Is this author the author for me?

[Mayhs]

Hey all,

just started reading GRRM and after that i want to move on to another good author...i also want magic, as GRRM lacks it, but i want the beautiful decription and characters/plots, so is this the author for me?...and whats his best series?

also what type of magic do the books contain?

also whats his 1st book?

Thnx
Mayhs

 

[Rane Longfox]

Re: is this autor the author for me?

The magic in Erikson's books is via things called "Warrens", which are a channel for magic, and can also be used to travel through, they shorten journeys considerably.
There is also a lot of tribal magic and such. All in all, the magic is one of Erikson's strong points
The first book in the "Malazan Book of the Fallen" series is "Gardens of the Moon". Malazan is the only fantasy series Erikson has written, though he has previously published under his real name, Steve Lundin. In the "Bibliographie - Steven Erikson" thread, there is a full list of his published (and still to be published) books and novellas.


Erikson is constantly compared to Martin, as there are the two leading traditional fantasy writers around at the moment by a long shot, but in reality they are very different writers. "Gardens" does put a few people off Erikson, becuase it is not the best written of books if you need to know whats going on in books that you read. My advice to you would be just let any confusion wash over you, and enjoy the books. It'll all be explained in good time

 

[Brys]

Hey all,

just started reading GRRM and after that i want to move on to another good author...i also want magic, as GRRM lacks it, but i want the beautiful decription and characters/plots, so is this the author for me?...and whats his best series?

also what type of magic do the books contain?

also whats his 1st book?

Thnx
Mayhs

The Malazan books are much more plot based than Martin's, with less of a focus on characterisation. Erikson's worldbuilding IMO is far superior to Martin's, so I prefer him. Erikson's a harder read than Martin, because he has a lot more complicated and convoluted plots. There is a significant amount of magic, and it's done pretty originally.
Gardens of the Moon is his first book. The best way I can describe the Malazan series is a historical fiction of a made up world. It reads more like that than a fantasy, but there are still lots of fantasy elements. (It's not a historical fantasy, but it reads like it could be because Erikson's experience in anthropology allows him to make an incredibly realistic world - excluding the magic and made up races, of course). I suggest that you at least try Gardens of the Moon. If you really hate it, then give up. If you like it a bit, but aren't hugely impressed, carry on, because that is what almost every Erikson fan says.

 

[Mayhs]

thnx for the replies so just to clarify, is there magic like in Raymond E. Feist or magic like Baldurs Gate 2(if any of you know the game) or is it just rural magic?

 

[Winters_Sorrow]

Is it just me or has there been a few posts removed from this one?

I can't think of anything offensive which was on them??

 

[Rane Longfox]

Were there? Weird...


What is "rural" magic? I dunno. The system is unlike anything else I have read... but then, I haven't read a whole load of epic fantasy apart from Erikson and Martin...

 

[Winters_Sorrow]

rural magic - guessing herbology?

both Malazan & GRRM (much later) have 'proper' fantastical magic rather than early 'science' if you like

 

[Mayhs]

i mean can they cast amazing spells? and manipulate the weather...like they do in raymond e. feist or in david eddings?

 

[red_temple]

There's definitely earth-shattering type magic in Malazan - it starts early and you get heavy doses throughout. I have not seen that type of magic in GRRM's series yet, and I seriously doubt we will anytime soon. But GRRM's magic does seem to get kicked up a notch with each new novel, so by the time we reach the end of the series, I'm sure we'll be in for some serious fireworks!

 

[Rane Longfox]

Well, they can kind of do anything to be honest We haven't seen many limits to what the magic in Erikson's world can do. For example, one guy has convered an entire continent in ice. Though he was pretty powerful

 

[Mayhs]

what else have they done?

 

[hodor]

True that Erikson's books are a harder read but at the same time they were more interesting and I looked forward to reading them even more so than GRRM's books. It took me nearly 4x the amount of time to get through an Erikson book than a GRRM book but that is a plus for me. I am now on book five of Malazan and rate Erikson at the same level as Martin, or I you prefer Martin at the same level as Erikson; however, I do not feel that these two authors can be compared as their styles and content are not even close to each other. All fantasy lovers will fall deep into both authors true, however, what one lacks the other has... IMO.

