Review of Midnight Tides by Steven Erikson

I am in the middle of my first re-read of the Malazan Book of the Fallen. Memory of the first read of Midnight Tides (2004) is: the most organic story in the series to date. Erikson loves jumping between settings and characters as often as he can, but Midnight Tides felt more contained, more streamlined. Let's do a memory check.

The first four books in the Malazan series bounced between the continents of Genabackis and Seven Cities. Midnight Tides takes readers to an entirely new region: North Lether. The area is beyond Malazan imperial control. A different set of groups vie for power, meaning the reader gets a (welcome) break from the endless scenes of soldiers' gallows humor. The Tiste Edur and the Letherii take center stage. A savage history between the two, the Letherii antagonize through commerce (legal and illegal) while the Tiste Edur tend to more traditional values by forcing fealty and hierarchy, trying to keep the Letherii to heel. When the Letherii raid a Tiste Edur hunting ground, the king of the Edur decides to take advantage of the opportunity and bring to bear a power none on Lether have seen in millennia.

The tale of the Tiste Edur, primarily set around the Sengar brothers, rolls easily off the page. The four provide an interesting dynamic that echoes classic, epic fantasy. But they are two-thirds of the book. The other third is a dynamic duo. While I personally struggle reading the Tehol/Bugg sections, there will be people who enjoy their straight-faced buddy-buddy banter. I don't like humor in my fantasy, but I will give credit where credit is due: Erikson does it in unique style. With Tehol and Bugg he finds a singular, flat, comedic groove unlike any book I've read. It will not appease the masses, but that is not Erikson's aim.

Midnight Tides is the most linear book in the Malazan series thus far. Another way of saying this is: the most similar to mainstream epic fantasy. In some ways (I guess most ways) this means a less complex story. The narrative oscillates between the two perspectives: the Letherii and the Tiste Edur. There are varying perspectives within each of those groups/settings, which means the book is not ruler straight. But Erikson certainly does not juggle the three, four, sometimes five or six different groups/settings as in previous books, meaning the reader likewise does not need to juggle as many mental balls keeping things straight while reading.

Less complex does not mean predictable or easy, however. As Erikson has established, his stories shift and flow according to forces not always directly in the reader's perception. Surprises await—relatively early, and relatively often. The book's simplicity is only relative to other books in the Malazan series. Most mainstream epic fantasy remains juvenile by comparison.

On my first read of the Malazan series, Midnight Tides (along with Toll the Hounds) were my two favorites. Now, reading the series again, my opinion of this book has dipped a touch—at least as of having re-read the first four books. Memories of Ice and House of Chains packed more punch the second time through, and now distract me from Midnight Tides . There is still a part of me, however, that would recommend Midnight Tides as an intro to the Malazan series. I'm constantly amazed anyone gets through Gardens of the Moon given the flaws. Midnight Tides offers a smoother, more engaging 'first read' that eases the reader into the world rather than hurling them full force into the deep end...