fans but I'd not say the same for Return of the Crimson Guard as some big stuff happens in the story that I'd definitely not have wanted to miss reading about!

Rating: 5 stars. An easy rating to give despite a few flaws in the story.

Audio Note: John Banks did a great job with the audio. He is the third Malazan narrator I've encountered and luckily all of them have been great so far!

[Mayim de Vries · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Battle is for an army to win or lose; war is for a civilisation to win or lose.”

As you have probably known, Steven Erikson and Ian Esslemont are co-creators of the Malazan universe. Firstly, Mr Erikson and his Malazan Book of the Fallen took the fantasy readership by storm (remember, go for the throat), and then Mr Esslemont joined him, somewhat benefiting from the success of his friend. Novels of the Malazan Empire complement or elaborate on the events and individuals mentioned and alluded to in the Malazan Book of the Fallen. The Return of the Crimson Guard is a prime example of how these two series intertwine.

If you wonder whether or not it is worth to invest your reading time here, my answer is: yes, but skip the absolutely atrocious first instalment (I pretend I did not read it at all). You will lose nothing as the two main protagonists don’t even have their POVs in this novel, and to fully appreciate the complexity of events and all the innuendos, knowledge of Malazan proper will be more beneficial.

The Return of the Crimson Guard takes us roughly to a point in time not long after the “Bonehunters” and so among the main cast you will see a lot of familiar faces, including Laseen, Mallick Rel and Korbolo Dom. The biggest advantage of this novel lies in the fact that Mr Esselmont picks up the threads, which were only briefly flagged up in the Malazan Book of the Fallen. Nonetheless, this is where the plot veers of, so to speak and diverges into many parallel stories. Among those the most important are:

⚔️ the return of the Crimson Guard (the Guard consists of four companies stationed on four different continents, and we observe the struggles of every one of those);

And excuse me, for this little intermission here, but can we have more Iron Bars, please?

⚔️ Mallick Rel’s plotting to take over imperial throne (some deaths are long overdue!);
⚔️ treason and divisions within the Crimson Guard;
⚔️ wanderings of the Traveller and Ereko, joined by a young and naive (yes! how could you have a book without a dash of YA) Kyle, a renegade from the Guard and a wielder of an interesting wand just kidding, sword;
⚔️ formation of the Talian league against the Malazan rule of Laseen (meet Ghelel, your second YA element, female to keep the balance);
⚔️ a birth of insurrection on the continent of Quon Tali, orchestrated and led by the members of the Old Guard, all those former companions of Emperor Kellanved we have heard so much about (we have the chance to meet Urko Crust, Toc the Elder, Amaron, Choss and others);
⚔️ fighting on the borders of the Wiccan plain, featuring d'ivers Ryllandaras and the unconquerable city of Li Heng,
⚔️ various squads of the Malazan soldiers of whom some are loyal to the throne and some are not and some just do not care.

The tale unfolds not from the vantage point of the VIPs, but from the perspective of ordinary soldiers. From the very beginning, we are accompanying them, and this places us at the very center of events. It also affords us a wonderfully multifocal view, we see those who defend the throne and those who want to overcame it. We cheer for both sides and if somebody would ask us who are the good guys, the answer would not be an easy one to give (if possible at all). In this respect, the book reminds me a lot of Glen Cook’s Black Company.

Generally, when it comes to the storyline Malazan fans have nothing to complain about. Events and the protagonists are as rich as in Malazan proper and this novel is an important complement to the motifs knowns from Mr Erikson’s series. I must admit that Mr Esslemont has considerably improved conceptually and in terms of plot design; he created a truly epic work that does not have to pretend to be an impoverished relative of Mr Erikson’s books. Admittedly, all is still on an intermediate level, but the basic plot-line makes sense from the beginning to an end and is nicely construed. At the same time, apologies but this comparison with Mr Erikson is simply unavoidable, a better writer would be able to change this not-too-bad book into a real masterpiece. The heroes, the action scenes, the transition between the places, protagonists and dimensions, the personal reflections; all of this is dry and while infused with a modicum of imagination, remains wooden. Different sub-plots lack a defining characteristic feature that would make them constantly recognisable, there is not enough depth, the reader is not able to identify individual heroes after two or three sentences, the frisson of reading is still not there. There are a couple of potentially amazing things scattered across the many hundreds of pages. These include Ereko, a research academy in a concentration camp, and “Surely not!” moment. But as a reader, I had the impression that Mr Erikson would be able to do more with these.

My greatest relief, nonetheless, is the fact hat writing is better. Soldiery conversations are particularly good, only when Mr Esselmont is trying to be enigmatic or foreboding it still does not work that well and such dialogues read as if two different conversations were just mashed up for effect. Also, for no reason I can understand, half of the cast has clawed fingers, hands and feet, and I find this a weird writing fetish.

In general thus, what you can expect from the Return of the Crimson Guard is extension and continuation of collective and individual stories known from the Malazan proper. And while you can read this series without the knowledge of the other, this is not something, I’d recommend doing.

Also in the series:

1. Night of Knives ★★☆☆☆
3. Stonewielder ★★☆☆☆
4. Orb Sceptre Throne ★★★☆☆
5. Blood and Bone ★★★☆☆
6. Assail ★★☆☆☆

[TS Chan · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5 stars* (rounded up because LEGENDARY)

Esslemont definitely writes in a more direct manner than Erikson and that makes his books easier to read, even though the introduction of new characters had my head spinning again for the first one-third of the book. Notwithstanding, I really liked some of these new characters (Kyle, Ereko, Rillish & Rell) after a time.

The timeline of Return of the Crimson Guard seems to run parallel to Reaper's Gale, i.e. post events in The Bonehunters, with focus on the happenings in the Malazan Empire. Throughout the past 7 Erikson books, we've come across mention of The Crimson Guards of Prince K'azz D'Avore and the Old Guard of the Malazan Empire, and the legendary characters of these two groups. They finally make an appearance in this book and that in itself made it pretty awesome. There are also a few revelations peppered throughout the book which were quite game-changing. The mystery of Traveller for one as well as a discovery about Empress Laseen that gained newfound respect from me. I especially love that we finally get to meet Coltaine reborn.

This could have been a 5-star book, however, if it was less drawn out. The events that took place do not justify the length of the book, so in parts it felt draggy. Nonetheless, this is still an improvement over Night of Knives. While not a compulsory complement to Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen series, it gives one a whole lot more insight to the Malazan world and its characters. This one is a must-read for those who love geeking out in this world.

