Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #519542 in Books
• Published on: 2001-01-01
• Format: Import
• Original language: English
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 959 pages

Customer Reviews

Fantasy at its best
If you're looking for a low-calorie dish of light fantasy, this ain't it. If you're looking for a nine-course riot of taste and texture, exotically spiced to make your eyes water, your heart pump faster and your brain do cartwheels inside your cranium, I know a great little Thai place downtown. Or, if you want something analogous to that in your reading, stop at the 'E's and pick up the latest from Steven Erikson.

Like 'Gardens of the Moon', and indeed like the whole concept for the 10-volume Malazan series, Deadhouse Gates is an ambitious work that is sometimes in danger of over-reaching itself. But if you can buckle down for the ride, it sure is a frightening one.

I don't know what to say, this is the greatest fantasy book I have read ever for a few years. The book starts of a bit slow and your not sure what is happening, as you read on you start to understand what is happening. The book is not just focused on one Character, but serveral. Like most fantasy goods, its good vs Evil, this is different, Good guys do bad things and bad guys do good things and sometimes things that look good are actually bad. So you don't know who's side you are on. In GOTM (Gardens of the Moon), people were say there was not enough history background info, but you find out much in this book, and I'm sure we will find out much more in the future books. The second half of the book, starts to set off fireworks, fast pace action, this book makes you think. Kalam, Crokus, Apsalar, and Fiddler are back, and they got business to sort out.

The characters have totally different personalities, and aims. Also we see alot of Parans younger sister Fesilin, and hear much about his older sister. The book is building up to a massive climax for the seven cities, where each side will later have to gamble, take risks, and have the nerves to do what they need to. Also you learn much more about Shadowthrone's and co, history. And the new characters are wicked. S.E really knows all about writing battles, and descripbing exactly what is happening. You'll know what I mean when you read about the Chain Of Dogs.

It is quite challenging to read, but when you have finished it, you'll be demanding more. I just can't wait for the next one to come out when they return to Genabackis, coming out in Sep 2001 called 'Memories of Ice'.

Very moving... Great novel
The sequel to the quite good Gardens Of The Moon, Deadhouse Gates continues Erikson's breathtaking invention.

Firstly, perhaps it is just me, but Deadhouse Gates is less awe inspiring in it's invention. There is no 'gawd, would you look at that' type of thing in DhG, as in GotM with Moon's Spawn and the Azath. Personally, I find this to be a good move by Erikson, as more focus is on the plot and the characters. This is where DhG truly shines. Much like Shakespearean tragedy, the characters drive the plot, not the other way around.

There is no 'most important' plot within DhG, all of them contribute to the book. In fact, what emerges is synergy, where the entirity is greater than the sum of it's parts. Each thread has it's own throbbing emotion which is beautifully lugubrious. I must make special note of the Chain Of Dogs sub-plot. The final episodes are the most amazing I have read in all of fantasy. In my opinion, fantasy has never produced anything so heartbreaking as the final few chapters of DhG.

The characters are worth special note in DhG. They are all solidly constructed, drawing our sympathy, and in some cases - Mappo especially - our empathy. That Erikson achieves this is a true testament to his writing skill. To be able to handle so many characters so deftly and sensitively is a rare feat. Duiker, Felisin, Heboric, Icarium; all are followed with our compassion throughout the novel.

While there are moments where it seems characters are walking mindlessly, with nothing going on, there is an important point to these moments. The Seven Cities is a place where the soul wanders, and returns different to what it was. Ultimately, this is what drives DhG. The development of characters. As for claims that some plots are difficult to understand, this is quite untrue. DhG is driven by emotion, not the military intrigue of GotM, or the ancient mysteries of Memories Of Ice. To understand DhG is to feel.

Last, but definitely not least: the pace of the novel is still excellent. While the journies of characters are sometimes overwhelmingly detailed, they do not move in circles like Jordan's novels. Everything in Erikson is very direct.

In short, better than GotM, and without doubt one of the greatest fantasy novels of all time.

