The Crippled God has been billed as the second half of Dust of Dreams, the previous novel, with Dreams described as all set-up and Crippled as all-resolution. In that time Erikson has reached the heights of writing two of the very finest fantasy novels of the last decade ( Deadhouse Gates and Memories of Ice), but there has been some growing scepticism over later novels in the series, which have tended to open up more confusing storylines then closing down or clarifying old ones. The Crippled God is the final novel in The Malazan Book of the Fallen, Steven Erikson's monumental epic fantasy series that began twelve years, three and a half million words and 11,300 pages (roughly, in paperback) ago with Gardens of the Moon. Unthinkable alliances will be forged, ancient secrets will be unveiled and many will die before the end is reached and the Bonehunters fight the final battle of their desperate campaign. In a remote corner of a forgotten continent, the fate of the Crippled God and the entire world will be decided. And amongst the Bonehunter's most stalwart allies, treachery and doubt is growing.

The Elder Gods are playing their own game, one that will either result in the destruction of everything or merely the annihilation of the warrens of sorcery.

The heart of the Crippled God has been imprisoned by the formidable Forkrul Assail, the most lethal of the Elder Races, who are tapping its energies so they may pass judgement and destroy humanity once and for all. But for Adjunct Tavore and her battered troops, who have already crossed a world and toppled an empire, this will be their greatest challenge. The former 14th Army of the Malazan Empire, the Bonehunters, now marches to resolve the problem once and for all. Since then, the world has known misery and fear as, every few millennia, the Crippled God has tried to escape his prison. His spirit was chained to prevent him from destroying the world in his insane rage. A hundred and fifty thousand years ago an innocent god was pulled out of his home realm and scattered across the world.

The crippled god book