Assail

Assail is the sixth and concluding volume of Ian C. Esslemont's Novels of the Malazan Empire, set in the world of the Malazan Book of the Fallen. It finally lifts the veil on Assail, a continent long rumoured to be the most dangerous land in the world, as melting ice opens its interior to outsiders.

Esslemont frames the story as a northern, saga-inflected tale of blood feud and hard journeys, following converging parties: adventurers chasing gold, members of the Crimson Guard pursuing older purposes, and the wandering bard Fisher. Told through many viewpoints, it balances harsh survival against the reawakening of forces buried for millennia.

As the capstone of Esslemont's contribution to the shared Malazan world, it answers long-standing questions while delivering the grim, sprawling scope readers of the series expect.