I've recently started reading a fantasy series called the malazan book of the fallen by Steven Erikson. Now, I've read books and watched a bunch of fantasy movies that I have enjoyed and loved but I can't stress enough how much I enjoy this series by Mr. Erikson.
Let me just say that when I begun to read these books I was completely bewildered. The first book which is Gardens of the Moon opens up to chaos, when I mean chaos I'm saying that Mr. Erikson just throws us into this complex, vast, and unique world without even explaining anything. The result is that you'll constantly pause and think what the hell is happening with all these characters that seem to have no connection to each other in a war you don't understand. I kept turning back to the beginning were there are a few pages with the character list, also the end has a glossary with names of places, magic terminology, etc.
Even with a rough start I managed through the first two hundred pages or so, that's when I started to get into the flow of the story, there was a lot I still needed to understand but by that time I had already accepted and come to terms with the knowledge that this wasn't your normal high fantasy series. Gardens of the moon is relentless in a sense that it doesn't hold your hand, Steven Erikson doesn't give you much of backstory or explanation to things. He tells you the story and leaves you alone to figure it out. I have only read the first two books out of ten from this particular series and I'm currently on number three, but I've read that they get easier as you go along. The first book is the dreaded one because it is the less polished one and is the one you start reading without knowing anything at all about the malazan empire, the vast array of characters, the races, and their magic system with the deck of dragons and such. I do agree that the first book is very rough, so far the second one which is Deadhouse Gates was much smoother, maybe do to the fact that I already had knowledge of their history and other details, plus I already knew Mr. Erikson's style. Oh, a little warning about his style which is a bit reminiscent of George R.R. Martin in that his characters aren't as safe as we want them to be.
Alright I've mentioned that it is not for the light of heart, if you like the easy and not so heavy stuff than these books might not be for you. This series is long and challenging, with each book ranging from 700 pages to 1300. I love the fact that it makes you think and puts your mind to work, I also love the fact that Mr. Erikson is not scared to be realistic with the characters, though hes not as bad as George R.R. Martin which I think It's refreshing to have some good fortune falling our favorite characters that we love in this amazing story.
Each book has their own story line so far, the second book was completely different with a lot more characters, other places, different goals to follow. some characters from the first book get to stay for the second which I find it is a good thing to do, familiarity is always welcomed. Though the books might be different they aren't truly all that apart from each other, there are some facts that may surface in the other books down the series and if you haven't read them you'll be absolutely lost. Another thing worth mentioning is that even though book one and book three are of a different conflict and story lines you get to see characters from the first book that you didn't get to see in the second book
I find that the world Mr. Erikson has created is vastly compelling. With all it's races, gods, magic system, and long span of history that goes back hundreds of thousands of years he has me completely immersed in the conflicts of all these characters. A lot of them have their on agenda for what they do and it's one of the best things of the series. Tool for example is fast becoming one of my top favorite characters because he follows what he wants despite being a T'lan Imass and what he believes himself to be, anybody who has read the books will understand my reasoning, i just don't want to spoil anything for anyone.
Overall this series to me has me hooked, the fact that it's very mature is also something I love, too many fantasy books coming out now(to me at least)seem to be focused on the young adult audience. I personally don't mind young adult but sometimes I would like to read a more mature and sophisticated style of writing. I really recommend The Malazan Book of The Fallen not just because I like it but because it has all these characters that you can follow and you'll never have that monotony of that same character's adventure but many others. Again it's a challenging series so you'll not only enjoy it but you will also learn, Steven Erikson has a vast knowledge of words that has me looking through the dictionary often. There are quite a few characters that will immediately grab your attention, some will grow on you over time, and other characters will keep you wondering what side they are on.
Well there it is, what I think of the books so far in my own words. I hope you all liked this...review I guess and maybe I have lit up a spark of interest to read these books because it is an extraordinary story. So if you ever have the chance to try this series by all means, please give it shot, again the first book will be a tough one, especially at the beginning so hang in there and I promise you It'll get much smoother. Thank you all for reading.
