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
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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 God09/2016 - 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.