wantonjohnson's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
cashewhead's review against another edition
4.0
Wow. This is high-octane fantasy that I associate with things like Dungeons and Dragons and Elder Scrolls. This book scratches the same itch as playing such games while being expertly crafted and written.
The world that Erikson has crafted is vast and epic in nature and detail, with gods, demons, sorcerers, and entire empires interacting and scheming against one another. However, the details of this world are dripped out slowly over time, requiring the reader to pay close attention and connect the dots to start piecing together a layout of how the world, its magic, and its various entities operate. This fits in with the plot of the book as various characters, many of whom are mere regular humans, find themselves swept up in conflicts much bigger than themselves.
On the Malazan Empire side, Adjunct Lorn, Captain Paran, and the Bridgeburners are involved in a mission to bring Darujhistan under empire rule. This overarching mission brings with it various side-schemes and secret plots, showing some definite gray areas within the Empress's legions and their loyalties.
On the Darujhistan side, we have a motley crew of thieves, rogues, assassins, and sorcerers centered around the Phoenix Inn. We follow them as they interact with the various factions in the city, ranging from city council members to secret mage cabals, and an apparent assassin war. Combined with the loom of the Malazan Empire, tensions within the city are high.
Interspersed through this is Adjunct Lorn's secret mission to unleash an ancient Jaghut Tyrant from his burial place in a ploy to weaken one of the main threats to Malazan, Alomander Rake and his Tiste Andii.
Some specific thoughts:
Kruppe, a member of the Phoenix Inn "regulars" and an eclectic mage, known for speaking in cryptic, often shakespearian third-person, serves as a sort of prophet or seer archetype. His magical dreams allow him to interact with a newly reawakened Elder God, witness Tattersail's transformation, and get a glimpse into the greater conflict as a whole. He is one of the greatest characters in the book, with each line of dialogue seeming masterfully written. His witnessing of key mystical events provide a fascinating perspective.
Rake, the Tiste Andii, and Moon's Spawn (a floating mountain-fortress which serves as their base) serve as an otherworldy faction throwing a wrench into the Empress's plans. Rake is also a literal living legend, being a powerful warrior and sorcerer for hundreds of years. The opening siege of Pale, which sees Rake raining magic down from his floating fortress, serves as an incredible opening for the book and gives the readers a taste of the sort of epic conflict contained within.
Captain Paran's journey, which finds him becoming the tool for various entities ranging from humans to gods, is a fascinating view into the experience of someone unwittingly finding themselves as a mere pawn in a massive game. Those above him have no shortage of secret agendas and ulterior motives, inspiring Paran to commit himself to no longer being used by anyone else, god or mortal.
Throw in details like the T'Lan Imass (draugr-like powerful sorcerers from thousands of years ago), Rake's sword being a soul-trapping warren unto itself, and the previously mentioned plot to unearth an ancient horror, Gardens of the Moon is a fantastic and magical epic.
The world that Erikson has crafted is vast and epic in nature and detail, with gods, demons, sorcerers, and entire empires interacting and scheming against one another. However, the details of this world are dripped out slowly over time, requiring the reader to pay close attention and connect the dots to start piecing together a layout of how the world, its magic, and its various entities operate. This fits in with the plot of the book as various characters, many of whom are mere regular humans, find themselves swept up in conflicts much bigger than themselves.
On the Malazan Empire side, Adjunct Lorn, Captain Paran, and the Bridgeburners are involved in a mission to bring Darujhistan under empire rule. This overarching mission brings with it various side-schemes and secret plots, showing some definite gray areas within the Empress's legions and their loyalties.
On the Darujhistan side, we have a motley crew of thieves, rogues, assassins, and sorcerers centered around the Phoenix Inn. We follow them as they interact with the various factions in the city, ranging from city council members to secret mage cabals, and an apparent assassin war. Combined with the loom of the Malazan Empire, tensions within the city are high.
Interspersed through this is Adjunct Lorn's secret mission to unleash an ancient Jaghut Tyrant from his burial place in a ploy to weaken one of the main threats to Malazan, Alomander Rake and his Tiste Andii.
Some specific thoughts:
Kruppe, a member of the Phoenix Inn "regulars" and an eclectic mage, known for speaking in cryptic, often shakespearian third-person, serves as a sort of prophet or seer archetype. His magical dreams allow him to interact with a newly reawakened Elder God, witness Tattersail's transformation, and get a glimpse into the greater conflict as a whole. He is one of the greatest characters in the book, with each line of dialogue seeming masterfully written. His witnessing of key mystical events provide a fascinating perspective.
