"When I people finished Gardens, they all wanted to know what Rake's deal was. It was at that moment I realized, 'Shit, I need to develop this guy more." Actual quote from Erikson.
The series has some of my favorite characters ever: pretty much every Bridgeburner (special love for Fiddler, Quick Ben and Kalam), Kruppe who I would hate in real life, Karsa, Anomander, Crokus, Icarium & Mappo, Tool and Traveller
No love for Hellion? Ur obvushly... obviushly... ur clearly not in posseshion of ur phhhull phhhactultiesh, right? TouchyBreathless, CodRotten getsh double lattrine duty unlesh she bringsh me that bottle of rum I know he’sh been hidin in her kit.
Reading Malazan was like reading fantasy that was better than all the other fantasy i've ever read. There is nothing that quite matches it, in scope, in complexity, in a rich world with a rich history, in terms of characters and plot line. The best way i can describe getting into Malazan was like jumping into a pool in the deep end without knowing how to swim yet. All the information you will be given about the world comes from the thoughts and conversations of the characters you follow, some of them will be epic, some of them will be funny, some of them will be brilliant and some of them will be tragic. They will all be flawed and have their own humanity in a sense, they arent perfect, some of them are cruel and some of them are humble, some of them just do it because they have to. Its not a fair world at all just like reality some gets a really shitty hand and do the best of what they got and they dont always win, many of them will lose along the way. All of them will be more human like than any other fantasy you have ever read. Its an emotional rollercoaster, there will be times you want to throw the book into a fire, some other times you have tears running down your cheeks and other times when you want to jump out of your chair screaming YES at the top of your lungs. It is simply Malazan but there is nothing simple about Malazan.
This series is such a raw take on humanity, good and bad, that I can't imagine anyone who's paying attention not having their heart broken multiple times. Like, Atrayu loosing Artax kind of heart breaking. Like Alice Quinn burning herself up to save Quentin kind of heart breaking.
this is the best summary of Malazan i've seen on UA-cam. I'll use this if I ever try to sell someone on reading it. Also, fellow Kruppe lover here! They hate us, cuz they ain't us!
On my first read through and Kruppe was just introduced and I love him already. The small segment about him in Darujhistan ch1 was brilliantly written, ngl
This series doesn't get anywhere near the attention it deserves. I've tried so hard to just get anyone else in my life to commit to reading it so I could just sit down, drink beers and discuss... forever... This is hands down the greatest Fantasy I have ever read. Great video!
Just jumped into book nine after a solid year of Malazan (breaking it up with other books in between, naturally). The end is finally in sight. My advice towards any would-be readers is to take it slow and accept the long bouts of confusion. The Dark Souls comparison is actually quite accurate: there are so, so many things in the Malazan world that don't get completely explained and are purposely left shrouded in mystery. You're meant to speculate and draw your own conclusions to things. There are massive - MASSIVE - portions of writing where nothing happens and you're stuck in a character's head, listening to them philosophize over redemption, punishment, duty and compassion. But try not to skip ahead, or else you'll miss out on vital character development and dampen the emotional blows of story beats a hundred pages down the line. It's not easy reading. In fact it's really fricking hard, probably more than it has to be. Erikson can be downright sadistic at times. You will forget entire plot lines happened because you're busy following ten others, all occurring at the same time. You will get through three quarters of a book and still not understand what all the make-believe fantasy words mean until you cave in and use a wiki. You will confuse side characters with one another time, time and time again because there's just so many of them. I struggled with the series. I struggled a lot. But at the same time, that struggle paid off. Malazan is packed with heartfelt tragedy and heroism with an actual, honest-to-god message that hits all the harder for how deeply Erikson buries you in a character's mindset. Just do yourself a favor and take a breather between books. Pick up something short and sweet to blaze through before jumping from one entry to another. Don't try and take on this beast all at once, because you'll inevitably burn yourself out.
Only gardens was hard, it took me 3 attempts to get to the end, but once I had I immediately was completely invested and devoured every piece of malazan available. Also, I don't think taking long breaks between the books of the main series is good advice. You lose momentum and pace and details get forgotten. I've just finished my 4th read through of the main series and it STILL had depth that eluded me in the first three passes. Admittedly it's very easy to confuse some character names. Imo the biggest culprits being the imass and andii, and the time jumps can leave you a bit dizzy if you don't pay attention to the dates, but that really falls to the wayside because as overwhelmed as one might feel; you are safe in the hands of a master storyteller. Trust that he will give you the details you need and you won't be disappointed.
@@whiskeySe7en Four times? That’s dedication right there. Personally I stand by the break thing; Erikson’s writing can elusive with details (I didn’t know what a Deragoth was for the longest time), and while it gives his books an air of mystery, it can be really frustrating for a first time reader. I can see why rereads are so common. With a better insight into the world, the confusing stories of early books gain a whole new clarity. Finished Crippled God not too long ago, btw. As a guy who has a soft spot for endings that harken back to the beginning, I was pretty pleased.
