House of Chains

Malazan Book of the Fallen, Book 4

By: Steven Erikson

Narrated by: Michael Page

In Northern Genabackis, a raiding party of savage tribal warriors descends from the mountains into the southern flatlands. Their intention is to wreak havoc amongst the despised lowlanders, but for the one named Karsa Orlong, it marks the beginning of what will prove to be an extraordinary destiny.

Some years later, it is the aftermath of the Chain of Dogs. Tavore, the Adjunct to the Empress, has arrived in the last remaining Malazan stronghold of Seven Cities. New to command, she must hone 12,000 soldiers, mostly raw recruits but for a handful of veterans of Coltaine's legendary march, into a force capable of challenging the massed hordes of Sha'ik's Whirlwind, who lie in wait in the heart of the Holy Desert.

But waiting is never easy. The seer's warlords are locked into a power struggle that threatens the very soul of the rebellion, while Sha'ik herself suffers, haunted by the knowledge of her nemesis: her own sister, Tavore.

And so begins this awesome chapter in Steven Erikson's acclaimed Malazan Book of the Fallen.

©2002 Steven Erikson (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Narrator was so poor I Couldn't Follow the Story

What would have made House of Chains better?

They should have kept Ralph Lister as the narrator. The first three books were incredible on audio.

Michael Page does have a great voice, unfortunately every single character, male and female, sound the roughly the same. The Malazan books have so many characters that each having their own uniq voice is critical.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I honestly can't say as I wasn't able to follow much of the book so the ending was full of gaps.

Would you be willing to try another one of Michael Page’s performances?

No, especially not a series as complex as the Malazon series.

Any additional comments?

I really wish I could justify getting the remainder of the series on Audible, but I can't with Michael Page as the reader. I guess I'll get the Kindle versions at some point when I have time to read such lengthy books.

Really really disappointed!

I hate that they changed narrators

Don't get me wrong, he did a good job but I hate that all my characters voices changed. They should have had him doing it from the beginning.

not my favourite

Reading malazan is a challenge and a commitment albeit a rewarding one. I am always at work and need my hands so I listen to the audio books. the narrator changes here from the first three books. I knew this and waited months in between hoping it wouldn't affect my experience if I all but forgot what I had come to consider the "official" voices of the characters.

the narration was great overall. I wasn't really bothered by the voice changes it was to be expected. I'm a bit annoyed however that many characters or concepts were pronounced so differently it really stole away my focus.

all the expose on Karsa Orlong was the best part of this book in my opinion It reinvigorated me evey time his exploits were mentioned. that stated this was my least favorite malazan book so far.. not because it was bad just that I feel as though it was full of things that will matter later. like stocking up on a currency I cannot yet spend. I will certainly be reading the next in the series hoping to cash in on some of it.

Story was amazing narration switch suck ass

I have no idea why you would switch a narrator after three books, especially in narrator, changes, names, and pronunciations.

What happened to Ralph Lister!?

This was painful to listen to after Ralph Lister did such an incredible job with the first 3 audio books. I am sorely disappointed they switched narrators. it also seems like Michael Page purposefully pronounces nearly EVERY character name differently. I miss Ralph.... story is still fantastic tho

New Narrator,Still Amazing

anyone complaining about the narrator should just stop, the performance & content are very very good. I love this series & feel lucky that if Lister had to go, that Micheal Page took his place.

oh, the voices

I have issues with this narrator. All the characters have a haughty Thespian flair, a nasal tone, or a gruff deep voice, and that's about it. A warrior who doesn't like to talk, sounds like he should be on a stage in the Theater in the Round. The names are not pronounced the same as the last 2 books and it takes me a while to figure out who the characters is. With the narration, I tend to zone out and unfortunatly miss a lot of the details of this awesome and intricate story.

Michael Page

Wish Michael Page would have listened to the previous 3 books. All names of places were read different and it drove me crazy. And different voices were barely distinguishable from one another.

change in narrator is a loss

narrator isn't as good as the first 3, but the book itself is great. recommended.

Simply Wonderful

Favorite book in the series thus far. Sure, it's rough having a new narrator thrown in to start, but if you can get over that, this one does still do a good job and the story and characters are simply wonderful. Dark, fascinating and brilliantly written, you're I'm for a treat!