Fantasy Book Club Series discussion

Here is a thread for the last of the sections of Memories of Ice

This book starts out with Mhybe going missing and SIlverfox being upset about it, Paran telling Silverfox off, and finding a strange 'artist historian' on the beach. Is he the Duiker of Genebackis? lol

I was also interested in the swordsman (Hood's servant if you will) that kept Mhybe away from Bauchelain and Korbal Broach and then told them to leave....immediately. By the description given I think that he is Baudin.

good catch! Yes he is...if you remember right, Dassem Ultor was somehow pledged to Hood, and was supposed to be his Mortal Sword. But when his daughter died, he rejected Hood. So Hood needed a new Mortal Sword. It took me a bit to figure out it was Baudin. for some reason I thought it was the soldier from the redoubt.

When they talked about failing in his mission AND something about fire, I immediately picked it up. I guess I really liked his character and staying with Felisin even when she was acting horrible to him and Heboric.

I have another comment and will hide it just in case people are checking this out without reading the whole book yet....(view spoiler)[ If all these meatheads can ascend and Whiskeyjack stays dead, I'm NOT going to be happy!!!! (hide spoiler)]

lmao Julie-I agree with that sentiment, and I will let you wait to find out. SOmetimes people do stay dead in this series.

and HEre Kruppe is being Kruppe again...he hints around making it clear he knows about Talamandas...

What did you all think about Kruppe and Hetan??? I think she finally met her match! (in the ego department anyway)

There are ton of hints about Kruppe but I haven't completely figured out who or what he is yet. But I do like the comedic pauses that he provides and I like trying to figure him out. Yep, it was VERY nice to see someone, i.e. Hetan, put him in his place or rather keep him unbalanced. He does it to everyone else so it was refreshing to see him off balanced for once.

Maggie wrote: "lmao Julie-I agree with that sentiment, and I will let you wait to find out. SOmetimes people do stay dead in this series."

It does look like there will be something developing with Paran's blessing!!!!

I picked up that Hood's Messanger was Baudin too.

When I read the part about the artist, my thought were, 'I bet this guy is somehow important, but I have no idea how he plays into the story right now. Have to watch for him and his toad later on in the series.' I think it's very interesting how every Malazan army seems to have a historian of some sort with them, recording the events as they happened and true the actual unfolding of them.

Paran still is one of those characters that really intrigues me. He's kind of accepted his role as Master of the Deck, but still is very much playing his own hand.

I loved how he moved in!!!

I thought that was great too Julie-might as well jump right in!

I also liked how they showed the banter between the Bridgeburners....Picker and Blend as a couple, laughing at Detoran hauling Hedge into her tent...slice of life kind of stuff

There is also the exposition where Dujek and Whiskeyjack are talking about how Laseen inverted the power structure...This is important to the overall Laseen picture. Was she actually keeping Wj safe? Laseen certainly plays her cards close to the chest doesnt she?

They also talk about that battle at Pale...now saying that Nightchill was going for Rake's sword, and she killed A'Karonys...I think we will never be sure what really happened there...

There is also mention of another screw-up...the time the T'lan took that entire city. They are referring to that first battle at Aren (the city we saw in Deadhouse Gates) Everything interconnects in these books!

I did think the different perspective on what happened at Pale was interesting. It wasn't as black and white as we believed when just looking at if from Tattersail's perspective. Did you guys realize that Artanthos was Tayschrenn? I knew that Artanthos was important but I was thinking of him more like a historian type person, a watcher and recorder of those thing going around him. I am glad that we got to see him more as a human being though at the end.

And I would love to know more about Twist and the Moranth in general. You know there is more to their story and how they interrelate with all the species than we are getting. Just the few hints that we've gotten so far are too tantalizing by far. I would love to understand their political structure too and why the colors matter so much.

Julie wrote: "I did think the different perspective on what happened at Pale was interesting. It wasn't as black and white as we believed when just looking at if from Tattersail's perspective. Did you guys rea..."

I knew who he was, but I had already read Night of Knives and so knew his alias. I dont think I would have known otherwise

From what I've read I don't think that I'll read any books from Ian C. Esslemont until after I read the whole Malazan series we are reading. But the book does look good!