@@whiskeySe7en Yea, it also took me 3 tries to get through the first book. First time I was a bit pissed off because it just seemed like a bunch of short stories, and it felt like I was never again going to see these characters again. But thankfully that wasn't the case. It's definitely a lot different to "normal" books where most of the main characters are introduced in the beginning and are constantly reappearing quickly. It almost seems more like a long running TV series, where characters get killed off, or actors leave the series over the years, and they have to find ways to replace them.
KRUPPE is most pleased at this most eloquent and lugubrious video you have so wonderfully displayed onto our fine fine retinas, so as to soak into one’s ears and mind as butter melts upon a stove, Verily, it is indeed a fine fine thing this thing you have done, so Kruppe hath decreed.
Great characters, great stories, plots within plots, the shear expansiveness of the world they build is huge. The idea of worlds within worlds within worlds. He put it perfectly about motivations and plots even in the 10th book when you think you have what they planned down there still is hidden plans that surprise you. I had a friend put it perfectly, it's just like life.. you don't start knowing everything. You slowly learn more and more and that's how it is with this series. The longer you read the more knowledge you get, it's not one of these book series where in the first book or two you get the complete stage of how the world operates and then you are just delving into stories after that. Every book you learn more and more about the lore that is not minor but huge. You meet characters that impacted whole civilizations.
You make a persuasive case. And the editing in this video is A+. Your description is tempting me to read it more than any other pitch I've come across.
@@blackoak4978I'm struggling with the audiobook, so I'm thinking about switching to a book. I have to stop so many times as I am confused about who people are, where we are, when we are and and other terms I'm not sure what are. I think I might have mild autism, since I can't concentrate on the rest of the book if I don't find out immediately 😅 I need a Malazan lexicon and a notebook to accompany my trough this journey. I am loving it this far tho, even if it exhausts me
I bought Gardens of the Moon while on a trip, and totally bounced off of it at first. I was like 14 and it was such a step above Jordan that I just couldn't manage it. Found it in a box like 10 years later while moving, and gave it another shot. Best choice of my life, my wife and I bonded so heavily over discussing these books.
TY, I've been on the fence about reading this series and you've nudged me a little further towards taking the plunge as well as given me a lot of practical advice :)
Dude, I just had a shiver run down my spine after reading your comment as it immediately brought back those pages of the Tenescowri.... The shift in tone in that book took to straight up freaking horror was freaking wild.
@@hnjahnjah seeing what Toc went through was intense to say the least And when Itkovian was defending the city and he HEARD the Tenescowri… straight nightmare fuel
That book actually helped contribute to my understanding of just how bad things can get when law and order totally breaks down and madness grips a whole people. Such things can and have happened in real human history, but that was the first time I had read such a gripping 'first hand' account, and it led me down a rabbit hole of reading more about some of the real historical events that are similar.
Yeeeees! I LOVE LOVE LOVE this overview of the series! The best by far I've ever seen, done with humor and touching all the important points! You sir, are an artist! As for the series - they have spoilt fantasy for me - being so good, nothing else even comes close....
this was awesome! Thank you for summarizing the series I've been failing to summarize as I've been trying to get my friends to read it. LOVE these books
I'm on the last book of the series for my fourth time through. I read it the old fashioned way the first three times, I've chosen audio for my fourth adventure through. I've thoroughly enjoyed it listening also (name pronunciation can be a little jarring though, you'll see). I've read thousands of sci fi and fantasy books over a lifetime of passion for the art. I've also read a ton in other subjects also. Malazan Book of the Fallen is by far the best series I've ever read amd it's more satisfying and fulfilling than anything else I've ever read. I got the first book for free from our little old bookstore that used to be downtown. The owner received an ARC(advanced reading copy) from a new fantasy writer neither of us had ever heard anything about. Because it was free for her she didn't charge me. Suddenly I was hooked. The author is canadian so the books were always printed their six months earlier. So I ordered from Canada. I'll get back to this.
One of the most apt descriptions I heard about the whole malazan series and its smaller spinoff series; Think of the main series as setting the stage. You've got your main characters but you also got your side characters who think they are main characters. Then you have the different Acts, but in a grander scale, kinda like how the Marvel Avengers were set up in each movie, leading up to Endgame and you see how the dots connect.
Man! Damn good video, friend. I bought the entire 10 book OG series in 2019 when I was getting into fantasy fiction. I have only read Gardens of the Moon (last year) and even I didn't understand much but now I want to re-read it and continue the series. You made it sound even better.
