Deadhouse Gates

Malazan Book of the Fallen, Book 2

By: Steven Erikson

Narrated by: Ralph Lister

Length: 34 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's Summary

In the vast dominion of Seven Cities, in the Holy Desert Raraku, the seer Sha’ik and her followers prepare for the long-prophesied uprising known as the Whirlwind. Unprecedented in size and savagery, this maelstrom of fanaticism and bloodlust will embroil the Malazan Empire in one of the bloodiest conflicts it has ever known, shaping destinies and giving birth to legends.....

Set in a brilliantly realized world ravaged by dark, uncontrollable magic, this thrilling novel of war, intrigue, and betrayal confirms Steven Erikson as a storyteller of breathtaking skill, imagination, and originality - a new master of epic fantasy.

©2006 Steven Erikson (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic Reviews

"Give me the evocation of a rich, complex, and yet ultimately unknowable other world, with a compelling suggestion of intricate history and mythology and lore. Give me mystery amid the grand narrative. Give me a world in which every sea hides a crumbled Atlantis, every ruin has a tale to tell, every mattock blade is a silent legacy of struggles unknown. Give me, in other words, the fantasy work of Steven Erikson." (Andrew Leonard, Salon)

The Thirsty Book

The characters in this book spend a ton of time walking through the the desert without water. Have a glass of your favorite beverage available as you listen.

When I finished Gardens of the Moon, I was at about 50-50 on whether to continue with this series. It was well written, but it didn't pull me in. It was more respect than love. I believed that the world was well drawn, but the scope too sweeping and the characters too numerous to try really get to know any one of them.

It gets better. This book continues with some of the characters, but not others. Thus it is a bit more manageable. As you read the series the sheer volume of words over time allows you to get to know the characters more fully. In other words: while huge in scope, it gets easier to grasp as you go along.

Erikson is very talented in that his landscape is very well painted. The setting for this series is an entire planet and he seems to want to cover everything that is happening on its surface. Moreover, he has no shortage of ideas when coming up with interpersonal, national, magical conflict. There is always some argument, earthquake, war, or magical existential crisis a chapter away. It makes you wonder how he will keep track of all the threads.

One thing I would challenge about the veracity of the characters is their glib misery. Erikson seems to want his characters to suffer most of the time. There are very few iotas of happiness in his books. It's mostly fighting, dying, being raped, descending into madness, suffering, or at least being annoyed. Despite this, his characters really do maintain a fantastically positive attitude. After so much smiling in the face of death, you begin to forget that there is so much of it in sheer volume. It makes me worry for the future of the narrative. If we are simply used to wholesale, abject death, where do you go from there to create tension?

That is but a small thing, however. I think I am in it for the long haul. I am on to the third book now and things keep getting better. I recommend carrying on to book 2 if you even kind of liked book 1. Lister does a really good job of voice characterizations even if they are not all the way I would envision the characters. He is consistent and has great cadence.

So fill your camelback and drop a credit on book 2. Enjoy.

An Epic Tale of War and Tragedy

Deadhouse Gates is the second book in the dark military epic fantasy known as the Malazan Tale of the Fallen.

Finishing this massive tome feels like you have lived through the war along with the characters. You're exhausted... yet filled with a feeling of accomplishment, and no small sense of awe. The sheer scope of the story that Erikson is weaving is simply MASSIVE beyond anything I've ever read.

This book is the story of a rebellion breaking out in a land controlled by the Malazan Empire, and the brewing war that ensues. It takes about 300 pages to set up, so until then you'll feel like you did in Gardens of the Moon - "What the heck is going on, and why is _____ happening?"

I can see where people say that you need to get to this point before the story really grabs you. That's the nature of this tale, I think. The question is whether you're willing to put this much effort into it, and whether you judge the rewards worth the effort. For me, this was leaps and bounds better than "Gardens of the Moon".

The narration was excellent. The voices matched the dark, hard and gritty tone of the novel.

If you're interested in reading this series, you need to get some notions out of your head. This is a broad canvas that Erikson is painting. This is a milieu story. It is not so much a character story. Yes, there are good characters, and they grow on you, but if you let yourself invest too much into them, you may get hurt.

Every major character will suffer in this book, and some will die. Brutality reigns in this medieval world, and last-minute rescues are so rare that you should never expect them. Innocents suffer. There is some redemption, but I found some scenes hard to stomach. Heroic struggles end in horrid death, and at those times it made me want to scream "WHY DID YOU EVEN WRITE THIS?!" yet it is remarkably well-written. This story is an epic tale of empires.

There is a LOT of war in this book, more than any book I've ever read, up there with "A Memory of Light", and that war took 13 books to set up. I can only imagine what's coming in the rest of this series!

The main drawbacks I found were in the nature of the storytelling - the high learning curve, and at times, the seeming randomness in which plot-pivotal events occur. It's hard to believe that characters just happens to be on the right road, in the right place at the right time, for his/her destiny to suddenly be unveiled, or to witness some ancient prophecy come to pass. Nevertheless, when viewed among the vastness of this tome, such events don't cripple the story itself.

I've got Memories of Ice next, and I'm expecting that to be a turning point. They say you get hooked after that one. I guess we will see!

not for audio

the story is a bit complicated and spans too many characters to follow as an audio book.

A monument of modern fantasy writing...

Would you consider the audio edition of Deadhouse Gates to be better than the print version?

