IAN C ESSLEMONT © Geraldine Brightwell
Ian Esslemont and Steven Erikson co-created the Malazan world in 1982 as a backdrop for role-playing games. The two writers agreed to both write books set in the same world. Life and work commitments delayed Esslemont’s own entries to the series until 2004, when his first novel, Night of Knives, was published as a limited edition by PS Publishing and a mass-market release by Bantam UK followed in 2007.
Assail is Ian’s sixth novel casting light on the mysteries that span the Malazan Empire and offering glimpses into the epic history that shaped it. It brings this empire’s story to a thrilling close.
Assail
Tens of thousands of years of ice is melting, and the land of Assail, long a byword for menace and inaccessibility, is at last yielding its secrets. Tales of gold discovered in the region’s north circulate in every waterfront dive and sailor’s tavern and now countless adventurers and fortune-seekers have set sail in search of riches. All these adventurers have to guide them are legends and garbled tales of the dangers that lie in wait — hostile coasts, fields of ice, impassable barriers and strange, terrifying creatures. But all accounts concur that the people of the north meet all trespassers with the sword. And beyond are rumoured to lurk Elder monsters out of history’s very beginnings.
Into this turmoil ventures the mercenary company, the Crimson Guard. Not drawn by contract, but by the promise of answers: answers to mysteries that Shimmer, second in command, wonders should even be sought. Arriving also, part of an uneasy alliance of Malazan fortune-hunters and Letherii soldiery, comes the bard Fisher kel Tath. And with him is a Tiste Andii who was found washed ashore and who cannot remember his past life, yet who commands far more power than he really should. Also venturing north is said to be a mighty champion, a man who once fought for the Malazans, the bearer of a sword that slays gods: Whiteblade.
Lastly, far to the south, a woman guards the shore awaiting both her allies and her enemies. Silverfox, newly incarnated Summoner of the undying army of the T’lan Imass, will do anything to stop the renewal of an ages-old crusade that could lay waste to the entire continent and beyond.
… and to give you a few insights into this year’s nominated authors, we’ve asked them all a few questions…
Tell us one of your early favourite fantasy novels?
Early on I read the usual suspects in fantasy of course, including Lord of the Rings and Conan, but one novel that still stands out for me as influential is Tim Powers’ The Drawing of the Dark. I remember being struck by the ambition of uniting fantasy elements with historical fiction. It gave me a glimpse into the greater possibilities of what can be done in the genre.
What fantasy novel was a real game changer, shifting the way you thought about epic fiction?
Here, for me, the real ‘game-changer’ was Cook’s The Black Company. I was blown away seeing fantasy brought down to gritty street-level (so to speak). It was fantasy, but it was also credible war fiction as well – it thrilled me to see the genre done this way.
What do you like to see on fantasy novel cover art? What puts you off?
What I like to see is an image that suggests a story or narrative. Something complex that gives a glimpse into the world within. A simple image such as a sword or a fist really doesn’t do it for me.
What puts me off is what puts off most, I suppose. Improbable and impractical armour. Clothing that is inappropriate to its climate; no bare arms or legs in the arctic, please!
What classic fantasy themes always get your interest on the cover or in the write up of a new book? Any pet hates?
Because cover art can be so very misleading I try my best not to judge the literal book by the cover. However, the ‘write up’ ought to give a hint as to the story and characters inside, rather than mere puffery.
What’s the next big thing you’d like to see in epic fantasy fiction?
I’d like to see more strong and complex female characters in order to draw more female readers to the genre.
Ian Cameron Esslemont was born in Winnipeg, Canada and currently lives in Alaska with his wife and three sons. He is a trained archaeologist, has travelled extensively in Southeast Asia and lived in Thailand and Japan.
He is currently completing a PhD in English Literature while working on further novels ‘of the Malazan Empire’, of which there are expected to be six in total. Night of Knives (2005) was his debut novel, followed by Return of the Crimson Guard (2008).