Memories of Ice review

Three books into the series, the mist that lay heavy over the story in Gardens of the Moon (GotM), hindering any attempt whatsoever to predict what the next chapter might bring to light, has mostly lifted. In Memories of Ice (MoI) it is relatively easy to see where the story is headed and that really helps. I wouldn't go so far as to call the book predictable. It is far from it. However, this time around there is a clearer sense of plot.
After Deadhouse Gates which takes us to another continent and introduces us to a whole new story line, book 3 takes us back to the familiar grounds of Genabackis amongst characters already established in the first book. Now if you've read the first two books you already know that Erikson fills his books up with so many characters that its almost a miracle he gets any amount of character development in at all. But he does. It had seemed a little patchy in the first book. But the thing is, now that I've read MoI, I'm sure a reread of GotM will reveal it to be a much stronger book than it had initially seemed.
So many characters that had left me a little unconvinced have finally found a place in my heart, certain niggling questions answered. Characters like Kruppe, Quick Ben and Ganoes Paran gain a lot of depth though the book. Especially Kruppe. This was one character I was really struggling with. His behaviour and his motivations had both seemed contrived to me back in Gardens. After MoI it's obvious that Erikson had intentionally painted him that way. With every appearance in the book he makes more and more sense. I can understand how some people might feel a little ambivalent towards this character, or just downright hate him, but I consider Kruppe one of Erikson's many master strokes.
There are many new characters and they are equally well handled. The story itself is brilliantly crafted. This time there is a clearer antagonist from the beginning and another particularly formidable one gets set up a few chapters in, but Erickson deftly keeps it from being a basic good vs bad tale. And the story keeps taking unexpected turns. People suddenly end up in positions of peril. Or equally frequently, in positions of power. Betrayals and unlikely alliances are both organically grafted in. A cast of characters as big as the one Erikson employs can only work when the story convinces us that each of them has a valid place in it. Well... no issues there.
The ending was great. Even saying how absolutely, overwhelmingly good it was feels like spoiling it a bit. The climax ranks as one of the best I've ever encountered. And as the dust settles in the end, emotions come to the fore. Its almost a responsibility for a book this large in both size and scope to deliver a satisfying resolution at the end. This book delivers on that front flawlessly in my mind. Oh, there might have been a few flaws here and there, definitely. But a satisfied mind is, more often than not, inclined to ignore such things. So, I'd be happy to not know.