''Deadhouse Landing'' is the second novel of the

Path to Ascendancy Ian Cameron Esslemont (born 1962) is a Canadian writer. He was trained and has worked as an archaeologist. He is best known for his series ''Novels of the Malazan Empire'', which is set in the same world as the ''Malazan Book of the Fallen'' epi ...

trilogy by

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

author

Ian Cameron Esslemont Ian Cameron Esslemont (born 1962) is a Canadian writer. He was trained and has worked as an archaeologist. He is best known for his series ''Novels of the Malazan Empire'', which is set in the same world as the ''Malazan Book of the Fallen'' epi ...

. Set in the world of the ''

Malazan Book of the Fallen The ''Malazan Book of the Fallen'' () is a series of epic fantasy novels written by the Canadian author Steven Erikson. The series, published by Bantam Books in the U.K. and Tor Books in the U.S., consists of ten volumes, beginning with '' Garde ...

'', Deadhouse Landing tells the story of the founding of the Malazan empire.

Development

In a 2016 interview with ''The Critical Dragon'', Esslemont states he has three novels planned for his ''Path to Ascendency'' series, and that ''Deadhouse Landing'' is the working title for the second volume. He goes on to state "the door is open" for further novels, and the series could "prove as long as it need be to tell its tale".

Plot

The novel picks up where ''Dancer's Lament'' left off, with Dancer and Kellanved fleeing Itko Kan to the city of Malaz. It continues the story of their founding of the Malazan Empire and eventual ascension.

Critical reception

''Deadhouse Landing'' received mostly positive reviews upon publication. Bill Capossere says the story is "filled with humor, tension, and a surprising amount of warmth and emotion". He praises the action in the novel while being critical in the amount of setup for its sequel. ''Fantasy Book Review'' gave it a 9 out of 10, calling it a "masterclass of Malazan awesomeness" and that it "may be Esslemont's finest book to date". ''The Quill to Live'' gave it an 9.5 out of 10, stating "the writing was fun, the dialogue was punchy, and the plot was involving." ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' describes it as a "tremendous prequel" and says it will " elightfans of truly epic fantasy".

References

2017 Canadian novels High fantasy novels Malazan Book of the Fallen Bantam Books books Tor Books books {{2010s-fantasy-novel-stub