Deadhouse Gates
A perilous march and converging quests define this fantasy epic.
Deadhouse Gates, the second book in Steven Erikson's Malazan series, is an epic fantasy set on a different continent from its predecessor, Gardens of the Moon, while its events run parallel to the third book, Memories of Ice. Critics gave it mixed to positive reviews, commending its tone and complex plot, though some disliked the new setting. The story's relentless pace and high stakes explore survival, sacrifice, and war's brutality, with Coltaine's refugee leadership adding emotional heft.
Quick Facts
- Author
- Steven Erikson
- Cover artist
- Steve Stone
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- Series
- Malazan Book of the Fallen
- Genre
- Fantasy novel
- Publisher
- Bantam Books (UK & Canada) & Tor Books (USA)
- Released
- 1 September 2000
Facts from the source article.
Plot introduction
A few months after Gardens of the Moon, the Malazan Empire faces turmoil as a purge strips the nobility of power, sending many to the mines of Otataral Island near the Seven Cities subcontinent. Simultaneously, the Whirlwind rebellion, led by the prophetess Sha'ik from the Holy Desert of Raraku, sweeps across Seven Cities. As rebel forces capture cities, Malazan troops in Hissar hatch a desperate plan: an overland evacuation to the continental capital, Aren. The legendary Coltaine of the Wickan Crow Clan takes command of the 7th Army, tasked with shepherding 50,000 refugees on a grueling 1,500-mile journey. This harrowing march, called the Chain of Dogs, becomes an enduring legend of the region. Meanwhile, the assassin Kalam embarks on a perilous mission, and a band of travelers from Genabackis arrives in Seven Cities, each pursuing their own enigmatic goals. Unlike the previous book's tightly clustered characters, these storylines unfold across vast distances, separated by hundreds or thousands of miles.
Plot summary
A few months after the events of Gardens of the Moon, Deadhouse Gates begins. The novel shares almost no locations or returning characters with its predecessor, though its timeline partially overlaps with the third book in the series, Memories of Ice. Felisin Paran, the younger sister of Ganoes Paran, and Tavore Paran, the newly appointed Adjunct to Empress Laseen, find themselves caught up in a purge Laseen has ordered against the nobility to remove any threats to her power. Felisin’s journey takes a dark turn when she is sent to an otataral mine off the coast of the Seven Cities continent alongside Baudin, a brutal thug, and Heboric, a former High Priest of the war god Fener who had his hands cut off as punishment. Inside the mine, Felisin trades sexual favors to Beneth, the slaves’ self-appointed leader, in exchange for protection for her group, and she becomes addicted to the narcotic durhang. Elsewhere, the half-Jaghut immortal Icarium, an inventor and warrior whose destructive past has been wiped from his memory to safeguard the world, travels with Mappo Runt, a Trell warrior whose secret duty is to watch over Icarium and, if needed, restrain his rage. The pair gets drawn into a conflict with Soletaken and D’ivers—shapeshifters who can turn into a single beast or multiple beasts—all chasing the Path of Hands. This path leads to Tremorlor, an Azath House in the Holy Desert of Raraku, a place believed to grant Ascendancy and the chance at godhood. During the fighting, Icarium and Mappo take shelter in the temple of Iskaral Pust, a High Priest of Shadow whose bizarre behavior hints at madness. Meanwhile, the Wickan warleader Coltaine takes command of the Malazan Empire’s 7th Army. His mission is to escort Malazan civilians across hundreds of leagues of the Seven Cities on foot to the imperial capital of Aren, protecting them from a rebellion led by the prophetess Sha’ik, who stirs uprising from the Holy Desert of Raraku. Despite the crisis, the continent’s High Fist, Pormqual, refuses to send a naval convoy and stays safe inside Aren. The Imperial Historian, Duiker, marches alongside the 7th Army during this grueling journey.
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