Product Description

Bled dry by interminable warfare, infighting and bloody confrontations with Lord Anomander Rake and his Tiste Andii, the vast, sprawling Malazan empire simmers with discontent. Even its imperial legions yearn for some respite. For Sergeant Whiskeyjack and his Bridgeburners and for Tattersail, sole surviving sorceress of the Second Legion, the aftermath of the siege of Pale should have been a time to mourn the dead. But Darujhistan, last of the Free Cities of Genabackis, still holds out - and Empress Lasseen's ambition knows no bounds. However, it seems the empire is not alone in this great game. Sinister forces gather as the gods themselves prepare to play their hand...Conceived and written on an epic scale, Gardens of the Moon is a breathtaking achievement - a novel in which grand design, a dark and complex mythology, wild and wayward magic and a host of enduring characters combine with thrilling, powerful storytelling to resounding effect. Acclaimed by writers, critics and readers alike, here is the opening chapter in what has been hailed a landmark of epic fantasy: the awesome 'The Malazan Book of the Fallen'.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2485 in Books
• Published on: 2008-02-12
• Original language: English
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 752 pages

Customer Reviews

Get into the Malazan World
Now where do I start? Gardens of the moon is the first book in a series of 10 (5 out so far) based on at least 5 continents and I estimated over 10 different character POV per book. There is also about 300, 000 years of relevant history, numerous different species and a completely different system of 'magic' to the regular fantasy fare. With countless mysteries and good number of extremely powerful beings it is quite hard to get your head around it at first. So I will try my best in this review to give you a good idea of what to expect from the series as a whole.

Firstly if you are looking for any of the following, beware!
A young nobody (or lost prince) finds famous sword, hacks up baddy, saves the world
Main characters that never seem to die
A light read i.e. Few brain cells or imagination required (Harry Potter?)
Author spoon feeding i.e. everything is explained immediately
Elves, Orcs, Hobbits, goblins etc

After about 100 pages of gardens of the moon you will be very confused, after about 200 it will be even worse, it was for me when I first read it. The story does pick up, but there are still a number of things that will have your head spinning. Erikson is not the type to give info dumps so the brain cells will have to stay sharp while reading this book since the info is spread through all the books. The first book is the weakest of the 5 currently published simply because it is impossible to fully understand everything that happens since you don't have enough information about the Malazan world. But perseverance pays of tenfold as soon as the second book and there is hardly any filler (WOT?) so it is worthwhile not to skim through.

To give a head start I would say that there are 2 definite constants in the Malazan world. The first is convergence which means that power draws other power. And the second one is a balance of that power. It is also useful to condition your thinking and remember that this is a completely different world and is not based on LOTR or D&D, for example a god is not one in the conventional sense, but is just a powerful being who commands a warren (a realm can be used to release magic into the Malazan world).

Even though gardens is a good book, there will always be debate about its quality since it is quite complex and a lot of people can't take that. However, that debate dies off after Book 2 (Deadhouse Gates) , which even with a good dose of extra mystery is easier to follow and the Erikson proves himself as top class with incredible story that leaves most people very numb and wanting more. If you are not hooked after that there is still some hope as book 3 (memories of ice) is in my opinion even better.

There will invariably be comparisons made to George Martin's (another favourite of mine) song of ice and fire. Which is fair since they are both gritty and main characters can and do die. However, I would say that Martin is more character driven, while Erikson is more event or plot driven. But both do it so well that they are arguable writing the best ongoing fantasy series at present, other really don't come close.

So you should get into the Malazan series if you're looking for:

A powerful story that will blow you away
An intriguing web of plots with no clichés
A chance to test the limits of your imagination
A different world you can really get into

Enjoy.

The turn of the tide
After I read "Gardens of the Moon", I felt that I had to write a small review telling everyone out there how good this book was.
After almost 22 years of reading fantasy literature I had the feeling that the fountain of inspiration for fantasy writers had finally dried out.

Then I stumbled into George R.R. Martin, and I felt kind of refreshed. But with Eriksson one should say "it makes you feel reborn!" Great characters, with approaches scarcely read in fantasy books, where sword and magic, gods and mortals blend in a unique mixture of adventure, intrigue, and analysis of human nature that gets a grip on the reader until he has finished the story. After that, your first word usually is "Whoah!"

What fantasy fans need is more writers like Eriksson or Martin, so we can think that our cause is not lost.
Astonishing writting, complex plots but never boring, Eriksson provides something that many known writers just dream of. In Eriksson Books, nothing is what it seems to be, so the reader is always on the verge, trying to expect the unexpected while the tide of the story comes and goes, weaving surprising dialogues and plots, creating a maelström of characters so powerful that it doesn't matter who is the main one, since every one of them fits perfectly in the puzzle created by Eriksson. Absolutely brilliant.

beware all ye who enter this book...
because it leads you into the greatest science fiction/fantasy series this world has ever seen, and there are 9 more scheduled volumes, most even more epic than this one. Erikson is a story teller without equal, who creates a raft of beautifully crafted characters in multiple storylines that weave an enthralling tapestry thru a complex and fabulous world.
You can pick the story line up from the other reviews, just be assured that this book is the start of an epic journey. Sometimes complicated and difficult but ultimately worth every furrowed brow, every re-read passage. Another reviewer says that Erikson's writing improves in his later books, possibly, but this first book has a whole new world to describe and scene setting was always going to be tricky. Dive in, you will not regret it !