Midnight Tides - SPOILER FREE REVIEW 

Admittedly, that intro is obnoxious... But it does hit the point home where MY GOD, I want to go back to what we have already built. Can we get out of the construction phase, please?!

Please don’t change your time, I’m always eating breakfast at this time. Please only consider me I’m your most important subscriber.

I agree with all of your comments. But counterpoint: Tehol Beddict.

Dude, I just finished book seven and it really pays off. I've never read a series as impactful as this and I'll be forever grateful to the person who recommended it to me.

As a huge Malazan fan, I appreciate you.

I love malazan and agree, but I found from here on I was used to Erikson's set up and it definitely comes together more. Also Tehol and Bugg are one of my favourite duos I've read in fantasy.

Erikson is an anthropologist and you feel that. His world, much like our own, just raises more questions the more answers we have. It is this ever expanding narrative of wars and treaties and cultures rising and falling with a fantastical coat of paint. I would not have it any other way.

See, I personally disagree on the setting shift - I spent every book since Deadhouse Gates wishing for more expansion on the Edur, and we got some in House Of Chains, but then Midnight Tides hits and many of the major perspectives are Edur and really showcase Edur culture. And it's not a new *world* or anything - things work differently in this book and it's set in a different location, but it's very much in the same world, and those connections were super interesting to read for me. They'll get played up more in future books too, alongside characters from the major settings all coming together; convergence is the name of Malazan's game

One thing I remember from an earlier review is that you said there wasn't much comic relief, and that the series was too serious. For me this was one of the funniest books in the series, and I was curious if you still had the same criticism about the series being too serious. Also, yeah, this is the last of the jarring setting changes, and things will start to converge.

The series is exhausting and I love it and I predict that what makes it exhausting is the exact reason I will end up re-reading this series multiple times in my life and love them for the same thing. It's not going to be grating the second+ time around, because by then, I will be reuniting with beloved characters in every shift. Most fantasy I don't get frustrated at - but I only read it once, and 90% I straight up forget within six months. Not so with the Malazan series. Edited to say that I adored your intro and completely understand why you made it - I felt the same when I started this book, and I almost stuttered to a halt, but I am glad I didn't.

Would recommend you to put the “spoiler free review” on the other side of the thumbnail. As it is now, it’s partially blocked by the black square telling the video’s length. It isn’t really covered, but it’s not as apparent as it could be

I know the intro was supposed to be negative but honestly it just makes me want to read the series more.

Not even 2 words about Tehol & Bugg? :( Man those two are the best in the whole series.

Daniel: "Its annoying that I dont get to be with any of the characters I care about" Me: *Trull walked to a nearby boulder and sat down on it, he lowered his head into his hands and began to weep*

Welcome to Malazan, once again, Daniel. And the rest of the books start to converge all those plotlines, so don't worry too much about it.

Edit: Minor Spoiler ------------------The seal thing wasn’t really the reason for the war though. Letheras just wanted the Edur to retaliate so they could use that as an excuse to go to war.

Malazan is very much a series where you gotta kinda get to the end for it all to make sense. Each book stands on its own for the most part, but its one HUGE story that arcs all the way across (That is extremely worth it imho). Erikson himself has mentioned that he never actually learned how to write novels, he learned how to write short stories, which leads to some of the more, as you describe them, "clunky" aspects of the series. He's more than once described Malazan as "The longest short story ever written"

I wasn't planning on watching a review for a series I've never read, but damn did that intro make it worth it.

I'm a little farther in then you, but Midnight Tides was my favorite book so far. I really connected to its themes and tragedy on a personal level. I also can't help but detest Lether.

This encapsulates everything about reading MT for the first time. Then you read it after and enjoy it way more.

Don't worry, Bonehunters starts connecting much and Reaper's Gale has one of the greatest YOOOO moments in the series when it comes to storylines connecting

When do we get an Erikson interview?

Damnit. Why spoiler free? >_< I wanted to hear your thoughts on the greatness of Tehol and Bugg.

