Malazan: Midnight Tides Review 

6:50 i don't know if the puns were intentional but i had a good chuckle there lol There is actually a lot of water/sea/ocean puns around Bugg throught the whole book And one of the big foreshadowing moments is when we end a chapter with Withal praying to Mael, and at the beggining of the next chapter Bugg falls into a canale and explains to Tehol that he heard someone whispering his name xD

Same, I'm normally against resurrection but Erikson handles it so well I don't mind. Rhulad's is how I'd imagine a resurrection would actually be like... traumatising.

In the scene where it seems that Tehol is about to die I couldn't even breath. It was so tense. Tbh many scenes in this book gave me this feeling.... Also rip Kuru Qan he was great in that last showdown 😢

Merphy you don't give yourself nearly enough credit. You are more than smart enough for these books. Part of why the series is so loved is the fact that Erikson doesn't talk down to his readers and expects them to think about what's going on and have some introspection. On the subject of Ublala and Udinaas I think the point you hit upon at the end of the section was correct. I absolutely think it is commentary on how that subject has been talked about in the past and still is in certain groups. The answer to the question did Erikson think about situation x is usually yes. Nothing is in these books he hasn't thought through thoroughly. I'm glad you're loving my favorite series. Nice to hear that you will be reading bonehunters soon. It's a great book.

MT is the book where Erikson went guns blazing post modernistic. All themes in MT are subversions of real world aspects. Ublala is written as a subversion of Macho man sleeping with lots of women trope , Udinaas is written as being a tragic character (slave) but still having compassion at the same time. Ruhlad is written as subversion of fetch quest with magic sword trope. You got almost all the themes right. Great Review!

I think the Udinaas rape hit's different because characters like Seren Pedac experience despair when it happens to them while he showed more disdain/resentment. He's a slave who's used to not having body autonomy. That doesn't make it ok for him of course, but there's not the same shock factor others feel when control is taken from them. It is explored more in Reaper's Gale so I won't go further. I'm not fully sure about Ublala though so here's my maybe incoherent thoughts. I think it was supposed to be lite commentary on the subject. Erikson made sure to show that the three women didn't treat him well to make Ublala the sympathetic character, but even an otherwise good guy like Tehol was dismissive of him. The main issue was that he wanted something deeper, not just physical. Tehol is the opposite where he is outwardly ok emotionally (ignoring depression) being alone, but is missing the physical. So he couldn't reconcile that someone he viewed as lucky didn't like it. He did set him up with Shurq pretty quickly after finding out he was distressed though so maybe he cared more than he let on. As someone who had sympathy for Ublala I see it as showing a failing in Tehol who isn't always the kindest to him. On the other hand I can see how someone who shares Tehol's opinion could read it as if it's just to laugh at the big guy who should just toughen up. You forgot the third tragic trio of brothers by the way, the bodyguard triplets. Book 6 is another fan favorite so I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts. If you really liked the fight in the blizzard there's a certain long chapter in Bonehunters that I think you will love even more for similar reasons.

Merphy, something you reflected on in this book got me to reprocess something that happens later in book 7, Reaper's Gale! This book has a lot of clever details set up for future events, but you almost wouldn't know it because so much stands alone in how brilliantly it's executed. I think your intuition and insights are on point! 🌊

You didn't even mention our boy Iron Bars going all "One Punch Man" on everyone.

Poor Crippled God and his comfy beach tent... the old gods are nothing but bullies.

I love the model boat on the book shelf

I finished this book 15 minutes ago and came right to this video. Thanks Merphy!