I just started book 7, Reapers Gate, I have been listening to the Audio Book series and in short I absolutely love it, although my approach to listening to it is like no other book series I have listened too. I in a way use it more like a meditation, I just hit play and let the beautiful writing and complexity wash over me, then allowing the more epic parts and perhaps just a few notable occurrences or favorite characters to hold my attention in detail. I have a basic understanding of the event's and characters, I am sure I have missed a heap of detail from the book, but it's incredibly enjoyable approaching it this way and removes the stress of trying to keep up with everything, I highly recommend it! Also whenever I explain the series to people I often always say "you can tell they were hardcore nerds just nerding out", I am glad there is truth to that 😛
Anyone that loves Malazan should definitely check out more books in the grimdark subgenre. R. Scott Bakker: Prince of Nothing Joe Abercrombie: First Law Mark Lawrence: Broken Empire Michael Moorcock: Eternal Champion Multiverse Richard Nell: Ash and Sand R.F Kuang: The Poppy War Glen Cook: Black Company Kentaro Miura: Berserk Gene Wolfe: Book of the New Sun These are good starting points!
Great overview! Most important thing for me in any great book/series is that it has a soul! You care about these characters. You see the kindness and humanity in an unbelievably harsh world. And yes, it takes 4-5 books before your really "get" the underlying plot, but it is so worth it. I like WoT but this is so much more mature a series.
I finished my second pass of WoT and jumped right back into this series for a second go. I enjoyed WoT just as much (if not a bit more), but this Malazan series is more compelling. I suspect the Stormlight series will fall right behind Malazan and in front of WOT when it's all said and done (but there's a chance it could take the lead) ;-).
True, Kruppe says, not loving Kruppe is the gravest of the vices one can indulge in, for Kruppe is the sweetest and most approachable of them all, Kruppe claims, yes.
Almost 15 years ago I stumbled across an older issue of the 7th volume, the first _Lether_ book in a discount store's book bin. It wasn't at all obvious that the book was part of a series and because it started off a completly new story line with new characters on a different continent it read like a stand-alone as well. I read it and eventually figured out it was part of a greater epos, but I found it weird in an interesting way as well. I picked it because at first glance it looked like a typical fantasy novel, but although it checked certain to-be-expected boxes and tropes such as different races and elder gods, swords and sorcery and stuff it somehow was very different. I had read this random volume alone and it never left me alone, the _Malazan Book of the Fallen_ (or _"Game of Gods"_ as it gets marketed in Germany) creeped into my thoughts again and again over the years until I once took action and gave the first volume a shot - thought it would help me make sense of the more confusing aspects of what I had read before. I didn't get immidiate answers - but I got sucked into the Erikson's world. At the end of summer all 18 available volumes of the german translation adorned my shelf and the final volume was soon to come.. That had been a good while ago - I have read the whole epos at this point and just started another re-read because of withdrawal symptoms. Hopefully more books of the malazan world will get published in Germany - I'll have to look into it, otherwise I'll probably get the original english version. Should do it anyways I think.. 😅
I just finished Deadhouse Gates and this was recommended to me. I adore this series so far, but I definitely need time to digest each book before moving on to the next.
This is fantastic! I'm going to share this instead of devolving into my usual unintelligible babbling when I try to explain Malazan and why it is so good.
You are so right! I got through 1st 3 audiobooks. Listen to them each twice because it is so expanse! I guess after seeing this, I will continue the journey. Thanks.
I was so happy when I saw the title amidst recommended videos, thanks for making this! Not only it is a great introductory video, but it also gives motivation for readers to continue exploring this epic maze of plotlines🥺(if anyone wants extra challenge try reading every other book in a different language 😈)
I picked up one and after reading a page I was hooked. The tone, the palette, the depth of oily, smelly, sweaty existence oozes off the page and slimes its way into your head. And since its not highly detailed you get to make it inside your head to fit what you want it to be. ANd that, is true fiction of the highest caliber... Erickson shows you and never sinks to TELLING you .... which would be horrifyingly boring. The characters are who they are when you meet them and you learn about them as they speak, not speak, and do and not do things. And the imagination of the writer is beyond the pale... tis perfect.
This is absolutely spot on! It took me 3 attempts to get through the first book. The first time I just wasn't feeling it, second time the WOT TV series was announced and I had to rush to read it, and third time I made it through the first book! But then I was rightly confused when a bunch of new characters came along in the second book. After this I just accepted the fact that it was a series without a single main protagonist, and once I accepted this everything was better in the world. One thing that I just loved about the series is that I really hated Karsa in the beginning (of the 4th book), but somehow after a while I was really rooting for him and turning a blind eye to the atrocities he committed, thinking _"Ah sure, that's just Karsa being Karsa, lol!"_ But damn, there're a lot of characters in this series. I regularly have to google names with "Malazan" tagged on to the end!
It's brilliant writing really the way we go from meeting Karsa first and thinking "What an asshole" to a few chapters later rooting for the guy and cheering him on lol.
I love the series, and when asked to describe it, I call it dense, and something that's a bit of a slog until you get to about halfway through a book. At that point everything clicks, and it's suddenly 3 am and you have work in the morning.
