The Second Apocalypse

Miscellaneous Chatter => Literature => Topic started by: Wilshire on October 15, 2014, 04:56:59 pm

Title: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on October 15, 2014, 04:56:59 pm
Update: Finished in 09/2016. Took me nearly 2 years, but was well worth it.

Yeah I know we already have a few topics on him, but I want to make a new one :P.

Figured I'd write some stuff down, thoughts etc., as I slowly plod through the epic that is Malazan book of the Fallen. I'll try to keep out spoilers I suppose.

Gardens of the Moon (GotM)
08/2014 - Really thought this was a great opening book. Plenty of things going on to keep me interested and wanting more. Once I began getting the hand of the world, magic, and characters, it started to open up for me. Maybe this is why I thought the latter half of the book was better than the first. Either way, a great read.

Deadhouse Gates (DG)
Better and worse than GotM. Could have been because I took too long to read this, but I felt disconnected from many of the characters by the time the end rolled around. Too many to keep track of I think. hat said, I think the character development was better, and I was rather invested in many of them at the end. Similar to GotM, I think the second half was better than the first, and the ending was quite amazing. I was hoping for a greater expansion of sorcery that never came.

Memories of Ice (MoI)
12/19/2014. What a phenomenal book. Easily my favorite so far. Around page 600 I thought to myself "that would have been a great place to end it", but holy hell I'm glad it went on. The rest of the book went by so fast, I couldn't put it down. And what an ending! All the things...

More of the same from above though. The first half was a bit slow, though better than the first two, like climbing that initial hill on a rollercoaster. Oh so worth it on the way down though.
I was considering reading a few other books before I started House of Chains, but I don't know if I can do that now. The story is so enticing now, and I'm so glad that I finally got some background on the characters.... If the books keep getting better, I'm going to be sorely pressed to pick a favorite author.

House of Chains (HoC)
This one has started out rather different than the others, but its pretty entertaining so far (4 chapters in).
After finishing, I'd have to say this is, by far, my least favorite of the lot so far, and I don't like Karsa. Finished 04/20/15.

Midnight Tides (MT)
Just finished Midnight Tides last night (08/26/2015). Overall I think it was a pretty great book. I loved Tehol and Bugg's interactions, had me laughing pretty hard more than once, and really made the book flow. Granted, this may have been more difficult had I not been looking forward to Bonehunters, where allegedly storylines start to converge, but I can't say that for sure. Regardless, MT was a lot of fun to read

Bonehunters (BH?)
Finished 9/12/15. Really liked this one. It flowed a bit better than MT, and  it was nice having all the old faces back. Maybe that't why I liked it so much, storylines converging is always a favorite of mine. Unfortunately I feel like I'm missing a lot, forgetting things, forgetting characters that show back up, and it makes me sad. This seems like a series that would be great to read each book more than once, but I just don't think I'll have the time. Maybe someday. Still an amazing series so far though.

Reaper's Gale (RG)
Finished Reapers Gale 9/23/2015 (had some downtime at work this week...). I really enjoyed this book, probably contending for 2nd with GotM and DG. Without spoiling anything, geez, this one has all the feels. I was almost moved to tears once or twice. With all the storylines converging, it was nonstop fun the whole way, while still maintaining that feeling of mystery happening behind the scenes.

Toll the Hounds (TTH)
11/2015. Another great book, though since I didn't write my reaction when I finished the book, I don't have much to say. I've given up picking a favorite in the series, too many great ones, this included. As someone mentions upthread, the end of this book is particularly salient and satisfying. Loved it

Dust of Dreams (DoD)
06/01/2016. I was pretty underwhelmed with this one. I felt that there were too many side-plots explored. All build up with not nearly as much crescendo as the preceding books.  Had to slog through it.

The Crippled God
09/2016 - Crippled God was a great book. All climax the whole way. There isn't much of anything that can be said about it without spoilers... so I'll just say there are emotional moments everywhere. I probably had tears a half dozen times or more, both happy and sad.

Not everything clicked for me, and I think some things were tied up almost too neatly, but generally speaking, a good end to a good series. I'm 100% glad that I read it and finished it. The biggest shortfalls, for me, were HoC and DoD, but the other books heavily outweigh those books.

I can see why Erikson is a successful fantasy writer, and I'm glad he is. While Bakker remains, to me, at the top of the pile, Erikson's story is a great one that ends with a bang. His is an easy world to get lost in, and imo his popularity makes room for a better fantasy genre as a whole.
Title: Re: Stephen Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Kellais on October 15, 2014, 05:12:48 pm
Cool stuff, Wilshire. I will be following this.

And that feeling of "wow, the second half of the book was f..... amazing!!!" ... get used to it. That how he rolls...first half is putting the pieces into place...second half is a glamorous rollercoaster of action and emotions.

I also loved GotM...but i also needed some 100 to 200 pages to really get into. But i think that is how it is supposed to be. Erikson is the embodiment of "show, don't tell" ... he just let's you "fight through" without too much guidance and explanations...the pay off comes over time (at least for those who do not give up).

Memories is my favorite book still. Sure, the final two are also quite a ride (as we get a lot of conclusions) but MoI is the one that stayed with me the longest.

Bakker and Erikson are the two authors that are, for me, at the top of the fantasy genre. You can't really compare the two...but if i had to chose only one to be Nr. 1, for me it would be Erikson (his scope and worldbuilding is just unparalleled [ok, Tolkien is still the King of Worldbuilding...but that will most probably remain so because he was more a worldbuilder than an author, in the end]).
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on October 15, 2014, 05:23:47 pm
I fixed the title so you won't have to stare at the incorrect name :P.

After getting the same feeling for the first 2 books, I figured that this would be kind of the deal. Fine by me. Packs all the amazing into a denser space.

I think I'll get a lot more out of the books if I read them more quickly. I did this for GotM but not so much for DG, and something got lost in the proceeding months.

For MoI I'm going to attempt to block out a space of time for it and see how it goes. It might slow down the reading as I'm currently "busy" with other leisurely activities, but I think it will be worth it.

Bakker and Erikson don't seem terribly different, at least not big-picture. But I'm thinking extremely generally, big histories, slow drip information, lots of set up, etc. etc. Complaints I've heard for Erikson are similar to Bakker, like pacing and complexity, neither of which I subscribe to. For me, TDTCB and GOTM had a similar feel, and so did TWP and DG.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Kellais on October 15, 2014, 05:44:57 pm
I fixed the title so you won't have to stare at the incorrect name :P.

Thanks ;D

Quote
I think I'll get a lot more out of the books if I read them more quickly. I did this for GotM but not so much for DG, and something got lost in the proceeding months.

I think that is a wise decision. I also had to read Erikson in longer session in a short time-span. Otherwise just too many hints and details get lost and the experience is just not the same. So if you can, do it that way, it's the one i'd recommend to everyone.

And yeah, as is said, i can't really pick one of those two over the other...only if i absolutely had to (like "gun to my head"-question ;) ;D). Both have their points where they top the other one but both also have some clear weak-points. But i'd agree that pacing and complexity is not it.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Bolivar on October 16, 2014, 03:29:36 am
I'm not too far ahead of you, Wilshire, I'm past Memories of Ice. I also read the first Bauchelain & Korbal Broach story since I wanna do everything in chronological release order.

I like that I'm more inside the heads of Bakker's characters, Erikson's are always holding something back to build the mystery. Erikson is more Epic in scope, which is quite a feat, but the PoN Trilogy was much more powerful than anything else. I'm more along for the incredible ride with Malazan but TSA just haunts me with that gnawing desperation to know what happens next. Hard to say which I enjoy more, really, although Erikson covers a broader range of emotions, something that's much needed after slogging through Earwa. I will say that reading the lengthier fantasies makes me appreciate that Bakker doesn't need 1,000 pages to get his point across. I wouldn't mind seeing what a longer novel of his would be like, though, should they keep TUC as one volume.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on November 25, 2014, 07:48:03 pm
Half way through MoI now. I'm not sure if there is less going on, or I'm acclimating to the world, but I'm more easily submerged in the story. So far, MoI is my favorite of the series.

I'm hesitant to start the bakker vs. erikson comparisons yet, but maybe I'll say a word or two. I'm not really sure were all the words go in Erikson's works. Of the hundreds of thousands of pages, and millions of words, I thought I would feel bogged down in the shear volume. But really, they read so well and flow very nicely. This seems somewhat strange considering when I read Bakker I somewhat get that feeling, like there is a lot going on and I'm missing it.

I don't know what makes Erikson "easier" to read, but I will say that it is wonderful. Bakker's still #1 (though at this point I have so much invested into TSA that its not really fair to compare). I'm excited to get through to the end.

btw, I don't plan on reading any of the non-main series books, mainly because I've got other things on my list :P. I imagine the  Bauchelain & Korbal Broach books would have been interesting to read pre-MoI though. I just feel like I won't ever get anywhere if I read the other stories.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Raizen on December 02, 2014, 02:45:27 pm
If anyone is interested, there's a site that does a chapter by chapter reread of the series.  It's very useful to go back through and find things you didn't notice or there wasn't enough information on.  Basically it's a short summary of the chapter, then a gentleman and lady's commentary on that portion. 

http://www.tor.com/features/series/malazan-reread-of-the-fallen
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on December 02, 2014, 02:49:14 pm
That's pretty awesome.

Tor is the publisher of my set, so I'll trust them :P
I'm sure that was pretty useful when people had to wait a year between books. Heck, its even useful now, since I read so slowly.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on December 19, 2014, 04:02:24 pm
Finished Memories of Ice. What a phenomenal book. Easily my favorite so far. Around page 600 I thought to myself "that would have been a great place to end it", but holy hell I'm glad it went on. The rest of the book went by so fast, I couldn't put it down. And what an ending! All the things...

I was considering reading a few other books before I started House of Chains, but I don't know if I can do that now. The story is so enticing now, and I'm so glad that I finally got some background on the characters.... I must find out what is next.  Both the DG storyline and GotM/MoI stories are great, so I don't really care where the next one goes. Actually, if its another entire new set of plotlines, I might be a bit irritated.

If the books keep getting better, I'm going to be sorely pressed to pick a favorite author.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Kellais on December 20, 2014, 11:23:35 am
Quote
If the books keep getting better, I'm going to be sorely pressed to pick a favorite author.

Glad to hear that, Wil ;)

For myself, i still count MoI as the best book of the series. Erikson still develops as a writer in the later books, but MoI had just so much in it ... and the cast was very to my liking.

