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  • Dancer's Lament

  • Path to Ascendancy, Book 1
  • By: Ian C. Esslemont
  • Narrated by: John Banks
  • Length: 16 hrs and 49 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (145 ratings)
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Dancer's Lament

By: Ian C. Esslemont
Narrated by: John Banks
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Summary

It was once a land ravaged by war; minor city states, baronies and principates fought for supremacy; and then the rival cities of Tali and Quon formed an alliance, and so Quon Tali came into being.

However, that was generations ago. That dynasty has collapsed, and the regional powers are now clawing at each other's throats once more. But at the heart of Quon Tali lies the powerful city state of Li Heng, which has for centuries enjoyed relative stability under the guidance of the powerful sorceress known as the Protectress. She is not someone likely to tolerate the arrival of two particular young men into her domain: one is determined to prove he is the most skilled assassin of his age; the other is his quarry - a Dal Hon mage who is proving annoyingly difficult to kill. The sorceress and her cabal of five mage servants were enough to repel the Quon Tali Iron Legions, so how could two such troublemakers upset her iron-fisted rule?

And now, under a new and ambitious king, the forces of Itko Kan are marching on Li Heng from the south. His own assassins, the Nightblades, have been sent ahead into the city, and rumours abound that he has inhuman, nightmarish forces at his command. So as shadows and mistrust swirl and monstrous beasts that people say appear from nowhere run rampage through Li Heng's streets, it seems chaos is come - but in chaos, as a certain young Dal Hon mage would say, there is opportunity....

©2016 Ian C Esslemont (P)2016 Random House AudioBooks

What listeners say about Dancer's Lament

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Exceptional

I doff my hat once more to Mr Esselmont. Dark, funny, well paced and seem less as ever.

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5 people found this helpful

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Great book, always fun to learn the back story

Really enjoyed the character development of the Rope and where has he come from.
This piece showed beginnings of a very likeable youth. I wan't to know more...
I can't wait for the next book!

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A great book in a wonderful series.

This series keeps getting better and better. Much less bogged down than the erickson series with a more streamlined and action orientated approach. Going back and learning the stories of the some of the characters from the old empire is a joy.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable but without a strong story

A dip into the Malazan world that doesn't require the same deep dive that some of the other books do. Enjoyable but at times predictable. As someone who has played roleplaying games this at times reads like someone retelling their campaign, including the preposterous plans and actions the players tried - which makes sense as this is the likely origin of this part of the Malazan world.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Really interesting!

Read the Fall of the Malazan Empire books and thought this could be a good addition to the story. Didn't disappoint! Really enjoyed the insight into the past.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Entertaining

This is a great book, predates the main series very well, very well narrated also

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