Title: Deadhouse Gates
Author: Steven Erikson
Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy
Published: 2000
Pages: 836 (Kindle Edition)
Goodreads Rating: 4.27
Rating: 6/10
”The lesson of history is that no one learns.”
Take most of what you learned in Gardens of the Moon and store it for a later date because in Deadhouse Gates, you’re introduced to a completely new set of characters and territories. It is a time of transition and growing rebellion as a prophecy sets the stage for a holy war.
Pros:
Worldbuilding
Cheers to Erikson for some epic worldbuilding. The societies, politics, religions, realms, and territories are interesting and well developed. Towards the end of the book, you start to learn just how immense this world is and as Erikson says… “Humans were but one tiny, frail leaf on a tree too massive even to comprehend.”
Characters
Erikson does a tremendous job developing morally grey, complex characters with complicated character arcs. In Gardens of the Moon, I almost immediately latched onto some of the main characters. In Deadhouse Gates, it took me a bit longer to develop an attachment but I finally came to love Iskaral, Apsalar, Apt, Heboric, and Coltaine for completely different reasons. To highlight a couple of them… Iskaral’s eccentric personality and seemingly meaningless ramblings are incredibly entertaining. And Apsalar’s journey from a young, naive girl to a mature, wise companion is extremely fulfilling.
Intriguing elements
Throughout the book, you’re introduced to a variety of fascinating elements including partnerships, rivalries, and characters. Some of my favorites include the mystery around Icarium and Mappo, the Claw versus Talon history, Karpolan Demesand’s Trygalle Trade Guild, and Moby the… familiar? You won’t find many answers in this book… but maybe more to come?
Cons:
Time to get your bearings… again.
After grinning and bearing it through the first book’s overwhelming complexity, I thought I’d get a bit of respite in Deadhouse Gates… I was wrong. I suppose I can relate to Erikson’s quote… ”It was amazing what could be endured when in the grip of inertia.” Once again, it took 200+ pages to get my bearings. And once again, a huge shout-out to Iskar Jarak’s YouTube page.
Confusing magic systems
In Gardens of the Moon, we are introduced to a complex magic system of multiple warrens and associated abilities. Deadhouse Gates accepted the challenge and brought in a variety of additional random magical elements with little to no explanation. Spirits of the land? The Semk? Icarium? Yeah, I have no idea what’s going on with any of them. I know this is a long series where more details could be shared in later books but it is still tough to deal with when trying to suspend disbelief when the author gives you virtually nothing.
Skimmable storylines
There are roughly four storylines in the book and you may not love all of them. For me, it was Coltaine and Duiker’s storyline that grew tiresome. Erikson seems to love a long winded battle scene and I quickly started skimming 7th Army bits. I get it. You are having to fight for your lives on a horrendously long expedition.
Character naming similarities
This is a smaller complaint but a complaint nonetheless. Why do so many character names start with a “B”? There are other letters in the alphabet. But no… instead we get: Baudin, Bult, Baria, Beneth, Bula, Baralta, Baran… I know I’m missing some. This is already a dense, detailed book. Please show some mercy and add some character name variety.
Overall…
There were parts of this book that I enjoyed but not enough to overcome the issues. While the worldbuilding is stronger in Deadhouse Gates, I absolutely prefer the characters, camaraderie, and lighter moments from the first book. I think I’ll continue with the series for now… but I need a stronger entry than this.
Caroline’s Library 