Talk to me about Malazan Book of the Fallen series

[sozme]

The Malazan Book of the Fallen series by Steven Erikson. What are your general thoughts on this?

As I head toward the end of the latest installation of ASOF&I series, I find myself interesting in reading more in the genre.

 

[Ice fyre]

I am, I think, three books in.

Overall, they are hard reading.

I love his writing and the people and places he writes about are wonderful, the magic system he developed for his world feels unique, I dont know of any other book with a system like it.

My Quibble is that I dont remmber him descibing certain things, maybe I need to read them again but, I just couldnt see what the great fortress looked like (the Floating mountain Sorry its been a while) and the Jaghut (I think thats what they were called) the predecesor races to the Humans in this world.

Loved the plots, loved the setting but find it difficult to read.

 

[Grunkins]

I would say they are essential genre reading, but I wouldn't read them until you're fairly well read within the genre. MBotF is fantasy cranked up to 11. I think it's probably best to have a decent grounding of genre reading under you before you tackle it.

 

[Timba]

I would say they are essential genre reading, but I wouldn't read them until you're fairly well read within the genre. MBotF is fantasy cranked up to 11. I think it's probably best to have a decent grounding of genre reading under you before you tackle it.

Totally agree with what Grunkins says here. You might be interested in MS&T by Tad Williams or any of many, many others before you try and tackle this.

 

[biodroid]

I read the first 2 and still dont get the hype of this series. None of the characters i could relate to. No background info for certain situations was given, you were just dumped into a world where you dont know whats going on with no explanation. I just couldnt visualise much in the books. I dont think I would read the rest.

 

[sozme]

I would say they are essential genre reading, but I wouldn't read them until you're fairly well read within the genre. MBotF is fantasy cranked up to 11. I think it's probably best to have a decent grounding of genre reading under you before you tackle it.

Totally agree with what Grunkins says here. You might be interested in MS&T by Tad Williams or any of many, many others before you try and tackle this.

So what exactly is the issue here? Why are they difficult? Is it because you have to have the vocabulary or what?

 

[Grunkins]

Erikson throws you into the deep end and makes you swim. You'll have questions in the first book that won't get answered until the 7th book. He'll give you zero explanations for anything - there's hardly an infodump anywhere in the series. The story itself if huge and sprawling and at times very complex and convoluted. The cast of characters is enormous. And the first book of the series is by far the weakest of the series, making many readers stop before they ever got going.

But those aren't reasons why I recommend reading widely within the genre before tackling MBotF. The main reason is so you really know what a special thing you are taking part in when you eventually do read it. So you really get an idea of the accomplishment Erikson achieved in writing this amazing series. So you fully appreciate what a departure from the tropes and standards it is. To give you a good perspective from which to judge the series.

And aside from being a ass-kicking fantasy series it's also a deconstruction of fantasy as a genre (though Erikson may disagree and say it is a meta-fiction). Without the grounding of having read widely in the genre most of that would be lost on you.

 

[Rafellin]

I read the first 2 and still dont get the hype of this series. None of the characters i could relate to.

I looked forward to the first book of this series but found it hard work and ultimately tedious. Reminded me of Gene Wolfe's early stuff, and along with Stephen Donaldson's work, it has been placed, with regret, in the file of authors whose work I (still) feel I should like but just cannot get on with.

 

[Heather Myst]

Even though I am not a fan of the series I would suggest checking it out just because the people who are fans of the series seem to love it.

 

[GOLLUM]

I'm a big fan of the series.

I've read a lot of Epic fantasy from Tolkien to Zelazny to LeGuin to Donaldson to Martin and most other authors between and its my personal favourite.

I agree it's not a series someone who has read little in the Genre or this specific area should begin with and it's clearly not going to be everyone's cup of tea. I like being challenged by texts (including stream of consciousness and so-called experimental texts) in various ways as long as they are well written. It's probably the masochistic side of me breaking through...

 

[mistri]

I've read a lot of challenging books but struggled to enjoy these though I know they are well thought-of. They are well written, but I get relatively little time to read - on trains, maybe when my kid is napping, late at night if I push myself. If I had hours at a time to read them I feel like I could hold it all together in my head better. I prefer answers within a book rather than seven later when the chances are I won't remember the finer details

 

[Alexander Lesnoy]

Really deep, dark, murky and confusing. Somewhere to get lost. But then the proverbial lightbulb flashes above your head, and you suddenly realise the extent of the genius you have just read. Stick with it.

 

[Lord Soth]

My favourite ever book series (not too enamoured with his latest one however). Don't expect to understand what is really going on until half way through the book, don't expect to be able to follow all the plot threads either.

Its an immense and unforgiving experience, but a wonderful and satisfying one as long as you don't need all the answers spoon fed to you (or even answered at all in some cases!)

If you manage to make it 3-4 books in it will have you in its grasp and not let go, and when you finally finish the series you will want to plan a re-read for the future to catch all the things you missed first time around... and then a third, fourth

 

[Grunkins]

And as you are reading, fight the temptation to google things. Accidental spoilers suck!