And just in case: yes, book 4 will be with a new set of plotlines ;) BUT there will also be some familiar faces. It is set on the same continent as book 1 and 3.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on December 20, 2014, 03:49:33 pm
ARRGGHHHHHH. Does every books start like that? :/
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Somnambulist on December 20, 2014, 05:42:34 pm
You're beginning to feel it, Wilshire.  Only time will tell if you can stick with it.   ;)
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Madness on December 20, 2014, 06:36:27 pm
You're beginning to feel it, Wilshire.  Only time will tell if you can stick with it.   ;)

Lol yeap. You must live it to understand the trial.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Kellais on December 21, 2014, 11:06:50 am
Well, technically, not every book. IIRC the last book that introduces a new plotline and new locations is Midnight Tides (book 5), after that you start visiting the old locations and characters and it starts to come together...Erikson begins in book 6 (Bonehunters) to weave all the threads into one big fucking epic thread ;)
But to be honest, it is one of the things i really like about the Malazan books...they are different than all other fantasy books i read in that they paint a picture and do not have a linearly developing story. I found that to be genius. It's a puzzle instead of the classical storyline-thread.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on December 21, 2014, 08:39:23 pm
Well, technically, not every book. IIRC the last book that introduces a new plotline and new locations is Midnight Tides (book 5), after that you start visiting the old locations and characters and it starts to come together...Erikson begins in book 6 (Bonehunters) to weave all the threads into one big fucking epic thread ;)
I probably would have gone with "tapestry" there :P

But to be honest, it is one of the things i really like about the Malazan books...they are different than all other fantasy books i read in that they paint a picture and do not have a linearly developing story. I found that to be genius. It's a puzzle instead of the classical storyline-thread.
I can dig it.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Royce on January 08, 2015, 12:16:29 pm
So I finished DG the other day and the second half of that book was fantastic. Duiker was a blast to follow around on the chain of dogs:)

Just finished the prologue of MOI and I have a question.

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Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Garet Jax on January 08, 2015, 02:05:34 pm

So I finished DG the other day and the second half of that book was fantastic. Duiker was a blast to follow around on the chain of dogs:)


Just finished the prologue of MOI and I have a question.


(click to show/hide)


(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on January 08, 2015, 02:22:13 pm
It depends on what you mean by 'know', but there have been some discussions on the subject spread throughout GotM and DG. However, It is further explained/discussed in MoI, so I wouldn't worry about it.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Royce on January 08, 2015, 06:02:06 pm
Well, I asked because it is at least a year since I read GOTM and I remember little of it. I was on and off with DG for about 6 months, until I finally finished it a couple of days ago.

I feel fairly committed now, so I will stick to Erikson for now. If I drop off once more, I have eternally failed to complete this journey
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on January 08, 2015, 06:15:30 pm
I'm pretty hooked, but its a long way to the end so I won't make any promises. I will say that the end of each one so far has made me very interesting in moving on to the next, even being aware that the story lines aren't likely to continue from one to the next.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Francis Buck on January 10, 2015, 08:31:28 pm
I read a little over fifty pages. I really don't like the writing style at all. I'm still interested in it just because it's clearly a giant super epic fantasy, of which there really aren't that many, but at this point I just couldn't get into it. I don't even know how to describe the writing. It's not "bad". In fact, it seems like Erickson is clearly a good writer. It basically feels like a good writer intentionally trying to write in a style that does not come naturally to him. Or something. I don't know.

I'll try it again. Someday.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on January 10, 2015, 08:54:37 pm
I read LOTR because it was a classic, didn't enjoy any of it, but that was 3 books not 10, and Erikson is not Tolkien :P.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Francis Buck on January 10, 2015, 09:20:16 pm
I read LOTR because it was a classic, didn't enjoy any of it, but that was 3 books not 10, and Erickson is not Tolkien :P.

Ironically, I've just recently been getting more into LOTR. I read The Hobbit when I was young, and The Silmarillion is one of my favorite books, but I've never read any of the LOTR books straight through, and most of what I have read is the first book. I don't know why but the books just never clicked with me enough to be engaged, despite loving the movies, universe, etc.

But, something happened, because I've been reading a lot of different parts of the first two LOTR books and I think I'm just going to start from the beginning and do it all. A big part of it is just that it's one of the few fantasies that feels the most like Bakker to me, as at least as far as world-building and the general approach to it (which obviously is no coincidence).
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Kellais on January 12, 2015, 05:28:44 pm
Francis, keep in mind that GotM was written long before the other books. His writing style "develops" quite a bit during the following books. Maybe just pick up the second book or even the third and read a bit into it and see what you think. And he gets "better" * with every book.
* better in quotation marks because, well, better is kind of subjective. I, for example, loved his early books a lot. His latter books are sometimes too cluttered up with introspection and philosophise-ing.

Btw, the man is named Erikson, not Erickson. And this is not only smartass-ing from my side but it's also important because there is an Erickson author (i think he even writes fantasy-ish stuff).

As to Tolkien's work: i am totally in love with the Silmarillion. Such an awesome story and so...beautifully written. Sure, it's not everyone's thing...it has kind of an archaic style...but it's just epic. The Silmarillion is Tolkien's best work, period. Hobbit and LotR is nothing against the big S.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Francis Buck on January 12, 2015, 07:27:48 pm
Btw, the man is named Erikson, not Erickson. And this is not only smartass-ing from my side but it's also important because there is an Erickson author (i think he even writes fantasy-ish stuff).S.

Hah, good to know. I remember hearing people speaks of this before.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on January 13, 2015, 03:54:17 am
I haven't heard that abou silmarillion, I'll consider it...


As for erikson, I can't believe I spelled it incorrectly  again. I even know how it's spelled but my fingers want to add the c. I feel less bad because it's not his real name, but it's still pretty bad.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: SilentRoamer on January 13, 2015, 08:15:52 pm
FB I felt the same as you although I did finish GotM, I found it enjoyable but it just seemed a bit flat somehow. Like I didnt really get to know who the people were or the nations. I am going to give the series another concerted effort at some point but unfortunately, Wilshire this will hurt, I am not going to push him onto this years reading targets.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on January 15, 2015, 04:24:53 pm
Started House of Chains. Really strange to only have one main PoV, but its entertaining watching his path interact indirectly with the other stories. Maybe getting a feel for how the rest of the series will shake out once things start converging.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Madness on January 15, 2015, 04:38:42 pm
Is this Karsa Orlong?

House of Chains might be one of my favorites... certainly one of the more memorable.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on January 15, 2015, 05:18:35 pm
Yeah thats the one. His story is really interesting.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Royce on January 16, 2015, 01:35:25 pm
The plot really thickens in MOI. This is getting very fun and interesting.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on January 16, 2015, 01:55:58 pm
MOI was my favorite from page 1, though HOC may have some interesting plot implications (too soon to really tell though).
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Royce on January 29, 2015, 10:27:19 am
Are you supposed to read the Ian Esslemont novels after the 10 Erikson books? I hear someone suggest reading them in-between the 1o books....

For example, you read "Night of Knives" after "Midnight Tides". Anyone here know the correct way of dealing with this? I just found out about this co- author.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Aural on January 29, 2015, 12:19:53 pm
Are you supposed to read the Ian Esslemont novels after the 10 Erikson books? I hear someone suggest reading them in-between the 1o books....

For example, you read "Night of Knives" after "Midnight Tides". Anyone here know the correct way of dealing with this? I just found out about this co- author.

http://thewertzone.blogspot.com/2012/12/updated-malazan-reading-order-and-map.html
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Raizen on January 29, 2015, 01:08:20 pm
I've been using this one, I'm reading Night of Knives after Gardens of the Moon.

http://forum.malazanempire.com/topic/27842-spoiler-free-read-order-thread/
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on January 29, 2015, 02:54:07 pm
I've been using this one, I'm reading Night of Knives after Gardens of the Moon.

http://forum.malazanempire.com/topic/27842-spoiler-free-read-order-thread/
This one seems very comprehensive, but I'm ignoring the non-Erickson books. I'd like to read something else before the next decade comes around :P
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Royce on January 29, 2015, 07:19:21 pm
Yeah, I am with Wilshire on this. Just saw that it is 16 books so far, and that is a bit much to be honest.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Kellais on January 30, 2015, 07:06:47 pm
I want to add this : Erikson himself said that you can easily read his books before you dive into the Esslemont books. I myself think that reading them in the "right" order (aka in-world chronologically) is better...BUT...the styles of the two have some differences. So it might be indeed better to just stick to Erikson and finish his series first (which is, for most of the fans that always read the books right when they came out, the order in which we have read it ... we had no choices back then ^^ ).

Btw, I know Wert is a real big-shot in the blogger-scene...but to be honest he also has very strange ideas sometimes. I guess his "fame" went a bit to his head. So don't take what he says as gospel...he's not that good.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on January 30, 2015, 07:15:17 pm
Wertzone
Quote

According to dialogue, Toll the Hounds takes place six years after Memories of Ice. According to every other piece of information in the whole series, this is flat-out impossible, and needs to be ignored. Orb Sceptre Throne retcons it to about two years after MoI. The presence of a child born after MoI who is five years old in TTH also has to be ignored.
thought that was hilarious.

So it might be indeed better to just stick to Erikson and finish his series first (which is, for most of the fans that always read the books right when they came out, the order in which we have read it ... we had no choices back then ^^ ).
I like the idea of reading it as it was produced. Something to be said about the way and order a series was written.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Hirtius/Pansa on February 01, 2015, 12:00:34 am
Just started Gardens of the Moon and got about 50 pages in today.  I sort of concur with Francis on the affectation of the writing style.  But, I have the obdurate patience of a mountain so I will continue.  I'm also completely neurotic when it comes to fantasy genre stuff, so I'll probably read everything and anything in this damn saga.  *sigh*
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Royce on February 04, 2015, 12:11:10 pm
Wow, I don`t think I have ever read an author who uses the ketchup effect like Erikson. He just pours gently the first 5-600 pages and then he fucking drowns you in the last 300 pages. Add to that an insane amount of viewpoints, almost like channel switching on TV.

Is it just me or does anyone else think that he may be leaning a bit too much on melancholy? It can be exhausting at times I think.

That being said, I will read on:)  (I just finished MOI by the way)
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on February 04, 2015, 01:55:55 pm
Yeah the last 400 of MoI :D.

Too melancholy? Compared to say... TSA? I don't really feel that at all. In the context of 'grimdark' stuff, Bakker is way down towards despair, and I'd put Abercrombie somewhere more towards melancholy ... and then Erickson kind of bounces between the two imo. Kind of leaning to a lighter atmosphere even than Abercrombie, then switching to much darker tone, and then back again.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Royce on February 04, 2015, 07:30:24 pm
Well, I don`t know. It has been a while since I read TSA but I do not seem to remember that sadness was the feeling I was most visited by. Despair, hopelessness, sure. But not melancholic sadness. I have not read Abercrombie by the way.

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Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on February 04, 2015, 07:45:56 pm
Yeah certainly some tear jerking moments in MoI, true sadness, which I would agree is different that TSA.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Royce on February 05, 2015, 10:52:05 am
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Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on February 05, 2015, 03:09:49 pm
(click to show/hide)

 I'd suggest that you go to the malazan forum, just stick to boards for GotM/DG/MOI. They have a similar spoiler policy that we do, which is basically that any information contained within the book of that board is fair game, but other info past it is spoiler tagged. People seem pretty respectful of spoilers over there and if you tell people where you are in the books and request not to have anything spoiled, you should be safe.

http://forum.malazanempire.com/
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Garet Jax on February 18, 2015, 07:35:16 pm
The change in scenery, characters, and writing style hasn't bothere me nearly as much as I though it would in House of Chains so far.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on February 18, 2015, 07:39:02 pm
I really liked the initial 25%. It was a great change of pace. Slowed down for me after they started switching through characters again.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Garet Jax on February 18, 2015, 07:45:21 pm
Ah, must have not hit the 25% percent mark yet ;), it's still in the refreshing change of pace portion right now.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Madness on February 22, 2015, 02:46:07 pm
House of Chains spoiler:

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Royce on February 23, 2015, 10:13:10 am
Well, it was fun while it lasted, but I decided to quit the series(again) a couple of days ago. I was halfway through HOC when I just realized that I really don`t give a fuck about anything and anyone in this series anymore. It is just too much. It really is hard to put my finger on exactly what happened, because I really enjoyed MOI, and the Karsa Orlong story in HOC.

Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Madness on February 23, 2015, 01:30:36 pm
This graveyard of readers :o.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on February 24, 2015, 05:24:57 pm
No point of reading something you don't enjoy. 3.5 books is a fair shake.
Adieu Royce. I'll let you know if I make it.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: MSJ on March 02, 2015, 07:35:11 pm
This series took me about 10 months to finish, including some of the ICE books, not all. I loved it, and about after HoC, I always said I would give it a break after every book, to clear my head. Never did, as you guys have said, they way the books are structured, the endings always had me thirsting for more. I was happy and a little exhausted when I finished. Great ride though!
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Bolivar on March 03, 2015, 08:43:10 pm
I salute you for doing it MSJ, I was wondering if you would make it when I saw on Westeros you were going straight through.
I'm taking my time, just finished House of Chains myself and really enjoyed it. Waiting a bit in between books makes it special each time I come back to the series. You guys are right, though, the urge to dive into the next one is pretty tough at the end of each installment.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: MSJ on March 03, 2015, 11:24:28 pm
Thank you, yes when I got to MoI, I knew I was stuck. So, from there I just plunged into it. The one after HoC, cant recall the name at the moment, I started getting bogged down everytime I started a new book. It doesn't change, all his books follow the same pattern. Slow the first half, then the last 3-400 pages he smacks ya in the face over and over and over. For as long as a series that it was, you'd think he would run out of material to keep things interesting, not the case, wasn't a book I truly didn't like. But, there was certainly stretches that I felt like dropping em' and giving it a rest, I just slogged through. Wanted to get em done and move on. Still, I believe it had an incredible ending, and was nothing that I would of expected.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Bolivar on March 05, 2015, 01:48:11 am
Which of the Esselmont books have you read MSJ?
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: MSJ on March 05, 2015, 08:52:14 am
Stoneweilder was the last I read. I have Orb, Sceptre, Throne and I really need to read it. I should've stuck with the reading order, but I just wanted to finish up The Book of the Fallen, badly. I'm on the last book of The Long Price Quartet, just started it. I think I will pick up OST when done, man a lot of memories flood back just thinking about where I'd pick up at. Pickled Seguleh, anyone?
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Camlost on March 09, 2015, 07:25:59 pm
I've started the Malazan series several times from different points and very nearly finished it (the sheer size is exhausting to even consider). It looks as if most of the folks here haven't yet gotten to the point where this comment is relevant and are avoiding ICE's books as well, but I think it worth mentioning the differing focus between their contributions.

The difference becomes apparent around Erikson's sixth book, The Bonehunters, and ICE's second, The Return of the Crimson Guard (one of my personal favourites for the reason I'm about to discuss). It's at this point that Erikson begins to focus solely on those plotlines he has already established and "converged" (something he discusses often in text regarding events and which I find pretty accurately describes his narrative style, ie. those last hundred pages or so being the most thrilling of each book) and ICE takes up the focus on events with the empire. That's why you can read them interspersed throughout or following the Book of the Fallen.

I mention it because I found the idea that any empire might come together and flourish in a world so widely populated by terrifically powerful beings and species in comparison to mortal men to be fascinating.

And as some encouragement, the ending to Toll the Hounds more than makes up for the 9000 pages leading up to it
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: MSJ on March 10, 2015, 10:09:09 am
I 2nd Toll the Hounds ending is worth it! That is the ultimate convergence!
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Camlost on April 05, 2015, 11:23:43 pm
I was going through some files on my computer and came across this. I figured this might be illuminating for anyone starting or frustrated by the series
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on April 06, 2015, 04:54:37 pm
Cool, thanks for the upload.

There is something similar posted on the Malazan forum with various read order suggestions.

I'm just reading in the order they are published , just the main series, but I can see where people might appreciate a more linear storyline and read it differently.

The only one I am currently reconsidering reading is Night of Knives as it obviously contains some more background that may potentially appreciate having.

The skipping back and forth between stories between books is pretty entertaining, but I expected this going in. Waiting a year or more to get sequel that didn't tie together any of the loose strings from the previous one(s) would have been enraging.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Camlost on April 07, 2015, 03:26:15 am
I kind of wish I had discovered this when I had started the series. I remember having just gotten used to him jumping from story to story and then beginning the fifth book. It was nearly enough for me to quit. I persevered though, and after you wrap your head around the actual chronology of things it's less cumbersome of an experience.

Quote
The only one I am currently reconsidering reading is Knight of Knives
I've read Night of Knives and The Return of the Crimson Guard. They have a distinctly different "taste" to them, as well a disparity in writing quality. Not to say that the first is bad, but he certainly grew as a writer by the time the second was published; although I think that is quite common. I will say though, there are a number of rather significant events in RotCG which I felt were rather glossed over in the Erikson books that follow it in the chronology.

Quote
Waiting a year or more to get sequel that didn't tie together any of the loose strings from the previous one(s) would have been enraging.
I've always felt that the inclusion of relative dates would go a long way to tightening the series and assuaging new readers. I would be pissed to wait a year and get an entirely new story.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on April 20, 2015, 12:41:42 pm
Through House of Chains.

Have to say that this one was my least favorite so far. I didnt have the same connections with the characters by the end, and there was less of a mad rush to finish it. Karsa was my favorite character, especially his first few chapters, and then he played a more minor role in the story as a whole. Would have like to see a lot more of him.

I'll move on to either Midnight Tides, or find Night of Knives and read that first, seems like there could be some good stuff in that one worth reading.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Raizen on April 20, 2015, 01:21:34 pm
Night of Knives you should be able to knock out in a week or less.  The writing is a step backwards since its Esslemont and his first in the series, but overall its pretty enjoyable.  Temper is a good new lead, very fun to watch.  The book starts off extremely slow, but there is a lot going on behind the scenes which changed my opinion of a few characters in other books.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Camlost on April 27, 2015, 02:03:22 am
Quote
Through House of Chains.

Have to say that this one was my least favorite so far...

I'll move on to either Midnight Tides, or find Night of Knives

House of Chains was actually my least favourite too. I enjoyed Karsa's bit, but I found it disjointed. I also found that the pacing and plot development of the latter half of the novel wasn't really on par with the previous installments. If you persevere though, I think you'll come to find that of any of the novels, House of Chains was board setting.

As Raizen mentioned, you should be able to finish Night of Knives in no time. I've heard from a lot of people that they really liked Trull Sengar (one of the main protagonists from Midnight Tides). For me though, I got hooked on Tehol Beddict
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on April 27, 2015, 02:10:31 am
Yes I'm certainly going to carry on, and it did have the feel of info dropping and setting up future events, which had to happen at some point. I'mn not too disappointed.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Bolivar on August 26, 2015, 01:03:10 pm
House of Chains was probably my least favorite as well. The plot just kind of wanders without anything actually happening and the ending was very anticlimactic. Not what I was expecting for the retributive campaign answering for the Chain of Dogs. I was also expecting Kallor and Gothos' brother to show up, given the title.

Halfway through Midnight Tides. I was beginning to question if I could finish the series but then there's a turning point where everything comes together and all of the setup was worth it.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on August 26, 2015, 01:16:02 pm
Just finished Midnight Tides last night. Overall I think it was a pretty great book. I loved Tehol and Bugg's interactions, had me laughing pretty hard more than once, and really made the book flow - I really didnt feel that it was slow.

Granted, this may have been more difficult had I not been looking forward to Bonehunters, where allegedly storylines start to converge, but I can't say that for sure. Either way, MT was a lot of fun to read.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on September 14, 2015, 04:49:10 pm
Finished Bonehunters 9/12/15. Really liked this one. It flowed a bit better than MT, and  it was nice having all the old faces back. Maybe that't why I liked it so much, storylines converging is always a favorite of mine. Unfortunately I feel like I'm missing a lot, forgetting things, forgetting characters that show back up, and it makes me sad. This seems like a series that would be great to read each book more than once, but I just don't think I'll have the time. Maybe someday. Still an amazing series so far though.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Garet Jax on September 14, 2015, 05:58:12 pm
Working on that post count.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on September 16, 2015, 02:56:23 am
Fixed :P. You should have reported me for spam.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on September 23, 2015, 08:54:51 pm
Finished Reapers Gale 9/23/2015 (had some downtime at work this week...). I really enjoyed this book, probably contending for 2nd with GotM and DG. Without spoiling anything, geez, this one has all the feels. I was almost moved to tears once or twice. With all the storylines converging, it was nonstop fun the whole way, while still maintaining that feeling of mystery happening behind the scenes.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: MSJ on September 23, 2015, 11:22:31 pm
Your hitting the home stretch. I loved Reaper's Gale, especially the ending. I could never get enough of Bugg and Tehol.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Fiddler Farstrider on October 30, 2015, 07:11:02 pm
Keep reading...for me it was an almost 18 month journey through the 10 Erikson novels, followed by the 6 ICE books.  I also highly reccomend  Forge of Darkness, the first book in the Kharkanas Trilogy(Fall of Light should be out in Spring).
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Madness on November 01, 2015, 03:32:22 am
Welcome to the Second Apocalypse, Fiddler Farstrider.

Lately, I've been considering Malazan again...
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on November 02, 2015, 03:18:47 pm
Forgot to post that I finished Toll the Hounds. I think Camlost did a good job with this summary:


And as some encouragement, the ending to Toll the Hounds more than makes up for the 9000 pages leading up to it

It certainly was. I have given up picking a favorite book in the series.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Fiddler Farstrider on November 02, 2015, 10:24:12 pm
Welcome to the Second Apocalypse, Fiddler Farstrider.

Lately, I've been considering Malazan again...

Thanks...I'm really enjoying this forum.  Just trying to figure some stuff out and become a productive poster.

Malazan may be the slog of all slogs but it worth the trip
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Camlost on November 11, 2015, 05:21:31 am
Quote
Forgot to post that I finished Toll the Hounds. I think Camlost did a good job with this summary:

Quote from: Camlost on March 09, 2015, 03:25:59 pm


    And as some encouragement, the ending to Toll the Hounds more than makes up for the 9000 pages leading up to it


It certainly was. I have given up picking a favorite book in the series.

