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No Life Forsaken

The Second Tale of Witness

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No Life Forsaken

By: Steven Erikson
Narrated by: Emma Gregory
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.


A goddess awakens to a new world, only to find that some things never change.

Amidst the ashes of a failed rebellion in Seven Cities, new embers are flaring to life.

There are furrowed brows at the beleaguered Malazan Legion headquarters in G’danisban for it would appear that yet another bloody clash with the revived cult of the Apocalyptic is coming to a head.

Seeking to crush the uprising before it ignites the entire subcontinent, Fist Arenfall has only a few dozen squads of marines at his disposal, and many of those are already dispersed - endeavouring to stamp out multiple brush-fires of dissent. But his soldiers are exhausted, worn down by the grind of a simmering insurrection and the last thing Arenfall needs is the arrival of the new Adjunct, fresh from the capital and the Emperor's side.

The man's mission may be to lend support to Arenfall’s efforts . . . or stick a knife in his back. 'Twas ever thus, of course. That a popular commander should inevitably be seen as a threat to the Emperor - such is the fatal nature of imperial Malazan politics.

And what of the gods? Well, as recent history has proved, their solution to any mortal mess is to make it even messier. In other words, it's just another tumultuous day in the chequered history of the Malazan Empire.

Acclaim for The God is Not Willing:

'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.' GRIMDARK magazine

'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.' FANTASY BOOK REVIEW

'Erikson 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.' TOR.COM

'Determined, focused, well-paced and immensely rich novel of war, peace, hubris, consequence, sorcery and compassion . . . this is Erikson bringing his A-game, turned up to 11, and delivering what is comfortably one of his three or four best novels to date.' THE WERTZONE

'Could be Erikson's most accessible novel to date . . . a must for all Malazan fans.' FANTASY HOTLIST

'Erikson burnishes his reputation as a superior epic fantasy world-builder . . . a treat both for his returning readers and lovers of George R.R. Martin-style epic fantasy who have yet to discover his work.' PUBLISHERS WEEKLY *starred review

© Steven Erikson 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Action & Adventure Dark Fantasy Epic Fantasy Historical Military
All stars
Most relevant
It’s Steven Erikson, so the quality is pretty much guaranteed. Emma Gregory is the MVP though. I’ve listened to almost all of Malazan world audiobooks so far, and her delivery is the most enjoyable.

An excellent return to Malazan world

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This was a fantastic listen. The narrator was dynamic with the delivery, without being naff.

The author is to be commended for another suburb book.
The twists and turns of the story were on par with other books in the Malazan world, including a satisfying conclusion, expertly written philosophical internal monologues dealing with deep ethical dilemmas, and an appropriate balancing of hilariously witty interactions between characters.

The action sequences were well balanced and suitably nerve-racking.
The sub-plot of the sappers was perfect, as always.

I highly recommend all of the books in the Malazan universe.

Did not disappoint!

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