Welcome to the Malazan Re-read of the Fallen! Every post will start off with a summary of events, followed by reaction and commentary by your hosts Bill and Amanda (with Amanda, new to the series, going first), and finally comments from Tor.com readers. In this article, we’ll begin our coverage of the Epilogue of Reaper’s Gale by Steven Erikson (RG).
A fair warning before we get started: We’ll be discussing both novel and whole-series themes, narrative arcs that run across the entire series, and foreshadowing. Note: The summary of events will be free of major spoilers and we’re going to try keeping the reader comments the same. A spoiler thread has been set up for outright Malazan spoiler discussion.
Epilogue
SCENE ONE
Nimander wakes to the sound of Clip’s spinning, snapping chain in the street below his window. He goes out and meets Clip, who tells him to get his kin and he will lead them home to Anomander Rake. When Nimander objects that Rake doesn’t want them, Clip says it doesn’t matter what Rake wants or even what Clip desires, because he is “her [Mother Dark is implied] Herald.” He adds that he would have killed Nimander’s sister himself had she still been alive, as she was insane. Nimander goes to get the others, thinking, “Our exile is at an end.”
SCENE TWO
While Nimander is gone, Clip thinks how “pathetic” he and the others are, and how he had told Nimander mostly lies. He wonders how Ruin did in Letheras, thinking probably not so great, then thinks about how he and Nimander’s group will find Rake and make him “give answer to us. No, not even a god can blithely walk away, can escape the consequences of betrayal. We will find you . . . We will show you just how it feels.”
SCENE THREE
Rud and Udinaas talk, while below them in the valley a lost ranag calf bawls for its mother. Udinaas tells Rud he can hear Seren’s grief even at such great distance, and mourns telling Onrack of Trull’s death. Rud, fearing the answer, asks how long Udinaas plans to stay, and Udinaas replies until Rud kicks him out, though he says doesn’t have much to teach him. Rud disagrees, saying Udinaas can team him how to survive. The calf is found by three adults.
SCENE FOUR
Onrack tells Kilava he must go to where Trull’s body is, must tell Seren of Trull’s life since he’d known him. Kilava tells him she is going to go with him.
SCENE FIVE
Tehol is Emperor. He meets with Bugg, Brys, and Janath. Tehol is still Tehol.
SCENE SIX
Seren is trying to pry up the paving stones at her house entrance to bury Trull’s sword. Bugg moves the largest one, then before leaving tells her “Do not grieve overlong Seren Pedac. You are needed. Your life is needed.” Bugg comes back for a moment to tell her he found the Errant and that is how he learned of her and what happened, finishing by saying “You have all there is of him, all that’s left. Cherish it . . . and yourself.” She touches her stomach.
Amanda’s Reaction to the Epilogue
Well, that there is not a fun poem, is it, to start the epilogue?
So first Clip claimed to be the Mortal Sword of Anomander Rake, and now he claims to be Mother Dark’s Herald… Who on earth is he, and whom does he represent in truth? With these lies, it seems he might be associated with the Crippled God. And it isn’t good that he’s taking these vulnerable and naive Tiste Andii for himself.
Hmm, a clue about Clip: “Oh, Anomander Rake, we will find you. And you will give answer to us. No, not even a god can blithely walk away, can escape the consequences. Of betrayal.”
Ah… painful to hear about Seren’s mourning for Trull, and even worse to know that Onrack is now aware of Trull’s death.
It is the very sweetest moment as Udinaas and Rud talk together, especially this bit, where Udinaas realizes he finally has a place where he belongs and where he is important: “In this time, it seemed Udinaas had found something wrong with his eyes, for his hands went to his face again and again.”
At least Onrack has Kilava to ease his pain. Imagine how much worse it would have been were Onrack alone and suffering through the death of Trull.
Another really lovely scene, between Tehol, Brys, Bugg and Janath. Particularly love:
“Goodness, how the blessings flow over.”
Janath said, “Careful you don’t drown, Tehol.”
“Bugg would never let that happen, sweetness.”
Who is that old man, with the mason’s wrists, that assists Seren moving the pavestone? It doesn’t seem to be Bugg—is it Withal? Except he seems to be a god, with his rather omnipotent knowledge when it comes to Seren’s pregnancy. I’m glad she has something good that will come from her too-brief time with Trull. And I’m eager to see what role the child of Trull will have in future events.
This is a very neat epilogue compared to some in the rest of the books. It completes a few of the loose ends remaining, without adding in anything too mysterious, as we’ve seen before. And it leaves a rather heartwarming feeling, after the really rather tragic events of the previous few chapters.
Bill’s Reaction to the Epilogue
Well, we’ve seen Clip lead one group on a journey and how that ended. Will this next one go any better? Starting out with lies doesn’t seem to bode well. Nor does his desire for vengeance on Rake or his talk of betrayal. Though, and I hate to do this, I do have to give credit for his perspicacious assumption about Ruin not doing so hot in Letheras.
