Memories of Ice (The Malazan Book of the Fallen, Book 3) Mass Market Paperback – August 1, 2006

I've heard from many people that you have the read the first three books in Malazan to really make an informed decision as to whether or not it's right for you. If that's the case, then it's absolutely right for me! The writing gets progressively better as the series goes on, and the arcs that were tied up in this third book are so satisfying. Each book is great as a standalone and you don't really realize how many little arcs are still hanging out there unfinished until you read this book. I can't wait to keep going with the series.

The book arrived in pretty much new condition and the plastic cover of the dust jacket keeps it in pristine condition!

Memories of Ice is a 900+ epic fantasy novel by Canadian author Steven Erikson. Three-dimensional characters and gritty realism enrich this story. The plot combines Lord of the Rings battle scenes and the desolation of Mordor, Game of Thrones without the endless graphic sex, and an imaginary world similar to Perdido Street Station. This is the third book in the 10-book series The Malazan Book of the Fallen, but the only one I enjoyed enough to purchase for a reread.The story centers on characters opposing a religious zealot bent on world domination and a Crippled God manipulating the destruction from afar. The plot is complex, often unnecessarily so, and the cast of characters expansive (there are four pages of named characters in the book’s front matter). Yet the author’s writing is strong enough to draw the reader through the story.The main characters are deftly portrayed and compelling: a veteran soldier Whiskeyjack who longs for peaceful retirement; Ganoes Panon, a nobleman trying to avoid the gods and earn the respect of his squad; Gruntle, a caravan guard who becomes much more from the pressure of war; a knight named Itkovian whose compassion stole my heart, and Lady Envy, a vain sorceress with a droll sense of humor.Struggling to survive when attacked by the religious zealot and his cannibal followers, and the survival of the entire world if they can’t stop the Crippled God’s poisoning of the earth, create compelling stakes. The tension from these high stakes kept me turning pages.My emotional reaction to the story was the most resonant aspect of the novel. I literally cried at the funeral scene after the novel’s climax. Intense battle scenes are balanced with hilarious dialogue. Exchanges between the caravan captain Gruntle and a guard, Stonny:“If he’s smart he’ll quit that contract.”“Well, none of us are as smart as you, Stonny.”“Don’t I know it.”Stonny is one of many strong and interesting female characters. Although most of the leads are male, the women steal the story when they’re on the page. Here’s more dialogue between (female) Corporal Picker and her scout Blend:“No doubt there’s a tale there.”“Indeed, but it’s not relevant.”“Meaning you don’t know it.”“Precisely.”The prose itself was another pleasure, equal parts poetry and true-to-life realism:The rain was abating, the dawn’s steel smear pushing through heavy clouds to the east, the wind falling off into fitful gusts.Midges swarmed the tall-grass prairie, the grainy black clouds tumbling over the faded, wavering green. Oxen bellowed and moaned in their yokes, their eyes covered with clusters of the frenzied insects.I don’t really understand the magical warrens, which functioned as portals, or entire multiverse-worlds, or as sources of magic, or all of the above. Some characters died and stayed dead, others came back to life through these portals, and there were undead characters as well. At times this hand-waving was too convenient, though it worked most of the time in this book.Memories of Ice is a satisfying reading experience with strong characterization and emotional resonance.

Great book! Though Erikson went full creative mode with this one, just nonstop trickling of information. And though I liked the plot and characters, I find a lot of the character conversations feeling very similar or distant at times. Can be hard to connect with depending on the character. But I won't lie nobody writes like this, that I've read, and it's a real treat(and challenge).

I reviewed the first two books separately. I happen to like this one the best, and I've yet to read book four, which I will do in time. I would rate this one a 4.5 but alas, i cannot give half stars.Positives:Like the second book, Deadhouse Gates, the character development is far better now that we have gotten to know most of the main characters in this story through book one, Gardens of the Moon.Quick Ben and Paran team up to become a solid pair of characters to can really root for in this one. Loved the attention given to picker, and loved how Kruppe emerges as a character you can laugh at and appreciate as possibly Erikson's best creation of the series so far. Whiskeyjack becomes an icon in this one and you can begin to see why he's so beloved rather than simply being told he is. I liked finally getting to know Brood and Rake somewhat. In the end Erikson wins me over with his character development by shear volume of words. What some authors accomplish in 300-500 pages, it only took Erikson 1700 pages to accomplish.In all 3 of the books I've read, Erikson has been very good at dialog. I do enjoy reading his dialog, and wish there were more of it.We begin to understand the complexities of deities, ascendants, who they are, what they are, how they got where they are, and all that stuff, a lot better now because of our familiarity with the series, the characters, and more histories are given, and Erikson, thank God, is finally giving us better explanations of how things work in this rich and complex world!The complexity of the storyline is well received and appreciated in book three, whereas in book one it simply puzzled the reader, and likely lost fans who would have very much enjoyed this installment. The reason why it works here is it's brilliant in how Erikson ties things together by the end. Small details you thought were irrelevant suddenly become 'oh wow!" moments.The emotional tug in this one is not a tug like in book two, it's jarring, and that means the author succeeded in pulling the reader into his story.Negatives:As I mentioned in my review of Deadhouse Gates, the length of this book is fine, but I feel that it is only this long because 100 or more pages were given to dreams and characters having long conversations with themselves. This isn't bad in and of itself, but Erikson waxes eloquent for page after page and really out thinks the room here. I found myself having to re-read those sections and still not being able to really grasp the meaning or point. It prolongs, and simply halts forward momentum of the story. I understand that there was a point, that there was meaning, but he shrouds it in poetry to the point of frustration, not because he does it, but because he does it so often and for so long. A little goes along way.Oddly, I found the word "muttered" used quite often in this book. I did not notice it so frequently used in the previous books.