Review of Steven Erikson’s Fall of Light

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Warning: this video includes minor/vague spoilers for Forge of Darkness and Fall of Light.

[@Villainiz3d]

Just finished about 10 minutes ago, the ending took me by surprise. I hope we don't have to wait too long for Walk in Shadow. Steven's writing feels like home for me, I enjoy other authors but coming back to the Malazan world feels right every time.

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Congratulations on finishing! Yeah, that ending . . . I too hope we’ll get Walk in Shadow!

[@TheLibraryofAllenxandria]

I love the way you talk about this book. I admire your ability to spot and analyze themes and things that are more abstract than I find myself able to grasp. You're also one of the few reviews I've seen of this book that is overwhelmingly positive. As you said, I've seen even Malazan fans hate this book citing 1) the vastly increased amount of philosophizing and 2) the final battle, as you said, happening in a such a way as to make people feel betrayed by a build up at a conclusion that did not occur. Having not read this book, I can't say either way. I'm not sure I may ever get to this trilogy, even though I'll read the other non-mainline books, mostly because I just can't make myself like Rake and his brood. The Edur were my favorites of the three by far.

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

The Library of Allenxandria Honestly, my feeling is that if you don’t love The Malazan Book of the Fallen, there’s no way you should undertake The Kharkanas Trilogy. About that final battle, I admit to feeling a bit cheated at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I admired what Erikson did. One thing about Erikson: Don’t expect the conventional. Thanks much for watching and for the kind words - it’s always great to hear from you!

[@patrickmullen4813]

You really knocked this review out of the park, @Phillip Chase~

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Thank you! The book knocked me out of the park too! I'll be shaking my head in awed disbelief for the next few days.

[@a_paige_turner]

just finished this! i agree with the comparison to shakespeare but only in that i often felt like some of the scenes from this book could have been adapted to stage! i think a lot of the characters introspection would work well for giving monologues. this was my 18th malazan, after the main 10 and esselmonts 6, and i cant wait to read even more!

[@bryson2662]

Thank you for this. I hope more people read and enjoy this book. I personally enjoyed it just as much as any book in BotF

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

As did I, though I have received comments from some dedicated Malazan fans to the effect that they won't read or could not get through the two Kharkanas books. To me, what differentiates Malazan from the rest of fantasy is even more prominent in the Kharkanas books, and in that sense I feel like they may be the most quintessentially Erikson books he's written (I don't know if he would agree). They are incredibly profound and beautiful. Anyway, thank you for watching and commenting!

[@bryson2662]

@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I agree completely

[@IskarJarak]

Samesies. I really enjoy this series A LOT! Great vid Philip!!

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Iskar Jarak Thank you! I’m honored to have you watch! It would be great if Kharkanas had the readership it deserves, and I’m glad to do my little part.

[@IskarJarak]

You definitely made me want to go back and read it again. You’re doing the gods’ work my friend-keep it up. Genuine fan here!

[@awallerfamily]

Wreneck and Hust Henerald playing with toy soilders, being a child again. Grabbing the boy being pushed to manhood to soon to play with him. And to witness the convergence ,the battle through their playing in the rain was brilliant writting by erickson. Just straight up tsking the time to be an artist and have style. Not afraid to maybe turn people away by not presenting them with what they normally expect from writer. And thankfully in todays climate he's unapologetic about it. Glad he decuded to write WiS. Cant wait.

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Same here! I also couldn’t agree more with you about the brilliance of Erikson’s unconventional approach to that final battle. At first, I was thinking, “I can’t believe he’s doing this!” By the time it was over, I felt nothing but admiration for what he did. Bold and beautifully executed.

[@Jmlisheid]

I have not read very much theme-driven fantasy, but I was reminded of Lord of the Flies, which I recently reread, when you were talking about Erikson's observations on civilization being just a mask, and that our base drives are always still there influencing us.

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Josh5now That’s actually a very apt connection. Lord of the Flies makes that statement about civilization in a much more compact way, but both make it very effectively. Great comment!

[@ArmanAbedi]

I found Forge of Darkness so dense, that I switched over to the path to ascendency series as a palate cleanser. I'm glad this one is good as well.

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Arman A Forge of Darkness is indeed dense, and Fall of Light is no less so. I think you made a smart choice to give yourself a change of pace with Path to Ascendancy. I’ll be starting it soon myself!

