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No Life Forsaken

No Life Forsaken

The Second Tale of Witness

Summary

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

About the author

Steven Erikson

Archaeologist and anthropologist, Steven Erikson is the bestselling author of the genre-defining The Malazan Book of the Fallen, a multi-volume epic fantasy that's been hailed ‘a masterwork of the imagination’ and one of the top ten fantasy series of all time. The first novel in the series, Gardens of the Moon, was short-listed for the World Fantasy Award. He has also written several novellas set in the same world. Forge of Darkness is the first Kharkanas novel and takes readers back to the origins of the Malazan world. Fall of Light continues this epic tale. A lifelong science fiction reader, he has also written fiction affectionately parodying a long-running SF television series and Rejoice, a novel of first contact. The God is Not Willing is the opening chapter in a new sequence – The Tales of Witness – and is set in the world of the Malazan Empire, ten years after the events recounted in The Crippled God.
Steven Erikson lives in Victoria, Canada. To find out more, visit www.steven-erikson.org – and he's also on Facebook: Steven Erikson–Author.
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