Rake, the Tiste Andii, and Moon's Spawn (a floating mountain-fortress which serves as their base) serve as an otherworldy faction throwing a wrench into the Empress's plans. Rake is also a literal living legend, being a powerful warrior and sorcerer for hundreds of years. The opening siege of Pale, which sees Rake raining magic down from his floating fortress, serves as an incredible opening for the book and gives the readers a taste of the sort of epic conflict contained within.
Captain Paran's journey, which finds him becoming the tool for various entities ranging from humans to gods, is a fascinating view into the experience of someone unwittingly finding themselves as a mere pawn in a massive game. Those above him have no shortage of secret agendas and ulterior motives, inspiring Paran to commit himself to no longer being used by anyone else, god or mortal.
Throw in details like the T'Lan Imass (draugr-like powerful sorcerers from thousands of years ago), Rake's sword being a soul-trapping warren unto itself, and the previously mentioned plot to unearth an ancient horror, Gardens of the Moon is a fantastic and magical epic.
minna_ekman's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
kylepinion's review against another edition
4.0
Probably one of the most vivid and imaginative fantasy worlds I’ve encountered, but also a bit of a tough read particularly in terms of understanding the context of characters and keeping everyone straight. A lot of the time in the back half, I’d mix up who was allied with who and get a bit discombobulated on why certain things were happening. Very much a “dropped in the middle of the ocean” kind of read and you just have to swim your way to the surface.
One element I really enjoyed about Erikson’s approach is how he builds a sense of place in specific scenes. A character will see a light or hear a noise off in the distance and in the next scene, he’ll explain what that is (usually someone killing someone else), and then return to the other character who shrugs it off as nothing. It’s a fun trick and his use of POV is often inspired.
On to the next…soon…I hope I remember all the important stuff!
One element I really enjoyed about Erikson’s approach is how he builds a sense of place in specific scenes. A character will see a light or hear a noise off in the distance and in the next scene, he’ll explain what that is (usually someone killing someone else), and then return to the other character who shrugs it off as nothing. It’s a fun trick and his use of POV is often inspired.
On to the next…soon…I hope I remember all the important stuff!
goldendevil1711's review against another edition
3.0
This is a difficult review, and I waffled between 2 and 3 stars out of 5. Because on the one hand, the characters are fascinating, the world seems interesting and I'm sure you can get immersed as the series goes along. On the other hand, however, this is a really difficult start for a 10-book series. I don't mind getting thrown in with no hand holding, but this feels more like Erikson throws you into the deep end with a heavy weight tied to you that's drowning you. The story jumps around so much, the writing can be difficult at times, and most importantly, there is so much vocabulary, so many people, and so many world concepts who are mentioned with little explanation. You will be incredibly confused going through and perhaps even moreso by the end. I used Google heavily at the risk of spoilers to understand things.
I plan on continuing this series and reading it all unless it really turns me off, in large part because of how widely praised it is, but Malazan is off to an inauspicious start thus far for me.
I plan on continuing this series and reading it all unless it really turns me off, in large part because of how widely praised it is, but Malazan is off to an inauspicious start thus far for me.
renbooks's review against another edition
2.0
I'm reading this series as part of an online read-along and it seems I'm in the minority that I don't find this mind-blowing and super original/amazing. I am planning to continue the series with the read-along because it is an enjoyable book/series so far, but there were some definite faults to me. The biggest one, a common complaint for fantasy/sci fi (and especially that written by men), is that the female characters were just "meh" at best. I feel that only a male author would write a scene where a thief breaks into a beautiful virginal young woman's room at night and she's fully naked and opts to not cover herself the whole time they talk... She was also naked and asleep and uncovered the previous time he broke in. Another female character is sleeping with her colleague early on in the book, another female character is possessed by a male character almost the whole book, and besides the empress with a few lines and the adjunct (the best female character but still not great), the only other named female characters are bar wenches, a prostitute, and the mindless naked virgin who all men want (and a talking crow, who now that I think of it is probably actually the best female character in the book) ....
If scenes like the above can be overlooked (should they be?), overall this book was good enough to keep reading, but if the male author continues to write scenes with one hand occupied, I'll drop the series after this next book. I had some other complaints where parts were written intentionally to be unclear, and I don't care for too much "fate" and "prophecy" and gods interfering in plots, or a heavy deus ex machina ending, my most-hated plot device which this book heavily relies on in multiple ending scenes. Given that it's the first book in the series, I'll reserve judgment til later but this is average fantasy at best to me so far.
Edited later to add another big pet peeve I just remembered. Yet another book where the only time the characters' skin color is mentioned is when they're black, and then it's mentioned repeatedly as a descriptor (e.g., the black man did this, the black assassin did this, the black wizard did this). Presumably the rest of the human characters are white and apparently the author thinks humans are white by default? Kinda rubs me the wrong way. This is a made-up fantasy world so you can write characters however you want, yet the choice to have the "standard human" be (unspokenly) white is just.... typical. Never does he say "the [eighty] other white characters did this", just "the other characters did this".
