Review

We liked

Trilogy that promises to be high-flying.
An unlikely duo
who will move mountains.
The recipe Humor, dramatic intensity and high tension perfectly balanced
An introduction to the Malazan Empire.

We didn’t like

Unless you don’t like novels that will sweep away everything in their path…

Knock Knock! Today I’m going to tell you about a novel that stuck with me and which I had the pleasure of having had in my hands during the literary festival of the Imaginales. This is the Malazian novel by Ian C. Esslemont THE DANCER’S COMPLAINTvolume 1 of the trilogy THE PATH OF ASCENDENCE. And this novel keeps its promises.

Ian Cameron Esslemont was born in Canada, in Winnipeg in 1962. He was an archaeologist. He lived and worked in Southeast Asia, including four years in Thailand and Japan, before beginning his career as a writer. He has published ten novels set in the Malazian world, a universe he co-wrote with his friend Steven Erikson. Their books were born following the many games of Dungeons & Dragons… Thank you very much D&D!
He lives in Fairbanks, Alaska with his family, his wife is novelist Gerri Brightwell.

PRESENTATION OF THE BOOK OF THE MARTYRS BY STEVEN ERIKSON

The summary

Before the Malazan Empire, the world was in turmoil..

At the heart of Quon Tali is the mighty city-state of Li Heng, which for centuries enjoyed stability under the rule of the “Protectress”, a powerful magician. This is not the kind of woman to tolerate the arrival on her territory of two power-hungry young men: one is determined to prove that he is the most talented assassin of his generation; the other, the prey of the first, is a Dal-Honian mage who proves exceedingly difficult to kill. The Protector and her cabal of mages were enough to repel Quon Tali’s Iron Legions, so how could these two troublemakers harm her reign?

A problem that rarely comes alone, Itko Kan’s troops have left their southern lands on the orders of their ambitious new king, to march on Li Heng. His assassins, the Lamenuits, have been sent to scout the city, and rumor has it that the ruler also has nightmarish and inhuman forces at his disposal. As shadows mingle with mistrust, monstrous beasts, which the people claim to see appearing out of nowhere, rampage through the streets of Li Heng – it seems chaos threatens the city. But chaos is also a vector of opportunities for those who know how to take advantage of it…

A new vision of the Malazian universe.

This trilogy is the genesis of the Malazan Empire. Let’s not forget that Esslemont was an archaeologist by trade, he laid the future foundations cycle of martyrs by Steven Erikson. The novel will also begin with the discovery of a mineral zone that looks like a prison, or even a tomb where Gothos, a Jaghut, awaits new visitors. This mysterious scene sets the tone!

In THE DANCER’S COMPLAINT Ian C. Esslemont goes straight to the point! Lwhere Steven Erikson will lay an oversized web of intrigues, protagonists, many places whose answers will wait for several volumes.. or not! Ian C. Esslemont has a tighter approach, less cryptic and more explanatory. This complementary and less sprawling vision makes the Malazian universe fascinating.

In 462 pages, the novel tells the fate of these two foreigners Dorin Rav and Wu, the first is an assassin from Tali who wishes to make a reputation for himself in the profession by tracking down the second, a Dal-Honian mage . This game of cat and mouse will plunge them, in the city-state of Li Heng, into trouble up to their necks, the fault of a local underworld active in the midst of a clan war, of the city’s mages who are determined to eliminate any assassin or mage sowing discord. But one cannot survive without the other, Dorin and Wu will have to team up and play it smart if they want to do well in the affairs of the city…

I particularly like the Dorin/Wu duo (an improvised pseudonym) which works wonderfully and makes sparks all the more so as they are going to change the world: we discover the youth of emblematic protagonists..

In watermark we have the Malazean mythology looming. Want to know more about warrens and their intrasic nature? You trembled in the face of the Molossians, but what do we really know? Chaotic creatures bent on destruction or animated guardians of a crucial goal? At this level, Ian C. Esslemont will deliver a lot of explanations andt underline all the importance to come of a central character dear to Erikson in the shadow of a warren…

The novel is under permanent tension, the Kanie invasionnne will soon be at the gates of the city and the other threat comes from Rhyllandaras the Curse of Li Heng, who lurks in the region.

Ryllandaras had unleashed on this caravan like the predator that he was.

Ryllandaras was a beast that fed on humans…was it necessary to know more?

