House of Chains (Malazan Book of The Fallen) by Steven Erikson

What we think is a simple war between two empires turns out to be a massive crusade involving several realms and gods.

The past is all patterns, and those patterns remain beneath our feet, even as the stars above reveal their own patterns- for the stars we gaze upon each night are naught but an illusion from the past.

House of Chains- the book is named so not because it features the word ‘chain’ a gazillion times but also wonderfully outlines the effects and consequences of promises, vows, commitments, and vengeance. It shows how the decisions made by individuals, humans or gods will impact them and their spheres of influence.

House of Chains opens after the events of Deadhouse Gates and is based mainly on Seven Cities. It provides almost all the answers that lingered from the second book. This book shows the writer’s evolution as Steven Erikson introduces us to better prose and massive world-building skills. After a satisfying but not-so-happy ending to Memories of Ice, this book introduces us to several other realms, more extensive and diverse in scale. What we think is a simple war between two empires turns out to be a massive crusade involving several realms and gods.

House of Chains introduces one of the most controversial but evolving characters (he continues to evolve until the last book), the legendary Karsa Orlong. Canonical information suggests that Steven Erikson was annoyed with the comments that he could not stick with a character for a while, so he wrote one-third of the book dedicated only to a particular character. The hero here belongs to a northern part of Genebackis, a community of human-like giants.

It feels refreshing to experience such brilliant character development for the first time in this series. You will also appreciate how the plot connects with the story running through book two, Deadhouse Gates.

In House of Chains, a massive Malazan army marches to suppress the Sheik rebellion, which turns out to be a disaster by itself, as it doesn’t take long to see that an uprising that seems to be built upon nobler intentions is highly flawed. The legacy of Bridgeburners is continued here. For everyone who thought Bridgeburners were done…. don’t think that yet. Some of them are not yet finished!!

The conclusion is skillfully structured, effectively tying up various plot threads while laying the groundwork for future developments. However, in comparison to the ending of the previous book, it may feel slightly underwhelming.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and finished it in 10 days as it’s a page-turning adventure. Excited to start Midnight Tides!