sofiehas's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
jonahokot's review against another edition
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
ariabones's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
You people had me so stressed and worried to read this series. It is not as difficult to read as most of you say😂 My brain was scratched in a nice way and I can't wait to start the next one!Â
alienor's review against another edition
4.0
3,5 stars. I've seen people say that it was the opposite of character driven and, yeah. For the longest time, reading this book felt like watching a colony of ants work : I'm very invested in what will happen because I'm fascinated somewhat against my will, but I don't care for them personally (sorry ants)
As I reached the end however, a few characters stood out enough to make me care about their fate so I'm counting that as a win (yay lucky ants!). The novel's strength doesn't lie in its characterization or dialogue, let's be clear though : the imaginative world - and the way Steven Erikson made me work for it - truly drew me in, and I liked that I had no idea where the story was headed most of the time. It won't be for everyone, that's for sure, but that's okay.
I'm invested enough to consider reading the (very long, and very numerous) sequels. I'm a bit baffled, but what can I say. Now I'm intrigued.
As I reached the end however, a few characters stood out enough to make me care about their fate so I'm counting that as a win (yay lucky ants!). The novel's strength doesn't lie in its characterization or dialogue, let's be clear though : the imaginative world - and the way Steven Erikson made me work for it - truly drew me in, and I liked that I had no idea where the story was headed most of the time. It won't be for everyone, that's for sure, but that's okay.
I'm invested enough to consider reading the (very long, and very numerous) sequels. I'm a bit baffled, but what can I say. Now I'm intrigued.
antkneeomonster's review against another edition
4.0
3.5... I think?
Dizzying, baffling, frequently annoying, occasionally great and just... confusing at times.
A confounding, almost exposition-free work of high fantasy that's notoriously dense and difficult. I enjoyed it sometimes, loathed it others and quite often just felt a bit lost. Not sure I'll dash into the next one, but I appreciated the scope of imagination.
Dizzying, baffling, frequently annoying, occasionally great and just... confusing at times.
A confounding, almost exposition-free work of high fantasy that's notoriously dense and difficult. I enjoyed it sometimes, loathed it others and quite often just felt a bit lost. Not sure I'll dash into the next one, but I appreciated the scope of imagination.
yearofbluewater's review against another edition
4.0
Well. It took me a week to read this book- a length of time basically unprecedented. One of the reasons for this might be that during its reading, I took a break to read two other books.
Overall, this was very good. The world-building, plot, and majority of characters were excellent. There is something incredibly satisfying about having no clue what's happening for a while and then suddenly having all the pieces pop into place and everything make sense.
I do have some complaints, however, the main one being the characters.
Paran, one is the main characters, struck me as more of a plot device than an actual person. He grew attached to people very quickly, thirsted for vengeance when necessary, and had long internal monologues about how he was willing to sacrifice his life for the cause. In short, he was both annoying and dull, and I really wish he hadn't been as relevant a character as he was.
Crokus, another main character, was just plain incompetent at absolutely everything. He himself admitted that the only reason he succeeded at anything at all was because Oponn was helping him out.
Other than that, though, and a few other issues (such as WHY SO LONG), I enjoyed reading Gardens of the Moon and plan on continuing the series.
Overall, this was very good. The world-building, plot, and majority of characters were excellent. There is something incredibly satisfying about having no clue what's happening for a while and then suddenly having all the pieces pop into place and everything make sense.
I do have some complaints, however, the main one being the characters.
Paran, one is the main characters, struck me as more of a plot device than an actual person. He grew attached to people very quickly, thirsted for vengeance when necessary, and had long internal monologues about how he was willing to sacrifice his life for the cause. In short, he was both annoying and dull, and I really wish he hadn't been as relevant a character as he was.
Crokus, another main character, was just plain incompetent at absolutely everything. He himself admitted that the only reason he succeeded at anything at all was because Oponn was helping him out.
Other than that, though, and a few other issues (such as WHY SO LONG), I enjoyed reading Gardens of the Moon and plan on continuing the series.
adamg108's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
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
3.75
stinkycheeseboy's review against another edition
This is a tricky review for me because I absolutely love this series (books 2, 3 and 4, specifically). But I didn't love it at first. In fact, I had a pretty hard time getting through it. So here's the deal: if you read this, you need to treat it as a very long prologue to one of the most epic and huge fantasy series of all time.
The problem is this: GARDENS doesn't treat itself like a prologue. There is no easing into the world/characters/etc. You're dropped right into the middle of a very confusing siege with a ton of characters and a magic system that is awesome once you understand it. That's most of this series: "awesome once you understand it." And I'm not a clueless reader. I read and write a lot of fantasy, so I can catch on pretty quickly, but the first quarter of this book really threw me for a loop. You've been dually warned. :)
There is no series with more epic characters than this one. Gods old and new, characters with incredible stories, many *many* converging, intricate plot-lines, and political power-gambles at every turn --the sheer scale of THE MALAZAN BOOK OF THE FALLEN (that's the series) is mind-blowing. And GARDENS is the start of it all.
So 3/5 for being the beginning of one of my favorite fantasy series. If this book stood alone, it would be a 1/5, but that's not the case; the novel needs to be examined in the greater context of the series to be fully understood. Parts of that greater connection seep through, just present enough to get you to book 2, where the real magic happens.
One last caveat: this series is *long* (10 books at ~1,000 pages each) but is entirely finished, so you won't have to wait for the next book to come out.
The problem is this: GARDENS doesn't treat itself like a prologue. There is no easing into the world/characters/etc. You're dropped right into the middle of a very confusing siege with a ton of characters and a magic system that is awesome once you understand it. That's most of this series: "awesome once you understand it." And I'm not a clueless reader. I read and write a lot of fantasy, so I can catch on pretty quickly, but the first quarter of this book really threw me for a loop. You've been dually warned. :)
There is no series with more epic characters than this one. Gods old and new, characters with incredible stories, many *many* converging, intricate plot-lines, and political power-gambles at every turn --the sheer scale of THE MALAZAN BOOK OF THE FALLEN (that's the series) is mind-blowing. And GARDENS is the start of it all.
So 3/5 for being the beginning of one of my favorite fantasy series. If this book stood alone, it would be a 1/5, but that's not the case; the novel needs to be examined in the greater context of the series to be fully understood. Parts of that greater connection seep through, just present enough to get you to book 2, where the real magic happens.
One last caveat: this series is *long* (10 books at ~1,000 pages each) but is entirely finished, so you won't have to wait for the next book to come out.
megapolisomancy's review against another edition
4.0
Well, despite the fact that Erikson has absolutely no feel for prose, and resolves every situation with a deus ex machina, and has, at best, a weak approach to characterization (with a few exceptions-kruppe springs to mind), and also despite the often incomprehensible plot... this was a great read, with a really impressively structured and well-thought-out sense of history and place.
kaytee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Super fun. Really dense, and every sentence means something, so took about for my speedy reading to get into. Can't wait to read the next... Oh, twenty or so of these books.