'a book that is, quite frankly, far smarter than I am' is the realest description of Malazan I have ever heard

Merphy, I feel like this video could have easily been an hour longer. Long enough to rival your biggest One Piece Arc reviews, and we still would not have had enough. We didn't get to discuss the prologue, the new Elder Gods and the Holds (as a precursor to Warrens). Then there were characters like the Errant, Iron Bars, Ceda Kuru Qan and Feather Witch. Gods, I feel like Udinaas, Tehol and Trull deserve treatises of their own. Trull paid the price for staying by his brother in the Throne Room, while Fear got to escape by fleeing. Also, how great a swordsman would Brys have to be to so easily and efficiently deal with Rhulad? He paid for his skill and loyalty by being inadvertently poisoned by his own king, who ironically had no faith in his own Champion's abilities. And, then, as if things were not twisted enough, when the Guardian comes to collect his body, he finishes off Rhulad, thinking it as an act of mercy.

my two favorite scenes are Brys meeting the Guardian and Shurq meeting Harlest. both make you expect these epic confrontations; Brys subsequently beats the snot out of the guardian and the guardian literally goes “damn my bad man”, and Harlest is just like “oh man you’re undead too, bring me with u lol”

Wonderful review. I'm so glad you got to read Midnight Tides. Malazan is one of those series that makes you a better reader. It changes the way you think and changes the way you feel about what you are reading so many times. Midnight Tides is really the perfect mid-series book, and, you've got some of the best yet to come.

Really enjoyed this duscussion thx a lot for this

Oh I knew you will love this even more! 👏👏 And so told Trull his story to Onrack part 1… Your videos are really fun to watch. If I didn’t read this before 3 times, you are a great motivator to start.

Absolute banger this one, and there are more to come! When I started this one I was thinking 'oh no not another restart' but by the end the characters here are some of my favourites. Love your point on tropes. They can be poorly written, but they can also be used to investigate ideas in new and interesting ways. The current run of the X-Men comic books is also doing a great job reimagining the use of the resurrection trope (so overused in that medium). Thanks for these videos.

Awesome video! Regarding Ublala: great catch! It is easy to dismiss his position as merely humorous, but as you notice, it isn't that simple at all. He has his own desire for emotional comfort, support and warmth. I love how he is handled in general. And Tehol is flawed in this context, definitely. But you also habe to always play this word game with Tehol too. His default way of speaking is incredibly witty and intentially humorous, so one has to put some work in to understand what he is actually saying. So while his response to Ublala is not great, I think he also actually understands Ublala, sympathises with him and in the end wants to help him as much as possible. Udinass too. I LOVE Udinass and he suffered, A LOT. I generally like how Erikson handled his SA scene. To me the whole thing puts pressure on the issue of male SA and how we overlook it in our society. Also, the consequences of this are handled really well. This wasn't just some random scene. It is very important for this character. It has been a while since I've read this book, but this are my thoughts regarding the two characters. EDIT: I think it is worth saying that this is obviously not the end of this storyline. So when I say that I love how the consequences have been written and how Udinass has been handled, Midnight Tides is not the whole picture. Though I still loved it in MT for what it was and didn't feel distanced that much. Especially because how Udinass' relationship with Rhulad; a lot of this is subtly handled in their conversations. I also forgot to add that part of this exploration is probably about how men do not express their suffering and emotion that openly.

One of my favourite books of the whole series

This video is now my favorite malazan book review. Made the book even better for me. Thank you

Merphy, please give the Lockwood & co. books a try! They have great characters, friendship in the face of adversity, and a plot that makes you want to read non stop until you know what happens in the end. It would be great to see your review!

