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[GOLLUM]

Originally Posted by Winters_Sorrow

Hiya Gollum & welcome to the forum.
I've (literally) just started reading this series now (although had I known it was a 10 book one I may not have - I have an aversion to these since Hubbard & Jordan)

I'll let you know how I get one with them on here - better than GRRM? High Praise indeed!!

Winters sorrow,

Yes for me better than GRRM but he’s still excellent. No 2. behind only Erikson. Erikson is fairly reliable, producing on average 1 book/year.

If you’re into the good fnatasy you may find soemthing that takes your fancy in my recommended reading list in the Your Favourite Fantasy thread.

Bye for now..

[rune]

I read the first book in this series and quite enjoyed it though I did find it frustrating that there were so many character plots going on.

However when I started the 2nd book and was introduced to more characters and half way through still didnt know what happened to the first lot of characters introduced in the first book, I put it down and never returned to the series.

Plenty of good ideas but too many character plotlines.

[Rane Longfox]

Erikson tends to alternate, at least for the first four books. Gardens and Memories of Ice follow the same group of characters, on Genabackis, and Deadhouse Gates and House of Chains follow the group on Seven Cities. This is why some people say its better to read the first and third together, and the second and fourth, but I disagree. But thats just me, its a shame you felt a bit overwhealmed, but they are quite complicated books, and to a certain extent you just have to let it happen, and try to catch up later. The books don't really work as standalones...

[GOLLUM]

Originally Posted by rune

I read the first book in this series and quite enjoyed it though I did find it frustrating that there were so many character plots going on.

However when I started the 2nd book and was introduced to more characters and half way through still didnt know what happened to the first lot of characters introduced in the first book, I put it down and never returned to the series.

Plenty of good ideas but too many character plotlines.

Let me put my two cents in here also and add to caladanbroods comments. You're really mising out on the best fantasy sereis I've ever read here. Try to stick with Book 2 and 3. By the time I had completed Book 3 I had a reasonable handle on characters and the complex magic system Erikson has developed. YES it's the most complex sereis I've ever read BUT also the most rewarding in the long run. Also as caladan suggests Book 1,3 and 2,4 are linked with the same characters and continent so you do get some familairty during the course of this series. As I tell other people, you need to be patient and persistent with this series and the rewards will start to come. Anyone I know who has continued with this series is very happy they did!! and basically place Erikson at No 1 or 2 in their all-time fantasy list.

Please reconsider!

[Brys]

Originally Posted by Tsujigiri

My partner and I are of the distict opinion that the first book reads as if there are a couple of chapters or a prologue missing.

I think it reads from the start as if you are already expected to know the characters and care about them.
Initially this put me off, for about 4/5 pages, then the quality of the book started shining through.

Did anyone else find this to be the case?

Yes, on the first read. A re-read after reading the other books is almost necessary for this one, and then it'll seem just as good as the others (almost). It makes it hard to start, but once you get about half way through it improves a huge amount.

The thing with MBotF is that the books are pretty much standalones (except for MoI and HoC), so you should treat them as such. The huge number of plotlines makes it a lot better overall, and giving up on Deadhouse Gates is really a bad time - it is the second best book in the series, and the Chain of Dogs is unforgettable and has the most moving scenes I've read from any books.

[Rahl Windsong]

Sounds like I need to get to my local bookstore and order this series, comparing series to GRRM's well thats good enough for me to go order the whole lot. I will let you know how I liked it soon as I can.

Rahl

[hodor]

I was skeptical at best when deciding to order Malazan series and read them in comparison to GRRM. You could try this, that is true; you will not succeed. In the first book GotM, I felt I would be disappointed, however, you reach into the next few books and realize there is no way to compare the two authors. They have two extremely different styles and their strongpoints are totally inverse. I love both authors for what they do. I read GRRM's books very fast and enjoyed them beyond anything I had read before. On the other hand, I am on book five of Malazan and reading them extremely slow and enjoying them just as much if not more than GRRM's series. Erikson is absolutely a genius once you get past the initial confusion of what he is actually telling... but believe you me... DHG and you will be hooked!

