Reaper's Gale

infobox Book |
name = Reaper's Gale
title_orig =
translator =


author = Steven Erikson
cover_artist =
country = United Kingdom
language = English
series = Malazan Book of the Fallen
genre = Fantasy, Novel
publisher = Bantam (UK & Canada) & Tor Books (USA)
release_date = 7 May 2007
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback)
pages = tbc
isbn = ISBN 0-593-04631-5 (UK hardcover edition)
preceded_by = The Bonehunters
followed_by = Toll the Hounds

"Reaper's Gale" is the seventh volume of Canadian author Steven Erikson's epic fantasy series, the "Malazan Book of the Fallen". "Reaper's Gale" is a direct sequel to both the fifth and sixth volumes, "Midnight Tides" and "The Bonehunters".

The novel was first published in hardcover and trade paperback in the United Kingdom on 7 May 2007, and in Canada on 5 June 2007. It was published in the United States on March 4 2008.

Plot summary

"Synopsis"

All is not well in the Letherii Empire. Rhulad Sengar, the Emperor of a Thousand Deaths, spirals into madness, surrounded by sycophants and agents of his Machiavellian chancellor, while the Letherii secret police conduct a campaign of terror against its own people. The Errant, once a farseeing god, is suddenly blind to the future. Conspiracies seethe throughout the palace, as the empire - driven by the corrupt and self-interested - edges ever-closer to all-out war with the neighboring kingdoms. And the great Edur fleet - its warriors selected from countless people - draws ever closer. Amongst them are Karsa Orlong and Icarium Lifestealer - each destined to cross blades with the emperor himself. That yet more blood is to be spilled is inevitable... Tehol Beddict's manipulation of the Letherii economy continues whilst a grand conspiracy between nations beyond the new Empire's borders gathers pace. Meanwhile, from the sea comes word of a huge flotilla of ships from a remote empire on the far side of the world, who have come in search of the homeland of the Edur fleets scattered across the globe. The Malazan 14th Army has come to pay its respects to the Emperor of a Thousand Deaths...

Against this backdrop, a band of fugitives seek a way out of the empire, but one of them, Fear Sengar, must find the soul of Scabandari Bloodeye. It is his hope that it might help halt the Tiste Edur, and so save his brother, the emperor. Yet, traveling with them is Scabandari's most ancient foe: Silchas Ruin, brother of Anomander Rake. And his motives are anything but certain - for the wounds he carries on his back, made by the blades of Scabandari, are still fresh. Fate decrees that there is to be a reckoning, for such bloodshed cannot go unanswered - and it will be a reckoning on an unimaginable scale... This is a brutal, harrowing novel of war, intrigue and dark, uncontrollable magic; this is epic fantasy at its most imaginative, storytelling at its most thrilling.

"From the Inside Flap"

The Letherii Empire – driven by the corrupt and self-interested – is crumbling. Surrounded by sycophants and agents of his venal chancellor, the Emperor Rhulad Sengar descends into madness. Conspiracies abound. The imperial secret police conduct a campaign of terror against its own people. The Errant, once a farseeing god, is suddenly blind to the future. Scenting chaos, dread forces are closing in from all sides.

And the great Edur fleet – its warriors selected from countless peoples – draws ever closer to home. Among its number are Karsa Orlong and Icarium Lifestealer – each destined to cross blades with the emperor himself. But in crossing half the world, the Tiste Edur have left behind a tide of blood. Such brutality cannot go unanswered. For some there must be a reckoning, for some this is far from over...

A brutal, harrowing tale of war, betrayal and dark, uncontrollable magic, this is epic fantasy at its most imaginative, storytelling at its most thrilling.