[Stefan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unlike first novel of The Malazan Empire series, which is Night of Knives, Return of the Crimson Guard unfortunately cannot work as a standalone novel. It is presumed that you have already traveled along and amassed a considerate amount of knowledge, worth of at least six books in Malazan Book of the Fallen series, written by Steven Erikson. Which, again, sadly, cripples the capability and overall reach of this, pretty much, average novel even more.

For almost half of the book you’ll rely solely on your already peaked interest in certain characters, characters that were briefly mentioned or had an appearance in main series, and simply in it left you wanting for more.

Also, after six books, perhaps you are interested in finding out more of this world, so probably one of the main driving forces that keeps you going on and on, turning those pages, will be a promise of expansion of worldbuilding and your voyage of discovery in it.

But, even though you have in front of you all these amazing characters and this wonderful world to explore, you are bereft of enjoying them.
This novel simply lacks that one of the most important pillars you need to support characters and world you are visiting.
And that one shaky pillar that crumbles your experience is: a compelling story.

Now, I’m not inventing hot water when I say that you need a compelling story that will connect all these threads into a single narrative structure. That’s a basic knowledge.
There are far too many events, and even characters, in this book which stories don’t lead anywhere significant. Too often we're flipping those pages and by the end, there’s no payoff for the reader.

Also, it doesn’t help that book feels disjointed; in one point we’re leaving characters and their stories for such a long time that even within this book itself, when we get back to them, your memory is a bit hazy and you need a reminder.
In other cases, in really long chapters, there’s just too many changes in point of views.
And this is obviously a problem, because you don’t have enough of time to connect with those characters.

Now that I’ve mentioned long chapters, in review for previous book that I have read, The Bonehunters, I praised Erikson for writing a 150 pages novella inside a novel within a single chapter.
The story in Erikson’s 150 pages long chapter is structured in a way that, yes, you may feel overwhelmed while reading that, but you will turn those pages, the story itself will make you turn them.

Here, however, Ian decided to put us through one of his own versions of that 150 pages long chapters, but the problem here was, not just that the story wasn’t compelling, but that a behemoth of a chapter begun not even 30 pages into a book.
The story, obviously, suffered because he had to introduce the characters and develop the story, but given his inexperience in telling the story, while shifting between myriad of characters, he left me, not just confused that I had to go back and forth multiple times and still felt uncertain of some things, but to the point that I simply lost will to further read the novel.

But, enough of the doom and gloom.

I have spoken already about importance of reading prequels when it comes to this series. Prequels in which you’ll get far bigger picture of the events that happen in the main series, as well as in this parallel one, where Return of the Crimson Guard belongs to.

But more importantly, in those prequels, you’ll get to know some of the characters that have never been explored by Steven Erikson. And by getting to know them, their history and their philosophy, you’ll understand them, and by understanding them it’s possible that you’ll have your perspective changed.

It’s possible that, like in my case now, instead of gleefully enjoying certain character’s demise (because portrayal of that certain character in the main series deserves that glee in those characters final moments), I’m sitting here and sulking how that certain character hadn’t been explored nearly enough to its full potential.
Of course, due to avoiding spoilers, I’m not going to tell you who the character is.

Death of that character left me sad and upset.
For some reason I was always being intrigued by her/him before I have read the prequels and then in prequels I got to know quite a bit of his/hers history. I guess that I liked that characters philosophy.
There are certain things that needs to be done, and she/he is prepared to do it. Now the question of competence in doing those things is another matter.

There’s quite a lot of other characters that I liked.
Sappers will always get an approval from me in these series, so having to read about formation of a company and their leadership under Sergeant Jumpy is nothing but enjoyment.

Also, Traveler and Ereko. Which, in my opinion, have too much of resemblance to Icarium and Mappo and their relationship. But, nothing is the same in this world, and it was worthwhile following them and by doing so, learning about the world.

Book is filled with many great action scenes, which is Ian's trademark by now.

Overall, I have read books that Ian wrote later in his career, and the progress he made in things I have complained about here, is staggering. I can only hope that I’ll be able to notice that progress in each next book I pick up.

2/5

Kharkanas Trilogy
Forge of Darkness
Fall of Light

Path to Ascendancy series
Dancer's Lament
Deadhouse Landing

Malazan Empire series
Night Of Knives

Malazan Book of the Fallen series
Gardens of the Moon
Deadhouse Gates
Memories of Ice
Midnight Tides
House of Chains
The Bonehunters

Ultimate Malazan Chronological Reading Order

[Krell75 · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I misteri ci incuriosiscono. Ciò che non possiamo facilmente comprendere o spiegare attira la nostra attenzione; ci torniamo più volte. Al contrario, il semplice e il facilmente comprensibile viene rapidamente consumato e respinto. E' Così che Lei appare.
Lei sfida ogni spiegazione, rifiuta di conformarsi al nostro bisogno umano, vile, egoistico di spiegarci. Essere piacevoli. Essere capiti.
E quindi, naturalmente, siamo tutti mortalmente offesi e la odiamo."
Libro III, cap.IV

Nella timeline Malazan si posiziona dopo il sesto romanzo "The Bonehunters", "I Cacciatori di Ossa".

Sono trascorsi ben undici anni dalla "Notte dei Coltelli" e l'impero Malazan è in crisi. Un'unione di fazioni guidate dalla Vecchia Guardia dell'ex-Imperatore Kellanved si oppone alle politiche dell'Imperatrice Laseen.
Tre forze scendono in campo attorno alla città di Li Heng, i secessionisti della Lega Talian, l'Impero e la terribile Guardia Cremisi tornata dalla sua diaspora.

Romanzo fondamentale, che arricchisce in modo considerevole il già immenso mondo Malazan.
Una decina di punti di vista principali e molti altri secondari, un susseguirsi di cambi di prospettiva e luoghi, personaggi dai poteri straordinari e semplici soldati, politica e guerra, magia e divinità.

Ritroviamo alcuni dei grandi nomi già conosciuti dai lettori veterani dell'opera Malazan che apprezzeranno maggiormente il racconto conoscendo già parte della loro storia passata.
Tutti gli archi narrativi trovano il loro spazio e si ricollegano tra loro nella grande Convergenza in arrivo.

Un romanzo epico, con scontri descritti in modo magistrale, entità potentissime, misteri magici e per finire una delle più grandi battaglie campali magiche presenti nella letteratura fantasy.

Mettetevi comodi e godetevela, difficile trovarne di stessa intensità, coinvolgimento e portata.