I'm glad to hear it man. It's an event you can't really say anything about because it has a lot of players involved and massive implications, but damn is it good though! You're right caught up with where I last burned out. I slogged through Dust of Dreams, but I don't know that I could recall any of it if asked. Not sure if you've done any of the Esslemont books, but Return of the Crimson Guard is a very narrow second to Toll the Hounds for me. There are more to read and I've been hoping to finally finish the series, so things may change :)
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: morkypep on December 17, 2015, 01:44:57 am
I didn't really like Malazan. I finished House Of Chains and could do no more. Deadhouse Gates was a pretty great book, but the rest were just okay. It's a huge sprawling series which tries to give this larger than life feel, but after you give any critical thought to the plot and characters it all just falls apart with inconsistencies. Numerous characters end up being just completely irrelevant. Characters are ancient beings and supposed to be awesome, but they are so paper thin with little to no character development. Things happen because the plot demands they happen. I do remember really liking Karsa; but it wasn't enough to keep me going. The world history is extremely deep and goes back thousands of thousands of years, but it never feels like its a REAL place where these things actually happened.

When I started PON I thought to myself: "this is Erikson done right". It has that epic feel as well but is filled with interesting characters and the world has color to it.

Just my two cents...
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on December 17, 2015, 01:09:13 pm
It's something you have to see through to the end to really appreciate. Especially after book 5, HoC, you havent even met all the characters or seen major plot points... which is totally insane but true. I understand why people burn out, but some of those critiques ring particularly hollow. I've know plenty of people personally who read about half of tdtcb and give similar critiques, and it's equally ridiculous, imo. It's difficult to truely grasp the depth of tdtcb until you've finished the series and then go back and read it again.

Each is entitled to his own opinion, and books like Malazan and TSA aren't for everyone.  Too long, too boring, slow, too many characters... I can see and understand all these criticisms, and many more. That said, calling it shallow and underdeveloped is commical. The plot is complex and convuluted, and of course things seem like they just happen for no reason when you don't see where they end up. There are plenty of inconsistencies and plot holes, stories half told and things unexplained, and that can be really irritating, but the depth and development are there if you look for it.

As much of a fan I am of Bakker, I'd put Erikson as a close second, and generally for all the same reasons.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: H on December 17, 2015, 02:18:09 pm
I've tried to read Gardens of the Moon 3 times.  I've never really made it all that far though.  It really isn't the story, but something about the writing that constantly has me off  to it at all times.

I'm not articulate enough to really put a firm hold on what it is, but I can't really bring myself to keep trying.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on December 17, 2015, 02:53:59 pm
I don't see why you'd bother trying so many times. I give a series I'm interested in one book, and if I don't like it I move on. There is plenty to read, and especially with malazan why waste the time of 10 books you dont enjoy.

So far I've loved every book, except HoC which I find dissapointing, so it's easy to keep on keeping on.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: H on December 17, 2015, 03:14:57 pm
Well, it kind of bothers me that I don't like it.  So, I kept trying to find my way into it...it just never worked out.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Somnambulist on December 17, 2015, 04:40:19 pm
It took two reads of Gardens before I reluctantly bought Deadhouse Gates.  I'm glad I did because it still ranks as one of my all-time favorite books, period.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Royce on March 06, 2016, 09:43:21 am
Have you finished the series Wilshire?

I picked up Hoc again in mid december last year and now I am 100 pages in Reapers Gale.

Erikson is like a girlfriend that keeps coming back to haunt me lol:)
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: MSJ on March 06, 2016, 10:30:19 am
Have you finished the series Wilshire?

I picked up Hoc again in mid december last year and now I am 100 pages in Reapers Gale.

Erikson is like a girlfriend that keeps coming back to haunt me lol:)

Dude, just push through. The last two books made it all worth it, imho. Though when I finished I would describe it as finally cutting things off with a girl you just can't seem to get along with. Truly a slog. A lot of girlfriend analogies, also.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on March 06, 2016, 05:06:21 pm
Oh I love the series, no complaints here. HoC was a bad book but everything else i really loved. Still waiting to read Dust of dreams because I wanted to reread TSA before TGO comes out. But, rest assured, I will complete malazan, but it might take a few months to get back to it, as I read slow and not terribly often so TSA will probably consume me through july.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: themerchant on March 21, 2016, 08:59:33 am
Read them all apart from Assail and some of Orb.

Memories of Ice and Midnight Tides are my two favourite books. I feel there is a bit of "lost" in the series, good ideas that grip but then never get explained or just used for plot devices or to make a great scene.

Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on March 31, 2016, 05:54:34 pm
Yeah there is too much world created for these. Half stories started in the middle and never explained or fleshed out.

I can't imagine the amount of work that never got written, or was outlined in notes for just that purpose and never made it to the book. A whole library full of notes.

I did love MT and MOI, but I have given up picking a favorite. Other than HoC, they all feel extraordinary in their own right.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: MSJ on March 31, 2016, 05:56:28 pm
I enjoyed HoC. What book are you on now, Wilshire?
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on March 31, 2016, 06:00:25 pm
I am on Dust of Dreams. I listen to a lot of them, which makes for about 40 hours of audio, that I listen to at 2x speed so its more like 20 hours of listening.
I'm 3 hours into it and its good enough so far. I'll have several hours in the car driving next week so I might get half way into it by then. We'll see.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: MSJ on March 31, 2016, 06:07:47 pm
Have you read any of Esselmont's companion books? They fill in some of the back stories that you won't get in MBOTF. Yea, I know, Malazan is a big enough series to read already. Dancer's Lament by Esselmont is soon to come out,  and it will explain how they started the Malazan Empire. Very excited for that.

ETA:also, Toll the Hounds was great wasn't it? It was one of my favorites.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on March 31, 2016, 06:20:25 pm
TTH was amazing.

I havent read any of the Esselmont, and don't really plan to. I have other books/authors/worlds to read :P.
That said, I'm interested in Night of Knives, and Dancer's Lament sounds like it might be worth the read as well so similar reasons.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on June 03, 2016, 03:25:16 pm
Dust of Dreams (DoD)
06/01/2016. I was pretty underwhelmed with this one. I felt that there were too many side-plots explored. All build up with not nearly as much crescendo as the preceding books.  Had to slog through it.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Madness on June 27, 2016, 02:12:05 pm
Lol - Camlost just told me yesterday that he apparently made it up to or into book #9 and stopped. I admonished him to finish.

Something he brought up though, and I know MSJ has said he's a fan, but what do Erikson readers think of Esslemont's books?
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on June 27, 2016, 05:07:39 pm
I've heard, generally, that Esslemont isn't quite as talented as Erikson. I have no first hand experience, and with the 10 tomes of the mainline Malazan, I think I've had enough of that universe for quite some time. Its a spectacular event, but I have not the time to be a devotee of multiple universes, and Malazan would require much the same scrutiny as Second Apocalypse to get all the feels. Had I stumbled upon GotM instead of TDTCB all those years ago, I fear this version of Wilshire wouldn't exist in this place :) . Alas, you're stuck with me.

Dancer's Lament by Esselmont is soon to come out,  and it will explain how they started the Malazan Empire. Very excited for that.


That said, Dancer's Lament might make it onto my list, and if I ever find Night of Knives somewhere, I'll pick it up and read it. I have more interest in the background of the Malazan Empire than I do with figuring out all the happenings of the world at large.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: MSJ on June 28, 2016, 02:13:10 am
Lol - Camlost just told me yesterday that he apparently made it up to or into book #9 and stopped. I admonished him to finish.

Something he brought up though, and I know MSJ has said he's a fan, but what do Erikson readers think of Esslemont's books?

He isn't as good as Erikson. That being said, I still enjoy his writing. Dancer's Lament is by far his best work yet. And if your a fan of Malazan, you have to read this book and the future installments of this series. Absolutely freakin' awesome!
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Madness on June 28, 2016, 03:28:34 pm
Its a spectacular event, but I have not the time to be a devotee of multiple universes, and Malazan would require much the same scrutiny as Second Apocalypse to get all the feels. Had I stumbled upon GotM instead of TDTCB all those years ago, I fear this version of Wilshire wouldn't exist in this place :) . Alas, you're stuck with me.

Lol - Malazan Wilshire is a silly person anyways :P.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wic on June 29, 2016, 07:49:00 am
He isn't as good as Erikson. That being said, I still enjoy his writing. Dancer's Lament is by far his best work yet. And if your a fan of Malazan, you have to read this book and the future installments of this series. Absolutely freakin' awesome!
I agree. I love the full richness of the Malaz universe, but barely cared about anything happening in his first two books. I read Dancer's Lament just out of desperate desire to read that backstory, and was rewarded by excellent dialogue and pacing. And humor, come to think of it.  I enjoyed it at least as much as Forge of Darkness, and I look forward to it's future installments more than Erikson's.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Redeagl on July 08, 2016, 02:28:36 am
I have just purchased GOTM.Is it as confusing as everybody says??
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: MSJ on July 08, 2016, 02:35:04 am
I have just purchased GOTM.Is it as confusing as everybody says??

Just don't try and remember all the names of characters, gods, places, etc, etc. Just enjoy the story, and it'll all fall into place.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on July 13, 2016, 04:08:05 pm
I have just purchased GOTM.Is it as confusing as everybody says??

Its no more confusing than TDTCB. Anyone who enjoyed TSA shouldn't be worried about GOTM.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Hirtius/Pansa on July 14, 2016, 08:27:24 pm
I think I may have made one post in this thread about 15 months ago that I had purchased GOTM.  I just finished Memories of Ice the other day.  Good stuff overall.  I love the military, geo-political stuff.  I really dislike this series when it tonally goes into "rpg mode".  When our band of heroes gear up and then go dungeon crawling for treasure and magical artifacts, engaging in random encounters.  I had that feeling for like 1/3 of Deadhouse Gates. I've been told that House of Chains has a lot of that with Karsa Orlong being the focus of so much of that volume.  Will continue regardless.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on July 15, 2016, 12:50:56 pm
I can't say I ever had that feeling while reading, but looking back, that definitely happens throughout the book.
HoC was my least favorite of all the books, and it beats DoD by a thin margin for the title. The rest seems worth the read, if you're enjoying the story/writing. Otherwise, its too long to be worth the trouble if you aren't enjoying it.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Camlost on July 18, 2016, 10:36:25 pm
Just trying to catch up on months of posts:

Gardens of the Moon is so deep media res that I'd argue you can't appreciate it until several novels later; it's a slightly different reading experience from TDTCB, but rewarding all the same for different reasons.

I'd agree with most that Esslemont is not the same caliber of author that Erikson is at the time his novels reached publication, but I would argue he has made greater strides than his counterpart in subsequent novels. That said, I've always had a soft spot for Esslemont because Erikson left the Empire behind in his storytelling, and that has been one of the blindspots that I've been most curious about. As Madness mentioned, I only made it to the end of the ninth installment in the series, Dust of Dreams, but I can confidently say that when I go back to finish the series as a whole that I will include Esslemont's subsequent novels in my reading list.

I've said before the Toll the Hounds was one of the best novels in the series--and I stand by that--but I'd argue that Return of the Crimson Guard should be attached to that simply for all the shit that goes down in that novel but is overlooked in the understandable race to finish the Malazan series.

I very well be mistaken, but I have been under the impression that Esslemont has two novels post-TCG? With that said, and it might have been mentioned previous to this, I'm fairly certain I've read in Erikson interviews in the past that the Malazan series as a whole isn't necessarily meant to satisfy conclusions. My impression from what I've read--I really wish I had a link right now--has been that the whole of the series was simply meant to be a window in time of the "Malazan universe".


