Seven Cities Mainland

Type

region

Style

none

First appears

Book 1

Books

2

The Seven Cities mainland first appears in Gardens of the Moon only as a distant, restive province of the Malazan Empire, far removed from the Genabackan campaigns but repeatedly referenced as a source of imperial anxiety. In Deadhouse Gates it becomes the central stage of the series, as the prophesied Whirlwind rebellion of Sha'ik erupts across its deserts and cities. Coltaine's Chain of Dogs carries thousands of refugees across its length to Aren, while the Holy Desert Raraku, the Jhag Odhan and ancient ruins reveal a land layered with buried empires, ascendant powers and the Path of Hands. By the end, the mainland is a bloodied, half-reconquered territory whose uprising reshapes imperial politics for books to come.