I absolutely love these books and this series, so this is going to be an easy review for me. The book was fantastic and I couldn't put it down. As always, for me, I fell in love with The Crimson Guard and every Malazan that came up. This time, however, I also found new love in Jute and his wife Ieleen, who were great throughout the book.My one complaint would be that the characters Fisher, Kyle, and Orman, were sometimes hard to tell apart, I also believe at one point the names got mixed up and it wasn't caught by editing (see if you can find it). Otherwise the book was fantastic with a lead in additional books (me likie), a surprising ending which wasn't 100% expected, and great closure for everyone but the Letheri (for me I have no idea what happens to them next).Great read and I would recommend it to anyone. I can't wait for the next Ericson/Esselmont book from the Malazan Empire. Finally, Esslemont delivers a novel where I like all the storylines, the pacing is even, and the ending is actually resounding. This novel not only delivers on the expected Silverfox and Crimson Guard storylines, but also provides a nice end cap to all of the Malazan novels in terms of the T’lan Imass, Jaghut, Forkrul Assail and Tiste Andii (we just needed some K’Chain Che’malle).Specifically, there were some great character arcs here: • Kyle (Whiteblade) finally becomes a very engrossing character who has a lot more ties to the land of Assail than expected • Orman and the Icebloods are fascinating as they strive to hold onto their old ways • Fisher gets the spotlight shown on him, and we learn why he is such a long-living badass (even if he just wants to be a bard) • The Crimson Guard are brought to life nicely, even if they ultimately aren’t essential to the larges events • The focus on merchantman Jute and ex-Malazan/pirate Cartharon Crust leads to some great naval battles and other nautical stuff (and ICE knows how to handle nautical stuff)The ending, while relatively quiet after a long string of battles (and a giant rapidly expanding glacier), is near perfect. My only gripe is that there still was not the same level of emotional resonance as Erikson can deliver in his Malazan novels. But this is definitely ICE’s strongest work.4.5 stars.Breakdown of the meta-series:Deadhouse Gates (Erikson) – 5 starsThe Bonehunters (Erikson) – 5 starsMidnight Tides (Erikson) – 5 starsThe Crippled God (Erikson) – 5 starsMemories of Ice (Erikson) – 4.5 starsToll the Hounds (Erikson) – 4.5 starsAssail (ICE) - 4.5 starsHouse of Chains (Erikson) – 4 starsOrb, Scepter, Throne (ICE) – 4 starsDust of Dreams (Erikson) – 4 starsStonewielder (ICE) – 4 starsGardens of the Moon (Erikson) – 3.5 starsNight of Knives (ICE) – 3.5 starsReaper's Gale (Erikson) – 3.5 starsBlood and Bone (ICE) - 3.5 starsReturn of the Crimson Guard (ICE) – 3 stars
What do You think about Assail (2014)?
An excellent book! Worthy continuation of the grand series! :)
—mirfat
The final scenes open up new possibilities for future stories.
—Suki27
Masterpiece, great characters and a sense of mystery.
—kunalgarg053
