Many years have passed since the day when three Teblors committed a bloody massacre in the town of Silver Lake on Genabakis. Now the mountain tribes no longer risk invading the south. The town has been rebuilt, although the bad memory of the past has not gone away. After all, one of the three savages, Karsa Orlong, is now revered as a deity - albeit an indifferent deity. Yes, there have been great changes among world powers. The god of death has risen and retired, and the gods of war have been killed. New religions spread throughout the Malazan world. Some worship Blackwing Coltaine, and the Empire's soldiers chose to call upon Iskar Jarek, the guardian of the dead. ══ A detachment of Malazan Marines heads to the Silver Lake, where rumors of tribal unrest have been growing in recent months. They don't know what they will face. But, like the Marines of past wars, they are ready to resolve any issue. Or die trying. Although - if there are no gods of war in the world, where do battles and battles come from? Will people continue to go crazy and create new monster rulers?