 
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Madness on July 20, 2016, 03:14:49 pm
I very well be mistaken, but I have been under the impression that Esslemont has two novels post-TCG? With that said, and it might have been mentioned previous to this, I'm fairly certain I've read in Erikson interviews in the past that the Malazan series as a whole isn't necessarily meant to satisfy conclusions. My impression from what I've read--I really wish I had a link right now--has been that the whole of the series was simply meant to be a window in time of the "Malazan universe".

I believe Esslemont's Blood and Bone and Assail both follow on The Crippled God in the "main" narrative.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Redeagl on July 22, 2016, 07:59:57 pm
I have just purchased GOTM.Is it as confusing as everybody says??

Its no more confusing than TDTCB. Anyone who enjoyed TSA shouldn't be worried about GOTM.
Well to say the truth TDTCB is not confusing and the glossary does a wonderful job of making it clearer. I have begun Gardens yesterday after finishing TGO. I enjoyed it until the Tattersail chapter. Was this even english??  and that magic system...
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Redeagl on July 22, 2016, 08:35:40 pm
I stopped at chapter 4 yesterday, I will try continuing and will post my opinion here.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on July 22, 2016, 11:52:50 pm
Anything less than the full book I wouldn't call giving it a fair chance. Generally my rule for a series I decide to pick up.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Redeagl on July 24, 2016, 03:34:51 am
I just finished chapter 6 and I really really enjoyed the chapters that I read today and I am finally beginning to understand what is going on even though I don't think I know enough about these Warrens,Gods,Ascendants but I am beginning to enjoy the book very much.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: MSJ on July 24, 2016, 03:51:35 am
Camlost, I agree, Return of the Crimnson Guard is an excellent book. 3Rd favorite of ICE's after Dancer's Lament And Night of Knives. There is on I haven't read and takes place in Darujhistan while the events of TCG play out, can't think of the name at the moment. Definitely want to read it though.

I just finished chapter 6 and I really really enjoyed the chapters that I read today and I am finally beginning to understand what is going on even though I don't think I know enough about these Warrens,Gods,Ascendants but I am beginning to enjoy the book very much.

You are way to early to even worry about that yet. As the books go on it will all start to come together. Though I can give you an idea of what they are. Excuse me if I am a bit off on details but I remember the gist of it all.

1) Warrens- literally the domain of the each God. And sorcerer's use them for their magic, it's actually a physical place also.

2) Gods, well are just that, the Gods. Though all used to be alive at one point or another, IIRC. And, they are not human, rather Tiste, Jaghut or other races.

3) Ascendents- these are humans who ascend to God Good or take on a specific role for one of the Gods.

My memory is hazy, but that's the gist of it. As you go along in the series it all comes together.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Redeagl on August 01, 2016, 07:49:45 pm
Camlost, I agree, Return of the Crimnson Guard is an excellent book. 3Rd favorite of ICE's after Dancer's Lament And Night of Knives. There is on I haven't read and takes place in Darujhistan while the events of TCG play out, can't think of the name at the moment. Definitely want to read it though.

I just finished chapter 6 and I really really enjoyed the chapters that I read today and I am finally beginning to understand what is going on even though I don't think I know enough about these Warrens,Gods,Ascendants but I am beginning to enjoy the book very much.

You are way to early to even worry about that yet. As the books go on it will all start to come together. Though I can give you an idea of what they are. Excuse me if I am a bit off on details but I remember the gist of it all.

1) Warrens- literally the domain of the each God. And sorcerer's use them for their magic, it's actually a physical place also.

2) Gods, well are just that, the Gods. Though all used to be alive at one point or another, IIRC. And, they are not human, rather Tiste, Jaghut or other races.

3) Ascendents- these are humans who ascend to God Good or take on a specific role for one of the Gods.

My memory is hazy, but that's the gist of it. As you go along in the series it all comes together.
Also what exactly is The Deck Of Dragons ??
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Seomus on August 01, 2016, 09:45:40 pm
Also what exactly is The Deck Of Dragons ??

It's the universes version of the Tarot deck. It is tied directly to the gods and the warrens, changing as the fortune changes. They come in houses: Light, Dark, Shadow, Life, and Death I believe. Think of them as suites. There are also some unaligned cards. Then each house has positions: King, Queen, Knight, Magi, Herald, Soldier, Spinner, Mason, Virgin. These titles can have different names for different houses. Like Mason is only in Death. He's called Builder in other suits.

Each of these cards represents a god or an Acendant or a person. They are always changing who holds the lesser roles, while the Major roles (King, Queen) don't change much because they are usually held by the most powerful god aligned to that aspect. These cards can then be used to tell the future and show how the various gods/ascendants are involved with the world and events.

It can help to think of the Malazan world in D&D terms (because this shared universe of Erickson and ICE came out of their shared D&D campaigns they ran together, building their world and also why the two authors disagree on somethings, like what sex K'rul is. It is also why they write in different parts of the world. In fact, the whole backstory about the Emperor, Dancer, Laseen, etc. is based on their actually D&D campaign). So if you've played D&D Ascendants is like hitting Epic Level on your character sheet. You've gotten so powerful you've moved past regular mortals. You're ot a god, but you're hanging with them and you might become one if people worship you enough. Warrens, then, are like the various Planes of the D&D Universe, Plane of Shadows, the Elemental Planes, the Astral Plane, etc.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Doubt on August 02, 2016, 11:24:04 am

1) Warrens- literally the domain of the each God. And sorcerer's use them for their magic, it's actually a physical place also.

2) Gods, well are just that, the Gods. Though all used to be alive at one point or another, IIRC. And, they are not human, rather Tiste, Jaghut or other races.

3) Ascendents- these are humans who ascend to God Good or take on a specific role for one of the Gods.

My memory is hazy, but that's the gist of it. As you go along in the series it all comes together.
Ascendants are beings who ascended almost to godhood (powerful, ageless). There are many ways to become an ascendant but none of them are easy.
To be a god you must be worshipped. Gods have access to more power than ascendants.
There is no racial limit to ascendancy or godhood; a human can be either as can any other sentient race
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Redeagl on August 06, 2016, 02:39:15 am
I finished the book last night. It was an awesome five star read, it may not be Bakker's level but then again what is??  ok so I have got onr question about the ending. What is Azath??
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: MSJ on August 06, 2016, 04:29:24 am
I finished the book last night. It was an awesome five star read, it may not be Bakker's level but then again what is??  ok so I have got onr question about the ending. What is Azath??

Just keep reading. That's not something you really want to be told,  I wouldn't think. As a matter of fact, I believe it's not til a few books later until it's explained.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Madness on August 07, 2016, 10:26:10 pm
Book four even, MSJ, I believe.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: MSJ on August 09, 2016, 11:53:42 pm
Book four even, MSJ, I believe.

(click to show/hide)

When I first read through half the series, Ganoes was one of the few characters who kept me going.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Fiddler Farstrider on August 16, 2016, 05:28:06 pm
I just finished Dancer's Lament as well as The Fall of Light. The Kharkanas Trilogy is some real dense stuff.  And would only recommend to real hard core fans.  It goes into insane amounts of depth regarding the formation of the magic system. 

So 10 books in the main series, 7 ICE books and 2 Kharkanas prequal novels...that is a lot of pages
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on August 23, 2016, 07:05:02 pm
Slogging through CG. Its getting more interesting, and I definitely appreciate some of the  infobombs explaining a bit about wtf is going on in this crazy universe.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on September 01, 2016, 03:38:28 pm
Oh man, anyone who go close to Crippled God but didn't finish, you're missing out (looking at you Camlost). I'm about half way through now and its turning out to be a great book. I get the feeling that it may be one of the better ones of the series, which is good, considering how long it took to get here.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: MSJ on September 15, 2016, 02:16:41 am
Great Book, I'm glad you've stuck with it Wilshire. Its well worth it.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on September 16, 2016, 01:48:01 am
Crippled God was a great book. All climax the whole way. There isn't much of anything that can be said about it without spoilers... so I'll just say there are emotional moments everywhere. I probably had tears a half dozen times or more, both happy and sad.

Not everything clicked for me, and I think some things were tied up almost too neatly, but generally speaking, a good end to a good series. I'm 100% glad that I read it and finished it. The biggest shortfalls, for me, were HoC and DoD, but the other books heavily outweigh those books.

I can see why Erikson is a successful fantasy writer, and I'm glad he is. While Bakker remains, to me, at the top of the pile, Erikson's story is a great one that ends with a bang. His is an easy world to get lost in, and I'm his popularity makes room for a better fantasy genre as a whole.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Jackehehe on December 27, 2016, 09:53:00 am
I've read all Malazan books quite recently. Never understood why people think they are so good; I personally think its one of the worst fantasy series I've read, with book 2 and 3 only being the really good books (book 3 in particular). My overall objection to the series is that it feels... contrived. It feels like Erikson is trying to imitate the complexity of an author like, for instance, Bakker, but failing horribly at wrapping the storylines/characters up, while also failing to make the individual storylines/characters themselves interesting. There is just so many things going on in the books, so many storylines and characters and its far form obvious how they are all entertwined. There are also many storylines that simply abrubtly end and as a reader you have no idea why they were there taking up space in the books in the first place. Also, there are hardly any really likeable characters and even if you find one, chances are that in the next book you read you aren't gonna be reading about that character again (i.e. same problem as the last 2 GRRM books).

The only thing that really impressed me was some of the tragic moments throughout the series. Given the scope of the series, it hardly makes it worth sloughing through all of the books just for those few pieces. I strongly recommend all my friends to stop reading these books after book 3.

I guess a good way of describing the overall quality of this series would be the following: Due to the complexity of the series, it feels that as a reader you are pretty much required to re-read the series. Whereas this can sometimes be exiciting to gain a deeper understanding of the series (as is the case with Bakker's works. I felt immediately while reading the books that I wanted to read them again), it just felt laboursome to read the Malazan books because I knew there were so many things that I didnt understand but that I felt was needed to be understood to understand the point of the things transpiring in the story. Compare again with Bakker. Bakker's 'show, dont tell' way of writing is mainly concerned with the world-building and it enhanced the books greatly, giving them this sense of 'mystery' (answers are like opium etc). You dont NEED to know everything about the nonmen and the first apocalypse to understand the forward-going story, but you certainly do want to understand more. Whereas in the Malazan books it felt like the story got so stunted by there simply being to many things that you didnt understand, and many of those things at least I felt were needed to be understood in order to understand what was actually happening present-time in the story.

I'm just really disappointed by how good I've heard the Malazan books to be, and it actually turned out to be a labour to understand crucial points of the books. Sure, Bakker's works has some esoteric writing and stuff as well but I have never felt that some of the more abstract themes etc have been crucial to understand the story; they are merely means to get a deeper understanding of it.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on December 27, 2016, 02:38:01 pm
Jackehehe, as Malazan is primarily, imo, a military fantasy, id like to ask you if you have read and enjoyed other similar books.