On the topic of the scene with Ublala and Tehol: My read of it is that it's an inversion of several tropes, mostly played for comedy, with some social commentary. First, we really need to set up who the characters are. Ublala is a very interesting and trusting person; pure in a sense. He's also a huge hulking barbarian of a man. In older fantasy books, it would be the huge hulking barbarian that would 'take' the women. Erikson is inverting this, and Ublala is instead the one being taken advantage of for his body. Next is Tehol: he is a small wimpy man; the brains. He is an incredibly smart critical thinker. He's highly sensitive to the plights of others in Lether, and he's currently doing his best to try to free the people from this hellish society. Now, the scene. Ublala, the hulking barbarian, the 'dumb brute' is taking on the role of what would traditionally have been a female character. He's complaining that people are using him purely for sex, and not giving anything more. Tehol, the wise and compassionate, proceeds to tell Ublala that his situation is not actually an issue, and he should be happy with being used purely for sex. The hulking barbarian is sensitive, the compassionate wimp is bone-headed, and all of this is handled in a way that is criticizing every fantasy book where these roles would be reversed. Now, the concept of a seemingly mentally challenged man being used by women for sex is not exactly the best place to throw in trope reversal and humor. Ublala is a willing participant in sex, but this wades towards incredibly dangerous territory. Though Erikson does tend to treat sexual assault as a very serious manner, there are a few scenes where men are sexually assaulted and it's played for comedy. With Udinaas (who is maybe my favorite character in the series), I think your feelings with his situation could be a result of several factors. Like you said, he is gaslit, and not totally sure if what he dreamt even happened. Still, we see this 'dream' does effect him. However, I think his life is so shitty, and he is in such a bad situation, that he isn't phased as much by it. He's a broken man before we meet him on the page. This is just one more bad event on the mountain of them that make up his life. I am very curious to see what you feel about the continuation of Udinaas' story. It was very highly interesting to me. One more thing to add, Erikson has said that Midnight Tides was the easiest of the books for him to write. It basically just all came to him and he breezed through it. I very much share your opinion that this is the most focused of the Malazan books to this point, and I think this is a result of that easy writing process. I think, in the series, there are a few points where Erikson's writing quality noticeably improves. Deadhouse Gates is an obvious one, but I think Midnight Tides is also a big jump up in sheer prose quality. I was completely enamoured with this book from the first descriptions of the Edur village. I think there's another obvious jump in prose quality later in the series, but it also accompanies a somewhat harsh stylistic shift (to the better, for my personal taste).

Only halfway through the book but looking forward to finishing it and watching this! Always appreciated your thoughts and discussions on Malazan. Keep it up!

i think my second or third full re-read of the books was the most impactful for me. knowing the things you know. i love going through this series again with youive read it almost a dozen times on my own

Loved the review. Was waiting a long time for this. Wish it was a bit longer, but you hit on most important parts and themes very well. In the discussion of SA, I believe Seren Pedac's case should have been brought up, how she handled it. Can't wait for you to start The Bonehunters.

Thank you for doing this. I've been trying to process this but no one I know has read, or is willing to read Malazan. Appreciate your thoughts!

In relation to the Udinaas point, I think we are meant to feel distanced because that's how Udinaas is handling it. He's distancing himself from it, locking it in a bubble where it happened, but he's not gonna dwell on it because it matters. Idk, I haven't read past book 5 yet. As to Ooblala, or however his name is spelled, there definitely was and is a culture around "Men can't be SA'd," take WoT for example. It is still present today but I don't think that's what Erikson was going for here, because in WoT the reader is supposed to find the situation funny, it is a big reason why it falls so hard, but I never thought that with Ooblala. It wasn't as in your face tragic as it was with Udinaas, but the jokes weren't made for the reader to find it funny. In fact, I don't remember Tehol finding the situation funny or making a joke about it. I remember him being utterly bewildered at the fact he isn't enjoying it, but not a "Stop complaining you love it," kind of joking. That is just my opninion though.

One of the best books of the series, no doubt! There is so much going on here , and Erikson tackles and slays so many different styles here - especially with Tehol and Bugg!

This is interesting to see your journey because i felt very similarly with not knowing what the hell was going on from books 1-3, then the fourth i was feeling more confident, then with this one I felt like my experience with Erikson's writing clicked and I felt more confident and equipped to understand Erikson's writing and the writing in between the lines.

This was great, thanks. I read it this month and loved it. But I had to get used to all the new characters too.

