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    Return of the Crimson Guard
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    Return of the Crimson Guard
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    Return of the Crimson Guard
    Audiobook32 hours

    Return of the Crimson Guard

    Written by Ian C. Esslemont

    Narrated by John Banks

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    The return of the mercenary company, the Crimson Guard, could not have come at a worse time for a Malazan Empire exhausted by warfare and weakened by betrayals and rivalries. Indeed, there are those who wonder whether the Empress Laseen might not be losing her grip on power as she faces increasing unrest as conquered kingdoms and principalities sense freedom once more.

    Into the seething cauldron of Quon Tali-the Empire's heartland-marches the Guard. With their return comes the memory of the Empire-and yet all is not well with the Guard itself. Elements within its elite, the Avowed, have set their sights on far greater power. There are ancient entities who also seek to further their own arcane ends. And what of the swordsman called Traveller who, with his companion Ereko, has gone in search of a confrontation from which none have ever returned?

    As the Guard prepares to wage war, so Laseen's own generals and mages, the "Old Hands," grow impatient at what they see as her mismanagement of the Empire. But could Laseen have outwitted them all? Could she be using the uprisings to draw out and finally eliminate these last irksome survivors from the days of her illustrious predecessor, Kellanved?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateJun 28, 2016
    ISBN9781511377072
    Unavailable
    Return of the Crimson Guard
    Author

    Ian C. Esslemont

    IAN C. ESSLEMONT grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He has studied archaeology and creative writing, has traveled extensively in Southeast Asia, and lived in Thailand and Japan for several years. He lives in Alaska with his wife and children and writes novels set in the world of Malaz, a world he co-created with Steven Erikson.

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    Reviews for Return of the Crimson Guard

    3.5/5

    174 ratings10 reviews

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    • 3/5
      This book feels a bit off. The nearest way I can think of to describe it is that it's like meeting the nearly similar sister of a lover. Your lover is gorgeous (of course), and this person is clearly closely related and similar, but the sum of those parts just doesn't work, and this sister is plain.Steven Erikson writes the "gorgeous sister/lover" books that mess with your head, twist your expectations and yet deliver wonderful stories in an incredibly attractive fashion. Ian Esslemont's first, short book, was a great addition to the mix. This book, however, is the plain sister...Structurally this book has lots of threads that eventually mesh together to give a final, massive climax. But there are so many threads that it is, at times, an effort to turn the page and wait to see where we're jumping off to next. The climax, rather than coming together like a beautifully crafted tapestry, comes together like a knot in long hair.This gets three stars because despite these faults there are some excellent parts, without those parts it could be a 2 or even 1 star read.And, really, there should be two massive conclusions to round this book off. One passes with barely a mention. No, that's not true, it is mentioned over several pages, but it has the impact of a balloon popping in a howling gale - next to none. The other climax doesn't really come, but dribbles off in bits, some here, some there.A totally unexpected climax arrives and is dealt with. Sadly, because of the fact it comes out of nowhere, it feels like an extra, it helps tangle the knot in the hair rather than smoothing the threads into a tapestry and it steals the impact from the conclusion that was there.I will doubtless read the next one too, but with much lower expectations than I approached this one.
    • 4/5
      Gotta say I enjoyed this one a lot more than I thought I would. Another solid entry in the history of the Malazan world, and (in my opinion) loads better than Night of Knives. I didn't have the issues with characterizations that a lot of other people apparently did, and found most of the plot threads quite enjoyable. Still, the book has its issues: Individual plots (or entire prologues) that didn't seem to relate to the rest of the book, and sections (like in NoK) that were far too vague, even if intentionally so. It appears that some of these threads will continue through subsequent books, which, though acceptable, is slightly disappointing, as I was hoping these entries would be mostly "one-shots" like NoK. Still, I'm continually amazed at the creativity and coordination between Erikson and Esslemont in fashioning and presenting this completely made-up world.
    • 3/5
      If you like the more bad-ass characters that just wade through a crowd in destruction mode then there is plenty of that for you in this book as well. Some of them, such as Ho, are subtly so, but others; such as Rell, Urko, Braven Tooth, Temp, and Traveller are all in your face ass kickers. Sadly, Esslemont doesn't really describe combat in as compelling of a way as Erikson. Most of the one-on-one combat sequences seem to be missing a level of detail and the descriptions, at time, become a little muddled. On the flip side, when the larger engagements happen Esslemont shines in capturing the tension and drama of a battlefield.

