The Malazan Fallen discussion

Chapter Twenty One discussion thread.

And Cutter finds Gorlas and kills him. Yay!
And all he wants to do is go back to Apsalar - he hears her calling him home.

Come to me, my love. Come to me now.

This path he's taken is not one she wanted for him - for them - and he feels the path he's taken, with Challice, with Scillara, with killing Gorlas as a betrayal.


Venaz continues chasing Harllo, catching up with him he tries to kill him but is interrupted by another boy - who I'm assuming is Bellam Nom. Harllo caves Venaz' skull in with a rock.

Seba Krafer and what's left of the Assassin's guild go take down Lady Verada - who is revealed to be Mistress Vorcan after all. They all die. Scorch and leff make a good showing of it. The two Seguleh don't do too well. Those funny Moranth munition that Torvald is carrying around turn out to be water bombs. And Rallick Nom shows up and mops up with Vorcan


We then learn why Torvald is so scared of Rallick. He thinks Rallick thinks he stole Tiserra of him

What in Hood’s name are you going on about, Tor?’ Rallick Nom was wiping blood from his tjaluk knives. ‘I’d swear you were scared of me or something.’
‘I didn’t mean to steal her, Rallick. That’s no lie!’
‘Tiserra?’


Ehen Challice learns of Gorlas death she concludes that she has probably killed Cutter.

I have killed him. I have killed him.
I have killed him.


Hanut orr - learning of how Gorlas has died connects what has happened with the events that killed his father in Gotm. He uses his own men intending to take down everyone in the phoenix Inn - BAD IDEA! And he is taken down by Gaz the fingerless serial killer.

Spite and Envy go head to head in the biggest bitch fight ever.

And we learn why Hood recruited Gaz to do all that killing. He was collecting souls for a ritual that his wife Thordy was preparing that would allow Hood to manifest physically. Thordy cuts Gaz' throat on a stone altar and Hood is in town. Gaz then is the soldier of death and his wife the mason of death - for a time anyway

‘You were a good soldier,’ she said. ‘Collecting up so many lives.’
He was getting cold, icy cold. He tried to work his way back up, but there was no strength left in him, none at all.
‘And me,’ she went on, ‘I’ve been good too. The dreams – he made it all so simple, so obvious. I’ve been a good mason, husband, getting it all ready . . . for you. For him.’

As Hood walks through Darujistan we get a medley of deaths, as the living expire in Hood's wake.

The cascade of sudden deaths, inexplicable and outrageous accidents, miserable ends and terrible murders filled every abode, every corner and every hovel in a spreading tide, a most fatal flood creeping out through the hapless city on all sides. No age was spared, no weight of injustice tipped these scales. Death took them all


And the reason Hood manifests physically is so that Rake can kill him and send him to Dragnipur!

We know the meeting between the two was prearranged because Hood baulks at the end

Only three strides between them now. Hood slowed his steps. ‘Son of Darkness,’ he said, ‘I have reconsidered—’


Rake is weighed down by the death of Hood - the death of death? And what will this now mean for Dragnipur?

And with Hood dead, what does this mean as far as Traveller's revenge goes?

LMAO oh you are in trouble. You probably need to make sure your first line in the thread isn't a spolier. Because in my feed that line jumps out and makes itself known.

Oops. I didn't think about that. And I have paid out on Rob today already so I'm running for cover.

I like how Hood saved the soldier with the heart problems... Lord of Death and all, I still kind of like Hood. :-)

I really hope we get to read more about the Jhagut in the next two books...

Carol, yes, the Jaghut are cool! That was very touching when Hood spared the good guy.

David - I thought when Challice said "I have killed him" she was meaning that she succeeded in getting Cutter to kill Gorkas, but now I'm confused!

Yes indeed, what happens to the realm of Death when there is no god? Does someone take his place? Of course I'm thinking about the Bridgeburners....

Lori (Hellian) wrote: "David - I thought when Challice said "I have killed him" she was meaning that she succeeded in getting Cutter to kill Gorkas, but now I'm confused!"

That could be right too. But in her mind Cutter is going to hang as well. So I think Erikson is playing with us here.

