Steven Erikson's Malazan Books of the Fallen - Page 2

Started reading these in April, saw Toll The Hounds in the library, liked the cover so throught I'd give Gardens of the Moon ago.  I also got out Deadhouse Gates at the same time and that was the clincher for me.  GotM was good, but Deadhouse Gates just devastated me.  The whole Chain of Dogs was just amazing.

Finished Toll The Hounds a couple of months ago and waiting desperately for the Crippled God. 

Regarding the covers I bought all the books from Midnight Tides (we were going to Rarotonga on holiday and some git had the book out of the library and that kick started it).  So after I'd bought Toll Th Hounds I needed books 1-4.  At the time the US dollar compared to the NZ dollar was great (and books down here are FIENDISHLY expensive) and I could get the first three books for $35 (NZ) including postage - a bargain what just one is $40.  Unfortunately they are the US covers... I know it sounds stupid but it just doesn't look right.

With regards favourites.  I think the Chain of Dogs storyline was just staggering, but my favourite book was Midnight Tides (even though it was a screaming departure from the previous books), the whole history of the rise of the new Edur empire was totally enthralling.  Character wise I agree Karsa Orlong started as a total arsehole but has become very interesting.  Toc the younger and his brutal, brutal arc gets me every time (especially his relationship with Onos T'oolan).

I think the thing that worries me about the Crippled God is that Erikson is not shy in just mowing characters down and I really, really like most of the Bonehunters. While I'm desperate to see this story to it's conclusion I don;t want to say goodbye to these characters.  I guess thats about as full praise as you can get.  I finished the Dark Tower out of sheer bloody mindedness, but didn't actually give a toss about any of the characters (pretty much as soon as King wrote himself into it I lost it - I often wonder what the series would have carried on like if he hadn't been hit by that van).  The Malazan Book of the Fallen is full of real, likeable characters and it's going to be really hard to say goodbye to them.  Personlly I'd be happy if Erikson carried on writing about these people forevere just so that I could keep catching up with them.

13 days to go...

Have you read Dust of Dreams?

As a fan of the Chain of Dogs, did you tried Return of the Crimson Guard?

Read Dust of Dreams.  For some reason when I posted I misremembered Toll the Hounds as being the last one (it was actually Dust of Dreams that I finished months ago).  I was going to wait until the Crippled God came out and then do them back to back but I didn't have the patience.  Have to say I really enjoyed it even though it leaves you hanging in the most brutal fashion.  Was good to see the Forkrul Assail get some serious presence after being skirted about for so long.

Pre-ordered the Crippled God yesterday - its out on 21st Feb in NZ.

Haven't read any of the Esslemont books - are they worth it?

I kind of dug Knight of Knives, but I've had Return Of The Crimson Guard about half finished for over a year now, and can't seem to find the energy to go back to it.  People say it gets awesome at the end, but Esslemont's just not operating on the same level of sophistication that Erickson is, IMHO.

Of interest to everyone here:  Erikson's been blogging about his writing process in a series of blog entries called "Notes on a Crisis".  It starts with a travelogue about his other job, and then dovetails nicely into the trials and tribulations of writing the final book.  It's fascinating and awesome and you should all read it:

Part 1:  http://lifeasahuman.com/2010/travel-adventure/adventure/mongolia-adventures-and-goats-head-soup-steven-eriksons-notes-on-a-crisis/

Part 2: http://lifeasahuman.com/2010/travel-adventure/adventure/steven-eriksons-notes-on-a-crisis-a-stake-driven-deep/

Part 3: http://lifeasahuman.com/2010/travel-adventure/adventure/steven-eriksons-notes-on-a-crisis-part-iii-once-bitten/

Part 4 (This is the one where it gets great.  This also convinced me that Erikson is both brilliant and totally bonkers, and that few are operating on his level.  "Elliptical writing".  Jesus.): http://lifeasahuman.com/2010/arts-culture/books/steven-eriksons-notes-on-a-crisis-part-iv-the-next-novel/

Part 5 (This is almost eerie in light of Arizona and the spinning/war of words in the media): http://lifeasahuman.com/2010/arts-culture/creativity/steven-eriksons-notes-on-a-crisis-part-v-diabolical-deceptions/

The last paragraph from this entry is so great. "To close, I’ll return briefly to that diabolical matter, to assure my readers that while I am entirely and absolutely engaged in manipulating your emotions through the stories I write, I won’t do it to lie to you. Ever. I am a believer in Aristotle’s argument on the value of catharsis in tragedy. We need to feel to be reminded of what feeling is like. Now more than ever. My novels are an invitation to compassion, for what that’s worth. And finally, I can’t make you feel anything unless I feel it first."