I get your criticisms . There's a lot too it. To really enjoy them the reader needs to spend a lot of time with the characters,l and the setting,  getting to know all the players. In the end, for most people I think that its just too complex for most.

I really loved the series, but I joke that Malazan Wilshire and Bakker Wilshire are mutually exclusive. I cannot be both, there just isn't enough time. So, in this reality, Bakker wilshire has spent hundreds of hours pouring through and discussing Bakker, and because of that, I enjoy Bakker much more.

On the other hand, I get why people like Malazan more. There a lot more fantasy in it, and its more complex and interconnected than any other book or series I've read. There is a lot of great writing in them. It's worth the attempt to anyone who enjoys the genre (btw I say the same thing about Bakker).   
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Jackehehe on December 27, 2016, 09:42:30 pm
Yeah maybe I came off as a bit rough in my criticism. I certainly can see the niche for military fantasy as well and that that would gather fans that are deeply committed to the series. The military banter was one of the things I did enjoy. I haven't read any military fantasy previously, no. I guess I was just disappointed because I had so very high expectations from hearing other people's opinions and especially considering how good the second and third book was.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: MSJ on December 27, 2016, 10:24:54 pm
Yeah maybe I came off as a bit rough in my criticism. I certainly can see the niche for military fantasy as well and that that would gather fans that are deeply committed to the series. The military banter was one of the things I did enjoy. I haven't read any military fantasy previously, no. I guess I was just disappointed because I had so very high expectations from hearing other people's opinions and especially considering how good the second and third book was.

Malazan is not Bakker.....let's get that straight. Nothing the same except it has magic. This is the pattern of an Erikson Malazan book - you read 3/4 of the book with hardly anything going on. Bits and pieces here and there, nothing major though. But, that Kat 1/4 of the book is when things pick up and get really good. I've never seen any reason to re-read Malazan. I want to know more about Makes an for sure, Dancer's Lament is a great example and can't wait til the next one comes out. I really don't care about the Kharkanas Trilogy, but, The Toblaki Trilogy will definitely be one that I will dive into.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on December 28, 2016, 03:57:44 pm
Yeah maybe I came off as a bit rough in my criticism. I certainly can see the niche for military fantasy as well and that that would gather fans that are deeply committed to the series. The military banter was one of the things I did enjoy. I haven't read any military fantasy previously, no. I guess I was just disappointed because I had so very high expectations from hearing other people's opinions and especially considering how good the second and third book was.

I know more people who stopped before the end than have actually read it all the way through. I think Malazan suffers some from its immensity, but compared to a lot of the fantasy out there, I'm not dissapointed that Erikson has seen much success.

Btw, glad to see you posting again :)
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: MSJ on December 28, 2016, 09:16:54 pm
Yeah maybe I came off as a bit rough in my criticism. I certainly can see the niche for military fantasy as well and that that would gather fans that are deeply committed to the series. The military banter was one of the things I did enjoy. I haven't read any military fantasy previously, no. I guess I was just disappointed because I had so very high expectations from hearing other people's opinions and especially considering how good the second and third book was.

I know more people who stopped before the end than have actually read it all the way through. I think Malazan suffers some from its immensity, but compared to a lot of the fantasy out there, I'm not dissapointed that Erikson has seen much success.

Btw, glad to see you posting again :)

Which is sad, because the ending great. Well worth the ride. But, I can't blame people who can't handle it, it is truly A slog of no comparison. Wilshire, have you picked up Dancer's Lament? I really think you'll like it A lot. Not what I was expecting as a prequel to the original Malazan, we'll it was, but done was at better than I thought possible.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on December 29, 2016, 02:20:39 am
Honestly, I was a bit underwhelmed by the ending, but it was beautiful.

I don't plan on reading Dancer's anytime soon, plenty of other authors to explore - I've had my fill of Erikson for a while.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: MSJ on December 29, 2016, 02:13:37 pm
Honestly, I was a bit underwhelmed by the ending, but it was beautiful.

I don't plan on reading Dancer's anytime soon, plenty of other authors to explore - I've had my fill of Erikson for a while.

It's written by Esselmont. And, you don't need to read any of his of his Malazansruff to enjoy it. Its how the Malazan Empire comes about. 
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Jackehehe on January 06, 2017, 07:59:39 pm

Btw, glad to see you posting again :)

Thank you!

Everyone on this forum is very polite. I'm not posting that often but I read here frequently. I think it's mostly because there are so many other knowledge people than me ;). I hope I didn't go too much off topic now!
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: themerchant on January 19, 2017, 12:28:26 am
Skipping Assail by Esslemont but Dancers Lament is meant to be so much better, so buying that now (got insomnia) on kindle to read in the bath.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: MSJ on January 19, 2017, 12:51:19 am
Skipping Assail by Esslemont but Dancers Lament is meant to be so much better, so buying that now (got insomnia) on kindle to read in the bath.

You'll love it. Esselmonts best book, by far.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: themerchant on January 19, 2017, 01:09:33 am
Skipping Assail by Esslemont but Dancers Lament is meant to be so much better, so buying that now (got insomnia) on kindle to read in the bath.

You'll love it. Esselmonts best book, by far.

my bath is running... Yeah it has really good reviews, plus obviously got a lot of interest in the main characters, so good to hear their background, anyway better go before the bath overflows. :)
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Royce on January 28, 2017, 09:49:56 pm
I read the 10 Erikson books and two of Esslemont. Esslemont did not impress me much though. I tried to read his books inbetween Erikson (as suggested by the malazan nerds ;D) but I just gave up on the second one. It almost ruined my malazan experience and it was not worth it.

I thought the series was great, but I spent so long slogging through it I kept forgetting stuff along the way, so I felt I did not really get that much out of it that I should have.

I should re read it though, but that will not happen :)  It is just too much.

I am currently re reading TSA for the first time, and it is such an amazing ride!  The first time I read it back in 2013 i was not really up for the challenge. It was my third fantasy series ever(GRRM and Tolkien was the first two) and I was also not used to reading English books, so I struggled to say the least.

But now... Every sentence is a feast! I am beginning to understand why this site has such a high nerd level ;D  It is truly special in every way. It trumps malazan by far IMO.

Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Kellais on January 29, 2017, 04:55:44 pm
Funny how tastes differ eh? I can't really get most of the criticisms of the last two pages..especially if you are a fan of TSA. Because a lot of things that can be said about Malazan can be said about TSA.

I have to admit, lately, both authors have disappointed me. I found the latest offers of both to be ... lacking. Fun fact : the thing that you guys seem to think is Erikson's big problem was the problem for me with Bakker's latest....fucking slow and boring until the last 100 pages...but those last 100 pages...oh boy...made up for the whole slog of the first part.

I really do hope though that Bakker gets back on his feet, so to speak. I think the last book tried too hard. He talked himself in some corners with his "explanations". Anyway, this is an Erikson thread, i should talk about Bakker in the threads dedicated to his work.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Redeagl on January 29, 2017, 05:31:13 pm
Funny how tastes differ eh? I can't really get most of the criticisms of the last two pages..especially if you are a fan of TSA. Because a lot of things that can be said about Malazan can be said about TSA.

I have to admit, lately, both authors have disappointed me. I found the latest offers of both to be ... lacking. Fun fact : the thing that you guys seem to think is Erikson's big problem was the problem for me with Bakker's latest....fucking slow and boring until the last 100 pages...but those last 100 pages...oh boy...made up for the whole slog of the first part.

I really do hope though that Bakker gets back on his feet, so to speak. I think the last book tried too hard. He talked himself in some corners with his "explanations". Anyway, this is an Erikson thread, i should talk about Bakker in the threads dedicated to his work.
What did you say about TGO again?? You should have never returned from your wizard tower  :P
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Kellais on January 29, 2017, 05:37:59 pm
Yeah, i knew that i wouldn't be welcomed back with my new views...but what i can i do...it's how i feel. Truth shines, or something ;)
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: MSJ on January 29, 2017, 06:17:02 pm
I really do hope though that Bakker gets back on his feet, so to speak. I think the last book tried too hard. He talked himself in some corners with his "explanations". Anyway, this is an Erikson thread, i should talk about Bakker in the threads dedicated to his work.

Thing is, those explanations were needed, we're they not? It was one of his slower, philosophical rants, but man, packed with so much meaning. In terms of TSA as a whole, I think this book was exactly what it needed to be. TUC, I don't see being a slow burn, the panties are gonna fly across the room the entire book.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: MSJ on January 29, 2017, 06:23:58 pm
I read the 10 Erikson books and two of Esslemont. Esslemont did not impress me much though. I tried to read his books inbetween Erikson (as suggested by the malazan nerds ;D) but I just gave up on the second one. It almost ruined my malazan experience and it was not worth it.

I thought the series was great, but I spent so long slogging through it I kept forgetting stuff along the way, so I felt I did not really get that much out of it that I should have.

I should re read it though, but that will not happen :)  It is just too much.

I am currently re reading TSA for the first time, and it is such an amazing ride!  The first time I read it back in 2013 i was not really up for the challenge. It was my third fantasy series ever(GRRM and Tolkien was the first two) and I was also not used to reading English books, so I struggled to say the least.

But now... Every sentence is a feast! I am beginning to understand why this site has such a high nerd level ;D  It is truly special in every way. It trumps malazan by far IMO.

Never really cared for much of Esselmont's stuff either. But, if you don't pick up Dancer's Lament then you're missing out big time. Who doesn't want to know how the Malazan Empire came into being? It's fast, fool of action. Not the slow moral drag of his earlier works. I don't even want to touch Kirkhanas Trilogy (sp). But, when he gets around to the Toblaiki Trilogy, I'm all in. Trust give Dancer's Lament a go, you'll love it.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on January 30, 2017, 02:59:03 pm
I read the 10 Erikson books and two of Esslemont. Esslemont did not impress me much though. I tried to read his books inbetween Erikson (as suggested by the malazan nerds ;D) but I just gave up on the second one. It almost ruined my malazan experience and it was not worth it.
I've heard this a lot, but really decided not to read them because Erikson alone seemed like enough Malazan for me.

I thought the series was great, but I spent so long slogging through it I kept forgetting stuff along the way, so I felt I did not really get that much out of it that I should have.

I should re read it though, but that will not happen :)  It is just too much.
My thoughts exactly. Its an extraordinary work, but to get full appreciation you need to pay a lot of attention, and probably read it at least twice. But, as you say, its just too much :( .

I am currently re reading TSA for the first time, and it is such an amazing ride!  The first time I read it back in 2013 i was not really up for the challenge. It was my third fantasy series ever(GRRM and Tolkien was the first two) and I was also not used to reading English books, so I struggled to say the least.

But now... Every sentence is a feast! I am beginning to understand why this site has such a high nerd level ;D  It is truly special in every way. It trumps malazan by far IMO.
Oh man, I'm jealous. Reading #2 of TSA is an extraordinary experience, and it solidified Bakker/TSA as 'favorite author forever' for me.

Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Royce on January 30, 2017, 03:52:37 pm
I read the 10 Erikson books and two of Esslemont. Esslemont did not impress me much though. I tried to read his books inbetween Erikson (as suggested by the malazan nerds ;D) but I just gave up on the second one. It almost ruined my malazan experience and it was not worth it.