[@allanwidner9276]

I've occasionally been half convinced Prazek and Dathenar are Jaghut in disguise.

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Interesting notion! There’s a similarity to the sense of humor, isn’t there? And there’s their quirky eloquence.

[@allanwidner9276]

@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Exactly.

[@RoxanaMagdaD]

Oh this was also perfectly done. I am on my first Malazan reread and I've read the Kharkanas books before Toll the Hounds, in order to have the Tiste Andii and Anomander full story. The quote from Mother Dark you read to us - I shared that on my fb page a couple of months ago :) These are extraordinary books and your reviews are doing justice to these books. Thank you so much!

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

My pleasure, and thanks again! After feeling some of the frustration that the other characters felt with her, I ended up loving Mother Dark after those lines. Incredible stuff!

[@RoxanaMagdaD]

@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I love her too, and Draconus also. I think we'll have more pleasant surprises in Walk In Shadow. I personally would love to know more about the Azathanai and the Jaghut, and I'd kill to read more lines from Gorhos's Folly :)

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

@@RoxanaMagdaD I agree one hundred percent! I’d love to see all those things!

[@donfannin6485]

I just finished listening to Forge and started Fire. The book is very philosophical. I am 20% in. Both sides of the argument are well presented. Both sides have elements of truth. I am interested in which side the author allows to win out. Maybe he will be undecided and allow the discussion to continue. (he does have another book to come). I sometimes feel awkward with audiobooks. But I came to think of the times I was read to as a child. And I remember that up until the last few centuries oral storytelling was the norm. So I am more comfortable just listening.

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

I have a feeling that we’ll have to wait for book three to see how a lot of things fall out, and sometimes there is no winner in such conflicts, just losers. I’d have a hard time listening to Kharkanas on audiobook, but you’re undoubtedly more practiced at it than I am - I just started listening to my first one, which is Fellowship of the Ring, narrated by Andy Serkis, who does a phenomenal job! Best wishes, Don!

[@feral7523]

This book is amazing and A Walk in Shadow is gonna be outstanding.

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

I’m incredibly excited for A Walk in Shadow!

[@JZETH_]

I’m excited to be starting Malazan soon. I’ll be following along with Mike as he reads through it next year. One of the main reasons I’m giving it a shit is because of your enthusiasm towards the series. This prequel series sounds fantastic even if I have a bit of a way to go till I get there.

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Joe's Review Journal Cool! Glad to hear you’re giving Malazan a go. Yes, definitely try the main series first, and if you like it, then Kharkanas will be waiting. As always, it’s excellent to hear from you, Joe!

[@JZETH_]

Philip Chase yep I’m glad to be starting. It’s a daunting series but up for the challenge.

[@benjaminmolina3456]

I´ve read Midnight Tides and I loved it, would reading the rest(which still have not arrived) of the 9 main Malazan books still e as good if not better? What I got from Midnight Tides, is that Erikson does add his own philosophical meditations to the narrative and characters and that might not be the best for all readers.

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

That's a good assessment. Yes, I would certainly recommend reading all ten of Erikson's Malazan books, though you might want to give yourself some breaks with something lighter in between them. There is a good amount of philosophy in them, particularly in the later books, I think, though the philosophy is much more prominent in the Kharkanas Trilogy. If you like excellent writing that will inspire some deep thinking, then Erikson is your writer!

[@benjaminmolina3456]

@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Defenitly, my favorite quote was "We have a talent for disguising greed under the cloak of freedom. As for past acts of depravity, we prefer to ignore those. Progress, after all, means to look ever forward, and whatever we have trampled in our wake is best forgotten". Quite a poignant reflection for our times, specially the past two decades.

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Benjamin Molina Wow! You’re absolutely right about the applicability of that quote to our times. That’s Erikson for you. Brilliant stuff!

[@JohanHerrenberg]

I'm still busy with the main series, now deep into House of Chains... Looking forward to read that prequel trilogy in due course! Thanks for the review!

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Johan Herrenberg If you’re loving the main series, there’s a good chance you’ll get a lot from Kharkanas. Happy reading, and thank you for watching!

