I have really enjoyed Ian Esslemont's Malazan prequels so far and this third instalment is no exception. It tells the continuing saga of Kellanved and Dancer and the way in which they acquired the position that they enjoy within the Malazan world. Once again, we have a narrative following several different characters as they negotiate their environment, which I liked a great deal. Esslemont has a very accessible writing style and his narratives are always clean without a great deal of unnecessary padding, which I appreciate. I love his depictions of Kellanved and Dancer - there is a wonderful tone to their interactions that seems almost tongue in cheek at times, which again is very welcome. All in all, anyone who has read and enjoyed the previous instalments in the Path to Ascendancy series will definitely like this one, and I would recommend the series to anyone looking to tackle the Malazan world in general as the linear narratives make this a wonderful place to start.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Kellanved's Reach was a great continuation to the story behind the rise of Kellanved and Dancer, and the beginnings of the Malazan Empire.

Judging from the direction of the narrative in this book, I strongly doubt that this would be the end of the series (which was marketed initially as a trilogy). Compared to the previous books, the number of character POVs in the third book had more than doubled. There were multiple storylines told from the perspective of all the different warring city-states within the continent of Quon Tali. Arising from these were several new characters being introduced. While most of these individuals will have significant roles in the later Malazan books, their respective subplots at in this book seemed largely detached from the main story. There was one character whose nickname was yet to be known by the end of the book, and it made me want to tear my hair out. I was certain that he's a prominent person in the later books, but his character development at this stage did not provide sufficient clues.

What I loved most about the two previous books was that it focussed on our two major characters. The development of their partnership and friendship and their interaction with one another were always a great delight to read. In this third book, however, their story probably took up at most a quarter of the book, if not less. The length of the books in this series so far have been relatively short by Malazan standards. Given this, some compromise will be required when it comes to handling a broader range of subplots and a larger cast of characters. The more ambitious scope in Kellanved's Reach resulted in a narrative which I felt was too rushed in places.

Despite all that, I still enjoyed reading Kellanved's Reach simply because I loved the worldbuilding in Malazan.  And there was also the excitement of discovering what happened before - all the incidences or events, some earthshattering and some seemingly benign, which would cumulatively lead to what we've known and seen in the Malazan Book of the Fallen and Malazan Empire. Truth be told, I haven't finished the Empire books because I was not particularly enthralled by Esslemont's writing there. However, reading this prequel series had sufficiently rekindled my interest to read the rest of his books.

The ending had the flavour of the usual epic Malazan climax, but it was also where it suffered the most from the shorter length of the novel. I would really, truly loved to have a much longer chapter of the climactic sequence with all the anticipation built up from the deadly assault of the mage cadre and the unleashing of elder powers. The last section of the book then served to wrap up some of the 'loose ends' of the various new characters. Without any doubt, it opened up the possibility of more prequel stories coming our way. Not that I have no complaints if there are. If Esslemont keeps up with his current writing style to continue treating Malazan fans with more and more books, I will keep on reading. And I definitely wouldn't mind if these books are a tad longer.

"The elders were powerful and dreadful - it was a blessing their days were over. Only a fool, or an insane power-craving... He shook his head once again, this time in exasperation. Ah..."

I received an advanced review copy of Kellanved's Reach in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank Ian C. Esselmont and TransworldBooks/ Penguin Books UK. Before I start the review proper I will quickly state that I am quite lucky as a reviewer because of some of the books I get to read early. Ever so often a book arrives on your doorstep and everything else ceases to exist until a certain novel has been completed. This was one such occasion. I was deep through Mark Lawrence's Holy Sister and John Gwynne's A Time of Blood - by far, two of my favourite authors but the works of Erikson and Esslemont, and the world they've created is incomparable and the pinnacle of not just fantasy but current literature in general. I had to drop everything and start this immediately.

