The God is Not Willing: The First Tale of Witness

'Awe-inspiring. Prepare to fall in love with epic fantasy all over again.' ANNA SMITH SPARK, author of The Court of Broken KnivesThe thrilling opening chapter in an epic new fantasy from the author of The Malazan Book of the Fallen...Many years have passed since three Teblor warriors brought carnage and chaos to Silver Lake.Now the tribes of the north no longer venture into the southlands. The town has recovered and yet the legacy remains. Indeed, one of the three, Karsa Orlong, is now revered as a god, albeit an indifferent one. In truth, many new religions have emerged and been embraced across the Malazan world. There are those who worship Coltaine, the Black-Winged Lord, and the cult of Iskar Jarak, Guardian of the Dead, is popular among the Empire's soldiery.Responding to reports of a growing unease among the tribes beyond the border, a legion of Malazan marines marches towards Silver Lake. They aren't quite sure what they're going to be facing, but, while the Malazan military has evolved and these are not the marines of old, one thing hasn't changed: they'll handle whatever comes at them. Or die trying.And in those high mountains, a new warleader has risen amongst the Teblor. Scarred by the deeds of Karsa Orlong, he intends to confront his god even if he has to cut a bloody swathe through the Malazan Empire to do so.But further north, a new threat has emerged and now it seems it is the Teblor who are running out of time. Another long-feared migration is about to begin and this time it won't just be three warriors. No, this time tens of thousands are poised to pour into the lands to the south. And in their way, a single company of Malazan marines . . .It seems the past is about to revisit Silver Lake, and that is never a good thing . . .

Publishers Weekly Starred Review

“Erikson burnishes his reputation as a superior epic fantasy world-builder... Erikson’s outstanding descriptive skills ... enhance a complicated narrative that sweats the details. This is a treat both for Erikson’s returning readers and lovers of George R.R. Martin–style epic fantasy who have yet to discover his work.”

Salon.com

“A master of lost and forgotten epochs, a weaver of ancient epics.”

Glen Cook, bestselling author of The Black Company

“This masterwork of the imagination may be the high watermark of epic fantasy.”

Anna Smith Spark, author of The Court of Broken Knives

“Awe-inspiring. Prepare to fall in love with epic fantasy all over again.”

Stephen R. Donaldson, author of The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant

“The kind of epic narrative that will have you scrambling for more.”

Elizabeth Haydon, bestselling author of The Symphony of Ages

“Gripping, fast-moving, delightfully dark, with a masterful and unapologetic brutality reminiscent of George R. R. Martin… Utterly engrossing.”

Library Journal

“A multilayered tale of magic and war, loyalty and betrayal. Complexly drawn characters occupy a richly detailed world in this panoramic saga.”

SF Site

“Erikson has no peer when it comes to action and imagination, and joins the ranks of Tolkien and Donaldson in his mythic vision and perhaps then goes one better.”

About the Author

STEVEN ERIKSON is an archaeologist and anthropologist and a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop. His Malazan Book of the Fallen series has met widespread international acclaim and established him as a major voice in the world of fantasy fiction. The first book in the series, Gardens of the Moon, was shortlisted for a World Fantasy Award. The second novel, Deadhouse Gates, was voted one of the ten best fantasy novels of the year by SF Site. He lives in Canada.

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