EPT[Books] Malazan Book of the Fallen - Page 9
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sc14s
United States5052 Posts
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Twistacles
Canada1327 Posts
On April 17 2012 12:28 EAGER-beaver wrote: I've been at the end of the 3rd book forever, I just can't finish it. Dreadfully boring, can't grow attached to any of the characters, the plot is so incredibly loose, dozens and dozens of characters come and go and plot threads just dangle and disappear (what about the historian at the end of book 2, or anythign from book 2 really, book 3 picked up in almost the middle of fucking nowhere), in the end I just end up not caring about any of them. I never get that, "gee, i wonder what's gonna happen? next page turner feeling", whether that's from the character overload or the seemingly random plot devices from over use of magic that randomly turns the world upside. Half the fun is a little foreshadowing, or at least some sort of basic rules as to what to expect, the randomness just makes me not give a shit since anything can happen at any time. Its stand-alone from the second because it happens at the same time as the second book. Enjoy every book indivdually, because they all, together, form one giant cohesive story that spans 10 gigantic novels. Its worth its so glorious | ||
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itkovian
United States1763 Posts
On April 17 2012 12:28 EAGER-beaver wrote: I've been at the end of the 3rd book forever, I just can't finish it. Dreadfully boring, can't grow attached to any of the characters, the plot is so incredibly loose, dozens and dozens of characters come and go and plot threads just dangle and disappear (what about the historian at the end of book 2, or anythign from book 2 really, book 3 picked up in almost the middle of fucking nowhere), in the end I just end up not caring about any of them. I never get that, "gee, i wonder what's gonna happen? next page turner feeling", whether that's from the character overload or the seemingly random plot devices from over use of magic that randomly turns the world upside. Half the fun is a little foreshadowing, or at least some sort of basic rules as to what to expect, the randomness just makes me not give a shit since anything can happen at any time. Kind of funny you mentioned him actually. I believe you're talking about Duiker. He actually has a scene at the end of book 3. It was probably one of the most powerful scenes in the third book for me, it gave me the chills. But yes, I had the same feelings as you when I was first reading the series. It just kind of blew my mind how some of the books would take place almost entirely independently from the previous book. If the third book felt like it was picking up out of nowhere, wait til you get to the fifth book, hahaha. Its really frustrating at first, how he just starts up in a random location across the universe but don't worry, it all *mostly* ties together by the last book. Often times the distance between characters and cultures actually serves to play as an awe factor. You'll find the story taking place on another continent where the happening of a previous book are just rumors that have made their way across the sea. It oddly adds a sense of significance to the events, because when other characters are hearing about events tens of thousands of miles away it just shows how important those events are. Ultimately, you can't spend time caring about every character. There are so fucking many, you have to be able to pick out which ones are the important/powerful ones. There are a core group of characters which seem to get their hands involved in every continent. If you don't mind being spoiled a bit, keep your eyes on: + Show Spoiler + Ganoes Paran, Shadowthrone, Anomander Rake, Toc the Younger, The Chained God Edit: I will add, if you don't like the third book by the time you are finished with it, its probably not worth it to keep reading the series. The third is widely considered to be one of the best. | ||
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enigamI
Canada385 Posts
On May 26 2011 19:04 pred470r wrote: I still haven't read the 10th book, but my fav char is Karsa Orlong, and my second favorite is Fiddler <3 I'm in the same boat. Read all but the 10th, since its not at the library and not an audio book atm. Need to go pick that up, just keep forgetting ><. | ||
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{ToT}ColmA
Japan3260 Posts
seems like there are a lot of personalities getting thrown in and stuff...like i am on page 260 or something and there are like so many charakters already i fear i ve a hard time remembering all of them :D | ||
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Undrass
Norway381 Posts
On May 03 2012 21:23 {ToT}ColmA wrote: just saw this thread, i am reading the first book (gardens of the moon) and sometimes i feel like its super complex and really tough to understand for non native english speaking person, i am only reading stuff in english so i bought it in english and with books from martin (song of ice and fire series for example) i didnt ve any problems :3 seems like there are a lot of personalities getting thrown in and stuff...like i am on page 260 or something and there are like so many charakters already i fear i ve a hard time remembering all of them :D Keep reading. Erikson demands a lot from the reader, but if you manage to remember most of the main characters, the book is pretty good. The book really picks up somewhere after 300 pages, and awesome stuff happens. It is not my favorite book in the series, as it it is much too complicated, and the start is really hard for new readers of the series. And if you manage to get through the book, you absolutely need to start on book two, Deadhouse Gates. It is actually the best book ever written in any language ever in the whole universe. Except maybe book three, Memories of Ice. That is one bad-ass book too...hmm... Did I mention I love this series:D | ||
