Steven
Erikson made his mark on the fantasy genre with his 10-book Malazan Book of the Fallen series (review) and
now he returns with Forge of Darkness
(Indiebound, Book Depository, Amazon), the first in a trilogy that can be
equally regarded as a prequel to the Malazan
series and as a good place to start if you’ve been too intimidated to jump into
a 10-book series.
Anyone who has read this blog for long enough (or simply read the
review I linked above to the Malazan
series) knows that I’m a big fan of Erikson. I think Malazan (even with all its faults) is one of the best and most significant
fantasy series ever written and it’s no surprise that I feel that Forge of Darkness continues that
tradition of excellence. So, you now know at the start of this review that I am
a fan and I’m inherently biased toward really liking pretty much anything that
Erikson writes. And for those who are concerned with such – there are no
spoilers in this review for either the Malazan
series or Forge of Darkness.
Forge of Darkness begins The Kharkanas
Trilogy, taking places at least several hundred-thousand years prior to the
events of the main series. It’ set in a world that is best characterized as the
original realm/dimension of the world that Erikson later explores in the Malazan series. It centers on the Tiste
people prior to their eventual division into Tiste Andii, Tiste Edur and Tiste
Liosan in a time of impending civil war. Other races/beings (and even
characters) are seen to varying degrees that readers of Malazan will recognize. However, the focus on this novel is really
the self-destruction of a society and the advent of inescapable change in the reality
of their world.
I imagine
that most readers of this review want to know one of two things, both of which
really boil down to ‘should I read this book’. Those initial two items are 1) ‘I’ve
not read Erikson before, can I start with Forge
of Darkness’ and 2) ‘I’ve read Malazan
(or at least some of it) and how does this relate and is it worth it for me to
read Forge of Darkness’. For the
first, I do believe that those who haven’t read Erikson could start with Forge of Darkness. All of the characters
(even those that play supporting and even starring roles in the Malazan series) are introduced as if
the reader knows nothing of them (and indeed, this is actually a very neat
issue that I will tackle later in this review). The setting is introduced as if
the reader knows nothing. It is new (or so old so that it is new for those who
have read Malazan), and more
importantly, it shows Erikson’s writing style, what he values in his writing
and even what he hopes readers will focus on. The narrative organization is a
bit more traditional than Erikson uses for Malazan
with a clear introduction to the series in Forge
of Darkness and linear progression through the narrative. But the writing
style is entirely consistent with what I recognize as Erikson’s style, all the
way down to the deliciously meta dialogue, dark, brooding philosophical musings
and the use of too many points of view.
For fans of Malazan, many of the characters of Forge of Darkness are well known from
their roles in the Malazan series.
Foremost of course is Anomander and his two brothers, but there are many other
of the Tiste that we’ve only seen hints of before, many of the elder gods (though
before they are recognized as elder or even gods), a few Jaghut and there is
mention of such races/species as the Thel Akai, Forkrulkan, Jheck and
Jhelarkan, the Shake, and the dog runners (Imass). I predict that really
hardcore fans will be both ecstatic and a bit enraged by Erikson’s handling of
characters long known and loved (to varying degrees). The characters that we
see here are different – first and foremost, they hundreds of thousands of
years younger, and quite often, very literally young. They are in development,
they haven’t yet seen the millennia of hardship and pain to come, the power of
magic has not yet come into the world, the gods are relatively unknown, and the
realities of mortality and immortality are not comprehended. Memories from the
original series are likely not as factual as fans would like, perspective is
always key and Erikson immediately plays a ‘get out of jail free’ card at the
start with a Prelude that explains that this text is a story told by a poet who
happily admits to presenting it the way prefers to so that the thematic goals
are properly achieved. Oh how this enrages fans and brings me joy (but much more on this here).
But, to bring the circle back around, I
believe that this is a must read for fans of the Malazan world. I imagine that most fans are like myself and have
forgotten many of the details of the massive, million-work plus series. The generally
small supporting roles played by and often vague references to the Tiste we see
in Forge of Darkness are equally,
forgotten, misremembered and remembered in the fog of the aftermath of the Malazan series. And that’s fine – we get
to meet them all again for the first time and in addition, we get to see the
shattering of the ancient world and the birth of the one the series takes place
in. And it’s all told though Erikson’s brilliant writing.
