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I have been neglecting the topic of books I’ve been reading on this blog and I’m going to rectify that immediately. As of now, I will be making regular blog posts about the fiction and non-fiction books I have been reading.
Today I’m going to talk about the most magnificent fantasy series ever written.
I said most “magnificent.” I didn’t say “overall best.” Lord of the Rings probably still holds the title of overall best fantasy series ever written. However, the series I’m going to talk about today, in terms of sheer magnificence, blows Lord of the Rings away. It’s blows away Game of Thrones too. While it’s not perfect, it’s blows away everything else in terms of scope, complexity, detail, and skill. No other fantasy series comes close.
This is Steven Erickson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen series. It is unlike any other series you have ever read. It is also likely more difficult than any other series you’ve read. But if you can slog through the difficult parts, you’re in for a once-in-a-lifetime treat.
Malazan Book of the Fallen is a series of ten very thick (~1000 pages each) books. I list the book titles at the end of this article. I am only halfway through the fourth book, and already it’s an experience I haven’t had since reading Lord of the Rings. I have also been extensively reading bits and pieces at the Malazan Wiki, which is almost required reading if you read this series, as I’ll explain in a few minutes.
The Malazan series covers hundreds of characters, spans an entire planet, multiple continents, several different historical eras, scores of different cultures and nations, and many different races, none of which are the standard human-elf-dwarf-halfling races that most fantasy readers are accustomed to. No, everything in Malazan is 100% unique, and that’s one of the many reasons its so amazing. On top of that, there are multiple worlds (called “warrens”), a huge pantheon of gods that are actual characters in the stories, and a massively rich history that dwarfs anything ever written by Tolkien. If you’ve read Tolkien extensively you know that’s saying a lot.
Erickson is an anthropologist and archaeologist, and man, does it show. Every item, every culture, every race, every character is rich and detailed. He doesn’t say “he took a swig”, he says, “he took a swig from an iron mug” or “she laid the map on a sheepskin cloth.” The cultures are so intricately described, it’s like you’re reading something real, or historical, rather than fantasy. It’s crazy good.
Malazan is a very adult tale. There is serious violence, gore, rape, weird sexual stuff, just like in Game of Thrones, if not more so. There are times this makes it hard to read. At the same time, unlike Game of Thrones, Malazan is extreme fantasy. Game of Thrones has almost no fantasy elements and mostly reads like medieval or historical fiction, which is one of the reasons I’m not a big George R.R. Martin fan. But Malazan is jam-packed full of action, sorcery, monsters, dragons, gods, magical weapons, floating mountains, cybernetic undead lizards (yes you read that right), giants, entire oceans teleported in from other worlds, wizards, demons, shapeshifters, swords with entire pocket dimensions within them, and on and on. It’s fantasy, but presented in an ultracomplex, very adult manner. Its exactly what I had been seeking for a long time.
Main and important characters get brutalized, maimed, and often killed, which is great. You won’t find comic book-like unkillable heroes here. Main characters are also flawed, sometimes downright terrible. Often you will be shocked at what happens to the characters you read, and equally shocked at what they do, or how they change.
Unlike so many other fantasy series (like Wheel of Time and Game of Thrones), the Malazan books actually have a plot that actually moves forward. Every book in the series is a self-contained story with a beginning, middle, and climatic end. Yet all the books weave a greater tale. After reading so many damn books with great writing yet horrible plotting (George R.R. Martin again!) this is such a welcome change.
So if it’s so great, what’s the problem with it? Why isn’t it the “best?”
It’s because Erickson doesn’t believe in exposition. That means he pretty much doesn’t explain anything. As soon as you start reading the first book (Gardens of the Moon) he starts right in with the story as if you already know everything, which of course you don’t. It’s hugely confusing, and you seriously have to read about 400 pages before you more or less understand what the hell is going on. That’s tough. Erickson doesn’t even start explaining things in the usual manner until around the fourth book in the series…that’s almost 4000 pages in.
Why the hell does he do this? It’s just his weird style. He’s been quoted as saying he well understands he will “lose many readers within the first 100 pages” because of this bizarre writing style. This is true. The Malazan books are not for everyone. Many, if not most people who try to read Malazan will eventually be tossing the books in disgust because they’re too damn complicated and because they don’t explain anything soon enough.
It’s a problem, and I agree it’s a huge flaw. However, if you enjoy huge, complicated stories like I do, and you have the fortitude to stick through many pages of stuff you don’t understand yet, the rewards are worth it. By the time you hit the third or fourth book you’ll be hitting a stride where you more or less get everything and really enjoy it.
