This book truly is awesome, its exciting, fulfilling and keeps you on the edge of your seat right the way through to the end and beyond.
This book carries on from Deadhouse Gates, and writes about the rebellion aka "Sha'ik's Whirlind" that has sweeped across genabackis and how Adjunct Tavore (Ganoes Paran's sister) has been given the task of destroying the rebellion with a rag tag army of recruits.
We see the old characters from Deadhouse Gates in this book like, Fiddler, Kalam, Crokus, Apsalar and many more. Also what is interesting about this novel, is that it begins with the tale of a character who was barely even mentioned in Deadhouse Gates, this character is called Karsa a Toblakai who was first mentioned in the first few pages of Deadhouse Gates when the first sha'ik was assassinated by the Red Blades.
Anyway Karsa's story is set before any of the stories in the other novels took place, and tells us everything about him and the part he plays and still has to play in these truly amazing stories.
As usual Steven Erikson writes with a lot of detail which as usual compliments the story than hindering it and making it boring.
As you all will know the battles in his stories are extremely violent and grusomely detailed and this story is no exception, but I find this gives more realism to the story and the battles in general, and it makes the novels more exciting.
This novel will close a lot of doors from previous novels, but as with all of his novels they actually open more doors than they close, its this style of writing which keeps us waiting in agony for the next instalment, and making us frustrated that the books could end so soon when there is so much left to cover.
But over all it is another hit from perhaps THE BEST author of fantasy novels in this day and age, it's his attention to detail and his merciless imagination which sets him apart from most fantasy authors and puts him straight up in the big league with the likes of Tolkien.
I advise to anyone thinking of buying this novel to buy it over the net because i will tell you now you will not be able to find it in any high street retail shops, I spent ages looking for this novel, I even went to this giant book shop in Cambridge which had like four floors in it and they didnt even have it, they only had Memories Of Ice (what about the other novels, insult or what) in the end I had to order it over the net because I just couldnt find it anywhere. So avoid the hassel and just order it from Amazon.
But like I said this is a truly magnificent story from a highly under rated, and highly ignored MASTER of fantasy novels, who never seems to be given the light of day by anyone.