Forge of Darkness: Book One of the Kharkanas Trilogy (a Novel of the Malazan Empire)

Shakespearean of nature and scope. This book however, should not be touched before finishing the main Malazan Book of the Fallen series.That being said, the writing, the philosophy, and the narrative of this book is exceedingly better. Erikson has begun something, which he started in the Toll of the Hounds. What an amazing read this was. Lost for words.

Erikson shows what a great story teller and character/world builder he is. I was somewhat worried about this being a "fill in the blanks" trilogy although I can't imagine an author like him doing so....nevertheless, I was still concerned. Well, no need for that worry! Old and beloved characters before they came into their own. A really great and well written beginning to the trilogy.

I loved this book. Possible SPOILERS BELOW!!!Having read and reread almost everything in the Malazan universe by this point, Forge of Darkness was like balm on my soul. I really really needed some insight into the actual people behind these larger than life characters from the Books of the Fallen series. Who was Anomander before he was this god like Dragnipur wielding Son of Darkness. Why was he so alienated from his Brothers and what happened there. Why did Andarist end up on an island for god knows how many years in seclusion and what drove him to do that. Who are these elder gods, and where did they come from. Hood and Sechul Lath, Errastas, Kalamandaris, Caladan Brood and Olar Ethil.This trilogy explores where these people came from, and who they were in their "youth" before they became those powerfull yet broken characters in the Fallen series. It also tells gives us more information about the Vitr, very lightly touched on by Erikson before but mostly known from Esslemonts storyline involving Taychreen and Kiska. Forge of Darkness, as the title suggests however, is the tale of a people the Tiste, and how that people and their culture breaks down. It is a heartbreaking tale of love and loss, and of duty and the horrors done by good men. Explaining somewhat how they come to be so broken and caught in their respective roles later on. The most stark example that of Scaba Bandaris, who we meet as a young, noble and good captain in the tiste army. - Nothing to suggest that he would later so betray his honor. (the betrayal of the tiste andi and stabbing of Silchas ruin)The book explains the creation, yes creation of Mother Dark and the role Draconnis played in this, which somewhat explains why he would be dumb enough to later create the sword that needed such a sacrifice to undo millenia later.The most important thing about Forge of Darkness is that it treats all these larger than life characters we know from his previous works as real and flawed people. Ordinary in that they all are now sharing stage with eachother and thus are less abnormal in their greatness because they equally shine thus. - You have dinner scenes with father Light before he becomes Father Light, and you are in the presence of Mother Dark and her priestess. You get to see Endest Silann in his youth, and three brothers who love eachother are brutally changed and torn apart by extreme circumstances before you finish the book. - If you read this with the knowledge of what comes after, it is absolutely heartbreaking because you understand the ramifications of their actions and how far into the future those consequences are felt.I read the book and then reread it. Thought about it for days, and still sometimes think about it. It is not the best storytelling Erikson has ever done, but it is immensely satisfying to read because you finally get to hear how Erikson imagines the birth of the conflicts we still see fought out in WU.

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This is to be a trilogy and so I wonder at the current pace of events but then the scope of what SE hopes to achieve with THIS series is unknown to me. The book is, of course, well written. This author is simply PEERLESS within this genre, in my opinion. Following the 10-series, EPIC Malazan Book of the Fallen series however, the distant future is now known and that series began with the Tiste Andii decimated and a fallen people, abandoned by Mother Dark with Anomander allegedly the one who turned his back on her.Well, the current series begins with quite a different picture- no Kurald Galain/Emurlahnn/Liosan wielding Tiste & Starvald Demelain Eleint/Soletaken....certainly not yet! Instead, they cut a very mortal, if long-lived, very prone to vice, given the causes of the resultant divisions to have so divided Kharkanas. As for Mother Dark being that hitherto elemental force that I once believed to have been the case when I read the first series....that she was the very epitomy of True Darkness, as existed before all things....even the coming of Light? Well, we can call it a flaw in the previous series, or we can say it's the genius of the author to have so convincingly portrayed the propaganda touted by the worshippers of Elder Dark in the MBotF series...who will ever know??! :oD But elemental wonder, she is not, it would seem. Also, the plot was a bit convoluted for my liking at times. Personally, there were so many POV characters that it was just tedious at times to follow who was who and what was the plot.So let's see how far this series takes us...does it end with the destruction and abandonment of Karkhanas and the departure of Mother Dark, followed/preceded by Anomander's exodus with his followers? Or are we taken right to the aftermath of that apocalyptic battle against the K'Chain Che Malle and Silchas's betrayal? That would be a very long journey indeed at the current pace.In any event, the remaining 2 books should be MUCH faster paced...and that's said with as much hope as expectation! SE remains peerless however, even where he disappoints. ;o)