Godina izdanja: Ostalo
ISBN: Ostalo
Jezik: Engleski
Autor: Strani

Steven Erikson - Dust of Dreams
A Tale of the Malazn Book of the Fallen

Bantam Books, 2010.
Meki povez, 1277 strana.
RETKO!
Stiven Erikson - Prasina snova


Pripovest iz Malaške knjige Palih

U ratu svi gube. Ova surova istina vidi se u očima svakog vojnika, u svakom svetu...

U Leterasu prognana malaška vojska predvođena zapovednicom Tavore započinje marš ka istoku, kroz Pustare, ne bi li se borila za nepoznati cilj protiv neprijatelja kojeg nikada nije videla.

Dok na drugom kraju sveta čitav jedan narod pokušava da pronađe svoj dom, u ovim istim Pustarama okupljaju se i mnogi drugi kako bi se suočili sa sopstvenim sudbinama. Ratnički Bargasti, osujećeni u svojoj osveti protiv Tiste Edura, traže nove neprijatelje s druge strane granice, dok se Onos T’alat, nekada besmrtni T’lan Imas, a sada smrtni ratni poglavica svih Belih lica, suočava s pobunom. Na jugu Sivi šlemovi Nestana pregovaraju o prolazu kroz podmuklo kraljevstvo Bolkando, u nameri da se sastanu sa Kostolovcima, ali hoće li njihova odanost Malažanima biti dovedena u pitanje? A poslednja enklava jedne drevne rase traži spasenje – ne među svojom vrstom, već među ljudima – dok se stari neprijatelj sve više približava poslednjem preživelom uporištu K’čejn Š’mala.

Tako se ova poslednja velika vojska Malaškog carstva sprema da pruži konačni, prkosni, herojski otpor u ime iskupljenja. Ali mogu li dela biti herojska ako ostanu bez svedoka? I može li ono neposvedočeno zauvek promeniti svet? Sudbine su retko jednostavne, istine nikada nisu jasne, ali jedno je sasvim sigurno – vreme nije ni na čijoj strani. Jer kad je Špil zmajeva pročitan, oslobođena je i jeziva moć koju niko ne može ni da pojmi…

Pod ravnodušnim nebom jedne daleke zemlje započinje poslednje poglavlje Malaške knjige Palih...

Steve Rune Lundin (born October 7, 1959), known by his pseudonym Steven Erikson, is a Canadian novelist who was educated and trained as both an archaeologist and anthropologist.

He is best known for his ten-volume spanning epic fantasy series Malazan Book of the Fallen, which began with the publication of Gardens of the Moon (1999) and was completed with the publication of The Crippled God (2011). By 2012 over 1 million copies of the series had been sold worldwide,[3] and over 3 million copies by 2018. SF Site has called the series `the most significant work of epic fantasy since Donaldson`s Chronicles of Thomas Covenant,`[4] and Fantasy Book Review described it as `the best fantasy series of recent times.`[5] Fellow author Glen Cook has called the series a masterwork, while Stephen R. Donaldson has praised him for his approach to the fantasy genre.

Set in the Malazan world, Erikson has commenced a prequel trilogy, The Kharkanas Trilogy, seven novellas, and a short story. He is currently working on a four-part sequel series, The Tales of Witness, the first book of which, titled The God is Not Willing, was published in 2021.

His foray into science fiction has produced a comedic trilogy, the Willful Child Trilogy, a spoof on Star Trek and other tropes common in the genre, and a First Contact novel titled Rejoice, a Knife To the Heart, published in 2018.
Life and career

Steven Rune Lundin was born in Toronto, Ontario, and grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba.[1][2] He subsequently lived in the UK with his wife and son, but has since returned to Canada.[2] He is an anthropologist and archaeologist by training and is a graduate of the Iowa Writers` Workshop.[6] For his thesis at the Iowa Writers` Workshop, Erikson wrote a `story cycle` of short stories titled A Ruin of Feathers about an archaeologist in Central America. Subsequently, he received a grant to finish the work which was published by TSAR, a small Canadian publishing house. For his next work he co-won the Anvil Press International 3-Day Novel Contest for which he signed away the rights, a mistake he attributes to inexperience. Erikson`s third book was also published by TSAR, and consisted of a novella and short stories titled Revolvo and other Canadian Tales. Later, upon moving to England, he sold what he refers to as his `first real novel` to Hodder and Stoughton — This River Awakens — written when he still lived in Winnipeg. Before assuming the pseudonym Erikson (as an homage to his mother`s maiden name),[1] he published his first four books, out of print as of 2007, under his real name.[7][8] In addition to writing, he paints using oil paints.[8]
Themes