Religion and cults are omnipresent in Li Heng, power and citizens are intimately linked to spirituality. This will weigh heavily in the course of the plot because if there are many religions that thrive in Heng, there is also this emerging mysterious cult that inspires distrust, rumors and superstitions: the cult of a certain Ghoul protected by a certain Dassem…

Ian Esslemont uses geographical verticality to build storylines! The story takes place at 90% within the walls of the capital, the story takes place as much on the roofs as in the heart of the city, in its disreputable streets or in the depths of the city which conceal magic, dark secrets and powers lurking in the shadows..

The novel plays the clandestine adventure card and it’s a treat chapter after chapter to discover that the shadow of war raises the stakes until its cataclysmic finale.

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

The author gives life to a crowd of hyper-worked and complex characters. The story gives a triangular point of view. First Dorin and Wu who will make as many allies as enemies. On the other, the Kannian invaders with a big focus on the blade dancers infiltrated into the city. That of power and its army faced with an accumulation of both internal and external threats, each party risking very big!

Thereby, Shalmanate watching over the city-state for centuries, named ‘the Protector’ is fascinating and ambiguous (Ryllandaras).

Many in the streets were those who thought the city had found a new saint/…/ Shalmanate, patron deity of Heng. Some called her a queen

It has mages, rather badass to maintain order and maintain peace. I let you enjoy..

Situated before her, the crowd also at a respectful distance from them, were four city mages, each powerful enough to rule a country, but having chosen to place themselves in her service, as if to affirm that she feared no one. rivetedI

Powerful and dangerous, certainly.. Hothalar named Ho is the most fascinating and mysterious, his mastery of magic makes him a complex and secret character.

Koroll thelomen mountain; Wild-haired Mara, who could grind stone to dust; Dirty barefooted Hothalar, who many said had the strength of a war elephant; and the well-dressed Smoky, the mage of Telas, who had reduced Kartool’s entire fleet…

At the antagonistic level, in addition to the opposing Kanian army and King Chulalorn eager for conquests, it is the blade dancers alias the Lamenuits who have infiltrated the city. They act on the rooftops after dark, with rumors blowing that the city harbors death for all the unwary who dare to go outside. Iko and Hallens have a clear opinion on this city, one calling it a rat hole… As a reader, we admire these extraordinary women and elite guards worthy of the troutesses of Dunes to plunge into the heart of the enemy!

Irrecoverable antagonist, Pung the leader of one of the clans of the underworld is the archetype of junka monster that does not hesitate to exploit human misery. But sometimes the monsters are not what you imagine, like Ryllandaras the beast-man, the scourge that plagues the province and sows death and destruction in its path. Of a power mstrous but terribly human, love is his curse.

Sometimes the emotion touches you like Ullara, daughter of Groom, the bird collector who collects her orphans and other wounded souls and who will heal Dorin. He is a disturbing, surreal, poetic character, fragile in appearance but possessing real strength. My favorite character!

The actions of Dorin and Wuk, which will not go unnoticed, will upset the chessboard of interests and alliances that already exist. The imminent invasion, the cumulative internal conflicts will amplify tension and raise the stakes, everyone wanting to get out of the game! Manipulations and betrayals are on the program, the image of the mages, not ready to lose power regardless of the outcome of the conflict!

THE PATH OF ASCENDENCE is the ideal gateway to the Malazian universe, the magical narration of Ian C. Esslemont offers you a turnkey guide to exploring the perfect Malazian. Fans of Steven Erikson and the main cycle will rediscover this fascinating universe in a new light, the latter is decidedly far from being Manichean, but promises dizzying prospects.

This novel has all the assets to attract a wider audience. I found there the same intensity and fury as with Robert Jackson Bennett’s Master Illuminatorsand will also appeal to fans of great epic stories from The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson or The black company by Glen Cook.

So go for it, it’s already a must!

THE WAY OF ASCENDANCE is the not-to-be-missed epic fantasy trilogy whose rise to power promises to be furious, with its colorful characters and a universe that won’t stop surprising you…

Can’t wait for its sequel planned for next winter. Winter is Coming…

‘These novels will sweep away everything in their path, as did those of Tolkien in the 1960s’ Marion Bradley Zimmer, author of Ladies of the Lake

Thanks to Leha editions and to all the publishing players who make this dream editorial tour possible! The 2 ascendants Steven Erikson & Ian C. Esslemont are of an extreme sympathy and a Monster talent. The Dream Team what!

The next book in the Malazian universe is scheduled for June 17, 2022, volume 9 of Steven Erikson’s Martyrs book. Be there, I promise it will be fine!

This column was a real challenge for me, do not hesitate to comment on it 🙂

where to find it

At the publisher

Review – THE WAY OF ASCENDANCE T.1 (Ian C. Esslemont): The epic and essential prequel to the Martyrs books by Steven Erikson