Why Steven Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen is among the best fantasy 

Hello, everyone! Just a little note here to mention that my thinking about Malazan has evolved in a couple respects since I made this video, and this is because I've now read the prequels to The Malazan Book of the Fallen in preparation for my reread of the series (and, yes, I'm including Esslemont's Novels of the Malazan Empire this time). In fact, my reread has begun, and I have some new Malazan related videos. Most exciting is the fact that I'll be joined in the reread by A.P. Canavan, advance reader for Steven Erikson and Ian Esslemont. A.P. and I will have a discussion of each of the ten books in The Malazan Book of the Fallen over the next ten months. I'd be delighted to have you join us!

I’m 200 pages into gardens of the moon. I am absolutely blown away already by what I have read . To say I am excited to read the rest of the books is a wild understatement

"It's not casual reading ... " - now there's an understatement if I ever heard one ! The complexity, depth & detail of this series is second to none in the fantasy genre ( in my opinion ).

All time favourite. Remarkable autor, probably the most poetic one I've stumbled upon in the genre.

I've read the series many, many times. The series being titled The BOOK of the fallen is just spot on. First read through of gardens, I wasn't so much confused as I was feeling I just didn't have all of the information, but what I did have I knew I liked, so I continued. Deadhouse gates fully introduces you to Erickson. Not the story, but how he writes. It's just a slow build up of what you think are inconsequential things, that converge into an amazing finale with the chain of dogs, which is where I became dumbfounded and hooked. Erickson writes the entire series like it is just one big book: a series of what you think are random or inconsequential or disconnected events, that slowly converge into an amazing finale. By the time I got to the crippled god, no matter if it was the first or ninth time, I had to take breaks because I would start crying at certain events. The only form of media to make me cry, and I love erickson and the series for it.

I honestly believe malazan has changed my life profoundly. I think the character arc is for yourself as you go through the books. The main protagonist is compassion. Humanitys ability to turn it off was the antagonist.

First in, last out.

I don't know that I'll ever read another fantasy series quite like Malazan, it got under my skin like nothing I've ever read. Erikson did such a remarkable job with the thematic content and the philosophies he tackled, i was constantly stopping to read entire pages over again, some really brilliant writing. Strangely though, i actually found the story to be quite a character driven one. That said, it can be a very frustrating reading experience at times, in some ways i often think some of Malazans greatest strengths are also it's greatest weaknesses. He's currently working on a Karsa Trilogy, i believe the first book is all done and just waiting for the publication process to get underway. Interesting tid-bit, Erikson actually meant for MOI to come before Deadhouse Gates, he wrote 400 pages of MOI and lost all the work he'd done on it, got frustated and wrote DG instead, i think it worked out for the best honestly.

Here’s how I describe reading Gardens of the Moon: it’s like not knowing anything at all about Lord of the Rings and starting to read in the mines of Moria.

After 3 books of the series, I would say that although Steven Erikson TRULY does amazing scenes and action, it is in the quiet moments within the characters themselves where I see mastery of the artform. I see others who do this, but it sometimes rings empty. With Malazan so far, I can say that you get out of it what you are willing to give it. So don't rush. Put it down and let moments simmer properly. Enjoy the journey of it.

I really don’t understand why malazan isn’t more well known. Everybody who reads fantasy knows of the wheel of time but I know too few fantasy fans that have heard of malazan which I find perplexing. I’m only midway through book 5 and unless the wheels come off in later books, it is every bit as amazing as WoT

You mentioned the Black Company. From my understanding it was a direct influence on malazan as well as an influence on dark fantasy and grimdark. Perhaps that’s a series you could do a video on

Thanks for your recommendation! I'm an anthropologist and fantasy writer myself, so when I heard you describe his books, he sounds perfect for me. Got the first book before I even finished your video.

I find that once you begin the re-read the beauty really starts to come through. I've gone through the series multiple times and each time still learn things missed times before. Incredible series

I’m currently on book 5 of The Wheel of Time, which I am loving, and I think I will pick his series up as soon as I finish WoT! I love reading these huge, overarching epic fantasy stories, so I can’t wait to try it out!