-------------------------------
"Mysteries intrigue us. What we cannot easily understand or explain attracts our attention; we return to it time and time again. Conversely, the simple and easily understandable is quickly consumed and rejected. This is how She appears.
She defies explanation, refuses to conform to our human, vile, selfish need to explain ourselves. Be pleasant. Be understood.
And so, of course, we are all mortally offended and hate her."
Book III, chapter IV

In the Malazan timeline it is positioned after the sixth novel "The Bonehunters".

Eleven years have passed since the "Night of Knives" and the Malazan empire is in crisis. A union of factions led by ex-Emperor Kellanved's Old Guard opposes Empress Laseen's policies.
Three forces take the field around the city of Li Heng, the secessionists of the Talian League, the Empire and the terrible Crimson Guard returned from its diaspora.

Fundamental novel, which considerably enriches the already immense Malazan world.
A dozen main points of view and many secondary ones, a succession of changes in perspective and places, characters with extraordinary powers and simple soldiers, politics and war, magic and divinity.

We find some of the big names already known to veteran readers of the Malazan work who will appreciate the story more if they already know part of their back story.
All narrative arcs find their space and reconnect with each other in the great Convergence coming.

An epic novel, with masterfully described clashes, very powerful entities, magical mysteries and finally one of the largest magical pitched battles in fantasy literature.

Sit back and enjoy it, it's difficult to find anything of the same intensity, involvement and scope.

[Markus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ian C. Esslemont's Novels of the Malazan Empire provide excellent little breaks from the events of Steven Erikson's main Malazan series, when one wants a look at what is actually happening in the very heart of the Malazan Empire itself. They are usually more themed around palace intrigue and skirmishes on the central continent of Quon Tali, and as such are quite different from their counterparts on Genabackis, Lether and Seven Cities.

While Night of Knives was not really up to the standards set by Erikson, in Return of the Crimson Guard, Esslemont truly delivers. The conspiracies surrounding the Malazan throne, the interventions of various ascendants, the civil wars on Quon Tali and the return of the Crimson Guard itself all provide some memorable scenes.

There are some negative qualities, like the fact that the central conspiracy is not always very well developed, but overall, I am very much excited to read more of Esslemont's work after this.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this the second time through and not during or immediately reading MbotF has me more appreciative of ICE's writing. In all honestly I hardly remembered any of this book and give the epic battle at the end it makes me wonder just how much i was paying attention.
ICE isn't SE and that needs to be remembered. His delivery is more direct, but still has great chaacrter interaction.

I have enjoyed seeing a different approach to characters (like Tayschrenn) and I know there is more of this in later books which I look forward to.

Overall a good solid read and I loved being back in this world.

[Deborah Obida · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Every engagement is a gamble. You make your best choices and hope you made no major mistakes.’

Before anyone reads this book here are some important things to note.
This book isn't a Standalone like NoK, it cannot be read alone like that, you must have extensive knowledge of the world or else you'll be lost. The events in this book happened after the Bh which is the 6th book in MBotF.

Moving on, this book is great, I enjoyed reading this book, It brought back Malazan memories that I thought was over since I've finished MBotF. I still think Erikson's work is better but that don't mean this is bad.


‘The wise say that as vows are sworn, so are they reaped. I have found this to be true.’

For those of us that are familiar with the series amd have read Bh, this book focussed on what happened in Malazan empire after the Bh left, peace didn't reign, The Malazans bought Laseen's story that the Wickans are evil, The Talians are rebelling and the infamous Crimson Guard are back, so they have three armies to fight on different fronts.

The wise learn more from their enemies than fools learn from their friends.

The world building is explicit, which isn't surprising its Malazan, the plot and characters are also great, its only the writing style that I didn't like much. The author give POVs to the weirdest characters, those that are supposed to have a perspective don't. That aside the dialogue and battle scenes is so Malazan.

Battle is for an army to win or lose; war is for civilization to win or lose.

Some characters that we've heard so much about are in this. Characters like Skinner, K'azz, Cowl, Shimmer,Greymane, Shaky all parts of the Crimson Guard and some that we've never heard of like Blues, Smoky, Kyle, Badlands and others.

We finally meet Urko, Ryllandaras the brother of trake, Armand, Possum, Toc the elder and others that I can't remember.

The reoccurring characters are Anomander, Osseric, Cotilion, Shadowthrone, Traveller, Laseen, Mallick, Korbolo, Temper, Braven Tooth, Nether, Nil and the Crippled god.

The new characters that I actually took note of are Nait aka Sergent Jumpy, Rellish and Chord,
Kyle, Rell the Segulah, Hurl, Ghelel the Talian and Molk her bodyguard.

Nait set his fists on his hips. Why, the little runts! It's just like he was back home dealin with his swarm of younger brothers. ‘OK, fine. You wanna come then you have to follow my orders and … Abyss, I don't even know all your names – what in Fanderay are your names anyway?’
‘Kibb.’ Yes, Kibb. What a dumb name. What's it supposed to mean?
‘Poot,’ said one. Poot? Aw, you poor skinny pox-faced kid! What were your parents thinking? Maybe I'll start calling you ‘Pimple’-that'd be an improvement.
‘Jawl.’ Jawl? What kind of a name is that for a girl?
Blushing furiously, the smallest just shook his head. ‘No name at all?’ He squirmed.
‘Stubbin.’
Stubbin? Stubbin! You poor kid. Your parents really did a number on you. Gods, he couldn't have come up with a worse selection than their parents had managed spontaneously. ‘Okay. Let's go.’

[Scott Hitchcock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-read.

Even more than the first time around the first two parts of this book were informative but a little bit slow and boring. The last part however was perhaps even better on re-read. That last part is the best section of any of the Empire books in my opinion and we see the promise later fulfilled in Path to Ascendancy as ICE grows as a writer.

His brilliant imagery really made a few of the scenes. I found myself comparing him to SE less but I still have to wonder how much better it would have been had SE written this series.

-----------
The first half of this books was mediocre at best and has me wishing SE was telling the tale not ICE. There were a few moments in particular where SE would have had us weeping but ICE left me wanting. It is so hard not to compare the two.

Then the second half of the book there was almost complete redemption. Over 200 pages were an epic convergence to rival SE. There were two head scratching almost anti-climatic moments though Laseen's death and Tayschrenn being sucked into the warren of chaos where I thought how can you possible let that happen this way? Overall the second half was a cannot put it down event.

If you've only read Book of the Fallen it is very much worth reading this series as well. You just can't linger on SE vs ICE for too long.