I’m only on Memories of Ice. Somehow I already feel comfortable saying this is this my fav fantasy of all time. Also, I’m really glad reading this after playing Elden Ring and then all the Souls games for the first time immediately before, it’s like I’m seeing those worlds before everything’s dead and corrupted lol
I've watched a lot of videos on Malazan but this one nails it. I've bought 4 different people Gardens of The Moon and none have read it. I'm gonna start showing them this video first.
For this reread I'm weaving in Esslemont's books. It was nice having the events of Night of Knives right after finishing Moon. Plus its good the Esslemont's writing quality gets objectively better with each book to the point where I think he might be the stronger writer (Kharkanas was a PAIN)
I'm on my second pass, and am half way through Memories of Ice (through Audible). I enjoyed my first read-through over a year ago, but this second go is far more gratifying. I find myself catching tidbits I missed initially, and the puzzle pieces fit far more securely than they once did lol. #GreySwordsFTW
just finished the 10 main books and couldn't agree more ... didn't know there are that many prequels and spinoffs, might as well dabble into them too :)
I remember reading a few books from this series when I was just learning english like a decade ago and sort of understanding it but not really, I might give it another try
Lol completely agree with you about reading them in the right order. Daniel Greene read the books out of order because somebody online told him to and then complained about things in book 3 not making sense that were explained in book 2 which he hadn't read yet
The algorithm gods blessed me with this today. I've started to read the first book and it's really good! It's definitely a much-needed break from Sanderson.
He is not so black and white either. He really wanted to save Anomander, remember that. What he has is an absurd ego where he sees everyone as so beneath him (maybe except gothos) that he does nto care for their opinion.
@@fantasticphilosophy181 Did you mean to say that 'Once Kallor was cursed his fate was out of his hands and the curse compelled him to do those horrible things?' I might be on board with that sort of, but the initial murdering of millions definitely counts as 'something wrong'.
@@matthewwright57 a Critical Dragon posted a video about this today, maybe you can watch it (educational and fun 😁). After that i changed the hashtag into KallorDidAlmostNothingWrong...
the best part of the malazan book of the fallen is rereading it.
So true. I haven't finished the main ten yet but I know I'll really love it on a reread.
Absolutely! So many wonderful details become apparent in the re-reads!
Rereading it and finally figuring out what the fuck was going on
I agree. The climaxes feel more satisfying after a re-read
yep. after my 4th reread, I got a coworker and a friend into it.
“And most of all, compassion.”
*cries in Itkovianish*
Toc Anaster?
Ah, I see you're a men of culture as well
😔🙏
The Shield Anvil!
Tavore?
“Words are like coin-it pays to hoard."
"Until you die on a bed of gold," Paran said.”
― Steven Erikson, Gardens of the Moon
Then it goes to your children. For a series about compassion, that's a really poor understanding of how compassion works.
@@myself2noonei feel like you can not take a quote as a direct message to the reader like that. What you see here is Parans opinion, not Eriksons.
Deathhouse Gates, especially the Chain of Dogs chapters, made me feel like I'd walked through a desert after having read them. 10/10
At one point I was convinced I didn’t have any water
I actually cried after his death!
I died 3 times
Tool understands humor just fine. Other people just don't understand his dry humor.
Great video.
Its hard to express amusement when your mostly bones and dead flesh.
Dry humour. Nice. Whether that joke was meant or not, (thinking it was) made me chuckle.
On the other extreme is impossible to not laugh with Tehol and Buggs interactions
@@tiagodagostinione of the more funny moments
"When I people finished Gardens, they all wanted to know what Rake's deal was. It was at that moment I realized, 'Shit, I need to develop this guy more."
Actual quote from Erikson.
And then the madman decided to write the kharkhanas trilogy. Talk about overdoing it.
The series has some of my favorite characters ever: pretty much every Bridgeburner (special love for Fiddler, Quick Ben and Kalam), Kruppe who I would hate in real life, Karsa, Anomander, Crokus, Icarium & Mappo, Tool and Traveller
No love for Hellion? Ur obvushly... obviushly... ur clearly not in posseshion of ur phhhull phhhactultiesh, right? TouchyBreathless, CodRotten getsh double lattrine duty unlesh she bringsh me that bottle of rum I know he’sh been hidin in her kit.
Don't forget Beak. In just one book but oh my......
Ok ok.. how there is no Tehol in your lit? HOW?
@@tiagodagostini Bugg and Tehol are the absolute best! They might not be there yet lol.
@@coltaine503 Beak was too op! Probably the character I became attached to the quickest...
Reading Malazan was like reading fantasy that was better than all the other fantasy i've ever read. There is nothing that quite matches it, in scope, in complexity, in a rich world with a rich history, in terms of characters and plot line.
The best way i can describe getting into Malazan was like jumping into a pool in the deep end without knowing how to swim yet. All the information you will be given about the world comes from the thoughts and conversations of the characters you follow, some of them will be epic, some of them will be funny, some of them will be brilliant and some of them will be tragic. They will all be flawed and have their own humanity in a sense, they arent perfect, some of them are cruel and some of them are humble, some of them just do it because they have to.