Hurray!!!! I was able to wait Till Tuesday. ( I guess I had no choice). It seems like you liked midnight tides very well. Now you must start The Bonehunters immediately. You will meet one of my Favorite Characters "Beak". You will also hear more from Silchas Ruin (one of my favorites also. I say Sealtest Ruined, like Sour Milk). You must continue your Journey. Please start your Journey with "The Bonehunters". I think you will like Beak.😅😅😅😅😅

On Ublala and the-seeming-irreverence Tehol treats this with, “A Critical Dragon” has an amazing dive into that exact scene. He talks quite a bit how that scene was intended to show how often do men have their experiences of assault dismissed, and how they are often treated. He also talked a bit about how Tehol treated Ublala in a way that was potentially tailored to Ublala’s level and capability of understanding, and then later on goes and confronts the women about it (this may happen in a later book and if so, I’m sorry for the minor spoiler). I too had the reaction you did on my first read through, but on my second, there are many layers to even that scene that are less apparent. Additionally on your point about Udinaas and Ublala and their reactions to their assaults, it may not resonate quite the same way for you because it wasn’t quite as relatable to you as a woman, where as for me as a man who has experienced both reactions (Tehol’s to Ublala and Udinaas’s to himself) when I went through something similar, I had a visceral reaction to both and felt it was treated as carefully as Erickson treats assault with women.

Woo! Souds like a fun book

I feel the same about Rhulad. On the one hand, he is in such a terrible position with the blade and the becoming the ruler of the whole Tiste Edur. His first resurection is I think still very much so stuck with me and just I can't how someone could come out of it sane. On the other hand, he is a very jealous brat. Like he could've had any woman, but he needed his brother's wife, because he found her pretty and hated that his brother was with her. And I think that's what makes his character so interesting, because you want to hate him, but you always find some way to empathise with him Also, Tehol and Bugg are best duo, only beaten by Kruppe and literally anyone

This is my favourite Malazan book up till now. I've been wondering if I could recommend this one to others if they only would be willing to read one Malazan book, because it has this stand-alone/prologue quality to it and is focussed on one main conflict. Of course, it would feel a bit like being thrown into the middle of a series, but every instalment felt like that to me ;-)

malazan: the series where a chapter swaps between a guard captain beating the shit out of an elder god’s guardian, and a zombie girl getting a makeover. I LOVE MALAZAN (yes these events were the same chapter)

Iron Bars was so awesome in this book, such a badass, man is just churning through awakening gods at the end. His relationship with Seren is real sweet too I felt like her story was a better exploration of trauma than Udinaas by a lot.

its not an entirely new cast of characters other than Trull... We've seen the Edur that Bugg sends packing through his realm before....

You’re doing great following the story.

Maybe my favorite book of the series, top three def Crippled God Memories of Ice and Midnight Tides at least for now tnhx Merph this was great

I wholeheartedly agree with you on the distancing of udinas's character!

I have to admit that while I was reading this book I checked when it was written, because I found that the description of Lether as a society and what they did to other populations resonated so much with what USA did in the early 2000s, and I was not surprised to discover that it was published in 2004. I think that Iraq invasion influenced Erickson a lot while he was writing and/or editing

I found your channels the other day, and have really enjoyed binge watching your WOT and Malazan reviews as I contemplate re-reads of one or both of those series. I was curious if you were planning on reading Ian Esslemont's Malazan books as well. I'd read the two series together on my first read, and liked the change of pace between authors, though I think some readers preferred Erikson's writing style.

Great review. I did a character ranking video a few months ago and halfway through I realized I had left off Udinaas. 😢 What an amazing character. I'm also curious as to your thoughts on Silchas Ruin? The Errant? The Holds vs. Houses stuff?

This is probably the book that made me laugh out loud the most

Thanks for a great review. I just finished the book and really enjoy reflecting on the book hearing your thoughts. Also loved the book, I really had the same experience with the very co..ncise nice flow of the book. This is one of my favorites in that regard. I really was pondering the same about Male SA. On the one hand, it fits Eriksons style for this book - presenting it to us as it is. And it is a fact that Male SA is generally being ignored or laughed away by authorities as well as many emotionally less avaialble/developed men. On the other hand, it kind of irked me that when a woman goes through such a trauma in the book, we see it play out with justifying revenge and emotional turmoil, while these men are just left to deal with it and get no resolution at all to what happened to them. Basically, it fails to address the perpetrator.

