Crippled God by Erikson has a release date

[Werthead]

Yeah, information from MoI and other books heavily suggested that Jacuruku was located to the east of Korelri/Stratem, and then Malazanempire's admins got a copy of the world map and said it was to the west. Then RotCG told us that the White Spires Ocean lies to the west or south-west of Stratem and TCG says this ocean washes against Lether's east coast. So Jacuruku can be a very small island-continent located east of Korelri with the White Spires Ocean running south of it in this version.

It doesn't really compute that Lether is so close to Korel/Stratem/Jacuruku and yet is completely unknown to the rest of the world. It actually puts it much closer to Quon Tali that the Shal Morzinn Empire (in western Seven Cities) which we know Shadowthrone and Cotillion once visited. However, RotCG mentioned Letherii merchants visiting Quon Talian ports, suggesting that Erikson and Esslemont have decided on a retcon to MT/RG where it was suggested there was no contact between Malaz and Lether at all.

[Ciceronian]

Yeah, information from MoI and other books heavily suggested that Jacuruku was located to the east of Korelri/Stratem, and then Malazanempire's admins got a copy of the world map and said it was to the west. Then RotCG told us that the White Spires Ocean lies to the west or south-west of Stratem and TCG says this ocean washes against Lether's east coast. So Jacuruku can be a very small island-continent located east of Korelri with the White Spires Ocean running south of it in this version.

It doesn't really compute that Lether is so close to Korel/Stratem/Jacuruku and yet is completely unknown to the rest of the world. It actually puts it much closer to Quon Tali that the Shal Morzinn Empire (in western Seven Cities) which we know Shadowthrone and Cotillion once visited. However, RotCG mentioned Letherii merchants visiting Quon Talian ports, suggesting that Erikson and Esslemont have decided on a retcon to MT/RG where it was suggested there was no contact between Malaz and Lether at all.

The placement of Lether on the latest unofficial maps is troublesome on the levels that you mentioned and more. For one it also means that Tavore sailed nearly right past the northeastern shorelines in tBH when she and the 14th returned to Quon Tali/Malaz Isle from 7C - not necessarily a conflict, it just seems a bit strange.

It also suggests that Tavore and the fleet had to sail AROUND the continent either north or south to get to Letheras, which meant passing a LOT of coastline that (unless the entire continent except on its western shore is completely unlandable, which I somehow doubt) would have been very viable drop points for the army to strike directly into Kolanse. One could make the argument that she needed to head to Letheras to deal with some issues there (Rhulad) but I find it hard to believe she'd bypass legitimate options that could have spared them the march across the Wastelands/Glass Desert if what's happening in Kolanse requires her presence as urgently and quickly as we're led to believe in DoD.

Of course the overarching significance of this placement is exactly as you say, Wert. The proximity of that continent to 7C and Quon Tali is too close on this map for me to believe we'd see/hear nothing until RotCG, and only then it's a handful of obscure merchants.

[Gormenghast]

This is the map I did by reusing Wert one. Give it a look if maybe makes it more sense to visualize it this way.

http://www.cesspit.net/misc/malaz3.gif

[Werthead]

The placement of Lether on the latest unofficial maps is troublesome on the levels that you mentioned and more. For one it also means that Tavore sailed nearly right past the northeastern shorelines in tBH when she and the 14th returned to Quon Tali/Malaz Isle from 7C - not necessarily a conflict, it just seems a bit strange.

They didn't. In TBH, after passing Perish they created a portal into a warren and teleported directly to Malaz Island, to avoid possible conflict in the oceans off Shal-Morzinn.

It also suggests that Tavore and the fleet had to sail AROUND the continent either north or south to get to Letheras, which meant passing a LOT of coastline that (unless the entire continent except on its western shore is completely unlandable, which I somehow doubt) would have been very viable drop points for the army to strike directly into Kolanse. One could make the argument that she needed to head to Letheras to deal with some issues there (Rhulad) but I find it hard to believe she'd bypass legitimate options that could have spared them the march across the Wastelands/Glass Desert if what's happening in Kolanse requires her presence as urgently and quickly as we're led to believe in DoD.

RG also says that Tavore's fleet spent one year sailing from Malaz Isle to Letheras, which seems way too long by sailing directly west to Lether and around the continent. That suggests to me they sailed east, the long way around the globe avoiding Assail to land on Lether's west coast.

Interestingly, this tallies with the map found on the Silanda in DHG, which IIRC showed the sea-lanes from Seven Cities to Lether across a vast ocean, whilst the sea-lanes going west appear to be quite crowded. Maybe ocean currents make it difficult to travel west to Lether? This would explain Lether's isolation more readily (though, of course, the Letherii sea captains' familiarity with the location of Jacuruku in RG seems to contradict that as well).

@ Gormenghast: Yes, that works a bit better. You could make that work with a bit of fiddling.

[Caligula_K]

Really goddamn lame news. Although the Crippled God was listed for a February 22 release in Canada, it seems to have been pushed back today till March 15. At least it's less than a month, but still... Pretty lame to delay a release the day of.

[polishgenius]

Well, about a third in, it's good so far; he's working with territory he's good with atm.

