Return of the Crimson Guard, Ian C. Esslemont
Return of the Crimson Guard, Ian C. Esslemont
3 Rating(s)
List: $48.99 | Sale: $34.30
Club: $24.49

Return of the Crimson Guard

Author: Ian C. Esslemont

Narrator: John Banks

Unabridged: 32 hr 8 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/28/2016

Categories: Fiction, Fantasy


Synopsis

The return of the mercenary company, the Crimson Guard, could not have come at a worse time for a Malazan Empire exhausted by warfare and weakened by betrayals and rivalries. Indeed, there are those who wonder whether the Empress Laseen might not be losing her grip on power as she faces increasing unrest as conquered kingdoms and principalities sense freedom once more.Into the seething cauldron of Quon Tali—the Empire's heartland—marches the Guard. With their return comes the memory of the Empire—and yet all is not well with the Guard itself. Elements within its elite, the Avowed, have set their sights on far greater power. There are ancient entities who also seek to further their own arcane ends. And what of the swordsman called Traveller who, with his companion Ereko, has gone in search of a confrontation from which none have ever returned?As the Guard prepares to wage war, so Laseen's own generals and mages, the "Old Hands," grow impatient at what they see as her mismanagement of the Empire. But could Laseen have outwitted them all? Could she be using the uprisings to draw out and finally eliminate these last irksome survivors from the days of her illustrious predecessor, Kellanved?

About Ian C. Esslemont

Ian Cameron Esslemont grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He has studied archaeology and creative writing, has traveled extensively in South East Asia, and lived in Thailand and Japan for several years. He now lives in Alaska with his wife and children and is currently working on another novel set in the world of Malaz, a world he co-created with his friend Steven Erikson.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Matt's Fantasy Book Reviews on April 03, 2022

I was skeptical going into this book because I thought it wouldn't be able to hold a candle to Steven Erikson's Malazan books, but oh how I was wrong. This book is fantastic from start to finish, and an extremely strong addition into the Malazan universe. It told a story that I desperately wanted to......more

Goodreads review by Gavin on November 26, 2018

I thought this was a fantastic addition to the Malazan series and proved that Esslemont is a worthy contributor to the series. Return of the Crimson Guard might have had a few flaws but I still felt like it was actually better than a few of the lesser instalments of Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fal......more

Goodreads review by Mayim on February 07, 2020

“Battle is for an army to win or lose; war is for a civilisation to win or lose.” As you have probably known, Steven Erikson and Ian Esslemont are co-creators of the Malazan universe. Firstly, Mr Erikson and his Malazan Book of the Fallen took the fantasy readership by storm (remember, go for the thr......more

Goodreads review by TS on June 14, 2017

*3.5 stars* (rounded up because LEGENDARY) Esslemont definitely writes in a more direct manner than Erikson and that makes his books easier to read, even though the introduction of new characters had my head spinning again for the first one-third of the book. Notwithstanding, I really liked some of t......more