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Title: Orb Sceptre Throne
Title: Orb Sceptre Throne
Series:
Malazan Empire #4
Author:
Ian Esslemont
Rating:
4.5 of 5 Stars
Genre:
Fantasy
Pages:
850
Format:
Digital edition
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Synopsis: |
A golden mask is uncovered in the plains outside of Darujhistan. It belongs to the spirit that raises Tyrants up again and again. This time it calls the Segulah into its service. They and the Moranth, ancient enemies, duke it out until the Segulah are freed from the Golden Mask's domination, then they go back to their little Island Nation.
Kiska and Leoman of the Flails are in
limbo, looking for Tayschrenn. They find him, restore his memories to
him and they all return to do whatever hidden thingamajig Tayschrenn
wants to do.
Also deals with various characters
attempting to loot the fallen Moonspawn, all hoping to find the
Throne of Night.
Plus about 6 other smaller threads
dealing with such characters as Coll, Kalam, Baruk, Kruppe and others
that we were introduced to way back in Gardens of the Moon.
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My
Thoughts:
|
When I initially
read this back in 2012, I was not impressed at all. I still hadn't
gotten that Erikson and Esslemont created bigger than life mythos for
their characters, whether individuals or as a people, just so they
could tear them down. So my thoughts regarding the Segulah were that
they were the Pristine Warrior Culture; those thoughts were not only
dashed, they were trampled into the dust on my first read and my
rating and review reflected that.
This time around,
what a difference. I didn't have those misconceptions about the
Segulah and so their story didn't bother me. The only thing that
really bothered me was the fact that there were just so many story
threads going on. Some of those threads had nothing whatsoever to do
with this book, ie, Kiska, Leoman and Tayschrenn but simply pushed an
overarching story forward. I don't care for that. Other than that, I
was pleased as punch.
It was
sad to see characters from Gardens of the Moon becoming
old or giving up in spirit. Coll turning into an old, wine addicted,
fat counselor was especially sad. Baruk's subsumption by a demon
seemed very cruel, considering how much he'd sacrificed for his city.
And yet that is what happens to old heroes. They fail and a new
generation must step up.
While I complained
about the multiplicity of threads, they were tightly woven together
and even the thread about Tayschrenn didn't detract from overall
affect. It really was one story being told even if it took awhile for
them all to get tied together.
This book is why I
like to re-read things. My mind was completely changed from last time
and I went from almost hating this book to really loving it. Most of
that change was on my end and my perspective and expectations. 17
years of reviewing and I still marvel at how our expectations can
shape how we react to a book. I was semi-dreading this re-read but it
turned into a jewel instead.
Pretty satisfied
this time around.
★★★★½
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