Its not a fair world at all just like reality some gets a really shitty hand and do the best of what they got and they dont always win, many of them will lose along the way. All of them will be more human like than any other fantasy you have ever read. Its an emotional rollercoaster, there will be times you want to throw the book into a fire, some other times you have tears running down your cheeks and other times when you want to jump out of your chair screaming YES at the top of your lungs.
It is simply Malazan but there is nothing simple about Malazan.
I truly love the way you worded your thoughts.
Erickson's style of writing rubbed off on you.😂💙
This series is such a raw take on humanity, good and bad, that I can't imagine anyone who's paying attention not having their heart broken multiple times.
Like, Atrayu loosing Artax kind of heart breaking.
Like Alice Quinn burning herself up to save Quentin kind of heart breaking.
this is the best summary of Malazan i've seen on UA-cam. I'll use this if I ever try to sell someone on reading it. Also, fellow Kruppe lover here! They hate us, cuz they ain't us!
Kruppe is the perfect character, comedic relief, weirdly powerful but just eats, turns up everywhere annoying everyone.
Kruppe is the goat
On my first read through and Kruppe was just introduced and I love him already. The small segment about him in Darujhistan ch1 was brilliantly written, ngl
This series doesn't get anywhere near the attention it deserves. I've tried so hard to just get anyone else in my life to commit to reading it so I could just sit down, drink beers and discuss... forever... This is hands down the greatest Fantasy I have ever read. Great video!
Just jumped into book nine after a solid year of Malazan (breaking it up with other books in between, naturally). The end is finally in sight.
My advice towards any would-be readers is to take it slow and accept the long bouts of confusion. The Dark Souls comparison is actually quite accurate: there are so, so many things in the Malazan world that don't get completely explained and are purposely left shrouded in mystery. You're meant to speculate and draw your own conclusions to things. There are massive - MASSIVE - portions of writing where nothing happens and you're stuck in a character's head, listening to them philosophize over redemption, punishment, duty and compassion. But try not to skip ahead, or else you'll miss out on vital character development and dampen the emotional blows of story beats a hundred pages down the line.
It's not easy reading. In fact it's really fricking hard, probably more than it has to be. Erikson can be downright sadistic at times. You will forget entire plot lines happened because you're busy following ten others, all occurring at the same time. You will get through three quarters of a book and still not understand what all the make-believe fantasy words mean until you cave in and use a wiki. You will confuse side characters with one another time, time and time again because there's just so many of them.
I struggled with the series. I struggled a lot. But at the same time, that struggle paid off. Malazan is packed with heartfelt tragedy and heroism with an actual, honest-to-god message that hits all the harder for how deeply Erikson buries you in a character's mindset.
Just do yourself a favor and take a breather between books. Pick up something short and sweet to blaze through before jumping from one entry to another. Don't try and take on this beast all at once, because you'll inevitably burn yourself out.
Only gardens was hard, it took me 3 attempts to get to the end, but once I had I immediately was completely invested and devoured every piece of malazan available. Also, I don't think taking long breaks between the books of the main series is good advice. You lose momentum and pace and details get forgotten.
I've just finished my 4th read through of the main series and it STILL had depth that eluded me in the first three passes. Admittedly it's very easy to confuse some character names. Imo the biggest culprits being the imass and andii, and the time jumps can leave you a bit dizzy if you don't pay attention to the dates, but that really falls to the wayside because as overwhelmed as one might feel; you are safe in the hands of a master storyteller. Trust that he will give you the details you need and you won't be disappointed.
@@whiskeySe7en Four times? That’s dedication right there. Personally I stand by the break thing; Erikson’s writing can elusive with details (I didn’t know what a Deragoth was for the longest time), and while it gives his books an air of mystery, it can be really frustrating for a first time reader. I can see why rereads are so common. With a better insight into the world, the confusing stories of early books gain a whole new clarity.
Finished Crippled God not too long ago, btw. As a guy who has a soft spot for endings that harken back to the beginning, I was pretty pleased.
Even the gods don't understand everything that's going on, lol.
But I find listening to them as audio books really helps get through it
@@whiskeySe7en Yea, it also took me 3 tries to get through the first book. First time I was a bit pissed off because it just seemed like a bunch of short stories, and it felt like I was never again going to see these characters again. But thankfully that wasn't the case.
It's definitely a lot different to "normal" books where most of the main characters are introduced in the beginning and are constantly reappearing quickly.
It almost seems more like a long running TV series, where characters get killed off, or actors leave the series over the years, and they have to find ways to replace them.
Let us know how the series’ ending was when u get there, it’s a wild ride 👍
Malazan Book of the Fallen is like eating a 12 course meal, including the table, but it's the most amazing meal you've ever had in your life.
KRUPPE is most pleased at this most eloquent and lugubrious video you have so wonderfully displayed onto our fine fine retinas, so as to soak into one’s ears and mind as butter melts upon a stove, Verily, it is indeed a fine fine thing this thing you have done, so Kruppe hath decreed.
