# The Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson



## Werthead (May 12, 2018)

*Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson*



> On the continent of Genabackis the Malazan army lays siege to the city of Pale, which sits under the protection of Anomander Rake, Lord of the Tiste Andii. As the final battle begins, the elite Malazan unit known as the Bridgeburners and several High Mages suffer a calamitous betrayal. Their next mission takes them to Darujhistan, City of Blue Fire, where an even more dangerous showdown awaits...
> 
> Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen began unfolding back in 1999 with this divisive novel. Strongly hailed by authors from Stephen Donaldson to J.V. Jones as an important, breakthrough work and found utterly baffling by others, Gardens of the Moon has acquired a bit of a reputation over the years as a hard book to get into.
> 
> ...


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## biodroid (May 13, 2018)

I need to re-read the first 2 books and get back into the series.


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## nixie (May 13, 2018)

No secret I'm a massive fan of the series, I never had issues with GOTM enjoyed the fast moving pace.
@biodroid I recommend reading the first three before deciding if it's for you.

Memories of Ice blew me away.


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## biodroid (May 13, 2018)

@nixie thanks will have a go again


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## BAYLOR (May 13, 2018)

nixie said:


> No secret I'm a massive fan of the series, I never had issues with GOTM enjoyed the fast moving pace.
> @biodroid I recommend reading the first three before deciding if it's for you.
> 
> Memories of Ice blew me away.



The battle scenes in his books are so intense that , when Im though reading them, im tired because it feels like ive been doing  fight ing myself.  That's how good those actions sequences in his books are .  Erickson put's you in the action , he's that good a writer.


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## Bugg (May 14, 2018)

nixie said:


> I never had issues with GOTM enjoyed the fast moving pace.



Same here, I loved it from the start - from the very first line, in fact - with the added bonus that it reveals hidden depths when re-reading it after reading the rest of the series, almost like it's a different book.


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## Luiglin (May 14, 2018)

I read the first book on release and didn't bother with the ones that followed. The whole thing came over as a disjointed mess to the point where I couldn't be sure if it was a combined tale or a series of unrelated short stories lumped together.


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## The Big Peat (May 16, 2018)

Luiglin said:


> I read the first book on release and didn't bother with the ones that followed. The whole thing came over as a disjointed mess to the point where I couldn't be sure if it was a combined tale or a series of unrelated short stories lumped together.



I think it originally started as a screenplay.

I keep meaning to try the second book in the series and see whether that grabs me.


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## Luiglin (May 16, 2018)

The Big Peat said:


> I think it originally started as a screenplay.
> 
> I keep meaning to try the second book in the series and see whether that grabs me.



There were moments that I enjoyed but on finishing I didn't have the urge to get the next volume.


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## Anthoney (May 16, 2018)

Luiglin said:


> The whole thing came over as a disjointed mess to the point where I couldn't be sure if it was a combined tale or a series of unrelated short stories lumped together.




The first book in this series is the only book in decades (maybe ever) I have started twice and didn't finish.  I hate that there's a fantasy series out there that so well recognized and I haven't read it.  I pretty much read 2 books a week and rarely have trouble getting into any book.


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## Werthead (May 21, 2018)

Worth noting that Book 2 starts on a completely different continent with a completely different cast of characters with a completely new storyline. It was written 10 years after Book 1 and is a much better, stronger book. You can read it independently of Book 1, and I often urge people to do so.


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## svalbard (May 25, 2018)

Werthead said:


> Worth noting that Book 2 starts on a completely different continent with a completely different cast of characters with a completely new storyline. It was written 10 years after Book 1 and is a much better, stronger book. You can read it independently of Book 1, and I often urge people to do so.



It can be read independently however GOTM gives you a grounding in the politics of the Malazan Empire and there are allusions to the first book with a carry over a couple of characters. I did have fun identifying one of them. Book 2 is possibly my favourite of the series.


