Rating: 5 out of 5
I have been away from the Malazan experience for so long it took me a long time to try to remember why was was going on. Overall, once I managed to recall some of the basics, it turned into a book which I really rather enjoyed, especially as there was less here about the complicated system of magic which has also been somewhat of a problem previously.
I think that of the characters here, Suth and Rillish were the most interesting. Suth’s story is fairly easy and we can see him grow and change through the book. For Rillish, it’s the same – I can’t quite recall where we saw him last and in what capacity, but he was familiar. Though it seems the author makes too much of the Fist’s prior relationship with Greymane on an issue that could have been easily explained had the two talked things through, Rillish is approachable and honest, making him a good character.
The stories in Banith were more complex. I liked the Assessor’s character, but he was perhaps a touch too unworldly (though this made him eminently believable). I rather liked him too, but I found his storyline somewhat odd: in a way, it didn’t change anything, though I guess an argument could also be made that it did. The Avowed and the Stormguard were also an interesting bunch though in many ways I didn’t appreciate them as much as the Malazans – but it is interesting to consider the examples that Mr Esslemont drew upon to create them.
Overall, I liked this new dip into the environment that Mr Esslemont has built. I’m sure many of the in depth references went past me, but a more devoted reader of the series would be sure to catch them.