I'll start by saying that this is easily in my top 3 favorite books that I've ever read (and I've read a lot). It's Erikson in his prime, and I honestly believe that he's one of the great authors of our time, even if his style tends towards the heavy handed and poetic. It's one of the few books that actually drew tears at several points, and I can't recommend it highly enough if you enjoy stuff like Game of Thrones, The Wheel of Time, The Way of Kings (Stormlight Chronicles), etc.

Caveats: This book is heavy - we're talking George Martin heavy - 20+ POV plotlines are introduced with hundreds of relevant characters. Erikson excels at "epic" world building and this is perhaps the first book where he really lets loose on that front. So be warned - this book takes some level of engagement to follow. It's entirely worth it though... you'll find passages in this book that rival the best literature ever written, even if it's tough to catalog all of the characters, locations, factions, etc.

I've also recommended to a number of my friends that they start the "Malazon Book of the Fallen" series with this book, not Gardens of the Moon, since it's riveting and fleshed out in a way taht GOTM never really was.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Oh geez. Kruppe & Kalam are my favorites and they aren't really even central characters in this part of the series... Kruppe for his ridiculously entertaining narrative style and Kalam for his badassitude; but there are just so many others that are a close second.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I won't ruin the ending... but damn. Did someone cut a whole bag of onions? WTF man. Best ending to a book I've read since Ender's Game.

Takes a lot of effort ...

Any additional comments?

I wanted to like this book and the one before it so much. It has a great story-concept, as rich and deep as Song of Ice and Fire any day. Sadly though I find that this book takes more effort than I can sustainably exert to follow its twists and turns. Am I falling into dementia? Perhaps. Thankfully though I can enjoy the likes of Sanderson, Rothfuss and Martin. I've tried to determine the problem and I think it comes down to attention as I've said. I like to listen to books while driving and hiking, exerting continuous partial attention and still enjoying the experience. Sadly this series of books is opaque to me.

The whirlwind Is coming, and we ARE the whirlwind!

If you've read my review of Erikson's Gardens of the Moon: The Malazan Book of the Fallen, Book 1, I stated:

"This is a stunningly powerful epic that can both capture and entrance you. Words like stirring, captivating, engaging, and memorable come to mind. This wonderful work has rich and complex storylines, characters, and descriptions. Consider the complexity of The Lord Of The Rings. Take it up a few notches, and you might be there when it comes to the Gardens of the Moon. Seriously. And this is only the first in the series!"

Well, here's the second book, and it's equally as stirring, captivating, and enjoyable as the first.

So, here's the conundrum: How do I review this book without giving anything away?

Wow. Okay. Deep breath. Here goes.

Once again, Erikson crafts a masterpiece that brings a strong storyline, rich character development, dark fantasy, the winds of war, and just plain good story-telling together.

He carries on the story beautifully and rewardingly begun in the first, but it takes place countless leagues away from where Gardens of the Moon began, with only a few of the characters from the first book along for this new ride.

Strap in, because a virtual jihad of war is on the horizon, a nightmare whirlwind, and anyone who has read the first book has figured out exactly what I'm being vaguely stating here. Yes, it's coming to pass, and characters you'll love (and hate), most new and a couple of old ones as as well, will be swept into its maelstrom. Deep magics, black plots, and machiavellian twists and betrayals lay in wait for the listener. And I HAVE to say, Erikson got me in a few places in this book - I usually play chess in my head with novels, trying to figure out in advance where the arthor is going. And often, I'm right.

Not here.

Erikson, you got me good. REALLY good. You surprised me a number of times. You twisted the plot, and then twisted it yet again . You gave both heroes and villains powerful motivation and direction. The military scenes were dead on. It's...well...gripping.

And GREAT listening. Keep in mind that the sheer size of this sweeping epic requires time to set up the pawns, knights, bishops and king and queen on the gameboard, but once done, the story propels you forward. it takes you on a journey that still has eight more books to complete.

But again, it is NOT for the casual listener. In fact, it's more demanding than the first audiobook. Is that even possible? Yes, it definitely is. Is it worth the effort?

Yes, it definitely is.

It is, in a word, exceptional.

2nd book in a series that goes on far to long

If you value your time and credits stay clear of this book. Erickson goes on and on about things that do nothing at all for the story.

once again, hard to follow

I gave the second book a try after not enjoying the first. too quick of transitions and lacking descriptive information. I still don't know what some of the races look like. found out a character has a red beard near the end. we've known this guy since book one.

Tired tropes and bad writing

Any additional comments?

Do you like books which talk about how amazing and awesome and big and tough and really bad ass one character is...and then do the same with another...and then another? Do you like solving problems by just adding bigger and badder and cooler heroes and bad guys? Do you like tired tropes and worn out characters? Then this book is for you.

I can't believe this series has a good rating. The performance is mediocre at best. I've seen better writing from high school students. In fact, I've read pretty much everything in these books already- from high school students who watch too many bad movies and think that writing is just putting those ideas to language.

Read it, don't listen to it

I actually started the first Malazan Book as an audiobook quite a while ago. I hated it, it was an absolute slog to get through and I was constantly lost. Then a few months back I bought it as an ebook on a whim and loved it! I bought the second book , deadhouse gates, as an ebook as well and really enjoyed it, and about a third of the way in I bought the audiobook due to the reduced price and because I wanted to check out whispersync.

Long story short: These books are hard to listen to. The performance is decent enough, but the way it is written makes them uniquely geared towards actually reading them. the switching viewpoints, the difference between inner monologues and dialogues, the complicated names, all of these factors make it really hard to enjoy this book purely in the spoken form.

My recommendation: Read these books, don't listen to them (at least not exclusively).