The 'renegade' Malazan army under Dujek Onearm and Whiskeyjack have formed an uneasy alliance with their former enemies, armies led by Caladan Brood and Anomander Rake. Arrayed against these uneasy allies are the armies of the seer of the Pannion Domin whose cannibalistic hordes seek to destroy all before them. Quick Ben meanwhile has a run in with the crippled God. The mage soon realizes that a bigger game is being played by the Gods. Ganoes Paran is being used as a pawn in that game and he also has to deal with the emergence of Silverfox within whom the lover of his dead lover now resides. Toc the younger meets some very interesting travelling companions as he seeks to re-join the Malazan host.
It was great to see Erikson characterization continue to evolve from Deadhouse Gates and he has certainly come a long way from the bland characters he put forth in Garden of the Moons. The only minor complaint I had in this area was Gruntle's inconsistency throughout the novel, more foreshadowing would have helped.
The close combat was well realized though larger engagements were glossed over far too much. The retaking of Capustan was really a non-event and couldn't be followed at all.
Erikson is very good at creating and presenting different cultures and his background in anthropology is certainly evident here.
The only major issue I had was the pace did drag at times and some more editing would have helped here.
Overall Erikson continues to improve but the slower pace will put some readers off. 8/10.
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