The end.

Now, that’s no way to begin a review, but it’s the feeling that keeps returning when I think of the 10-volume Malazan Book of the Fallen. On the one hand, I can’t believe I finished it. I started this series years ago and made it through two books before giving up. This time, with the help of the Malazan Wiki and the Malazan Reread of the Fallen, the series went from being a grind to a compulsion. I had to know how it wrapped up. Book ten absolutely delivered.

Book ten is actually the second half of book nine-ten which is the massive novel that completes the series. Every novel in the series deals with the theme of confluence—that power attracts power and when these powers collide, significant things happen. That theme is elevated to the utmost degree here. With a full book (Dust of Dreams) to set it up, the multiple climactic events of The Crippled God are staggering.

Not only was the plot resolved in a satisfying way, the philosophical themes that have dogged the series—the decline of civilization, freedom v. determinism, and most especially, compassion—all feature prominently both in the characters’ reflection and action.

While I know there are a few Esslemont books left in this era of the Malazan world, I need a break. I’ll return after my head (and heart) clears. For now, I need to sit with this ending.

Erikson, Steven. The Crippled God. Narrated by Michael Page, audiobook ed., unabridged ed., Transworld, 2019. Malazan Book of the Fallen 10.