I thought the series was great, but I spent so long slogging through it I kept forgetting stuff along the way, so I felt I did not really get that much out of it that I should have.

I should re read it though, but that will not happen :)  It is just too much.

I am currently re reading TSA for the first time, and it is such an amazing ride!  The first time I read it back in 2013 i was not really up for the challenge. It was my third fantasy series ever(GRRM and Tolkien was the first two) and I was also not used to reading English books, so I struggled to say the least.

But now... Every sentence is a feast! I am beginning to understand why this site has such a high nerd level ;D  It is truly special in every way. It trumps malazan by far IMO.

Never really cared for much of Esselmont's stuff either. But, if you don't pick up Dancer's Lament then you're missing out big time. Who doesn't want to know how the Malazan Empire came into being? It's fast, fool of action. Not the slow moral drag of his earlier works. I don't even want to touch Kirkhanas Trilogy (sp). But, when he gets around to the Toblaiki Trilogy, I'm all in. Trust give Dancer's Lament a go, you'll love it.

I need a serious Malazan break, so I am not going to read anything Malazanish in the near future. I have heard lots of good stuff about Dancer`s lament though, so I might pick it up later on.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Kellais on January 30, 2017, 06:16:54 pm
Dancer's Lament is not bad. But it's nothing to write home about. I mean if you dig the Malazan universe, you absolutely have to read it. So much gold. But as far as writing goes it's just OK.

Although i do have to say that if you find Erikson to heavy/dense, than maybe Esslemont is where it is at with Malazan. Because while he might not be on a level with Erikson and Bakker in his writing, he still is better than a lot of other fantasy out there.

@ Wilshire - Uhhh...ouch... . You're way too young to be saying things like "favorite author forever"!!  :P ;D
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on January 30, 2017, 07:16:11 pm
@ Wilshire - Uhhh...ouch... . You're way too young to be saying things like "favorite author forever"!!  :P ;D
Am not!
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Redeagl on April 15, 2017, 10:28:05 pm
After some reading.... You all, people who criticize Malazan are BLASPHEMERS. I will only spare you because you like Bakker.

BTW before any heretic questions my piety, yes Bakker is still my top 1 but Erikson is a close second.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Woden on August 10, 2017, 01:03:27 pm
I think I will wait for the Karsa series, I tried the first of Kharkanas and I abandoned it.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on August 10, 2017, 04:26:23 pm
I think I will wait for the Karsa series, I tried the first of Kharkanas and I abandoned it.

There's going to be a Karsa series? He's probably on my top 5 list for worst characters in all the books. Basically a one dimensional uber-barbarian guy that for some reason is infinitely powerful.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Woden on August 10, 2017, 05:31:16 pm
I like Karsa precisely for being a cliché or archetypal barbarian without further pretensions.

Witness. This I vow, I will read the Karsa series in a slog of slogs.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on August 10, 2017, 05:42:23 pm
I like Karsa precisely for being a cliché or archetypal barbarian without further pretensions.

lol well there you go, same data opposite conclusion. Honestly, I love the first few pages of HoC where you get Karsa as a singular PoV, but for me it was all downhill after that (regarding Karsa). Btw, why is he so powerful, is it just because hes part Jag or something? Or does being the ... knight of chains? ... imbue him with something godtouched?
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Woden on August 10, 2017, 05:55:58 pm
Don't know. The question of ascendancy is a little confusing to me.

Obviously I prefer a solid barbarian character like Cnaiur, but I find Karsa very amusing.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: solipsisticurge on August 11, 2017, 06:55:53 pm
I need to get back to this series. Fell off for reasons I can't recall years back. My lack of free time will likely make that sad fact permanent, though.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: MSJ on August 11, 2017, 07:23:09 pm
Welcome! Hey, if you don't think you have time for the original series, Esselmont's Dancer's Lament is crazy good. First in a series telling the origins of the Malazan Empire. Good shit.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Woden on August 11, 2017, 07:32:04 pm
I read "The return of the Crimson Guard" and "Night of Knives" some time ago and they were just ok for my taste (I mean, they have good things but overall were poorer written than Erikson's books), so given that and also because I was really tired of Malaz, I stopped to read the other books of Esslemont, but if "Dancer's Lament" is as good as you say I will go for it sooner than I have planned.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: MSJ on August 11, 2017, 07:59:22 pm
I only read a couple of Esslemont's Malazan novels also, for your exact reasons. But, I couldn't pass up the origins of Dancer and Kellanved. His writing is alot better in this book and the story is great and has you itching for more.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Woden on August 11, 2017, 08:00:35 pm
Say no more, I'm in.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: MSJ on August 11, 2017, 08:18:35 pm
Has anyone tried the Kharkhanas Trilogy? I never delved into it yet because of the mixed reviews. Seems to be Erikson's philosophical wank session. If not, then I'd give it a go. Anyone have thoughts on it?
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Woden on August 11, 2017, 08:32:34 pm
I tried the first, but I'm stuck in the chapter 3.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Redeagl on August 12, 2017, 03:47:29 pm
It is a pile of philosophical wank. I loved it.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: themerchant on August 12, 2017, 10:06:48 pm
I like Karsa precisely for being a cliché or archetypal barbarian without further pretensions.

lol well there you go, same data opposite conclusion. Honestly, I love the first few pages of HoC where you get Karsa as a singular PoV, but for me it was all downhill after that (regarding Karsa). Btw, why is he so powerful, is it just because hes part Jag or something? Or does being the ... knight of chains? ... imbue him with something godtouched?

He's some sort of throwback, imbued with "anti-magic" like his ancient ancestors. Been a while since i read it, but i think he's teblor who used to be Tholomen Toblakai or something, and some of them were warrens unto themselves.

went and found the quote, been too long since i read bonehunters.

"Among the ancient Toblakai ... according to our own histories ... there could arise individuals, warriors, who became something of a warren unto themselves. Such power varies in its efficacy, and it would appear that this sort of blood talent was waning in the last generations of the Toblakai civilization, growing ever weaker."
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: themerchant on August 12, 2017, 10:08:25 pm
I read the first of the Kharkhanas Trilogy, was alright, will re-read the first one when i get round to finishing the series.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Kellais on August 14, 2017, 04:45:26 pm
I liked the first one a lot...a LOT.

I had a really hard time getting into the second book (the current one atm). But it gets better and better. I am 100 pages before the end. And i can tell you, if you are a fan of philosophical fantasy (and if you really are a fan of TSA, then you are) you need to read it.
To be honest, as far as non-artificial (as in made-up) depth and real world applicability and examination goes...this trumps Scott's philosophy (TSA philosophy, that is), sorry to say (even if Erikson is not a scholar of philosophy). So much more...punch in it (and as said, applicability).
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: MSJ on September 03, 2017, 12:10:30 am
Anyone who has read Forge of Darkness. I want to know go the Jaghut Prince of Hate is. I don't care about spoilers. Its not Good, he's been named. K'rul is my guess.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: MSJ on September 20, 2017, 02:39:36 pm
Half way through Fall of Light and I'm really liking it. @Redeagl I've come across a few of those scenes so far and they are great. Still, too much inner dialogue that I could care less for. No wonder it's over a 1000 pages.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Old Gnostic Fool on October 25, 2017, 11:37:56 am
My favorite series to this day, not just in fantasy but among all literature. I've read all of them outside  of the Broach and Bauchelain novellas.

I'm not sure either Forge or Dancer's Lament really work as entry points into the world, since they rely on a lot of elements from the Book of the Fallen series.

I enjoyed both Kharkanas books, though they do tend to grind too much for their own good. Prazek and Dathenar would sometimes really get on my nerves

When it comes to the philosophy, I think it's a mixed bag. There are a lot of great discussions that do take place, but Erikson tends to go for the verbose approach, where he will muse upon anything that crosses his mind, regardless of whether it fits into the narrative. I prefer Bakker's more economical approach with an emphasis on tackling specific points, even if it is of a smaller scope.

Either ways, an excellent universe, well worth the time needed to soak it all in.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Old Gnostic Fool on November 01, 2017, 06:50:07 am
Kharkanas has been put on hold.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Madness on November 04, 2017, 03:56:35 pm
Erikson's foray into author outreach is going well. Excited to see what else comes from that new portion of his network.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: MSJ on November 16, 2017, 02:03:59 am
(click to show/hide)


Mod Edit: Added spoiler tags upon request.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Redeagl on November 16, 2017, 11:37:01 am
(click to show/hide)


Mod Edit: Added spoiler tags upon request.
MSJ. The "S" stands for "spoiler" :P.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: MSJ on November 16, 2017, 01:11:28 pm
Oh, that's not even a spoiler, geez Louise! You want some real ones?
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Redeagl on November 16, 2017, 06:12:27 pm
Oh, that's not even a spoiler, geez Louise! You want some real ones?
I know it's not a spoiler, just messing with you ;)
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on November 16, 2017, 06:14:45 pm
lol :)
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Madness on November 18, 2017, 04:52:28 pm
Well... arguably, even though I know pretty much everything that happens in general, I technically didn't know that that character would survive Erikson's ten books.

Just sayin' ;). Not that I personally care.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Madness on February 23, 2018, 03:06:54 pm
So...

If I were to be having a recorded conversation with Erikson, what would SA Malazan fans like to hear him speak on ;)?
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on February 27, 2018, 01:08:23 pm
I can barely come up with questions to ask Bakker. I'm not sure I have anything specific I'd be interested in hearing Erikson speak on, but hearing him speak would be interesting.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Francis Buck on February 27, 2018, 07:38:24 pm
I enjoy reading about the worldbuilding and lore on wikis but for the life of me I cannot get into this series. Started reading the first book multiple times, each time got a little further but still just ended up losing interest. I even got the damn audiobook thinking I could listen to it while driving and stuff, but I can't stand the way the narrator does female (and certain male voices) where his main method of changing his voice...involves...speaking...very...SLOW...with a STRANGE...emphasis...on...RANDOM words...

Is it worth trying to start on the second book instead or something? This is basically the only major epic fantasy series I haven't read so I feel like I need to get through it principle.   
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on February 27, 2018, 08:36:47 pm
I'd say no. The books are all written by the same author(s). They all follow the same narrative and structure and the writing is consistent throughout. There's nothing in books 2-10+ that isn't in book 1. Erikson probably grew throughout his writing career, but he's still writing Erikson, if that makes sense. You might notice a difference in much later books in writing quality, but I don't read that closely.

FWIW, audiobooks are a terrible idea in this case. There is too much information and too many people to keep track of. Listening to Malazan detracts from the overall experience. Keep in mind, I love audiobooks, but sometimes the narrators and the books themselves don't work in audio format.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: MSJ on February 28, 2018, 08:52:41 am
FB, as Wilshire has said, all of MBoF (Erikson, Esselmont didn't write any of those, he wrote the companion books) follows the same pattern. The first, oh, 3/4 is mostly worldbuilding and the like with a little reveal or two sprinkled in. The last 1/4 of each book is action packed and makes the slog well worth it.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on February 28, 2018, 12:01:23 pm
I'd say closer to 2/3 and 1/3, but yeah absolutely.

