Book Review: House of Chains by Steven Erikson (The Malazan Book of the Fallen book 4)

“I was needed, but I myself did not need. I had followers, but not allies, and only now do I understand the difference. And it is vast. “

                                    -  Steven Erikson, House of Chains

 Sometimes, vengeance seems to be the quickest, and the only way to justice. Yet, destruction resides at the heart of vengeance. If the nature of wrongdoing is destruction, then seeking vengeance is in fact, answering destruction with more destruction. This cycle breeds never-ending human tragedies. Until such a day, vengeance enslaves and chains us to its feet, and we find ourselves face to face with oblivion, where all gestures of mercy, compassion and forgiveness have departed from our souls long ago. Then Alas! It is too late to turn back. 

House of Chains, is the fourth book to The Malazan Book of the Fallen series. Written by Steven Erikson, this book explores the destructive nature of vengeance and its tragic consequence.

Synopsis:

House of Chains is a direct sequel to Deadhouse Gates. The story in House of Chains took place in the same time frame as Memories of Ice.

Following the events from Deadhouse Gates, the Whirldwind rebellion dominated the continent of Seven Cities. The Malazan empire seek to quench the rebellion, and regain control of the continent. For this purpose, Empress Laseeen elected Tavore Paran to be the new imperial Adjunct. However, Tavore is unaware that the leader of the Whirlwind rebellion, the seer Shai'k, is in fact her vengeful sister, Felisin Paran. 

In the meantime, a Teblor warrior, Karsa Orlong, departs from his mountain village on the continent of Genabackis, to forge a legend of his own.

What I think about this book:

This book has an unusual structure. The first 200 pages of this book introduced readers to a new character called Karsa Orlong. Lots of spotlights shined on him, showing the pivotal role this new character has to play in the series. Afterward, the other three quarters of the book focused on the Malazan army's campaign against the Whirlwind rebellion, a series of events building up to the final clash between Tavore Paran and her vengeful sister, Felisin Paran.

The method of storytelling in this book is unusual, and some readers will find it difficult to get into the story. Yet I have to say, Steven Erikson wrote the origin story of Karsa Orlong with such detail of emotions that it is perhaps, the best novella ever written in the genre of fantasy fictions.

In the beginning of the story, Karsa Orlong is a despicable character possessing immense martial prowess. After Karsa left his mountain village, he seek glories with deeds in war and violence. These deeds were not pretty, and readers will be appalled by Karsa's sense of value and morality. But the story doesn't end here. Formidable as he was, Karsa was captured while raiding a village and subsequently enslaved. Karsa lost his freedom, as he came into contact with a foreign world, his experience challenged him to reflect on his past, reviewing and doubting his former values. At the end of his ordeal, Karsa transformed from a despicable character, into the most interesting individual ever penned in fantasy fictions. The story of Karsa Orlong is powerful, because it represents a journey where life forced him to rethink everything he ever knew, shattering his entire worldview then rebuild it piece by piece.

There is a lot of character development here, Steven Erikson captured the full range of human complexities accompanying Karsa's journey of transformation, with the some of the most powerful writings in this genre. 

In fact, the story of Karsa Orlong engaged me so deeply that the rest of the book paled in comparison. This is not saying the other 600 pages of this book are bad. The rest of the book stood up on its own, it focused on the struggle between Tavore Paran and her sister, Felisin Paran. It shows that in seeking vengeance, one can be blind to the destruction it brings.

Just like other books in the Malazan series, House of Chains has a large cast of characters, both old and new. In this book, multiple, interwoven plots unfold at the same time. It is a challenge to keep track of different plots. The story is complex, demanding readers to pay close attention to every sentence. However, readers rip rewards from these investments, because characters cut deep impressions into their minds. All plots converged in the last 200 pages of this book, the story progressed at neck-breaking pace towards the monumental ending.

I love The Malazan Book of the Fallen. It is set in a fantastic world, telling stories of real, flawed people in large than life adventures. So far, each book in this series is built around a deep, meaningful theme, and House of Chains is no exception.

This is another great addition to the Malazan series. I can't wait to start reading the next book, titled Midnight Tides.

P.S Steven Erikson has written an insightful essay, titled: The problem of Karsa Orlong