House of Chains
'I stand slack-jawed in awe of The Malazan Book of the Fallen. This masterwork of the imagination may be the high watermark of epic fantasy.' Glen Cook
'This is true myth in the making, a drawing upon fantasy to recreate histories and legends as rich as any found within our culture' Interzone
In Northern Genabackis, just before the events recounted in Gardens of the Moon, a raiding party of tribal warriors descends from the mountains into the southern flat lands. Their intention is to wreak havoc among the despised lowlanders but for one amongst their number, it is the beginning of an extraordinary destiny. His name is Karsa Orlong.
Some years later, it is the aftermath of the Chain of Dogs. Coltaine, revered commander of the Malazan 7th Army, is dead. And now Tavore, sister of Ganoes Paran and Adjunct to the Empress, recently arrived at the last remaining Malazan stronghold of the Seven Cities, must take charge. Untested and new to command, she must hone a small army of twelve thousand soldiers, mostly raw recruits, into a viable fighting force and lead them against the masses of Sha'ik's Whirlwind. Her only hope of success rests with the few remaining survivors from Coltaine's legendary march.
In distant Raraku, in the heart of the Holy Desert, the seer Sha'ik waits with her increasingly restless rebel army. And waiting is never easy, especially when a disparate collection of warlords - tribal chiefs, High Mages, a renegade Malazan Fist and his sorceror - is locked in a vicious power struggle that threatens to tear the rebellion apart from within. And Sha'ik herself suffers, haunted by the private knowledge of the one she knows is her nemesis . . .
So begins this epic novel of war, intrigue, betrayal and magic - the awesome fourth chapter in one of the landmark works of epic fantasy, Steven Erikson's The Malazan Book of the Fallen.
'The most masterful piece of fiction I have ever read. It has single-handedly changed everything we thought we knew about fantasy literature and redefined what is possible.' SF Site
'Arguably the best fantasy series ever written.' Fantasy Book Review
Archaeologist and anthropologist Steven Erikson is the bestselling author of the genre-defining The Malazan Book of the Fallen, a multi-volume fantasy that’s been hailed ‘a masterwork of the imagination’ and one of the top ten fantasy series of all time. The first novel in the sequence, Gardens of the Moon, was shortlisted for a World Fantasy Award. He has written several novellas set in the same world. Forge of Darkness was the first Kharkanas novel, taking readers back to the origins of what would become the Malazan Empire; Fall of Light continued this momentous tale.
A lifelong science fiction reader, he’s written a trilogy that affectionately parodies a long-running television series as well as Rejoice!, a story of first contact.
Set in the world of the Malazan Empire, ten years after the events recounted in The Crippled God, The God is Not Willing heralded the start of a thrilling new series – The Tales of Witness. No Life Forsaken is the second Tale in this epic adventure.
Steven Erikson lives in Victoria, Canada. To find out more, look for him on Facebook: Steven Erikson – Author