01 Prologue Analysis: Midnight Tides by Steven Erikson (MBotF 05)

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

“I am of course lying to you . . .” 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@ACriticalDragon]

I honestly thought it was going to be a short video... then I finished recording, looked at the time and sighed. 🤣🤣🤣

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

@@ACriticalDragon It went by fast for me too!

[@ACriticalDragon]

@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy x2 speed? 🤣🤣

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

@@ACriticalDragon Nah. I tried that once, but I kept having to rewind because I would miss things as the words came flying at me.

[@CounsellorofMoonsSpawn]

"How long can you talk about a prologue?" AP: "Yes" The MT prologue is one of my favorites. Tiste, skykeeps aaaand my boy Silchas. I always loved how the flashbacks of what happened a loooong time ago are a little vague and can even be misleading. Not only because it's more realistic, but also because it's so intriguing and mysterious. And it makes you stand in awe of the weight of history, imo.

[@ACriticalDragon]

Hi Counsellor, it is a great prologue. And even with the foreshadowing that becomes apparent after the fact, the betrayal stings. And it also sets up so much about the theme and context of the novel. It is a great prologue.

[@Paul_van_Doleweerd]

@@ACriticalDragon No honour among reptiles..

[@ACriticalDragon]

@@Paul_van_Doleweerd and now we get into a debate about saurion versus reptilian. 😁

[@Paul_van_Doleweerd]

@@ACriticalDragon Your Tolkien is showing again. 😂

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

I am shocked by the misuse - nay, the abusive mangling, even - of the word “decimate” in this video! Since 18,000 of the 200,000 souls in the Tiste Edur army remain, they have been reduced to not 10%, but rather 9% of their original number. Thus (declares Professor Dryasdust), they have not been “decimated” but rather “novimated”! I am literally decimated by this egregious error. 😁

[@ACriticalDragon]

Well, technically, decimate was to reduce BY one tenth. Not reduce TO one tenth. But this all involves complicated numbers and stuff... I just word... you know, wording things. Me word good...

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

@@ACriticalDragon Me word good too! 😁 Me no math. 😖

[@Paul_van_Doleweerd]

Good thing the Malazans had 10 fingers... 😁

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

@@Paul_van_Doleweerd And 10 toes too!

[@Paul_van_Doleweerd]

@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy No wonder their dating system is BS, you have to worry about the narrator having a war injury or whether or not he is wearing pants.

[@cameronclaypool9133]

All your Malazan content are easily my favourite videos on KZbin at the moment, I love getting more insight into the series

[@ACriticalDragon]

You are very welcome. Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment. I do appreciate it.

[@karloswald407]

Really love to see that there's a very specific and technical way that Erikson hooks a reader in this prologue, because I sure as heck have a hard time getting past the whole dragons-fighting-dinosaurs-in-floating-mountains thing. Pointing out those reptilian qualities of Scabandari is even more interesting considering the context, which is that the Tiste are fighting *against* reptilian beings with inhuman perspectives themselves. Also very cool to be reminded of them and see the direct evidence of Matrons using short-tails specifically to work the sky-keeps. Putting such potent aerial power into the hands of a group that is semi-separate from the rest of your society may seem like a recipe for rebellion and upheaval to us, but the K'Chain Che'malle Matrons could never conceive of their children having independent thoughts it seems.

[@ACriticalDragon]

Hi Karl, thanks for watching and the great comment. I greatly enjoy how the world unfolds incrementally and systematically. Each book brings the reader deeper into the world. It is an exceptionally well crafted series.

[@ravenbellebooks5665]

I love to watch these videos after I finish the books! Erikson's ability to build so much information into such a short amount of writing is masterful. I can't wait to start Bonehunters in the next few days!

[@captainbritain7379]

I wonder whether the fitful wavering of the banners also indicates that the air is still unsettled, because there is still more conflict to come before they can settle.

[@ACriticalDragon]

That is a great reading of it. Thank you. I should have spotted that.

[@JohanHerrenberg]

Only good prose can withstand the closest scrutiny... Thanks, A.P.! Cannot wait for the next one. As for the length: the video was excellent fare earlier this evening, when I was cooking and, eventually, eating my meal!