I’m so stoked to learn that Merphy is reading through Malazan. I adore this series. We named our kid after one of our favorite characters.

I’m on midnight tides right now. But I can’t get myself to start it …

I was scared of this book when I read the Dramatis Personae and I knew nothing. Then I was pleasantly surprised and I loved this book so much. It also made more sense after someone told me that after the epilogue of House of Chains, when Trull was crying for Onrack, he also told his back story thus Midnight Tides is him telling it.

I have read up to Reaper's Gale so far in the Malazan Book of the Fallen. And I have also re read a bit of Gardens of the Moon. Erikson has a lot of remarkable consistency with his complex books. It is very impressive that he is able to keep everything together and have it not feel forced. Like with Midnight Tides with the Lether Empire and Tiste Edur as it is well placed with everything else that is going on in Malazan Book of the Fallen. The only issue is that it is a lot to read and take in. Some of the books can become slow and hard to read with the amount that is going on. I find myself reading a lot of boring bits till I get to something that is interesting. Midnight Tides is better at not feeling slow with a lot of interesting moments that occur regularly. It makes this book surprisingly more interesting than most of the Malazan Books. Although, I do wonder if Erikson is trying to say something about the Lether economy and Tehol's manipulation with it. It is either an analogy or just an interesting concept to explore, but it is nice to ponder about sometimes.

What do you think of Hannan Mossag as a character in this book? As an important antagonist I find him a bit trivial, like he's just a cookie cutter cultist leader.

Fantastic review Merphy!! What can I say except I love how much you love it!! 😀😀😀 Excited for you to carry on soon On the topic of Udinaas/Ublala and potential uncomfiness there: I see where you're coming from. But I think, personally, that Erikson has earned the benefit of the doubt, meaning we can view it all in the best possible light, rather than defaulting to the worst possible light. So let's assume that, as another commenter said, "I think we are meant to feel distanced because that's how Udinaas is handling it." And for Ublala, let's assume that even tho Tehol laughs about it, WE THE READERS don't have to laugh at it. Ublala is very clearly hurt by how he's treated, and maybe we should think a little less of Tehol for laughing at Ublala. He may be Tehol but he's not perfect! All that said, at least so far in the series, I think it's fair to say Erikson doesn't explore SA of men as thoroughly as he does women. And maybe that's a failing of some sort. I don't really think it is, but I can see that perspective. I do think the fact that there's even this many male SA victims (Trull in HoC, Udinaas, Ublala) is a good evening out of the scales, in a genre where usually there's ZERO male SA victims but plenty of female SA victims. So I guess it's a matter of perspective, and maybe seeing it as least a better representation of male SA than we usually see, even if not perfect. Hope that makes sense!

I just finished midnight tides, and I have I very similar perspective to you on the Udinaas and Ublala situation, and sexual violence against men more generally in the series so far. It seems like when women and girls have been sexually assaulted in this series Erikson will take a lot of time dealing with the emotional aftermath, and how things like that can affect a broader community (both Felisins for example). Sometimes I think he falls into the "woman's pain motivates man" dynamic which I find dated and patriarchal. And other times I think he uses sexual violence against women as an almost obligatory catalyst for character change when something else could have fit (e.g. Seren Pedac could have been catalyzed by Buruk's death for example). I feel like so far sexual violence against men hasn't been explored in the same way in the series, and I also can't tell how intentional that is. If I'm being generous, it could be a commentary on how invalidated and invisible male victims of sexual assault can be made in patriarchal cultures. But on the other hand it might not have been on his mind because Erikson was brought up in a patriarchal culture like that. In Memories of Ice, there are potentially thousands of victims of the Tenescowri women, but it's just mentioned as something that happened, and we never really see how it affects any of them (in their moments of death, from survivors, from witnesses, etc). In House of Chains when Trull is raped, or when Udinaas is in Midnight Tides, the scenes happen in surreal dream worlds and then are moved on from. Yeah there's plot relevance, but we aren't made to sit in the emotional fallout like we are with the Felisins or Seren. And I feel this can minimize the effect that this kind of trauma can have on men, and can perpetuate an idea that women are weaker in dealing with this kind of trauma. Again, maybe it's trying to show that men in patriarchal cultures don't have culturally approved ways of working through their pain, or even feeling it. But that feels like quite a charitable stretch. It especially bugs me because Erikson and Esselmont have talked about wanting to create a world that doesn't have the same gender dynamics and sexism as our world, so it can be disappointing when it feels like unconscious biases and worldviews influence what happens and how it happens That said, it's clear Erikson's trying, even if the execution doesn't always land for me. And his handling of sexual violence is much better than most male fantasy authors I've read. Anyway, curious to see how things play out in future books. Despite some issues like this, it's still one of my favorite fantasy series so far.

