The Crippled God: Book Ten of The Malazan Book of the Fallen (Malazan Book of the Fallen, 10) Mass Market Paperback – April 24, 2012

***Minor Spoilers in the Article***Steven Erikson's Magnum Opus finally comes to an end! Gardens of the Moon was first published in 1999 back when Fantasy was still looked down upon and faithful readers had trouble finding Fantasy books in their neighbourhood bookstore. One of the reasons the status of Fantasy has a better status these days is the series of books that came after the Gardens of the Moon. It is because of this series that Fantasy has gained the kind of respect that it has these days. True, Erikson has his issues with grammar, pace and style. BUt no one can deny the ambition of his work. What Erikson lacks in some areas, he more than makes up with the depth of his characters and the sheer scope of his works.With that, let us get in to the final book of the series. The Dust of Dreams ended with the Bonehunters(Supposedly one of the primary protagonists, do not enter the frame until the fourth book) mauled badly by the Nahruk armies, almost by accident and the Shake returning to Kharkanas. As is typical of any Malazan book, the first part of the book is essentially set up. Although, perhaps because of the need to cram in so much in a single novel, the action begins early with the Great war between Darkness and Light... and then everything goes up like a Cusser on steroids with the Bonehunters' last March and the Shake's last stand. Erikson throws in a little bit of the Tiste Andi, the Soletaken, the return of the Jaghut, Forkrul Assail, Imass, the Elder Gods, Draconus, Icarium, the Bridgeburners and the K'Chain Che'Malle, some favourite characters from previous books to really create a mother of a Convergence and a heart wrenching climax to the series. Between all this Gods die, charaters we thought were dead come back one last time, betrayals occur and some fantastic set pieces unfold. Like others have said, many threads fom the early books find a neat resolution. However, there are plot threads that are still unresolved, but they are not major and expect to be taken care of in the upcoming novels by Esselmont and Erikson. Kruppe's and Karsa's return was great. Kruppe was hilarious after a long time. I think Erikson over indulged in Kruppe after Gardens of the Moon which was one reason why some of the later books were not as fantastic as the rest. But, this time with little time left for tautological philosophization that hobbled the second half of this series, this is the best Malazan book since the Memories of Ice. That said, my grouse(only) with the final installment is the potrayal of the Assail.They make very straightforward antagonists and some of the battles with them are anticlimatic, perhaps because there was only so much space & time available. Other than that the Crippled God is a satisfying resolution to arguably the greatest Fantasy series ever. Did I mention that Ganoes Paran finally returns? and that Quick Ben and Kalam are fantastic. Oh by the way, We still don't know what happened to Laseen!

What a journey this has been. It has been a long time (almost a year, in fact) since I picked up Gardens of the Moon. It really struck a chord with me. I said this of Gardens when I first reviewed it, and I'll say it again here; it was the first book since Dune to give me such a sense of imagination and wonder, and to push me to learn all I could about the series. From devouring the words, to scouring the maps, and reading the dramatis personae to get all the characters right in my head. Simply put, I don't come by works of fiction like this often.Now, at the end of the final installment looking back, I couldn't be more pleased. Erikson delivered on his promise of an epic Fantasy series, and then went a little farther. This series has fixed itself atop the list of my favorite Fantasy series, and now vies with A Song of Ice and Fire to be ranked #1. I suppose we'll just have to see how that series ends (years from now) to see who is the true victor.In any case, I couldn't be happier with how Erikson ended it. Was there loss? My god, of course there was. It's not called "The Malazan Book of Everyone Who Lived Happily Ever After". But beyond the Fallen, there is hope. There is love, and compassion. There are those who risked everything, to do what was right. And for no other reason than because it was right. There are characters in this series that I will never forget, moments of triumph that I will always remember, and of course moments of devastating loss that moved me to tears. And I do mean real tears, not just a wetness to the eye. I stand by my opinion that this series is the most cinematic I have ever read, Erikson has a way of painting a picture for his readers that is hard to find elsewhere.The Crippled God gave me the conclusive ending that I was yearning for, but did not answer every question so directly that I cannot still wonder and theorize. I like that. And though I've reached the end of the road, the world of Malazan is still out there. In Ian Cameron Esslemont's novels, in Erikson's prequel trilogy. I will undoubtedly make my return someday but for now, I am content in having finished this massive series, and I will remember the Fallen.