--- product_id: 190695389 title: "Dancer's Lament: Path to Ascendancy, Book 1" price: "£1.87" currency: GBP in_stock: false reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/190695389-dancers-lament-path-to-ascendancy-book-1 store_origin: GB region: United Kingdom --- # Dancer's Lament: Path to Ascendancy, Book 1 **Price:** £1.87 **Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Dancer's Lament: Path to Ascendancy, Book 1 - **How much does it cost?** £1.87 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Currently out of stock - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.uk](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/190695389-dancers-lament-path-to-ascendancy-book-1) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Esslemont's all-new prequel trilogy takes readers deeper into the politics and intrigue of the New York Times bestselling Malazan Empire. Dancer's Lament focuses on the genesis of the empire, and features Dancer, the skilled assassin, who, alongside the mage Kellanved, would found the Malazan empire. Review: Epic fantasy of the highest order. - Dancer's Lament contains all the usual flavors of the Malazan world; a slow build or convergence of powers as myriad threads come together in large scale confrontation. Power drawing power. It is alive with ancient entities and rich backgrounds. It is the second earliest series set within the Malazan world (I think) but nothing is lost by reading another series first, especially as there is so much already published. Indeed if you have already read other Malazan books you would be able to enrich this one when key characters appear or when you recognize warrens or techniques. The magic system is one of the most interesting I have come across and Ian C Esslemont is fantastic in that almost nothing is explained, instead you learn as the story unfolds. It is one of the greatest strengths of these books. In each one I read I feel like an explorer. This book gives background on two of the most central characters of later books in particular, as well as telling an intriguing tale in itself. I found it contained less humor than some of the others. I'm ambivalent about that. Sometimes I found the humor in the others funny but sometimes it verged on the absurd. It is a little more straightforwards. Again, this wasn't exactly a good or bad point. The other books can be quite convoluted. There is less of a purpose here than in other books. The tale told revolves around our "heros" and how they get their start. It will pick up steam (in terms of the impact of the book in the macro scale within this world) in latter books within this series based on what we already know they accomplish but this book is just setting the scene as apposed to other series within this world which are mostly based around actions which form part of very long term and wide ranging strategy. As a balance to this, there is perhaps more of a personal aspect to this book. There is certainly just as much action as you could want on a individual level. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy epic fantasy, mildy gritty fantasy, or those who have liked other books within this world. It is an excellent read. Again, this is a little bit simpler than I am used to with these but not necessarily in a bad way. The price is reasonable considering the length and quality but its no bargain. Review: Enjoyable and easy to read - I have read a couple of the original Malazan books but not the bulk, and I found this to be a well-written and enjoyable book. The story has enough twists and turns to keep you interested and the writing itself is engaging and creative enough to keep you moving. There were a couple of places where I felt the character's actions were slightly outside of their motivations but that didn't happen enough to make me frustrated. The ending didn't quite blow me away but as it's the first in a trilogy that can come with the territory. Happy to move on to the next book. ## Images ![Dancer's Lament: Path to Ascendancy, Book 1 - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91AAoSUGCdL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Epic fantasy of the highest order. *by .***. on February 29, 2016* Dancer's Lament contains all the usual flavors of the Malazan world; a slow build or convergence of powers as myriad threads come together in large scale confrontation. Power drawing power. It is alive with ancient entities and rich backgrounds. It is the second earliest series set within the Malazan world (I think) but nothing is lost by reading another series first, especially as there is so much already published. Indeed if you have already read other Malazan books you would be able to enrich this one when key characters appear or when you recognize warrens or techniques. The magic system is one of the most interesting I have come across and Ian C Esslemont is fantastic in that almost nothing is explained, instead you learn as the story unfolds. It is one of the greatest strengths of these books. In each one I read I feel like an explorer. This book gives background on two of the most central characters of later books in particular, as well as telling an intriguing tale in itself. I found it contained less humor than some of the others. I'm ambivalent about that. Sometimes I found the humor in the others funny but sometimes it verged on the absurd. It is a little more straightforwards. Again, this wasn't exactly a good or bad point. The other books can be quite convoluted. There is less of a purpose here than in other books. The tale told revolves around our "heros" and how they get their start. It will pick up steam (in terms of the impact of the book in the macro scale within this world) in latter books within this series based on what we already know they accomplish but this book is just setting the scene as apposed to other series within this world which are mostly based around actions which form part of very long term and wide ranging strategy. As a balance to this, there is perhaps more of a personal aspect to this book. There is certainly just as much action as you could want on a individual level. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy epic fantasy, mildy gritty fantasy, or those who have liked other books within this world. It is an excellent read. Again, this is a little bit simpler than I am used to with these but not necessarily in a bad way. The price is reasonable considering the length and quality but its no bargain. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Enjoyable and easy to read *by J***S on July 21, 2020* I have read a couple of the original Malazan books but not the bulk, and I found this to be a well-written and enjoyable book. The story has enough twists and turns to keep you interested and the writing itself is engaging and creative enough to keep you moving. There were a couple of places where I felt the character's actions were slightly outside of their motivations but that didn't happen enough to make me frustrated. The ending didn't quite blow me away but as it's the first in a trilogy that can come with the territory. Happy to move on to the next book. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Stunning !! *by G***R on December 3, 2021* I bought this some time ago, when it was first published. Now that books 2 and 3 were in hand, I decided to read this book ‘again’ as a refresher, only to realize I never read it before. What an amazing treat it turned out to be! This book rivals the original ten books by SE, almost like Midnight Tides without the ponderous/tragic parts. Being a backstory has its constraints but this book masterfully circumvents these constraints without spoilers or repetition. The improvement in writing style is remarkable; the book flows without any hiccups, there is not a single boring section and all the characters, not just the two main scoundrels, are well fleshed out. And Dancer’s POV was hilarious, done far better than I thought possible given the grim characterization in the “main” story arc. This book was jaw dropping, really didn’t expect it to be this good. People who have read all the other Malazan books will have plenty to fondly reminisce but for those lucky bastards who have never read them, this can be a standalone book/series or a great start to this story without significant spoilers. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/190695389-dancers-lament-path-to-ascendancy-book-1](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/190695389-dancers-lament-path-to-ascendancy-book-1) --- *Product available on Desertcart United Kingdom* *Store origin: GB* *Last updated: 2026-05-17*