Forge of the High Mage

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He was searching for something, and, eventually, he found it. Through the gusting snow he spotted thin wisps of fog, or a plume of mist, high up one ice-encrusted face of the mountain. This he struggled towards, and, after a time, he reached. Malzan is my all-time favourite series, the worldbuilding, characters, the magic system, and the pure scope of it all that Steven Erikson and Ian C Esslemont has created is just phenomenal. But then he would return to his music. And such eerie inhuman music it was – if it may be named such at all. Deep rumbling basso passages too low for any normal ear, or high trilling keening; all mixed together in constantly altering rhythms, beats and progressions. On and on, looping, rolling, changing in pitch and speed, then even repeating for a time.

We will never be completely consolidated,’ Dancer answered. ‘We must push on. Expand. Expand or die. It’s the nature of the beast.’ And to fight on this new front, a rag-tag army raised from orphaned units and broken squads is been brought together under Fist Dujek, and joined by a similarly motley fleet under the command of the Emperor himself. The Dal Hon mage raised his chin, half turning away, huffing, ‘I’ll have you know I don’t need anyone’s permission.’ And then the theocracy of Falar is itself far from defenceless - its priests are in possession of a weapon so terrifying it has not been unleashed for centuries. Named the Jhistal, it was rumoured to be a gift from the sea-god Mael. But two can play at that game, for the Emperor sails towards Falar aboard his flagship Twisted - a vessel that is itself thought to be not entirely of this world . . . Is Surly for this?’ Choss asked, pulling a hand down his beard. The two rulers exchanged another silent glance to which the general nodded. ‘Thought not. Then I demand a full council meeting to review this.’And then the theocracy of Falar is itself far from defenceless - its priests are in possession of a weapon so terrifying it has not been unleashed for centuries. Named the Jhistal, it was rumoured to be a gift from the sea-god Mael. But two can play at that game, for the Emperor sails towards Falar aboard his flagship Twisted - a vessel that is itself thought to be not entirely of this world... Sadly, the part of the books that felt the least necessary or even relevant to any of the plots was the Crimson Guardsmen plotline. Which is not really a plot so much and Blues and Gwynn and a couple of others were just there, they got shuffled about a lot (by events out of their control). I understand that the Crimson Guard are ICE’s baby and he must have them around in all these books. In all the other entries of this series, it made sense and they were important in the unfolding of events. In this one, not so much.

The High Priestess of the Great Assembled Clans of the Jhek lowered her face from the opening high above her seat to regard the crowded and this day uneasy court. She wore a scarf of cloth across her eyes yet seemed to peer everywhere and see every shift of stance, every murmur and every furtive glance. Around her seat perched a multitude of birds of prey: kestrels, falcons, red hawks, and even two of the Great Eagles of the Fenn Range, each as tall as a boy. Their keen gazes darted all about, as sharp as their hooked razor beaks.The Fist nodded his agreement. ‘True. However, as we have all seen over the years, everything goes so very much smoother with everyone’s cooperation.’ Forge of the High Mage is a fast-paced and gripping epic fantasy read. It is loaded with set pieces, contains wonderful dialogue, witty exchanges, explosive showdowns, unlikely alliances, and features some of the finest character creations that the genre has to offer. As ever, the excellent magic system (through the use of warrens) is finely showcased here and, for the most part, I found my reading experience to be extremely rewarding; leading me to score Forge of the High Mage an 8/10 rating. Since the main Malazan armies are otherwise engaged in Quon Tali, a collection of orphaned units and broken squads has been brought together under Fist Dujek - himself recovering from the loss of an arm - to fight this new campaign. A somewhat rag-tag army, joined by a similarly motley fleet under the command of the Emperor himself. On the fifteenth day the general of the West, Fist Choss, arrived accompanied by his staff and personal guard. Throwing the reins of his mount to a groom, he stomped into the imperial command tent to find the Emperor, Kellanved, sitting at a table heaped with a mess of maps, lists and accounts. Dancer sat aside in a camp chair, arms crossed, his legs straight out before him. As Kellanved was conferring with a woman whose robes seemed to actually be smoking, Dancer answered: ‘Falar.’

Here, then, in the tracts of the Ice Wastes and among the islands of Falar, the Empire of Malaz faces two seemingly insurmountable tests - each one potentially the origin of its destruction . . . At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied. Falar itself is far from defenseless. Its priests possess a weapon rumored to be a gift from the sea god, Mael―a weapon so terrifying it has not been unleashed for centuries. But two can play at that game, for the Emperor’s flagship is also believed to be not entirely of this world.Wiry wolf-soldier scouts came bursting into the longhouse, half loping, wearing loincloths only despite the cold. Her guard of bear-clan soldiers straightened before her, some growling.