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## Werthead (Jul 23, 2018)

*Deadhouse Gates by Steven Erikson*



> Madmen, seers and witches proclaim the coming of the Whirlwind, a rebellion of unprecedented ferocity, a scourge that will wipe the subcontinent of Seven Cities clean of the pestilence of the Malazan Empire. The rulers of the Empire pay no heed, denuding the occupied territories of troops to reinforce the faltering campaign in Genabackis. From that continent comes an assassin, a thief and a former plaything of a shadowy god, who are the unwitting harbingers of the prophecy, and from the east comes a broken women and a shattered priest, who will defy it. As the Whirlwind is unleashed, the Malazan Seventh Army is given an impossible mission: to escort thirty thousand civilian refugees from Hissar to Aren, more than a thousand miles, facing constant attack all the way. This is a task that no ordinary human can handle, only a legend.
> 
> Deadhouse Gates is the second novel in the Malazan Book of the Fallen, succeeding (but not a direct sequel to) Gardens of the Moon. Deadhouse Gates relocates the action to the continent of Seven Cities with an almost entirely new cast of characters and a whole new storyline. Although having read Gardens of the Moon will be a help in reading this book, it is not necessary and it is indeed not unknown for readers to be directed to Deadhouse Gates as their first Malazan novel. This unusual recommendation has a solid rationale: Gardens of the Moon is a fine novel, but one that has to overcome a confused and somewhat incoherent opening before it starts to make sense. In contrast, Deadhouse Gates ranks comfortably as one of the single greatest works of epic fantasy ever written.
> 
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## Werthead (Aug 5, 2018)

*Memories of Ice by Steven Erikson*



> A dark shadow has fallen across eastern Genabackis: the Pannion Domin, an empire of madness and death whose coming has been heralded by poison and chaos in the warrens of sorcery. The Domin's armies are now marching against the small city-state of Capustan, defended by an army of doubtful skill and the Grey Swords of Elingarth, a religious order of soldiers. Aware of this threat, the outlawed Malazan 5th Army - Onearm's Host - has allied with their former enemies: Caladan Brood's mercenaries, the Rhivi tribes, the Tiste Andii of Moon's Spawn and the city-state of Darujhistan. Their goal is to relieve Capustan and destroy the Pannion Domin. From the south comes another force, the punitive army of the Seguleh (consisting of an unprecedented three of the greatest warriors in the world). But the Pannion Domin is no mere mortal empire and three impossibly ancient, terrifying forces have joined together to spread its evil across the world, an evil which will challenge all that face it.
> 
> Memories of Ice is the third novel in Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen, returning the action to the continent of Genabackis, the setting of the first novel in the series, Gardens of the Moon and taking place simultaneously alongside the second, Deadhouse Gates. Memories of Ice is a direct sequel to Gardens of the Moon, so whilst is possible to start reading the Malazan series with Deadhouse Gates, it is not really possible to do so with Memories.
> 
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## Werthead (Aug 21, 2018)

*House of Chains by Steven Erikson*



> North Genabackis. Karsa Orlong of the Teblor tribe sets out on a raid that will go down in infamy among his people and their neighbours. He plans to carve his name in blood and chaos across the north, and succeeds far beyond his original aims. But Karsa's journey also opens his eyes to a world that is far stranger than what he thought it would be.
> 
> Months later, the Malazan 14th Army arrives in Seven Cities to crush the rebellion known as the Whirlwind. Newly-appointed Adjunct Tavore Paran is untested, and so are most of her troops. Only a few key veterans can be found to hold the force together. Ranged against them are veterans of years of raiding and war, the Dogslayers and the formidable sorcery of the Whirlwind Goddess herself. The seeress Sha'ik's victory appears inevitable, but internal divisions threaten to tear her army apart. As the 14th Army marches on the Holy Desert, the Seeress chooses to wait. Elsewhere, a new threat has arisen: strange ships bearing powerful warriors sailing out of the western seas, seeking the Throne of Shadow on remote Drift Avalii. The god known as Cotillion seeks champions to defend the Throne, whilst one of those strange warriors - the disgraced Trull Sengar - turns traitor to redeem his honour, and that of his entire race.
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## picklematrix (Aug 22, 2018)

Ive been unsure weather start this or WOT. im leaning towards this at the moment. Its been a while since i read a long epic fantasy series.