Thanks for putting this in plain English. It seems most folks who talk about Malazan just want to flex about how intelligent they are for having read it. I'm starting a huge group read of it this January and this was what I wanted to hear. Thanks again!

Good video. I like that you talk about some of the humor Erikson injects into the series. Some of my favorite characters are Bugg and Tehol and Kruppe just for the hilarious stuff they say hahah.

For a man of retirement age such as myself this multi-volume wall of reading seems too daunting for me. Thanks for your thoughtful and informative vids on the books. Per the numerous recommendations I've received from RU-vidrs and more I've begun reading The Blade Itself. So far so good. Enjoy your Malazan journey.

My absolute favorite series, to my mind one of the best things ever created. A living breathing world like no other.

I've finished The Main Series, Forge of Darkness, Fall of Light, The Novellas and Esselmonts Novels, haven't gotten to Path to Ascendancy but imo no world is built like Malazan

i am so envious of you english speakers! as a german reader i will have to wait probably 2-3 more years until i can finally finish the series. there will be 20 books in german because the bastards split everyone in two to make more money, and the next one, number 17, will be released in september .... -.- i could read it in english of course, but eriksons english is of such high quality that i would probably miss a lot of things because my english is not perfect on that level. german by the way is perfectly suited for an eloquent writer like him. it is by far the best series i have ever read!

Shoulder pads and rambling intros... bold choice, my friend. Good substance.

Hey! I recently finished Toll the Hounds and I stumbled across your channel as I was going through Booktubers talking about Malazan. The community and environment you have developed here is amazing! I've been watching your videos - from your first one - and as someone who's into fantasy, I've found your videos both informative and fun to watch! Looking forward to watching more of your videos and hearing your thoughts! And I admire the dedication with which you reply to comments. Thank you, Dr. Chase, for this channel!

Malazan is amazing, and yet, it seems to be missing something... or something... i don't know what that is or isn't, because Malazan is amazing.

Like how it throws you into the shit with no explanation. There are a lot of Garden of the Moon-isms that are anachronistic due to the long time between book one and two.

Liked and subbed. I'm willing to watch content from fantasy in general, but if you keep bringing Malazan commentary I'd be great! I greatly appreciate your assessment of the series.

i have read so many fantasies and being a foreigner one may say it may have been challenging . but it was the best and greatest fantasy book . the story and the characters and the world is absolutely amazing. karsa orlong character by itself shows the intelligence behind the writer.

I might try IT in future, Thanks.

When you reread this, you will be in awe of what was created. I was amazed my first time through, but the second time was the best experience I've ever had rereading a series and the foreshadowing is shocking.

I don't think you need to be a genius to read Malazan, but I do think you need to find something in the books to keep you going. In Gardens of the Moon I really enjoyed that early scene when Shadowthrone and Cotillion arrive on that beach after that massacre - it seemed like such a random scene to be dropped into. And I found the scene with Topper and Ganoes walking through the Imperial Warren to be really weird and captivating, too. That kept me going until the battle of Pale with Anomander and the Malazan's - after that I was hooked and dedicated to reading the series. The scene with Ganoes and the Twins was also very epic. Without these moments in Gardens of the Moon I would have dropped this series. It gets better, but I still highly rate these moments in the first book.

I tried reading GotM but I DNF'd it because it was too much. Then upon doing more research I learned just how different and unconventional this series was. Apart from that I learned that you gotta put in extra effort to really appreciate this series. It sounds like a great series with so many cool things so I'll give it another go soon. Good video.

I’m almost done Dust of Dreams and don’t think I’m ready for whatever The Crippled God brings to the table

The two series work well together. Erikson's books are the huge time spanning overall arc of this time in their land. Many key events in the book are closed over, because they are handled by the other series. Think of it this way. Erikson's books are months of time. The other novels are one key night. So they read totally different but complement each other perfectly. I highly recommend reading the other set of books to fill in those gaps.

