On another note in a fantasy world, the idea of a physical omnibus for Malazan makes me giggle. Beyond the fact that it would be physically impossible and so completely unwieldy it'd be the most hilarious thing to see.
On January 22 2014 06:27 Skilledblob wrote: well the malazan army in itself is a bit OP actually. They got the moranth munitions and huge numbers of all kinds of mages.
Since when does competitive balance matter in a fantasy novel?
On January 18 2014 19:12 Geo.Rion wrote: One thing i dont really get, and im not sure if it's inconsistency or i misunderstood something. I recall Rake talking with the Head of the Alchemists, about how his leadership is not uncontested, and others, such as Kaladan Brood (or even his own 2nd in command) would step in and take his role if he were to betray Darujisthan. Meaning he's the uncontested and independant leader of the Tiste Andii atm, in an uneasy alliance with Brood.
However, at the start of Memories of Ice the Tiste Andii are refered to as part of Kaladan's forces, and there s a sentence (i think Crone's inner monologue) where it's said that Brood never shown his own true power, nor did he let loose Anamando Rake.
So who's in charge?
Think of it as two forces that if truly let loose would destroy everything which isn't their goal. So instead they have an "alliance" in such that they share the same goal and don't use their full powers. A theme of the series is that power draws power so often powerful characters choose not to use said power in the fear of drawing even greater power. In memories of Ice Silverfox actually points out the "Malazan way of doing things" which is never being at the forefront of the conflict.
Brood could destroy the world if he wanted hence Crones monologue.
So basically noone is really in charge. They just kind of do their own thing and sometimes they lineup. Later on you get more understanding on Rake's motives and why the Tiste Andii are fighting but I can't remember which book that is in.
Maps are still too small to read compared to paperback, and it's daunting seeing "page 22 of 8142" but other than that it's pretty awesome having all the books in one file, at least I think so. I also had to strip the fonts because it wouldn't stop displaying times new roman on my kobo glo and that font looks horrible on my reader. But that I think is a kobo problem (or user error, but it seems terribly inconsistent with fonts unless I rip it out of the css)
I actually started ripping the ebook apart and making it into multiple files for each book because I thought it would be easier to manage, but I realized that's actually a lot worse than just keeping it as it is.
I still have a slight urge to go read my paperback copies though. It's just been so long since I've read a physical book, at least 4 years.
I started rereading it but couldn't handle House of Chains. Both those poor girls. I had also just finished watching Shinsekai yori so maybe I should try start it up again
I am considering getting into this series, but before I start I would like to ask readers two things: -What's the writing style? Is it the kind of book where only one exciting thing happens every 100 pages? I don't need an explosion every 10 pages to keep my attention but some form of plot development, action, or w/e every now and then would be nice. -Is it true what the OP said about starting with book two, and then read the series starting from book 1?
I am considering getting into this series, but before I start I would like to ask readers two things: -What's the writing style? Is it the kind of book where only one exciting thing happens every 100 pages? I don't need an explosion every 10 pages to keep my attention but some form of plot development, action, or w/e every now and then would be nice. -Is it true what the OP said about starting with book two, and then read the series starting from book 1?
Thanks!
Uhm, I've only read first three books so I'll try to give a good answer. 1. The books keep your attention. There's always something happening. 2. I started with book one, and I did okay. At first it is a bit hard because you get no introduction, not for characters ,nor current events, but you slowly learn about the Malazan world. That can be confusing on the start because you have no idea if some characters are more important than the others.
I am considering getting into this series, but before I start I would like to ask readers two things: -What's the writing style? Is it the kind of book where only one exciting thing happens every 100 pages? I don't need an explosion every 10 pages to keep my attention but some form of plot development, action, or w/e every now and then would be nice. -Is it true what the OP said about starting with book two, and then read the series starting from book 1?
Thanks!
It can be a slow series at times, some books are just better than others, and sometimes it's not because of a lack of content, the writer may just not be writting about what you want to hear about. It's not a linear story, following a certain group, he switches to diferent times and/or places almost every book. Some plotlines are also left unexplained for several books, or even the whole series, so reading through the whole thing definatelly requires some patience.
Specially in the latter books he also does a lot of development of minor characters that may not even be particularly important to the plot, so that can be a strong point if you are into how much he cares about detail and developing the whole world the series is based on, but it can also be annoying if you don't feel you care enough about the characters you are going to hear about in the next few hundred pages.
I wouldn't start on the second book. While it definatelly is a stronger book than the first, the first one isn't that bad. It starts a bit slow and a lot of things just fly over your head because they are left unexplained, but after some time it picks up and it ends up a fine book. If you don't have the will and patience to read through it for the first time, I don't think you would be able to finish the series. It's a great series, but not for everyone.
Thanks for the quick replies guys. Even though purely based on description it doesn't really sound like a perfect fit for me I'm still gonna give it a go because getting into a series that already has 1000s of pages written is so so sweet and the fact that apparently it's good enough to merit it's own 24 page thread.
Hi all, I think this is my first post in this thread although this is my favorite series of books ever. I rarely post on teamliquid, just lurk, although i have been on since 2004. I love malazan and my favorite characters are Trull Sengar, Sgt. Fiddler, Aspalar, Cotillian, and so many others. Kruppe and that insane shadow priest also hold a special place in my heart (donkey vs. mule fight!!!).
I recently found a really good band that is Malazan based which reminded me of this thread. They are atmospheric black metal similar to Summoner called Caladan Brood
Caladan Brood - Echoes of Battle
I have already listened to the album like 10 times in this past week and its really good. Especially considering this is the first album by two guys from Salt Lake City, Utah, Mortal Sword and Shield Anvil (they dont use real names)
So I just finished reading the first book, and I just have to say holy shit Anomander Rake, more like Anomander Assr***.. I have rarely read fantasy books so especially at the start I had to reread certain passages to confirm that yes, the fortress floats.
I understand now what people meant when they said the series (book 1 in my case) is hard to get in to. At the start it's a bit overwhelming to see so many different names of characters, locations, races, and types of magic all mentioned on even a single page. But I think that with careful reading and paying attention it isn't confusing anymore after the first 100 pages or so. So far I love the writing style of switching between characters all the time because it allows the story to cut the crap and focus on the good stuff.
I was wondering if you guys knew about something like a spoiler free wiki and possibly a comprehensive world map that has all the continents in detail, or is the series of small maps all there is? Anyways thanks once again TL for showing me this series because I think its gonna be an awesome one!