Living, breathing fantasy
Deadhouse Gates and also its prequel, Gardens of the Moon, seem to defy all convention that is known to the genre of fantasy. These books are so different, in fact, that it is hard to compare them to most fantasy. For many readers who are tired of the usual sword and sorcery quest filled with heroes who are overly righteous and villains who cannot be any more villainous, these books will be quite refreshment. Deadhouse Gates shows you the real side of war that is usually untouched in most fantasy. It's a sight that at some times is so depressing that you feel that peace and happiness will never ever reign. The excellence of Erikson's writing ability shines through in this new novel. His characters are wonderfully human and have real human emotions that drive them to do human actions. There are no invincible "good guys" who always 'do the right thing' and win against impossible odds. And although Deadhouse plays out with mostly different characters, a wholly different plot, and on a totally different continent than its predecessor, the book still reads with a believable and connecting storyline. Deadhouse is not without its faults, yet is a distinct improvement from Gardens, which I felt was only adequate and sorely lacking what is necessary for a good fantasy novel.

One of Erikson's greatest achievements here in Deadhouse Gates is his viewpoint characters. While Gardens of the Moon was plagued with over 20 different character viewpoints, Deadhouse is told through the eyes of only seven people; Mappo, Felisin, Duiker, Kalam, Fiddler, Kulp, and to a lesser extent, Lostara. These characters are vivid in their portrayals of simple people trying to survive and keep their sanity while lost within the horrific wars that are unleashed across the Seven Cities. There are no super heroes in Deadhouse Gates, no flame-throwing, Forsaken-killing do-gooders. These wonderfully gray characters do what they do to stay alive and that's it. While this war-torn crowd is usually hard to like, you can't help but to be holding you breath in the hopes that they will win out in the end.

When Steven Erikson writes well, he writes superbly, drawing you into his story just like the mighty Whirlwind itself that encompasses Deadhouse Gates. His battle scenes are written so brilliantly and with such stunning ferocity that you can actually picture them in your mind down to the finest detail. In this sense, Erikson shows you a different side of fantasy that is usually shied away from, military fantasy. A large portion of Deadhouse is spent on the Chain of Dogs, an army that is `escorting' thousands of refugees to safety. Here, you spend you time in the throes of battle after battle and live though exhaustion, dehydration, and depression. Reading about the Chain of Dogs can be so disheartening that at some times you almost have to put the book down. Deadhouse Gates is for a much more mature audience for it encompasses very bloody battles. Erikson also provides some very interesting, new stories of what actually happened to the Emperor and Dancer and shows a side of the Empress that you might not have thought possible. And at the same time, he keeps you updated on what is happening with some of the characters from Gardens of the Moon on Genabackis.

Yet among the splendors that I have reaped upon Deadhouse Gates, it does have its flaws. Many times the story seems absolutely aimless and redundant on it self. These characters seem to spend so much time wandering and wandering that it can really get tiring and you wonder that Erikson is really leading to. Also, some of the storylines, especially Mappo, are rather confusing. You don't really understand the reason for the characters actions. The storyline between Mappo, Icarium, and Iskaral is rather difficult to understand. Of course, things are resolved and understood in the end, but it would have been more interesting to learn then earlier on. Also, Deadhouse Gates seems so totally depressing and unrelenting in its brutality. Many fantasy readers have commented on how brutal and cold Martin's `Song of Ice and Fire' series is. Yet, this series makes Martin's look like a Disney movie. I don't even think that the characters in Deadhouse Gates know how to smile.

Despite it disheartening storyline and sometimes slow, aimless plot, Deadhouse Gates is an excellent and very worthy read. It is extremely different from most of what is out in the fantasy market and will draw you in with its realistic writing and engaging characters. Erikson has shown himself to be an important new face in the fantasy field and have surpassed many authors whose books are only read as time-consumers between the next books in "the Song of Ice and Fire" and "Wheel of Time" series. I have heard that Erikson's next book, Memories of Ice, returns Genabackis and continues the Malazan storyline in what hopes to be an excellent new series.