Did you see here where Quick Ben sent that Trygalle caravan off to Fiddler??? I love it when there are little things that tie the books together

and isn't what's going on with Toc and the Matron just super freaky??? I want to say ewwwwwwwwwww...lol

Maggie, it looks to me like Christopher is disengaged for whatever reason. Are you up for continuing the series on your own? Maybe someone else can chime in and help you? I'll do whatever I can. And thanks for hanging in there on your own.

I dont mind at all...I knew what I was signing up for, but I do think I need some help! (I keep getting behind, when real life interferes)

Maggie wrote: "I dont mind at all...I knew what I was signing up for, but I do think I need some help! (I keep getting behind, when real life interferes)"

Perhaps Shelley or Julie or John can help? I know John has already read the whole series and is rereading it now.

I can help, but I'll be reading the series in real time if that is ok.

On that note can we get out an mass e-mail notice that says we are getting ready to read House of Chains, OR tell me how to do it. I guess we start the new book May 13th or do we want to make it May 16th as it starts a new week?

Julie wrote: "I can help, but I'll be reading the series in real time if that is ok.

On that note can we get out an mass e-mail notice that says we are getting ready to read House of Chains, OR te..."

Oh, thanks, Julie! You're a life saver! Those notices go out automatically. I got one this morning or maybe yesterday? I don't remember. Whatever help you need, let me know.

We see Envy at the secondary group procession to the battle, where she is floating on the chunk of a battered city, speaking to an Imass about Tool, and of her sisters involvement in the situation with Garath...her sister will also play an integral part in the series here.

An odd thing happens here, where they find the body that had been dropped...like a Tist Andii only with Grey skin, one of the Tiste Edur of legend...Children of Shadow.

We then see how they are searching for their throne, which is hiding from them due to the Crippled God's influence on them.

Later on in the series we will figure out who this is and how they got there, but for now it is a little tease as to how large this world is going to get!

Alex wrote: "And I just finished, wow. Two of my favourite characters were Duiker and Whiskeyjack. To see them both go broke my heart, but at least Duiker comes back in the epilogue."

Hey Alex!!!!! :) Just realized you're the "Alex" I told that "we" here were doing a reading of SE's series!! :) Glad you found us!! :)

EVERYTHING intertwines, EVERYTHING!! Stuff that seems to be on the surface can have such an effect later, and you're left with ..."How did I miss THAT!?"

And WhiskyJack's end (which took my breath away the first time) is one reason why I have such a hard time rereading this book!! And you feel the soldiers' pain at his loss! :(

I found myself on BOTH of my rereads of it to DRAG my feet reading it!

There is a good discussion in Ch 23 about the Moranth, giving some background on them. They refer to themselves as the Barghasts who accepted change....

I have to laugh about the 'romance' between Hetan and Kruppe...Maybe he has met his match? I wouldn't bet on it...Right in the next chapter we see her become very 'ill'...Little Kruppes? hmmmm

Little Kruppes?? Didn't see this reference to Hetan getting sick at all! I don't know if this world can handle more Kruppes though!

Julie wrote: "Little Kruppes?? Didn't see this reference to Hetan getting sick at all! I don't know if this world can handle more Kruppes though!"

Yes there is the scene on the rafts where Hetan gets sick?? Hetan's father caught on right away!!

Oh and I do love how Kruppe turns the tables on Hetan! :)

What did you all think of that battle on the hill outside Coral???

Quick Ben is finally showing what he is capable of here, and a lot of people are realizing they underestimated his abilities...

And then the Battle of COral itself....

THere is so much loss here, so many heroic actions..it is hard to know where to start...
What moment really stuck out for you from the battle?

Been a while since I read Memories but I would say it was the charge of the Bridgeburners. The display of their stubborn will truly shined radiantly there. But then it may be the scenes after the battle that hit home the hardest.

I agree Darrell-it was their epitath so to speak...

"Bridgeburners...first in, last out" I lvoed how they held their wagon full of dead by the gate so they could be the last out....

And how about when Paran blesses the Bridgeburbers....I was very touched by that gesture! :)

It was beautiful!

Another thought--I was really mystified about Moon's Spawn being in the Lake. Why would Rake do that? He had to know the pressure would ruin it, and it does. It really threw me off when I first read Memories...but of course, in typical Erikson style, there is more to that story that will come out in Toll the Hounds

What did you all think of Itkovian 'healing' the T'lan Imass before the battle????

I remember yelling "you couldn't wait five minutes???" the first time I read this...they had really counted on them to take care of K'Chain Che Malle...