[Jenna Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was a really hard one to rate for me. The first half was about 2 stars and I really had to force myself to read, but the second half was a solid 4 stars with some 5 star moments.

It's really hard to look at Malazan without comparing ICE and Erikson a little bit. Don't get me wrong, I love ICE, but he just isn't able to twist my emotions so much or create in-depth characters the way Erikson does. I loved Night of Knives and I think ICE is just much better suited to fewer narratives in one novel. Return of the Crimson Guard lacked the witty banter so often found in MBOTF and I felt no emotion, even during world-changing events such as the deaths of Laseen and Tayschrenn. Here's to hoping the next ICE installment will share a similar format with NoK.

Did I almost give up? Several times. Was I glad I muscled through it? Definitely.

[seak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to warn you that I'm a huge Malazan fan, so take this review as you will. The Malazan world fulfills all of my childhood wishes to become Spider-man mixed with Wolverine's claws, Donatello's brain and ninja skills, and throw in Silver Surfer's surfboard too.

I realize some of those are moot with the inclusion of the others...but I was a kid. :)

This world is filled with the knarliest people doing the craziest things and I love it. Everyone (main characters that is) is either the best at what they do or completely insane or both.

And Esslemont fills Return of the Crimson Guard with all of the above.

Even more impressive is Esslemont's ability to capture the feel, almost 100%, that Erikson has created in the main line of the series. I say almost because most notably the humor element is missing. Not to say that the typical cynically dark humor isn't present, it just didn't have me laughing out loud and quoting scenes to everyone in my direct vicinity.

Make sure to read up to The Bonehunters before embarking on Return - there will be spoilers of anything up to this point.

In Return of the Crimson Guard, the continent of Quon Tali is in political upheaval and the timing couldn't be worse. Empress Laseen's grip on the Malazan empire is crumbling (or is it?) and she's lost the majority of her Claw assassins, not to mention members of the "Old Guard" are doing all they can to upset the already tenuous grip she has on her rule while leading the "Talians"against her...

Oh, and the Crimson Guard, the elite band of mercenaries who've vowed to see the destruction of the Malazan empire, have decided to make this the time for their return.

Centering in Quon Tali, the majority of the action takes place in Li Heng, Unta, Cawl, and some plains areas. There are, however, plenty of other places visited (even some continents for the first time), these are just some of the focal points. We especially get some good history on Li Heng and it's relation to Ryllandaras. "Heng", as it's often referred to, is a city that's mentioned here and there, but never really a focus until now.

This book is filled with great information and incites on the world that Erikson and Esslemont co-created and that's one of the things that make Esslemont's series so worthwhile. As of this point we've only gotten a few glimpses of the capabilities of the Avowed, those who made the original vow against the Malazan empire,who play a critical role as leaders of the Crimson Guard.

Among the Crimson Guard, we follow a young and newly initiated Kyle (not of the Avowed), who doesn't really know his place in the Crimson Guard. As you can tell, he's the perfect character to let us in on some of the workings of this mercenary company, but he's got a few tricks up his sleeve as well.

Along with following members of the Crimson Guard, we're introduced to Traveller and Ereko - a couple of wanderers somewhat reminiscent of Mappo and Icarium. Their purpose is mysterious, they are awesomely powerful, and they have quite the history.

While I mentioned that Esslemont catches the feel of the Malazan world, he also has the tendency in this volume to match the meandering found most notably in later volumes of Erikson's series. It was by no means a deal breaker, but it does make the middle of the book a little slower to get through.

The ending, like all books in the Malazan universe, blew my mind and made everything well worth it, not that there really was any part you have to suffer through.

Minor spoiler alert although if you're still on the cusp of reading this and want a little more push you should read this: The Segulah, quite possibly my favorite part of Memories of Ice(among many favorite parts), make a few appearances and continue to be awesome.

I fully admit that I didn't even get close to covering all that happens in RotCG. This book is massive, epic, filled with action, and everything we've come to expect when we hear the name "Malazan".

When Should You Read Return of the Crimson Guard?

This question actually fits quite well with this book because I thought Return of the Crimson Guard would have worked a bit better being read just after The Bonehunters (Book 6 inMBotF). Events in The Bonehunters are referred to a number of times and I have to admit it's a bit rusty in my mind after having read the 1200 page Reaper's Gale.

Also, I've heard that's it's important to read Return of the Crimson Guard before Toll the Hounds so as not to spoil certain things found in Return. I'll let you know for sure once I finish Toll.

EDIT: Yes, it is good to read Return before Toll. :)

And a warning - do not look at the Deck of Dragons listings (found after the glossary at the end of the book) until you've finished the book. I made this mistake and it spoiled some things for me.

[SAM · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The eruption had wounded the world… “

The second addition to the Ian C. Esslemont collection of Malazan novels and it’s a massive improvement on Night of Knives. Where as its predecessor was a bit of a nothing book with a limited amount of plot Return of the Crimson Guard is epic, dense and complex; everything i want from a Malazan book.

Taking place after The Bonehunters (book 6 of the Steven Erikson series) the focus is Quon Tali, where a rebellion is slowly taking shape against Empress Laseen. The Crimson Guard are also looking to fulfill their ancient Vow of crushing the Malazan Empire. As is the way with Malazan books there are several subplots, all heading toward an inevitable convergence.

The writing styles of the two authors are very different. Erikson writes challenging prose with philosophical undercurrents whilst Esslemonts writing is a step down on the difficulty level. It’s still challenging but he’s no Erikson.

It’s a slow burner as the plot takes around 350 pages to advance but i didn’t mind. Getting back into the Malazan world a few months after finishing The Crippled God was such a pleasure that i was more than willing to be in for the long haul. The unique characters, the vastly different continents and worlds and the in-depth history reaffirmed this as my favourite fantasy world.

The Crimson Guard appear for the first time proper after brief mentions in previous books and they’re as expected; brutal and war weathered. Although this is their book they're not overly used and have an equal share of the chapters. Laseen also appears for longer than ever before but i still wanted more from her. She’s the much feared Malazan Empress and needs more airtime to cement her status as ruler. New character Kyle is likable and there’s plenty of involvement from characters alluded to in the Book of the Fallen.

I would suggest reading books 1-6 of the Erikson series before tackling this book. Without prior knowledge of characters and how the world works you’ll get no pleasure from reading Return of the Crimson. For seasoned veterans of this brilliant series then this is a must read and it sets it up nicely for Stonewielder, which I’ve already ordered!