Originally touted as being a trilogy, I can safely say that the way this book ends we will have a lot more in store in this prequel series, but I'll come back to that shortly. Kellanved, now the ruler of Malaz with his friend, the dexterous and handily swift assassin Dancer continue the shadowy Mage's conquest for utter world domination. Kellanved found a flint spearhead at the end of Deadhouse Landing and believes it is the key to unlock an elder mystery and obtain and perhaps even control an overwhelming ancient power that could tip the balance in his favour - to aid his plan, even though nobody is truly aware of what he wants to accomplish. Not even Dancer.

I would say 25% of the narrative follows the exploits of my favourite fantasy duo but, like all Malazan books, you cannot rest on your laurels with what you already know. About another 100 new characters are introduced. As if there weren't already enough in this behemothic but amazing fantasy experience! For anyone who has (and if you haven't I recommend you do) read the main series' before, you'll be happy that many of the series superstars and most important players are featured and more and more are introduced.

"The main body of the force was some thirty Malazan fighters, hand-picked and led by Dassem, and including their early recruit Dujek and his shadow, Jack... Tasyschrenn stood with Dancer."

*Minor spoiler* -

So many great moments I've really been waiting for are revealed here. Such as how Whiskeyjack earned his name, how Greymane joined the Malazan Empire and why Shimmer is such a bad-ass.

Apart from Dancer and Kellanved's story, it seems war is waging everywhere and we witness events from both sides of multiple battles that are happening concurrently. Typical to Malazan, generally there are no 'black or white' good or bad guys during point of view perspectives, so you feel for the players on both sides. To begin with, it was confusing as to who had an allegiance with who and what their required end game was and what their objectives were. At about 30% it all clicked and then it seemed to flow expertly. After reading 60% of this book and reading some stunning set-pieces, in my opinion, up there with some of the best in the overall Malazan canon, I couldn't put this book down and I couldn't see this book getting less than a 9/10.

Dancer's Lament had 3 point of view perspectives, Silk, Iko and Dancer. This new entry has approximately 15. As previously hinted at, with unfamiliar character perspectives it takes a few of their passages to work out where they fit on the board of the greater game but all will come clear. I don't think there was a single perspective I didn't enjoy. These included Dancer's friend and blind bird lady Ullara who is wandering without knowing what fate has in store, Gregor and his mage accomplice (who cannot be hit) who both wish to join the Crimson Guard, and war commander Orjin who really doesn't know his place in this waring world at the moment but just knows he can aid somehow. We see brief but excellent snippets of The Crimson Guard hierarchy before K'azz D'Avore was commander and seeing his character at this stage was really interesting. Warning - I made the typical newbie mistake. There was a new character who I wasn't familiar with who seemed like a stunning creation so I Googled his name and was told who he'd become and what his alias is, and that he's very important in later novels. Do not make the same mistake!

On many forums, there are often heated debates of the best way to start the Malazan series to get the best experience. I personally think there are 5 ways to start but that's an unpopular view. After reading this the image of Ouroboros came to my mind. If you start with the Path of Ascendancy series then Gardens of the Moon won't be so difficult. However, if you don't read the main series first then you'll miss the amazing reveals and air fist-bump moments (which I'm sad to admit happened a lot whilst I was reading this book so made me look like a lunatic to my housemate!)

So, why didn't it get 10/10? It was doing everything perfectly, until the ending. There is nothing wrong with what actually happens at the climax but it seemed a bit muddled and out of order for me. There is a stunning set-piece, the typical BOOM - wow that was amazing Malazan finale experience. Then, it spent about 6% of the book wrapping other characters arcs off. I must admit these chapters were done well, but it completely disjointed the pacing and experience. It was almost as if we'd had the finale and Esslemont was just tidying up a few threads before moving on. It might be my personal opinion but I enjoy the explosive, climatic culmination to be the final segment in a novel and that I then will not be able to stop thinking about it for weeks. This is perhaps just personal taste though. To conclude, the works of Malazan are by far my favourite fantasy series and experience I've had with reading, period. I rate quite harshly on this site because I don't think I'll ever read a book again that is as good as Midnight Tides which is my only 10/10 rating. I don't need to do a sexy statement for a blurb here. If you are reading this you know how good this series and Malazan in general is. Pre-order it now!