Erikson has stated that apart from examining the `human condition`, all his literary work share `compassion` as a theme, or main driving force.[9] Furthermore, when envisioning the Malazan world, both he and his collaborator Ian Cameron Esslemont agreed to create societies and cultures that never knew sexism and gender based hierarchies of power.[10]

Other themes include social inequality, egalitarianism, death, life, history, and historical accuracy.[11][12][13][14][15]
Style

Erikson has stated explicitly that he enjoys playing with and overturning the conventions of fantasy, presenting characters that violate the stereotypes associated with their roles. They embody the multidimensional characteristics found in human beings, making them more realistic and giving the story more depth, which is why his books are anything but predictable. He deliberately began Gardens of the Moon mid-plot rather than beginning with a more conventional narrative.[16][17] The writer`s style of writing includes complex plots with masses of characters. In addition, he has been praised for his willingness to kill central characters when it enhances the plot.[2]
Conflict and `The Other`

In a 2025 Q&A,[18] Erikson reflected on his recurring interest in portraying the experiences of “the other”—those alienated, oppressed, or rendered invisible by dominant systems. He emphasized that identity is often shaped in opposition to power, and that inclusion inevitably creates exclusion. “We’re each ‘the other’ at some time or another,” he noted, highlighting how his work seeks to give voice to marginalized perspectives. In one storyline from *Reaper’s Gale*, a battle scene in which combatants become indistinguishable in mud was crafted to “make absurd the notion of the ‘other’.” These themes underpin narratives of cultural annihilation, genocide, and the moral erosion caused by prolonged conflict.

Erikson discussed how real-world concerns—such as torture, rendition, and the convergence of conflicting ideologies—shaped his work on *Reaper’s Gale*. He explained that scenes featuring violence and torture were deliberately written from the victim’s perspective to provoke empathy and challenge what he described as a trend of “torture‑porn” in popular culture. He added that discomfort experienced by readers was intentional, stating: “If it was an uncomfortable experience… thank God.”[18]
Empathy and Emotional Transposition

In the same interview,[18] Erikson reflected on how writers engage with emotional truth even when writing about unfamiliar experiences. He argued that grief, anguish, and vulnerability are universal emotional states—`Grief just is,` he wrote, and the authenticity of those emotions does not depend on their source. As a writer, he explained, one must mine past experiences, like the death of a beloved pet, and transpose those emotions into new fictional contexts.

Erikson emphasized the imaginative vulnerability this requires: “This act of becoming someone else... is an act of immense vulnerability. Emotions rarely trickle into a consciousness—they flood in... and one can drown in them.” For Erikson, the process of fiction writing involves stepping outside the self, fully occupying the experience of others, and channeling empathy in service of storytelling.
Reception

Word of mouth is very powerful in fantasy, and the net carries its own energy. It made a huge difference – people were picking [Gardens of the Moon] up from Amsterdam to the US.

Steven Erikson, [19]

The first novel of the Malazan Book of the Fallen series, Gardens of the Moon (1999), was well received. It was short-listed for a World Fantasy Award.[20] It has also earned Erikson the reputation as one of the best authors in the fantasy genre,[20] and was described as `An astounding début`.[21] The novel was acclaimed for its `combination of originality and intelligent, strong and exciting storytelling`.[20] The second book in the series, Deadhouse Gates (2000), was voted one of the ten best fantasy novels of 2000 by SF Site.[22]