I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy the first book; I did. It’s one of my favorite books in the series. I’m saying it was a slog to get through the first half.
You’ll also have to keep your smartphone handy so you can look up names of characters you forgot at the Malazan Wiki. Just be careful not to read too far or else you’ll see spoilers.
So if you love vast, complicated fantasy stories, I can’t recommend Malazan Book of the Fallen enough. Just be prepared to put in the work.
Below is a list of the ten Malazan novels in the series, listed in order. (There is another series set in the same world written by Erickson’s partner, Ian C. Esslemont, but my understanding is they aren’t nearly as good.)
Malazan Book of the Fallen series by Steven Erickson
Gardens of the Moon
Deadhouse Gates
Memories of Ice
House of Chains
Midnight Tides
The Bonehunters
Reaper’s Gale
Toll the Hounds
Dust of Dreams
The Crippled God
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Tom
Posted at 06:45 pm, 27th October 2014Interesting, I’ll have to take a look into it after I finish reading The Dark Tower series by Stephen King. This looks like it will be fun and another jump back into a multiverse setting. Have you read any King? Especially the Dark Tower series and the tie in novels?
Caleb Jones
Posted at 09:09 pm, 29th October 2014I’ve read Eye of the Dragon and thought it was okay. I have never read any other Steven King novels (including Dark Tower) because the guy doesn’t know how to write a coherent ending, which is something I really need. I like stories to be wrapped up nicely. (Which is why I somewhat dislike Game of Thrones despite its well-written characters.)
That being said, yeah, I will be reading the Dark Tower series at some point.
Pyro
Posted at 06:58 pm, 1st November 2014You should post this to Reddit.com/r/malazan
Snow
Posted at 07:10 pm, 20th November 2014Yeah. Started reading this book on a recommendation and the first 50 to 100 pages were rough. Spent an hour looking at the WikiMalazan to get a reference.
Now I can’t stop reading it!
Scott
Posted at 10:33 am, 7th September 2015The quality of “in media res” was what drew me in and kept me reading this, imo, masterpiece. Surprise me, keep me guessing where the plot is going, introduce new elements, and offer different viewpoints of the same incident. That was revolutionary to me. This is the best fantasy I have read over 35 years of being a fan of the genre, for that and many other reasons.
Two points: 1) Obviously, I don’t think Erikson’s use of this style (dropping into the middle of the story, minimum exposition to begin with) is a flaw. On the contrary, refreshing! Let the other clones give you the backstory in heaping platefuls; I enjoy finding out as I go along with the story.
2) As for the complaints of the “last” book, it may take a while after finishing for all the nuances about the entire series to really coalesce. For this, I highly recommend visiting the malazanempire.com website, as well as for any other queries about the books. Very knowledgeable members of both (yes, both) series have guided many readers through numerous plotlines.
Caleb Jones
Posted at 08:01 pm, 7th September 2015Agree. I’ve just started the ninth book. This stuff rivals Tolkien; and in some ways surpasses him. I still can’t believe how good it is.
Granted though, it’s not perfect. Erikson spends way too much time focusing on everyone’s psychological internal dialog. He really needs to cut that down. Way down. But other than that, it’s perfection.
Gil Galad
Posted at 11:36 am, 12th April 2016How much time do you devote to reading fiction without it interfering with work, especially big captivating books ? I used to be a Tolkien addict and read much of what he (and his son Christopher) wrote, and I’m afraid of being disappointed if I try a new saga, like GoT or Malazan. It says on your blog that you’re reading the last book (The Crippled God), do you still recommend the series ?
Caleb Jones
Posted at 12:34 pm, 12th April 201630-60 minutes per night, plus audiobooks whenever I drive (and often when I fly), plus a little more reading on mini-vacations. It’s plenty of time, but with big books it can take a while.
Gotta read the first book in the series to try it out! No one says you need to read all 10 books or whatever.
Yeah it’s taking me forever. Most of the book sucked, and it’s long.
Yes I do. Better than Tolkien, though with 10 books some aren’t as good as the others.
Gil Galad
Posted at 12:49 pm, 12th April 2016Thanks for the reply. 30-60 minutes per night, that’s pretty good for a busy guy, I need to rethink the way I manage my time.
Caleb Jones
Posted at 01:12 pm, 12th April 2016To be fair, that’s 30-60 minutes 4-5 nights a week, not every night.
And audiobooks really help. Sign up for Audible and go crazy.