Gardens of the Moon (The Malazan Book of the Fallen, Book 1)

I may be in the minority here but for me the `The Gunslinger' was a hard read. It was slightly confusing and you just didn't really know where the plot was heading. If it wasn't for the prompting of some of my friends I probably would have finished it but I wouldn't have picked up the `The Drawing of the Three'. But I am so glad I did because I would have missed out on the world that King brought forth. `Gardens of the Moon' would come to be a lot like this. `Gardens of the Moon' is definitely a hard read but like 'The Gunslinger' it is well worth reading. Personally I look at it this way, Erikson has woven a tapestry so huge, so detailed, so friggen incredible that it cannot be looked at as a whole right off the bat. Instead Erikson just gives you a glimpse here and there that allows you to slowly come to terms with the world he has created. This can be very frustrating and if my friend who told me to read this book hadn't been around to answer some of my questions I might have quit too. But this friend was the person responsible for me reading Martin, Donaldson, Farland, Bakker and so on, so I took his opinion seriously. When he said this series was the best he had ever read I believed him and now I share the same opinion. Here are some tips for reading this book. 1st: Do not try to guess what's going to happen. Just read it with an open mind. I say this because you're going to meet characters and races that are hundreds of thousands of years old. They introduce their own stories into the mix so trying to guess anything while reading the first book is pointless. 2nd: Try to pay attention. I know it's hard at first but honestly I have read this book (the entire series in fact) twice and each time I realize how detailed Erikson has been. I have full confidence that the entire series is already done in his head. 3rd: Do not underestimate anyone. Something might seem insignificant now but in these stories they can be the pebble that started the landslide. All in all just get to page 350 and you'll probably start to feel things click. Then you can finish it and start the next books which are breathtaking. If you didn't know the next 2 books are on the same timeline but they occur on different continents. It is in these that you truly bond with the characters and see a new world unfold in front of your eyes. Oh one last thing to the people who said the magic was lame; you ain't seen nothing yet.

Have you read Erikson yet? Have you? Seriously, put down that kiddie fantasy novel. Step away from the Harry Potter section. Move aside from the usual dreck that the "fantasy publishers" seem to be churning out and pick up Steven Erikson's Gardens of the Moon. We've all read the epic fantasy novels. You were all-in on Jordan, until an Aes Sedai tugged her pig-tail once too often, and you realized that the plot had escaped his grasp, and you were doomed to books that more resembled Dawson's Creek. You read and loved George R.R. Martin. You've found Michael Stackpole. You sit waiting for the next J.V. Jones novel. You sobbed as Tad Wiiliam's "To Green Angel Tower" crashed his series to a car wreck of a halt. But you never read Steven Erikson... And you should. Quickly. You need him. Fantasy meets Apocolypse Now. Erikson's characters don't just find the Heart of Darkness, they live, die and kill in it. As Tarantino does for movies, Erikson does for the fantasy genre...infuses crackling dialogue, dynamite characters, ironic twists and turns, sharp plotting, and even lets his novels lose some control, and yet, once the climax hits and the destruction comes, everything seems to fall together. You will never meet another author who creates so much, only to smash his characters together with the explosive power of an atom bomb. A mad genius from Canada, this series is already 6 books in. Everyone of them a masterpiece. Book 1 throws you into the mix with one hell of a slam bang ending...but Book 2 launches it into outerspace. Book 3 exceeds even that and that is the level of greatness you stand on when you consider this book and author...and I've read all the stuff you have...so I don't say it lightly. Read it. You might even find it startling and not sure if you like it as you read of mages torn to shreds...battles that make Tolkien seem more like Choose Your Own Adventure. But by Book 2, you'll thank me.

