History Literature / MalazanBookOfTheFallen

* CelibateHero: Shield Anvil [[spoiler:Itkovian]] is this, owing to his religious vows. Hetan tries to seduce him several times, but he resists each time. Even after [[spoiler:Fener apparently disappears]], he remains an example of this trope.

* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: Pretty much the most important aspect of setting -- to keep it short, if you do something extraordinary, you can become an Ascendant, which grants some nice magic powers and immortal life... if no one will kill you, as Ascendants often fight beetwen themselves. Ascendants who have worshipers can then become gods, but some characters in books don't want that to happen, and are actively discouraging others from worshiping them - for example, [[spoiler: Anomander Rake]]. Sometimes, one can Ascend involuntarily, as when Ganoes Paran becomes Master of the Deck of Dragons or the Crippled God makes Karsa Orlong Knight of Chains. One can also ascend temporarily, as when Thordy becomes Mason of Death for a day or two in ''Toll the Hounds''.

** When the story begins, the Bridgeburners are the most famous army of the Malazan Empire, but because of their infamous difficulties with authority and Laseen being afraid of them, they get sent off for increasingly dangerous missions, just to get them killed. In ''MemoriesOfIce'' only a few Bridgeburners are left alive, and even less at the end of the series.

* ConservationOfNinjutsu: Any time Kalam Mekhar goes up against other assassins, they seem to fall victim to this trope. Despite the Claw being played up as elite assassins and mages, [[CrowningMomentofAwesome Kalam manages to tear through several dozens of the best of them]] in both ''Literature/DeadhouseGates'' and again in ''Literature/TheBonehunters''. However, he ends both occasions badly wounded. This is [[JustifiedTrope justified]] by him being a former Clawmaster and a match for the Patron God of Assassins, pre-ascension, in skill.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Barely avoided with Adjunct Tavore in the finale of ''The Crippled God'', when she [[spoiler: almost accidentally kills her brother Ganoes, believing he is a soldier of the Forkrul Assail]]. Made even more jarring to the reader by the fact that in ''House of Chains'', she [[spoiler: killed their younger sister Felisin the same way, not realizing who she was]].
* MysticalPlague: Unleashed upon the Seven Cities subcontinent in ''The Bonehunters'' by [[spoiler: Poliel, goddess of disease, in an effort to wipe out humanity for the greater good]].

* OurZombiesAreDifferent: Shurq Elalle is one example--she is cursed, and even after death by drowning her soul is still connected with body. The setting does have normal zombies, however--necromancers use them as beasts of labour or as scarecrows for civilians, and other mages and magical beings can raise them if sufficiently motivated. The T'lan Imass could also be considered zombies, a race of undead and undying neanderthal-like warriors that have existed for around 320,000 years.
* OvershadowedByAwesome: Crokus is an absolutely lethal assassin and knife fighter, whose skills surpass people who were badass in the first book. He just keeps ending up in fights with immortals, demigods and monsters. He finally gets to take on opponents in his weight class in ''Toll The Hounds'', and shines.

* SmallSecludedWorld: The Refugium is a small chunk of primeval tundra that's been squirreled away from any outside influence hundreds of thousands of years ago. It is populated by the last remnants of living, flesh-and-bone Imass (FantasyCounterpartCulture of [[AllCavemenWereNeanderthals Neanderthals]]) and can be reached from the the outside, but only by knowing where it is or by first traversing the icy Jaghut Realm of Death. Rud Elalle, who grew up among the Imass of the Refugium, is at first eager to see more of the outside world, but changes his mind quickly when he finds out its existence is at risk and becomes just as eager to die in the Refugium's defense.

%%** ''Literature/TheCrippledGod'': [[spoiler:Gruntle, Mappo, Torrent, Kilimandros and Sechul Lath, Gesler and Stormy, not to mention 90% of The Bonehunters.]]