One thing niggled me though (this is a really minor spoiler for within the first 250 pages or so, but safety first:

There's a passage where Brys talks about how out-of-place he is being back from the dead and how rare and impossible such a thing is in the world. In Malazan world? Really? Surely SE stuck that in just for the giggles?

[Bastard of Godsgrace]

Well, about a third in, it's good so far; he's working with territory he's good with atm.

One thing niggled me though (this is a really minor spoiler for within the first 250 pages or so, but safety first:

There's a passage where Brys talks about how out-of-place he is being back from the dead and how rare and impossible such a thing is in the world. In Malazan world? Really? Surely SE stuck that in just for the giggles?

Well, I assume, he meant "in Lether". After all, he isn't likely to know too much about the rest of the world.

[End of Disc One]

FYI, this book is available for the Kindle through amazon.ca. But it works for people in the US too.

Started it last night...good stuff.

[kcf]

I finished it a few days ago, and got my thoughts organized into a review at the blog. An excerpt is below:

While Erikson has been building to this conclusion for 10 books, books 8 and 9 (Toll the Hounds and Dust of Dreams, respectively) really start to lay out the true scope of the series. In Toll the Hounds we start to appreciate the price, the toll that is being paid by the everyman and woman in a tapestry of events designed to force a conclusion. In Dust of Dreams the resulting suffering of the price is so overwhelming that nearly all hope is lost. In my review of Dust of Dreams I said: “I can hardly imagine anything close to a happy ending for this series.” Erikson answers this in The Crippled God – he gives us hope, he gives us sacrifice, he gives us salvation. And yes, for some, he even gives us a happy ending.

Erikson is often criticized for being overly nihilistic in his writing. Yes, things can be dark and yes his characters often come to hard times and wonder if there is a point to it. But to call Erikson’s writing nihilistic is to miss the point entirely. As I so often find with Erikson, quotes from the books say it much better than I could ever.

This exchange sums up so much of what the series is about, and it certainly isn’t nihilism – in fact I think you could say it’s the exact opposite. This really is a tale of doing the right thing, saving the world, and finding meaning in life along the way. Only Erikson doesn’t sugarcoat anything – he makes you take a good, long, hard look at yourself in the mirror and face the ugliness in humanity and civilization. And through all the bad, he still sees something worth saving.

Full Review

[pat5150]

The Crippled God hits number 4 on the Sunday Times bestseller list in the UK! :D

Patrick

[Gormenghast]

The Crippled God hits number 4 on the Sunday Times bestseller list in the UK! :D

Patrick

Never before?

Abercrombie recently said "My editor tells me I am the first UK genre fantasy author to make the list since the passing of the much-loved David Gemmell".

I guess Erikson too now. Or he does not count as "UK author"?

[Grack21]

Never before?

Abercrombie recently said "My editor tells me I am the first UK genre fantasy author to make the list since the passing of the much-loved David Gemmell".

I guess Erikson too now. Or he does not count as "UK author"?

Doesn't he live in Canada?

[delete this account pls]

Never before?

Abercrombie recently said "My editor tells me I am the first UK genre fantasy author to make the list since the passing of the much-loved David Gemmell".

I guess Erikson too now. Or he does not count as "UK author"?

Since he was born and raised in Canada, i'm guessing not.

[Werthead]

Yeah, Martin and Jordan have both hit the list, but indeed don't count as they are not British. Neither is Erikson, though he recently moved from Canada to Cornwall.

[Gormenghast]

I thought it counted where is the main publisher more than where a writer is born.

[polishgenius]

Do Terry Pratchett and JK Rowling not count as fantasy authors or something?

[Werthead]

We know Erikson has read AGoT since he was reccing it recently, so it's amusing seeing lines that could be references to it:

"The things I do for love," and, bizarrely, every other character keeps saying, "Just so," in a Syrio-esque fashion

Also, a nice moment of self-realisation (just passed the halfway point):

"This is a momentous scene, you fool! This is where everything really, truly, finally begins! So squeeze the ale from your brain, mortal, and say something worthy of your kind. You stand before a god! Speak your eloquence for all posterity! Be profound!"

"Profound, huh? Fuck off."

Do Terry Pratchett and JK Rowling not count as fantasy authors or something?

Publishers refer to epic fantasy as 'genre fantasy'. Rowling and Pratchett don't write epic fantasy.

It's a bit of a stretch to be honest. "Joe's the first author to hit the bestseller list since Gemmell! Not counting non-British authors! Or books about wizards but set in the real world! Or books that are funny!"

[End of Disc One]

^I'm pretty sure Erikson has been using "Just so" for a while now.

[Faraday]

Just finished it now. I enjoyed it, still taking a lot of it in.

Highlights were Ganoes Paran being all round amazing. His conversation with the Forkrul Assail was great (Although they all died pretty easily, I expected more)

Kalam coming back was great, I threw the book down in happiness, as I wasn't sure if he would be.

There was a surprising lack of Karsa but I won't complain.

Poor Mappo :(

[Whiskeyjack]

Is it out in the U.S.?

While I was somewhat disappointed by Reaper's Gale and Toll the Hounds, I thought Dust of Dreams was much better. Left me excited to get to The Crippled God.