Read Kellanved Reach Path to Ascendancy Book 3 Audible Audio Edition Ian C Esslemont John Banks Brilliance Audio Books

Product details Audible Audiobook Listening Length 13 hours and 7 minutes Program Type Audiobook Version Unabridged Publisher Brilliance Audio Audible.com Release Date April 2, 2019 Whispersync for Voice Ready Language English, English ASIN B07PJLBVGK

Kellanved Reach Path to Ascendancy Book 3 Audible Audio Edition Ian C Esslemont John Banks Brilliance Audio Books Reviews

• I do not understand. I enjoyed the previous two books, but this 3rd installment deserved better. Erikson built up these characters over time with so much skill and background, that they deserved more than rushed pages of origin story. This book is carpet bombed with legendary names, totally unnecessary and a waste of opportunity. If anything this book should have been 2 or 3 times as long.
  
  The tone of Kellanved’s Reach is also a lot more teenager style rather than adult. The first part was written in an adolescent style, because the protagonists were. He could have made the following books darker as the characters grew. Instead it feels all too comical
  
  I miss Erikson.
• Epic end to the Ascendancy trilogy. Malazan's exceeds the definition of 'epic'. Two sentences into the prologue, it was back to Malazan wiki to refresh characters, timelines, places, etc. After the first chapter, I'd logged over an hour in recall refreshment. It's a massive scale narrative.
  
  The Ascendancy Trilogy is a deep dive back into eons of Malazan time. Book 1 seems to be the beginnings. Questions and hints remain about an even more distant and more mighty creation. Some have termed the trilogy as the Silmarillion of the Malazans but it's not akin. What came from space to animate this world remains unclear. Book 2 continues a forward march from the beginnings. Book 3 carries the reader into some temporal proximity with the Malazan Books of the Fallen. I could be completely wrong but that's my take at this trilogy installment.
  
  Esslemont's writing quality is noticeably improved from his already established excellence. Here, is a new mastery of conversational quality and brevity.
  
  Assuming you've read the Malazan's in publication date order, Kellenvad's Reach needs no introduction. Readers seem to "get" what they alone read. It's a challenge to explain the story to a non-reader. The reader will either read it or never have a clue from a readers telling.
  
  Special kudo's to those working Malazan wiki. Without it, the nature of the whole and its massive character creations, the books and time between installments would be unintelligible.
• Familiar characters and an important set of threads pull us on yet the key players are all younger, less experienced and knowing far less about the complex world they are growing up in. They feel less real in this telling than in the rest of the intricately wrought broad sweep of Malazan history we have been treated to previously.
  
  The writing is sparse, telegraphic, almost urgent. As a result the rich atmosphere of roundly drawn characters and vibrant environments is not quite realised in the manner we have come to expect from Esslemont and Erikson. This tale is not the 600 to 800 epic I’ve come to expect and relish and was over too soon.
  
  I expect to end these novels emotionally challenged with a feeling of sadness and loss counterpointing triumphs of the human spirit bravery, determination, loyalty and compassion. While a few vignettes managed this, overall I was disappointed. Reach left me wanting much more.
• Esslemont can write an entertaining book. I will start with that. The path to ascendancy trilogy in its entirety is a fun read that moves at a quick (perhaps too quick) pace. It further explores the Malazan world and its myriad characters with a contagious zeal.
  The voices given to the characters are distinct enough to distinguish them from one another and their motives and values feel real enough to be believable. Also, no contrived “deus ex machina” is unjustly thrust upon the reader.
  That being said, They (and especially Kellanved’s Reach) left me less than satisfied. Esslemont has a habit of building up to a climax (convergence?) and then the story seems to stagger to a quick end.
  I also found the dialogue to be basic to the point of rudimentary at times.
  I don’t want to compare Esslemont to Erickson, it simply isn’t fair. Erickson excels at injecting poetry, vivid description, and pathos into his words. Esslemont does touch on humor and tugs on heart strings at times, but (and I don’t mean to be disrespectful) its eating a hotdog instead of a Steak.
  Now, there’s nothing wrong with hotdogs...sometimes you’d prefer them, but it’s just at a different culinary level.
  Esslemont also goes overboard with superfluous cameos from characters from other books that don’t even really make sense. Is Everyone suppose to live to be hundreds of years old now? And, do we need the backstory of Every Crimson Guard?
  Also, there seem to be some inconsistencies in storytelling here. For example, did Haraj’s name just turn into Fingers? And, Where the heck is Nok at?
  I know, I’m getting a little bit “Militant-Fan” here, but like Gallan told Fisher in Forge of Darkness “Should you err, the list makers will eat you alive.”
  Overall, a pretty good book.
  Can’t wait for The Witness Trilogy though.
• During the years, I have shifted from fantasy to sci-fi, but the Malazan setting never fails to enthrall me. I find myself sleeping late and ditching my gaming habits to read some more pages. And there are so many books in this setting it’s ridiculous. Highly recommended.
• This is a book for fans of the Malazan universe. If you've read previous books you know where this story is going. I was very pleased with the result Esslemont gave us. This triology is the best work he's done so far, and I'm excited to know what his next project might be.
• Who'd of thought that you could of gotten so many characters into a story. Lots and lots of beginning or backstorys going on in this one, besides the main characters of cancer and kellanved. Fast action throughout added with excellent storytelling. As for any other questions about this book, it's much like the early two books, very well done. Only one drawback was it seems so short. Can't wait to see where story leads to.