Content warning: this book goes above and beyond with sexual violence, to the point of being thoroughly gratuitous. Malazan so far hasn't shied away from using sexual assault and rape in its plot, but never to this level nor with this seeming lack of care. You get POV chapters from rapists (multiple), pedophiles (multiple), and victim after victim after victim, some of whom turn into predators themselves. Whereas the sexual violence in earlier books was used, in my opinion, appropriately in the context of being “dark fantasy”, this book seems to have included it for the hell of it.Â

For an actual review: It's hard to root for anyone in an empire full of assholes, but Hedges Grand Adventure made it not so nearly as boring to be back with Rhulad and Co. The Edur and Letherii remain completely unlikely, but if you could get through Midnight Tides this is pretty much the same. ( )

WOW. ( )

Definitely one of the best endings so far, but it takes a while to get there. All of the Malazan books have a tendency to have long and arduous build ups, but this could be the worst contender yet, especially with Karsa's plotline. Either way, it's still a Malazan book, with all that entails. Epic scale, lotsa characters, huge mystery.

THE RANKING THUS FAR

DG > GoTM > HoC > RG > tBH > MT > MoI ( )

This took me a while. Not because it isn't good - it's great - but because it's Malazan. I burned out about 75% of the way in, not to pick it back up for 7 weeks. It was worth the wait, and had one of the best convergences of the books so far, with touching character moments, deaths by the wheelbarrow and some of the biggest displays of badassery thus far. Very good. Last in, Looking Around. ( )

Definitely one of the best endings so far, but it takes a while to get there. All of the Malazan books have a tendency to have long and arduous build ups, but this could be the worst contender yet, especially with Karsa's plotline. Either way, it's still a Malazan book, with all that entails. Epic scale, lotsa characters, huge mystery.

THE RANKING THUS FAR

DG > GoTM > HoC > RG > tBH > MT > MoI ( )