Deadhouse Gates SPOILER Review (and how to approach reading Malazan)

Malazan is my favorite fantasy series of all time, so I brought on Izzy to talk about Deadhouse Gates, the second book in the series. We also get into how you should set expectations for your reading experience + if Malazan is grimdark, and a WHOLE LOT more. Links for Izzy's tiktok & book club: https://linktr.ee/hfxilinski2 Also, I goofed a bit and there's a tiny spoiler for Kalam's arc at about 13:42 in the non-spoiler section at the beginning. Nothing major, but I accidentally dropped in broad strokes what his goal in DG is. I figured leaving a note here would help but if I ruined anything for anyone there, very sorry. timestamps: 0:00 - intro 1:52 - How to approach Malazan 12:00 - Do you need to read the first 3 books before knowing if you like Malazan 18:19 - SPOILERS for Deadhouse Gates 19:11 - SPOILERS: Felisin 30:42 - How expectations shape your Malazan experience 34:24 - SPOILERS: Kalam 44:18 - Karsa Orlong is the best 46:18 - Back to SPOILERS: Kalam 49:53 - SPOILERS: Mappo & Icarium 52:36 - SPOILERS: Chain of Dogs 1:10:53 - Deadhouse Gates embodies Malazan's recurring themes 1:14:48 - Children are dying... 1:15:17 - Is Malazan grimdark? 1:26:24 - Outro