Dust of Dreams: The Malazan Book of the Fallen 9

On the Letherii continent the exiled Malazan army commanded by Adjunct Tavore begins its march into the eastern Wastelands, to fight for an unknown cause against an enemy it has never seen.

The fate awaiting the Bonehunters is one no soldier can prepare for, and one no mortal soul can withstand - the foe is uncertainty and the only weapon worth wielding is stubborn courage. In war everyone loses, and this brutal truth can be found in the eyes of every soldier in every world.

Destinies are never simple. Truths are neither clear nor sharp. The Tales of the Malazan Book of the Fallen are drawing to a close in a distant place, beneath indifferent skies, as the last great army of the Malazan Empire seeks a final battle in the name of redemption. Final questions remain to be answered: can one's deeds be heroic when no one is there to see it? Can that which is unwitnessed forever change the world? The answers await the Bonehunters, beyond the Wastelands...

From Publishers Weekly

Ragged armies and gods old and new collide in the dizzyingly complex penultimate tale of the Malazan Book of the Fallen (following 2008's Toll the Hounds). After a traumatic reading of the tiles, Adjunct Tagore of the Malazan decides to quit the Letherii capital. To placate neighboring territories, Brys Beddict and a contingent of Letherii escort Tagore and her army through the Wastelands on their way to the port of Kolanse. The Barghast find their own reasons to head for the Wastelands, as do the T'lan Imass, a group of bloodthirsty Jaghut, and the army of the K'Chain Che'Malle. Gods tweak the players on this continent-sized chess board even as they themselves are manipulated. Erickson begins to reel in the long lines of his huge plot, giving enough hints to leave readers impatient for the 10th volume. (Jan.)
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From Booklist

In the ninth Malazan Book of the Fallen volume, the last remnant of the Malazan Empire, in exile on the continent of Letherii, marches east against unknown but undoubtedly formidable foes. If the soldiers see themselves and their empire as fallen, they even more certainly see themselves bound by oaths and comradeship to keep faith with one another until the last enemy is identified, met, and, if possible, overcome. If not, their oaths are still binding. There is herein a quality reminiscent of the 300 Spartans coming to the fore that, added to the complexity and grandeur of the world-building, is downright enthralling. --Roland Green