[BarVybe]

So - being a yankee and discovering that there were books out there in the UK and Canada not released here i've had the opportunity to read the last three books back to back.

Just talking about style - not plot, likeability of characters, etc. - i found Midnight Tides a hard read. NOT cause it was hard to understand. Rather i found myself skimming some pretty repetitive interior monologue scenes.

You get the point that Trull has doubts. I don't actually need to hear the specific doubts he has about each and every plot element.

One of the things i REALLY love(d) about Erikson is that he respects the reader. The first 4 books are confusing to many precisely because he doesn't tell you whats going on - not just with the plot - but with the characters. You have to grow into his characters through their actions and reactions to each other. He does most of this through dialoge and reporting their actions and responses - NOT by writing things like (and these are of course made up, obvious examples)

"Whiskeyjack found he was unable to control his dislike of Kallor."

or

"'Wow', thought Whiskeyjack, 'I really don't like this guy.'"

I found this sort of thing happening over and over again in MT. Maybe the construction of the plot lent itself to characters who couldn't express their thoughts / feelings through action in the settings / company they found themselves in, but that seems to me to be something a very talented writer could work around.

Now, i'm not saying this is a bad book by any means, just that by comparison to MoI and HoC it's style is...well...not so much to my liking. Almost as if someone forgot to go back in and ruthlessly cut material that was unnecessary and that we already knew:

- Yeah, we already know how Trull feels about that
- Does this amusing banter by Bugg actually move the plot forward? Or should we axe the last 6 verbal spars?

Anyone else feel this way?

If you think about the book - it takes place over a much more compressed period of time and space than the others. There is far less journeying / exploring / description of the world going on here. Perhaps in limitting the scope of the setting in this way, the book lent itself to being filled up with this other material....

[werewolfv2]

I guess I need to re-read it, I dont remember having any issues with the style :)

[Evil Agent]

I didn't have any issues with the style. The whole 'show dont tell' thing never really occurs to me, unless it's so bad that I can't help but notice.

But with Midnight Tides, I was pretty much enthralled from the first page to the last. I really liked the fact that it wasn't quite as confusing as his other books. By book 5 in the series, it's about time we start being able to wrap our heads around the world/plot, even if it's a new continent full of new characters. And I felt Erikson was succesful at this. Even House of Chains had me lost and confused a few times, especially with the characters like L'oric and the Tiste Liosan. But Midnight Tides was very coherent, and kept my interest the whole way through. The only part that was a bit confusing was putting together the pieces regarding Scabandari Bloodeye, Silchas Ruin, Menandore, Sukul Ankhadu, Sheltatha Lore, etc. But that was a fun mystery to work out.

I really liked the format of switching back and forth between 2 major cultures, the Edur and the Letheri, as they slowly drew together for a massive confrontation. I loved the banter between Tehol and Bugg, since it added a nice bit of humor to an otherwise dark book. I loved the action. I loved the characters, including the whole Sengar family. And I loved the whole failing Letheri empire, which reminded me strongly of the British Empire or present day America.

I guess I have nothing but positive things to say about this book.

[AnemicOak]

Midnight Tides is probably my favorite of the series so far, top 2 for sure. Although I know other have mentioned some of what you have in the past.

[BarVybe]

yeah for me MoI, DHG and HoC might be my favorites (in that order).

i really like the story in MT, characters, etc. but actually prefer the apparent lack of coherency in the other books more than the (predominently) straight timeline plotting in MT.

i had a feeling that many would feel the opposite :)

[Iskaral Pust]

yeah for me MoI, DHG and HoC might be my favorites (in that order).

i really like the story in MT, characters, etc. but actually prefer the apparent lack of coherency in the other books more than the (predominently) straight timeline plotting in MT.

i had a feeling that many would feel the opposite :)

I feel the same way. I also liked the style of the humour less in Midnight Tides, too silly at times and the constant penis jokes got very yawnsome.

[BarVybe]

Ah kindred spirit!!

Its annoying cause there is too much of it and much of the banter is pointless. The banter between the Malazan soldiers in earlier books is much less repetitive (in content) and used a lot less.

As much as, in isolation, any of Bugg's / Tehol's exchanges are quite funny there are just too many of them....

[Evil Agent]

I also liked the style of the humour less in Midnight Tides, too silly at timesHmm. This coming from a guy who named himself after Iskaral Pust? ;)

[Hieroglyph]

lol - IP I agree, I didnt need to read all that inuendo, either.

For a fair chunk of the book I didnt appreciate an Undead at all. Didnt make sense within this world... But that was to change.

Style... style... Now I would have to think about the style, since my head is still churning with the content.

I took my time reading MT though. Theres no rush. And at the end of the day theres nothing I can look back on and say "that was a waste of my time". So I guess the style really worked on this particular reader.

[Legend]

I'm a hundred pages in, and even with 4 past books of experience it's not easy to learn a whole new cast of characters. But give it time, I'll be on top of things. He's utterly respects you as a reader.

Transworld UK informed me Bonehunters won't paperback to around 5 May 07. Sigh . . . a long wait for me!

I really dig that prologue. The Jaghut warning the fish god to be quick in slapping the treacherous Tiste Eleint.

Anomander Rake was already on his way.

Heh heh.