Much more bleak. Erikson has more in the way of heroics in the face of the bleak. Bakker you get more of human flaws ushering in doom. It has a similar sense of scale, the world building is top notch. But the passage of time and intelligence are much less forgiving in Bakker’s world.

I’ve done numerous rereads of Malazan, none for Bakker. Though it’s just as deserving, if not more so. It’s just… a lot less uplifting.

R Scott Bakker kinda scratches a similar itch, though it’s much more bleak.

Malazan, Malazan, Malazan. Literally the result of two bored archaeologists and their DnD campaign while they were out on a dig.

It hangs with the best in terms of humor, tragedy, epic scope, and heroism. It does not hold your hand, in fact it will delight in letting your hand go while leading you through a dark room. Deeply philosophical, challenges and embraces tropes in equal part, absolutely interesting magic system(s). It is hardcore hopecore, it champions the little guy, empathy, and the bright mind over the slow. Main series is finished, 10 giant books. Also a bunch of others outside that series by both creators.

Be patient with it, some payoffs take a while. Read Gardens of the Moon and then Deadhouse Gates to see if it’s clicking. It isn’t for all.

Groundhog Day is probably the most benign form of time travel to get stuck in, though. So many others the thread of reality starts to fray.

I’d take Groundhog Day over a Donnie Darko or Primer situation any day of the week.

Paul is that you?

Send Ringo my love

Or that it was fine to not vote

Made a martyr of an 86 year old zealot while he was sitting at a negotiation table, invigorating his supporters and poisoning any hope of talks.

They think they can bomb their way out of this situation, but the fact that they had to resort to such an attack to get to the Ayatollah signals a lack of confidence in being able to get him if he went to ground.

Yeah, bombs need to stay on the dusty earth where God intended

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamal_Khashoggi

He definitely cares about what the Saudis want, it’s a big part of why he’s in this mess. He’s taken billions in bribes from dangerous people.

He doesn’t care about the people for sure, but the people who pull his chain need that water.

I imagine the people who chop up reporters and put them in suitcases have reminded him.

Sounds like someone sat him down and explained what those desalination plants do.

O’Malley makes a convincing argument for it.

Be hard to do before rigor sets in.

You should say that louder for the people in Moscow without internet.

That, and Iran has supposedly allowed Chinese vessels through the strait.

Watch it be Kharg island. They’ll claim an immediate victory because of it’s importance to the oil industry. But it’ll do nothing to secure the strait and will just paint a target on the expeditionary force there to take potshots from drones.

Hope I’m wrong.

2014*

Not only that, but it sure looked like they waited for them to muster at a known time and then hit that section of the ship.