[Anna [Bran. San. Stan] · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great addition to the Malazan universe! While I very much enjoyed The Return of the Crimson Guard, I must admit that it took me quite a while to immerse myself in this novel. A plethora of new characters and frequent switches of viewpoint characters (sometimes only a few pages) were quite a challenge and marred my enjoyment for a while. (Do yourself a favor and don’t look at the dramatis personae beforehand. It is quite intimidating.) But once the characters were established, I was pulled in and loved the experience – probably also because, after a short first novel with only two main viewpoint characters, Esslemont‘s narrative structure in this second novel resembles Erikson‘s and was thus familiar.

One thing I have always loved and appreciated was that Erikson has explicitely stated in an interview that sexism was not an issue in Malazan by design. And to the best of my knowledge, I don’t recall a single instance where a female character was expected to be less because of her gender – though I admit this observation is made but retroactively. It was wonderfully refreshing and was just great worldbuilding. Yet here, Esslemont makes use of stereotypical gender roles when characters are surprised by the fact that a competent person is female. While it is theoretically possible the bias of the viewpoint character is showing, it still struck me as odd, especially when taking the origin of said character into account. When Ghelel is introduced as an officer, she remarks that her superior is “saddled with a young, inexperienced officer – and a female to boot.“ At some point Iron Bars fights and defeats a Seguleh and is later surprised by the fact that this accomplished fighter is a woman. (“‘And his name?’ ‘Leal. Her name was Leal.’ ‘Her? Her?‘“) The Claw Possum sees a female Claw defeating an Avowed of the Crimson Guard and he remarks upon seeing yet another competent female Claw that she is “another female to boot.“ (You will note that even the some phrasing is used as before.) Rationally, this is a minor issue overall but it just took me out of the story.

All in all, I enjoyed the plot and (eventually) the characters, but I did miss Erikson‘s versatile prose – as much as I tried not to compare the two authors, I ended up doing just that; but in my defense, it does seem natural to do so with regard to the shared universe. While Esslemont‘s prose was perfectly adequate, he just could not match Erikson‘s often lyrical, philosophical, and humorous qualities. And I must confess that I finally need a break after reading seven Malazan books back to back. I do want to appreciate and enjoy every installment and in order to do that, I need to step away for a bit. So… Onward! Eventually.

[Jody · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 3.5 stars ***

[Fabiano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oggi vi parlo del “Ritorno della Guardia Cremisi” di Ian C. Esslemont. Secondo libro della serie “Una storia dell’Impero Malazan” che va ad approfondire e ampliare la mastodontica storia narrata nella decalogia principale, “Il Libro Malazan dei Caduti”, scritta da Steven Erikson. Questo titolo, per la precisione, va letto dopo il settimo volume della saga madre.

Il mondo creato dai due soci e autori è uno dei più sfaccettati, profondi e complessi che abbia mai letto, costituito da tante sottotrame intrecciate tra loro, ricco di riferimenti storici, socio-antropologici, politici, filosofici e religiosi. Verrete presi e buttati malamente in mezzo agli eventi, privi di qualsiasi background, trascinati nel pieno dell’azione. Inizialmente la sensazione sarà molto straniante, poi, pagina dopo pagina, verranno forniti gli elementi necessari a orientarsi e, soprattutto, innamorarsi della storia.

“Ritorno della Gurdia Cremisi” non fa eccezione, Esslemont catapulta il lettore nel continente di Quon Tali, cuore dell’Impero Malazan. Qui ci troveremo di fronte una situazione politica burrascosa che vede tre potenze contrapposte: l’Impero, la lega Taliana (un movimento secessionista), la Guardia Cremisi (storico e leggendario nemico dei Malazan). La narrazione segue il punto di vista di tantissimi personaggi appartenenti ai tre schieramenti in gioco, i cui archi narrativi si incroceranno fino ad arrivare al finale esplosivo. Ritroveremo vecchie conoscenze e ne faremo di nuove, tutte doverosamente e doviziosamente approfondite. Arricchire un universo stratificato come "Malazan" non è impresa facile, ma l'autore ci è pienamente riuscito.

Ian C. Esslemont ha dato vita a una storia corale, solida e profonda che intreccia meravigliosamente colpi di scena, intrighi, magia e battaglie. Una penna ricercata ma scorrevole, capace di tratteggiare con maestria personaggi leggendari e combattimenti epici. Volete dare un po’ di brio a uno scontro campale? Ecco, metteteci una schiera di maghi, qualche (semi)divinità, un pizzico di follia e otterrete un risultato dinamitico!

Imperdibile per tutti i fan della serie!

[Viencienta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh Malaz! Hemos vuelto a encontrarnos así de esta manera, no se te puede dejar mucho tiempo, ya veo...
Mucho tiempo lejos de todo esto como para quizá, ser consciente de todo lo que ocurre, miles de fragmentos que me llegaban y se iban... Vuelve la Guardia a dar guerra y vuelven los malazanos a ella. Aquí estamos lejos de todo, pero continuamos en el más puro centro del imperio y lo que conlleva esa batalla de todos contra todos pero unidos ante lo peor... Malaz puro y duro, un poco menos... filosófico, pero igual que siempre. Yo ya me he reenganchado, y voy a coger un par de fulleros e ir directa a la batalla, por los huevos del Embozado!!

[Kitty G Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, so this is book #2 in the Malazan Empire series which is written by Esslemont as opposed to Erikson. They created the world of Malazan together and so the books share a timeline and I had been told that it's best to read this book before venturing into Erikson's 8th book (Toll the Hounds) as there are major spoilers in Toll the Hounds for the events of this book. I was fairly hesitant heading into this, I must admit, because honestly the first Esslemont book was pretty poor in comparison to Erikson's and I wasn't a big fan of his style of writing, with that said I think within this book he's massively improved and definitely emulates some of Erikson's style of pacing and writing.

This storyline was a faster-paced on than Erikson's storylines can be as I believe that Esslemont likes to get straight to the point of it all a bit more. I like this approach as it meant that although it's a 1,000+ pg book, it's a pretty easy read and every-time I picked it up it wasn't hard to get through a fair chunk of pages. Of course, though, Esslemont is not quite the writer that Erikson is and although it was fairly easy to read I never felt truly gripped by the story and events which happened within it.

