Malazan Empire is not in a good shape as Empress Laseen is losing at the hands of her enemies on many war fronts. The land used to be a peaceful place in the past and now it is perishing because of several reasons. War is not the only evil which has hit the land over the years, there are other things like betrayals that have plagued the land to the core. Crimson Guard has returned and it is not an ideal thing for the veterans. Ian C. Esslemont has painted a terrible picture of the land to show that there is a lot which is waiting for the heroes.
If a hero does not emerge in time then it would be all over for the empire as it will get divided into pieces and every invader will get his share that he is waiting anxiously for. John Banks’ narration will also surprise the listener in this novel because Banks has brought changes in the style of narration to fulfil the demand of the novel.
The Time Machine and The Dark City didn’t have the voice of this pitch although they too were narrated by the same narrator. There is also a swordsman whom the people of the land have named as Traveller because no one knows about his purpose of being in that place. He has some adjectives which he wants to fulfil and he is talking to no one about them.
The soldiers around him think that there is a lot which the Traveller is hiding and it could be of a lot more significance than their expectations. One way or the other, the empire is still in danger and some serious attempts are needed.