(Breathes with apprehension) So here's my interpretation as a simple mouth breather who's *never read a page of Malazan in his life* whose only perspective on the series is your reviews: it seems Steven Eriksen is setting up some his own kind of shared universe to collide with one another. The fact that you're on book 5 or 6 and he's still able capture your (somewhat waning) enthusiasm with more "worldbuilding" speaks volumes about his storytelling credibility and SEEMS to me like he's setting up an even grander payoff of astronomical proportions with the different worlds you've been reading about DO eventually collide. I understand how jarring it can feel to be plopped into a new continent after building up so much tension with the previous entries, and even more frustrating when you're a booktuber trying to push through the series. Although, I read a comment that what you're experiencing doesn't happen again within this series, so maybe now that you're halfway through the character and story connections will FINALLY begin to present themselves and will help you realize how satisfying it all will be leading up to the conclusion, assuming Eriksen is able to write sufficiency satisfying payoffs within the scope of his narrative. Again, this is just speculation, *I don't know shit,* alls I'm saying is this series probably has such an eager fanbase for a reason. Don't @ me bro 🤷🏿

Book 4 literally ends telling you what book 5 is going to be. It isn't out of left field at all. It's Trull telling Onrack his story. The epilogue in House of Chains sets it up pretty clearly. So that deep dive you say you love so much is this entire book.

What's wrong with being a masochistic Malazan fan? **hovering the cursor over unsubscribe button**

Spoiler free really is missing out on delivering what a lot of your audience wants. A huge chunk of us aren't here to see if a book we haven't read is worth trying, we're here to see what you think of a book we've already read and either love or hate. This is particularly true for books this far into a series. Nobody is here to see if they should pick up book five in a series, by this point they are already either in or out. By all means do a spoiler free "should I try it?" overview for series or first in a series books, but more actual discussions of the books for those who've already read them would be much more satisfying and welcome.

Malazan: the series I read with wikipedia open next to me so I could remember everything

I'm currently re-reading MBotF and am on Midnight Tides. The first time through the series the switch is jarring, especially with Trull Sengar being the only familiar connection. But eventually it does all come together and some of the characters introduced in MT and future books become just as beloved as ones from the first few. On a re-read it isn't nearly as jarring and is almost like coming home again. Think of it like studying WWII -- you have to get the backstories for all the different nations and theaters to really understand the whole narrative. Also a warning that new characters and locations will be introduced right up to the end. Just have to go with it.

To paraphrase Gene Wolfe: a good book is one that gets better the second time. I understand how the abrupt setting shifts get annoying at this point but it is motivated and there is a logic to the structure. Again, the biggest element that motivated Erikson is his anthropological background and his desire to do things his own way. The setup is used to establish a more nuanced "Cause". Instead of simple causality, like "The Dark Wizard made the world a piece of poo now we must band together to beat him", it shows a breathing world with myriad causes creating changes on a global scale. If it helps, as many have pointed out, this is the last book where you are introduced to an entire new continent and cast of characters. From this point, it's like Act 2 to the series. There was the buildup and now there will be the payoff. I'm really eager to hear your thoughts moving forward. I'm really interested as to whether you are planning to read the Esslemont Books because this is the point where you would start those. My first read-through was split between ICE and Erikson. But in all things, patience is the key.

Was this the book where Tehol is introduced? Loved him and his servant.

OMG this intro is everything I feel about why I never finish Malazan and it takes me years to finish a Malazan book

Midnight tides was one of my favourite though

Eriksson is the best in the genre for me. I like the jumping around and really enjoy getting to know the new cultures and characters. I think it comes down to ones levels patience or a lack thereof...

