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The God is Not Willing

The First Tale of Witness

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The God is Not Willing

By: Steven Erikson
Narrated by: Emma Gregory
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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

Many years have passed since three Teblor warriors brought carnage and chaos to the small lakeside settlement of Silver Lake. While the town has recovered, the legacy of that past horror remains, even if the Teblor tribes of the north no longer venture into the southlands. One of those three, Karsa Orlong, is now deemed to be a god, albeit an indifferent one. In truth, many new cults and religions have emerged across the Malazan world, including those who worship Coltaine, the Black-Winged God, and - popular among the Empire's soldiery - followers of the cult of Iskar Jarak, Guardian of the Dead.

A legion of Malazan marines is on the march towards Silver Lake. responding to intelligence that indicates the tribes beyond the border are stirring. The marines aren't quite sure what they're going to be facing but, while the Malazan military has evolved and these are not the marines of old, one thing hasn't changed: they'll handle whatever comes at them. Or die trying

Meanwhile, in the high mountains, where dwell the tribes of the Teblor, a new warleader has risen. Scarred by the deeds of Karsa Orlong, he intends to confront his god, even if he has to cut a bloody path through the Malazan Empire to do it. Higher in the mountains, a new threat has emerged, and now the Teblor are running out of time.
The long feared invasion is about to begin. And this time it won't be three simple warriors. This time thousands are poised to flood the lands of the south. And in their way, a single legion of Malazan marines . . .

It seems the past is about to revisit Silver Lake, and that is never a good thing . . .

'Erikson is an extraordinary writer . . . treat yourself.' STEPHEN R. DONALDSON

'A master of lost and forgotten epochs, a weaver of ancient epics.' SALON.COM

Acclaim for The Malazan Book of the Fallen:

'This masterwork of the imagination may be the high watermark of epic fantasy.' GLEN COOK

'Arguably the best fantasy series ever written . . . the quality and ambition of the ten books that make up The Malazan Book of the Fallen are unmatched within the genre.' FANTASYBOOKREVIEW

'Nobody does it better than Erikson . . . the best fantasy series around.' SFFWORLD

'In a league of his own in genre fiction terms - by turns lyrical, bawdy, introspective, poetical and blood-soaked . . . incredible.' BOOKGEEKS

'One of the most original and engrossing fantasy series of recent times.' INTERZONE

© Steven Erikson 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

 Action & Adventure Dark Fantasy Fantasy Historical Fiction Military
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Critic reviews

Awe-inspiring. Prepare to fall in love with epic fantasy all over again.

(ANNA SMITH SPARK, author of The Court of Broken Knives)
As good as I expected it to be . . . Erikson continues to showcase his talents as an impressive wordsmith . . . mesmerising and memorable. Add to this intense battles, witty banter, advanced warfare, new curses, new gods, and escapades with warrens and this world's supernatural and you'll see why I had such a good time.
It is beautiful, it is captivating and utterly enthralling . . . Erikson is unparalleled in both the scope of his imagination and the talent of his prose, but more importantly, he is as insightful and funny as Terry Pratchett ever was.
If The God Is Not Willing lacks the physical weight of the earlier Malazan books, it certainly doesn't lack the emotional heft . . . [this] is Erikson still at the top of his game, a lean, sharply honed and powerful addition to what is already in my mind the pre-eminent fantasy universe of the last few decades.
A determined, focused, well-paced and immensely rich novel of war, peace, hubris, consequence, sorcery and compassion . . . The God is Not Willing is Steven Erikson bringing his A-game, turned up to 11, and delivering what is comfortably one of his three or four best novels to date.
Could be Erikson's most accessible novel to date . . . a must for all Malazan fans.
Erikson burnishes his reputation as a superior epic fantasy world-builder in this trilogy debut, a spin-off of his Malazan Book of the Fallen series . . . a treat both for Erikson's returning readers and lovers of George R.R. Martin-style epic fantasy who have yet to discover his work.
All stars
Most relevant
narrator was an issue for me unfortunately
had too keep turning it down and up🤦

eardrum splitting at times

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Once again Master Erikson has woven an exceptionally good story and I eagerly await the next installment, the narration by Emma Gregory matches the brilliance of the story with a rich rendition of characters

Exceptional story, narration

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It's a bit of a slow burner but to be expected from the first in a trilogy, looking forward to the next book.

Good start to a new series

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Witness, damn you, Mr Erikson, you made me cry again with this absolute masterpiece. Another excellent tale from the Malazan world and didn't expect any less from Mr Erikson. He has delivered like he always does. Sublime plots and worldbuilding, and his writing is so specially intricately woven and crafted that it just leaves you in awe.

The God Is Not Willing is his first book in his new upcoming trilogy, Witness. Set ten years after The Crippled God. A story that is set up around the devastation and past deeds of one of my favourite characters, Karsa Orlong (The Shattered God).

The Malazan Empire is my all-time favourite series, and this book has just cemented why it is and why it always will.
The pure scope and depth of this world are truly fascinating. His characters are so compelling and loveable.

I have found my two new favourite Malazan duo, Stillwater and Anyx Fro, two female marines who would stab you just for irritating them, had me laughing out loud with their witticisms, sarcasm and their out and out craziness.

Lots and lots of new amazing characters and some very old ones are back with bang, bringing Malazan legends and lore back into the fold that will keep you turning page after page.

In this book, many years have passed since three Teblor warriors brought carnage and chaos to Silver Lake. Karsa Orlong has left behind a curse, and a son Rant, still a child and grown taller than any human, must leave because of the hatred towards him.

The XIVth Legion, 2nd Company are responding to reports of a growing unease among the tribes beyond the border, a legion of Malazan marines marches towards Silver Lake. They aren't quite sure what they're going to be facing, but, while the Malazan military has evolved and these are not the marines of old, one thing hasn't changed: they'll handle whatever comes at them. Or die trying.

In the North, a new Teblor War Lord has risen and has united all the Teblor clans. Something big is coming, and they must move south, even if it must bring war against the southlanders to escape the coming doom.

If you’re a fan of the epic Malazan Book of the Fallen, then you’ll love this. It made me laugh so loud, cry, and left me with so many euphoric moments of awe. Thank you so much, Mr Erikson, for bringing this amazing epic series to our lives. I very highly recommend...😁💀🔥🖤🗡

Truly Outstanding.

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I love the style of SE's writing, storytelling and humour. This book hits all those marks plus more. I read a review about the pronunciation and have to agree, my mind kept correcting how things were said. After so many books with Malazan pronounced one way, then having it changed for this book was like a migraine slowly growing. Apart from this, the narration was really excellent, with different characters being pretty distinct with accents chosen that really suited them. The tale concluded within the book, but I believe there are more, and I can't wait for the next instalment. Highly recommended.

I have missed SE's books

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