I tried to start Midnight Tides.. I really did...

[NarkyTheNarkster]

I finished House of Chains, and like all other Steven Erikson books, I quite enjoyed it. I absolutely adored DG and MOI, (with Toc being my favourite character =P).

Anyway.. I started to read Midnight tides about 6 months ago and I just couldn't get into it... it was as if I lost the ability to read Erikson (and yes it is quite hard to read Erikson).

I think that he just kept adding and adding too much to the plot, and it got to the point where the interweaving plots, all the different races, and trying to keep track of the history of every character and every race from the Tiste Edur to the T'lan Imass became too much for my small brain to handle.

I think that part of the problem for myself was that I ran too fast through the first 4 books.. so now I'm re-reading them, and have just finished GOTM. So far so good.

Erikson is truly a genius and a very talented writer at that.
My question is - what is the trick to reading these books and not getting confused as hell!
I'd really love to enjoy these books as much as I'd like to and would appreciate any advice on the reading of them!
Thanks,
Nark

[Frozeninja]

I originally found Midnight Tides the hardest book in the series to get into. Because of the sheer volume of new characters which are thrust into the book who i'd never heard of, I noticed an entire two names I recognised in the character list and that put me off a bit. The opening part of the book was a bit of a task for me to get through and while it's not my favourite in the series, they are all superb books. For me getting through Midnight Tides was just a case of persevering through those first few chapters, after that the book practically read itself.

[Lostara]

I tried to think of MT as a separate entity, just in the Malaz world. So I retained my knowledge of the world itself, but as if I was reading a new story, which in a way it is. I think the thing with SE is that unless you have a brain the size of a planet then you really do need to reread...and reread. Luckily the books are eminently rereadable (!). There are very few books I will reread, but SE is definately up there!!

EDIT: (I think I should REREAD my posts!)

[NarkyTheNarkster]

Thanks guys! Just a question, does Erikson go back to the characters we know and love so much in the 6th installment?

[williamjm]

The 6th book (The Bonehunters) features characters from every Erikson book - including Midnight Tides. The biggest focus is on the Seven Cities after the end of House Of Chains.

[nixie]

MT threw me at first, whole new cast even a different continent but after a few chapters I was totally engrossed,

[GOLLUM]

Yeh like everyone else is saying just go with the flow and don't fight the tidal wave that is Erikson and Malazan.

[Rosemary]

I have been trying to do that Preciouss! I found The Bonehunters easier reading than MT.

I have already decided that to really understand and enjoy Erikson's work, I shall have to re-read them one after the other when the series has finished.

[Zadok]

I struggled with Midnight Tides as well. The Udinaas story arc was pretty poor throughout I thought, and the Trull story also left me cold, at least until the *big event that would be a spoiler* occured.

Tehol and Brys kept me reading through about the first 1/3 of the novel at which point things started to get alot more interesting all around.

I've found that I run into this whenever I start reading an Erickson book with alot of characters we haven't seen before. The Bonehunters, as others have said had me hooked from pretty much page 1 as most of the characters were familiar.

[Brys]

I reckon that once you get to the first Tehol and Bugg scene,you'll find the motivation to keep reading Erikson - ok, it's quite a different novel. But just take it as a standalone - the information necessary from the previous books is very limited, and if you don't try and think of how it fits into the story as a whole until you finish it, you should be able to enjoy it. Some of the parts weren't as good as others (Udinaas storyline was drawn out a bit - it constitutes some Erikson's best writing and some of his worst). But overall I think it's one of Erikson's best novels - up there with Memories of Ice and Deadhouse Gates, but also quite different in style - much more understated.

My question is - what is the trick to reading these books and not getting confused as hell!

Read them one at a time (ie reading other books in between them). Then once you get to where the series is at the moment (the Bonehunters) take a break. Come back to it after reading some other stuff, then start re-reading the series. Especially Gardens of the Moon. It suddenly becomes so obvious what it was all about on the second read, because you have all the information about the world.

[Rosemary]

Oh I just loved the Tehol and Bug scenes! You are right Brys, I just had to keep reading then!

Our Gollum has told me much the same thing, not to think about how it fits in or even study the way Erikson write...just enjoy it...

[Rahl Windsong]

I personally think MT is the best book so far and at first I was thinking almost the same thing as the Narkster, but like I said MT turned out to be my favorite book so far in this series. I like MT better then The Bonehunters I have about 300 pages left to read in that book. The Bonehunters is pretty good but the story in MT just took me for a ride I will never forget.

Rahl

[GOLLUM]

I tend to agree MT is almost his best book. MOI is the best read so far with DHG only a little behind MT in 3rd spot...

[Jason_Taverner]

I found it hard in the begining. Once you break past the first hundred pages and know it a slightly different time and place it gets easy I loved Tehol and Bugg so much laugh at loud stuff in the smoking room at work

[Rane Longfox]

I found MT very refreshing and easy to read, personally. It was great finding a whole new set of characters to form opinions about, rather than having previous experience to go by (except Trull, of course). It gives Erikson's genius a chance to run amok all over again