The Malazan book of the fallen series has all but ruined fantasy literature for me as nothing else can compare to the prose, depth and world building Erikson created.
I ended up getting distracted while reading book 9 and just... never really went back to it. The most compelling character in the back half of the series is a serial rapist and I just couldn't ever really recover from that.
The beginning of the series is hilarious though. What if we drop the readers into a conflict with a bunch of characters and a world that has literal hundreds of thousands of years of history that the characters constantly allude to? Okay, once the first book is over and the readers are finally growing comfortable with the setting... let's do the same thing in book 2 on the other side of the world. AND THEN AGAIN FOR BOOK 3.
Memories of Ice is really good, and would be an okay exit point if the series still hasn’t grabbed you. Obviously it doesn’t wrap up every plot point from the first two books, but it could be a satisfying conclusion to most of the character arcs.
If you want a less daunting goal, try telling yourself you’ll stop at book 3.
Not to be a downer but deadhouse gates is harder to read...it's mechanically easier but it just isn't "fun". If you can get through that the series as a whole is amazing.
I finally started the series a few months ago and just finished Memories of Ice recently. I've been doing the "Re-Read of the Fallen" as I go through the series and following along with the PDF guides for each book that I found on the Malazan subreddit.
It's genuinely one of the most complex, frequently confusing and at times frustrating set of novels I've attempted... but goddamn if it also isn't the greatest series I've ever read. I can't wait to re-read them once I finish so I can catch all the things I missed, and I fully committed by purchasing all ten paperbacks as well as the Broken Binding versions of books 1-6.
To me, it's the fantasy equivalent to the Hyperion Cantos' take on Sci-Fi.
The scope of the series can totally be overwhelming at times. The two authors had years of TTRPG lore they built up before they even started writing anything haha.
Also the fact that Erikson is an anthropologist brings a whole other layer to his writing and how he builds the history of the world. How names change, stories change etc… that was when I really fell in love with it.
Hyperion? Dan Simmons? I JUST started listening to Hyperion like 2 days ago. It was recommended to fans of Erikson and I don’t usually read sci fi so I thought I’d take a punt.
It really is unlike anything I’ve ever read, and learning about the author(s) background was fascinating and definitely added a new element to it. I also now want to play a TTRPG as I never have!
And the Hyperion Cantos is truly phenomenal. It’s frequently referenced along with Dune as a pinnacle of Sci-Fi, and to me Malazan is comparable in the fantasy genre in terms of its ideas and scope. I hope you enjoy!
I will be finishing the last book in the next couple of days and I can honestly say that I love love love this series but I am honestly so ready for it to be over.
So many characters in books 9 & 10 have just blurred together in my mind. But if I consulted the Malazan Wiki each time a character came on the scene whose context and background I have forgotten I would never be done with the series.
But at the same time I recognize the genius of the series. But I guess I also realize and admit that maybe I’m just not smart enough to appreciate all of the layers.
Also, a booktuber recently said that reading the Wheel of Time books is like getting a bachelor’s degree but reading Malazan is like getting a phd. I’ve now read both (except for the last two hundred pages of Malazan) and I can vouch for this.
I truly believe the reread is where the real appreciation comes from. Like I said above, looking at it with an anthropological perspective blew my mind and how so many events in the early books cascade into major ones in the later books and also just how the writing is almost never clumsy or unintentional.
I'm almost done with book 8 and I can pretty confidently say that this is my favorite series of all time. I love media that forces me to really think things through rather than just spoonfeeding me. Nothing feels better than making a connection between minor details and finally understanding the significance of a major plot point.
I’ve read/listened through the 10 book series about 5 times and reread select books many times more than that lol. It could be considered and addiction. 🤷♂️
A coworker recommended it to me, and he said the same thing - now im saying it too. I finished Wheel of Time before this and gosh, to me (only to me! no hate!) Malazan is so much better. I am fucking gripped in ways I never really was as much in WoT. I havent felt this way since I read my first series (Belgariad and Malloreon!) at like 12. Its brought back such an intense love of the genre its hard to believe!
Feel the exact same way, glad both Erikson and ICE are fairly prolific writers so there is a lot of material to read beyond the core 10, and more coming every year.
47
u/schwaggz 23h ago
The Malazan book of the fallen series has all but ruined fantasy literature for me as nothing else can compare to the prose, depth and world building Erikson created.