A review by kylepinion
Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson
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!