Ahh you gotten to Bugg and Tehol now then :) Bugg and Tehol for president! I am incedently on a reread and halfway thru Midnight Tides, and got to admit I am "light reading" a lot of the Tiste Edur stuff. For me it is kind of like the WoT slog with the slog being far worse. I am with you completely thou, I wish I could continue with the story arks already told. Alas. Malazan is as far from a special character plot as you can come. There are no Rand, Frodo or Daenerys here. Be ready to laugh and weep with Kisswhere, Hetan, Mappo, Icarum, Prust, Stonny, Hellian, Onrack, Anomadris, Hood, Badelle, Rutt, Lull and all other as the world and story unfolds. It is the commonality of most of the characters that makes the story so endearing. 'Children are dying.' Lull nodded. 'That's a succinct summary of humankind, I'd say. Who needs tomes and volumes of history? Children are dying. The injustices of the world hide in those three words. Quote me, Duiker, and your work's done.' The bastard's right. Economics, ethics, the games of the gods - all within that single, tragic statement. I'll quote you, soldier. Be assured of that.

As readers of Malazan, we’ve all gone through this. There is nothing easy about this series, these books take a toll. At some point we’ve all wanted to quit the Fallen... But you endure, you persevere and at the end you feel like you’ve become part of something great. Keep reading...

I realise this video is 2 years old, but it just popped up in my feed. So... Midnight Tides is foreshadowed in Memories of Ice. There are a couple of references to Rhulad, one of them which speaks of the ‘emperor who died a 100 deaths’, or words to that effect. Not only does that foreshadow Midnight Tides, it also helps to place the MT narrative in the overall timeline. So while it is a new continent, it shouldn’t really come as a huge surprise. Also, by Memories of Ice you realise that a major thread here is the Crippled God, a being who was violently pulled into this world, pieces of him scattered across the world. So knowing that, why should we be surprised to see that the impact of that event - the destruction of a god - is not only to be seen through the eyes of a handful of soldiers? That would be like reading an account of one group of soldiers’ experience in WW2 and deciding it was an account of the entire war.

Midnight Tides is my second favorite in the series, I really connected with the characters in this one. You've made it through the tough part my friend, all threads start to come together from book 6 onwards, no more major shifts.

I read Malazan with a year or so in between each book (except the final 4) so I never struggled so much with this. Also, I really liked the mirrored structure of two sets of three brothers. Somehow, you also missed to mention the very, very funny dialogues in this book.

While I understand the critique and don't deny the masochism, I will say the shift in setting and empires DOES pay off. In Reapers Gale, for one, and the end game wouldn't have been the same in Genebackis, for instance. And Tehol and Bugg are characters that are VERY easy to get attached to. And perhaps the best comic characters in the series.

Not gonna lie, I read Malazan because of the random comments Daniel threw into videos about the scope of the world building and sheer size of Malazan. I just dig big stories like this I guess. So the whole intro I'm laughing like yeah Its great isn't it... XD. But it does come together, I anticipate you may find it somewhat lacking in a few dimensions but I loved the conclusion. (And Tehol and Bugg have some of the most enjoyable page time I've had the pleasure of reading. +Points for Midnight Tides)

i felt the exact same when i first reaslised the book was on another continent with a whole new set of characters etc....but by the end of the 3rd or 4th chapter i had completely forget my initial trepidation and was hooked . like you my fav is memories of ice , not just in this series but of all time ...midnight tides was a really pleasant surprise and i hope you continue to like the series as it progresses as much as i did ...im currently on dust of dreams so only one more after that for the 5th time of reading this mind blowing epic that still gives me goosebumps and fills me with such overwhelming awe to this day.....oh and outstanding channel and many thanks from this hood damned fan

I know that he just throws you around, but just wait next couple of books will make all sence. It all comes around and without these separate places it would fall short. Just finished Reapers Gale and I am speechless. Keep up your great videos love them.

I do admit I felt like that at some point , but then I started to love having more interesting characters into the cast and expect new things. There's rarely a POV that I don't like in Malazan and that's greatly appreciated.

