Best in show thus far for the madcap adventures of our favorite necromancers. Providing a starkly delicious counterpoint to the weighty prose of the MBotF, the sardonic humor at play in the previous companion novellas remains in full force throughout this entry. Whether cringing in sympathetic horror or laughing loud enough to wake the cat, I loved every minute of this one and regretted only that it was over so damned quickly. ( )

...Like all of the previous novels these novellas are interesting and a welcome change of pace for Erikson readers. They offer a more concise view into the world of Malaz, with more emphasis on Erikson's talent for satire. Personally I liked what Erikson did with Crack'd Pot Trail a shade more but The Wurms of Blearmouth is most certainly on of the better entries in this series. One that will probably prove more popular than its predecessor. Sometime in the near future the sixth novella titled The Fiends of Nightmaria will appear. I can't wait to get my hands on that one. I might even be ready to face Fall of Light, Erikson's latest novel and a massive tome, after that.

Full Random Comments review ( )

This is a direct continuation of the story in The Lees of Laughter's End (The Tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach #3). I was impressed by the colorful cast of characters in a 200 page novella, as well as absolutely hilarious dialogue between Emancipor Reese and Bauchelain. Steven Erikson has a wicked sense of humor :) ( )

I was recently scrolling through the Tor website looking for something new to read when I stumbled upon the word, ‘grimlark’. I was so taken by the word that I actually didn’t notice what book it was describing because it was the perfect descriptive word for the book I was reading at the time, The Wurms of Blearmouth, the latest novella by author Steven Erikson about his unlikely trio, necromanceers Beauchelain and Broach and their manservant, Emancipor Reese also known as Mancy the Unlucky for the fact that every ship he has sailed on has sunk and all his previous masters have met untimely deaths.

After their ship sinks (not too surprising with Mancy on board) and the three are stranded on Spendrugle, a small village populated by reavers, wreckers, gods, and dead folk. Lord Fangatooth Claw, tyrant and usurper, when he’s not torturing his brother, has declared that all visitors be brought to the Keep to be killed, a directive the townsfolk are more than happy to comply with. Unfortunately for him, he’s never had visitors like Beauchelain and Broach before. Turns out tyrants just don’t have the staying power they used to.

Anyone who is a fan of Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen won’t be surprised to learn that there is a huge cast here, many already familiar as well as a host of new ones all with wonderfully descriptive names like Coingood, scribe for the aforementioned Fangatooth Claw. Nor will they be surprised to discover that this huge cast consists of some of the oddest, darkest and most unlikable characters they will encounter in gritty realism, a form of fantasy known for odd, dark, and unlikable. Or that, despite this, Erikson makes us like his characters against our better judgment because of the humour, both subtle and not so subtle, he infuses into the mix. The Wurms of Blearmouth is a complex, intelligent, and darkly funny tale and proves again why Erikson is considered one of the best of the modern fantasy writers. ( )

http://beauty-in-ruins.blogspot.ca/2014/07/fantasy-review-wurms-of-blearmouth-by... ( )