In Northern Genabackis just before the events recounted in GARDENS OF THE MOON a raiding party of savage tribal warriors descends from the mountains into the southern flat lands Their intention is to wreak havoc among the despised lowlanders but for the one named Karsa Orlong it marks the beginning of what will prove an extraordinary destiny Some years later it is the aftermath of the Chain of Dogs Coltaine revered commander of the Malazan 7th Army is dead & now Tavore elder sister of Ganoes Paran & Adjunct to the Empress has arrived in the last remaining Malazan stronghold of the Seven Cities to take charge Untested & new to command she must hone a small army of twelve thousand soldiers mostly raw recruits into a viable fighting force & lead them into battle against the massed hordes of Sha'ik's Whirlwind Her only hope lies in resurrecting the shattered faith of the few remaining survivors from Coltaine's legendary march veterans one & all In distant Raraku in the heart of the Holy Desert the seer Sha'ik waits with her rebel army But waiting is never easy Her disparate collection of warlords
- tribal chiefs High Mages a renegade Malazan Fist & his sorceror
- is locked in a vicious power struggle that threatens to tear the rebellion apart from within & Sha'ik herself suffers haunted by the private knowledge of her nemesis Tavoreher own sister So begins the awesome new chapter in Steven Erikson's MALAZAN BOOK OF THE FALLEN
- an epic novel of war intrigue magic & betrayal from a writer regarded as one of the most original imaginative & exciting storytellers in fantasy today