Memories of Ice (The Malazan Book of the Fallen, Book 3)

Memories of Ice is far and away the best of this series so far. I was very happy to see so many familiar names listed under Dramatis Personae. I really enjoyed the Bridgeburners in the first book, so I was happy to see them featuring prominently in this particular book. Another favorite of mine had been Tattersail, and I was eager to see how her reincarnation, Silverfox, would come across. This book picks up more or less where Gardens of the Moon left off, since the events of book two took place elsewhere, and I believe, at around the same time. I was easily drawn into the plot, with the alliance between Caladan Brood, the Tiste Andii, and the Bridgeburners, against the new threat of the Pannion Seer. New characters were quickly easy to like. Gruntle and his companions were entertaining at first, and later, incredibly compelling. I initially had trouble warming up to Karnadas, the Destriant of the Grey Swords, but I liked Itkovian right away. He was shown very quickly to be a man of discipline, honor, and a rare compassion. The way he treated soldiers under him really stood out to me and made him probably my favorite in the story, which is saying a great deal when competing with people like Whiskeyjack and Tool. I appreciate the depth and introspection that is explored through all of these characters. It's a rare thing to find in an epic fantasy series. Through the most brutal battle scenes, even, one can find unexpected meaning. I'm not usually big on reading combats, but this author does it better than any I know. I feel that saying much would ruin the story. There were numerous turns of events that I was not expecting. There are schemes going on, which is to be expected of Whiskeyjack and Dujek One-arm, naturally. The way everything comes together is the best part of this series, to me. There were also some heartbreaking events. One that I was expecting, so I'd steeled myself against it, but was still brought to tears when it finally came. Another that I really didn't see coming, and it hit me hard. Although these books are not for everyone, I feel the way everything is set up and the way the elements interact with one another, they are heartwrenching perfection.

In Genbackis, in the aftermath of Pale and Darijistan, Dujek One-Arm and his Malazan army have gone renegade against the Empress. They need allies now to deal with a rising threat in the south, the Pannion Seer and his cannibalistic empire. They must reach out to their enemies, Caladan Brood and his allilance against the Malazans. They have to parley with him and hammer out an alliance between dispirited groups, including the revelation that the child Silverfox contains the souls of two Malazan sorceresses reborn into a new entity. Paran, now commanding the Bridgeburners, has to grapple with his new powers growing in him mixed with his lingering affection for Tattersail, one of the souls forming the child Silverfox. He needs to deal with the growing incursion of the Crippled God interfering in the world. This growing threat may be behind many dark events rippling across the world. In Capustan, the Gray Shields have been hired to defend the city from the approaching army of the Pannion Seer. A religious, mercenary group dedicated to the God Fener who suffered mishap on the far side of the world. As the Pannion Seer approaches, they face the impossible task of saving the city from the cannibal horde and the demonic undead about to tear them apart. Lastly, the T'lan Imass gather, summoned by Silverfox. The undead's 100,000-year long war may finally be coming to an end if Silverfox grants them what they crave: freedom from the mistake they made all those eons ago. And that's just some of the storylines found in this book. War, death, love, guilt, forgiveness, and grief fill the pages of Memories of Ice. A powerful novel with dozens of compelling character all vying for their own goals, trying to overcome the danger of the Panion Seer and fix the wrongs that happened in the distant past. This story is epic and dark, full of brief moments of joy amid that dark depths of humanity. Erikson shows us how the human spirit can be wrapped and mangled, how entire civilizations can go mad and descended into barbarity. Erikson never finches from the worst aspects of humanity. Despite that, his characters fight for themselves, for those they love, for strangers that they never met but are united against the same fight against the horrors of war and genocide. Memories of Ice is one of the most compelling fantasy books I'd ever read.

