Plot summary
The first volume of House of Chains takes place prior to the events of the previous three books. A mighty Teblor warrior named Karsa Orlong descends from his mountain fastness on Genabackis, beginning a campaign against civilisation that leads to the deaths of his brothers and his capture by the Malazan Empire. Karsa is brought to the subcontinent of Seven Cities via a slave ship, where he befriends local rebel Leoman of the Flails. The two escape the Malazans and travel to the holy desert of Raraku to join Sha'ik, where Karsa is revealed to be the Toblakai who previously appeared in Deadhouse Gates.
The action moves forward to immediately after the events of Deadhouse Gates. The Chain of Dogs - the evacuation of 50,000 Malazan civilians across 1,500 miles of hostile territory - has ended in the tragic loss of the entire 7th army and its heroic commander, Coltaine. However, their sacrifice has bought the lives of nearly 30,000 refugees. The Chain of Dogs has become a legend spreading across Seven Cities, cowing even those responsible for its destruction. Now, Adjunct Tavore Paran arrives in Seven Cities at the head of the 14th Army, largely consisting of untried recruits. Their mission is to advance into the heart of the Holy Desert Raraku, the very heart of the rebellion known as the Whirlwind, and destroy Sha'ik and her forces once and for all.
However, the newly instated Sha'ik is in fact Tavore's sister Felisin - a fact known only by her companion Heboric Light Touch. Though the rebels outnumber the Malazans vastly, all is not well in Sha'ik's camp. Internal conflicts threatens to destroy her army before the Malazans can, while Karsa refuses invitations from the Crippled God to become his Knight of Chains. Elsewhere, Kalam, Cutter, and Apsalar find themselves drawn into a desperate struggle for control of the Throne of Shadow, while a Tiste Edur warrior named Trull Sengar embarks on a journey across several realms with a T'lan Imass named Onrack.
The Malazan army reaches Raraku, and witnesses the disintegration of the rebel forces amidst several betrayals. An armoured Felisin is liberated from the control of the Whirlwind Goddess, but goes unrecognised by her sister and is tragically killed by her. The Malazan forces are also assisted by a ghostly army of Bridgeburners, who have achieved a state of ascendancy, and the desert of Raraku is flooded. Leoman escapes with the remnants of the rebel forces, while Karsa departs on his own journey.
In an epilogue, Trull and Onrack arrive at the First Throne - where Trull begins a story that is told in full in Midnight Tides.
Li Zicheng, born Li Hongji, also known by the nickname, Dashing King, was a Chinese peasant rebel leader who overthrew the Ming dynasty in 1644 and ruled over northern China briefly as the Yongchang Emperor of the short-lived Shun dynasty before his death a year later.
Steve Rune Lundin, known by his pseudonym Steven Erikson, is a Canadian novelist who was educated and trained as both an archaeologist and anthropologist.
A Clash of Kings is the second of seven planned novels in A Song of Ice and Fire, an epic fantasy series by American author George R. R. Martin. It was first published on November 16, 1998 in the United Kingdom; the first United States edition followed on February 2, 1999. Like its predecessor, A Game of Thrones, it won the Locus Award for best novel and was nominated for the Nebula Award for best novel. In May 2005, Meisha Merlin released a limited edition of the novel, fully illustrated by John Howe.
Gardens of the Moon is the first of ten novels in Canadian author Steven Erikson's high fantasy series the Malazan Book of the Fallen.
Malazan Book of the Fallen is a series of epic fantasy novels written by the Canadian author Steven Erikson. The series, published by Bantam Books in the U.K. and Tor Books in the U.S., consists of ten volumes, beginning with Gardens of the Moon (1999) and concluding with The Crippled God (2011). Erikson's series is extremely complex with a wide scope, and presents the narratives of a large cast of characters spanning thousands of years across multiple continents.