Great characters, great stories, plots within plots, the shear expansiveness of the world they build is huge. The idea of worlds within worlds within worlds. He put it perfectly about motivations and plots even in the 10th book when you think you have what they planned down there still is hidden plans that surprise you. I had a friend put it perfectly, it's just like life.. you don't start knowing everything. You slowly learn more and more and that's how it is with this series. The longer you read the more knowledge you get, it's not one of these book series where in the first book or two you get the complete stage of how the world operates and then you are just delving into stories after that. Every book you learn more and more about the lore that is not minor but huge. You meet characters that impacted whole civilizations.
You make a persuasive case. And the editing in this video is A+. Your description is tempting me to read it more than any other pitch I've come across.
If you start to struggle, just listen to them as audio books
@@blackoak4978 That's a great suggestion!
@@blackoak4978I'm struggling with the audiobook, so I'm thinking about switching to a book. I have to stop so many times as I am confused about who people are, where we are, when we are and and other terms I'm not sure what are. I think I might have mild autism, since I can't concentrate on the rest of the book if I don't find out immediately 😅
I need a Malazan lexicon and a notebook to accompany my trough this journey. I am loving it this far tho, even if it exhausts me
I bought Gardens of the Moon while on a trip, and totally bounced off of it at first. I was like 14 and it was such a step above Jordan that I just couldn't manage it.
Found it in a box like 10 years later while moving, and gave it another shot. Best choice of my life, my wife and I bonded so heavily over discussing these books.
This was awesome.
The edit was on point.
I LOVE this video
This is the best video I’ve seen that explains the series so far. Well done!
TY, I've been on the fence about reading this series and you've nudged me a little further towards taking the plunge as well as given me a lot of practical advice :)
Would love to see more videos from you, it would be great to watch this channel grow!
Words can’t express how horrified I was reading a large portion of Memories of Ice. The tenescowri and the Pannion Domin were wild
Dude, I just had a shiver run down my spine after reading your comment as it immediately brought back those pages of the Tenescowri.... The shift in tone in that book took to straight up freaking horror was freaking wild.
@@hnjahnjah seeing what Toc went through was intense to say the least
And when Itkovian was defending the city and he HEARD the Tenescowri… straight nightmare fuel
That book actually helped contribute to my understanding of just how bad things can get when law and order totally breaks down and madness grips a whole people. Such things can and have happened in real human history, but that was the first time I had read such a gripping 'first hand' account, and it led me down a rabbit hole of reading more about some of the real historical events that are similar.
Yeeeees! I LOVE LOVE LOVE this overview of the series! The best by far I've ever seen, done with humor and touching all the important points! You sir, are an artist! As for the series - they have spoilt fantasy for me - being so good, nothing else even comes close....
Really awesome video, I'd love to see more of these for other series!
this was awesome! Thank you for summarizing the series I've been failing to summarize as I've been trying to get my friends to read it. LOVE these books
Great intro to a beautiful series. Very well done. Thank you.
As a huge Malazan fan who's rereading the main series, this is so well done, thanks!
I'm on the last book of the series for my fourth time through. I read it the old fashioned way the first three times, I've chosen audio for my fourth adventure through. I've thoroughly enjoyed it listening also (name pronunciation can be a little jarring though, you'll see).
I've read thousands of sci fi and fantasy books over a lifetime of passion for the art. I've also read a ton in other subjects also. Malazan Book of the Fallen is by far the best series I've ever read amd it's more satisfying and fulfilling than anything else I've ever read.
I got the first book for free from our little old bookstore that used to be downtown. The owner received an ARC(advanced reading copy) from a new fantasy writer neither of us had ever heard anything about. Because it was free for her she didn't charge me. Suddenly I was hooked. The author is canadian so the books were always printed their six months earlier. So I ordered from Canada. I'll get back to this.
I love these videos!!! I hope you continue them 😄 I'm just starting this series and am so in love!
The scared cat is still the best^^ Can't wait to get to book six!
One of the most apt descriptions I heard about the whole malazan series and its smaller spinoff series;
Think of the main series as setting the stage. You've got your main characters but you also got your side characters who think they are main characters. Then you have the different Acts, but in a grander scale, kinda like how the Marvel Avengers were set up in each movie, leading up to Endgame and you see how the dots connect.
Man! Damn good video, friend. I bought the entire 10 book OG series in 2019 when I was getting into fantasy fiction. I have only read Gardens of the Moon (last year) and even I didn't understand much but now I want to re-read it and continue the series. You made it sound even better.
Wow! That's one of the best summaries of the series I've seen (currently reading Dust of Dreams).
I keep watching this video, I love it!