One of the things I appreciated the most about "Memories of Ice" is that it shows how, with every book, the saga gets better and better. From a certain standpoint, this third installment might be deemed as the heir to "Gardens of the Moon" and "Deadhouse Gates": the former bequeathed the richness of the plot, whereas the latter the emotional intensity of the narration. I would like to highlight two aspects about this third book. On one hand, the world-building reaches a new peak thanks to the introduction to new races, places and - on top of everything - new mysteries that belong to the lore and past of Malazan. On the other hand - and here lies the beauty of "Memories of Ice" - Erikson gives us the most emotional book of the saga, so far. Here, indeed, characters are forced to deal with their flaws and limits: in particular, they must face the dire consequences of the war and the departure of certain gods, that leaves them completely lost. Thus, they look helpless in front of situations way bigger than themselves. Unfortunately, there were some parts that were unnecessary and, there, I was under the impression that the author was dragging the plot. I do know it is impossible to maintain the same high-quality level throughout more than 1100 pages, but I felt that several scenes could have been cut to make the experience lighter and smoother. All in all, "Memories of Ice" is my favorite novel of the series - so far - and it distinguish itself for the maturity that Steven Erikson was able to convey. UPDATE: after having read "House of Chains" - a light 5/5 for me, I had to round up my "Memories of Ice" rating to 5. Weaker from a certain viewpoint than the sequel, but still epic in its execution.

Comme dans chaque volume, il faut être patient, notamment car il y a toujours de nombreux nouveaux personnes à "apprivoiser". Je n'ai pas encore fini le volume (900 pages in english, en lisant en parallèle "A dance with dragon" de GRR Martin et "Tigana" de GG Kay - également 2 très bons bouquins - ça aide pas!), avec beaucoup d'aller-retour avec la liste de personnage (mais c'est qui Picker déjà???) et la carte au début du livre (très utiles!), c'est pas rapide, on rame un peu parfois mais on dévore ça à petit feu et c'est délicieux!

It took me some time to finish this book, not because it wasn't any good, I really loved it ... it's that I struggled to find the time to read the past month. It was great going back to the continent of Genabackis with the return of a lot of interesting characters from GotM. Besides this, Erikson brings again a very interesting story, this time with the introduction of the Pannion Domin. I feel that the story is really starting to pick up in this book. While we mainly focused on the Malazan army in the previous two books, and still do now, we also get glances from an overarching story line in MOI. This story line introduces the Crippled God and how he's trying to escape his chains. As we proceed with the story more riddles start to unfold regarding the Crippled God, but also regarding other events. As in previous books, Erikson keeps on hinting to new events on other continents as well. Luckily Erikson also gives some answers on current and older questions, but still a lot remains unresolved. One of the strongest points of MOI is the military action we get from Erikson (it wouldn't be MBotF without). Erikson really knows how to write some great military scenes. In this book especially the siege on Capustan was very interesting, but also the final battle brought some really memerable scenes and again a lot of deaths. The way Erikson makes you feel with those deaths is even more absorbing ... There were many moments like that, but one in particular stays in my mind. Again some great writing on this point from Erikson. I feel there were a lot of great characters in this book. We have some nice returning characters: Anomander Rake, Quick Ben, Whiskeyjack, ... but there are also some new interesting characters. Some members of the bridgburners get a more important role in MOI (Picker, Blend, Trotts, ...). The Grey Swords are very interesting as well from the moment they get to the foreground (Brukhalion as the Mortal Sword, Karnadas as the Destriant, Itkovian as the Shield Anvil) ... and plenty of others that keep the story really engaging (e.g. Caladan Brood). This doesn't mean that MOI is a perfect book. I loved the story and it didn't prevent me from giving it a 5 star rating, but I feel that it did have some weak points. On the other hand, Erikson does provide some information on previous events that made me appreciate Deadhouse Gates even more. Conclusion: I think that I prefer Deadhouse Gates a bit over this one. Especially with new information regarding some events in the Felesin storyline; some things that were unclear earlier get explanation. Even so, MOI is still another great instalment in this series. It has a great story with huge battles and some breath-taking events, engaging characters, amazing worldbuilding and a very interesting magic system. Even now that I've finished book 3 (and have read about 2300 pages), I still get the feeling that I've only seen a bit of the world and story. There are so many reasons why this book and series series should be read ... It's simply amazing!!! Rating: 9.2/10

