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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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About this listen

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

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
Pretty good Alright. Classic Erickson. Not a fan of everyone sleeping with the kid though. Apart from that. Pretty good.

Good not as great as usual.

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incredibly good! would advise reading house of chains and reapers gale before tackling this masterpiece

Witness!

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Emma Gregory is my new favourite narrator. She absolutely nails it. Huge range of accents, vocal tones and styles. She even adds panting and other dramatic sounds, which means she truly knows the material.

The story itself is another Erikson epic. Probably will be difficult for readers that new to his work. The world has evolved since his last works, and it's a joy see how things have changed. Lots of great references and Easter eggs for long time readers.

The themes explored include: What it means to be a child and how adults think of them; the ramifications of rape; civilisation vs wild nature.

Also Malazan marines have been taken to another level.

Every malazan fan will love this work. those new to Erikson, go pick up Gardens of the Moon and treat yourself.

Truly good

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Epic fantasy with excellent narration of diverse charaters. Loved it.
This book marks a return to the world crafted by Steven Erikson in his Malazan Book of the Fallen series and continues his writing that draws on a diverse cast of characters that slowly reveal their truths throughout in a way that draws you in. the scope of the story grows as the character unveil a sometimes convoluted path that pulls you deeper until you emerge with a new appreciation of Eriksons writing talent.
be sure to check out his previous books and those of Ian C. Esselmont who also writes in the same world in conjunction with Erikson.
do yourself a favour and try out this book.

An epic return by Erikson

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great listen ,cant wait for the next one.The narrator was amazing.I have enjoyed all Steven Erickson"s books that i have heard
..

loved it

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