From what I’ve read of the book so far, what impresses me about Midnight Tides so far is how the plot lines with the tist Edur and Letherii are so unique and different from what has been established, but helps connect so much from the previous books with lore, warrens, gods, and tons of politicking, as I read I feel my understanding of those worlds progress while my growing wonder and awe of the new characters serves as a nice palate cleanser. The humor and character work, especially the sharp contrasts between each character serve as great thematic and plot elements, the brothers reflecting small aspects of each respected society and giving insight into evil and injustice being caused by what seems a tangle of systematic missteps and historical ignorance, there is so many new ideas in this novel that tie in so beautifully with the previous entries. So far my favorite and can’t wait to see where it goes.

I swear to god I am so happy you upload when i’m still awake.

Congratz Daniel! You survived MT, now onto my favorite book. The rest of the series is smooth sailing from this point, just enjoy the ride :)

I felt similar when I read Midnight Tides. Getting through it was tough, but you won't regret reading it when you realize how important it is to everything else.

The jumping around and new starts is jarring but I think it needs to be that way.. sorta. There are so many view points and major characters, continents etc that all play major parts in the story (often at the same chronological time) that a traditional build wouldn't work. I think the world is so large you'd get lost and characters etc would get lost in the shuffle. You'd constantly be referring backwards to who someone is, where that place is and what people are doing. By concentrating on a new area in each book to build the world you get to know the character's and places and things stick in your mind. It all starts coming together and making more sense as you get further in It definitely makes it a hard read, especially as you say you have to work stuff out with little help. Overall the series was one of the hardest reads i've ever had, but also one of the most rewarding. The Ian Esslemont books in the 'side' series are much easier reads as much of the world building has already been done for him :)

As a huge malazan fan the point you make in your intro is the main reason im always hesitant to push friends into trying the series. It really is such a frustrating experience to have to start over with new characters. Obviously because im such a fan you can tell i do think the payoff is all worth it. When you announced you were going to be working through this series i was both excited but worried for when youd get to this moment . But just wanted to say this review shows how great youve gotten at giving reviews. You didnt let this one obviously very frustrating aspect of the book stop you from still noticing alot of the great aspects of the book. So just wanted to give kudos to you there. I will say it gets much better from here on out always having characters that youre invested in around.

Trull Sengar and the duo of Tehol Beddict and Bugg. They alone make it worth it.

Don't worry Daniel, it starts to converge from here on! All of my personal top three books are from the latter part of the series, you will see some epic mad shit.

Someone: So, Steven Erickson, what to you think of unfettered Capitalism and Imperialism? SE: *throws Midnight Tides at them* I was also jarred and confused with this book, but it ended up being my favorite of the series. There are so many great storylines and characters (Tehol/Bugg, the Sengar Bros and their relationships, the other Beddict bros and their stories.) I think Erickson would have been better off to weave the books together into a more coherent timeline, but this one is actually a prequel that takes place about 5 years before gotm, iirc, so that would have been hard to weave into the larger story.

I’ve hated the first 40% of every book and then by the end each one becomes one of my favourite of all time. Imagine how legendary the series would be if each book started off as strong as it ends!

With each new book of the series, it felt like I was yanked from the previous book with all the characters I loved and then thrust into a completely new setting with new characters....but by the end of the book I loved the characters and their story. I came to love the series for that very reason.

Congratulations, you’re halfway there!! And yes, everything converges from here :D

I'm really glad you are staying with it buddy 👍

Will you be doing a full-spoilers review? Would love to see that. BTW don't worry, this is the last of the jarring resets, and many of the characters set up here become fan favourites.

Hello Fantasy Fans! I'm about to finish The Hero of Ages (Mistborn #3). I would like your opinion on if I should go ahead and read Stormlight next or if I should try something different like Gentleman Bastards? Thanks in advance for your answers!

Well, I am reading the first book now. Can't wait to get to this point....

Midnight Tides was a jarring experience but introduces, to me, one of the best villains I've seen in Fantasy in terms of the actual character.