It's an amazing series, definitely worth rereading. Would also recommend the Esslemont books, they are great companion novels. He focuses a lot more on individual characters and specific events within the same narrative. His first book was a bit rough, especially when comparing it to Erikson, but he has grown a hell of a lot - and if you like the setting it's just all gravy 😀 Also the Kharkanas novels - those are on hold for now, but I seriously hope the trilogy will be completed soon. Delving into the history of Dark, Light and the Tiste, yes please! Just pick up everything Erikson has written. The Bauchelain and Korbal Broach short stories are great fun, as are his Star Trek spoofs Wilful Child. And his serious sci-fi novel Rejoice was probably the best book I've read last year.

Just finished the first book Gardens of the Moon. This was my introduction to the epic high fantasy genre. And holy smoke! It's mind blowing! Thoroughly enjoyed it! Also, loved your book review! Although I have to confess that your mention of Soletaken - beings taking the form of dragons turned out to be a bit of a spoiler as I watched your video while in the middle of the book. Nevertheless, nicely done. I enjoyed it!

My favorite books ever!!

I'm not sure man, I'm attached to lots of characters, kruppe, relick, rake, cotillion and so many mord 0

I quit after Gardens of the Moon and I really don't understand how anybody can praise the writing, the characters, the plotting ... It is all just awful. There is some imagination going on but the author fails miserably to congeal it all into a readable story. It is repetitive and shallow, and the little setups that he does put into the book all end with such pathetic payoffs. I find Stormlight to be overlong and in need of a good editor but at least Sanderson knows how to write good action scenes and can do basic setup and payoff. Erikson either has endless setup with very poor payoff, or deus ex payoffs coming out of the blue with little or no setup. Baffling.

Great video man, thanks for highlighting Erikson, his writing is incredible! The Malazan Empire novels are cool, too, they give you a really cool background on some events, and they do finish a few arcs, but as always, they leave you wondering

Been putting this off for a decade until I was ready. Now starting it today as I think it will be the best series I'll ever read and everything else after it won't compare.

This series is definitely one of, if not THE greatest I've ever read. It's RU-vidrs like you who inspired me to make my own Malazan video for new people who may want to start the series. It'd be awesome if you would check it out, Philip! Cheers.

Can't wait to reread the entire series and pick up on a lot of more tasty details. Karsa Orlong had the most consistent character arch to me. Really enjoyed following his path.

New to fantasy books. Love the channel!! Very informative.

i agree with all of the comments. there is something about this series that makes you want to read more and to read all the ten volumes. i am reading the second volume.

I have officially started Gardens of the Moon with Mike’s discord and am done with the first section! It’s definitely dense and hard to follow at times but I’m still really enjoying it more than I thought I would. The second chapter itself might be one of the most epic beginnings of any story I’ve ever experienced. Can’t wait to continue on!

Great series but in my opinion the author is borderline mad and by book 8 or so the series starts to become almost incomprehensible. I'm on book 10 now and its a slog. I stopped trying to recall secondary character from previous novels

Gotta say phillip, this was the pitch that made me start this in 2021, and i am now reading it all this year as I only read book and part of deadhouse gates, I will finish it this year. Then likely reread it next year with the ICE novels

Erikson may have been influenced by Cook, but his books are a league above. All time favorite. If you don't read about Tehol and Bugg I feel bad for you.

Update: I just finished the prologue of Malazan, it's def better this time around. I think after I finish Shattered Sea I'm gonna start Malazan. I'm prepared for a 10 book epic! You defentely convinced me to retry. I found the prose much better this time, I maybe was not in the mood for Malazan.

Stop recommending and praising these series.

on my 5th reread of this series. Erikson is a god among fantasy writers

I am very attached to Toc and Beak.

about the arcs, yes they are covered in the ICE books, the books they write do not follow characters but events. the ppl in them are only in them as long as they effect that books story if you want the character arcs you'll need to read all the books. that said there are a number of arcs that complete inside the main series.

this series shaped my life. Midnight Tides is the greatest piece of fiction i ever read

Well, you’re to blame… I’ve started Gardens of the Moon. I had never heard of Malazan or Steven Erikson, but I was yearning for a new series of books, a world to add to my other inner worlds, to live in, live with. Thank you… I think :)

I am one third of the way through Gardens of The Moon, but I can't feel hooked yet. I am used to feeling instantly hooked after books launching series like The Fifth Season (it's my customized brand of drugs), A Game of Thrones, The Name of The Wind, The Blade Itself, or standalones like Anathem. With Gardens of The Moon, it's not the complexity. I feel a bit underwhelmed. Obviously, I am a fantasy newbie. I need hope please 😂

I'm curious into discovering new fantasy literature. Will check them out. 📘

First time viewer. I like the points you've made. I think the video quality will greatly improve if you add some transitions so that it doesn't feel forced.