Part 6: http://lifeasahuman.com/2010/arts-culture/creativity/steven-eriksons-notes-on-a-crisis-death-is-the-dream/

Part 7: http://lifeasahuman.com/2010/arts-culture/books/steven-eriksons-notes-on-a-crisis-part-vii-scraping-hard-at-the-veil/

Part 8 (this made me cry, big time): http://lifeasahuman.com/2010/arts-culture/books/steven-eriksons-notes-on-a-crisis-part-viii-with-regret/

Part 9: http://lifeasahuman.com/2010/arts-culture/creativity/steven-eriksons-notes-on-a-crisis-back-to-the-craft-of-writing/

I'm not worthy.

Well, I just jumped into this series and am about 50 pages into Gardens.  So far, so good.  In contrast, within the first 50 pages of the first Jordan book, I was already rolling my eyes. 

One very minor quibble, the map of Burn's Sleep in the front of the paperback is tiny to the point of being unreadable.  Might have to scour the web for a larger one, not that it really matters. 

I look forward to jumping back into this thread in about, oh, five or six years. 

I envy you. You still have to taste Deadhouse Gates, Memories of Ice and Midnight Tides....

And for Esselmont, he got better between Kives and Guard. Guard got EPIC, but he's not as good as Erickson. But I can't wait for Stonewielder (the Korel book...)

wow - thanks for those links Eyeball.  Great reading.

Not released until March 1st.  Although you can read a portion of chapter 1 on the tor.com website.

I'll get it Feb. 22th. Not before...

And you'd have better chance writing to me on Facebook. I'm not gonna post here often, if ever.

I just finished Gardens of the Moon a month or so back, and while it was tough going at first(man Erikson really likes thrusting you into this world) by the end I was more impressed than I've been with most fantasy books in years. The only two authors that have done that recently for me in fantasy have been Joe Abercrombie, and Scott Lynch

Don't get me wrong, I think the density and rough going is shockingly pretty rewarding the further you go in, and the more things start to come together. I'm not really an Epic Fantasy reader, and would probably gladly list classic Sword and Sorcery(Howard, Moorcock, Wagner, Leiber) or Weird Fiction(Mieville) as my drugs of choice in regards to the fantastic. But Erikson completely wins me over, and I think Martin, Abercrombie, and Lynch are the only others that currently have done that to me recently in epic fantasy.

I think it helps that the Malazan world is actually interesting, as in one can use the phrase "World Building" and not get a sense that the author is some doofus who just created another Dwarf kingdom that's attacked by dragons.

250 pages into it.  Taking my time with it.  Loving it so far.

Picked up the first Esslemont book as well for when I've finished TCG

Amazing.  I laughed, I cried, I gasped.  What an outstanding series.

Currently enjoying Night of Knives as well, to avoid Malazan cold turkey

I'm onto The Bonehunters right now.  Erickson is driving me insane.  I have no idea what's going on sometimes.  It seems like that bastard and David Milch are out there doing their best to make sure I go crazy.  I have to start taking notes while reading this stuff.  So many call backs and so much history.  It's too dense...

Rant over.  Great book so far!

Malazan might be my favorite big epic fantasy series of the moment.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LaurenOrtega 

Malazan might be my favorite big epic fantasy series of the moment.

I think it might be my favourite of all time.  And what an achievement, 10 (dense, intricate, well written) books in a decade.

Malazan just seems to suit me in ways that a lot of modern fantasy struggles to do.* I love that it's just a big world that's layered with history, but that it doesn't hold your hand and can be willingly obtuse sometimes. I love that Erikson is able to fit in flashing swords, and giant armies but avoids turning everything into some simple renn-faire fantasy Europe. And I love that a giant fantasy saga can have huge chunks of the main cast avoid being white males.

I think the only other multi-volume epic that I basically loved from beginning to end recently was Monarchies of God, which isn't surprising since it feels like a more terse Erikson.

*Note: I adore books like Lies of Locke Lamora, and the works of James Enge. But I've been cautious with the authors attempting to turn these series into epics.

I love the fact that he has the stones to have characters just disappear for books on end, I believe one of them goes from the first and only reappears in the last one.  Also that he has enough sense to just leave some stories hanging, I don't need to know the specifics of a revenge that a minor character takes because of one thing, or how a crime lords downfall may occur, it's enough to have it setup that something is going to happen, that the world keeps turning.

And I'm a big fan of the one bit of backstory/exposition he did do, and the fact that it's one book which was prefaced by a character in the previous book saying "and now I'm going to tell this story" (trying to be as spoiler free as possible on all this in case someone who hasn't read the books is scouring this thread because of an interest).

But most of all I love how much I like the characters.  Everyone was so fleshed out and believable, and by the time the final book rolled around I was absolutely bricking it that some characters would die, I just didn't want them to.

Need to reread this series again when I've cleared the current backlog I think. :)