[Green]

I've never read GRRM, so can't compare the two. I would say that Erikson has written the best series I've ever read in any genre, and he's only half way through. The depth and beauty of it takes my breath away.

I found GotM to be a little muddled, haphazard even, and I think it's a result of too many ideas swimming around the guy's head for so long that they got a bit messy when they finally fell on the page. I also think he had a bit of pressure (most likely from himself) to make the first one a little more traditional than his later ones (assassins, alchemists, floating mountains).

I wasn't 100% sure after reading GotM, but then I read Deadhouse Gates, and it kicked my arse. Really hard. Anyone that can come out the end of that book and not feel moved just isn't human. And then Memories of Ice... probably the best book I've ever read (certainly in the last 5 or 10 years). Even got me crying at the end, which few things manage to do.

Anyone who's having doubts about carrying on... please please give it another chance. And don't worry about the number of characters or plotlines (which for me is one of the best features)... just let it all wash over you. You'll absorb it by osmosis, not by grabbing it with two hands or making notes.

PS - who said Kruppe was boring? Bah! A pox on you! His dialogue and thoughts are the signs of a master linguist at work. I wish half the characters in other books were even remotely as interesting.

[GOLLUM]

Couldn't have put it better myself Green, nice to see another convert on board....

[Rosemary]

Originally Posted by rune

I read the first book in this series and quite enjoyed it though I did find it frustrating that there were so many character plots going on.

However when I started the 2nd book and was introduced to more characters and half way through still didnt know what happened to the first lot of characters introduced in the first book, I put it down and never returned to the series.

Plenty of good ideas but too many character plotlines.

Thank goodness I'm not the only one who found his first two books difficult to get into and enjoy. Plenty of good ideas but too many plotlines as rune has said, is one of the reasons.

So at this stage I am not sure if I will continue. Hmm.... I have read all the comments about sticking with it as the series improves, and of course all of your advice. Well we shall see.

PS Was not sure where to post this info. I didn't want to clutter up your PM. I have reached Mage Enchanter status now as I have just reached my 200th post!!

[Rane Longfox]

It's a very complicated series, and obviously thats not for everyone. If you have to know whats going on at all points, you're never gonna enjoy it very much. I just let the confusion wash over me and enjoy the writing

[Rosemary]

Originally Posted by caladanbrood

It's a very complicated series, and obviously thats not for everyone. If you have to know whats going on at all points, you're never gonna enjoy it very much. I just let the confusion wash over me and enjoy the writing

Thanks for the tip Cal. I shall give your way of reading them a try. So many folk say how brilliant he is, so I guess my curiosity about the brilliant 3rd book will also encourage me to continue.

[Azzriel]

It's amusing to read of other POV's regarding plotlines between Erikson and Martin when both do the same thing, but differently. Personally I detested the GRRM books on first read ( I read the first three because I'm a stubborn sod). I didn't like the way GRRM jumped around... yet it didn't bother me with Erikson... *shrug*

[hodor]

I found the first book a really hard read but had to push through because I had two others on my shelf to go. I am glad I did... The second book brings more into the STORY and then the third book gets more into the characters and the main plot. By the time you get into the fourth book (as I am just finishing) you will find that Erikson has actually quenched your thirst for info on the characters and their backgrounds; he does this in the most ingenius fashion I have ever seen... you read on a few characters, you don't know it is coming till the last minute, then bam... oh it all makes sense now. Great series!!! I am a true Erikson fan now!

[Azzriel]

Reading Erikson is like eating a plate of spaghetti...
the sauce goes everywhere, but if you stick your fork in and keep turning, it all ends up in the right place...

Looking forward to getting my books signed at FantasyCon...... oh gods now everyone will know I'm a closet geeky-nerd type