Deadhouse Gates subterenean press edition

Finally caved in and got the subterenean press edition of Deadhouse gates by Steven Erikson.
Of course i had to go ebay because these editions sell out ridiculously fast.

Now if canada post can move their asses and bring it here now!!!!

Yessssss.......

Set before the Malazan books of the fallen Erikson returns with a new book , part one of a trilogy.
Coming out July 31 starting the countdown now ....

Now is the time to tell the story of an ancient realm, a tragic tale that sets the stage for all the tales yet to come and all those already told...

From amazon uk description

It's a conflicted time in Kurald Galain, the realm of Darkness, where Mother Dark reigns. But this ancient land was once home to many a power. and even death is not quite eternal. The commoners' great hero, Vatha Urusander, is being promoted by his followers to take Mother Dark's hand in marriage, but her Consort, Lord Draconus, stands in the way of such ambitions. The impending clash sends fissures throughout the realm, and as the rumors of civil war burn through the masses, an ancient power emerges from the long dead seas. Caught in the middle of it all are the First Sons of Darkness, Anomander, Andarist, and Silchas Ruin of the Purake Hold...

Steven Erikson entered the pantheon of great fantasy writers with his debut Gardens of the Moon. Now he returns with the first novel in a trilogy that takes place millennia before the events of the Malazan Book of the Fallen and introduces readers to Kurald Galain, the warren of Darkness. It is the epic story of a realm whose fate plays a crucial role in shaping the world of the Malazan Empire.

Back......

Yup i'm back , well i never went away its not as if i was in a strange land without internet or any means of communications.
I have a bit more time to waste now so i decided to start up that little blog again just for fun.

The crippled god

Ten years in the making more that 9000 pages the malazan books of the fallen reaches its conclusion with the crippled god the tenth book of the series.

"Savaged by the K'Chain Nah'Ruk, the Bonehunters march for Kolanse, where waits an unknown fate. Tormented by questions, the army totters on the edge of mutiny, but Adjunct Tavore will not relent. One final act remains, if it is in her power, if she can hold her army together, if the shaky allegiances she has forged can survive all that is to come. A woman with no gifts of magic, deemed plain, unprepossessing, displaying nothing to instill loyalty or confidence, Tavore Paran of House Paran means to challenge the gods -- if her own troops don't kill her first.

Awaiting Tavore and her allies are the Forkrul Assail, the final arbiters of humanity. Drawing upon an alien power terrible in its magnitude, they seek to cleanse the world, to annihilate every human, every civilization, in order to begin anew. They welcome the coming conflagration of slaughter, for it shall be of their own devising, and it pleases them to know that, in the midst of the enemies gathering against them, there shall be betrayal. In the realm of Kurald Galain, home to the long lost city of Kharkanas, a mass of refugees stand upon the First Shore. Commanded by Yedan Derryg, the Watch, they await the breaching of Lightfall, and the coming of the Tiste Liosan. This is a war they cannot win, and they will die in the name of an empty city and a queen with no subjects.

Elsewhere, the three Elder Gods, Kilmandaros, Errastas and Sechul Lath, work to shatter the chains binding Korabas, the Otataral Dragon, and release her from her eternal prison. Once freed, she will be a force of utter devastation, and against her no mortal can stand. At the Gates of Starvald Demelain, the Azath House sealing the portal is dying. Soon will come the Eleint, and once more, there will be dragons in the world. And so, in a far away land and beneath indifferent skies, the final cataclysmic chapter in the extraordinary 'Malazan Book of the Fallen' begins."

So does the final chapter answer all the questions , does it tie off every thread of the series, do all your favorite characters appear and will you have a satifying conclusion to their stories?

The answer is no.

But does it contain the best battle scenes of any fantasy book out there , amazing characterizations , humor , heartbreaking scenes and Tufty the cat ?

The answer is YES!

Erikson has managed to write a conclusion to a monster epic that has literally a cast of hundreds and dozens of main characters and manages to keep it all together without straying too far at a rollercoaster pace.

If you want intelligent fantasy that steps out of the boundaries has no white knights no black knights hell has no knights of any color , with amazingly human characters then this series is for you.

And yes the bastard made me cry at the end fuck off....

Art anectdotes

So as you probably know i collect sketches from comic book artists sometimes there are good stories behind those meetings i'llshare some of them here hope you enjoy.

Here's one that i found at a convention in Montreal Marvel comics somtimes release blank covers for people to bring to conventions so artists can make up their own cover.
Agnes Garbowska made that one for Secret Invasion where the Skrulls who are shape shifting aliens have been on earth for many years and have replaced some of the marvel super heroes the storyline helped redefine the Marvel universe.

I love Agnes's art and finding this in a bin at a show was a very pleasant surprise....
But that's not the end of the story as i took the comic out of the bag to scan it here's what i found on the back cover.

Another sketch by Francis Manapul featuring a skrull Black Widow, that was a great surprise so it pays when you are at a convention to take an hour or two to checl out the comics bin.

Finally!!!!!

This beautiful brick (888 pages) found its way to my home the 9th volume of Steven Erikson's Malazan books of the fallen.
After realizing that the Canadian release date was going to be the same as the U.S i ddecided to order it from amazon.uk.
No way am i going to wait until January to read this.....

On the Letherii continent the exiled Malazan army commanded by Adjunct Tavore begins its march into the eastern Wastelands, to fight for an unknown cause against an enemy it has never seen. The fate awaiting the Bonehunters is one no soldier can prepare for, and one no mortal soul can withstand - the foe is uncertainty and the only weapon worth wielding is stubborn courage. In war everyone loses, and this brutal truth can be found in the eyes of every soldier in every world. Destinies are never simple. Truths are neither clear nor sharp. "The Tales of the Malazan Book of the Fallen" are drawing to a close in a distant place, beneath indifferent skies, as the last great army of the Malazan Empire seeks a final battle in the name of redemption. Final questions remain to be answered: can one's deeds be heroic when no one is there to see it? Can that which is unwitnessed forever change the world? The answers await the Bonehunters, beyond the Wastelands.

Home again

From Toronto with a crapload of art here's a little teaser i'll put some up in this blog but since there are 39 new pieces they will all be on my comicartfans page and my facebook album.

This beauty is from Alex Maleev who worked on Daredevil , new avengers and now on the Spiderwoman motion comic and soon to be released regular edition comic.
Needless to say that this painting blew me away thanks Alex for this fantastic painting.