Oh man. RIP to your comments after that intro, ha ha

I'm guessing at some point in the future you will be saddened by your assessment here. Writers tell their own story (the good ones), they don't exist to feed your lust for just a small portion of their creative output. Guess what, I'll let you into a secret.. jumping around to see all of the perspectives of an immense story is a fantastic way to tell this story. Your frustration with Steven Erikson says more about your desire to go on your own journey instead of Erikson's. How many more books do you have to go into this series before you relax into the ideas and storytelling methods being put forward?! Yes Ekrison is not other writers, rejoice in that. Vive la difference!

I'm a big fan of the series (which is weird, I don't like war) and I kind of agree with both sides of the criticism here. To me, he's a little bit like Joe Abercrombie in that he doesn't fill in all the blanks but instead let really impactful segments reel you in, with strong characters and dialogue that while sometimes a bit corny is still really addictive. I'll also add that like you, I also tend to really want to follow the same characters, but I think this series opened my eyes a bit to how I might like a different take; the theme of the series is in the name just like with a song of ice and fire (the tv show was misnamed for this reason imo, as an aside) yet more like a loose thread than a taut line through the 10 books. Anyway, I liked the take, am excited for the next instalment.

I liken the whole fulcrum of the seals issue to playing a game of pool - if you have a shot lined up, and you just need to nudge your target ball into the corner, you don't try to slam the hell out of it as hard as you can, you just tap it in. That said, if someone were to be influencing world events in an analogous way, they wouldn't be causing havoc to reach their goals, they would try to do the minimum amount of work possible to make the "spark". This way may also hide the intentions of the person influencing the events too....

You talk about being happy that the ending hasn't been spoiled for you yet. But I'm not even sure if it's possible to really spoil Malazan without explaining literally everything that happens before it, other than subplots ofc. Looking forward to when you get to Toll the Hounds, my personal favourite!

So this IS the last time he uses his narrative characters to tell a story of a new culture/society/etc. I can tell you the foundation he sets in this book and the wider implications and arcs of the characters that come out of the novel still breathing are really, REALLY interesting and he does a quite masterful job of keeping those characters people you want to watch because now you know them. At the same time, I'm on book 9 now, and you can expect the plot to go focus on this group over here for a book, then group 3, then back to group one, etc for the next couple books. Usually I'd feel like that's a minor spoiler and I try to always avoid them, but it's a complaint you brought up at the very start of the video, so please be aware of that. That said, some truly, truly great moments are yet to come. I have swathes of the story that I remember that stunned me, an I absolutely loved. I am now in the final part of this overarching story (apparently) and I'm excited to see how it ends.

how long does it take to finish a Malazan book?

Malazan can definitely be an exhausting series. I kinda envy that you have the energy to read these as a mature adult, cuz I read a lot of these as a teenager, and was probably not up to the level of maturity these books demand - but now I don't have the time to devote to this kind of demanding series. I picked up one of Esselmont's newer books recently in the hopes it will be a little more digestible than Erikson's Kharkanas trilogy, which was just too much work for me. Wish me luck.

You mention authors holding your hand through a lot of the set up phase. This is part of the reason why Erikson is so appealing. He let's you peel back the veil by slowly putting the pieces together. (Something not unlike archaeology). It builds mystery and keeps you hungry for more. After reading one series after another over the decades, it's tiresome to have someone hold your hand...again. (Edited for spelling)

Oh Daniel. You're just getting to the good part now. The Bonehunters and Reaper's Gale, the next 2 books, are both phenomenal IMO.

Eriksson's worldbuilding is bigger than Tolkien's. There, I say it and never thought that to be possible. In a couple more books, you'll see everything start to merge, appreciate this "new beginnings" and see the scope of this world.

I honestly do feel like the books were clunky like you said. But, book 5 is setting up the stage for everything afterwards. It was necessary. Probably my favourite ending in the series.

Worth it. They all come back :)

Good stuff! Made me smile. Malazan fan and writer. Keep it up, Daniel :D

good luck with the back ½, from now on everything will slowly start to tie together(even if there is a few new cultures you have left to meet)

Thanks for the review. Interesting (and thanks for the format and honest style). What type of microphone and video do you use?

at five books in, i was ready for anything. MT is one of my favorites.