Now where do I start? Gardens of the moon is the first book in a series of 10 (5 out so far) based on at least 5 continents and I estimated over 10 different character POV per book. There is also about 300, 000 years of relevant history, numerous different species and a completely different system of `magic' to the regular fantasy fare. With countless mysteries and good number of extremely powerful beings it is quite hard to get your head around it at first. So I will try my best in this review to give you a good idea of what to expect from the series as a whole. Firstly if you are looking for any of the following, beware! A young nobody (or lost prince) finds famous sword, hacks up baddy, saves the world Main characters that never seem to die A light read i.e. Few brain cells or imagination required (Harry Potter?) Author spoon feeding i.e. everything is explained immediately Elves, Orcs, Hobbits, goblins etc After about 100 pages of gardens of the moon you will be very confused, after about 200 it will be even worse, it was for me when I first read it. The story does pick up, but there are still a number of things that will have your head spinning. Erikson is not the type to give info dumps so the brain cells will have to stay sharp while reading this book since the info is spread through all the books. The first book is the weakest of the 5 currently published simply because it is impossible to fully understand everything that happens since you don't have enough information about the Malazan world. But perseverance pays of tenfold as soon as the second book and there is hardly any filler (WOT?) so it is worthwhile not to skim through. To give a head start I would say that there are 2 definite constants in the Malazan world. The first is convergence which means that power draws other power. And the second one is a balance of that power. It is also useful to condition your thinking and remember that this is a completely different world and is not based on LOTR or D & D, for example a god is not one in the conventional sense, but is just a powerful being who commands a warren (a realm can be used to release magic into the Malazan world). Even though gardens is a good book, there will always be debate about its quality since it is quite complex and a lot of people can't take that. However, that debate dies off after Book 2 (Deadhouse Gates) , which even with a good dose of extra mystery is easier to follow and the Erikson proves himself as top class with incredible story that leaves most people very numb and wanting more. If you are not hooked after that there is still some hope as book 3 (memories of ice) is in my opinion even better. There will invariably be comparisons made to George Martin's (another favourite of mine) song of ice and fire. Which is fair since they are both gritty and main characters can and do die. However, I would say that Martin is more character driven, while Erikson is more event or plot driven. But both do

Before telling you my opinion about the book, I'd like to adress some issues that amazed me when reading some of the reviews here. First, the notion that nothing is ever explained in the book. True but that's one of the best things in the series. Erikson trusts his readers to be intelligent enough to find the truth (if there is such because every character sees it differently) themselves, not spoon-feed them with the factology. You won't see a certain character explaining to another for example what's a warren, just like you won't see anyone explaining to somebody what's a radio in our world. A lot more things make sense after you have read the next books and then reread "Gardens...". Hints are being dropped left, right and center and details that are just confusing the first time around become vital in the reread. It's one of the best series, if you, like me love to read your favorite books over and over again. Secondly, yes it could be a confusing book and it's has some inconsistancies wth the latter volumes because it was written nearly ten years prior to "Deadhouse Gates" (the second book). Yes, it has a bit too many interventions from Deus Ex Machina but trust me things get much better in the next books in that department. The Malazan series has so many characters that you can hardly expect all of them to have depth but those of them who have more screen time like Paran are well developed and the minor ones if not anything else, at least do not annoy the reader unlike those from the Wheel of Time. There are a lot of super powerful beings in the series but in a way they counter each other and the balance is kept, thus a lot of them use humans and subtle tricks to complete their goals, it's not as if battles of anihilation between gods and the likes rage all the time. The strenghts of the book - very original concepts, a huge and very well developed world with ancient history, complicated multi-layered plot, interesting battle scenes. Ability to use language in a way some other fantasy authors are hardly aware that it existed *cough* Eddings *cough*. The perfect series for everyone not afraid to use his brain while reading fantasy and tired of all the stupid genre cliches.

This is a superb book, and is quite challenging to read. But once you get used to the way the writer writes, you will be surprised. This is a book full of action, there is always something happening, and you don't just see it through one persons view-point but several. There are several characters it is based around, not just one main character.The story is a fantastic one and can be quite complex. You try to work out what will happen or why it happens before you are told. The beginning may be a bit confusing but later on you start to understand it more clearly. I would say this is probably one of those books where there are some people who will get hooked on it and then those who may not like it at all. But I would say give it a try. I had loads of fun reading this book and recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy books and it is a challenging one. I would also recommend it to any other book reader. This is my second favourite book of all time, and I can't wait to start reading Deadhouse Gates which is a follow on from this one. Well Done Steven Erickson, keep the excellent work up.Overall: Fast pace, astonishingly detailed, innovative, powerfully engaging, massive, panoramic and highly intelligent. An author to watch out for.