In Defense of "The Crippled God" Quiz

Answer: Sending the Crippled God home

A major theme of the series is compassion. Like Tavore, Gesler now has compassion for Kaminsod, who has caused much of the suffering throughout the series, but has been literally ripped apart for thousands of years. He was torn apart when he arrived in the Malazan world from his own world; it is wrong for him to remain among the Malazans. Though Kaminsod may be destroyed when he returns to his world, he would rather return than remain how he is.

The Crippled God wants to write a "Book of the Fallen" to commemorate those who died to defend him. Back in "Dust of Dreams", Badalle wanted to do this. So, the series title "Book of the Fallen" refers not only to the dead, but the person who wants to write (and possibly writes?) it, the Fallen God, Kaminsod.

Answer: Fener

Fener was thrust from his realm in "Deadhouse Gates" and finally returns to the action only to be cut down. Fener welcomes his death, as it's noted in the series that while humans don't tire of war, gods do. Also, in "Reaper's Gale", he says that he knows one day, he'll be summoned to a battle where he will die. Where others will bathe in his blood...

Foreshadowing: in "House of Chains", Karsa encounters an altar to Fener and breaks the idol of the boar god. To kill Fener in this book, he breaks Fener's tusk with his stone sword.

Answer: They become mortal.

Fener's blood covers the Imass and they finally become mortal...during a battle when immortality would really have come in handy. Most of them die moments after shaking off their undead status. Tool rather dryly makes the great understatement, "This was ill-timed." In typical fashion, Stormy and Gesler argue over which one of them got Fener killed.

Answer: Brys and Badalle

Brys merely speaks the name of an Assail god that the Assail discarded and forgot, which is enough to freeze Brother Diligence, who is then killed by a Che'Malle. Through the power of love, Aranict and others save Brys from falling into the abyss.

Badalle and the Snake children ate D'ivers locusts in the desert; D'ivers are fragments of an Assail god. Thus, she has assimilated some of the god into her body and can call the swarm to kill an Assail commander.

Answer: Burned up by Sinn

He burns to death while preventing Sinn from reaching the Crippled God's heart, as such an encounter could burn up the world. So close to ascension, he dies, but takes Sinn down with him. Gesler follows, dying to save his dog. (Aww...)

Answer: His family

Toc restores Hetan to life after finding her corpse; he also gives her new feet. I think he did this because of all the horrible things his friend Tool has been through, including Toc forcing Tool back to life in "Dust of Dreams". Tool and Hetan get one of few really happy endings in the series. No word on Hetan's mental state after her repeated assaults.

Answer: Chains her

She understands that her chaining is necessary for the world to continue, as magic is in everything, and otataral negates magic; her very existence poisons the world and Burn's body. It pains Kaminsod to do it, as he has been chained for over 100,000 years.

Answer: Cotillion stabs him.

This action is foreshadowed in the book's first line, "Cotillion drew two daggers." It's possible Cotillion became a god because he was the only person with the drive to stab Kaminsod. While it's a little unclear precisely what the stabbing does, it's likely the action kills him in the Malazan world (which Erikson has comically called "Wu") and sends him back to his original world. Whatever happens, Kaminsod welcomes it.

Answer: No

Back in "House of Chains", Tavore killed her sister Felisin while the latter was possessed by Sha'ik. Neither Tavore nor Ganoes ever learned whom Sha-ik possessed. Tavore had sent Felisin to the mines but lost track of her. Her breakdown in her brother's arms as she says, "I lost her" tells all too clearly that she has carried the guilt of Felisin's unsure fate for years. Hood concludes that nothing good can come of her learning how Felisin died.

Answer: Karsa returns to his homeland.

Karsa does not appear in the epilogues. Cutter uses the name Crokus again and finds his love, Apsalar. In a nice throwback to the first book of the series, where she talks of tending gardens of the moon, he finds her tending a garden by moonlight. Meanwhile, Korlat runs to her love, Whiskeyjack, and Fiddler talks to a boy who doesn't believe the old angler was a soldier.

Instead of arguing with the kid, Fiddler says the world always needs more soldiers.