I've literally just read the prologue and chapter 1 of Gardens of the Moon and I'm already invested.

I've been reading this for slightly more than year and a half now - the volume may be daunting, but it's so worth it. I already know that when I finish these I'll miss them and will probably start re-reading them oh and for those who are thinking about picking these up, fair warning: Gardens of the Moon is probably *the* hardest case of in medias res I've ever seen

I think daylight is the best light to read with.

Stopped after the first book because I felt like nothing really happened

Favorite series, hands down. I've read it twice and listened to the first 3 audiobooks. Then they went and changed the narrator and it just killed it for me : ( I will most likely read it again in a few years.

Anyone who reads this should be able to tell this is clearly DnD related - often characters get massively damaged (Malazan marines, bridgeburners for example) yet they totally ignore their wounds… or fight till they just pass out/die. In rpg’s you see this all the time - got 60hp and take 58 damage? I’m still up and at full capacity to fight / cast spells, etc.

Lots of people have complained about the character work because they don't get to experience all of the nitty-gritty inner thoughts and feelings of the characters (for the most part). They want to latch onto a character (or characters) and experience the events in the books through them. To them I simply compare the characters in Malazan to reading about your co-workers or schoolmates. You learn their personalities, you learn what makes them tick, you learn tidbits about their past through conversations and references throughout the series. But, just like your co-workers and schoolmates, you're never let completely in... And that's on purpose, and that's ok, because Malazan is a book about world events and history. The characters are just along for the ride.

Well, I finally finished the Book of the Fallen and I can confirm. Truly amongst the best of literature and solidified itself amongst my personal favourites, and I cannot wait to delve more into this world and converse more of the fan base. And I can't wait to reread these books multiple times. I guess I can count myself amongst you veterans now.

I think the best way to approach this series is to not get invested in the characters, but their overall theme and arch. It's not black and white but grey all over, and while there may be evil and good characters, it's not that apparent, especially once you've taken in their back story. The themes are what you need to understand to fully appreciate this series.

This is one of the only fantasy book series I never finished. I loved the early books (and re-read them several times). I read Ian's Crimson Guard books too, at least the first couple. But by the time the series had wrapped up the plot with Tehol and Bugg the whole thing felt like it lost steam. The story of the Bridgeburners, which originally was the one that hooked me on the series, became uninteresting to the point where I stopped reading entirely. Never read Crippled God, no idea how it ends and I can't find it in me to go back to re-read to finish it now. He took what were my favorite characters and made them boring and kept throwing in curveballs rather than paying off threads he had been weaving for many books.

Thank you for the informative review. I'll be putting this one my short list.

Oh goodness. We have a lot of similarities! I love this series, and I am currently on Midnight Tides. Subbed, and excited to watch your other videos!

There are so many people who give up on malazan because of the first book. I, on the other hand, was hooked. The malazan book of the fallen is a great series. I am now reading the second book and it's even better. Unfortunately, this series is very hard to understand and hard to recomend. For those who are willing to put in the effort and enjoy grand, epic fantasy, with complex magic systems, different races and a rich story and overarching narrative, then you are in for a treet.

Is there people who read Steven Erik sons and Ian c essalmorts books and book of the fallen and read multiple books challenge thing, I’m not sure there to start reading multiple books while I continue reading malazan book of the fallen or just go one at a time read this series right throught before moving on because I don’t whant to confuse myself.

Only on Midnight Tides but Malazan is quenching a thirst I didn't know I had

So excited to finally start this soon. Really looking forward to this series.

Just started this series thanks to you and Mike's Book Reviews! I've never experienced a book where I felt so lost and just really enjoyed it at the same time. I've got a lot of gardens of the moon left, but I'm loving it so far! Thanks for the recommendation!

