From DNF to 5 Stars: Memories of Ice by Steven Erikson (Spoilers Vlog)

[@EricMcLuen]

Glad you stopped treating it like homework. There are a lot of lore drops. It made me happy while reading when I picked up on a call back from several books ago. Kallor is a very bitter very old man who in the prologue yelled at three elder gods to get off his continent. And just you think you are over Chain of Dogs, he throws in the call back in the epilogue.

[@ciaranirvine]

"Kallor is a very bitter very old man who in the prologue yelled at three elder gods to get off his continent." You win the internets for today, sir LOL

[@readbykyle3082]

Woohoo! Im glad this worked for you! The ending is incredible. Im starting Midnight Tides right away!

[@ciaranirvine]

Our boi Itkovian: "I am not yet done" 😭 Malazan is dense for sure, and you definitely need the emotional and mental headspace for it, but it is totally worth it even if it takes you a few years to get there. Erikson will repeatedly break your heart and stomp it into horrified pieces and then make you punch the air in triumph. Glad you gave this another shot!

[@RedFuryBooks]

I'm really glad I came back to it as well. I'm excited to continue!

[@MattonBooks]

I’m also so glad you gave it another go! Woohoo! WHAT A BOOK! 😀 And you just saying, “Itkovian…” and staring off into space for 30 seconds… 😆 There’s so much more of this coming, and I hope you’re super eager to get into it. ❤️

[@RedFuryBooks]

Yeah, to be honest, shooting the vlog entry right after finishing was tough. Too much to process. Two weeks later, I'm still processing it all to be honest!

[@bobbob-cd9yl]

The reason I empathised with your DNF last year was that I had the exact same journey. I was in a really stressful period of my life and had exams and lab reports to do. And it just left no time for Moi, and over time the friction in me being open to reading the book in my mood at the time and what the text demanded out of me was too great. This resulted in about me restarting the book 4 times from. page 400. But once I had time and I got to book three I just flew through the second half and was so captivated and moved by the book. I’ve finished the series but the majority of my actual progress was during periods of free time I had. Excited for you to get to HoC in November, my only tip would be to go into it super open minded and not having expectations on what the book would be

[@RedFuryBooks]

Yes, as I mentioned a great book at the wrong time is a wrong book! I'm glad we were both able to get back to it when life was easier, and to love the book. Thanks for the info about House of Chains - a few others had mentioned as well that it's structurally very different.

[@gayanegasparyan4137]

This is a crazy come back 🎉🎉🎉

[@RedFuryBooks]

Right?

[@SouravUldyssian]

So glad that you loved it. And its nice to see you have found a reading pattern that suits you. The ending of this book is really something. Other than Itkovian's sacrifice, the scene of everyone paying their respects to him by putting something on his grave, was such a beautiful moment. Also the theme of compassion being enforced by showing it even to the Pannion Seer, understanding the horrible violence and wrong done millenia ago back in the prologue that led to this, and the cyclical nature of violence, and then stopping that by giving him a chance of redemption. Hope you enjoy House of Chains when you get to it.

[@RedFuryBooks]

Yes, the respect paid to both Itkovian and Whiskeyjack both hit me even more than their deaths. And the Pannion Seer! Incredible.

[@ev3261]

This is one of my all time favorite book in the world, I read it 4-5 times, and I still cry (Itkovian, The Mhybe, WhiskeyJack.......Toc!). Just an amazing book, so glad you loved it. And the vlog is excellent! I hope you do more.

[@RedFuryBooks]

Thanks and glad you enjoyed the vlog format!

[@slidenaway]

Ahhhhhhhhh Josh you made it!!! Absolutely epic reversal here. At the end of the day we have a finite amount of time to spend consuming media and each person should do whatever they think is best. That said, I’m really glad you came back in the right headspace, because so much about Malazan is up your alley and you “should” love it And I will also say I’m glad you found a method that works for you. It’s true Malazan is dense and requires more focus than most sci-fi and fantasy. Personally, I was fine reading the entire series one book after another (twice back to back in fact) but that doesn’t mean that that method will work for everyone! So in the end it’s definitely important to just stick with what works for you Spoilers… . . The ending of this book is so emotional. Just hit after hit after hit. Itkovian’s funeral is actually the specific moment that always hits me hardest. But obviously big shout out to his freeing of the T’lan Imass, and the “compassion should be freely given” speech. That’s the kind of thing that can stick with you and actually change your perspective on real life. Whiskeyjack dying, most of the Bridgeburners dying, Toc being tormented over and OVER (despite the happy ending lol), and then the last little bit of compassion at the end, when they send the Pannion Seer down under the earth to help reduce Burn’s fever… just really hammers the compassion message home so effectively, imo anyway Okay enough rambling. Enjoy the other stuff you’ll read meanwhile and I’ll look forward to hearing about HoC at the end of the year!!