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Logros
Netherlands9913 Posts
On May 03 2012 21:23 {ToT}ColmA wrote: just saw this thread, i am reading the first book (gardens of the moon) and sometimes i feel like its super complex and really tough to understand for non native english speaking person, i am only reading stuff in english so i bought it in english and with books from martin (song of ice and fire series for example) i didnt ve any problems :3 seems like there are a lot of personalities getting thrown in and stuff...like i am on page 260 or something and there are like so many charakters already i fear i ve a hard time remembering all of them :D Don't worry and just keep with it. It's really hard to get everything that's happening the first time you read through the books, but every time you read them again you'll catch more and more of the stuff that's going on. And as mentioned above, once you get through the first book it really picks up (book 2 and 3 introduce some of the most awesome characters ever) and I didn't have much trouble getting through the books. | ||
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{ToT}ColmA
Japan3260 Posts
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Darpa
Canada4413 Posts
I find them so incredibly boring, the character are spread so thinley its hard to get attached to any of them, and frankly I feel like half the time you dont know what the hell they are talking about because im so bored that I read lines and dont absorb them. Its strange because I read alot, fantasy, Scifi, historical fiction, from hundreds of different authors. I just cant seem to get into these series. Is there a book that might top the chain? something that can get me interested so I can dig back into the earlier ones? any suggestions? | ||
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Twistacles
Canada1327 Posts
On May 03 2012 23:19 Darpa wrote: I picked up the series on alot of TL recommendations. I read the first book and thought it was a snooze. But alot of people had suggested that the first book was the hardest to get into. I then started reading the second book and got about 100 pages in before I gave up. I just cant stand them for some reason. I find them so incredibly boring, the character are spread so thinley its hard to get attached to any of them, and frankly I feel like half the time you dont know what the hell they are talking about because im so bored that I read lines and dont absorb them. Its strange because I read alot, fantasy, Scifi, historical fiction, from hundreds of different authors. I just cant seem to get into these series. Is there a book that might top the chain? something that can get me interested so I can dig back into the earlier ones? any suggestions? Honestly, just finish Deadhouse gates. You'll get into it pretty quick, and it's worth finishing. I haven't really read any other book more moving than this one. Plus the third is way too badass not to read. Honestly, for the books.. (imo) 1- good 2- great 3- amazing 4- good 5- amazing (Knight of Knives) - great 6 - meh (Crimson Guard) - first half meh, second half great 7 - amazing 8- amazing 9 - good 10 - great (StoneWielder) - Amazing It's worth getting through the good books to get to the amazing ones. | ||
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Dujek
United Kingdom276 Posts
On May 04 2012 01:11 Twistacles wrote: Honestly, just finish Deadhouse gates. You'll get into it pretty quick, and it's worth finishing. I haven't really read any other book more moving than this one. Plus the third is way too badass not to read. Honestly, for the books.. (imo) 1- good 2- great 3- amazing 4- good 5- amazing (Knight of Knives) - great 6 - meh (Crimson Guard) - first half meh, second half great 7 - amazing 8- amazing 9 - good 10 - great (StoneWielder) - Amazing It's worth getting through the good books to get to the amazing ones. If he has read all of GotM and hasn't enjoyed it at all I wouldn't recommend continuing. I'm on Book 8 currently and this is the best series I've ever read. I love how the plot plays out over such a huge world and I think it's incredible how Erikson has a coherent several thousand year history for the huge world. Honestly there are so many things I love about these books that I could sit here for hours writing about them. I'd encourage everyone to try but it might not be your cup of tea. And oh yeah... It's also where I got my nick; + Show Spoiler + Imagine my heartbreak in Book 6 =( | ||
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johanreidel
27 Posts