Fellow author Glen Cook has called the series a masterwork of the imagination that may be the high water mark of the epic fantasy genre. In his treatise written for The New York Review of Science Fiction, fellow author Stephen R. Donaldson has also praised Erikson for his approach to the fantasy genre, the subversion of classical tropes, the complex characterizations, the social commentary — pointing explicitly to parallels between the fictional Letheras Economy and the US Economy — and has referred to him as `an extraordinary writer`, comparing him to the likes of Joseph Conrad, Henry James, William Faulkner, and Fyodor Dostoevsky.[21][23][24][25]
Influences

Erikson attributes pen and paper Role-Playing games, specifically AD&D and GURPS, as being the biggest influence in his writing career, and even calls it the fundament of the Malazan Empire, from his Malazan Book of the Fallen series, is based on. Stephen R. Donaldson`s The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant and Glen Cook`s The Black Company, both ushering post-Tolkien style of writing, are some of the works that have influenced his storytelling. He also credits the works of Robert E. Howard, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Homer, Arthur C. Clarke, Roger Zelazny, John Gardner, Gustav Hasford, Mark Helprin and Robin Hobb as influences on the Malazan works.[26][2]
Malazan Book of the Fallen
Main article: Malazan Book of the Fallen

Erikson and Ian C. Esslemont initially devised the Malazan world as a backdrop for a table-top role-playing game.[1][2] Unhappy with the lack of quality adult oriented fantasy movies at the time, the duo decided to write their own movie script using their gaming experience and the world they had created. The script, titled Gardens of the Moon, was deemed too risky and failed to sell. With interest in the script seeming nonexistent, Erikson, with Esslemont`s go ahead, reworked it into a fantasy novel, which he completed around 1991–92.[3][4]

After meeting almost a decade of rejection, the novel was finally sold to Transworld, a division of Random House. The publisher was pleased with the work and requested additional books in the series.[5] Using the history of the Malazan world, nine additional novels were plotted. After the publication of Gardens of the Moon, reviews spread via the internet, and Orion publications attempted to lure the writer away from Transworld. However, Transworld retained an option on additional novels in the series and offered £675,000 for the remaining nine books of the series.[5]

While there are many plotlines woven through the whole series, the main storyline focuses on a period in time where the Malazan Empire is facing resistance to their conquest of the world. The series was completed with the publication of The Crippled God, the tenth novel in the series, in 2011.[6][7]

Erikson`s background as an archeologist and anthropologist also shaped how he crafted the story. His approach was to use as many perspectives and point of views as possible in terms of interpreting history. He also drew inspiration from Homer`s Illiad, where gods constantly meddled into mortal affairs, adding the twist that it doesn`t always work out as planned for the god.[8]

As of 2018, 3 million copies have been sold.[9]
The Kharkanas Trilogy
Main article: The Kharkanas Trilogy

After the publication of the seventh novel in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series, Reaper`s Gale, the publisher agreed to two trilogies and novellas set in the Malazan world. This consequently led to a prequel trilogy, titled the Kharkanas Trilogy, set almost three hundred thousand years before the events of the main series, elements of which he began introducing in Toll the Hounds and in The Crippled God.

The series deals with numerous founding or elder races from the Malazan World, with the narrative anchored around the circumstances that would ultimately lead to the split of the Tiste race. It sheds light and demystifies the events that are often hinted at in the background of Malazan Book of the Fallen. Primarily focusing on characters such as Anomander Rake, Draconus, Gothos, K’rul and Hood, mainly through the eyes of secondary characters.

As of 2022, two novels have been published, Forge of Darkness (2012) and Fall of Light (2016), with the third taking a backseat to the first novel in the Witness trilogy. In a post on his official Facebook account, the author explained that the dismal sale figures for the previous novels and the creative toll employing the writing style used throughout the previous books was what had led to his decision to take a break from it in order to do it justice.[10]
The Witness Trilogy

The second planned trilogy centers around the popular character, Karsa Orlong. This trilogy will be a sequel to the main series, set, according to the author, a decade after the main narrative.[11]

The first novel is titled The God Is Not Willing, which was released in November 2021.[12]
The Tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach

Erikson wrote side stories centering on two necromancers and their manservant, characters he introduced in Memories of Ice, the third novel in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series. These side stories take place in the Malazan world, but have no connection to the series` overall plot.