[@RedFuryBooks]

Yes, the ending smacked me around quite a bit. (You could tell from that one vlog entry where I just couldn't process it all!). I'm still processing it all to be honest.

[@slidenaway]

@@RedFuryBooks yeah it’s a roller coaster and just so thought provoking!! You know it’s good when it sticks with you like that 🙌

[@nick_a_93]

This was the one that really made the series click for me, it's been awhile so i don't remember all the details but i remember this being one of, if not my favorite of the main 10. You're in for quite the ride! Can't wait to see how you enjoy the rest

[@RedFuryBooks]

Glad to hear! I'm definitely looking forward to continuing later this year.

[@bardsandbooks]

Great to see that you enjoyed it so much! This book was so great and I just wrapped up House of Chains, another awesome instalment. I’m sure you’re going to love it as well

[@RedFuryBooks]

Great to hear!

[@dlasis]

Just like any other sad books I have read, Memories of Ice made me cry for several hours. I mourned, felt hopeful, and all other emotions for reasons I could not put into words. This series is something really special. I hope you also love House of Chains. (It is a direct sequel to Deadhouse Gates)

[@RedFuryBooks]

Thanks! I'm definitely excited for house of Chains!

[@tylerblack301]

I’m glad you returned to the series and found a way to read these chunky books. I’m pretty much the same way with each book. Read little chunks and then take a break. I also take many months between each book. I finished book 8 last August and haven’t continued yet because I know I’m not in the right mindset for it.

[@RedFuryBooks]

Many months between books is the plan going forward for sure!

[@NerdyKathi]

Your reaction at finishing the book says it all. Glad you gave it another go. I also think I would have enjoyed this more if I read it after Gardens of f the Moon.

[@RedFuryBooks]

Thanks for watching the vlog! I'm so glad I gave it another chance and am now excited moving forward.

[@Shelf-Esteem]

I love this so much! I DNF’ed at Memories Of Ice and started re-reading from Book 1, and loving it so far!! Looking forward to following along the v2.0 of this reading

[@RedFuryBooks]

I hope you love it as I do!

[@Johanna_reads]

Hooray for it working better for you this time around! When reading this series, I would often notice something interesting and tab it. I’d then look back when I finished the book or section to find I had a new context for understanding what I tabbed. This series rewards reflection like no other!

[@RedFuryBooks]

This is great advice. Matt also told me to read the Prologue again twice - once in the middle of the book and again at the end - to understand it more! (Or I'll just watch an AP video!)

[@Johanna_reads]

@@RedFuryBooks Haha! Yeah, I wasn't always the best about doing that. A.P. and Philip advise reading the epigraphs twice--before reading the chapter and after reading the chapter.

[@RedFuryBooks]

@@Johanna_reads oh that's great to know!

[@storytoob]

This is a great vid Josh! I've actually had an interesting journey the last 4 months or so with House of Chains and Midnight Tides.. I struggled in the middle of both, with too many things going on. The loss of my job and the loss of my grandfather, but I actually decided to power through both times, and have some patience.. and it paid off in the end. To the point that they were comforting throughout the process. But I debated dropping both books several times. Cheers, Carlos

[@RedFuryBooks]

That's great to know about the next two installments of Malazan. I plan on only reading these when I can focus 100% on immersing myself in the story. Sorry about the personal troubles of late - I hope that things are on the upswing for you!

[@Tinoshke07]

I'm glad that you gave this book a second chance and that you liked it so much. You just have to take your time with these books , trying to rush through them isn't the right way to go, I think. Going to read your review on Goodreads now 🙂

[@RedFuryBooks]

I'm so glad I gave it another shot!

[@bobbob-cd9yl]

Makes me so happy you gave it another chance and loved it.

[@thefantasythinker]

Fantastic! So glad you loved it. Taking a four or five years to read this series, I think, is absolutely the way to go. It's something to enjoy as you go rather than enjoy finishing for the sake of finishing. It's why I'm really loving my re-read of it even more than the first time through.

[@RedFuryBooks]

This is great to know! Two or three a year will likely be my pace going forward. So glad I returned to the series!

[@BooksWithBenghisKahn]

Knew it! I’m not the biggest fan in the world of the in medias res style either but there was so much in this series to at I connected to. Glad you’re back on board, and no need to rush it!

[@RedFuryBooks]

Glad to be back into it!

[@kevin.jenkins]

YES! I'm glad you loved it this time around. The last half of the book is just some of the best stuff ever. Hope House of Chains is a big hit with you as well 🥳 Erikson does have a lot of slow parts--the first two books of Memories of Ice being a major offender, but also people say the same about House of Chains, and 7, 8, and 9--but I think he may get less flak than Hobb because the second half of the books usually pop off pretty hard.