On May 03 2012 23:19 Darpa wrote: I picked up the series on alot of TL recommendations. I read the first book and thought it was a snooze. But alot of people had suggested that the first book was the hardest to get into. I then started reading the second book and got about 100 pages in before I gave up. I just cant stand them for some reason. I find them so incredibly boring, the character are spread so thinley its hard to get attached to any of them, and frankly I feel like half the time you dont know what the hell they are talking about because im so bored that I read lines and dont absorb them. Its strange because I read alot, fantasy, Scifi, historical fiction, from hundreds of different authors. I just cant seem to get into these series. Is there a book that might top the chain? something that can get me interested so I can dig back into the earlier ones? any suggestions? I love the books and feel like they are some of the best Fantasy I have ever read. This is because they dont focus on a small groupe of Uber heros that you follow down a liniar path. The thing I love the most about the books is that it's basically a loveletter to the infantry grunts of the armys. Firting with Roman influences in a fantasy setting. And in the same way as the core of the roman world was built on slaves and legioneers with the rich and powerful squabbling and fighting one andother for power. Most of wich results in more hardship for the soldiers and slaves. It's more or less the same but you see it from the point of the Centurion or Legioneer rather the from the point of Cesar. So it all comes down to what you like in your fantasy, great heros and front figures who take all the credit, or the lowly infantryman who gets the job done | ||
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Falcynn
United States3597 Posts
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ssxsilver
United States4409 Posts
I picked up Gardens of the Moon on heavy recommendation, and waited forever for anything to happen.. and then the book ended. I've only just finished Deadhouse Gates, and while the ending was quite good, the first half was just as slow as the first book. Sadly, two books is all I can give this series. I wanted to really get into this, but I really feel like of the ~1600 pages I read, 1000 was painful to read. Such a shame as there were some interesting characters =\. | ||
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itkovian
United States1763 Posts
On May 03 2012 23:09 {ToT}ColmA wrote: Thanks for the heads up, ofc i am gonna continue, got deadhouse gates already in my shelf but as i said, compared to martins english this really seems like a different language as song of ice and fire was so much easier to read Yeah, erickson's command of english is not his strong point, to me his strong point is making an interesting and expansive universe. He doesn't write to make his language very comsumable. For me, its always been 80% reading through a slow grind of scenes and characters I dont care about, and 20% reading of scenes that are unmatched in their greatness. Mainly, Erickson is good at creating awesome moments. The hard part for me has always been getting from moment to moment. | ||
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Undrass
Norway381 Posts
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Twistacles
Canada1327 Posts
On May 04 2012 09:08 Undrass wrote: Erikson basically spends the first half of the books building up towards awesomeness, and the rest of the book in a bad-ass nirvana. That basically sums it up. I disagree with someone saying his command of english isnt his strong point...Maybe his pacing, but his writting is impeccable.Toll the hounds was more literature than it was fantasy, was so good. I just love all the philosophical or amazing quotes that gets thrown in like 20 times a book. I just love his style, and in the 400+ fantasy books ive read, no has come close to matching it. | ||
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ticklishmusic
United States15977 Posts
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s_side
United States700 Posts
That being said, I've been inching my way through this series. I have almost finished the 2nd book (which I haven't liked as much as the first, contrary to what it seems like the majority opinion is). These are not books for people who want a quick fix or impressive prose. These are for those who are interested in extremely in-depth world building, a vast mosaic of characters, and a much more significant focus on the supernatural than is present in GRRM books. | ||
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itkovian
United States1763 Posts
On May 15 2012 11:34 s_side wrote: These are not books for people who want a quick fix or impressive prose. These are for those who are interested in extremely in-depth world building, a vast mosaic of characters, and a much more significant focus on the supernatural than is present in GRRM books. You sum it up well. A lot of people like to bring up the Malazan books in comparison to ASOIAF, and while in some ways they are similar, the style's employed are actually quite different, as you pointed out. Beyond being long science-fiction novels, I think their greatest similarity is their abandonment of the idea of "good" vs "evill". Both authors change point of views a lot, and all sides in the story are spoken for at some point. They can both be gritty and they like to defy the standard black and white morale standpoint. I use ASOIAF as a good indicator of if someone would be able to actually survive reading Erickson's novels. Only if they have been able to read and finish ASOIAF, would I then recommend them the Malazan books. If you can't read GRRM, theres no way you could read Erickson and Esslemont haha Anyways, I just finished reading "Stonewielder", Esslemont's third story in his Malazan series. And I have to say it was much better than his first two pieces. The story arc felt much more organized, and the new characters were much more interesting. It climaxed cleanly as well, unlike the climax of "Return of the Crimson Guard" which felt prolonged and a little bit messy. I would definitely recommend giving Esslemont a chance if you haven't already. | ||
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