Deadhouse Gates is an epic fantasy novel by Canadian writer Steven Erikson, the second in his series Malazan Book of the Fallen. Deadhouse Gates follows on from the first novel, Gardens of the Moon, and takes place simultaneously with events in the third novel Memories of Ice. The novel was first published in the United Kingdom as a trade paperback on 1 September 2000, with a mass-market paperback edition followed on 1 October 2001. The first United States edition was published in hardback by Tor Books on 28 February 2005 with a mass-market paperback edition following on 7 February 2006. This is the only novel in the series where the UK and US editions share the same cover; the other US books use a different cover artist and style. It received mixed to positive reviews, with critics praising the tones, the softer introduction, and the plot. Some critics criticized the way the book starts again in another continent.
Memories of Ice is an epic fantasy novel by Canadian writer Steven Erikson, the third volume in his series the Malazan Book of the Fallen. The events of Memories of Ice begin just after the first book, Gardens of the Moon, and at the same time as the second, Deadhouse Gates.
Midnight Tides is the fifth volume of Canadian author Steven Erikson's epic fantasy series, the Malazan Book of the Fallen. Although it is part of the larger series, it has only limited references to the previous books. However, it is not a stand-alone volume as the events of the books Reaper's Gale and Dust of Dreams follow on from it.
The Bonehunters is the sixth volume in Canadian author Steven Erikson's epic fantasy series, the Malazan Book of the Fallen. The Bonehunters is a direct sequel to the fourth volume, House of Chains, and alludes to events in the fifth, Midnight Tides.
Glorious Appearing: The End of Days is the 12th book in the Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. Released on Tuesday, March 30, 2004, this book sees the surviving believers awaiting the return of Jesus Christ as the war of Armageddon and the seven-year Tribulation period draws to its climax. It was on The New York Times Best Seller list for 22 weeks.
Esfandiyār or Espandiyār is a legendary Iranian hero and one of the characters of Ferdowsi's Shahnameh. He was the son and the crown prince of the Kayanian King Goshtasp and Queen Katāyoun. He was the grandchild of Kay Lohrasp.
Tyr is a fictional character, an Asgardian god appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is based on the Norse god of the same name. Along with Thor and Balder, he is one of Odin's biological sons.
Reaper's Gale is the seventh volume of Canadian author Steven Erikson's epic fantasy series, the Malazan Book of the Fallen. Reaper's Gale is a direct sequel to both the fifth and sixth volumes, Midnight Tides and The Bonehunters.
Return of the Crimson Guard is a fantasy novel by Canadian author Ian Cameron Esslemont, his second book set in the world of the Malazan Book of the Fallen, co-created with friend and colleague Steven Erikson. Chronologically, Return of the Crimson Guard takes place after the events in Erikson's sixth Malazan novel, The Bonehunters. Return of the Crimson Guard is the second of six planned novels by Esslemont to take place in the Malazan world, starting with Night of Knives and followed by Stonewielder.
Tous son of Nowzar is a mythological Iranian prince and hero from the Pishdadian dynasty, whose deeds and adventures were told in Ferdowsi's Shahnameh.
The Kharkanas Trilogy is an epic fantasy series by the Canadian writer Steven Erikson. The series consists of three novels, two of which—Forge of Darkness and Fall of Light—have been published as of 2023. The series serves as a prequel to Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen series, and tells the story of the Tiste, Jaghut and Azathanai, three hundred thousand years before the Malazan Empire began its conquest on Genabackis, with a focus on characters such as Anomander Rake, Draconus, Hood, Gothos and K'rul. The series draws inspiration from the Shakespearean declamation style, and is framed as being told by one poet to another. It was received positively by critics as well as readers.
Toll the Hounds is the eighth novel in Canadian author Steven Erikson's epic fantasy series, the Malazan Book of the Fallen. It was first published on June 30, 2008 in the UK and Canada, and on September 16, 2008 in the USA.
List of complete works by Canadian fantasy fiction author Steven Erikson.
