Forge of the High Mage

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Learned lots and lots of background on lots of characters, especially the growth of our titular mage. As ever, the excellent magic system (through the use of warrens) is finely showcased here and, for the most part, I found my reading experience to be extremely rewarding; leading me to score Forge of the High Mage an 8/10 rating. In a first for a Malazan novel, an additional two-page map is included in an addendum at the back of the book. Kellanved is so fun to follow around with how you absolutely have no idea what he's going to do next.

ICE has written a couple book's that were serious misses for me, but I've been enjoying the Path to Ascendancy Series for the most part. I've eagerly awaited more books in this series, and there was a bit of confusion at first whether this was a sequel to the main series or another volume in the Path to Ascendancy prequel series. It shows him coming into his power as he pushes himself beyond what he thought was his limits, only to discover an almost limitless supply of power on the other side of his mental barricades. The one good thing I can say about the book is that it reads well and is almost a page-turner so despite some misgivings, it didn't turn into a slog at all and is relatively short for a Malazan novel.Malazan being my undisputed GOAT series, I feel almost obligated to read anything releasing in greater series. tayschreen is the best character here, and i can’t wait to reread the main series and view him with this additional information - his arc was brilliant. If you've read Malazan and you like it, there's no reason not to read this book as long as you've read the three previous ones in this cycle.

Granted, Deadhouse Landing has started the Tay-arc and already portrayed him as something of a socially inept recluse. Additionally make sure your User-Agent is not empty and is something unique and descriptive and try again. He now lives in Fairbanks, Alaska, with his wife and children and is currently working on his PhD in English Literature.Malazan, Theloman, Tiste Andii, Crimson Guard and let's not forget the spider at the center of the web, a certain Dal Hon mage and his companion.

I absolutely loved the first three books from this series and had high expectations from this one but I felt that this was probably the weakest so far in the series. However, there was a considerable time jump from the previous book which means a lot of the Malazan expansion happened off page which was very disappointing. The book is a very enjoyable romp through the early years of Malazan expansion, featuring a lot of the big players from the main series making names for themselves. Tay (the titular High Mage) steals the show, he really comes on leaps and bounds as a character from a largely unknown, pretty stereotypical big hitter type character to someone with nuance and it gives you understanding of how he is, who he is. One such occasion, unfortunately, left me feeling frustrated as it was a blink-and-you-will-miss-it, over-in-a-page encounter.I have read every single book that has been released to date in the Malazan universe from both Ian C Esslement and Steven Erikson (well except Upon a Dark of Evil Overlords which in all his eccentricity Erikson decided to release just his handwritten notes and at the moment is not available as an actual book). The book’s title is perfect in describing his character arc: which includes his doubts and concerns, trying to understand his place within the military, his working relationship with Nightchill and Dujek Onearm, as well as his magical potential, leading to mastery. The author takes us back to where it all began and how the Malazans forge their empire with their ruthlessness.