first book

[Humanraindelay]

I'm finding GotM difficult to get through but I only have less than 100 pages to go so I think I'll finish it and then reread it because I think I'll have a better understanding about what is going on. There are some really promissing characters that I would really like to find out what happens with them. Tattersail and Rallick Norm are my favs.

[nixie]

Keep with it,all will start to fall into place pretty soon

[Valko]

I finished GOTM a few days ago. A couple of the reasons people may have found it confussing are:
1, Kruppe talking in the third person and then doing an action doesn't work.
2, Stevenson sometimes finishes a paragraph then without warning switches person/location on the next. Maybe he should start a new chapter each time he does it. Several times I'd start a new paragraph, get five or six lines in, wonder what the hell was happening and realize he'd moved onto someone or somewhere else.

You get used to both but it would be so much easier if the problems weren't there in the first place.
DHG flows much better

[Rane Longfox]

"Stevenson"? Thats a new one

[Valko]

Originally Posted by Rane Longfox

"Stevenson"? Thats a new one

I think the phrase you're looking for is "Lost the plot"

Sorry, don't know why I wrote Stevenson *Bangs head against desk*

In case my last post came over wrong, I still think Erik Stevenson (as he shall now be called ) is up there with the best.

[Jason_Taverner]

I do stuff like that all the time

[hedgeknight]

I just passed page 300 in Gardens of the Moon and I have to admit that I am hooked like a fish! Arrgh!

Personally, I love all of the back and forth POV's that Erikson does. But what I love the most are the helpful glossaries in the front (characters) and the back (people, places, and things!). Very, very helpful so far.

But...the map of the continent sucks! It needs to be bigger and better detailed. I love maps and refer to them frequently to help my mind grasp the setting of the story. And if I can't even find the places mentioned in the book...well, it becomes a little frustrating to say the least.

Anyway, I'm loving the book and hoping to finish by the end of the week or shortly thereafter.
-g-

[Rane Longfox]

Not all the places referred to in the book are on that continent, hedgeknight, which hopefully explains some of it. The prologue in Malaz City, and the attack on the cavalry contingent near the fishing village (with the wax witch) are both half a world away

Plus, Erikson tends to actually have proper maps, more or less - ie showing major cities, roads, natural phenomena, and doesn't add in random irrelevant places simply because they appear in the book *cough*Jordan*cough*

Enjoying the start of GotM is definately a very good sign though - thats what normally usually have issues with for being too confusing. I loved it personally, so you're a man of great taste

[hedgeknight]

Thanks Rane! GOTM is a lot of fun to read! I love the pace of the events and am eager to see what happens with Paran and Tattersail and the Bridgeburners and Lords of Shadow and many others too. I particularly am enjoying the way Erikson portrays the thieves and assassins as having a personality and compassion beyond their chosen "role" in life.
And the Warrens are a new form of magic (for me) - I like that and I like that magic is common yet mysterious and dangerous too. I don't have to understand it to enjoy it.
Great stuff!
-g-

[Werthead]

Behold:



Gardens of the Moon mostly takes place on the continent of Genabackis. Darujhistan and Pale are located there. Malaz City, Itko Kan and Unta are all on the continent of Quon Tali.

Deadhouse Gates, House of Chains and the first two-thirds of The Bonehunters take place in Seven Cities.

Memories of Ice, the opening quarter of House of Chains and the forthcoming eighth book, Toll the Hounds, take place on Genabackis as well.

Midnight Tides and the forthcoming seventh book, Reaper's Gale, take place on Lether.

Erikson has refused to divulge where the ninth and tenth books, Dust of Dreams and The Crippled God, take place. Assail and Korelri, although mentioned in Erikson's books, will apparently only be visited in Ian Cameron Esslemont's novels.

The above map is roughly accurate (confirmed by Erikson himself), but the outlines for Assail, Korelri, southern and eastern Lether, western Seven Cities and southern Genabackis are all pretty speculative. The relation of the continents to one another is pretty accurate, apparently.

[Rosemary]

After reading all of the Malazan Series up and including the last one...I know find it hard to get a good book which does not sound insipid.

[Somebloke]

Originally Posted by Werthead

Behold:



Gardens of the Moon mostly takes place on the continent of Genabackis. Darujhistan and Pale are located there. Malaz City, Itko Kan and Unta are all on the continent of Quon Tali.

Deadhouse Gates, House of Chains and the first two-thirds of The Bonehunters take place in Seven Cities.

Memories of Ice, the opening quarter of House of Chains and the forthcoming eighth book, Toll the Hounds, take place on Genabackis as well.

Midnight Tides and the forthcoming seventh book, Reaper's Gale, take place on Lether.

Erikson has refused to divulge where the ninth and tenth books, Dust of Dreams and The Crippled God, take place. Assail and Korelri, although mentioned in Erikson's books, will apparently only be visited in Ian Cameron Esslemont's novels.

The above map is roughly accurate (confirmed by Erikson himself), but the outlines for Assail, Korelri, southern and eastern Lether, western Seven Cities and southern Genabackis are all pretty speculative. The relation of the continents to one another is pretty accurate, apparently.

Do you have ANY IDEA how helpful that map is? I hated the way he would have the wrong maps for the regions he was writing about.

[Jason_Taverner]

Originally Posted by Rosemary

After reading all of the Malazan Series up and including the last one...I know find it hard to get a good book which does not sound insipid.

I have the same problem, I am enjoying GRR Martin I've just started it, but other than that I struggling

[Karsa Orlong]

I read A Game of Thrones straight after Erikson and was disappointed, but then I enjoyed Bakker a great deal.

[Werthead]

I find Martin and Erikson complement each other very well. Erikson has tremendous breadth in the sheer number of factions, gods, nations, continents and characters he creates but Martin has far deeper characters, history and worldbuilding. Erikson is very high-magic, lots of explosions and w00t! moments, whilst Martin is low-magic, much more intense and character-based. If they ever got together to do a project (highly unlikely) it would be pretty special.