The Malazan Fallen discussion

Discuss Chapter 9 only. Please make liberal use of spoiler tags when discussing other books/series-wide implications.

A lot of Tehol, & Bugg shenanigans plus Malazan squads shenanigans. – a gag a minute.
Beyond that not too much of interest. Princess Felash is in town working for her mother, the Queen of the Bolkando as her agent and assassin against the interests of the King of Bolkando – she arranges passage on Shurq’s ship

The Malazans suffer from some disease that the Letherii seem immune to. The solution ends up being taking a swig of some mineral water from a well courtesy of Bugg.

The legend of Nefarias Bredd keeps popping up

From Ch7 ‘We’re missing a thumb, but we heard there’s a heavy without any thumbs—might be over in Blistig’s legion.’
‘Indeed, and what would his name be?’
‘Nefarias Bredd, sir.’

And this chapter we spot Nefarias Bredd’s footprint –

‘What’s going on?’ Smiles demanded. ‘It’s a footprint, for Hood’s sake!’
Huge faces peered at her from all sides, and then Mayfly said, in a tone of stunned reverence, ‘It’s from him.’
‘Who?’
‘Him, like she said,’ said Shortnose.

how they gather it’s Nefarias boot print is a simple matter of logical deduction

‘It ain’t none of ours. See that heel? That’s a marine heel, them iron studs in a half ring like that.’
Smiles snorted. ‘You idiots. Half the army wears those!’ She looked round. ‘Gods below, you’re all wearing those!’
‘Exactly,’ said Flashwit.

The real interesting thing of note for me this chapter was Deadsmell’s history with Hood. Deadsmell remembers back before his soldiering days when he sees Hood come for the dying priest of Fener in his village. Hood takes no pleasure in death it seems nor is he keen on collecting souls of priests who have been ignored and betrayed by the gods they worship – in this case Fener. Hood invite’s Deadsmell to resist him – to use all his skills as a necromancer to fight death

The game is this: steal their lives—snatch them away from my reach. Curse these hands you now see, the nails black with death’s touch. Spit into this lifeless breath of mine. Cheat me at every turn.

And the part that caught my attention

‘...It is Fener who should be made to answer for that betrayal.’
He sensed wry amusement in Hood. ‘One day, even the gods will answer to death.’

This has me thinking back to DG where Hood turns up and eyeball’s Heboric in the Prolgue– and not too long after that Fener ends up falling. Now Fener is still floating about somewhere in the mortal realm. So I’m wondering if it is Fener that Hood asked Karsa (via Picker) to kill in the last book

‘... So, tell me this mysterious message, but first, tell me who it is from.’
‘All right. It’s from Hood, I think...’
...‘Toblakai, you will be needed.’
‘To do what?’
‘Why, to kill a god.’

The disease is malaria and the "cure" is quinine water.

I liked the stuff here about Fiddler and his attitude toward Hedge. He can't get over having gotten over his grief.

Duffy wrote: "The disease is malaria and the "cure" is quinine water."

Thanks Duffy. I would never have picked that up.

This is the first Malazan chapter I've found to be a bit slow.

Especially because the best part was right up front with the Tehol/Bugg stuff and because I'm overly tired and kept nodding off while trying to read..

I'm curious the reasoning for this sudden history on Deadsmell. Is it going to be important somehow? Or is this just Mr. Erikson adding some depth to the character at the last minute?

Maybe just to hint at Karsa being asked to kill Fener like David suggests?

I'm finding Hood a more interesting character the more I read about him. Definitely has his own agenda and is not happy with his job, encouraging people to stop him in this book, rebelling and refusing to let someone die in the last book, etc. Such an unexpected personality for who he is. I like him.
I never would have connected that Hood might have making a deal to have Fener taken out - interesting.

o I’m wondering if it is Fener that Hood asked Karsa (via Picker) to kill in the last book

This is an interesting connection but was it only fener who betrayed his priest or was it all the gods who mortals worshiped?.

Sumant wrote: "but was it only fener who betrayed his priest or was it all the gods who mortals worshiped?. "

That's a good point. As Hood seems the only one who is collecting dead souls, for the most part, you would have to say he is picking up the slack of the other gods and none too happy about it.

Both Hood and Cotillion are 2 gods that are so far the 2 most likable gods, and yet the are death and assassination. Oh, add Bugg to that list!

'Mosquitoes need water to breed. Anyway, these local ones, they're small. We hit swarms in Blackdog you'd swear were flocks of hummingbirds.'
Blackdog. Still a name that could send chills through a Malazan soldier, whether they'd been in it or not. Cuttle wondered how a place - a happening now years and years old - could sink into a people, like scars passed from parents to child. Scars, aye, and stains, and the sour taste of horror and misery - was it even possible?

Say one thing about Erikson, say he teases us with the Blackdog swamp story.

Captain Kindly marched back into the headquarters.
Pores stared after him. 'This,' he whispered, 'is war.'

...and thus begins a battle to outshine them all.

Linette wrote: "I'm finding Hood a more interesting character the more I read about him. Definitely has his own agenda and is not happy with his job, encouraging people to stop him in this book, rebelling and refu..."

I like Hood too. Actually, I like Jaghut in general.

Is there a plausible way for quinine to get into a well?

It looks like quinine is an additive to make tonic water. Even so, it looks to me like the disease is malaria, and the cure, a bubbly water is quinine water.

Like Rob, this is the first Malazan chapter that I found to be slow and boring. This book is crawling along. I expected a bit more development with this being the penultimate novel but leave it to Erikson to buck expectations. I really hope this picks up soon. I'm tired of my attention wandering.

I picked up on the disease being malaria (I was reading about it last night on wikipedia - good midnight reading) but not the quinine water. Good call, Duffy.