Loved this bool, Trull, Tehol, Bugg and Iron Bar are amazing!

After Deadhouse Gates, I got used to getting spartan kicked into the world. Even if the implications are not explicit, I am just so glad and privileged I got to read more of this almighty world Erikson has built.

Daniel, I have been watching your reviews of the books up to Midnight Tides. First off I would say that I totally agree with you when it comes to GotM. Any person I have recommended this series to has not made it through that book. I have been impressed with your recognition of better development on re-reads. MoI has consistently been my favorite of the series because... well it is what it is and it is brilliant! The thing that confused me, especially when you said you were on a re-read is the lack of relationships or character development in DG and HoC. BTW I hated the first 150 pages of Karsa in HoC. But to the whole Raraku storyline is so in depth, especially on 2nd reading... not to mention this is where you get Truly and Tool. I understand you are trying to do a spoiler free synopsis. That is commendable and impossible. I think by trying to take away spoilers you are totally forgetting or neglecting major plot points. I really do appreciate so.eone of your ilk putting in the time.

Hey Daniel have 2 audible credits what would you recommend wot or got

On repeated rereads midnight tides is the single best entry to read on its own. It doesn't need tje other 4 before it to make that much sense. I was put off at first but it's a really good book

I've been reading fantasy since 1978.....O personally find it refreshing to not be able to anticipate anything from book to book, chapter to chapter. I have a thousand books that although good, and even great, never really leave me guessing. It's more of wondering what possible new twist will be put on x, y , or z. Of any. I just take Malazan for what it is , expect the unexpected, and dive in.

The Books of the Fallen is far and away my favorite fantasy series. You said that the characters are not well fleshed out in Gardens of the Moon. I think that’s false. If you ever do a re-read, you will see that he already nailed Paran, Fiddler, Sorry, Quick Ben, Whiskeyjack etc... Of every book I have ever re-read, Gardens of the Moon improved the most on re-reading. This far into quarantine, I am seriously considering re-reading the series again (a third read). And the best of this series is yet to come (culminating with a showdown between two of my favorite characters in Toll the Hounds.

So midnight tides takes place 5ish years before Deadhouse Gate and is the story of Trull Sengar from the house of chains as well as showing The Crippled Gods beginning of his plans

Questioning whether or not to read malazan sometime. If I do it won’t be soon I have too much to read but should I eventually? Going through Harry Potter for the first time rn

The way you just get dumped into a new place is something I loved and when the series finishes you know why he did it.

While I didn't like the shift at the time, it's extremely important that this book happen, and there's not a better time to do it in my opinion.

I had similar reactions to you on my initial read, new characters are still inbound but the story will start tightening up soon. Curious to see what you think

I agree with your criticism. I loved Midnight Tides. Very well written book. I remember putting it down my first read and just was like WOW. Malazan is truly a just buckle ur fucking seatbelt and enjoy and absorb what you can.

Hey,Dene Greene I am writing a fanstay book I wanna know if you have any tips on writing a fanstay book.

The other thing is when you seem to have these one off scenes with odd characters then two books later you realize who they were. Like Traveller or the guy building a tower out of fossils.

About time you finished the best fantasy series written to date...

Just finished midnight tide and it is my fav malazan book so far

Malazan is like the real world in that both you and the characters have to make decisions based on incomplete information. Nowhere in life will you have the amount of backstory and coddling that more traditional fantasy gives you.

You just hadn't, at the time you recorded this, quite understood "Convergence".

I don't know... I always find being thrown into a new world extremely enjoyable, figuring out a new world I personally never find that tedious.... Without spoilering Midnight tides is needed as a set up for the rest of the series. It's also set up at the end of House of Chains. Midnight tides is the story Trull Sengar starts to tell at the end of HoC.

The pay off for each character is very much worth it, I remember when I was reading through and I hit a readers block at midnight tides for all the reasons you described but when you finally finish you realize that it's one of the greatest series you will ever read

Well you'll see plot convergence in Bonehunters and Reaper's gale, and there are no resets moving forward.