Product Description

The seventh awesome chapter in the most ambitious and acclaimed fantasy series of recent years - the Malazan Book of the Fallen.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #125094 in Books
• Published on: 2007-05-07
• Binding: Hardcover
• 509 pages

Synopsis
All is not well in the Letherii Empire. Rhulad Sengar, the Emperor of a Thousand Deaths, spirals into madness, surrounded by sycophants and agents of his Machiavellian chancellor, while the Letherii secret police conduct a campaign of terror against its own people. The Errant, once a farseeing god, is suddenly blind to the future. Conspiracies seethe throughout the palace, as the empire - driven by the corrupt and self-interested - edges ever-closer to all-out war with the neighbouring kingdoms. And the great Edur fleet - its warriors selected from countless people - draws ever closer. Amongst them are Karsa Orlong and Icarium Lifestealer - each destined to cross blades with the emperor himself. That yet more blood is to be spilled is inevitable...Against this backdrop, a band of fugitives seek a way out of the empire, but one of them, Fear Sengar must find the soul of Scabandari Bloodeye. It is his hope that it might help halt the Tiste Edur, and so save his brother, the emperor. Yet, travelling with them is Scabandari's most ancient foe: Silchas Ruin, brother of Anomander Rake.

And his motives are anything but certain - for the wounds he carries on his back, made by the blades of Scabandari, are still fresh. Fate decrees that there is to be a reckoning, for such bloodshed cannot go unanswered - and it will be a reckoning on an unimaginable scale...This is a brutal, harrowing novel of war, intrigue and dark, uncontrollable magic; this is epic fantasy at its most imaginative, storytelling at its most thrilling.

From the Inside Flap
The Letherii Empire - driven by the corrupt and self-interested - is crumbling. Surrounded by sycophants and agents of his venal chancellor, the Emperor Rhulad Sengar descends into madness. Conspiracies abound. The imperial secret police conduct a campaign of terror against its own people. The Errant, once a farseeing god, is suddenly blind to the future. Scenting chaos, dread forces are closing in from all sides.

Against this turbulent, treacherous backdrop, a band of fugitives are trying to flee the empire. One of them, Fear Sengar, seeks the soul of Scabandari Bloodeye, for this might save his brother, the emperor. However, with them travels Scabandari's most ancient and bitter foe: Silchas Ruin, brother of Anomander Rake. The still-fresh wounds he carries on his back were made by the blades of Scabandari; his motives are anything but certain.

And the great Edur fleet - its warriors selected from countless peoples - draws ever closer to home. Among its number are Karsa Orlong and Icarium Lifestealer - each destined to cross blades with the emperor himself. But in crossing half the world, the Tiste Edur have left behind a tide of blood. Such brutality cannot go unanswered. For some there must be a reckoning, for some this is far from over...

A brutal, harrowing tale of war, betrayal and dark, uncontrollable magic, this is epic fantasy at its most imaginative, storytelling at its most thrilling.

From the Back Cover
`The kind of epic narrative that will have you scrambling for more.'
STEPHEN R. DONALDSON

`If any work is truly deserving of the accolade epic, it is the writing of Steven Erikson. Vast in scope and imagination, spanning continents and cultures as diverse and multifaceted as any to be found in fantasy, Erikson readily towers over every other author writing fantasy today.'SF SITE

`I stand slack-jawed in awe of The Malazan Book of the Fallen. This masterwork of imagination may be the high watermark of epic fantasy.'GLEN COOK

`A master of lost and forgotten epochs, a weaver of ancient epics.'SALON.COM

`Erikson has the breadth and detail of imaginative vision, he is able to create a world that is both absorbing on a human level and full of magical sublimity, and, above all, he can write.' ADAM ROBERTS

`This is true myth in the making, a drawing upon fantasy to recreate histories and legends as rich as any found within our culture.'INTERZONE

`Fluidly combines a sense of mythic power and depth of world with fully realized characters and thrilling action.' MICHAEL A. STACKPOLE

`Erikson's strengths are his grown-up characters and his ability to create a world every bit as intricate and messy as our own.' J. V. JONES

Customer Reviews

excellent
another great title from erikson, this series has never dipped in its excellence, every novel is a steady progression an end we have known was coming. the scope of Reapers Gale is breathtaking and the twists and turns the plot takes leave you gasping for more. An epic novel and a worthy edition to the tales of the fallen.

disappointing
I couldnt wait for this book to end. The most exciting plot lines (Redmask and the Awl'dan, Karsa and Icariam) are continually interrupted, just as progress is made, by the drearyness of the remaining confusing sub plots - Silchas, Tehol, Bugg, the Errant, the invading bonehunters. The previous books are all excellent, but for me, this was very poor. I hope there is a return to form with the next book

Excellent
As with the rest of the Erikson ooks this one does not dissapoint.Dragging you even more into the world of fantasy that can not even be likened to tolkien, the depth and descriptive language used in all of eriksons books never fails to amaze and you'll find yourself not being able to put the book down. his concept and visualisations of characters and places leaves you breathless and gasping for more. an absolute must buy and if you haven't got or read an of the other books you need to buy them, NOW.