[@RedFuryBooks]

Yes, the last half of this book was quite remarkable, and a week later, I'm honestly still unpacking it all daily in my head.

[@Wouter_K]

Yay! that's so good to hear! I sat exactly like you, teared up and just flabbergasted overloaded, after reading memories of ice. I'm so glad you liked it! I'm currently finishing up Dust of Dreams. And yes, this series is dense and you need time and attention to read it. But these books have so many great moments and climaxes. Good luck with the next one. Structurally, it is actually quite a different book than the previous three.

[@RedFuryBooks]

Good to know about House of Chains - thank you!

[@Wouter_K]

Yeah, I think it might be to your benefit in terms of what you like and dislike about the Malazan books.

[@planet6288]

Welcome to the party🔥⚔️🔥

[@akellerhouse83]

I'm glad you decided to finish this book! Memories of Ice is usually a fan favorite, so it was wild to me when you dropped it. Lol. I really liked Malazan a lot. I read the 10 big books and then Esslemont's 6 books. That's a lot of time to devote to a fantasy world. I wouldn't put it in my top 5 series, though. Maybe in the top 10 or 12.

[@RedFuryBooks]

Yes, I'm glad I gave it another shot!

[@jeroenadmiraal8714]

Great to see how well it worked for you this time!

[@bridge4241]

What an absolute treat this was to see in my notifications

[@gingernytemare]

I started reading malazan last year (currently on book 8) and am loving it, so I'm glad you gave it another shot!

[@The88shrimp]

Man I'm jelous of your, and most other people's, reading speeds. I picked up reading again 2-3 years ago after over a decade of not reading a single novel and I was reading the Malazan books at around 20 pages/h. That being said I still prefer to read at this pace rather than forcing myself to speed read faster where I'm going to miss a lot of stuff and with a series like this I think emotional investment is more important than just skimming plot points. I finished Memories of Ice last night. The last chapter and epilogue took me 6 hours. 5 to actually read and then the last hour I just stared at a wall marinating in what I just read. I unfortunately have to wait until October to get book 4 since Penguin AU isn't publishing it until then and I want all my Malazan books to be uniform size which, unfortunately the first 2 I got were pocket sized unlike 3. I absolutely adored this book and I think it solidified me into wanting to read and be destroyed by this series. I worry that it could ruin fantasy for me though.

[@RedFuryBooks]

Yeah, we all have different reading speeds. There's a KZbinr I follow that averages 100 pages an hour! Which makes me seem slow. Enjoy your Malazan journey!

[@jameswitts3793]

I've just bought the Broken Binding editions of the first 3 Malazan books... But I'm also deploying with the air force for 4 months so I won't physically see them til I get back

[@RedFuryBooks]

I purchased those as well! Best of luck with the deployment!

[@thatsci-firogue]

This was a pleasant surprise! I've said it before and I'll say it again, this series is not readalong friendly!!!

[@RedFuryBooks]

Yep! No schedule for me this time!

[@craigdensmore2060]

BRAND new to your channel. Love it.BUT, confused. You use a lot of three letter symbols, like DNF. What do they mean?

[@RedFuryBooks]

Thanks for stopping by! DNF stands for Did Not Finish - my first attempt at Memories of Ice in this case. The other bookish acronym is TBR - to-be read.

[@ernstbrehm1135]

I have the same problem with Ericksons writing as well. I would like to know more on what the hell is going on. That is my biggest struggle. I feel it’s a double edged sword, I really enjoyed Gardens & Deadhouse but it feels like such work. I started in on Memories of Ice & stopped. But I think your strategy of only reading a little at a time will work out well. Thanks 👍🏼

[@RedFuryBooks]

I hope you enjoy Memories of Ice as I did when you decide to pick it up again!

[@ciaranirvine]

The trick to Malazan I think is to NOT keep trying to figure out all the details of Warrens, Elder Gods, Ascendants and so on but just try to go along with the wild and weird ride. Erikson does explain it all, mostly, but it is all slowly unveiled in bits and pieces over 10 chunky books. Which is an "interesting" author choice for sure and definitely not to everyone's taste!

[@FranzBinder20]

Just be warned: The fourth book has a bit of a mixed reception. A bunch of people (including myself) see it as the low point of the series. So even if you don't like it as much, try to push through and get to the fifth one, which is a big highlight.

[@RedFuryBooks]

This is great to know - thank you!

[@slidenaway]

@@RedFuryBookswhat’s funny about this is that I’d heard the same thing - that HoC is more of a low point. But I’ve also seen a trend of new readers recently really loving HoC, sometimes even more than the first 3. Which is to say - no need to go in with LOW expectations, per se. Who knows, you might love it!!