Also, I read a comment saying this book is the worst of the series because the author intended it to be a movie and that makes the scene I mentioned above even more cringey....maybe he was just trying to find an excuse for there to be naked ladies in the movie? Obviously the main purpose of female characters is for boobies and masturbatory aid.
If scenes like the above can be overlooked (should they be?), overall this book was good enough to keep reading, but if the male author continues to write scenes with one hand occupied, I'll drop the series after this next book. I had some other complaints where parts were written intentionally to be unclear, and I don't care for too much "fate" and "prophecy" and gods interfering in plots, or a heavy deus ex machina ending, my most-hated plot device which this book heavily relies on in multiple ending scenes. Given that it's the first book in the series, I'll reserve judgment til later but this is average fantasy at best to me so far.
Edited later to add another big pet peeve I just remembered. Yet another book where the only time the characters' skin color is mentioned is when they're black, and then it's mentioned repeatedly as a descriptor (e.g., the black man did this, the black assassin did this, the black wizard did this). Presumably the rest of the human characters are white and apparently the author thinks humans are white by default? Kinda rubs me the wrong way. This is a made-up fantasy world so you can write characters however you want, yet the choice to have the "standard human" be (unspokenly) white is just.... typical. Never does he say "the [eighty] other white characters did this", just "the other characters did this".
Also, I read a comment saying this book is the worst of the series because the author intended it to be a movie and that makes the scene I mentioned above even more cringey....maybe he was just trying to find an excuse for there to be naked ladies in the movie? Obviously the main purpose of female characters is for boobies and masturbatory aid.
mackyroony's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
lidanya's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
novoaust's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Malazan. Finally jumped into this one, after putting it off for so long due to hearing about how complex and difficult it is to read. Did I find this one to be challenging and highly convoluted? Nope. Erikson doesn't hold the readers hand, and we are given a ton of characters to remember and follow, but I didn't find it challenging, simply enjoyable.
This is epic fantasy at it's finest, and I am surprised that this book isn't talked about more in grimdark circles. To me, GotM is a perfect grimdark book, perfectly encapsulating the stark and harsh reality that life would be like in this type of fantasy world.
I actually found myself invested in the story right from the get go. We are thrown into things and do have to find things out ourselves as the story unfolds, but I found myself extremely interested in everything going on. The story opens with a massacre, throwing the reader right into the brutality of the Malazan books.
Erikson's writing is epic, and exactly what I love. Detailed and poetic at times, it still reads easily. This book truly felt as though it was crafted word by word, where everything on the page felt important. I did read this one slower than I would other books, as I really tried to take in everything Erikson wrote.
This definitely felt like a set up book, introducing us to the world and some of the cast of this vast and epic series. Still, I enjoyed the story that was told. Erikson does very little telling and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the characters converge towards the end. Also, Erikson can write a hell of a villain 😈.
The loss of half a star is from the characters. Most felt surface level simply because we had sooo many thrown at us. In a morally grey world, I also had no idea who was good or bad, so it was hard to get attached to any of the characters.
Is this book going to be an easy read for those new to fantasy? Not likely. Is this book this overwhelming complex book that is near impossible to follow? No, and I am sad I put it off for so long. I feel that GotM has given me a taste for what is to become one of the best series I will ever read.
This is epic fantasy at it's finest, and I am surprised that this book isn't talked about more in grimdark circles. To me, GotM is a perfect grimdark book, perfectly encapsulating the stark and harsh reality that life would be like in this type of fantasy world.
I actually found myself invested in the story right from the get go. We are thrown into things and do have to find things out ourselves as the story unfolds, but I found myself extremely interested in everything going on. The story opens with a massacre, throwing the reader right into the brutality of the Malazan books.
Erikson's writing is epic, and exactly what I love. Detailed and poetic at times, it still reads easily. This book truly felt as though it was crafted word by word, where everything on the page felt important. I did read this one slower than I would other books, as I really tried to take in everything Erikson wrote.
This definitely felt like a set up book, introducing us to the world and some of the cast of this vast and epic series. Still, I enjoyed the story that was told. Erikson does very little telling and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the characters converge towards the end. Also, Erikson can write a hell of a villain 😈.
The loss of half a star is from the characters. Most felt surface level simply because we had sooo many thrown at us. In a morally grey world, I also had no idea who was good or bad, so it was hard to get attached to any of the characters.
Is this book going to be an easy read for those new to fantasy? Not likely. Is this book this overwhelming complex book that is near impossible to follow? No, and I am sad I put it off for so long. I feel that GotM has given me a taste for what is to become one of the best series I will ever read.