When people say a book is one of the weakest books an author has written in an massive intergalactic universe called the Cosmere, you would think thatWhen people say a book is one of the weakest books an author has written in an massive intergalactic universe called the Cosmere, you would think that it would be mediocre, or even bad, especially when people talk about the weakest books in other series, eg, the middle books in the Wheel of Time, you expect it to not be great. When people say it’s one of the weakest books by Brandon Sanderson, since this was his debut work, what I think they actually was meant to say is that, since all of his other books are off the charts in their awesomeness, this book is weak compared to other Sanderson books, not to other books in the genre. I don’t know, maybe I’m being biased since he is my favourite author at the moment.
For a debut book, and a standalone work at that(I’m aware future books may be planned in the future, so excited!) the world building is absolute incredible. There are three maps for this one book, with all of them being very detailed, and I can’t possibly imagine the amount of effort this guy puts into his books. There is a very unique magic system, with its own unique rules, and a world with not the usual, oh look, there are two countries, but no, there are all sorts of different types of ethnic groups and religions and everything is done so very, which is a wonderful thing to see.
I will say that I did not like this book as much as I enjoyed the Mistborn series, and Stormlight Archives(which is what I will be reading next), so I do get what everyone means by being one of the weaker books in the Cosmere. The first several hundred pages are a very slow burn, which may not suit everyone, and perhaps I will say that it did drag on for a little longer than it may have needed to, being bogged down with political bickering, although I do think Sanderson does a really good job at doing this. The last one hundred pages and a bit is full of intense action and is much faster paced than the first two thirds of the book, with action being one of the things that I find Sanderson writes incredibly well.
I really liked all of the characters, though I was a tad bit surprised that Sarene did not work out the identity of a particular person earlier. All the characters had their own faults and personalities, that made them feel like real human, instead some sort of mythical hero. Even the antagonist was someone that the reader could sympathise with, which I really appreciate in Sanderson’s writing than using the tradition fantasy trope of a Dark Lord/one/being of whatever, not that there is anything wrong with that, for if it is done well, it can be very enjoyable of a tale indeed.
Some things were expected, like the grand final reveal, as the entire book has been building up to that point, but things like Hrathen’s transformation as a character were not, not to mention other plots details that I won’t spoil here. Since this is Sanderson’s first work, one can really appreciate how far he has come as a writer and how his books have improved over time. And no, it’s not me at the edge of my seat with my eyes moist at the end, no, that’s you read anything by this guy. 9/10...more
Rereading this was honestly such an awesome experience, like wow. I have all the feels right now for Malazan. It’s been around two years since I firstRereading this was honestly such an awesome experience, like wow. I have all the feels right now for Malazan. It’s been around two years since I first read this and since then, I have had a lot more experience with adult fantasy and rereading it this time, I really was able to understand a lot more of what was going on, but also being able to appreciate it a lot better. Malazan is probably in my top 5 series of all time and I do believe that this series really highlights what fantasy is capable of in the level of worldbuilding and scope. With that being said, it isn’t perfect however I much that I do happen to love it(which is a lot).
One thing that this book gets right is this whole aspect of following these soldiers and getting their perspectives in war, and that it is a brutal and devastating thing. This is a series that largely follows normal people and soldiers who have perhaps found themselves in a position of fame or authority(obviously there are people like Rake and Shadowthrone, so this isn’t always the case). It doesn’t always focus on the tactics and strategy of a particular battle, but rather the soldiers that are living through the moment which I really like.
Another thing that I’m sure anybody has read this series is that the worldbuilding is immense, with several different magic systems, different realms and an entire world to explore whether it is Seven Cities, Genabackis and later on in the series, Letherii. I find that very few series can match it in its scope of its worldbuilding that I have yet read, with some comparable examples being The Wheel of Time, Middle-Earth(LotR, Silmarillion etc) and A Song of Ice and Fire. I’m a huge sucker for good worldbuilding and the world that had been created here manages to just feel so full of everything.
Coltaine’s March is truly epic in how it is written and the way it ends is quite chilling. I managed to really enjoy each and individual POV points and found them all to be interesting in their own right. While I enjoyed some more than others, there wasn’t one I actually disliked reading about or wasn’t in engaged in.
One thing I have found that earlier on in this massive series, is that since there are so many characters, there are a few here and there that I can’t properly connect with or love straight away, which is perfectly understandable as you want them to develop. There are many that really shine straight away, but at the same time, there are also a few that just after rereading this book, that from here, I don’t love immensely yet.
I don’t really have the most to say about this book though it certainly is very interesting to be rereading some of Malazan and to be immersed in this world once again. Also, for some reason, I’m in this huge mood to read Malazan and I don’t know why. 9.8/10 ...more
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