Steven Erikson House of Chains Review

Overall Rating

House of Chains
Steven Erikson
Tor, Aug 2006, $14.95
ISBN: 0765315742

In Northern Genabackis, the raiders leave the mountains to bring death and destruction to those lowlanders they hate residing in the southern flatlands. Amidst these brutal warriors is Karsa Orlong the Teblor who is unaware at this time that he has just begun an odyssey that will spin into the middle of a future confrontation between the Malazan Empire and Sha'ik's Army of the Apocalypse.

Meanwhile some time in the future, Tavore, the Adjunct to the Malazon Empress, arrives at the the last Malazan stronghold of Seven Cities. Her assignment is to turn a force of twelve thousand inexperienced former civilians into a powerful fighting force prepared to battle with the overwhelming armies of her sister, Sha'ik. Tavore herself lacks leadership experience so fears she is not up to the job as the enemy is so much more powerful. However, she does have a few experienced survivors from Coltaine's march, who she depends on to shape her soldiers so that they stand a chance when the latest hostilities in the hundred years of war heat up in the Holy Desert.

Series fans will be shocked by the long opening sequence as the fourth book of The Malazan Book of the Fallen stays with Karsa rather than the usual constant changing of the point of view. However, Steven Erikson reverts to form as the rest of the exhilarating story line is anything but linear. The key to this superior fantasy, as is the case with its predecessors is no one is 100 percent good or evil; instead readers understand motives on both sides of the conflict and feel for those caught in epic events. Though better to have read the previous entries, HOUSE OF CHAINS is a great entry in a terrific saga.

Harriet Klausner