Oh. Dear reader, let it be known that Toblakai does not appreciate confectionary-themed jokes, nor does he tolerate too much talking. Anyone who persists in either of these will be split in two by his stone, erm, sword. Bidithal Coltaine and company have just one directive: to escort as many survivors as possible to the continent’s lone occupied city, Aren. Nothing’s ever simple, though, is it? MALAZAN SUPPORTERS High Fist Pormqual

Two fountains of raging blood! Face to face. The blood is the same, the two are the same and salty waves shall wash the shores of Raraku. the Holy Desert remembers its past. Leaving, Duikers muses on how ancient a land/civilization Seven Cities is, how cities lie beneath cities lie beneath cities and it is an enemy “we can never defeat . . . Perhaps victory is not achieved by overcoming that enemy, but by joining it, becoming one with it.” When Kulp and Duiker talk about Coltraine using sappers to build up the ruined monastery on the hill near Seven Cities, would this be the same ruins created by the earth shaking that Kalam remembers, or am I getting confused with my locations? OH MY GOD! The kitchen is in the library! But think what the steam would do to those books…. Yes, I am virtually in pain at the idea of books going all soggy and wrinkled from water in the air. What madness is this? [Oh, you haven’t even scratched the surface of the madness that is Iskaral!]

New in Series

Okay, I’ve got my views on the god’s laughter, but I’m gonna hold off for the comments section. So let’s hear the theories…. Welcome to the Malazan Re-read of the Fallen! Every post will start off with a summary of events, followed by reaction and commentary by your hosts Bill and Amanda (with Amanda, new to the series, going first), and finally comments from Tor.com readers. In this article, we’ll cover Chapters 24 and the Epilogue of Deadhouse Gates by Steven Erikson (DG). My favourite characters Will it come as any surprise right now that I say Icarium and Mappo—the deeply tragic nature of their friendship provides subtle nuances to every series of dialogue they conduct. The loyalty, the appreciation for each other—all is written perfectly. Coltaine guided thirty thousand refugees from Hissar to Aren. It was impossible, but that’s what he did. He saved those ungrateful bastards and his reward was to get butchered not five hundred paces from the city’s gate. No-one helped him…” Duiker realises way before Kulp what Coltaine intends with the new exercises he is forcing the Seventh army through. I am being very dense though because I can’t work out which Malazan refugees it would be—from the rebellion that is expected? [Bill’s interjection: See, not so dense!]

The Circle of Seasons—anything similar to the Season of Rot spoken about in the Prologue, or something completely different? In both cases, there is intimate involvement of the gods, it seems.

Oh. Em. Gee. What a bloody ride! I feel absolutely wrung out by this reading experience, completely exhausted, rundown, joyful, hopeful and a myriad other emotions that I have hopefully articulated well enough over the course of this novel. Then there's Felisin. She starts off as an Alpha Bitch ex-noble with sympathetic qualities, only to find herself leading the genocidal rebellion as Sha'ik Reborn, all to spite her sister- the one who sold her into slavery as a loyalty pledge to the Empress. Complex, challenging ... Erikson's strengths are his grown-up characters and his ability to create a world every bit as intricate and messy as our own'

Night of Knives • Return of the Crimson Guard • Stonewielder • Orb Sceptre Throne • Blood and Bone • Assail Two fountains of raging blood! Face to face. The blood is the same, the two are the same and salty waves shall wash the shores of Raraku. The Holy Desert remembers its past!”DG fills out the full triad of House Paran: Tavore, Felisin, and Paran. Erikson will make use of this family structure throughout the series. For instance, we’ll get the Beddict brothers: Hull, Brys, and Tehol. The Sengar brothers: Bindadas, Trull, Fear, Rhulad. Rake and his brothers. Speaking of the dangers of confectionary, have you met Raraku’s very own Child Catcher? Just in case blokes like Cotillion and Iskaral Pust lulled you into thinking Shadow cultists aren’t *all* bad, along comes this guy. Though to be fair, Bidithal’s perversions are less a Shadow thing and more a dirty, privileged old man thing. His position as an advisor and powerful Shadow mage means Sha’ik lets him not only get away with murder but also with rape, female genital mutilation, and a whole host of other kinds of abuse. I can guarantee that you’ll look forward to seeing this guy get his just desserts from the moment you meet him… Korbolo Dom Remember Korbolo Dom? He likes to call his soldiers “Dogslayers” (which is kind of hypocritical coming from a traitor, don’t you think?). In this case, the “dogs” are not only the Malazan soldiers but also refugees; children, women, the elderly, the destitute and the nobility, natives and migrants, warriors and witches and the weak. Oh, and actual dogs.