Great video. I love the drawings 😍
I just started book 7, Reapers Gate, I have been listening to the Audio Book series and in short I absolutely love it, although my approach to listening to it is like no other book series I have listened too. I in a way use it more like a meditation, I just hit play and let the beautiful writing and complexity wash over me, then allowing the more epic parts and perhaps just a few notable occurrences or favorite characters to hold my attention in detail. I have a basic understanding of the event's and characters, I am sure I have missed a heap of detail from the book, but it's incredibly enjoyable approaching it this way and removes the stress of trying to keep up with everything, I highly recommend it! Also whenever I explain the series to people I often always say "you can tell they were hardcore nerds just nerding out", I am glad there is truth to that 😛
Anyone that loves Malazan should definitely check out more books in the grimdark subgenre.
R. Scott Bakker: Prince of Nothing
Joe Abercrombie: First Law
Mark Lawrence: Broken Empire
Michael Moorcock: Eternal Champion Multiverse
Richard Nell: Ash and Sand
R.F Kuang: The Poppy War
Glen Cook: Black Company
Kentaro Miura: Berserk
Gene Wolfe: Book of the New Sun
These are good starting points!
Black Company was my introduction to gtimdark fantasy.
Are these standalone novels or series'?
@@andrewbatkins5198 They’re all series.
This is awesome. Thanks for the video, we can tell you put a lot of effort into making it.
This is a awesome channel, keep up the good work 👍
This video is spectacular. Kudos. I'm a Malazan superfan and this nailed it.
Great overview! Most important thing for me in any great book/series is that it has a soul! You care about these characters. You see the kindness and humanity in an unbelievably harsh world. And yes, it takes 4-5 books before your really "get" the underlying plot, but it is so worth it. I like WoT but this is so much more mature a series.
I finished my second pass of WoT and jumped right back into this series for a second go. I enjoyed WoT just as much (if not a bit more), but this Malazan series is more compelling. I suspect the Stormlight series will fall right behind Malazan and in front of WOT when it's all said and done (but there's a chance it could take the lead) ;-).
This was really good. Keep it up my man.
Bravo. This is the best synopsis I’ve seen of the Mezla. And yes. The hilarity of Iskarel Pust, Tehol and Bugg. Comedy gold.
I wish so much that I could summarize this series the way you did. Saveling this to convince my book nerd friends. Thanks!
True, Kruppe says, not loving Kruppe is the gravest of the vices one can indulge in, for Kruppe is the sweetest and most approachable of them all, Kruppe claims, yes.
Pure genius! Greatly done!
The Trygalle Guild is SO Discworld-coded, thank you, finally someone else who thinks that.
You have a way with words my friend. Excellent video.
Literally never heard this series it just rolled up in my recommendation. Although I'm now considering getting into it
This is my favorite series I’ve ever read.
Almost 15 years ago I stumbled across an older issue of the 7th volume, the first _Lether_ book in a discount store's book bin. It wasn't at all obvious that the book was part of a series and because it started off a completly new story line with new characters on a different continent it read like a stand-alone as well.
I read it and eventually figured out it was part of a greater epos, but I found it weird in an interesting way as well. I picked it because at first glance it looked like a typical fantasy novel, but although it checked certain to-be-expected boxes and tropes such as different races and elder gods, swords and sorcery and stuff it somehow was very different.
I had read this random volume alone and it never left me alone, the _Malazan Book of the Fallen_ (or _"Game of Gods"_ as it gets marketed in Germany) creeped into my thoughts again and again over the years until I once took action and gave the first volume a shot - thought it would help me make sense of the more confusing aspects of what I had read before.
I didn't get immidiate answers - but I got sucked into the Erikson's world. At the end of summer all 18 available volumes of the german translation adorned my shelf and the final volume was soon to come..
That had been a good while ago - I have read the whole epos at this point and just started another re-read because of withdrawal symptoms. Hopefully more books of the malazan world will get published in Germany - I'll have to look into it, otherwise I'll probably get the original english version. Should do it anyways I think.. 😅
I just finished Deadhouse Gates and this was recommended to me. I adore this series so far, but I definitely need time to digest each book before moving on to the next.
This is great! I auto subscribed to this channel! Thank you!
This is fantastic! I'm going to share this instead of devolving into my usual unintelligible babbling when I try to explain Malazan and why it is so good.
You are so right! I got through 1st 3 audiobooks. Listen to them each twice because it is so expanse! I guess after seeing this, I will continue the journey. Thanks.
After having just read the first one, it was quite satisfying to find I could recognise most of the character drawings in this video.
I was so happy when I saw the title amidst recommended videos, thanks for making this! Not only it is a great introductory video, but it also gives motivation for readers to continue exploring this epic maze of plotlines🥺(if anyone wants extra challenge try reading every other book in a different language 😈)
I picked up one and after reading a page I was hooked. The tone, the palette, the depth of oily, smelly, sweaty existence oozes off the page and slimes its way into your head. And since its not highly detailed you get to make it inside your head to fit what you want it to be. ANd that, is true fiction of the highest caliber... Erickson shows you and never sinks to TELLING you .... which would be horrifyingly boring. The characters are who they are when you meet them and you learn about them as they speak, not speak, and do and not do things. And the imagination of the writer is beyond the pale... tis perfect.
