Deadhouse Gates

[SirSamuelVimes]

I read Gardens of the Moon, and absolutely loved it! Now I'm reading Deadhouse Gates, and am finding it a bit dry in comparison. The scope has narrowed severely, and the broad scope was one of the main things I enjoyed about the first novel. I also don't find most of the characters as compelling, as the characters in the first novel. For the most part the only characters I enjoy are the ones that carried over from the first novel.

My question is does Deadhouse Gates become the norm for his writing, or does it revert back to being more like Gardens of the Moon?

Also, am I the only one who noticed the difference between the two novels?

 

[Grunkins]

For my money Deadhouse Gates and Memories of Ice are the two best books in the series. Give it a chance. I suspect that by the end you will be hoping the rest of the series can live up to it. It may take a while to get really revving but by the end it packs a heavy emotional punch.

Gardens of the Moon is usually considered the weakest book in the series. He wrote it a decade before he wrote the other books and his writing chops improved dramatically during the time between.

So far as wide scope, that changes a bit from book to book. Just wait for Memories of Ice. It's huge in scope, and focuses on all those characters from Gardens of the Moon.

 

[SirSamuelVimes]

Yeah, I mean I definitely like it a lot. It just hasn't gripped me like the first one did so far. I think it's primarily because I identified with a lot of characters in the first one that are no longer present in this one. I just haven't been able to relate to many of the characters thus far.

 

[HareBrain]

I actually preferred Gardens of the Moon to Deadhouse Gates, and I found Memories of Ice a real struggle (though I could see there was brilliance in places) and gave up after that. So if you do find the same, you wouldn't be alone (he said, tautologically).

 

[SirSamuelVimes]

Yes, there are obvious differences between the two books. I guess which one you like better is just a matter of opinion. I am having the most difficulty reading about Felisin. I just can't relate to her at all, and lose interest whenever she comes up.

 

[Grunkins]

Yeah, Felisin is a PITA, pretty hard to like.

 

[Lenny]

I may be one of the few who didn't mind Felisin!

How far into Deadhouse Gates are you, Vimes?

 

[SirSamuelVimes]

I'm reading it via audio book on my smart phone, so I have about seven hours left in the book. The audio book is thirty four hours total. I like the convenience of an audio book sometimes, and Ralph Lister is a wonderful narrator.

Some of the characters have grown on me considerably, such as Coltaine and Mappo. I like it a lot, but it still hasn't gripped me like the first novel in the series. Perhaps it's just because I tend to be sentimental towards the first of a series.

 

[Grunkins]

The next book, Memories of Ice, gets back to all those characters from book 1.

 

[SirSamuelVimes]

I finished Deadhouse Gates, and I must say the last third of the novel was tremendously enjoyable. Just, everything was so... Epic, I guess would be the most accurate word. It was a really good novel after all, and much better than I had expected after reading the first half of the novel.

 

[Unseen Academical]

DG is one of the best novels in the series. I think 2 thru 5 are the best ones overall.

 

[SirSamuelVimes]

I'm reading Memories of Ice now and I really like it. I'm about a quarter of the way through, and it's really good so far.

 

[Chris Guillory]

I read Deadhouse gates only once, and it was sometime ago. To be honest, I remember enjoying it, but would be hard-pressed to recount its story. What I do remember (and cherish) was the journey of Coltaine and his Wickans as they, time and time again, defy the odds and fight through the enemy with Malazan refugees.

That and the introduction of Stormy, Truth, and Gesler. Those guys always seem to put a smile on my face.

 

[Judderman]

DG is a great book but I agree that it is quite grim with Felisin and the Historians depressing thoughts. At time Memories of Ice can be too but with the return of characters like Kruppe there is some light relief, but not as much as in GOTM. All of these are still excellent, epic stories. There does seem to be a lot of super powerful characters around but I love the way it is so hard to guess what will happen next and the excitement keeps returning time and again.