He says grainy a hell of allot

After pushing myself to finish Deadhouse Gates I found him to be one of the worst fantasy authors. Maybe it gets better later? He just doesn't flesh out characters very well at all and I never could care about anything going on since they never really came alive. They were like cardboard cutouts with names and ranks. Also the plot wasn't interesting either. I usually don't quit a series but this is one of the few I felt fine quitting.

Having read the series twice now I'm amazed at how many characters I truly love and care about. Then you have the story. Best series ever

This is just one of the best series I've ever read. Reading the final book a few weeks back, it wasn't at all what I expected to happen, but I was satisfied with the ending. The more I thought about it, the more satisfied I became. Erikson added things in that final book that I'd not thought about for 2, maybe 3 books, but those things had such a pivotal role in the ending. It all just makes sense and kind of clicks together. Never have I read such mind blowing, epic, grand storytelling or scenes. The battles in Memories of Ice, the convergence in Toll the Hounds, Lightfall, Korabas, and so many others in The Crippled God. I could go on and on about this series forever. Oh also, I believe Tavore to be one of the best fantasy characters ever written. Great video!

There's nothing more enjoyable than hearing someone's thoughts on this series, both the positive and negative.

Gene Wolfe is another I would characterize as a writer’s writer. What a great description! Thank you.

this isn't an exaggeration, but the book has ruined my novel books consumption. i have never read anything as good as that series, before or since. there are good books out there, like dan simmons hyperion or the heechee series but non has able to combine seemingly random story arc together into a grand story arc based on fate, and conspiracy.

only criticism i have is the first few books throw way too many characters at you its literally impossible to know or care about many of them until you get a bigger picture of events later that is a big hurdle to overcome

Beautiful prose. Some books you read to escape reality. Malazan makes so feel every emotion and you feel better for it. I’ve laughed out loud (bugg and tehol), cried(fiddler and whiskeyjack), and felt extreme hatred(damn you high king). Read every book about Malazan three times and I’m ready for the fourth in 2021.

nice, read the main series 3 times. all the esslemont books...INCLUDING the prequels. Its IS the best fantasy series, but i wouldnt say its a writers writer series as much as an experienced fantasy reader writer. When you've been reading fantasy for 20+ years you start to get bored with some of the same approaches to telling a story. Erickson throws you straight into it ASSUMING you'll figure it out as you go. Not charcter driven yet amazing character development, because when some of these characters die you get upset. Or look forward to what they think up next. Im writing this as i listen so maybe u cover that. Even after 3 reads its still tricky to explain, i find new things EVERY TIME...which makes it worth the read...you will enjoy the follow up series.

This is probably the best explanatory video to get into this series. Great job Philip.

Shout out Hood ❤

Yeah both authors buck top tier fantasy but there is fare more than just the 6 extra books

I hate malazan.

this is making me feel excited to read this series. In 5 months or less ill make sure that i have read this series

I am fascinated by the idea that this series was born out of a D&D game, that campaign would have been epic.

It certainly isnt for casual reading haha! I have been listening to the audiobooks on my commute, but I often have to go to the blog "Malazan, reread of the Fallen" to properly understand the significance of some plot events and characters. Thank god for those bloggers. A truly fantastic saga and I am nearly done, on Toll the Hounds right now. I cant wait for the convergence in this book!

I've tried to read it honestly the worst thing I've ever read.

is the language of the books easy to read for a non native english reader ?

I tried reading gardens of the moon a few months back when I started Wheel of Time and didn’t care for it. But I’m thinking about giving it another chance when I finish wot, feels like I missed something

My all time favorite as well. So great. Ians series is good as well but to short

Took me 8 months to read em all.. But they are fantastic

I read the first one to do a review of it, and because a buddy put me on to it. Pacing was awful, too many characters, almost didn't finish it, but the worldbuilding was great. I know it's a huge fan fav, but I could almost right off the first one as a foundational book for the series... rather than being its own novel.

It's pretty nice but the characters are terrible

I'm currently on book three. I'm enjoying it but he is overly fond of certain words. The mild annoyance at seeing them pulls me out of the narrative.