That's it, my friends. Midnight Tides is finally done - some 900 pages done and dusted that I will carry with me for a long time.
There's a couple of things that prevent this book from being my absolute favorite of the entire MBOTF saga so far (mainly how the climax feels and hits) but, nitpicks aside, it's probably my second favorite - not too far behind from
Memories of Ice.
What I think this book does pretty damn well is show the reader the idea of poison and corruption, that people and entire nations can get slowly and deceptively subverted by certain ideas or values. Sometimes it turns quite literal (as in Udinaas and the Wyval, or everything about Rhulad, or the effects on Hannan Mosag and his K'risnan by the end of the book, or the resolution to the Ezgara/Nifadas/Brys story) and other times it's more metaphorical (Lether being "poisoned" by greed and unfettered capitalism, the conquered nations being "poisoned" by Lether and thoroughly assimilated after subverting them, Trull and Fear being "poisoned" by doubts and reluctance) but it's like the whole book revolves around that and it works pretty damn well.
The climax I thought wasn't as hard-hitting as MoI's but that's like a very tall order and it's not like there aren't some really difficult to read scenes in this, anyway - the moment in which
Tehol and Chalas are brutally and needlessly kicked to death didn't make me cry but I felt the anguish inside because of how utterly senseless it was in the grand scheme of things. I mean, I was furious at the characters, but I didn't feel it was gratuitous or shocking or that it came out of nowhere, if you catch my drift...
it made sense for the Edur to devolve into creatures that cared not about mercy or complex reasons, as it mirrored Rhulad's descent into madness. So their brutality, even though it was "in character", was also senseless because it's cruelty for cruelty's sake. And that's another tragedy, one that "carries" from House of Chains - that the Tiste Edur have lost their way and are descending, head first, into wanton cruelty after considering themselves honorable people. On the other hand, that brutal scene also was the impetus for two of my *favorite* scenes, in which
Mael, aka "Bugg", just goes HAM on the Edur and we learn that the bloated corpse the Malazans found in MoI belonged to that unlikeable thug Theradas Buhn; and the other one in which Bugg revives Tehol and tells him *why* he has spent all this time posing as his manservant. Just a beautiful, poignant tribute to friendship, that one.
Another thing the climax does great is the feeling of slow-moving dread, a car crash in slow-motion type of sensation akin to Felisin vs Tavore in House of Chains - in this case, everything regarding Rhulad reaching the Eternal Domicile and everything that happens there. From the incredible showdown between Hannan Mosag and Kuru Qan to the quiet, heartbreaking realization in Brys' eyes that it was, indeed, too late, and the crippling indecision of the brothers Sengar that leads to their actual sundering, everything that took place in the Eternal Domicile got me glued to the page. Beautiful, epic and sorrowful - well, that's something that could be applied to the entire saga, right? :P
On the other hand, I thought everything with the Azath Tower and the Barrows to feel kind of... superfluous? It's not filler, but it feels like it's building blocks for something that's gonna be relevant in the future instead of meaningfully closing that narrative thread. I mean, Silchas got out but Sheltatha Lore didn't (for a while, at least) and despite Iron Bars overall badassitude, the threat of the Seregahl was literally dealt with off-page. And that was it. It felt like the "actual" point was for Silchas, the Crimson Guard, Kettle, Shurq and Seren together... and
Fear, after parting ways with Trull. But it clearly is more of a "this is a journey's beginning, not its destination" type of thing.
Speaking of the Sengar brothers, it's interesting that we *still* don't know what caused Trull's shorning - we have inklings of ideas, we can assume stuff, but no definite answer (so far). Maybe one day we know. Maybe we don't. But it feels like it's inevitable at this point
since Rhulad was begging Trull and Fear to kill him and they both refused (a scene that made me feel *really* bad for Rhulad, I have to admit. It was very well done, Steven Erikson). I can only assume when he comes back he'll probably interpret that reluctance as their brothers disliking him so much they would've preferred to see him suffering instead of granting him mercy... which is doubly sad because Trull stays with him *precisely* to try to steer him, against all odds, from his fast descent into madness. Oh, and Trull... poor guy, really. Not much more to be said considering where he's gonna end up in "the future" of HoC - I do think it's subtly tragic this whole thing with Seren Pedac
him gving her the sword, subtly 'nudged' by the Errant I assume, in what's evidently this Edur gesture of betrothal, and both convincing themselves it's "only a weapon to be used". We know they know it's bullshit. And I hope they somehow end up together, these two very damaged precious souls who have seen too much suffering and can't really cope with all the guilt upon their shoulders.
So... all in all, great shit. Great, great shit. Loved the social commentary on capitalism throughout the book, loved the depth of the characters and I thought its somewhat reduced scale (compared to other books in the saga in which we jump from locale to different locale sometimes multiple times per chapter) really worked in its favor, giving it a very... unique flavor in respect to its predecessors. Were it not for the usage of very specific terms (like the Edur/Andii/Liosan stuff, or the KCCM, or Warrens, or the Azath, etc.) I'd actually say some people could start with this one instead of GOTM... but I know people would disagree and I see why. After all, there's a reason Erikson wrote this story after the other four books.
What comes next? You know it, I know it, we all know it... it's THE BONEHUNTERS! I don't think I'll do regular updates anymore (since personal stuff has become really overwhelming) but at least I know I am in the mood for reading, which means the personal issues *are* getting better...
Hidden content
You need to reply to this thread in order to see this content.
Random stuff, as usual:
- The epilogue was great, especially Bugg coming to Withal's aid!! FUCK YEAH!
- Whose finger did Feather Witch find in the Throne Room? I totally missed that.
- Iron Bars was preeeeetty damn badass, gotta say.
- I appreciated the random bits of humor splashed in even when shit is hitting the fan. Harlest doing the hissing shit never fails to make me laugh.
- Gerun Eberict was a goddamn psycho and I'm glad he got rekt
- Poor Hull and, goddammit, I dunno if I feel in peace or not for Brys' fate.
- What I did find horrifying was the fate of Queen Janall and Prince Quillas... ugh.
This is what's in my mind right now. Maybe some things will pop up in conversation! Thanks for reading and all the support :)