I also felt this one was the most focused so far

I think that Erikson treated the consent question with men the way it tends to be treated, maybe as a literal illustration of its juxtaposition to the treatment he wrote for the women. We were receiving commentary via character reaction (internal and external) to the trauma, not by Erikson saying what he himself thinks about it. Does that make sense? I don't want to be explicit here, but I imagine 'invasion' (in the literal sense) has something to do with it, as well. How is the reaction to being used as opposed to being invaded different? I'm not a man so I have l no clue if there even is a difference. Udinaas was separated from the experience by his dream state, his other intense traumas and the gaslighting he got from Featherwitch. By the time got around to accepting that it actually happened, he'd had so much other crap heaped on his head I imagine it was kind of... one more thing to add to the pile? How would you even begin to sort through all that to determine how much weight each horror had? As for Ublala, he doesn't say he dislikes the act only that there is no emotional connection or comfort, no one wants him for himself only for his... endowments. Tehol, as a character, is rather caught up in his own brain and didn't consider it too deeply. It wasn't the problem at hand, and he literally only thought as far as, "No entanglements, just 'this'... how is that bad?" and onto the next thing. It doesn't mean Ublala shouldn't feel what he does or that Tehol's dismissal wasn't insensitive but Ublala does have a choice, which he exercises by going with Shurq Illale. I think I figured out why I am almost never offended by something in a book. I legitimately treat every character as if they are a person, just not one in the same world with me. I never have to meet them, and I can put the book down at any time. I am in complete control. I don't like everyone, I don't agree with everyone, why would a character in a book be different? In fact, if there are things to dislike about a character, that makes them more real to me. If they have questionable thoughts or do questionable things they are more PEOPLE than if they never said/did a thing that was politically incorrect, horrible, mean, stupid or ill-advised. I have read stories that were well written with a main character that I absolutely did not like but the story was good and I didn't mind that I didn't like them, as long as there was something to be gained from the story. (Quentin, for example.) A story or scene has to be written in a very particular way for me to view the story being told and the characters in it as a direct representation of the author's actual thoughts on a subject. But beyond anything, it's fiction, it isn't real and I should at no point react to fictional characters as if they are a person that exists in the world I live in. No matter what, the author isn't the characters in their story and I have no need or desire to treat them as if they are responsible for the actions of a real person who exists and has done terrible things or has disappointed me in some way.

You get some dramatic irony with Trull in this book because you already know what happens to him from House of Chains. I’m a sucker for dramatic irony. The scene that made best use of it was the scene where Fear and Trull enjoy a dinner with Rhulad. It’s a happy moment but it’s so sad because you already know that their family will be torn apart.