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## vanye (Sep 23, 2018)

I read the first four books of the series and was completely blown away. However, then I ran afoul of the writing-gap and knew that I did not want to re-read each and every book every time another one came out - having had a (very disappointing) bellyful of that with the WoT.

So I am in the lucky position that there is a massive series out there that I know I love - and I still get to read most of it for the first time. Gotta savour that for awhile!

Is there a recommended sequence of the books (mix the Esslemonts in between or read them afterwards?).


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## nixie (Sep 23, 2018)

I'm waiting for the third book in Esslemont's prequel series  to the Malazan series, once the series is complete I'm going for an epic re-read of all the books. I will closely study the time line and read each in chronographical order.


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## Lenny (Sep 24, 2018)

vanye said:


> Is there a recommended sequence of the books (mix the Esslemonts in between or read them afterwards?).



It's probably not surprising that the authors recommend the published order.

You'll find that a lot of fan forums tend to recommend a mixed order, that is pretty close to published order:

*Gardens of the Moon
Deadhouse Gates
Memories of Ice
House of Chains
Midnight Tides
Night of Knives
The Bonehunters
Return of the Crimson Guard
Reaper's Gale
Stonewielder
Toll the Hounds
Orb Sceptre Throne
Dust of Dreams
The Crippled God
Blood and Bone
Assail*

I have vague memories of this being Werthead's preferred order, and it's close to how I read them (though I maybe got a bit out with the later few, as I read as they were published).

There's also a roughly sequential order: The Malazan Authors’ Suggested Reading Order for the Series Is Not What You Would Expect Not quite as hardcore as Nixie might end up going (a proper chronological order will involve having a few books on the go at once, sometimes swapping between after a single chapter), but it keeps the timeline fairly straight.

---

A nice overview of the different approaches:
Suggested reading order


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## vanye (Sep 24, 2018)

Thanks @Lenny


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## Werthead (Nov 17, 2018)

*Midnight Tides by Steven Erikson*



> The expansionist Kingdom of Lether has subdued most of the rival kingdoms and tribes on its continent, establishing a hegemony built on notions of debt and service in the name of the king. Its eye now turns to the northern frontier, where the six tribes of the Tiste Edur have recently been united by the Warlock King of the Hiroth. A delegation sets forth to discuss peace and trade, but the true motives of the kingdom are baser. The Warlock King, aware of the growing threat, sends forth the Sengar brothers on a mission to recover a powerful item for him. When the wrong person finds the item, a sorcerous sword of alien origin, it changes the fate of a continent...and the world.
> 
> Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen fantasy sequence is one that continuously delights in wrong-footing the reader. All of the tropes of established fantasy are here, with powerful empires, great battles, impressive magic and monstrous creatures in spades, but there's also intelligent musings on human nature, philosophical asides on the weirdness of existence and thematic explorations of ideas ranging from colonisation to capitalism and family.
> 
> ...


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## Werthead (Jan 3, 2019)

*Night of Knives by Ian Cameron Esslemont*



> The Malazan Empire is expanding in all directions, consolidating its control of the Seven Cities subcontinent whilst its armies fight a grinding war of attrition on Genabackis against the Crimson Guard and their allies and an ugly stalemate develops on the continent of Korelri. The Empire's expansion has carried the glory and centre of attention away from the place where it was founded, the island of Malaz located off the coast of the Quon Tali continent. The empire was born on Malaz Island, but the empire has grown up and moved out of home. Yet, on the night of a mysterious convergence known as the Shadow Moon, this backwater city once again becomes the centre of attention...
> 
> _Night of Knives_ was the first novel written by Ian Cameron Esslemont, set in the world he had co-created with his friend Steven Erikson for roleplaying. The original draft of the novel was written in 1987 but it wouldn't be published (somewhat revised) until 2004, when Erikson was already five books deep into his *Malazan Book of the Fallen *series. _Night of Knives_ is therefore an odd book, with a different author's viewpoint on a complex fantasy setting. It also kicks off Esslemont's own six-volume *Malazan Empire* series and acts as a prequel to the entire saga, telling the story of the ill-fated night of the Shadow Moon and what happened to Kellanved and Dancer.
> 
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## Werthead (Feb 20, 2019)