I read them all originally then I listened to them again recently. Goddamn are the audiobook versions so good
Oh boy, another massive fantasy series to add to my tbr
this is so wonderful
I was stuck after prologue of book 2 of the fallen. This video made me unstuck... thank you!
I love the malazan book series. I listen to the audiobooks while I work as a gardener. Great fun
this series is criminally underrated.
Fabulous series...by both of them.
He has his own cosmere - cool. =) I might have to start the trek this summer.
This is absolutely spot on!
It took me 3 attempts to get through the first book.
The first time I just wasn't feeling it, second time the WOT TV series was announced and I had to rush to read it, and third time I made it through the first book! But then I was rightly confused when a bunch of new characters came along in the second book.
After this I just accepted the fact that it was a series without a single main protagonist, and once I accepted this everything was better in the world.
One thing that I just loved about the series is that I really hated Karsa in the beginning (of the 4th book), but somehow after a while I was really rooting for him and turning a blind eye to the atrocities he committed, thinking _"Ah sure, that's just Karsa being Karsa, lol!"_
But damn, there're a lot of characters in this series. I regularly have to google names with "Malazan" tagged on to the end!
It's brilliant writing really the way we go from meeting Karsa first and thinking "What an asshole" to a few chapters later rooting for the guy and cheering him on lol.
Malazan is the dark souls of fantasy books. For some reason that got me good. This is a great video.
I love the series, and when asked to describe it, I call it dense, and something that's a bit of a slog until you get to about halfway through a book. At that point everything clicks, and it's suddenly 3 am and you have work in the morning.
I’m only on Memories of Ice. Somehow I already feel comfortable saying this is this my fav fantasy of all time.
Also, I’m really glad reading this after playing Elden Ring and then all the Souls games for the first time immediately before, it’s like I’m seeing those worlds before everything’s dead and corrupted lol
I've watched a lot of videos on Malazan but this one nails it. I've bought 4 different people Gardens of The Moon and none have read it. I'm gonna start showing them this video first.
Just the push I needed. I'm gonna start Malazan
Now you've done it... it's time I re-read them again
2:04 trying to create something like this while making no attempt to keep track of what has already been written is a bold strategy, for sure
yes, it is, ultimately, hopeful.
Excellent video
Great video. I'd watch a summary of each book in this style
I love this holy crap
Love this.
Great video!
This and reading all of WoT and Discworld are the stuff of fantasy bragging rights legend
Great video man 👋
For this reread I'm weaving in Esslemont's books. It was nice having the events of Night of Knives right after finishing Moon. Plus its good the Esslemont's writing quality gets objectively better with each book to the point where I think he might be the stronger writer (Kharkanas was a PAIN)
I'm on my second pass, and am half way through Memories of Ice (through Audible). I enjoyed my first read-through over a year ago, but this second go is far more gratifying. I find myself catching tidbits I missed initially, and the puzzle pieces fit far more securely than they once did lol. #GreySwordsFTW
Jupp, this was my experience too. Great stuff
Young Steve looks like someone I would have played Magic the Gathering in my college dorm with.
just finished the 10 main books and couldn't agree more ... didn't know there are that many prequels and spinoffs, might as well dabble into them too :)
I remember reading a few books from this series when I was just learning english like a decade ago and sort of understanding it but not really, I might give it another try
Kruppe is definitely one of my favourites. I'm also fond of Bugg.
Lol completely agree with you about reading them in the right order. Daniel Greene read the books out of order because somebody online told him to and then complained about things in book 3 not making sense that were explained in book 2 which he hadn't read yet
The algorithm gods blessed me with this today. I've started to read the first book and it's really good! It's definitely a much-needed break from Sanderson.
honestly after sandersons exposition dumps of books, malazan was a breath of fresh air.
Great video.
I'm trying to read WoT for the first time, but this video makes me want to throw it aside and re-read Malazan. Damn you
great video
"No good or bad people here" *Looks at Kallor*
Never Forgive
He is not so black and white either. He really wanted to save Anomander, remember that. What he has is an absurd ego where he sees everyone as so beneath him (maybe except gothos) that he does nto care for their opinion.
#KallorDidNothingWrong
@@fantasticphilosophy181 Did you mean to say that 'Once Kallor was cursed his fate was out of his hands and the curse compelled him to do those horrible things?' I might be on board with that sort of, but the initial murdering of millions definitely counts as 'something wrong'.
@@matthewwright57 a Critical Dragon posted a video about this today, maybe you can watch it (educational and fun 😁). After that i changed the hashtag into KallorDidAlmostNothingWrong...
@@fantasticphilosophy181 Thanks Ill check it out!
awesome video
Very accurate review!
And don't read chronology!
Great video
Still waiting for new video from this good man.