The main storyline is told from multiple POVs as always with the Malazan books, and one of the characters we follow at first and a little later on is Kyle. Kyle was, by far, my favourite character as he's an easy gateway character into the Crimson Guard as he's learning on the job much like the reader. From following his point of view we get to see the inner workings and possible problems within the Guard, and I thought he was a pretty likeable character too so that helped also. Kyle's storyline continued to interest me when he later met with the character of Traveller who is a mysterious person indeed. We are continually left guessing like Kyle about the nature of Traveller and his purpose, and it's an ongoing mystery with clues along the way. Traveller was my next favourite character because of the mystery element surrounding him.

Honestly I'd have a hard time choosing any more favourite characters after that because although each viewpoint gives us some interesting political insight it's largely focused on fighting, plotting and manipulation from then onwards. Most of the characters get mixed up in one large battle with many fronts, and some of them get entangled deeper than others. I don't particularly love fight scenes and although there are some good revelations and moments, I just wasn't as hooked into them as I would have liked to be.

On the whole, it's an easy read. The ending does have some major things happen which will shift the Malazan world in big ways I am sure, but still it didn't grip me as deeply as the Erikson books. I think that Esslemont will surely continue to get better as a writer and that the Guard are an interesting focus, but I want to be more invested in my characters and with his style of writing I am just not quite getting there yet. It's up to you if you want to skip this book, you will miss some major events getting explained, but at no point was it emotionally devastating to me as some of the previous Malazan books have been so you won't miss that emotional connection. I think it depends how much you want to know of the world if you should read it as it certainly helps to explain some things, but it equally continues to a a whole new influx of more characters and so the world every grows and complicates itself... Overall it's a book that's mostly okay, but has some good moments so it just about scraped a 3*s from me. I hope he continues to improve as I'll be continuing to read his books at the points between Erikson's where necessary, but honestly it's not my favourite part of reading the series at all...

[James Tivendale]

I haven't even finished this book yet but everyone keeps liking my review.
Catch it here soon when I have completed the story lol

[Alex W · Rating 4 out of 5]

While certainly disjointed at parts, and rather long, Return of the Crimson Guard was an enjoyable addition to the Malazan universe that kept me engaged all the way through and added some great additional world-building that complemented the main MBOTF series very well. Return of the Crimson Guard really felt like Esslemont was trying his best to emulate the Erikson entries, both stylistically and structurally, and although it never quite hit the mark that the Erikson books have reached for me, it had some fantastic moments and answered a handful of questions I had about certain events when reading through Toll the Hounds for the first time last year. The first half to 2/3 felt clunky at times, but the momentum was there, and the last third of this novel really did a impressive job of bringing all storylines and POVs together (and there are quite a few in this book) in an explosive conclusion. Two books in to Esslemont’s Malazan entries and I’m certainly enjoying myself and looking forward to what’s to come in Stonewielder and beyond.

[Artemas · Rating 2 out of 5]

“It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.”
― Herman Melville

So what happens when you fail in imitation? For me, you get a book like Return of the Crimson Guard. Esslemont tried his best to mimic Erikson's style for his first large Malazan contribution. What Erikson was able to pull off with masterful coherence, Esslemont struggled with for the entire book, making for a story that really stressed my patience.

There were some parts of this book that were really cool and well written, but the glue holding this Malazan story together--military life and conflicts--wasn't strong enough to sustain the momentum between epic scenes. The brunt of the story felt like it suffered from having too many small (1-2 page) snippets detailing interactions between characters that really felt like they did nothing to move the story forward.

That being said; I will definitely continue with the series because I've heard that Esslemont finds his own voice in the coming volumes.

[Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Novels of the Malazan series, a sort of companion series to the main set of books that make up the Malazan Book of the Fallen storyline. While the writing here is not in the same league as the main series, this is a definite improvement over Night of Knives. All in all, it's a very solid story and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Lots of stuff happened, including some really pivotal stuff, and I really can't see how anyone can skip this in the ultimate reading order.

[Terence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Return of the Crimson Guard ("RCG" from now on) is the second volume in Ian Esslemont's chronicle of the Malazan Empire (the first, Night of Knives, was an introductory novel taking place on the night Kellanved and Dancer ascended to High House Shadow and Laseen (aka Surly) became Empress). Behind that relatively short and unassuming sentence lies nine (of a projected 10) books by Steven Erikson as well as Esslemont's two, and a sprawling narrative that covers several continents, decades of characters, and entire geological ages. Readers will forgive me if I assume familiarity with the series (if memory occasionally fails, the Malazan pages on Wikipedia are often a good synopsis - not perfect but good enough).

A brief, spoiler-free summary: RCG picks up soon after the end of the Seven Cities revolt. The Wickans have become the scapegoats for the disaster of the Chain of Dogs and are hardpressed by pogroms and a colonization campaign to push them out of the plains (or simply exterminate them) - it's a theme that recalls U.S. policy against Native Americans, and continues Erikson's tradition of commentary in his part of the series. But that's a sideshow to the main plot - a rebellion against Laseen's rule led by many of the "old guard," many of whom were supposed to be dead, including Urko Crust and Toc the Elder, among others. A good third of the novel is taken up by a climactic battle between the rebels (the Talian League) and the Empress. Into this mess returns the Crimson Guard, enemies of the empire whose original members vowed to destroy it. Because of the oath, the Avowed cannot die. At least not easily; even in death, the Brethren remain close to their living counterparts. For a century, they've lived in exile, biding their time.

As with Erikson's books (except for the last two), RCG is a self-contained novel. There is a central story arc resolved by the end. But, as this is a novel of the Fallen, there are plenty of threads to be taken up in future books: A developing story of Ghelel Tayliin, the figurehead leader of the rebellion; the quest and motivations of Traveller (aka Dassem Ultor, former First Sword of the Empire); Kyle's story (the new soldier of High House Light); and, of course, the Wickans, whose greatest chief, Coltaine, has been reborn but is yet a toddler.

From this point we enter the spoiler-laden part of the review so stop here if you want to maintain some suspense: Overall, I was pleased with the book. Esslemont's authorial skills are good but Erikson remains the more deft writer. Where the latter relies upon his readers to pick up clues and make connections based on dialog and description, Esslemont has an annoying tendency to over explain and have people give speeches. The example that comes to mind (and that I can find easily) occurs in the Epilog, when Hood and Dessembrae meet on the battlefield and discuss the untimely death of Ullen, Urko's second-in-command:

"Greetings, Dessembrae," spoke a nearby gnawed skull, once buried but since dug up by scavengers. "And I say Dessembrae for I see you are here now in that aspect."
The man let go a long breath, rolled his neck to ease its tension. "A long time, Hood."
"Indeed. Dare I say how just like those old times?"
The man's face twisted in loathing. "No, you may not."
"Yet here you are - why are you here?"
"I am bearing witness to a death. A soldier's death."
"How...commonplace."
"He was no common soldier, though he knew it not. Had the Seti remained he would have out-generalled the Imperial forces, and had his bodyguard been a fraction of an instant faster, would have proven victorious over the Guard as well. He would have made High Fist and risen to become one of the greatest commanders ever thrown up by the Empire. But all that potential died here today, unrealized. Known to none."

