Deadhouse Gates: A Book Review (Malazan Chronicles)

Malazan Book Of The Fallen
Book 2
Deadhouse Gates

Publisher's Summary

Following on the footsteps of the magnificent Gardens Of The Moon, Deadhouse Gates lays to ground all those questioning the “grimdark” tag of the Malazan Chronicles: grinds doubt to dust with one hammer-stroke. The scene changes, this time in the vast continent of Seven Cities. A rebellion is coming. Malazan Usurpers, treated like dogs by the natives, are themselves rife with greed and corruption. The Empress follows the old adage: “set a thief to catch a thief”. The Wickan warriors, under their warlord Coltaine, are sent to try and quell a rebellion. But that’s not all. Imperial Historian Duicker lands in Seven Cities with his own hidden purpose. Elements of the now outlawed Malazan host of Dujek Onearm, a team of Bridgeburners, also land into the frying pan to spice things up in the company of Crokus Younghand, star of Gardens Of The Moon.

The author shows off his brilliance, weaving three major plotlines along with humour, history, philosophy, grief, joy, sadness and strife. And also, human cruelty; lots of human cruelty.

 

Unlike Gardens Of The Moon, which was so plot-line focused that it sometimes forgot to describe the world properly, Deadhouse Gates gives a lot more insight into the world it is set in: we learn more about the Jaghut and the T’lann Imass, a little bit more about the nature of magic, of Ascendants, countless (older) human and non-human civilizations, and folly, mortal and immortal both. A little light is shed on the fates of the Jaghut. Stories of Kellanved, Dancer and Dassem Ultor: men Laseen overthrew on her path to make herself Empress. A few Gods are unveiled in the process to become… lesser, somehow, than we first thought. But it doesn’t ever let down the intensity. Nowhere did I feel like I was reading a history book; ever motivated with cleverly placed cliff-hangers, one can’t help read this faster than planned. If you have any work pending, complete that and then think about starting this because it is terribly difficult to keep aside once begun.

 

The theme is journeying and war. War on a grand, cruel and grim scale. Many books show off the glory of war, the pride of conquest, the bravery of the breaker. Deadhouse Gates does an unrivaled job of making you hate war. And the Wickans are waiting to steal your hearts. Fierce, somewhat savage, fighting for an Empire that defeated them, fighting against unimaginable odds in the face of adversity and toil avoidable through cowardice and surrender. By the end, if you aren't rooting for Coltaine, you’re not human. Echoing Annalist Croaker from Glen Cook’s ‘The Black Company’, historian Duicker is set along a path of pain, starvation, constant danger and ‘is life worth living?’ soul searching that might destroy the careless reader; filled with tragedy and pain to the brim, his arc alone is worth a thousand tears. Couple that with the happenings in the Otataral Mines, the journey of Heboric and his band, the anguish and pain of Felisin Paran, and the travels of two immortal friends, Mappo and Icarium, seeking to outwit and unveil forbidden secrets, provides an interesting insight on the travails of friendship. An interesting convergence is happening in the Raraku Desert: a melting pot of misfortune and everlasting pain. Corporal Kalam sets out on an interesting crusade, to set his wrongs to right, and in the process, influences the world in mysterious ways. Fiddler is there to provide comic relief when things get a bit too grim. Everything in poised on knife edge; the net starts unraveling just a few pages in. Secrets are outed; dangerous secrets that can destroy everything.

Human nature is not avoided: showcasing both the best and the worst of humans. So often you see people with their backs to the wall showcase the greatest of courage and fortitude, but mixing that up with people betraying each other. Felisin’s life is difficult to summarize.

The best thing about this book is the worst part: no one seems to have a bloody clue about what is happening. The most dangerous person is unaware of his strength and the danger he poses, the Malazan’s are behaving oddly, numerical advantages are shown to be negligible if misused, and will the REAL Sha’ik please stand up? The strong willed are destroyed while the weak endure, and the cornered rat shows off a dragon’s ferocity.

Trigger Warning: Harsh Reality. If you read books to escape life, enjoy a bit of fluff and romance, laugh at some jokes and have ‘fun’, go read something else. This ranks among the most grimdark works I’ve ever read (I’ve not read many, I admit), but its dark nature might change your perception of life forever.