* BigBad: Subverted. The Crippled God is made out to be the series' BigBad for most of its duration, although he is not introduced as such until ''Literature/MemoriesOfIce''. In the final novel his plans are hijacked by the the BigBadDuumvirate of [[spoiler:Forkrul Assail, Tiste Liosan and K'Chain Nah'ruk]], and it turns out that [[spoiler:the endgoal of the series is to see the Crippled God set free and returned to his homerealm]].

* DanceBattler: There exists a cult that worships the Gods of Shadow. As part of their worship, the adherents learn something known as "The Shadow Dance". Lostara Yil, a former member of the Cult of Shadow, thinks that the Shadow Dance is merely just some ritual until she discovers that it's very effective at killing dozens of people without much problem.

* FateWorseThanDeath: Getting killed by Dragnipur equals [[spoiler: spending eternity chained to the gates of the Warren of Darkness.]] In ''Garden of the Moon'', some men who have betrayed Anomander Rake are given the choice between committing suicide and being slain by Dragnipur. They all chose suicide.

* HiddenDepths: Bugg. Not only a ServileSnarker, but also [[spoiler:The Elder God Mael in disguise, hanging out with Tehol because "he hadn't so much fun for centuries".]]

And of course ancient civilizations ''were'' more technologically advanced: The [[LizardFolk K'Chain Che'Malle]] had anti-gravity devices, lasers and nanobots while the [[OurOrcsAreDifferent Jaghut]] heavily dabbled with genetic manipulation.

On Genabackis, the decade-long Malazan campaign of conquest is slowly coming to a bloody end, but Laseen's paranoia of plots against her leads her to orchestrate the decimation of the Bridgeburners, the most famous military unit in the Empire, sending the armies to the brink of revolt. On the other end of the Empire, the Seven Cities subcontinent is gathering for a religiously mandated uprising known as the Whirlwind, and as the war unfods, it becomes clear that the inexperienced noblewoman Laseen has inexplicably chosen to put down the rebellion is much more than she seemed at first sight, with unknown motivations and an unknown agenda she will [[TheDeterminator stop at nothing]] to realize. Meanwhile, far away, on the continent of Lether, the six tribes of the [[ProudWarriorRace Tiste Edur]] have united after millenia of internal warfare to protect themselves against the Kingdom of Lether, driven to inappeasable expansion by its radical capitalist economic system.

* MotherOfAThousandYoung: The Elder Goddess T'iam is known as the Mother of All Dragons; as her title implies, she was the progenitor of every dragon in existence, and the creator of the Eleint Soletaken via her blood.

%%* TheMole: [[spoiler: Mallick Rel]] in the Malazan high command of Seven Cities.

%%* MushroomSamba: The hallucinogenic honey in ''The Bonehunters''.

%%* TheNeidermeyer
%%* NighInvulnerability: The Forkrul Assail, and some Ascendants.

%%* PowersThatBe: The Azath.

[[quoteright:272:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/adjuncttavore1.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:272: Adjunct Tavore Paran, from the collector's edition of ''House of Chains''.]]
%%A quote by Kruppe seems appropriate here

* LightDarknessJuxtaposition: The series has a whole mythology built on light and dark. The light is represented by the Tiste Liosan, who have light-themed powers and worship Father Light, while the dark is represented by the Tiste Edur, who have dark-themed powers and worship Father Shadow.

* ''Kellanved's Reach'' (TBA)

** It seems this makes up most of the Malazan Empire's armies, especially but not limited to the Bridgeburners and the Bonehunters. It's stated that the Empire actually encourages that sort of thing, believing that allowing individual squads (and soldiers) to find their own idiosyncratic ways of fighting is more efficient than enforcing conformity in the ranks. Seeing as this is more or less accurate in the HeroicFantasy world the story takes place in, this might make the Empire an entire ''nation'' that is GenreSavvy.