[@ACriticalDragon]

Thanks Johan, I really enjoy digging into Erikson's writing. There is so much going on that it is genuinely fun for me... Then again, I am a bit odd.

[@sethulakovic3722]

AP, you are currently getting me into so much trouble with my wife! We are on vacation, and here I am ignoring everyone to listen to you! You are making me write like Stan Lee! Loved this. Keep up the great content. I so look forward to your insights. Wish I could grab a pint with you and Philip. Have a great night.

[@ACriticalDragon]

Seth, as much as I appreciate you watching and commenting, I don't want to be hunted down by your wife. Have a great holiday and I will look forward to your comments whenever you get back. 😁

[@ACriticalDragon]

[@sethulakovic3722]

@@ACriticalDragon 🤣🤣🤣

[@SpitfireStoryboards]

This is outstanding . Loved it. It's nice to be able to watch some of these now as I go through. I loved this prologue . The imagery is just so dense . As brilliantly analysed here. Its why I think learning to slow down my reading has made a huge difference to my enjoyment, appreciation and progress of reading the books. Just look at this stuff - it deserves to slowly devoured . Thanks

[@ACriticalDragon]

I am very glad that you enjoyed the video. Some narratives just invite deeper thought and engagement, and it is nice (and rewarding) to take the time to engage with them more deeply than our normal reading speed sometimes allows for.

[@odiums_taint]

the short-tails have been mentioned to us before this point, and i am hoping to get even more about them in the coming books. (i have only just started MT today.) thanks for another great delving AP!

[@SannasBookshelf]

Great video! I don't think anyone minds these getting a bit lengthy. :) I've never noticed before how long it takes before Silchas is introduced by name. If Scabandari hadn't been out to betray Silchas, I'd have expected him to give more notice to his closest ally. Or it could be coincidence, of course. Either way, there is so much foreshadowing in these prologues!

[@ACriticalDragon]

Hi Sanna, Thank you very much. I am very glad that you enjoyed the video. The foreshadowing and interconnectedness of the language, symbols, themes, and narrative events, all wrapped up in well crafted language is what makes these videos so long... this is why it takes so long to unpack this stuff. Admittedly I really enjoy doing this, so as long as a few people are happy listening, I will keep doing these videos.

[@Johanna_reads]

Great analysis! I chuckled at the apology at the beginning, but this was worth every minute. I love how you described the progressive nature of the descriptions as well as the connections between descriptions. So many hints and questions!

[@ACriticalDragon]

Hi Johanna, great to hear from you. There is a lot to unpack in Erikson's writing. He uses a fair number of different techniques in combination, but blends them together so well.

[@puffablechi1231]

Thank you for making this video, it was fascinating to listen to you break down the most jaw dropping prologue of the entire series line by line, looking forward to part 2!

[@ACriticalDragon]

Thanks for watching and commenting. This was a great Prologue with so many cinematic elements.

[@RoxanaMagdaD]

This analysis was top notch, A.P! This prologue is fascinating. When you said "a knife to the heart", my mind automatically thought of SE's book Rejoice :) My mom came to my room earlier, while I was watching the video, and asked me if I am attending a class. She doesn't speak English, she got that from your voice and intonation. 20 minutes later, my dad enters the room, hears you, and asks "are you learning something?". I answered that I am learning, quite a lot, about how to read and understand my favorite books :)

[@ACriticalDragon]

Do I need to think up a certificate like Ruthan Badd's Quick Ben Certification Course? I hadn't realised I sounded like a lecturer still, I will work on making these more fun. But I am very glad that you are getting something out of them.

[@RoxanaMagdaD]

@@ACriticalDragon but the vidoes are fun, and you sound like a lecturer, but like the best lecturer there is! Don't change anything, please, because your videos, even when serious and analytic, are so soothing and good! And when you're with Philip, it's double fun! Hahah, a certificate like the one from RBU would be great, to be honest! :)

[@FranzBrehme]

After a long hiatus, I am back! I've been through a lot of changes (including a change of country - I've left Chile and now am in Germany), and it is always a pleasure to hear you talking about narrative. :) Ah... and I loved the remainder of Obi-Wan's advice on "higher ground"... hahahahaha

[@ACriticalDragon]

Welcome back! Great to hear from you. I hope that all goes well.