Anyone familiar with Erikson will know that that paragraph recapitulating all the clues would have been reduced to a few cryptic sentences that hinted at though not confirmed identity. It's an example of Esslemont's less sure touch and less confidence in his audience.

Another quibble I have is that in a 1,000+ page book, I never got close to any one character. Just when readers begin to identify with someone - Kyle; Nait, a Malazan sabateur; Hurl, an Imperial in Li Heng; or Rillish and Talia, Imperials who find themselves on the Wickan side of the pogroms - the POV shifts and we never spend enough "quality" time with them. This is a problem, too, with Erikson. The only amelioration is that we've got at least three more volumes in the series and, hopefully, we'll get to know them better in the future.

The most frustrating character in this respect is Laseen. For me, Laseen has always occupied an ambiguous place. On the one hand, she's always been presented as cold, cruel, ruthless bitch. She assassinated Kellanved and Dancer; exiled the old guard (later assassinating many); and embroiled the empire in three exhausting wars (Genebackis, Seven Cities, Korelri), alienating most of the empire's elite. Yet...she made it possible for Dujek and Caladan Brood to unite against the Pannion Domin; she convinced Kalam that it was not in the interests of the empire to kill her; and she commands the loyalty of some surprising people, such as Tavore. In RCG, Esslemont tries to convey the sheer physical presence and control Laseen exerts. It's a classic example, though, of making a greater impact by "showing" how the Empress affected people rather than "telling," as the author resorts to. Laseen's ambiguous role is made even moreso as we've learned more about Kellanved's rule - in a word, he's insane and Malaz was just a stepping stone in a scheme to ascend. But she's murdered - assassinated just as her armies triumph - by a white-haired women who steps out of a Warren to stab her in the heart. (In this case, Esslemont doesn't explain who she is, so her identity and allegiance remain a mystery.) (This being the Malazan Empire and Laseen being Laseen, who survived a century in Kellanved's company, it's very possible she's not as "dead" as it appears.)

I don't want to leave the impression that I didn't enjoy the book (most of these quibbles arose upon reflection - immersed in reading, I was having too much fun). Esslemont is a good writer. He knows how to tell his story and keeps the reader entertained, with only a few stumbles. One of the strengths of RCG is that the author does manage to keep the focus on one major story with a few detours to set us up for future books. I compare Erikson and Esslemont to Patrick O'Brian, of Aubrey/Maturin fame, and Bernard Cornwall, of Richard Sharpe fame. Both are writing of the Napoleonic Wars (one from the British Navy's perspective, the other from its Army's) and both have created memorable characters. Cornwall, however, while good is just not quite as good as O'Brian. The same dynamic seems to be developing, for me, beween Erikson and Esslemont.

Definitely recommended to those already enspelled by Whiskeyjack, Anomander Rake, Trull Sengar, Karsa Orlong and all their compatriots. If you're not, you should begin with Erikson and get hooked before tackling Esslemont.

[Vicente Ribes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Otro buen libro que añadir a la saga del Imperio de Esslemont. Este es quizás el libro donde Esslemont despliega su ambición y empieza a seguir la estela de Erikson. Sus novelas pasan a ser parte de la saga principal y complementarla. Esto tiene sus partes buenas y malas ya que implica un libro más complejo, con multitud de personajes y tramas. Así que si te habías acostumbrado a que las tramas de esta saga fueran más simples que la saga principal quizás este libro te ponga las cosas complicadas. Es lo normal ya que la novela sería una continuación de "Los cazahuesos" de Erikson. Por otra parte, si te gusta Malaz estarás como pez en el agua.
La trama nos cuenta la historia de la guardia carmesí, esta misteriosa compañia mercenaria que vuelve de su exilio para reclamar sus antiguas tierras y enfrentarse al Imperio, al que pretenden derrocar y así cumplir el juramento que décadas atrás los apartó del común de los mortales. Parece ser, sin duda, el momento adecuado para atacar; el Imperio se desmorona cuando por doquier se alzan los pueblos que subyugó, dirigidos a menudo por miembros de la vieja guardia, ahora enfrentada entre sí, la misma generación legendaria a la que pertenecen Kellanved o Danzante.

El Imperio de Malaz aquí ya no es el agresor, el conquistador, sino un poder acorralado, que empieza a parecer vacío. Tampoco es un poder unificado. En su seno, hay espacio para todo tipo de mentalidades, desde el infinitamente ambicioso Korbolo Dom, que se propone exterminar la guardia carmesí para augmentar su prestigio al teniente Rillish, que decide seguir su conciencia y ponerse de parte de los débiles cuando las luchas intestinas, que mantienen la atención del trono en otra parte, dejan aparentemente desemparados a los Wickanos, aún diezmados tras la trágica cadena de perros. Atención especial a la aparición de Nada y Menos, viejos conocidos de la saga principal.
Es un libro donde podemos ver más cosas sobre la Emperatriz Laseen, que pese a ser un personaje clave de la serie, ha sido tratado más a fondo por Esslemont. Otro personaje que me encantó es Seda, el mago y la alianza de magos que forma para defender Li Heng. Otros clásicos de la saga como Toc el viejo, Ryllandaras, Kallor o caminante del filo también aparecen por estas páginas.
Un gran libro para añadir a una saga que se ha vuelto inmensa y que no para de añadir volúmenes para contarnos las crónicas de este mundo inmenso.

[Juliano Dutra · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5. You can see the book had so much potential, but is so poorly developed. E good editor that had the power to guide the construction of meaningless - or even unnecessary - dialogues. A better focus on the most interesting POVs. Give a more distinct voice to the good characters (whom, sometimes, seem like a mere caricature of one another).
But, i`ll try another, since many say that Ian's writing improves a lot over the course of the series.

[Raffaello · Rating 4 out of 5]

il mondo di Wu è incredibile. Esselmont è la mente dietro questo mondo, molto più di Erikson, e in lettura lo si percepisce per la consapevolezza insita in ogni snodo narrativo. Purtroppo però Esselmont non è uno scrittore al livello del suo amico Erikson. Esselmont si barcamena e spesso ti lascia quella sensazione che la stessa scena poteva e doveva essere scritta molto meglio.