The Malazan Empire is yet in its infancy, and it has already seen its first betrayal. Surly, Master of [[SecretPolice the Claw]], has assassinated Emperor Kellanved and his closest companion, Dancer, and taken the throne under the name Laseen, continuing the Empire's policy of ruthless expansionism, though she is continually mistrusted. Almost immediately, the new gods of the Shadow Realm, Shadowthrone and Cotillion, launch a plot against her, but stumble into [[GambitPileup a web of far grander plans]] among their fellow [[PhysicalGod Ascendants]]. So begin the Tales of the Malazan Book of the Fallen, a grand tragedy told from the perspectives of dozens of characters [[note]]hundreds, counting minor points of view[[/note]] across [[RotatingArcs three arcs]], each beginning on a distinct continent:

On Genabackis, the decade-long Malazan campaign of conquest is slowly coming to a bloody end, with only two of the Free Cities defying the Empire still standing. But the Imperial armies are battered and weary, and Laseen's paranoia of plots against her by Kellanved's loyalists leads her to orchestrate the decimation of the Bridgeburners, the most famous military unit in the Empire, during the fall of the Free City of Pale, sending the armies onto the brink of revolt. In this moment of weakness, the mysterious sorceror Anomander Rake, leader of a coalition of foreigners fighting the Malazan Empire for no apparent reason, arrives at the last remaining Free City, Darujhistan, seemingly determined to stop the Empire once and for all. Darujhistan, though, has its own secrets and intrigues, and with the arrival of Laseen's agents, all sides are pulled into a spiral of conspiracies whose end none of them can foresee. Meanwhile, news comes from the far south of an empire known as the Pannion Domin that has begun annexing its neighbours and spreading its violent religion.

On the other end of the Empire, the Seven Cities subcontinent is gathering for a religiously mandated uprising known as the Whirlwind. Imperial command, corrupted and complacent, is blind to the danger, and when the rebellion spreads across the continent, the Malaz 7th Army, led by its former enemy, the barbarian Coltaine, is left alone to protect the exodus of Malazan refugees from the rebel armies. Laseen's choice to lead the army of raw recruits sent to put down the rebellion baffles everybody: Tavore Paran, an inexperienced noblewoman distinguished only by the ruthless ambition she has shown in condemning her own sister to the gulags of the Empire to gain Laseen's trust. As the war unfolds, though, it becomes clear that Tavore is much more than she seemed at first sight, with unknown motivations and an unknown agenda she will [[TheDeterminator stop at nothing]] to realize.

Far away, on the continent of Lether, the six tribes of the [[ProudWarriorRace Tiste Edur]] have united after millenia of internal warfare under the leadership of the Warlock King, Hannan Mosag, to protect themselves against the Kingdom of Lether, driven to inappeasable expansion by its radical capitalist economic system. As the two sides hurdle towards open war, the Letherii are supremely confident of victory. But Hannan Mosag has found a terrible ally, and in Letheras, capital of Lether, a group of conspirators recruit a financial genius to bring down the Letherii economy and avenge the peoples crushed by the kingdom's centuries of imperialist greed.

As events progress, these events stat interweaving, and throughout it all, rumours of peoples thought extinct or myth returning can be heard, as a broken god driven mad by millenia of torture launches his plan to break free from his chains and deliver vengeance.

** It seems that all Hust Swords were like this, but most, if not all of them were lost. [[spoiler:Yedan Derryg]], wielding one of them in ''Literature/TheCrippledGod'', can decapitate ''a dragon'' in two hits, and just the fact of owning the sword changes him into an OneManArmy.

The Malazan Empire is yet in its infancy, and it has already seen its first betrayal. Surly, Master of [[SecretPolice the Claw]], has assassinated Emperor Kellanved and his closest companion, Dancer, and taken the throne under the name Laseen, continuing the Empire's policy of ruthless expansionism, though she is continually mistrusted. Almost immediately, the new gods of the Shadow Realm, Shadowthrone and Cotillion, launch a plot against her, but stumble into [[GambitPileup a web of far grander plans]] among their fellow [[PhysicalGod Ascendants]].