Some thoughts as I'm watching through your video. Tehol & Bugg 2024! I think one of the things that helps explain the different pacing and different voice in this book is that, if you remember the end of the last book, this is a story being told by Trull to Tool. The story of how he came to be tied down in the Nascent, shorn and abandoned, to be rescued by Tool. One of my favorite things that Erikson does is the constant sendup of all the classical fantasy tropes. I love that he takes things like, in this instance, resurrection and just turns them on their head, makes them unexpected and different and unique, or completely turns them on their head. I often feel like he does it expressly to demonstrate how lazy and stupid a lot of them can be. Rhulad being the worst and yet also not at the same time is just one example among many in this series. I'm trying hard to not spoil anything for you, as you still have a lot to experience, but I'll tell you this: it is a common theme with Erikson that the "good guys" often do shitty things, and the reader often finds themselves sympathizing with the "bad guys". It's one of the main themes and arcs throughout the whole series, and you will regularly find yourself revisiting your outlook on characters (and obviously already have). Honestly, the only real fault I can find with MBotF is that it has genuinely ruined me for other fantasy. Not that I don't read other fantasy, and not that I can't enjoy it. But ever since reading this series for the first time years ago, it all gets compared to Malazan. And I come back and re-read the series regularly. I'm dying to start my 4th reading, and it will happen sooner than later. I'm trying to put it off until the Karsa trilogy is finished, and then I'm going to read everything, all the main series, all the ICE books, all the novellas, and the latest trilogy that's still unfinished. But that's likely several years down the line, and I don't know if I'll make it that far! No matter what, this was a wonderful video. I didn't think I'd watch the entire ~25 minutes, and yet here we are. Subbed to catch up, and see your thoughts on the next books.

I have so much I could say but I don't know how to avoid being spoilery of future books with most of them, so...tropes. Tropes in and of themselves are the tools in the toolbox of writing. Almost all of them can be used badly, but most can also be used well. There's a few that can't (or at least generally stop being referred to as that trope when they're used well) like fridging and "it was all a dream" (the former being actually problematic, the latter just being bad writing), but by and large, a sufficiently advanced writer can turn almost any trope into something truly rewarding to read.

hi merphy, About Ublala, here is a timely analysis from a critical dragon of the scene you found weird : ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lBDUIDlQc4k.html

Where is the Edur Mael/Bugg killed at the end for Tehol with sending him to his realm, Merph? 👀😂

Merphy you need a good brew with that chair..

Midnight Tides and Toll the Hounds are by far the two most focused books of the series. They're my two favorites. They're kind of two sides of the same coin, thematically the antithesis of one another

I think the city has a lot to do with it. Unlike Darujhistan or Aren, which are also great characters by themselves, we get to know a little about what Letheras thinks.

Errant’s gonna Errant.

I have to ask. Did you see the comment in your Memories of Ice video? Steven Lunden (AKA Steven Erickson) left you a comment.

If the previous book was Erikson's homage to Howard's Conan, this one (when coupled with Reaper's Gale) is his homage to Shakespeare's tragedies. I'm a bit surprised that you got through your review without any mention of Seren Pedac.

I gotta say books 3 & 5-7 are the best books in the series. Bonehunters is wild, and then Reaper's Gale (my fav) takes you back to Lether and finakly combines all three stkry arcs, and the book is full of tragedy. I loved all the commentary on society and capitalism Erikson wrote into MT, and the way that all evolves in RG is great. That book has my most hated character though: Tanal Yathvanar is the worst and the scenes where he does what he does is ROUGH.

