In the past, Steven Erikson has accustomed readers to sprawling fantasy works featuring complex storylines that span multiple ages and volumes, as well as huge casts of characters spread across continents. However, The God Is Not Willing was a much smaller, more focused tale, following a handful of protagonists over a couple of plotlines. As such, this was the author's most accessible novel to date. And I'm pleased to report that the same can be said of No Life Forsaken.
In typical Malazan fashion, this new book has little or nothing to do with its predecessor. Indeed, Erikson takes us to another continent with a new cast of characters (even if a few familiar faces show up). While The God Is Not Willing took place in northern Genabackis, No Life Forsaken takes us back to Seven Cities. In many ways, this newest Malazan installment serves as the follow-up to the great Seven Cities story arc that began in Deadhouse Gates and ended in The Bonehunters.
Here's the blurb:
A goddess awakens to a new world, only to find that some things never change.
Amidst the ashes of a failed rebellion in Seven Cities, new embers are flaring to life.
There are furrowed brows at the beleaguered Malazan Legion headquarters in G’danisban for it would appear that yet another bloody clash with the revived cult of the Apocalyptic is coming to a head.
Seeking to crush the uprising before it ignites the entire subcontinent, Fist Arenfall has only a few dozen squads of marines at his disposal, and many of those are already dispersed - endeavouring to stamp out multiple brush-fires of dissent. But his soldiers are exhausted, worn down by the grind of a simmering insurrection and the last thing Arenfall needs is the arrival of the new Adjunct, fresh from the capital and the Emperor's side.
The man's mission may be to lend support to Arenfall’s efforts . . . or stick a knife in his back. 'Twas ever thus, of course. That a popular commander should inevitably be seen as a threat to the Emperor - such is the fatal nature of imperial Malazan politics.
And what of the gods? Well, as recent history has proved, their solution to any mortal mess is to make it even messier. In other words, it's just another tumultuous day in the chequered history of the Malazan Empire.
It's great to be back in Seven Cities, let me tell you! While the entire subcontinent is once again on the brink of rebellion, the tables have turned. In the Malazan Book of the Fallen, the Whirlwind rebellion unleashed by the native tribes were meant to wipe out the occupying Malazan armies. Essentially, it was about Seven Cities fighting for its independence and falling before the Malazan Empire's might. Now, more than a decade later, that failed rebellion inspires a new generation of malcontent to take up arms and it's up to the Malazan forces to keep the peace and prevent the subcontinent from falling into chaos yet again. Trouble is, with such a fractious lot bent on supposedly holy purity and genocidal pursuit, it wouldn't take much for ideological violence to erupt and spread across Seven Cities. With his forces already spread too thin, the arrival of an Adjunct likely sent to murder him, and various sects already fanning the embers of the uprising, hoping to cause an inferno that will ultimately drive the Malazan armies off the subcontinent altogether and wipe out religious foes near and far, it's all Fist Arenfall can do to keep his head above water.
Compared to the original series, No Life Forsaken is a relatively small work. Weighing in at about 435 pages, it's less than half the size of some Malazan behemoths. And yet, with the groundwork laid out by more than twenty Malazan titles by both Erikson and Esslemont, the Tales of Witness installments don't require as much exposition. And I for one don't necessarily miss the more philosophical monologues that we had to go through in the latter part of the Malazan Book of the Fallen. Mind you, like The God Is Not Willing this novel contains the same sort of thoughtful musings from past Malazan installments, but those are offset by a vast amount of wry humor and levity in the face of such mindless violence and calamity. Once again, it sometimes felt like Erikson was trying a bit too hard to be funny, but it works a bit better than it did in the first volume. I guess it's just a question of time before Erikson finds the right balance, but it doesn't take anything away from the overall reading experience.
Once more, the cast of characters is as disparate as it is engaging. As was the case with the previous book, quite a few are too badass and all-powerful for my taste, and I'm not talking about God-touched characters or Ascendants here. Just seemingly ordinary people and soldiers. Steven Erikson has a knack for creating interesting protagonists and No Life Forsaken is another great example of that. Fist Jalan Arenfall makes for a charismatic leader and I always enjoyed his perspective. Adjunct Inkaras Sollit and his bodyguard Hadalin Bhilad also made for interesting POVs. Getting the points of view of both Talon and Claw agents was also a treat. On the humorous side, the author went completely overboard with the two sappers' plotline, but I figure that your mileage will vary in that regard. Yet the two highlights of this novel, as far as I'm concerned, would have to be Shamalle, High Priestess of Va’Shaik in G’danisban, and Bornu Blatt, reluctant Inquisitor of Va’Shaik and atheist to boot. These two made for memorable scenes throughout the novel! And then there are the few scenes featuring the mysterious Corporal Hasten Thenu, whom fans believe might be Quick Ben. Not sure about this, but there is indeed a lot more than meets the eye regarding the corporal who isn't a corporal.
Although there are no major revelations and the fact that each new answers raises yet more questions, No Life Forsaken still offers new hints about the Gods and their powers, the new Warrens, Icarium's legacy, Shadowthrone's plans, and more. Hopefully more revelations will be unveiled in the forthcoming Legacies of Betrayal. One thing I didn't expect were the connections between this new series and the Kharkanas trilogy. It will be interesting to see if Walk in Shadow, the final volume in that trilogy, will have any repercussions on the storylines of the rest of the Tales of Witness.
My only complaint is that this novel was too short. I would have taken more and I'm sure I'm not the only one. It feels as though Erikson elected to keep a lot of the atrocities and battles in the background this time around. God knows that the Seven Cities story arc has seen some of the most violent sequences in the entire Malazan Book of the Fallen. One only has to think of the Chain of Dogs and Coltaine's crucifixion after Mallick Rel's betrayal at the gates of Aren. It's almost as if the author has decided that enough blood had been shed and enough innocent lives lost on the subcontinent, and that No Life Forsaken need not go down that road to tell its tale. As was the case with The God Is Not Willing, one thing I found compelling was the level of compassion found between the covers of this book. It adds another dimension to what is probably the most multilayered fantasy saga ever written.
With Legacies of Betrayal already turned in, let's hope that we'll get the third volume in the fall of 2026. Because I can't wait to sink my teeth into it!
The final verdict: 8.5/10
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