As of 2022, seven novellas have been published, the first in 2002, titled Blood Follows, and the latest in 2021, titled Upon a Dark of Evil Overlords. In 2009, the first three novellas were collected and published together as The Tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach. And in 2018, books four to six were collected and published together as The Second Collected Tales of Bauchelain & Korbal Broach.

Per his agreement with his publisher, the author is expected to write two more novellas featuring these characters.[6]
Willful Child Trilogy

Erikson is a huge fan of the Star Trek series, especially the first iteration which he credits as being his gateway to science fiction in general. But he finds himself feeling disenfranchised by some of the later iterations, especially from The Next Generation onward. In an interview he goes into detail regarding this issue, concluding that among other things creative compromises were to blame for the dip in quality. But while criticizing the series` current state, he affirms that he nonetheless still is a fan.[13] Willful Child, published in September, 2014, is the writer`s `response` to the overused tropes and caricature of Captain Kirkesque characters in science fiction, with the main character, Captain Hadrian Sawback, being the most recognizable reflection. While the novel is a spoof of science fiction in general, it is rife with oftentimes poignant social commentary.[14]

The Wrath of Betty, the follow-up, was published in 2016.[15]
Rejoice, A Knife to the Heart
Instead ... I wanted an ET arriving that then set about doing what it does, while utterly and completely ignoring the usual list of suspects (presidents, men-in-black, scientists, the military); and to then not only ignore them, but bring them down. An end to secrecy. An end to hidden power-blocks and all the vicious games they play to stay in power. Wake up, world, to a brand-new day.

Erikson had aspirations of writing a First Contact science fiction novel which played with the typical conventions of alien encounters.[6] In 2017, UK based publisher Gollancz acquired the rights to this book, titled Rejoice, A Knife to the Heart.[17][18][16] The novel was released on October 16, 2018, and was received with critical acclaim, with science fiction author Robert Sawyer praising its concept and its execution.[19][20]
Bibliography
Title Year Type Series
A Ruin of Feathers 1991 Novella Standalone written as Steve Lundin
Stolen Voices 1993
Revolvo & Other Canadian Tales 1998
This River Awakens 1998 Novel
Gardens of the Moon 1999 Novel Malazan Book of the Fallen
Deadhouse Gates 2000 Novel Malazan Book of the Fallen
Memories of Ice 2001 Novel Malazan Book of the Fallen
Blood Follows 2002 Novella The Tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach
House of Chains 2002 Novel Malazan Book of the Fallen
Midnight Tides 2004 Novel Malazan Book of the Fallen
The Healthy Dead 2004 Novella The Tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach
The Devil Delivered 2004 Novella Standalone
Fishin` with Grandma Matchie 2004
When She`s Gone 2004
The Bonehunters 2006 Novel Malazan Book of the Fallen
Reaper`s Gale 2007 Novel Malazan Book of the Fallen
The Lees of Laughter`s End 2007 Novella The Tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach
Revolvo 2008 Novella Standalone
Toll the Hounds 2008 Novel Malazan Book of the Fallen
Crack’d Pot Trail 2009 Novella The Tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach
Dust of Dreams 2009 Novel Malazan Book of the Fallen
Goats of Glory 2010 Short story Set in Malazan universe
The Crippled God 2011 Novel Malazan Book of the Fallen
The Wurms of Blearmouth 2012 Novella The Tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach
The Devil Delivered and Other Tales 2012 Novella Standalone
Forge of Darkness 2012 Novel The Kharkanas Trilogy
Willful Child 2014 Novel Willful Child Trilogy
Willful Child: Wrath of Betty 2016 Novel Willful Child Trilogy
Fall of Light 2016 Novel The Kharkanas Trilogy
The Fiends of Nightmaria 2016 Novella The Tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach
Rejoice, A Knife to the Heart 2018 Novel Standalone
Willful Child: The Search for Spark 2018 Novel Willful Child Trilogy
The God is Not Willing 2021 Novel The Witness Trilogy
Upon a Dark of Evil Overlords 2021 Novella The Tales of Bauchelain & Korbal Broach
The Last Vandals on Earth 2024 Short story Standalone
No Life Forsaken TBA Novel The Witness Trilogy
Walk in Shadow TBA Novel The Kharkanas Trilogy