      Overall this was an enjoyable story but, mainly because I don't feel vested in any of the characters yet, I didn't get into it as much as I have the more recent Erikson novels. Fortunately, Esslemont has set the stage for some far reaching story lines that should prove to be quite interesting.
    • 3/5
      As many of you no doubt know, ICE and Steven Erikson "co-created" the Malazan world which SE has written several books set in.Now Erikson has a certain flair with his dialog and characters. ICE on the other hand hasn't come as far as an author. His people seem to be a bit cookie cutter and his dialog at times seems either nonsensical or forced.That being said, its still a read that anybody who enjoys SEs work really should read. It ties up some loose ends and helps increase the view of what all is going on in the world. For whatever it lacks in quality ICE sure makes up in quantity, its a fairly thick read, chock full of action and characters new and old and not only that, but it "feels" right.The last 1/4 of the story was (imo) the best part. ICE seemed to pull things together well, the action was, though not the best, solidly in the top levels.I very much feel this book is worthy of being the the Malazan world and is a solid addition to the series.
    • 4/5
      This is a monster of a novel, clocking in over 1000 pages. And, apparently Ian Cameron Esslemont has said that he had to do a large amount of trimming to reduce the length of the novel to something publishable in one go! Actually, it is possible that some of the issues I had with this book may be related to just this fact.First the pros: The Malazan world about which Esslemont's co-creater Erikson has already written several books is extremely well developed with a very rich history and so forth. We meet and follow many characters we have either already heard about before, or have already met. The events of this book apparently happen concurrently with the events of Toll the Hounds. This book is vast, covering numerous storylines and events and spread over the Malazan universe. There is a convergence of these storylines in the end which results in some major world-shaking events for the Malazan world. This is not a minor side-story to Erikson's novels (as Esslemont's first book, Night of Knives was) but is very much part of the tale the two authors are telling. Some of the characters are well drawn, and all the storylines interesting and entertaining, so that even as the POV jumps around every few pages, one remains glued to the book (or at least I did).Esslemont's writing style seems to have improved from his first book, certainly this is a much more ambitious work. But unfortunately he is no Erikson. The writing is more ordinary, and the dialogue often fails to be as distinctive. It is not just that he lacks Erikson's style, but there are often some jarring sequences and descriptions which seem very un-Malazan like (such as occasional modern swear-words). Furthermore, many of the characters that were surrounded with so much mystery in Erikson's works here come across as very mundane - whether it is Anomander Rake's (who has a short cameo), the Empress Laseen or the commander of the Crimson guard K'azz (who is particularly pedestrian) or the Wickan warlocks Nil and Nether. The book also lacks the emotional depth and social commentary of Erikson's works (which may be just as well, given the length that would have added). Another issue is that occasionally we are left scratching our heads over just why certain characters are doing whatever they are doing. Certain mysteries seem to be built up to be left unexplained, or indeed, abandoned. (What was Ereko's purpose? Why did the 3 deserters join Kyle?) Finally there seem to be some minor inconsistencies in descriptions of various warrens, characters or powers.My review may seem to be overly critical of the book, but when it comes down to it, many of these issues are bound to arise when two authors play in the same pen. And when it comes down to it, this is a hugely enjoyable and entertaining book, made all the more remarkable for its sheer volume and length. Given the amount of stuff that happens here, this would easily have been a trilogy for most other authors. While Esslemont's book does not have the emotional depth or give the intellectual satisfaction Erikson's work does, it still complements that work well, focusing more on a fast-paced narrative that keeps one glued to the page.
    • 4/5
      in his second contribution to the Malazan Empire series, Esslemont writes with a much surer hand. this one is set in the same period as Erikson's Book of the Fallen.
    • 2/5