[@robpaul7544]

Hi AP, another excellent look at a jawdropping prologue 👌 A point of tactical interest that adds to the alien nature of the K'Chain - they gathered their armies for what appears to be a last stand on a flat featureless paved plain. No walls or castles, outside the flying ones. And even with massive numerical superiority, lethal magic, suicidal tactics, air superiority and the element of a surprise attack.. it was a hard-fought victory. New layers of respect for those K'ell hunters.. Scabandari flying through a rain of blood and bodyparts and essentially just switching on his 'windshield wipers' was cold, badass and funny 😂 Red blood on iron hued wings also made me think of rust.. Looking forward to whatever else you can share about this one. 😊

[@ACriticalDragon]

Hi Rob, you are absolutely right. The K'chain tactics are alien to our mode of thinking. But we should also bear in mind that they are being invaded, so may have had a limited choice about where to engage the Tiste. I wish that I understood tactics better. The military stuff is not my forte.

[@robpaul7544]

@@ACriticalDragon I assume the open field suits the K'ell hunters perfectly, given their size and speed. Confined spaces would limit their mobility, and they are durable and expendable enough not to care about any cover. Being invaded - if you're aware of it - actually helps in choosing the field of battle. And one assumes the flying cities gave them mobility as well. Tactics like suicide missions and ambushes are more commonly used by the inferior combatants - and given how close the battle was in the end that seems to be the case here as well. The Tiste are alien themselves too, of course. The morale and motivation of an army willing to fight on while incurring such devastating losses are not normal. Like you said, this is very far from the confrontations of heroes in the Iliad. This is the Tiste using bodies as sand to clog up the K'chain meatgrinder.

[@ACriticalDragon]

Thanks Rob. Like I said, I have never really made much of an effort to study or understand military tactics. (I am incredibly bad at Total War and don't get me started on how bad I am at StarCraft), but I thought that as the Tiste were invading and not through a traditional 'beach head' or landing area, but essentially through a warren rent, that would mean that their force would be unpredictably located, therefore removing many of the traditional approaches to defence that the K'Chain may have had in place. If we assume that there are choke points, travel routes etc. across a land, then we have naturally defensible positions, but if the enemy has appeared behind your lines and you have to scramble to protect an important tactical or cultural point, then your choice of battlefield has been effectively removed, and you are forced to engage in less than favourable terrain or accept the loss of strategic or important sites. The K'Chain hunters are like incredibly well armoured and fast cavalry, so wide open spaces would seem to make sense to them given the speed and manoeuvrability , plus, an assumption of aerial superiority could have lulled the Matrons into assuming that there was no need for cover or sophisticated tactics of any kind. I would hazard a guess that the Matrons assumed that the Skykeeps would be unassailable and give them a commanding advantage over any position that an enemy might take. This would suggest that over-confidence and hubris is not only a human/Tiste issue, but potentially that of the Matrons as well. Added to this, as a race of a collective hive, they probably don't value individual soldiers, and so the calculations concerning acceptable losses are probably radically different as they will just breed more Hunters. So they perhaps regard the Hunters as disposable shock troops intended to overwhelm and bog down an enemy, binding them in place, and then the Skykeeps could rain down fire, even on their own troops, in order to secure a swift but brutal victory. So with a focus on pinning down enemies into a static block that can attract fire from the skykeeps, and a disregard for the lives of their own troops, there is a certain logic to the Matron plans. Maybe. Like I said, I don't really understand tactics.

[@robpaul7544]

@@ACriticalDragon Ah, I would love a video of you playing TotalWar - won't say a thing about StarCraft, I'm playing nice 😅 I don't play myself, would definitely be terrible at it 🤣 On your first point, if this was the opening battle you'd be right, the Tiste would've chosen the place. But this feels like the concluding battle, the completion of the invasion and eradication. No way to know for sure, but it seems likely it was a prolonged campaign with several battles, and these were the final K'chain gathered in defense. They knew the Tiste were coming and chose the location - but they lacked the intel about Tiste tactics and were still defeated. I don't know if K'chain do trade routes - or indeed trade. The way their culture is organized they might resemble army ants more than human cultures, roaming and hunting to bring resources to mobile hives. From what we know it's possible the _only_ thing of cultural or strategic importance are the Matrons. The Matrons clearly have some experience with conflict, or there wouldn't have been a need for K'ell Hunters, the ferocity of the Short tails or superior defenses of the Skykeeps. But it seems they were not prepared for the Tiste, in particular their use of magic and Soletaken. Could've been hubris on the Matrons' part, but the Tiste are also invaders from a different dimension. Very much an unknown enemy. The K'chain have adapted to a specific way of life, and conflict. If they fought anything else besides themselves, it did not prepare them for the Tiste. Even so, they came very close to annihilating the invaders..