I'd say read a full book. GOTM is the start, so start there, but you could do DG instead. Either way, if you're feeling like you're missing out, read one book front to back. Once you've done that, if you don't like it, there's no reason to read further.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Francis Buck on March 04, 2018, 05:00:42 am
Cool, thanks for the input dudes. I think I will get a paper copy (stunned silence) of the first one at some point and just slog through it since I've heard a lot about how the pay-off is strong (endings make or break most stories IMO so it's likely worth it in my case) and I am highly intrigued by the worldbuilding, and also the fact that Erickson is an anthropologist -- correct me if I'm wrong -- and a world designed by someone in that field is a prospect that sounds very promising. And for some reason, I have a higher likelihood of finishing physical books it seems, or at least ones that aren't grabbing me by the balls anyhow. 

FWIW, audiobooks are a terrible idea in this case. There is too much information and too many people to keep track of. Listening to Malazan detracts from the overall experience. Keep in mind, I love audiobooks, but sometimes the narrators and the books themselves don't work in audio format.

Yeah I'm quite new to the audiobook thing (dunno why I waited so long) but I'm interested in trying out some good fantasy or sci-fi with strong narration. Any suggestions?
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on March 05, 2018, 01:52:21 pm
Abercromie's The First Law trilogy ready by Steven Pacey is superb. IMO, the best audiobook recording I've ever heard - by far.

https://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/The-Blade-Itself-Audiobook/B014LL6R5U?ref=a_a_search_c3_lProduct_1_1&pf_rd_p=e81b7c27-6880-467a-b5a7-13cef5d729fe&pf_rd_r=YXVFG25CTWWKFT2VFR10&

Nothing out really stands out in my mind quit like those. I'm now to a point where I definitely recognize voices, but I don't typically look up names.

Spoilers to save space:
(click to show/hide)

Typically audiobooks where Authors read their own stuff tend to be mediocre. They don't tend to do a great job - they are writers afterall, not voice actors lol. As long as you're not expecting an amazing performance, it can be fun to hear the author read. Neuromancer has an edition like this.

Malazan, which I listened to all of them (except DG and MOI which I read), is not a good series for audiobooks. The reader(s) did a good job but the books are too complex for it.

One last thing I'll mention is that I like to listen to most books at 1.5x or even 2x speed, especially is the reader is very slow (like Scott Brick) and otherwise doing a mediocre job. Because of this, I don't like the audible app because it tends to Micky Mouse the voices when you speed it up. So I use a third party audiobook player because it handles speeding up better.

Really there's little you can do but check to see if the book you want to read is on audio and listen to it.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Madness on April 06, 2018, 02:11:29 am
So...

If I were to be having a recorded conversation with Erikson, what would SA Malazan fans like to hear him speak on ;)?

Erikson's marketer isn't "releasing" this until tomorrow on his official author facebook page but I needed to link it on Malazan Empire regardless so that there was a notes thread: Fireside Conversations with Steven Erikson (https://soundcloud.com/tsa-cast/erikson_final)/Notes (https://forum.malazanempire.com/topic/32376-ritual-dance-fire-possible-erikson-podcast/page__view__findpost__p__1324259).

Thought I'd share with the Bakker/Malazan fans here.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: mostly.harmless on April 06, 2018, 06:49:08 pm
So...

If I were to be having a recorded conversation with Erikson, what would SA Malazan fans like to hear him speak on ;)?

Erikson's marketer isn't "releasing" this until tomorrow on his official author facebook page but I needed to link it on Malazan Empire regardless so that there was a notes thread: Fireside Conversations with Steven Erikson (https://soundcloud.com/tsa-cast/erikson_final)/Notes (https://forum.malazanempire.com/topic/32376-ritual-dance-fire-possible-erikson-podcast/page__view__findpost__p__1324259).

Thought I'd share with the Bakker/Malazan fans here.
Thanks Madness, added to the queue!

Sent from mobile using Tapatalk

Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Madness on April 09, 2018, 11:18:36 pm
No problem, hope you enjoy.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: MSJ on September 19, 2018, 01:58:54 pm
Figured this the best place to post this. But, Erikson has just released a new sci-fi novel Rejoice, a Knife to the Heart.

Here's the link, http://thewertzone.blogspot.com/2018/09/rejoice-knife-to-heart-by-steven-erikson.html

ETA: not released, will be in October.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on September 19, 2018, 02:26:05 pm
Sounds very interesting. I liked Malazan quite a bit, I hope he's able to pivot to other series successfully. Specifically, jumping from fantasy to scifi, as I hope Bakker does this as well, and a successful Erikson might pave the way.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: themerchant on September 27, 2018, 09:43:35 pm
Yeah now i've been introduced to some really good books in the Sci-fi genre on here i;ll be picking it up as well.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Madness on September 28, 2018, 10:26:54 am
Having interviewed Erikson and talked about it and listened to his Books and More with Lenore podcast about Rejoice, I'm actually really looking forward to reading it.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: BeardFisher-King on December 19, 2018, 09:26:29 pm
A new Steven Erikson novel is out in hardcover. "Rejoice, A Knife In The Heart", a first-contact story. Looks interesting.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: mostly.harmless on December 19, 2018, 09:35:11 pm
A new Steven Erikson novel is out in hardcover. "Rejoice, A Knife In The Heart", a first-contact story. Looks interesting.
I went to a signing here London, UK when it came out a few weeks back.
Then quickly read it. I liked it a lot. It's not Malazan, it's not willfull child, but its own thing.
It's sci-fi set in today's world, not decades down the line, and that made me care more, I think.
The contemporary criticism is not subtle, but that doesn't make it less relevant.

Sent from my LYA-L09 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: MSJ on December 20, 2018, 12:52:10 am
Still haven't got to this, but I need to.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: BeardFisher-King on December 20, 2018, 03:47:59 am
Still haven't got to this, but I need to.

At least it's not 3.5 million freaking words...  ;)
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: MSJ on December 20, 2018, 06:01:52 am
Quote from:  BFK
At least it's not 3.5 million freaking words...

Sir, I've read those 3.5 million words. And, I can honestly say it was worth it. But yeah, at least not that huge of an investment.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on December 20, 2018, 01:06:36 pm
Rejoice is on my shortlist. Hoping for it to be one of my last books this year.

A new Steven Erikson novel is out in hardcover. "Rejoice, A Knife In The Heart", a first-contact story. Looks interesting.
I went to a signing here London, UK when it came out a few weeks back.
Then quickly read it. I liked it a lot. It's not Malazan, it's not willfull child, but its own thing.
It's sci-fi set in today's world, not decades down the line, and that made me care more, I think.
The contemporary criticism is not subtle, but that doesn't make it less relevant.

Sent from my LYA-L09 using Tapatalk


Jealous. I purchased one signed from Goldsboro - not the same as getting it signed though. Will probably sell it later.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: mostly.harmless on December 20, 2018, 01:16:16 pm
Rejoice is on my shortlist. Hoping for it to be one of my last books this year.

A new Steven Erikson novel is out in hardcover. "Rejoice, A Knife In The Heart", a first-contact story. Looks interesting.
I went to a signing here London, UK when it came out a few weeks back.
Then quickly read it. I liked it a lot. It's not Malazan, it's not willfull child, but its own thing.
It's sci-fi set in today's world, not decades down the line, and that made me care more, I think.
The contemporary criticism is not subtle, but that doesn't make it less relevant.

Sent from my LYA-L09 using Tapatalk


Jealous. I purchased one signed from Goldsboro - not the same as getting it signed though. Will probably sell it later.
Its the first signed book I have
One guy brought a whole duffel bag of all his Malazan books hah

Sent from my LYA-L09 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: Wilshire on December 20, 2018, 02:28:49 pm
Rejoice is on my shortlist. Hoping for it to be one of my last books this year.

A new Steven Erikson novel is out in hardcover. "Rejoice, A Knife In The Heart", a first-contact story. Looks interesting.
I went to a signing here London, UK when it came out a few weeks back.
Then quickly read it. I liked it a lot. It's not Malazan, it's not willfull child, but its own thing.
It's sci-fi set in today's world, not decades down the line, and that made me care more, I think.
The contemporary criticism is not subtle, but that doesn't make it less relevant.

Sent from my LYA-L09 using Tapatalk


Jealous. I purchased one signed from Goldsboro - not the same as getting it signed though. Will probably sell it later.
Its the first signed book I have
One guy brought a whole duffel bag of all his Malazan books hah

Sent from my LYA-L09 using Tapatalk


Well congrats!
The first time I saw Bakker, I brought TJE and WLW. The last time I brought like 2 copies of every TSA book. An uncorrected proof and a 1st/1st. You gotta take advantage of these things :D.
Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: mostly.harmless on December 20, 2018, 03:14:46 pm
Rejoice is on my shortlist. Hoping for it to be one of my last books this year.

A new Steven Erikson novel is out in hardcover. "Rejoice, A Knife In The Heart", a first-contact story. Looks interesting.
I went to a signing here London, UK when it came out a few weeks back.
Then quickly read it. I liked it a lot. It's not Malazan, it's not willfull child, but its own thing.
It's sci-fi set in today's world, not decades down the line, and that made me care more, I think.
The contemporary criticism is not subtle, but that doesn't make it less relevant.

Sent from my LYA-L09 using Tapatalk


Jealous. I purchased one signed from Goldsboro - not the same as getting it signed though. Will probably sell it later.
Its the first signed book I have
One guy brought a whole duffel bag of all his Malazan books hah

Sent from my LYA-L09 using Tapatalk


Well congrats!
The first time I saw Bakker, I brought TJE and WLW. The last time I brought like 2 copies of every TSA book. An uncorrected proof and a 1st/1st. You gotta take advantage of these things :D.
Yes, and now I know, I only brought Crippled God this time.
To be fair, if it was Bakker I'd have brought more :) these are the only two authors I'd go to these things for (since Banks is dead anyway..)

Sent from my LYA-L09 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: Steven Erikson (The 3.5 million word journey?)
Post by: mostly.harmless on December 20, 2018, 03:15:14 pm
Rejoice is on my shortlist. Hoping for it to be one of my last books this year.

A new Steven Erikson novel is out in hardcover. "Rejoice, A Knife In The Heart", a first-contact story. Looks interesting.
I went to a signing here London, UK when it came out a few weeks back.
Then quickly read it. I liked it a lot. It's not Malazan, it's not willfull child, but its own thing.
It's sci-fi set in today's world, not decades down the line, and that made me care more, I think.
The contemporary criticism is not subtle, but that doesn't make it less relevant.

Sent from my LYA-L09 using Tapatalk


Jealous. I purchased one signed from Goldsboro - not the same as getting it signed though. Will probably sell it later.
Its the first signed book I have
One guy brought a whole duffel bag of all his Malazan books hah

Sent from my LYA-L09 using Tapatalk


Well congrats!
The first time I saw Bakker, I brought TJE and WLW. The last time I brought like 2 copies of every TSA book. An uncorrected proof and a 1st/1st. You gotta take advantage of these things :D.
Also, jealous of that..

Sent from my LYA-L09 using Tapatalk