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Plague has struck across the continent of Quon Tali and in Li Heng, Dassem – the proclaimed Sword of Hood – is being blamed. As a crisis of faith sends him in search of answers, a young priest begins to question the perceived rot at the heart of the cult of D’rek, the Goddess of Decay. Across the sea, war looks increasingly likely between the island of Malaz and its neighbour – the equally piratical isle of Nap.
Meanwhile Dancer and Kellanved have recently arrived in Malaz City. Joining forces with a band of Napans who’ve fled civil strife at home, their intention had been to plunge straight into the conflict. But their plans go awry when Kellanved develops a strange and dangerous fascination for a mysterious, dilapidated structure at the city’s heart – a place avoided by the locals at all cost.
As powerful entities start to take an interest in the Dal Hon mage, Dancer wonders whether it’s time he abandoned his partner-in-mischief – especially when Kellanved’s obsession with shadows and ancient artefacts brings them alarmingly close to death and destruction. Because who in their right mind would willingly enter the Deadhouse of an Elder?
Continuing his chronicling of the genesis of the Malazan Empire, this second epic chapter in Ian C. Esslemont’s thrilling fantasy takes readers back to the time before it all began . . .
About the author
Born in Winnipeg in 1962, IAN CAMERON ESSLEMONT has studied and worked as an archaeologist, travelled extensively in South East Asia and lived in Thailand and Japan for several years. He now lives in Fairbanks, Alaska, with his wife and children. He has a creative writing degree and his novels Night of Knives, Return of the Crimson Guard, Stonewielder, Orb Sceptre Throne, Blood and Bone and Assail are all set in the fantasy world of Malaz that he co-created with Steven Erikson. His latest novel, Dancer's Lament, begins an exciting new series that is set in the same extraordinarily imagined world.
Summary
The plan, however, soon goes awry as Kellanved develops a strange and dangerous fascination for a mysterious ancient structure found on the island. During all this, war with the neighbouring island of Nap threatens, recruited allies wonder at Kellanved's sanity, and powerful entities take more of an interest in the little mage from Dal Hon.
Foreword
Essential reading for Malazan fans, this enthralling second chapter in Ian C. Esslemont's awesome epic fantasy sequence that began with the acclaimed Dancer's Lament returns to that troubled continent's turbulent early history.