[@gandalfthebraindoc2618]

@@ACriticalDragonI think you just proved yourself wrong. You appear to understand defensive tactics quite well

[@stevejmcc123]

This is perfect timing for me as I have just started my first reread of MoI. One tiny point that has stood out in the text covered so far. Four sky keeps, but only three matrons. I wonder where the other matron has gone. It was a long time ago, so maybe no one remembers.

[@ACriticalDragon]

Did you spot the cloak he was wearing?

[@stevejmcc123]

@@ACriticalDragon and suddenly it all becomes clear. Thanks for the tip. I need to slow down when I'm reading these. There is so much info on every page. Maybe this will be our generation's Ulysses and the subject of studies for years to come.

[@ACriticalDragon]

That would be a lot of fun. I would much prefer this to teaching Ulysses. 🤣🤣🤣

[@gandalfthebraindoc2618]

Thank you for these prologue analyses. It has greatly helped my reading. I read this prologue last night for the second time in six years. My mind went back to it all day. The critical reading that you are teaching has completely changed how I read these books. The richness offered created pictures in my mind. That has never happened to me before. Synapses and axons triggering a vision from a previously unused part of my occipital lobes (visual cortex). I could see the sky and the battlefield. Fascination. Fantasy. Deep descriptive narrative that embeds into tissue and bone. Thanks you. I can’t express my appreciation adequately. I intend to reread the first 4 prologues again. I reread the House of Chains prologue multiple times while reading the book, not to mention Memories of Ice and the greatest of all (thus far) Deadhouse Gates. G

[@ACriticalDragon]

Thank you. I am glad that you are enjoying them.

[@oniflrog4487]

AP: sooorry for making long video 😞 The fanbase: Yes! 1 hour! More, moooooore! 😂😂😂

[@cameronclaypool9133]

exactly

[@ACriticalDragon]

I do tend to go on a bit too long. I am trying to be a bit more considerate of other people's time. But it is great that some people enjoy watching the whole thing.

[@marsrock316]

@@ACriticalDragon Check out the comments on Claudia's latest video apologizing for length. I think the two of you should get together for an analysis video.

[@Paul_van_Doleweerd]

@@marsrock316 Some of us work, ya know! 😂

[@marsrock316]

@@Paul_van_Doleweerd so what you do with the other half of your day?! Watch at lunchtime, or just listen to it. I'm often listening while I do other things on the computer. AP may as well leave the mylar unicorn up for all I know...

[@imokin86]

Thank you, great as usual! I'd like to point to one more bit of sound symbolism, the Rs in the first paragraph: ragged, furrows, broke, rocks etc, all the way to "horizon" at the end of the sentence. And by the third paragraph, there is an interesting contrast between short and long words. The chaos is mainly described with short keywords: shot, clouds, blood, heat, storm. And then the more or less orderly ranks of the armies are described with long, mostly Latinate words: conquerors, reassembling, reassertion, formations (and there are also "annihilated" and "exquisite", to keep up the slower pulse of the sentence).

[@francoisbouchart4050]

An absolutely fascinating dissection of the first part of the prologue. Your analysis of word selection by Erickson explains the emotions I felt and the images conjured by the text. This is a writing MasterClass. It is not by chance by Erickson evokes feelings and visions from an “age of heroes” and “an epic clash of titans”. These passages are truly the past come to life in legends.

[@ACriticalDragon]

Hi Francois, great to hear from you. I am glad that you enjoyed it. As you can see, I really enjoy digging into the language that Erikson employs. I think that it adds a lot to our understanding and enjoyment when we take a few moments to break down what we are reading.

[@BuriedUnderBooks]

These analysis videos are my absolute favorite. I’m halfway through the series at the moment and loving it immensely. But these take that love and appreciation to a whole new level. Thank you so much for taking the time to make these.

