Stonewielder by Ian. C. Esslemont

Stonewielder is the 3rd book from the Novels of the Malazan Empire series by Ian C. Esslemont. The book is divided into three parts: Book 1: The Sea; Book 2: The Land; and Book 3: And All the Shores Between.

There are six interconnected stories that can be found. First is Greymane's re-admission into the command structure of the Empire. He was offered to lead the Malazan Army to Korel. Readers will get to know what had happened to Greymane during his campaign in the past.

Meanwhile, the Stormguard is having some problems in their defenses. The foundations of the Wall are weakening and they have a shortage of recruits.

Murders in Banith have caught someone's attention. It seems like the killings have a pattern. But this discovery will endanger someone's life.

An Army is massing to attack Ring. They are opposing the so-called Lady or Protectress. But the history of uprisings are in odds against the success of this campaign.

All these stories all lead to the mystery that is the Protectress whose old name was Shri Kasmil the Destroyer. Apparently there are three relics that can be found all over Korel. These relics are the sources of her power. These are found in the ff. areas: one in Ring, the second one in Sky Tower and the last is in Thol.

The continuation of Kiska's journey was also included here. She and her companions had an encounter with the Tiste Liosan army who seemed to have succeeded in defeating their enemy. How they did it was never explained.

This book shed some light about the people in Korel and the Stormguard. I still have so many questions but I think Stonewielder has delivered. The battle scenes and the description of the destruction wrought by the Great Flood were good. It was easier to sympathize with the characters here than the previous books. There's more emphasis on the emotional impact of the events on the people involved.

I recommend this book to those who have read the Malazan books. This is a great follow-up on the last 2 books of Erikson's series. First time readers will find this confusing however, so I suggest they read the other books first. I'm giving Stonewielder a 9 out of 10 rating.