[@Bunny_Aoife]

Can't wait to read those books, every critique of them seems to (sometimes negatively) highlight the very qualities I value most in Erikson's books. I have them both on my shelves since they came out, but I think I will wait for the 3rd book before I start. I do still have a few of Esslemont's Malazan entries ahead of me and hope the wait for 'Walk In Shadow' won't be too long after that :)

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Lothar Freitag The good news is that Erikson has reportedly returned to writing Walk in Shadow, so it seems reasonable to hope for it in the next few years. We will see!

[@theserpent6070]

I’m a little late to this one but great review (as always) and congrats on 1.5k! I’m almost done Memories of Ice myself

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

The Serpent Excellent! I’m getting more and more excited for my Malazan reread. I’ll be reading Path to Ascendancy next, though, to get good and ready. Thanks for the congratulations too! I’m planning on doing a question/answer video to celebrate- will announce it tomorrow.

[@theserpent6070]

Philip Chase cool! That’ll be interesting for sure, I’ll have to think up a question

[@robpaul7544]

But I love broccoli 😋 Wonderful review as always, I couldn't agree more. It has been a while since I've read it so the final battle isn't clear in my mind , but nothing Erikson has written has disappointed me. He certainly doesn't glorify conflict, and nothing is ever black and white - or Dark and Light 😅 One thing that deeply impressed me after reading these two books was the ways they connected with the Books of the Fallen. It's fine to read just the main series , and I believe once finished Kharkanas will also be a great stand-alone trilogy. But combining the two expands the appreciation for both, and the world as a whole. In the way the best prequels should. I'm looking forward to rereading this before the final book arrives.

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Rob Paul Ha ha! I actually like broccoli too. And Shakespeare! Very well said about the ways in which Kharkanas and Malazan enrich each other. And even though Kharkanas happens long before Malazan, I would always recommend that people read the latter first to determine how much they love Erikson’s writing (aside from the fact that Kharkanas isn’t finished yet). But I’m really looking forward to rereading Malazan not only with a deeper understanding of the history of the Tiste but also with a clearer appreciation of Erikson’s approach as a writer. Great to hear from you!

[@robpaul7544]

@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Can't profess much love for Shakespeare, but that's mostly because I have little interest in theater. The stories hold up remarkably well, though. And as a theatrical writer his tales are very theme-oriented, with characters painted mostly through dialogue. Interesting take! Depending on how Kharkanas is going to end it might become a good place to start - though I think you're right to recommend starting with MBotF. First read through Anomander Rake is a dark brooding bad-ass, after reading Kharkanas the crushing weight of his history is game changing.

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Rob Paul Agreed about Anomander. I like how Erikson never makes him a POV character even as he looms large in the Kharkanas books. That preserves the aura of mystery around him but still allows us to witness his “humanity” and compassion. Brilliantly done on Erikson’s part.

[@masoodvoon8999]

Can't watch this b/c I'm reading it right now. I'll have to circle back. Enjoying the story/writing immensely. Wonder if I'll change my opinion on who Quick Ben is after this.

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Masood Voon I’m glad to hear you’re enjoying it, and I’d love to hear your thoughts after you’re done!

[@donfannin6485]

I found after finishing the book that it was very dark and depressing. Leaving me physically ill with a sour stomach. I don't know that I will finish the series. And I was going to tackle the Mallazon series but I am questioning that in my mind.

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

It’s definitely the darkest of the Malazan series, though I don’t know how it will end. I hope you feel better, Don!

[@EricMcLuen]

Must...hold...off....until...book 3 comes out....

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Eric McLuen Ha ha! Good luck with that! At least Erikson has returned to Kharkanas, so I hope you needn’t wait too long.

[@EricMcLuen]

@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy He's got time. I am only up to reapers gale on reread.

[@ericadler9680]

Sounds great. You've converted me to the Erikson church now.

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Awesome! I wouldn’t recommend starting with Kharkanas, but instead with The Malazan Book of the Fallen. It might become my favorite fantasy series of all time.

[@ericadler9680]

@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I'll finish Mary Stewart, then I'll have a go at Rothfuss, then probably Erikson. Since I read mainly before falling asleep, I have my nights planned for some time now. Great reviews and keep it up!

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

@@ericadler9680 Thanks! I always read before going to bed too - much better for your sleep than watching a screen.