[@ACriticalDragon]

You are very welcome. Thank you for watching and the very kind words.

[@agaj.drenda2775]

The 'iceberg technique'! It's a great term and I need to know more, it might be useful in my work on The Witcher and other Polish fix-ups. Any chance for a reference?

[@ACriticalDragon]

It was Hemmingway's term and was part of the principle he applied to that particularly minimalist style.

[@agaj.drenda2775]

@@ACriticalDragon Well well well... I collapse thoroughly humbled. I wonder now if it works for Malazan world, as the world building here is done wholeheartedly OUTSIDE the novels, and reader only gets snippets/tiny morsels of it, as compared to a fix-up where the world building is not done to such an extent, but instead the writer relies on the reader to fill in the blanks, according to the genre stylistics. For example, the world of The Witcher is built organically, it is built as the stories unfold within it, precisely because of the initial short-story format.

[@ACriticalDragon]

And you see that piecemeal style of incremental creation in series like Jim Butcher's Dresden Files, or even Rowling's Harry Potter. Tolkien obviously went the way of build an entire universe and now write a story to show how cool it is. And then we see things like Jordan's Wheel of Time in which it appears that some elements were part of the original concept, and then other elements get added in over time. So seeing it as a 3 D spectrum with poles of preplanned and designed versus ad hoc creation on one axis, and directly explored and implied as the other axis, you can actually create a fun model for the approach.

[@agaj.drenda2775]

@@ACriticalDragon Agreed. In this case, the 'iceberg method' can be seen as a spectrum of narrative approaches to world building, from pre-designed worlds sparsely revealed to the reader, to sparsely designed worlds growing with the reader.

[@EricMcLuen]

The comments about the flagstones seem to imply a giant parking lot for skykeeps, with room for many more than just the 4 seen here. And further reinforces the idea this was a sneak attack much like attacking planes while still on the ground.

[@ACriticalDragon]

That is a very interesting theory. I hadn't considered that particular aspect. Thanks Eric.

[@darkportents9835]

I thought I was on Chapter 2 of Midnight Tides but silly me I skipped the best part of a new Malazan book: Video Essay 1/? of AP discussing the prologue.

[@ACriticalDragon]

Did you enjoy this one?

[@darkportents9835]

@@ACriticalDragon yes but still working on it and my fucking KZbin just reset my progress so I'll habe to find my spot

[@bryson2662]

God, I love Malazan. High tech dinos with swords for arms.

[@ACriticalDragon]

It must make picking their noses a bit tricky.

[@dkmoon7543]

Unreliable narrator? Is that kinda like, "This will be a short video"? Love this prologue, so hours of talk is welcome to me.

[@ACriticalDragon]

Hi DKmoon, thanks for watching and commenting. I always have the best of intentions, but sometimes it just gets away from me. 😁

[@benjaminmolina3456]

lie to me some more!

[@ACriticalDragon]

Hi Benjamin, seriously, I do try to keep these videos short, but I get carried away. Thanks for watching.

[@benjaminmolina3456]

@@ACriticalDragon i don’t mind, get carried away some more. It’s good stuff, great even. If you don’t mind me asking could you do one on the Chaining segment from Gardens of the Moon , where Kruppe reads from.

[@ACriticalDragon]

Benjamin, could you quote the first three or four words of that section? It makes it a bit easier to find. I will have a look at it at the very least. I am not promising anything.

[@benjaminmolina3456]

@@ACriticalDragon Chapter 12 ...and in the Calling Down to earth the God was Crippled, and so Chained in its place. In the Calling Down many lands were sundered by the God’s Fists, and things were born and things were released. Chained and Crippled was this God and it bred caution in the unveiling of its powers. The Crippled God bred caution but not well enough, for the powers of the earth came to it in the end. Chained was the Crippled God, and so Chained was it destroyed. And upon this barren plain that imprisoned the Crippled God many gathered to the deed. Hood, gray wanderer of Death, was among the gathering, as was Dessembrae, then Hood’s Warrior-though it was here and in this time that Dessembrae shattered the bonds Hood held upon him. Also among the gathering were--- that is the first excerpt and a few lines later there is another one

[@ACriticalDragon]

@@benjaminmolina3456 thanks. As soon as I get a chance I'll look over it.