On the continent of Genabackis, the decade-long Malazan campaign of conquest is slowly coming to a bloody end, with only two of the Free Cities defying the Empire still standing. But the Imperial armies are battered and weary, and Laseen's paranoia of Kellanved's loyalists plotting against her leads her to orchestrate the decimation of the Bridgeburners, the most famous military unit in the Empire. The armies are on the brink of revolt, the mysterious allies of the Free Cities seem determined to stop the Empire from completing its conquest, and in the far south, the empire known as the Pannion Domin has begun annexing its neighbours and spreading its violent religion.

On the other end of the Empire, the Seven Cities subcontinent is gathering for a religiously mandated uprising known as the Whirlwind. Imperial command is blind to the danger, and when the rebellion spreads across the continent, the Malaz 7th Army, led by its former enemy, the barbarian Coltaine, is left alone to protect the exodus of Malazan refugees from the rebel armies. Laseen's choice to lead the army of raw recruits sent to put down the rebellion baffles everybody: Tavore Paran, an inexperienced noblewoman distinguished only by the ruthless ambition she has shown by sending her own sister to the gulags of the Empire. As the war unfolds, though, it becomes clear that Tavore is much more than she seemed at first sight, with unknown motivations and an unknown agenda she will [[TheDeterminator stop at nothing]] to realize.

And throughout it all, rumours of peoples thought extinct or myth returning can be heard, and a broken god driven mad by millenia of torture launches his plan to break free from his chains and deliver vengeance.

* CentralTheme: Per WordOfGod, the decline and collapse of civilizations is one of the central themes of the books, which at least [[BarbarianHero one character seeks to achieve]] in order to [[KnightTemplar save the world.]]

* WarIsHell: Erikson, being an anthropologist and archaeologist, does not shy from showing all the various facets of war.

[[quoteright:272:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/AnomanderRake_9597.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:272:Anomander Rake, from the ''Gardens of the Moon'' collectors edition.]]

The Malazan Empire is yet in its infancy, and it has already seen its first betrayal. Surly, Master of [[SecretPolice the Claw]], has assassinated Emperor Kellanved and his closest companion, Dancer. She takes the throne as Laseen, continuing the Empire’s policy of ruthless expansionism, though she is continually mistrusted.

On remote Genabackis, Imperial armies struggle to bring the continent to heel, as they face enemies both ancient and internal. The Bridgeburners are decimated, the Old Guard assassinated, and Laseen wants more. On the other end of the Empire, the Seven Cities subcontinent is gathering for a religiously mandated uprising known as the Whirlwind, and undermanned Imperial garrisons prepare for the inevitable bloodbath to come. Throughout it all, rumours of peoples thought extinct or myth returning with armies and allied with a broken god seeking vengeance can be heard.

* PutOnABus: Silverfox disappears at the end of ''Literature/MemoriesOfIce'', and only reappears in ''Assail''. Due to the sheer volume of characters, this is not an uncommon occurrence.

** Averted with [[spoiler: the slaughter of the Chain of Dogs]] during the finale of ''Deadhouse Gates'', which, though it initially appears to be this, ends up strengthening the Malazan war effort against the Whirlwind.

* ShapeshifterModeLock: The god of the Forkrul Assail, who in the present-day story is seen only [[spoiler: as a D'ivers broken up into ''every lifeform'' in the Glass Desert]].

* ReligionOfEvil:
** The Faith of the Pannion Seer, which is based around [[ImAHumanitarian cannibalism]]. There is also a sect of fanatical women who produce children by raping dying soldiers. This is not played for titillation.
%%** The Religion of the Dying God.