Grisp hitched the jug up on the back of a forearm and tilted in a mouthhful of the thick, pungent liquor. Old Gadrobi women in the hills still chewed the spiny blades after hardening the insides of their mouths by eating fire, and spat out the pulp in bowls of water sweetened with virgin's piss. The mixture was then fermented in sacks of sewn-up sheep intestines buried under dung heaps. And there, in the subtle cascade of flavours that, if he squeezed shut his watering eyes, he could actually taste, one could find the bouquets marking every damned stage in the brewing process.

The best disgusting drink description I have ever read.

I completely missed that Thordy was Mason of High House Death last time. There is another one to add to the list of unknowns agents of houses..

That is a rather good description actually ;)

Yes Hood surprised me saving the city watch guy. Glad to finally know why Gaz was on such a murder spree. I thought he was completely insane and wondered why he just popped up, he and his wife. So Rake and Hood had been planning this rendezvous. Interesting. Then there is still Kallor, Traveller and the Hounds, who have never been easy on cities they have passed through.

I thought of both interpretations for Challice. I thought both might have been intended, since both deaths were on her mind and Erikson seems to like ambiguity sometimes.

Silvio, you're probably right. Funny how I only thought of one explanation!

Sabrina, so you think that Gaz was driven by Hood? I thought Hood zeroed in on Gaz because he was doing that anyway.

Hood has shown some compassionate moments. He's not an asshole, he's just Death!

Voww awesome chapter in darujistan, and i think challice used cutter properly and this was her motive from start.

Rake killing death was a major thing.

Not starting chapter two has been very hard.

I failed. Read the next 3. I hate when I do that because the discussion threads aren't as good since I'm not fresh.

I know exactly what you mean :)

But I restrained and now can't stop thinking about the convergence. The build up with everyone hearing the rumble, thinking it was thunder was great. I can just image how your blood would ave frozen when that rumbling turned into howling. Oh and then Hood pops up and walks the streets. Kind of the night it would be best to stay at home.

When Hood was walking and all those things were happening to people as he passed, it almost sounded like he'd released Oponn to go crazy.

I got very alarmed at the gas exoding. Oh no 'Stan my beautiful city!

Exploding

I disagree about Hood baulking. I think it was more in the line of a Jaghut's dry sense of humor.

Remember a few books back when Ganoes made a deal with Hood, but Erikson refused to tell us what Hood wanted? I think that must be related to this sacrifice. So what does Hood get out of this sacrifice? I think it can only be that he gets to no longer be the master of death. Let's face it - its a job that probably sucks. But the only way to be assured of sealing that deal would be to get the stamp of approval from the master of the deck. Erikson still hasn't said anything to confirm this, but that's my guess at this point. I suppose there would be confirmation if we get some new cards in the deck after this.

Duffy wrote: "I disagree about Hood baulking. I think it was more in the line of a Jaghut's dry sense of humor."

That makes more sense :)

Nice work Duffy. That does make sense. You are right, he probably would need to inform Ganoes because the House of Death is about to become undone. Which, given that Paran was able to make the House of Chains legit, he would have the ability to unmake the house of death? Maybe, somehow.
You'd imagine that the deck will have to change and that each house ill need its own death card. When death was spoken to about his demise, he mentioned, when asked who will take care of the dead, he said the gods would have to take care of that themselves.

Interesting times ahead.

Also, someone asked about what would happen to the dead souls that didn't pray to any god. We may already have the answer to that. It's what happened on the Letheri continent for so long. And we all know how well that worked out.

Man what a chapter! Overall this book has less happening in it than Reaper's Gale. It's taken a long time to get here, yet I've enjoyed it infinitely more.

Shows what a difference having some likable characters can make I think. I'm glad I sort of let this book pile up so I can finish the last 1/3 or so in one go.

Oh and Thankfully I missed David's giant spoiler on my feed. I've gotten good at ignoring his posts in my feed. If only he turned them off....Would anyone notice/care? I turned mine off a few months back.

On one hand it was satisfying that Gorlas finally got what he deserved (especially since I'm still bummed about Murillio) but on the other hand he was a compelling and believable villain (also one of the very few significant characters who isn't an uber-powerful ancient sorceror god or some shit).