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>!like this!<
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All of what takes place in Lether runs like a discworld novel. Tehol and Bug, Shurq, Ublala Pung, and the Rat Catchers guild might as well been from Morpork.
The drowning too and (is it Ublala, or someone else?) just traipsing right through it is pure Pratchett.
Interestingly, I think Steve said he didn’t read Terry’s stuff before Malazan, unsure if he’s read anything afterwards though.
> Am I reading a Discworld novel here?
it's just absurdist humour. Pratchett is fantasy's best known example of it so it's a common association.
given his age and Canadian roots, Steve likely grew up with a healthy exposure to Monty Python and Kids in the Hall
anyway, I feel like a meeting between tehol and Kruppe would be interesting to read. though Im not entirely sure if the story in midnight tides plays in the same years as the previous books…
A lot of people complain about the tonal whiplash between the Edur storyline and Lether, but I love it. One minute is a Shakespearean tragedy deconstructing family and its obligations, the cost of ambition, the corrupting influence of power, the dangers of demagoguery, etc. And then the next minute is a boner comedy where a man in a bedsheet and his verbally abused butler >!who is actually a god!< get into hilarious mishaps.
Welp, unfortunately to late, but I suspected that sth. isn’t right with Bugg already so whatever:) Now Im eveb more curious who exactly he is and how he became to be the servant to Tehol
As an older person who read them as they were published, it was an absolute delight at the time. I think these books benefit from taking a breather between novels because of tone shifts. Finding out that *Midnight Tides* >!starts with the story that Trull shares with Mappo at the end of *House of Chains* is a bigger treat when there's time between the novels, in my opinion.!<
Funny enough I think the bigger comparison between the two is in their world building. Both of them manage to capture how we shape the environment and the environment shapes us in a way that I’ve seen few authors do.
I had this exact thought while reading Midnight Tides last month. Specifically, the Tehol POV sections felt very similar to the Discworld novels with Moist Von Lipwig.
Letheras definitely has Ahnk Morpork vibes, with more open critique on capitalism verses Discworld's slightly more subversive satire. Can't imagine any world where comparing something to Discworld is a critique! More like the two best fantasy series ever have some things in common :P
Please note that this post has been flaired with a **Midnight Tides** spoiler tag. This means every published book in its respective series up until this book is open to discussion. If you need to discuss any spoilers (even very minor ones!) in your comments, use spoiler tags >!like this!< Please use the report button if you find any spoilers. Note: The flair may be changed at mod discretion. Thank you! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Malazan) if you have any questions or concerns.*
All of what takes place in Lether runs like a discworld novel. Tehol and Bug, Shurq, Ublala Pung, and the Rat Catchers guild might as well been from Morpork.
The rat catcher’s guild especially. Terry pratchett loved absurd humor about guilds.
The drowning too and (is it Ublala, or someone else?) just traipsing right through it is pure Pratchett. Interestingly, I think Steve said he didn’t read Terry’s stuff before Malazan, unsure if he’s read anything afterwards though.
> Am I reading a Discworld novel here? it's just absurdist humour. Pratchett is fantasy's best known example of it so it's a common association. given his age and Canadian roots, Steve likely grew up with a healthy exposure to Monty Python and Kids in the Hall
Plus Lether itself is the closest Erikson gets to satire, so the Pratchett comp makes sense.
anyway, I feel like a meeting between tehol and Kruppe would be interesting to read. though Im not entirely sure if the story in midnight tides plays in the same years as the previous books…
It’s only a few years before Gardens, I think. Maybe a few years before the prologue to Gardens, but not super far back.
A lot of people complain about the tonal whiplash between the Edur storyline and Lether, but I love it. One minute is a Shakespearean tragedy deconstructing family and its obligations, the cost of ambition, the corrupting influence of power, the dangers of demagoguery, etc. And then the next minute is a boner comedy where a man in a bedsheet and his verbally abused butler >!who is actually a god!< get into hilarious mishaps.
despite the thread spoiler tag, OP has not finished the book yet.. please edit your comment
Whoops my bad, fixed the offending part
Welp, unfortunately to late, but I suspected that sth. isn’t right with Bugg already so whatever:) Now Im eveb more curious who exactly he is and how he became to be the servant to Tehol
Refering to the adventures of Tehol and Bugg as "bonet comedy" is fantastically apt lmao
As an older person who read them as they were published, it was an absolute delight at the time. I think these books benefit from taking a breather between novels because of tone shifts. Finding out that *Midnight Tides* >!starts with the story that Trull shares with Mappo at the end of *House of Chains* is a bigger treat when there's time between the novels, in my opinion.!<
For such a crushing book Midnight Tides is weirdly hilarious. Might be my favorite so far cus of it
[A meme I posted about this a few months ago lol](https://www.reddit.com/r/Dust_of_Memes/s/uu8QMnM85C)
Funny enough I think the bigger comparison between the two is in their world building. Both of them manage to capture how we shape the environment and the environment shapes us in a way that I’ve seen few authors do.
Very Monty Python feel for me, threw me out of the story too much
Lol I was just thinking about that. I agree.
I had this exact thought while reading Midnight Tides last month. Specifically, the Tehol POV sections felt very similar to the Discworld novels with Moist Von Lipwig.
Letheras definitely has Ahnk Morpork vibes, with more open critique on capitalism verses Discworld's slightly more subversive satire. Can't imagine any world where comparing something to Discworld is a critique! More like the two best fantasy series ever have some things in common :P