Memories of Ice: A Tale of the Malazan Book of the Fallen | ||||||||
Steven Erikson | ||||||||
Transworld Publishers/Bantam UK, 898 pages | ||||||||
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A review by William Thompson
Memories of Ice is a return to the war-torn continent of Genabackis, last left in
Gardens of the Moon. Out of the ashes of Pale and the abortive conflicts culminating in the deadly
and confused sorcery on the streets of Darujhistan, the remnants of the Bridgeburners have rejoined the now
outlawed army of Dujek Onearm. Former foes have formed an uneasy and often mistrusting alliance against
a new and sinister menace emerging from the South: the religious state of the Pannion Domin. Spreading
a new and ardent faith with fire and sword that threatens to consume everything in its wake -- its followers
literally feeding upon all who oppose it as well as their own people; salvation an act of immolation;
purification of the soul attained through destruction and suffering; rebirth accompanying the moment of
death -- the new religion and its army of fanatical followers pose a threat of physical annihilation not only to the
free city states and various races and civilizations of Genebackis, but a monotheistic threat to the
established and ancient pantheon of gods and ascendants represented by the Fatid, the High Houses, and
the Deck of Dragons. And the conflict which threatens to destroy an entire continent will unite not only the various races of man
against a common enemy, but the diverse tribes of the pastoral Rhivi, warrior Barghast and arthropodal
Moranth in a struggle that will ultimately involve all the Elder Races -- T'lan Imass, K'Chain Che'Malle,
Jaghut, and Tiste Andii -- as well as the elder gods and ascendants against a mysterious Seer and the
hidden schemes of an even more ancient adversary, the chained and alien deity known alternately as
the Fallen or Crippled God
Homeric in scope and vision, Erikson interweaves stories and characters upon a grand stage that not only
captures but competes for the reader's attention. The description of the assault upon Capustan is
reminiscent of the blind poet's siege of Troy, with figures equally bold and tragic, and struggles
Herculean in task. Gods are Olympian in character, if playing quite dissimilar roles.
And the final battle before Coral is cataclysmic, leaving both heroes and foes fallen (like
Martin, Erikson is not one to pull his punches).
But what really sets the author's writing apart, aside from his rich and vivid use of language and
description, his unparalleled management of action and gripping combat, his compassion towards his
characters, or the sheer scale of his imagination and mythic vision, is the secondary and thematic
elements running well beneath all the action and apparent fantasy, metaphors and allegory that speak,
if one is listening, to deeper intellectual and existential issues easily lost amidst the toil
and turmoil of the author's animated and cyclopean plots.
Themes of loss and redemption, religion and the sacrifice of love, identity, heroism and
what it means to be human, are woven through mirroring imagery of beasts, men and gods blinded by a
single eye, or a mother's love which can both nurture and destroy. The body can become crippled,
though deformity need not disfigure the spirit or the heart.
And through the entire story there exists a deep and abiding humanity that refuses easy simplification
or categorization into dichotomies of good and evil, right and wrong, even when identified.
Each and every character struggles
with their personal burdens, losses and joys, some to be resolved, others to be carried, and in ways
as unique and varied as the characters portrayed.
Finally, despite the tragedy and heroism expected of a work that consciously embraces the epic
form, and does so in a way that truly captures this genre's original intention, rather than
merely mimicking its style and content, the author has also infused his narrative with a great
amount of humour that, just as in real life, alleviates and offers counterpoint to the great
tragedy, pathos and at times brutality of this ambitious and prodigious tale.
Easily one of the best books of the year. Steven Erikson has infused new life into one of the
oldest traditions of fiction, and has done so in a manner that genuinely captures and reinterprets
the spirit of the original Greek and Norse sagas. By comparison, almost every other work making
similar claims appears almost diminutive in stature, if not having misconstrued the meaning
of the noun and adjective. If, as a reader, you have been looking for a book whose content is
more than a match for its page count, or for fantasy that goes beyond a simple if compellingly
told story, your search is over. Along with Gardens of the Moon and Deadhouse Gates,
Memories of Ice offers all the rewards the word epic so often conjures and fails to deliver.
Read and expect to be overpowered, not only by a story that never fails to thrill and
entertain, but by a saga that lives up to its name, both intellectually and in its dramatic, visually
rich and lavish storytelling.
William Thompson is a writer of speculative fiction, as yet unpublished, although he remains hopeful. In addition to pursuing his writing, he is in the degree program in information science at Indiana University. |
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