*The Bonehunters by Steven Erikson*



> The rebellion known as the Whirlwind has been defeated and now its last army is fleeing to the storied city of Y'Ghatan. The Malazan 14th Army, the Bonehunters, is in hot pursuit, keen to eradicate the last vestiges of rebellion on Seven Cities. But fate, the gods and the crafty general known as Leoman of the Flails have other ideas. Elsewhere, black ships from beyond the western oceans have set events are in motion that will engulf the greatest warriors in the world, Karsa Orlong of the Teblor and Icarium Lifestealer among them, and will see the Master of the Deck, Ganoes Paran, reluctantly take a direct hand in events.
> 
> Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen series is initially made up of three interlocking story arcs: events on Genabackis, events on Seven Cities and events on the continent of Lether. For the first five books these story arcs have been broadly kept separate, but the sixth volume is when they decisively collide with one another. To put it another way, if Malazan was the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this is the first Avengers movie where you get to see characters from all the previous sub-series meet up and rub shoulders with one another.
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## Werthead (Mar 6, 2019)

*Kellanved's Reach by Ian Esslemont*



> The enigmatic sorcerer Kellanved has seized control of Malaz Island. His cohort and ally Surly plots the conquest of her homeland, the Napan Isles. Meanwhile, the mainland of Quon Tali is wracked by war and civil war. Purge and Tali are locked in incessant conflict in the west, whilst to the east the Bloorian League is trying to crush the city of Gris. Conflict stalks the world but great changes are coming in the warrens as well, as Kellanved seeks the Throne of Shadow and also the First Throne of the T'lan Imass, the Army of Dust and Bone...
> 
> _Kellanved's Reach_ is the third novel in Ian Esslemont's *Path to Ascendancy* series, which acts as a prequel to both the *Malazan Book of the Fallen* sequence by Steven Erikson and Esslemont's own earlier *Malazan Empire* series. Following on from _Dancer's Lament_ and _Deadhouse Landing_, this book continues the story of Kellanved and Dancer, the founders of the Malazan Empire.
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## Werthead (Jun 11, 2021)

*Witness #1: The God is Not Willing*



> More than a decade of peace has passed since the fall of the Crippled God. The Malazan Empire, once an ever-expanding nation, has secured its borders and set about bringing stability and order to its holdings. One of the furthest-flung of its outposts is Silver Lake, an isolated town in the far north of Genabackis, still reeling from the events of many years earlier, when three Teblor descended from the mountains and brought chaos with them.
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> The 2nd Company of the Malazan XIVth Legion - reduced to just three squads and eighteen soldiers - is bound for Silver Lake to reinforce the garrison there. To augment its strength, it has hired the very mercenary company they were recently fighting against, a practical measure that neither side likes very much. With redoubtable allies, the Malazans have to hold Silver Lake against an implacable foe. For the Teblor of the mountains, tiring of waiting for their Shattered God - Karsa Orlong - to return to them and motivated by a growing threat to the north, have made a decision to migrate south to seek out their reluctant deity. What else are a people to do, when their god is not willing?
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## nixie (Jun 12, 2021)

@Werthead thank you, I wasn't aware Erikson had stepped back into the Malazan world. I'm very much a fan of his humour, now to go and pre order.


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## svalbard (Jun 13, 2021)

Have my copy on pre order. July suddenly looks like a great month.


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## nixie (Jun 13, 2021)

svalbard said:


> Have my copy on pre order. July suddenly looks like a great month.


Snap.


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