Return of the Crimson Guard

Return of the Crimson Guard is the second novel in Ian C. Esslemont's sequence set in the world of the Malazan Book of the Fallen, the epic fantasy setting he co-created with Steven Erikson. Following Night of Knives, it widens the lens from a single night to a continent-spanning conflict on Quon Tali, where the Malazan Empire is stretched to breaking point.

The exiled mercenary company called the Crimson Guard returns to fulfil a vow sworn generations earlier, at the very moment Empress Laseen is beset by provincial revolt and the ambitions of her own generals. Told through many viewpoints, from common soldiers to immortal ascendants, the novel braids battlefield set pieces with court conspiracy.

Dense, sprawling, and morally grey, it rewards readers already familiar with the wider Malazan mythos while advancing the fate of the Empire and the Guard toward a decisive confrontation.