The second book in Steven Erikson's thrilling epic fantasy series chronicling the ill-fated Malazan Empire.Weakened by events in Darujhistan, the Malazan Empire teeters on the brink of anarchy. In the vast dominion of Seven Cities, in the Holy Desert Raraku, the seer Sha'ik gathers an army around her in preparation for the long-prophesied uprising named the Whirlwind. Unprecedented in its size and savagery, it will embroil in one of the bloodiest conflicts it has ever known: a maelstrom of fanaticism and bloodlust that will shape destinies and give birth to legends... In the Otataral mines, Felisin, youngest daughter of the disgraced House of Paran, dreams of revenge against the sister who sentenced her to a life of slavery. Escape leads her to raraku, where her soul will be reborn and her future made clear. The now-outlawed Bridgeburners, Fiddler and the assassin Kalam, have vowed to return the once god-possessed Apsalar to her homeland, and to confront and kill the Empress Laseen, but events will overtake them too. Meanwhile, Coltaine, the charismatic commander of the Malaz 7th Army, will lead his battered, war-weary troops in a last, valient running battle to save the lives of thirty thousand refugees and, in so doing, secure an illustrious place in the Empire's chequered history. And into this blighted land come two ancient wanderers, Mappo and his half-Jaghut companion Icarium, bearers of a devastating secret that threatens to break free of its chains... Set in a brilliantly-realized world ravaged by anarchy and dark, uncontrollable magic, Deadhouse Gates is the thrilling, brutal second chapter in the Malazan Book of the Fallen. A powerful novel of war, intrigue and betrayal, it confirms Steven Erikson as a storyteller of breathtaking skill, imagination and originality - a new master of epic fantasy.
Gardens of the Moon was the audition. This is the book where Erikson shows what he can do. Most fans rank it above its predecessor for prose, focus and emotional force, and the two books feel quite unlike each other.
The cost is a reset. New continent, mostly new cast, and even people who loved book one may feel lost for a while. Some early critics disliked leaving the first book's world so quickly. Later readers treat the move as the series finding its strength.
The heart of it is Coltaine and the Chain of Dogs, a long retreat that is about endurance, not conquest. It's brutal, but there's dark humour and real humanity in it too. The travel stretches can drag, and one reviewer thought it could have been trimmed.
Professional reviews were mixed to positive at first, but readers have warmed to the book's steadier focus, and many now rank it above Gardens of the Moon. Even Grimdark Magazine, while praising its humanity, found the long travel stretches a drag.
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The ten-volume epic fantasy series Malazan Book of the Fallen introduced readers to an expansive, highly detailed world defined by deep historical lore, complex military campaigns, and intricate pantheons of gods and mortals. Canadian author Steven Erikson launched this massive literary sequence with his 1999 debut novel, Gardens of the Moon, establishing a distinctive subgenre of gritty, immersive fantasy that resists conventional exposition and predictable tropes.
Born Steve Rune Lundin on October 7, 1959, in Toronto, Ontario, and raised in Winnipeg, Erikson spent roughly twenty seasons working as a field archaeologist and anthropologist in central Canada, Central America, and the United States. He studied creative writing at the University of Victoria before earning his degree from the Iowa Writers' Workshop, where his thesis of linked short stories became his debut publication, A Ruin of Feathers, in 1991 under his legal name, Steve Lundin. After publishing additional contemporary fiction and short story collections—including the novel This River Awakens in 1998—he adopted the pen name Steven Erikson for his fantasy writing and secured a notable ten-book publishing deal with Bantam UK.
Erikson's background in anthropology and archaeology heavily informs his approach to fiction, shaping worlds with layers of ancient history, shifting civilizations, and realistic cultural friction. His narratives are recognized for their unsparing, gritty tone, subversion of standard fantasy archetypes, and multi-layered storylines told across vast geographic and chronological landscapes. Rather than relying on traditional exposition, his writing drops readers directly into ongoing conflicts, balancing dark themes of warfare and mortality with sharp humor, philosophical inquiry, and deep human empathy.
Malazan Book of the Fallen