 

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy]

Erikson's vision deals more with continents, empires and races than individual people - you will not find the richness of individual characterisation and development that Martin fans love in the Malazan books. Having said that, the world in the Malazan books is far more extensive and richly realised than Martin's. The magic is all-pervasive, and very powerful. There are a wealth of non-human races and gods to make matters more complex.

Let me put it this way - as intelligent, original epic fantasy, the Malazan books may appeal to the Martin fan, but given the differing emphases, it is conceivable they will not work for every Martin fan. The first book, Gardens of the Moon, is frequently a stumbling-block for the Malazan neophyte, so I'd suggest breaking the sequence and trying Book2, Deadhouse Gates first, as that is a more powerful story. If that works for you, these may well be books you'll enjoy.

 

[Brys]

thnx for the replies so just to clarify, is there magic like in Raymond E. Feist or magic like Baldurs Gate 2(if any of you know the game) or is it just rural magic?

Its hard to compare the two, because they use completely different systems of magic, but in the amount used and its effects, it probably is quite similar to Feist's - ie used to do a lot of damage, but as caladanbrood said, it's quite a bit more powerful.

 

[Mayhs]

thnx Brys and other posters...just what i wanted to know

i guess ill finish reading GRRM and hop onto this guys work...i want some magic

 

[Rosemary]

thnx Brys and other posters...just what i wanted to know

i guess ill finish reading GRRM and hop onto this guys work...i want some magic

I like magic as well Mayhs! Bring on the wizards and mages I say!

Strange though, I have enjoyed reading GRRM's books more than the Malazan books (so far). I didn't think that GRRM's books had that much magic in them to be honest and yet I had trouble putting the books down.
Although I must admit I have only read the first two books of the Malazan series, IMHO I found that there was very little magic in them either, just the occasional bit here and there. I have been advised by many of our co-Chronicles identities, especially those that think Mr Erikson is 'The Best Author", that it is worth continuing as the series gets better with each book. I'm still thinking about it! As I always say 'it's usually a case of personal preferance'. No harm in giving his work a try!

 

[hodor]

I must agree with knivesout on this; you CAN break the cycle and read book 2 ahead of Gardens of the Moon. They are not particularly linked until later in the series.

 

[Green]

Except some of the major characters are introduced in the first book, as well as some of the major premises of the Empire and the relationship with Shadow. If you don't read GotM first, you (i.e. whoever plans to skip the first book) won't understand the Apsalar/Crokus relationship, among others.

Do the author a favour and read them in the order they are intended to be read.

 

[GOLLUM]

I like magic as well Mayhs! Bring on the wizards and mages I say!

Strange though, I have enjoyed reading GRRM's books more than the Malazan books (so far). I didn't think that GRRM's books had that much magic in them to be honest and yet I had trouble putting the books down.
Although I must admit I have only read the first two books of the Malazan series, IMHO I found that there was very little magic in them either, just the occasional bit here and there. I have been advised by many of our co-Chronicles identities, especially those that think Mr Erikson is 'The Best Author", that it is worth continuing as the series gets better with each book. I'm still thinking about it! As I always say 'it's usually a case of personal preferance'. No harm in giving his work a try!

Too true...

Don't forget Rosemary Book 3 is the one where the magic systems/ideas really kick in and what did it for me as far as proclaimnig Erikson my No 1. fantasy author with GRRM No. 2. Probably fair to say both are excellent series but in different ways.

I'd still agree that the books should be read in order, it'll make more sense if you do...

 

[Brys]

Well, the highest testament I can give to Erikson's quality is that he is still my number 1 author - he's maintained that position despite all of the excellent authors I've been reading in fantasy. Martin has slipped to 5th place (I didn't see that coming when I read ASOIAF). But when challenged by the likes of Mervyn Peake, China Mieville and M John Harrison, Erikson can hold on to his position because of the excellent worldbuilding, but Martin may have excellent characterisation and plots, so do all these other authors.