(Male perspective, *one mans perspective) I also didn't love the way Tehol reacted to Ublala it was giving me major WoT flashbacks, but then Tehol did semi take him seriously, and ultimately intervined to get Ublala out of that situation. With Tehol, he does seem to be a watch what he does and ignor what he says, type of guy. It was also, sadly, a pretry acurate portrayal to how that conversation can go with your male friends. Obviously, not all guys will react like that, but things are also said and phrased differently when there are no women in the room. I've seen conversations like that playout, and very much felt like Bug, in the corner going, "Hey guys, this really isn't okay." (I think that's how Bug reacted. it's been a while, so i could be mis-remembering) I think that's what Erikson was trying to portray there, especially with Ublala being presented as this pinnacle of "manhood" and still being helpless in the situation. Which causes the confusion for Tehol. When it comes to Udinaas, it's two part, the first is that this arc isn't over, and more is to come. The second is that he has been trying to distance himself from the situation and that's why its coming across disconnected. Udinass has a lot of anger in him that we see hints of, but he is also in a situation where showing that anger or acting on it could get him killed. He is supposed to be a pillar of calm for an insane man who is continually dieing, he doesn't have the space to feel his own emotions. If I'm remembering correctly there is a conversation between him and featherwitch in a dream that we get a peak into what he is going through and how angry/confused he is, there is another scean that comes to mind showing him being very raw with his emotions and reactions, but I don't think it is in this book so I won't spoil it. His apparent stoicism around the topic is definitely a reaction you see in real life, especially from men. I feel like it mirrors Felisin's arch where she leans into it and tries to convince herself, it was her idea, and she was the one with the power. Erikson definitely approachs male sa and female sa differently. I don't think it's necessary intentional, more a reflection of how society as a whole approaches the two, and those biases slipping in. Maybe a bit of both. Idk. It's a heavy topic that I also, don't particularly like to discuss. Erikson definitely tries his best and has good intentions, but sometimes misses the mark. I have problems with some of the sa situations that happen in the series and how they are handled (especially stuff later in the series), but then other times it's handled so well (Felisin Paran and Udinass). Idk I've got mixed feelings. It's handled better than a lot of the other fantasy series I've read that try to address it, I'll say that much.

The absence of consent and agency seemed like the central theme to this novel. It would have been unbearable if not for how Erikson is able to frame the horror with moments of levity and humanity.

Regarding the sexual assault thing: I don't want to say anything for future books, but I will agree that in the immediate aftermath of such assaults, Erikson tends not to handle cases where women assault men with the same gravitas as when men assault women. It's one of the few concrete things I feel he could have handled better. Like, yes, (as noted in comments Merph has

I enjoyed this one. Eriksons inspiration was what if the native Americans beat the colonisers. Tehol and bugg are the greatest pair in the series Bring on the bonehunters!!

HIII

Well I'm gonna try to be delicate here bc i promise I'm not some crazy jerk. Merely trying to really analyze things and understand things. It seems to me that a woman can't effectively tape a man unless he is first aroused. Then i believe that arousal takes over. A woman can and usually is raped without arousal and this is a very violent act. I would think what is the more closely linked feeling for a man would be to be raped by another man. In that I would certainly feel violated. So with Udinaas I can't remember totally but I imagine he was magically taken advantage of. With Ublala, i don't believe he objected to the sex therefore he wasn't violated. I think rather, he was simply objecting to the way the sex made him feel afterwards that he wasn't loved. It was just sex and he was only wanted for the pleasure of the 3 women and was sad that he wasn't wanted and loved for who he was. So he enjoyed the sex but just wanted that deeper relationship that comes with real love and care.

You're right about how tragic and what a punch Midnight Tides ends with. I agree about how well resurrection was handled in this! "What's recorded is not what actually happened." I don't think I remember that from this book but damn if it isn't in the next one. Can't wait to hear your thoughts about Bonehunters, probably my favourite!

Honeslty eriksons approach to male sexual assault always bothers me. I agree with you also that its very distant and definitely not written with thr same weight as it would be for the females. At this point theres four seperate examples of male SA and they are all played as comedic or used to push the plot. Theres probably a theme im missing. But i do think its one of the biggest Ls in the series up to midnight tides

I think your take on SA in regards to against men vs against women completely highlights an authors use of that trope in medieval fantasy and how easily they use it vs how women read it. You said you felt distant to Udinaas' situation, the trauma and the emotion. It may be due to the gender difference and differences in experience. To me this makes it out to seem that many male authors who use SA don't genuinely understand the effect it has on the victims and by extension the readers, in the end it just seems like the use it for shock value (george rr martin etc). With Steven everything is explored and had a purpose.

You have Trull and Rulad, then you get Ublala and Shurq. Very dramatic characters and then some that are just ridiculous. The humor doesnt always land but it is necessary. Regarding your Ublala comment, there are a lot of points where you might laugh or cheer, then think about why it is funny or why you cheered. But these books do get easier. Partly because you are used to the style and many of the storylines start coming together.

Udinass hands down the most underrated character in the series.

TEHOL AND BUGGG TEAAAAM