* RotatingArcs: The series rotates between the Genabackis arc, which depicts the current Malazan attempt at expansion, the Seven Cities arc, which depicts a rebellion against the Malazan Empire, and the Lether arc, which depicts what is happening in the BigBad's home turf. The Genabackis Arc is chiefly dealt with in ''Gardens of the Moon'', ''Memories of Ice'', and ''Toll the Hounds'', the Seven Cities arc in ''Deadhouse Gates'', ''House of Chains'', and ''The Bonehunters'', and the Lether arc in ''Midnight Tides'' and ''Reaper's Gale'', while ''Dust of Dreams'' and ''The Crippled God'' tie the MythArc together; it should be noted, however, that the elements of any given arc may show up or be foreshadowed in a book primarily concerned with a different arc, and some characters may jump from one arc to another or back again entirely.

%%* PhysicalGod: All the Ascendants and Elder Gods.

* {{Precursors}}: The four founding races all qualify - the K'Chain Che'Malle being the oldest, then the Jaghut and Forkrul Assail, and finally the T'lan Imass. All of these races are effectively extinct for different reasons, with only a few surviving members that rarely interact with the world (except in the case of the Imass, who are around but undead and still don't typically mix with the living) but their legacies still hang over the setting and help shape much of the plot. All of them have at least some members who qualify as AbusivePrecursors, [[spoiler: especially the Forkrul Assail]].
* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: Karsa Orlong. Again. And many others.

%%* OracularUrchin: Kettle, Grub, Sinn.

* OurGiantsAreBigger: The Tartheno Thelomen Toblakai, the Teblor and the Trell, who are all descended from the [[AllTrollsAreDifferent Thel Akai]], although they have acquiered a flesh and blood physique somewhere on the way, instead of stone. The Teblor in particular fit the mold, and their culture is introduced in detail in ''Literature/HouseOfChains''.

* NarratorAllAlong: [[spoiler:The Crippled God]] is revealed in the final book to have narrated the entire series. The unorthodox narrative style of the series is attributable in-universe to his motivations for writing the series.

* MasterSwordsman: Aside from the Seguleh, to whom martial prowess is a religious virtue, plenty abound. Brys Beddict, Anomander Rake, High King Kallor and Karsa Orlong are just a few of the more visible ones.

* MayflyDecemberRomance: [[spoiler:Whiskeyjack (human middle aged) and Korlat (millennia) in ''Memories of Ice'', Spinnock Durav (also millennia) and Salind (teenager) in ''Toll the Hounds'']], Sandalath Drukorlat (also millennia) and Withal (human middle aged).
* MessianicArchetype: [[spoiler:Anomander Rake]] in ''Toll the Hounds''. Don't forget [[spoiler:Coltaine]] in ''Deadhouse Gates''; the guy ends up being [[spoiler:''crucified on a hill top'' then is reborn, not to mention the devotion and worship that surrounds him both before and after his 'death']]. The author actually seems to go out of his way to add parallels between him and good old JC.

* MedievalStasis: Not a pure example. While the world is truly ancient, different civilizations, some of which were not even human, have risen and fallen many times. Also, the K'Chain Che'Malle and Nah'Ruk reached higher technological levels. Lether also has magical reasons for being kept in a permanently primitive status.

* {{Mytharc}}: Although there are three rough story arcs spread between the three books -- commonly called the Genabackis, Seven Cities and Letheras (or Tiste Edur) arcs, after their respective primary geographical settings -- they all interweave and connect to the arc of the Crippled God.

* MadScientist: Korbal Broach kills and disembowels people so he can do creepy experiments on them. He even collects bottles of blood.
* MaskPower:
** Redmask, a man wearing a mask seemingly made from the hide of a creature with red scales. He is a hero of the Awl.
** The Seguleh are a society who consider martial prowess to be the foremost of religious virtues. Their ruling caste, the warriors, all wear masks with different numbers of stripes indicating their current position, with fewer stripes being desirable.

* LizardFolk: The K'Chain Che'Malle, and their short-tailed creation, the K'Chain Nah'ruk, are very lizard-like in appearance, although their biological structure is closer to that of communal insects, such as ants or bees. Both are extremely ancient -- the history of the K'Chain Che'Malle can be traced at least six million years back -- but are now functionally extinct, and are considered little more than myth.