È stata comunque una lettura coinvolgente e piacevole. 3,5 stelle, arrotondate a 4, perché il mondo creato da questi due autori è il meglio di quel fantasy adulto che amo incondizionatamente.

[Jakyro · Rating 4 out of 5]

RotCG is the second book written by Ian C. Esslemont in the Malazan world. It follows up on the events of The Bonehunters (MBotF 6) and focuses on events in the Malazan Empire after the departure from Adjunct Tavore and The Bonehunters. Events in this book happen at the same time, or a little after events in Reaper's Gale.

Story:
I have to say that this book started out a bit messy. It wasn't very clear on me from the start what was actually happening. Initially there was a lot of jumping around between pov's and locations with not much explanation. This didn't help out a lot. In this way it reminded me especially of GotM.
Further there is a huge list of characters of which most were new or only had a small part in previous Malazan novels. The same can be said for the different fractions / parties / groups that play a role in this story. It takes some time to place these groups and to have an idea of their motivations. Eventually events became clear on me and once the story went rolling, it became a rollercoaster of excitement.

So what is actually happening? As the title of the book already mentions, we have the return of the Crimson Guard. Their ultimate goal is to overthrow the Malazan Empire and with the Empire under pressure it seems this is the perfect moment to do so. There's also the Talian League, a group of 'old guard' who helpt rise the Empire with Kellanved, Dancer and Surly. At some moment they went into hiding to return now and try to overtake Quon Tali. Important players for the Malazan Empire are still Empress Laseen, Mallick Rel and Korbolo Dom. The Wickans also make a return in this story and they will play a major role in the outcome of all the events. There are other important fractions and characters that make an introduction, in some cases it takes some time before it becomes clear what they bring into the story, but they do have their role to play.
In the end everything will play out in Li Heng in the centre of Quon Tali. The culmination of these events are true highlights in this book. RotCG is in fact a long stretched battle; we go from one big battle into the next. The pacing is utterly amazing. Once the story gets going it's truly a fun read.

There are some drawbacks in the story though. Erikson is a great writer and really manages to grasp the reader by it's throat with game changing events and deaths. Esslemont does not quite reach this level yet when writing such scenes. I'm especially thinking on some events that would have been handled better by Erikson:
The death of Ereko wasn't as emotional as could have been
The same can be said of the events surrounding Tayschrenn and the death of Laseen
It didn't ruin the story, but the emotional impact that we have in MBotF novels, we don't have in this book (or not at the same level in each case).

Characters:
You have Empress Laseen as the usual player for the Malazan Empire. It seems she is however more and more isolated now. Nothing much seems to be left of the old Claw command; the only one who seems to remain is Possum. We also have Korbolo Dom and Mallick Rel who now belong to the Imperial High Command; both are of the most loathsome characters in the series since Deadhouse Gates. Events in this book only add to it.
Characters I liked especially were Ereko and Traveller; a very nice duo (not in the way Erikson writes his duos, but nice nonetheles). Especially Traveller is an amazing character, certainly when you've figured out who he actually is.
The Unta Harbour Guard is a nice addition to the story; especially Nait grew nicely into the story. He provided for some relief along the way. The same can be said of Storo Matash's squad. Especially Rell was very much to my liking, a very crafted swordsman with a hidden history, but also Hurl added to the story.

Conclusion:
A difficult start in book 1, but in the end it delivered an amazing story with a lot of interesting characters and full on action. I really loved it! For me this book is a huge improvement over Night of Kives and it deserves a very solid 4 star rating (8,5/10).

[Shane Findlay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed being back in the Malazan world. However this read felt like one of my longest ever. Just didn't seem to end. This 1000+ pager could have been summarized to maybe half that. The story was bland and lacked the epic feeling that I am familiar with in this realm. I will continue with this series after the bad taste leaves my mouth.

[Mauricio Martínez · Rating 5 out of 5]

When i started reading the Malazan Empire books by Ian C. Esslemont, i was not expecting them to be as epic and as mind-blowing as the Malazan Book of the Fallen saga itself.
I started viewing this saga as something different, mostly when i read Night of Knives, which is INCREDIBLE as a book, but it feels different from it's predecessors (from the pace, the way it was written, the fact that only one night passes in the whole book, etc).
But this book, changed my perspective totally. I started reading The Return of the Crimson Guard thinking it was going to be quite different, not expecting something so epic in proportions, maybe something more political (considering the factions involved), but Esslemont delivered a EPIC book.
I love how he uses characters that we know little of from the main saga, but gives them the depth needed for us to start loving them (or hating them, depending on the character).
The book, obviously, gives us a clear view of the Legendary Crimson Guard, and it's mythical Avowed, who seem to be immortal and all-powerful, and we know little of them, aside form their battles with the Malazans at Genabackis.
Here we delve into their ranks, see some of their motivations, who their champions are and just how freaking powerful they actually are.
I loved how Possum and Topper where personified in this novel, i also loved seeing Lassen from a different perspective.
Things escalate slowly, but from the beginning you can notice that this is going to be huge, no punchs held back, all out war. That's what i came here for, and that is what was delivered, and i loved every single minute of it.
My mind is racing at the possibilities of what is going to happen in the next books...
I need to see more of the damned Mallick Rel, despite my growing hatred for him. I need to know more about Tayschrenn, about Skinner... damn, there's a lot of character's i want more info about.

All in all, a great addition to the saga, and i will be starting the next one, Stonewielder, pretty soon.

[Teodora · Rating 2 out of 5]

Само Ериксън може да ме мъчи с множество персонажи и мащабност. И само той успя засега да ме накара да се чувствам екзалтирана и ентусиазирана докато прекарвам времето си в този свят, в който границите са почти без граници.

За съжаление Есълмонт не е Ериксън и дори финалните сблъсъци да са добри, 1000 стр. бяха прекалено много за преминаване през тази история за легендарната Пурпурна гвардия.

Да, историята зад нея е интересна. Има интрига, кръв, обети, проклятие, обвързване и безкрайна борба за една идея и един човек, НО можеше да ни бъде представена в доста по-сбит вариант. За първи път бях на косъм да DNF-а книга от Малазанската империя.

Дано “злите” езици да са прави, говорейки че тази е една от слабите на Есълмонт и нататък става по-добре, защото ще остарея докато ги прочета.

На този етап дадените от мен звезди са за последните 200 стр. (От 1000 пак повтарям) ако не бяха развитията там и толкова нямаше да има