Deadhouse Landing: Malazan Empire Origins You Were Never Told!

<p>Deadhouse Landing feels like the best fan fiction ever written… except the fan writing it is actually one of the creators!</p><p><br></p><p>In this spoiler-lite review, Jim dives into Ian C. Esslemont’s Deadhouse Landing, Book 2 of the Path to Ascendancy series, and explores how it brings the origins of the Malazan Empire to life.</p><p><br></p><p>For longtime Malazan fans, this book is an absolute TREASURE TROVE. We finally get to see the roots of the Malazan Empire, origin stories for a ridiculous number of familiar characters, more insight into Surly, and—perhaps best of all—more of the wonderfully entertaining relationship between Kellanved and Dancer.</p><p><br></p><p>After reading Steven Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen and Esslemont’s Novels of the Malazan Empire, Jim has been working his way through the prequel material. And while Erikson’s Malazan novels often leave him impressed, wowed, and occasionally wondering whether he needs a philosophy degree… Esslemont’s books are just plain FUN.</p><p><br></p><p>And Deadhouse Landing may be Jim’s favorite Esslemont novel yet.</p><p><br></p><p>In this episode:</p><p>• Why Jim continued with Path to Ascendancy after Dancer’s Lament</p><p>• A spoiler-lite summary of Deadhouse Landing</p><p>• Seven reasons to LOVE this book</p><p>• The true roots of the Malazan Empire</p><p>• Origin stories for SO MANY familiar characters</p><p>• Why Jim finally understands Surly</p><p>• Why Kellanved and Dancer remain worth the price of admission</p><p>• The action, humor, and whimsical side of Malazan</p><p>• Three reasons this book might NOT work for you</p><p>• Why you absolutely should NOT start your Malazan journey here</p><p>• Jim’s final verdict on Deadhouse Landing</p><p><br></p><p>For Jim, Deadhouse Landing is like discovering the greatest collection of Malazan fan fiction imaginable—except it comes directly from Ian C. Esslemont, one of the two men who actually CREATED these characters, their histories, and this incredible world.</p><p><br></p><p>The result?</p><p><br></p><p>Dancer’s Lament was good.</p><p><br></p><p>Deadhouse Landing was FREAKIN’ FANTASTIC.</p><p><br></p><p>But there’s a catch: If you haven’t already read Malazan Book of the Fallen and the Novels of the Malazan Empire, Jim strongly recommends waiting. So much of the pleasure comes from recognizing these characters, places, relationships, and events—and suddenly understanding how everything you already know came together.</p><p><br></p><p>Malazan fans: Where does Deadhouse Landing rank among Esslemont’s novels for you? And who is your favorite character to encounter in their younger, pre-Empire form?</p><p><br></p><p>Let us know in the comments!</p><p><br></p><p>If you enjoy Fantasy for the Ages, please LIKE the video, SUBSCRIBE to the channel, and ring that notification bell so you don’t miss what’s coming next.</p><p><br></p><p>And a huge THANK YOU to our Patreon supporters for helping make Fantasy for the Ages possible!: https://patreon.com/FantasyForTheAges </p><p><br></p><p>#Malazan #DeadhouseLanding #IanCEsslemont #PathToAscendancy #MalazanBookOfTheFallen #EpicFantasy #FantasyBooks #BookReview #FantasyForTheAges</p><p><br></p><p>*Want to purchase books/media mentioned in this episode?*</p><p>Dancer’s Lament: https://t.ly/YEbhY</p><p>Deadhouse Landing: https://t.ly/rrC5Y</p><p>The Kharkanas Trilogy: https://t.ly/46mev</p><p>Malazan Book of the Fallen: https://t.ly/6JLnp</p><p>Novels of the Malazan Empire: https://t.ly/UpcYY</p><p><br></p><p>*Ways to connect with us:*</p><p>Follow Jim/Father on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/13848336-jim-scriven </p><p>Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/jMWyVJ6qKk </p><p>Follow us on &quot;X&quot;: @Fantasy4theAges </p><p>Follow us on Blue Sky: @fantasy4theages.bsky.social</p><p>Follow us on Instagram: fantasy_for_the_ages </p><p>Follow us on Mastodon: @FantasyForTheAges@nerdculture.de </p><p>Email us: FantasyForTheAges@gmail.com </p><p><br></p><p>Jim’s