Dust of Dreams

Malazan Book of the Fallen, Book 9

By: Steven Erikson

Narrated by: Michael Page

Length: 43 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

On the Letherii continent the exiled Malazan army commanded by Adjunct Tavore begins its march into the eastern Wastelands, to fight for an unknown cause against an enemy it has never seen.

The fate awaiting the Bonehunters is one no soldier can prepare for, and one no mortal soul can withstand - the foe is uncertainty and the only weapon worth wielding is stubborn courage. In war everyone loses, and this brutal truth can be found in the eyes of every soldier in every world.

Destinies are never simple. Truths are neither clear nor sharp. The Tales of the Malazan Book of the Fallen are drawing to a close in a distant place, beneath indifferent skies, as the last great army of the Malazan Empire seeks a final battle in the name of redemption. Final questions remain to be answered: can one's deeds be heroic when no one is there to see it? Can that which is unwitnessed forever change the world? The answers await the Bonehunters, beyond the Wastelands....

"This novel and all others in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series follow my own pronunciations of 'Malazan' words and names. My thanks to Michael and Jane and everyone at Brilliance Audio." - Steven Erikson, Victoria, B.C. Canada, January, 2014

©2009 Steven Erikson (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

This Epic Crushes

I have read and or listened most of the epic fantasy series to be written in the last twenty years and this is the only one I have listened to twice.(at book 9). I am thankful for this series.

winding it all together

amazing story, pieces all coming together. looking forward to crippled God. highly recommend this series.

Not the best Malazan book. Still excellent fantasy

Bogged down by exposition in many parts, especially early on. Some threads (the Barghast, for example) don't tie in as neatly as all threads in prior books have, so they feel more like filler and not like the intricate tapestry the rest of the series has been. Best narration in the series so far by Paige.

One of the best in the series

This will be classic literature for many generations. Some of the characters are similar personalities but the performance and breadth of topic is breath taking. Awesome books.

Not book 8.

Would you listen to Dust of Dreams again? Why?

Audible released in the wrong order. Can't get a straight answer from Audible as to when Book 8 will be released

Another Great Tale with Some Odd Narration Choices

Obviously writing a review of the ninth book in a series is going to be preaching to the choir. If you've kept up this long, you won't be stopping now because of anything you might read. But for those who haven't picked up this series yet, I'll tell you: it's still good after nine books! There's only one book left after this, so pick this series up now. By the time you get to this one, the last audiobook will have been released!

As far as the book itself goes, it's a fantastic read. I can't say it's my favorite of the series (Memories of Ice) but it's not my least favorite (Midnight Tides). The one big difference here, of course, is that this was never meant to be a complete book. Each previous volume ended with a conclusion that pulled together the loose threads and wove something meaningful out of them. This is - by the author's own admission - halfway through the final volume which was split for publishing costs (and for the sake of the readers, according to Erikson). So perhaps when I finally get around to The Crippled God I'll be able to further appreciate this story which was - all things considered - a good listen (minus a few unpleasant moments in the book that might be hard to stomach for some readers).

A few minor complaints about narration: Steven Erikson writes that this novel uses the original pronunciation of names, peoples, magic, etc that he intended when he first wrote them down. And that's fantastic that this audiobook can reflect that. But there have been 8 previous audiobooks that have Quick Ben's full name pronounce Ben [a-DAY-fon-DEH-lat]. Now it's pronounced Ben [AH-deh-fon-deh-LAHT]. When Ralph Lister performed Memories of Ice, "Hetan" was pronounced "HEE-ten"; now it's pronounced [heh-tan]. The word "Mhybe" was pronounced [MY-bee] now, it's pronounced [muh-HIBE]. It took me a second to figure out what they were saying when I first heard it, this being a word from a fictional language.

I get that Erikson wanted the audiobooks to be, well, books read out-loud, not dramatic adaptations, but after nearly 400 hours of audio I think it would have been easier on us, the listeners, for the pronunciations to have remained consistent.

Finally, while Michael Page does a stellar job reading this, he has this generic eastern-European-meets-Arab voice that he uses for a lot of characters. There's literally nothing I can hear that distinguishes Kalam from Gall (a supporting character we're introduced to in this book). It doesn't ruin the book by any stretch, and Michael Page was just following his director, but it was jarring enough to lose a star (I bet Messrs Page and Erikson just fret about that at night).

Depressing yet Fantastical

The 9th book in the Malazan book of the fallen is more depressing and horrific than any other entry in the series so far. Characters face the end of friendship, love, and life. Yet despite this bleakness that settles over the Malazans and their allies, there is triumph, comeradere and adventure. The author's forward warns that this book does not tie up all of the loose ends, as it is only the first of two parts, and this rings true. Many questions are left unanswered and fates left unknown that I cannot wait to download and begin the 10th book in the saga.

Amazing

I loved every moment! The narration was just as great as the story! Bravo! Bravo!

it's a great set up for the grand finale

For being mostly part one of a two part finale it was actually interesting to read and had a pretty good climax of it's own.

great performance for a great book

A good lead in to the final book and great character building. This book also greatly expands the lore of the world while continuing to have all the great view points of people caught up in something epic.

The performance really brings the various characters to life by giving them not only voice, but personality as well.