Dancer's Lament

(Path to Ascendancy: 1): an ingenious and imaginative fantasy from a master of the genre

By: Ian C Esslemont

Narrated by: John Banks

Fantastic world-building meets spellbinding storytelling in this must-read fan-favourite from Esslemont. Ideal for fans of Steven Erikson, David Gemmell and Brandon Sanderson.

'This book hits all the right notes at all the right times' -- FANTASY BOOK REVIEW
'Highly entertaining . . . streamlined, tightly-plotted and structured' -- TOR.COM
'An awesome read' -- ***** Reader review
'Esslemont at his best' -- ***** Reader review
'Totally absorbing' -- ***** Reader review
'You'll find this hard to put down' -- ***** Reader review
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It was once a land ravaged by war, minor city states, baronies and principates fighting for supremacy. But when the rival cities of Tali and Quon formed an alliance, Quon Tali came into being.

However that was generations ago, that dynasty has collapsed and the regional powers are now clawing at each others throats once more. But at the heart of Quon Tali lies the powerful city state of Li Heng which has for centuries enjoyed relative stability under the guidance of the powerful sorceress known as the "Protectress".

She is not someone likely to tolerate the arrival of two particular young men into her domain: one is determined to prove he is the most skilled assassin of his age; the other is his quarry - a Dal Hon mage who is proving annoyingly difficult to kill.

And now, under a new and ambitious king, the forces of Itko Kan are marching on Li Heng from the south. His own assassins, the Nightblades, have been sent ahead into the city, and rumours abound that he has inhuman, nightmarish forces at his command. So as shadows and mistrust swirl and monstrous beasts run rampage through Li Heng's streets, it seems chaos is come - but in chaos, as a certain young Dal Hon mage would say, there is opportunity . . .

Critic reviews

For fans of the Malazan world, be it Erikson or Esslemont, Dancer’s Lament is a brilliant return to one of the most majestic and mystifying fantasy worlds ever to be created. Filled with rooftop knife fights, devastating magery and underworld evil, this book hits all the right notes at all the right times.

When I finished this I was desperate for the next one. . . I think this book really lets his abilities as an author shine. Great storytelling, brilliantly entertaining characters, well-paced and engaging structure, and a tight focus that allows him to play with those aspects of the world that serve the narrative. Dancer’s Lament is a must read for Malazan fans, and fans of fantasy that like a well told story. I loved it and couldn’t put it down.

A fun and enjoyable book and moreover a very solid addition to the Malazan universe.

Highly entertaining . . . streamlined, tightly-plotted and structured.

great

good narration. great to see the start of dancer and kellenved. excitedly waiting for the next book.

MIGHTY MEZLA!!!

This is what I've been waiting for ever since I first read Steven Erikson's Gardens of the Moon, the beginning of a partnership that won an empire. This book was great and has made me go back to the beginning of Gardens of the Moon and redu Erikson's books just to get hints into what Convergence will happen in Esslemont's next book of the series.
That being said John Banks is no Michael Paige or Ralph Lister, I only hope he can redeem himself in Esslemont's Return of the Crimson Guard. I found that he needed to work on keeping very similar voices out of each scene so as not to confuse the listener as to which character was speaking (gets rather annoying to have to keep going back just to listen to dialog more closely to know who said what).
Looking past that however, this is a brilliant beginning to the Malazan Empire and I say WELL DONE Esslemont, keep up the great work because I can't wait for the next one

an average origin story

an enjoyable pre-malaz story with an interesting introduction to a couple of shadowy upstarts and their plans.

Great that this exist

Love the Malazan series, so very happy that these three books exists and you get to learn some of the origins of the events and characters from the Book of the Fallen.
The writing is not in the same league as Erickson's, however, that said, I still thoroughly enjoyed these books.