"When one does not know what one seeks, caution is the surest armor."
Caution is something you should have when you are reading the fifth book of the Malazan series. Just when you believed you had grasped the essence of two distinct story arcs within the first four books, anticipating their eventual convergence to fulfil a grander narrative, the narrative takes an unexpected twist.
It transports you from the continent of Seven Cities to Lether, a realm scarcely mentioned in the preceding volumes. Any amount of caution that you held through your experience based on the previous books wouldn't suffice to counter the stories you read in Midnight Tides.
Erikson's style feels extremely eccentric to me at times, as I fail to digest and articulate that the author has written the entire series of 'Ten Big Books' in the form of small stories all weaved and bundled together. This feeling was amplified as I was reading this book. There is a timeline revamp here that feels like a glitch, but you'll understand it sooner if you are an exploring reader like me.
We are thrown into the continent of Lether, just southwest of the Malazan kingdom. This continent is a vast and diverse geographical entity on its own. The Tiste Edur, who are somewhat kin of the Tiste Andii (the kinship is so vast that the writer has to write a spinoff series for it, so let's not go there), live in their temporary abode. Their legacy dates back thousands of years when their founding father's atrocity cursed their species and the rest of the continent.
Concepts of slavery are well written in this book, especially with Udinaas. It offers us a direct insight into the clunky thoughts of an enslaved person who, while suffering brutal treatment from the master, still wishes for a chunk of power to make himself feel significant. The characters introduced in this arc become central figures in the subsequent books, shaping most plotlines.
Steven Erikson, thankfully, introduces us to a human community in the Empire of Letheras. While the Malazanverse focuses mainly on the military side of the empires, the Letheras Empire offers a contrasting and necessary aspect of the plot that explores the subtle intricacies of an Empire: politics, mind games, philosophical disparities and the race for power.
The core of Midnight Tides' plot revolves around the conflicts between the Tiste Edur and the humans of Letheras. While humans and 'other humans' are immersed in a relentless power struggle, we discover that the gods of the Malazan world are not distant, omnipotent beings. Instead, they are intricately woven into the story's fabric, grappling with the complexities of their past and present decisions. The gods and humans go through a rollercoaster of emotions, sparring with their desire for significance, consideration, power and love.
Midnight Tides eloquently delves into the ideologies of capitalism and communism, soaring above the fundamental values of human well-being and empathy, artfully portraying the profound consequences of this ideological flight. Amidst this complex narrative, the theme of compassion resurfaces repeatedly, offering readers fresh insights and moments of realization. The story delves into deeper facets of the human condition, unearthing layers of hypocrisy, greed, and jealousy within its diverse characters.
I find immense satisfaction in delving into the intriguing theological aspects presented by Steven Erikson in this narrative, as it breathes a refreshing vitality into modern literature. In the end, as your battles and ideas converge, you might initially expect it to feel like a repeat of the previous book, but introducing new powers and dynamics prevents that from happening.
Midnight Tides comes alive as we journey alongside the characters through the physical landscapes and their evolutions. It's as though a part of us is evolving alongside these characters.
With Midnight Tides, I can conclude that Steven Erikson is the best fantasy writer currently.
