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Malazan Book of the Fallen
Posted on 1/21/19 at 11:11 am
Posted on 1/21/19 at 11:11 am
Recently downloaded the first 4 books for Kindle. I am roughly two weeks into reading "Garden of the Moon" and it is slow going. I'm really at a loss envisioning the characters and getting a lay of the land. Is it just me or did others have the same experience starting out?
This post was edited on 1/21/19 at 11:14 am
Posted on 1/21/19 at 11:35 am to Saskwatch
I had the same issue, and I never went back. Most on here will say the first book is tough, but it gets better over time and is totally worth it. I'll probably give it another go one day.
Posted on 1/21/19 at 12:00 pm to Saskwatch
Its not an "easy" read, he drops you in and you kind of just have to go along. But the payoff is incredible - the scope and implications of his world are second to none. There were multiple times i closed the book and just sort of processed something he had just done. The second book in the series is probably the best favorite fantasy book i've ever read - but its a real love it or hate it series.
One word of advice, don't try and read the series in one go. Get through 3 books, switch to something else, then go back for the next 2 or 3. To me they were more challenging reads than most typical fantasy.
One word of advice, don't try and read the series in one go. Get through 3 books, switch to something else, then go back for the next 2 or 3. To me they were more challenging reads than most typical fantasy.
Posted on 1/21/19 at 12:01 pm to Saskwatch
Glad someone started this thread.
I am about 2/3 through the second book, Deadhouse Gates.
I agree that GotM was not an easy read. You are just thrown right into the middle of the world and the siege of Pale, I had no idea what was happening and even at the end I still wasn’t sure who all the characters were or how to make sense of what I read.
That said, I did enjoy many of the I dividual scenes in the book.
And I had heard from many that the first book is the hardest to get through.
I would stick it out through the second book before bailing on the series.
I find Deadhouse Gates much easier to follow and the world is beginning to make sense.
Still would say it’s probably not for everyone. But I am liking book 2 and will read book 3 soon after I’m done.
I am about 2/3 through the second book, Deadhouse Gates.
I agree that GotM was not an easy read. You are just thrown right into the middle of the world and the siege of Pale, I had no idea what was happening and even at the end I still wasn’t sure who all the characters were or how to make sense of what I read.
That said, I did enjoy many of the I dividual scenes in the book.
And I had heard from many that the first book is the hardest to get through.
I would stick it out through the second book before bailing on the series.
I find Deadhouse Gates much easier to follow and the world is beginning to make sense.
Still would say it’s probably not for everyone. But I am liking book 2 and will read book 3 soon after I’m done.
This post was edited on 1/21/19 at 12:05 pm
Posted on 1/22/19 at 7:44 am to Saskwatch
This series is my favorite fantasy series of all time but I got into it in a weird way. I picked up Memories or Ice (book 3) at an airport and just dove in. I then picked up 2, then 1. Then 4. Having gone in the order 3, 2, 1, the first book wasn’t in the same stratosphere as 2 and 3, which are 2 of my favorites in the series. The bouncing around from continent to continent whole books at a time was also challenging early on.
The books are more
1a (1) 1b (2)
2a (3) 2b (4)
3 (5)
Then they tend to follow the entire world (6-10) except for book 8 which strays off the path a good bit.
I’d honestly say people who enjoy this genre are doing themselves a huge disservice if they don’t get to books 2 and 3...but I’d understand if they jumped off at 1 or at other parts in the series.
The books are more
1a (1) 1b (2)
2a (3) 2b (4)
3 (5)
Then they tend to follow the entire world (6-10) except for book 8 which strays off the path a good bit.
I’d honestly say people who enjoy this genre are doing themselves a huge disservice if they don’t get to books 2 and 3...but I’d understand if they jumped off at 1 or at other parts in the series.
Posted on 1/22/19 at 7:11 pm to Saskwatch
quote:
Recently downloaded the first 4 books for Kindle. I am roughly two weeks into reading "Garden of the Moon" and it is slow going. I'm really at a loss envisioning the characters and getting a lay of the land. Is it just me or did others have the same experience starting out?
I generally suggest people start with book 2 and then go to book 1 second, just because it's hard for many to get into the first book due to him just throwing you into the action with no infodumps. I dug the heck out of it, but it's not for everyone, and the second book is a much better book.
Posted on 1/23/19 at 12:14 am to Saskwatch
I had trouble getting into it. It is well written and I enjoyed it, but I put it down and never went back for some reason. I usually get sucked into the world of whatever I'm reading and this one didn't really do it for me I guess, so it was easy to let go.
Posted on 1/23/19 at 10:53 am to Saskwatch
The first book is a miasma that made me never get into the other books. Apparently they are better and provide a grounding for the world and the goings on, but Book 1 is, frankly, just not that great.
Posted on 1/23/19 at 2:12 pm to Saskwatch
quote:
I am roughly two weeks into reading "Garden of the Moon" and it is slow going. I'm really at a loss envisioning the characters and getting a lay of the land. Is it just me or did others have the same experience starting out?
Yup, I think pretty much all of us die-hard Malazan fans faced the same thing you are. It's actually a literary technique called in media res, although I'm not sure it was a good idea to use it in his very first book of the series.
As others have said, keep charging through it. The payoff is very, very much worth it. And once you get a good handle on the world/characters, Gardens of the Moon makes much more sense.
I've probably read the entire series four or five times now, and I still end up finding things I missed in the previous reads. To say the series is dense is an understatement.
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