I continue my reread of Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen with Memories of Ice. During my first run-through of the series, I counted this novel as being one of my 3 favourites and I am glad that my enjoyment did not diminish on the reread. In fact, my reading experience was heightened because of the fact I have become more proficient in understanding this deep and complicated fantasy world. Memories of Ice is close to a 10/10 reading experience, however, that is not to say that every aspect of the book gelled perfectly with me. Memories of IceThe events of Memories of Ice run concurrently with those that readers witnessed in Deadhouse Gates. Here we are following the Malazan Empire outlaws Whiskeyjack and Onearm’s army, as they are looking to ally with former adversaries such as Annomander Rake, his Tiste Andii and the warlord Caladan Brood. This potential alliance has a common purpose, to investigate the new threat that has presented itself in the form of the Pannion Seer. This prophet has an extremely sizeable force that comprises religious zealots, cannibals, mages, supernatural beings, and the Women of the Dead Seed. The seer’s empire is enveloping the surrounding nations and, to coincide, the warrens are becoming poisoned and deadly to those that would normally access their magics. The gods and ascendants are as imposing, powerful, and important as they were in the series’ previous entries yet there is an alien entity that seeks prominence, is unforgiving, and may be aligning with or supporting the Pannion Seer’s ambitions. “Kallor shrugged. ‘[…] I have walked this land when the T’lan Imass were but children. I have commanded armies a hundred thousand strong. I have spread the fire of my wrath across entire continents, and sat alone upon tall thrones. Do you grasp the meaning of this?’ ‘Yes,’ [said Caladan Brood.] ‘You never learn.” The dramatis personae contains around 150 characters and it was strangely comforting to rejoin some of my favourite players from Gardens of the Moon. Most notably, the Bridgeburners, such as Captain Paran and Quick Ben, and the Knight of Darkness, Anomander Rake. Paran, again, finds himself wrapped up in happenings that should be overwhelming yet his uncompromising nature and actions rightly lead to him gaining the respect of others; often formidable peers. Quick Ben showcases more magical prowess, and the intrigue around who he is and how he possesses such powers is always fascinating. Finally, Anomander Rake just oozes scene-stealing coolness, which Erikson uses to full effect during the infrequent moments when he frequents the pages. There are some fine new additions too, including Gruntle, Stonny, and Itkovian. Furthermore, Silverfox’s amalgamation of souls creates some excellent drama and causes divides amongst the alliance, and this novel is the first time, in the main series, that Erikson introduces the nightmarish yet often darkly humorous necromancers, Bauchelian and Korbal Broach. Memories of Ice works in fine fashion as a standalone structured narrative. It includes so many excellent moments, gripping sieges, peculiar yet awesome fellowships and groups travelling with often unsynced motives in mind, romances and bromances, age-old rivalries and bitterness, and, not forgetting, dinosaurs that have swords for arms! Another neat addition that Erikson delivers is moments when the characters here are informed of, or do something that impacts the events as they are unfolding in Deadhouse Gates. Incorporating all of these elements, Memories of Ice is beautifully written and was the moment when Erikson cemented his position as a master weaver of tales that pluck the heartstrings. Everything was more purposeful and precise in this entry, however, that is not to deny the power of some phenomenal scenes that he has presented prior. A minor criticism that I do have is that the dream sequences seemed laborious. The payoff was well worked regarding what it could equate to in future entries yet it felt hard-earned when we finally got there. This small misstep aside, Memories of Ice is one of my top ten fantasy novels of all time. It is fantastic.

Good read, fun rollick. Great fantasy, I've enjoyed all of the series so far and this doesn't disappoint. Thoroughly enjoyable!