The Crimson Guard has been hinted at throughout Erickson’s Malazan novels. They resisted Malazan expansion into Genabackis and disappeared after the Pannion War. We catch a glimpse of their power when Iron Bars dispatches Rhulad Sengar, while hardly breaking a sweat. Esslemont brings these people into the foreground in Return of the Crimson Guard.

At almost double the length of his entry novel into the world of the Malazan Empire, Return of the Crimson Guard feels like Esslemont now has his feet under him as an author strong enough to write in such an expansive world. If Night of Knives felt like a brief dalliance in Malaz City, Return spans continents, climaxing in a battle of mythic proportions in Seven Cities.

I’ve decided to continue reading Esslemont and Erickson concurrently. I’ve already started reading Erickson’s Toll of the Hounds, and can see the brilliant way that Erickson and Esslemont weave their stories together. The interplay of two authors adds yet another layer of complexity to this notoriously dense-yet-rewarding fantasy series.

Esslemont, Ian C. Return of the Crimson Guard. Narrated by John Banks, audiobook ed., unabridged ed., Transworld, 2016. Novels of the Malazan Empire 2.