The idea that Udinaas can sense what Seren is feeling is a nice slant way of giving us her grief without being overly sentimental or too blunt with it (while we’re on that topic, I’ll just say the ranag calf was a bit too blunt for me). It also makes one wonder if this ability might come into play somewhere down the line. I do like the restrained emotion (excepting the calf) in this scene between the two of them.
And then more restrained emotion, and a nice bit of comic relief, with Onrack’s obliviousness to Kilava’s assumption that she is going with him. Erikson taketh but sometimes Erikson giveth as well (at least for a while, we’ll have to wait to see if Kilava and Onrack are a happy couple for long).
Poor Seren. The sword was so long a questionable symbol. And after it was revealed to be just what it was, how empty is its burial? Thank god (sorry about the pun) for Bugg (that is him, Amanda), able to bring a smile to her, a harder task one would guess than moving the stone (he did indeed move stone in getting her to smile, one could say).
As Amanda says, a surprisingly neat, tidying up sort of epilogue, with even a happy ending for the most part, though a happy ending soaked in grief (if such a thing is possible).
Whole book wrap up next time….
Amanda Rutter is the editor of Strange Chemistry books, sister imprint to Angry Robot.
Bill Capossere writes short stories and essays, plays ultimate frisbee, teaches as an adjunct English instructor at several local colleges, and writes SF/F reviews for fantasyliterature.com.
And thus ends Reaper’s Gale. Say goodbye to the Bonehunters, we won’t be seeing them for a looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong time.
Yes Amanda, there is a Bugg (and that was him). You can tell because he mentions he had his discussion with the Errant. Entirely offscreen here.
Interesting how Bugg decides to have a chat with the Errant, rather than assault the Errant in anger as he was wont to do right after getting out of the Errant’s trap. I approve of that, especially given the Errant’s own self-loathing for fulfilling his own aspect, but on the other hand it brings up the interesting question of what if Bugg had decided the other way upon escaping – had gone after the Errant in rage rather than to rescue Tehol. Would Tehold still have been rescued by Brys *and* would Trull have survived with the Errant distracted by Mael? Or was Trull’s fate always to die and the Errant merely didn’t change it? There’s no way to know, but it does lead to some interesting speculation.
Somehow I don’t think Mael wanted to tell Seren exactly what he said ( or did) to the Errant!
twoodmom@@.-@:Yes, his method of “discussion” was left ambiguous. I’m picturing lots of shoving through mountains sort of discussion.
Am I the only one who wishes he was as smooth as tehol with the ladies?
Yes, I always considered it a discussion along the lines of Midnight Tides.
“But for now, I am going to beat a god senseless.’
Mael has always struck me as someone not afraid to get their hands dirty when needed, and very willing to take things personally.
As for Tehol, he must have been a true terror to write – Kruppe was slippery, Iskaral Pust often baffling, but Tehol steals every scene he appears in with frankly magnificent dialogue.
belt breaks, blanket slips down
Humbly stolen, of course.
I think Clip is a very interesting character, and looking forward to seeing how Rake handles him in TtH. Characters like Clip really spice things up, since you can always expect the unexpected from them.(Also, that name is so weird, especially for a Tiste Andii).
Looking back at the last chapter though, I just remembered that about halfway through the novel, Ublala met with Karsa and told him about Rhulad, but we did not get to see the full meeting, since just as Ublala was about to tell something important, Karsa forced Samar Dev out. I wonder if this is were the plan to defeat Rhulad(by forcing the Tarthenal spirits to hold open the gate to the Crippled God’s island) was conceived. Also, it would have made more sense to keep Samar Dev involved right from the start. How did Old Hunch Arbat knew this plan? Also, Karsa seems to have got a shortcut to Genebackis from the island, but Samar Dev is still stuck in Letheras. I am guessing their partnership is over.
So, which book are we going to do next?
@Treeslinger:
Return of the Crimson Guard, by ICE.
I’m looking forward to that, actually, since I only read it once.
I only read RotCG once too, but that’s because of the awful awful expensive edition put out by Transworld or Subterr or whoever. What a train wreck.
I found that RotCG was allot better on the second read, especially kyle’s part are allot more clear on a second read.
Are we having a whole book wrap up today?
I’m having Malazan withdrawal ;-(
I’m pretty sure the old man who talks to Samar Dev is not Bugg. He has *mason’s wrists*. That description is also used for Whiskeyjack, consistent with his becoming Mason of High House Death (even though he was a carpenter while alive). It makes sense that he’d be there, giving a clue about Hood’s interest in what has just happened – or is about to. I haven’t read later books, so I don’t actually know what that interest might be, but it makes far more sense than the Bugg theory.
Its my first read as well, and I thought it was whiskeyjack as well, what with his whole relationship with Korlat, etc. as well as the Mason connecitons.
However, Bugg did run a construction company, and our first intro to him included significant discussion of stonework (admitting he would have gone to bedrock to shore up the hearth in Tehol’s shack).
I can see it both ways I guess.