Bauchelain and Korbal Broach by Steven Erikson, a review
3 stars out of 5. PS Publishing’s edition contains all three so far published Bauchelain & Korbal Broach novellas. Every one of them is worth reading, but lack the touch that makes Malazan Book of the Fallen so interesting. All three have the feeling that Erikson wants to try something different. The underlying humor seems to flower more often in these stories.
First one of the stories, Blood Follows, tells how Emancipor Reese came to work for the sorceror and necromancer in Lamentable Moll. It is fairly simple story, yet manages to introduce to us quite a few really quirky characters, while giving some insight to Reese, Bauchelain and Broach. Yet it lacks the deeper complexities of Erikson’s magnum opus.
The second novella, Lees of Laughter’s End is pure splatter slapstick sequel to Blood Follows. The three wanderers are in the ship Suncurl and invariably chaos ensues as the crew of the ship isn’t quite what it seems and there is some weird cargo besides Broach’s experiment. I liked the story a lot more than Blood Follows, it is very cute and funny.
Third novella is Healthy Dead, which is another lighter story. Bauchelain & Broach arrive at the doorstep of a city state, which is ruled by a real do-gooder emperor. He praises healthiness over anything else, making laws to make healthy living mandatory. Another cute story.
Tags Malazan Book of the Fallen, review, Steven EriksonRelated Posts:
- None
Subscribe (RSS)