The first novel in Steven Erikson’s groundbreaking Malazan Book of the Fallen—the New York Times bestselling epic of warring empires, ancient gods, and ordinary soldiers caught in battles that will reshape the world.

The Malazan Empire simmers with discontent, bled dry by interminable warfare, bitter infighting and bloody confrontations with the formidable Anomander Rake and his Tiste Andii, ancient and implacable sorcerers. Even the imperial legions, long inured to the bloodshed, yearn for some respite. Yet Empress Laseen's rule remains absolute, enforced by her dread Claw assassins.

For Sergeant Whiskeyjack and his squad of Bridgeburners, and for Tattersail, surviving cadre mage of the Second Legion, the aftermath of the siege of Pale should have been a time to mourn the many dead. But Darujhistan, last of the Free Cities of Genabackis, yet holds out. It is to this ancient citadel that Laseen turns her predatory gaze.

However, it would appear that the Empire is not alone in this great game. Sinister, shadowbound forces are gathering as the gods themselves prepare to play their hand...


Tor Books by Steven Erikson

The Malazan Book of the Fallen
Gardens of the Moon
Deadhouse Gates
Memories of Ice
House of Chains
Midnight Tides
The Bonehunters
Reaper’s Gale
Toll the Hounds
Dust of Dreams
The Crippled God

The Kharkanas Trilogy
Forge of Darkness
Fall of Light

Malazan Novellas
Bauchelain and Korbal Broach (Comprising Blood Follows, The Healthy Dead, and The Lees of Laughter’s End)
Crack’d Pot Trail
The Wurms of Blearmouth
The Fiends of Nightmaria

The Tales of Witness
The God is Not Willing
No Life Forsaken
Legacies of Betrayal

Willful Child
Willful Child
Willful Child: Wrath of Betty
Willful Child: The Search for Spark

The Devil Delivered and Other Tales
This River Awakens