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Malazan- can I just skip Book 1
Posted on 11/3/20 at 1:43 pm
Posted on 11/3/20 at 1:43 pm
I've read repeatedly that Book 1 is the weakest in the series and a slog to get through. Can I just start at Book 2 and forget Book 1?
4
Posted on 11/3/20 at 3:33 pm to Adajax
Sure... I find myself constantly lost and I'm on book #9 and I couldn't tell you what happened in book #1. It's entertaining to read but It's hard to keep everything straight.
Posted on 11/3/20 at 3:59 pm to Adajax
The timelines jump around so much anyway that I don't think it matters. The second book would be a great introduction, I think.
It might be worth glancing over a summary of the first book, if you don't think you'll ever read it. But even that probably is not all that relevant to book two.
This seems to be a good resource for that:
Malazan Reread of the Fallen
It might be worth glancing over a summary of the first book, if you don't think you'll ever read it. But even that probably is not all that relevant to book two.
This seems to be a good resource for that:
Malazan Reread of the Fallen
This post was edited on 11/3/20 at 4:00 pm
Posted on 11/3/20 at 5:58 pm to slough
Yeah, you can skip straight to book 2 first. You'd probably want to read book 1 before book 3 though, as it would spoil some stuff in 3 onwards.
But reading 2 before 1 doesn't really spoil anything, and reading 2 will tell you if you will like the series or not, because if you don't like book 2 you aren't going to like the series.
But reading 2 before 1 doesn't really spoil anything, and reading 2 will tell you if you will like the series or not, because if you don't like book 2 you aren't going to like the series.
Posted on 11/3/20 at 6:13 pm to Adajax
It isnt the weakest, its just confusing.
You can definitely start at Book 2 and go back to Book 1 after though.
ETA: if you follow along the 10 very big books podcast section by sectiin (they dont spoil anything) you will probably have a lot better idea with what is going on and enjoy the read more
You can definitely start at Book 2 and go back to Book 1 after though.
ETA: if you follow along the 10 very big books podcast section by sectiin (they dont spoil anything) you will probably have a lot better idea with what is going on and enjoy the read more
This post was edited on 11/3/20 at 6:15 pm
Posted on 11/3/20 at 6:15 pm to Saskwatch
Wait till you reread, book 1 is awesome on the reread and really the whole series elevates in many ways
Posted on 11/4/20 at 2:58 pm to Sneaky__Sally
quote:
Wait till you reread
Rereads are my favorite part. I've reread ASOIAF, Stormlight Archive, King Killer Chronicles, and LOTR/Hobbit quite a few times over.
Posted on 11/5/20 at 5:04 pm to Sneaky__Sally
quote:
It isnt the weakest, its just confusing.
Which one do you consider the weakest? It’s been a long time since I read them all, but House of Chains is the first that springs to mind for me.
Posted on 11/5/20 at 5:46 pm to Decisions
The weakest is Dust of Dreams and it's not particularly close to me. I could also see someone saying Toll the Hounds since the first half of that book sucks.
House of chains would be middle of the pack to me. I could see not liking it a ton if you hated Karsa though.
House of chains would be middle of the pack to me. I could see not liking it a ton if you hated Karsa though.
Posted on 11/5/20 at 9:44 pm to auyushu
That opening sequence of karsa in House of Chains is awesome though. Love that part and love Karsa.
Weakest is either Dust if Dreams or Toll the Hounds. Of the resr i can see, house of chains being the weakest, but I still enjoyed that one a lot.
The opening 3 are all pretty great on the reread. I legit had no idea what i had just read when i finished Gardens the first time though - so it was probably my least favorite on the first round but still maybe toll the hounds may. 5, 6 and 7 are all pretty awesome imo.
Weakest is either Dust if Dreams or Toll the Hounds. Of the resr i can see, house of chains being the weakest, but I still enjoyed that one a lot.
The opening 3 are all pretty great on the reread. I legit had no idea what i had just read when i finished Gardens the first time though - so it was probably my least favorite on the first round but still maybe toll the hounds may. 5, 6 and 7 are all pretty awesome imo.
Posted on 11/5/20 at 10:27 pm to Sneaky__Sally
quote:
karsa
Best character in the book I thought.
He , Mappo, and Icarium could have all used more page time
Posted on 11/5/20 at 10:46 pm to Saskwatch
quote:
Best character in the book I thought.
He , Mappo, and Icarium could hav
Agreed, I love karsa as a character, and I like house of chains a good bit. Just trying to think of reasons a person might think of it as one of the worst books in the series, and that was all I could think of.
Posted on 11/6/20 at 6:04 am to auyushu
It’s true, I was not a fan of Karsa and his sections. That’s my main reason for disliking it. Dust of Dreams and Toll the Hounds are good choices as well that I wouldn’t argue, though.
Posted on 11/6/20 at 8:54 am to Saskwatch
quote:
Best character in the book I thought.
Erikson is currently working on a new trilogy centered around Karsa, if you didn't know already.
And as for re-reads, Malazan is probably one of the best ones out there for it. I've read the series six or seven times now, and every time I find a new nugget I missed in my previous reads. Erikson's writing is dense, to say the least.
Posted on 11/6/20 at 1:49 pm to Centinel
quote:
new trilogy centered around Karsa, if you didn't know already.
I did not but that sounds awesome. Will see if I can find a release date of the first book
Posted on 11/6/20 at 3:47 pm to Saskwatch
Heads up - Karsa isn't in the first book. Erikson has said that he needed to create the myth around him first in others eyes to get where he wanted the story to go. So Karsa doesn't feature until Book 2
Posted on 11/6/20 at 5:16 pm to Saskwatch
quote:
Will see if I can find a release date of the first book
Listed as November 2021 right now, which is kinda weird since he finished the first draft in February. Must be a heavy duty editing process.
Posted on 11/6/20 at 10:46 pm to Sneaky__Sally
quote:
It isnt the weakest, its just confusing.
You can definitely start at Book 2 and go back to Book 1 after though.
To add to this, skipping the first book doesn't solve a problem. You'll just make book 2 super confusing instead of book 1.
Posted on 11/6/20 at 11:04 pm to Jay Are
quote:
You'll just make book 2 super confusing instead of book 1.
There is nothing particularly confusing about book 2, and you need no info from book 1 to understand anything from it.
Book 1 however is one of the most in media res books written in fantasy period.
Posted on 11/7/20 at 12:17 am to Saskwatch
quote:
Sure... I find myself constantly lost and I'm on book #9 and I couldn't tell you what happened in book #1. It's entertaining to read but It's hard to keep everything straight.
My first reread of Malazan might be the best fantasy experience of my life. Everything made far more sense and I did not have to stop and wonder at who such and such a character was and what they had done previously or even in the future. I have continued to read them once every few years and still enjoy myself. It's not a series I would recommend to most people but if you love it then few other things will compare.
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