Dancer's Lament is the first novel of the Path to Ascendancy trilogy by Canadian author Ian Cameron Esslemont.

[1] In a 2016 interview with The Critical Dragon, Esslemont states he intended Dancer's Lament to be a potential new starting point in the Malazan world.

He goes on to say he has plans for three novels in the Path to Ascendancy series, but "the door is open" for further books.

Bill Capossere called it "a highly entertaining origin story" that was "streamlined, tightly-plotted and structured.

"[4] The Quill to Live gave it an 8.5 out of 10, calling it "good, probably even great" but noting it falls short "due to its lack of heavy hearted scenes."