In Forge of Darkness Erikson shows a deeply
moving and tragic beginning of the end of a civilization. In many ways this
story belongs in the Dying Earth sub-genre. Not only is the Tiste civilization
moving toward a civil war, but the entire world is in the beginning stages of
being remade. And the forces behind this inevitable decent equate those of the
human condition that Erikson writes to in everything he does. The Tiste
civilization is destroying itself through all of the realities of human
motivation – power, segregation of society, religious fervor, neglect,
ambition, etc. The land has been destroyed, used up. The spoils of a great
victory in war prove to be poison. And as always, the best of intentions have
tragic consequences.
The most
evident of the frameworks that Erikson chooses to explore the death of a people
and world is through family. Almost every relationship shown in the book boils
down to that of family – parenthood, mothers, fathers, kids, bastards, father
and mother figures, absence, brother, sister, grandmother, etc. This
exploration of family is powerful and not easily pinned down, but everything
comes down to it. From the over-arching rise of the religious figureheads (and
gods) of Mother Dark and Father Light, to the evil daughters of Draconus, to
the his troubled bastard son, the Purake brothers and their devotion to each
other, the unhealthy love of a painter for his sister, and so on. Civilization
and indeed the entire world is presented as an extended family, though not
necessarily a traditional one. All of the pain, love and dysfunction coalesce
into something tragic, though, if I know Erikson as I think I do, ultimately
hopeful.
Through this
Erikson explores some of the concepts that human nature (and the fantasy genre)
tends to hold in high regard – justice, grief, vengeance, right vs. wrong,
aristocracy, sexuality, sacrifice and others. These explorations often come
from the minds and conversations of people that many would not associate with such
deep explorations – the young, the soldiers and even the servants.
But, no
worries for those craving action, there is plenty of action, though it flows at
metered pace. There are quests across alien, desolate lands. Creatures emerge
from the Vitr. Battles are fought, slaughter rendered. Death comes, magic descends
and a proud son greets the Lord of Hate, who writes an unending suicide note.
One of the
aspects I found most interesting in Forge
of Darkness is just how Erikson deals with his characters – particularly with
characters who many of his readers feel that they know from the Malazan series.
In this, Erikson introduces us to them as if the reader knows nothing about
them. And for the fans who feel that they do know something about these
characters – well, in many ways Erikson shows them that they actually don’t
know anything about them, at least at the time when this series is occurring. The
time difference between the two series in not a few years, but a few
hundred-thousand years. All too often, we think that we know someone, and we
never expect them to change. Especially our favorite characters from books. In
this case Erikson is dealing with characters who have unending life-spans,
though they are mortal. However, the intellects of his characters essentially
human. In hundreds of thousands of years, things change, people change, details
forgotten or misremembered, perspectives alter and what was once important is
not so anymore and vice versa. Erikson plays with the perception, anticipation
and assumption of his readers. Some will cry foul, but I am enjoying the
contrast and relish my musing their journeys between events of the series..
Erikson has
often been charged with composing long beginnings that ever so slowly build to an
unrelenting and action-packed convergence of events. Forge of Darkness is the long, slow build up for The Kharkanas Trilogy. Resolutions are
not provided, nor is the triumphant ending of most opening books of trilogies. It
informs, it reveals the tragedy and sets the stage for what is to come. In many
ways, it is Erikson writing at his best, and only slightly less confusing. It
is the writing I crave to read, a writing in which I find equal parts joy,
melancholy, and sadness that are (thankfully) shaped by a wit that makes me
laugh. I am satisfied, yet I crave more.
I remember a
time not so long ago when it seemed every (epic) fantasy book out there was set
in some medieval Western European analog, particularly a British analog
(presumably because they speak English there, though the notion of what
languages were actually spoken and sounded like in medieval Britain is probably
not well appreciated, but I digress). The trend over the last year or two has
been to reverse the Euro-centric focus of the past with most new (epic) fantasies
inspired at least in part by non-western cultures. I love this positive
evolving of the genre, though I must say that the novelty of it has worn off a
bit with its popularity.