      Rarely have I been so disappointed with a book. This was a complete let down of the Malazan series on a whole. Esselmont's level of writing is nowhere near that of his co-creator of the Malazan word. This was very poorly written. It was a jumble of characters, very little plot development, and lacked direction. At times is was a struggle to continue reading it. Many of the old guard characters, who've been built up and alluded to by Erickson made brief appearances not really worthy of the fame they have inspired. Unfortunately many of them were killed off as well, making it seem like a complete mis-use of the characters themselves. I felt this was horribly mishandled, not sure if this is a product of bad editing or just the author himself. It could have had half the characters and half the storylines but been a much better book. Esselmont has managed to cram a ton of storylines and characters into one book, yet taken it nowhere, and leaves the reader confused. Tons of questions after reading this book and not in a positive way. If this had been the first Malazan book I'd read, it would easily have out me off of reading any others. Hoping for more from his next release.
    • 2/5
      The tone and writing style of this book is very different from Night of Knives, much closer to Erikson's style. It is as if some extensive overwriting took place. The way in which it was structured also closely resembled Toll the Hounds, with the point of view (POV) jumping between characters on average every three pages. So much for continuity. . .There is alot about this book that bothered me. It is very difficult to explain exactly what without giving spoilers, but I'll try my best.First, it lacked authenticity. Although I know that Esslemont is the co-creator of the Malazan concept, he (obviously) did not write the other Malazan books. Erikson did. So while they might have shared the same concept, Erikson's portrayal and understanding of the world is different from that of Esslemont. The result is that Esslemont feels like an intruder into Erikson's realm, and one who did not do sufficient research at that. One example is that Esslement seems to have a much more elemental take on the magic system than Erikson (Mother Earth?! What happened to Burn?)Which lead me to my second issue: Discrepancies. Esslemont made no attempt to reconcile his book with events that took place in Erikson's books. It is as if he did not even bother to read them except for a cursory glance. This despite the fact that he high-jacked Erikson's characters left, right and centre. K'azz and members of the Sixth Blade are prime examples of this. What we know of them from Gardens of the Moon and what Esslemont says in this book, is not the same. Discrepancies also occur with Kallor and Traveller, the nature of the Crimson Guard, Assail, Osserc, ... the list goes on, I won't bore you with the full extend thereof. It is also unclear from the book whether it predates events from Toll the Hounds or comes after. There are problems with either interpretation.Thirdly, the characters seemed flat, without any distinctive personality. A lot of veterans seemed like exactly the same personality, just with different names. Only Nait seemed to develop a personality in the second half of the book. The fact that the POV jumped around so much also destroyed any possibility of one caring what happened to the characters much, as you are to busy struggling to keep track of who is who. The book is no page-turner. Halfway through, I was wondering why I bothered to read it. It does pick up somewhat towards the end, though.Fourth, there was a lot of build-up of certain story lines, making them feel central to the main story, only to see them unravel into insignificance before the end of the book.In summary, I don't mind that Esslemont writes about the Malazan Empire. I had no problem with Night of Knives, for example. As long as events predate or postdate events in Erikson's books. Or happens somewhere else between Esslemont's own characters. But Esslemont should stay off Erikson's turf and not try to write concurrent with Erikson and try and tie in with his stories and characters. Leave that to Erikson. He does a better job of it.
    • 3/5
      This one took me a long time to really get into. I barely remembered the Crimson Guard from the main series, so most of the characters were new, different, and there was an extra layer of confusing to have almost no continuity from the "first" book in the same series. It was a decent entry into the series by the end, but there is a lot that remains very unexplained. As is very often the case in this world, for better or worse.
    • 4/5

      This is a great improvement from Esselmonts first book. The writing is better, the plotting is better and it has captured more of the Malazan feeling that soaks the Erikson books better.

      I enjoyed this book quite a bit, but I will freely admit the fourth star is due to some of the pure macho kickassery in some of the scenes. Erikson remains the better writer, but Esselmont has raised his game a lot and delivered a book that is fun to read.