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Gardens of the Moon
(Malazan Book of the Fallen #1)
by
The Malazan Empire simmers with discontent, bled dry by interminable warfare, bitter infighting and bloody confrontations with the formidable Anomander Rake and his Tiste Andii, ancient and implacable sorcerers. Even the imperial legions, long inured to the bloodshed, yearn for some respite. Yet Empress Laseen's rule remains absolute, enforced by her dread Claw assassins.
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Mass Market Paperback, 657 pages
Published
January 2005
by Tor Books
(first published April 1999)
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Start your review of Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #1)

Why Read The Malazan Book of the Fallen, or A Love Note to Steven Erikson (Okay, not really the latter)
If you've even attempted to read Gardens of the Moon, the first book in the 10 book epic that is the Malazan Book of the Fallen, you'll see very quickly that you're not given much as a reader. It's confusing, it's complicated, it's full of mysteries and myriad of characters and magics that you can easily become overwhelmed. Not to mention, Gardens of the Moon isn't nearly as well-written as the ...more
If you've even attempted to read Gardens of the Moon, the first book in the 10 book epic that is the Malazan Book of the Fallen, you'll see very quickly that you're not given much as a reader. It's confusing, it's complicated, it's full of mysteries and myriad of characters and magics that you can easily become overwhelmed. Not to mention, Gardens of the Moon isn't nearly as well-written as the ...more

If only I hadn’t put on that little black dress. Perhaps that would’ve saved this one for me. I mean, not only did I put on the little black dress, the one cutjusttothere. I did the hair. I put on the heels too. Everyone who has that little black dress or is dating someone who does knows what heels I mean. You guys have been in that mood where you really just want to go out- paint the town red like you’re Sinatra and are just, as they used to say of kings, in the mood to be pleased, right? Whoev
...more

I have a Booktube channel now! Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/petrikleo
Here we go. This is my first review for Steven Erikson’s highly acclaimed epic fantasy series: Malazan Book of the Fallen.
Malazan Book of the Fallen has been in my TBR pile for one year seven months now. I’ve heard countless amazing things about the series, but the sizes, the fame of the complexities, the need for extra focus, the commitment, and the elitist jerks of the series have made me postpone starting it for a ...more
Here we go. This is my first review for Steven Erikson’s highly acclaimed epic fantasy series: Malazan Book of the Fallen.
Malazan Book of the Fallen has been in my TBR pile for one year seven months now. I’ve heard countless amazing things about the series, but the sizes, the fame of the complexities, the need for extra focus, the commitment, and the elitist jerks of the series have made me postpone starting it for a ...more

OMG! (Bloody Hell if I don’t finish this series!!)
I loved this book soooo much!!

There are things I don't understand but I have some lovely Goodreads friends I can go to if I need answers.

Also, this is a series I will be able to read over and over and find new tidbits! And, I did understand t ...more
I loved this book soooo much!!
"Anomander Rake, Lord of the Tiste Andii, who are the souls of Starless Night. Rake, the Mane of Chaos. That’s who the Moon’s lord is, and you’re pitting four High Mages and a single cadre against him."

There are things I don't understand but I have some lovely Goodreads friends I can go to if I need answers.

Also, this is a series I will be able to read over and over and find new tidbits! And, I did understand t ...more

full review now up
5/5
Buddy read with my soul sister and my pals at BB&B
So I have stared at my phone screen for approx 96 hours trying to think of a review for this and I'm still left speechless, so I have vomited up some words for y'all to enjoy,
if you want a proper review check Eriksons GR page there's only 3,000 of them...
5/5
Buddy read with my soul sister and my pals at BB&B
“Ambition is not a dirty word. Piss on compromise. Go for the throat.”
So I have stared at my phone screen for approx 96 hours trying to think of a review for this and I'm still left speechless, so I have vomited up some words for y'all to enjoy,

if you want a proper review check Eriksons GR page there's only 3,000 of them...
“Too many regrets. Lost chances—and with each one passing the less human we al...more

May 15, 2020
Mark Lawrence
added it
About ten years ago, around the time my first book was published, I pulled this off our shelves at home as we left the house to go to the accident & emergency department with my disabled daughter, who was having a seizure.
I had never heard of the book or the author before. I read a hundred pages or so in the small hours of the morning in a noisy, brightly lit A&E department. I didn't like it at all. The style didn't agree with me and a great number of characters were coming at me with very litt ...more
I had never heard of the book or the author before. I read a hundred pages or so in the small hours of the morning in a noisy, brightly lit A&E department. I didn't like it at all. The style didn't agree with me and a great number of characters were coming at me with very litt ...more

I began my journey into the Malazan series in a similar manner that I’m sure some others have. I was sure I’d fall on the side of those who didn’t like this. The reviews are so polarising, and so many people talk about how difficult this series is. I don’t have the time or energy for that, but all of my friends are reading or have already read this. Am I really going to be the only one who hasn’t?
Then I thought: maybe I’ll just read the first one, this world sounds so interesting, I feel like I’ ...more
Then I thought: maybe I’ll just read the first one, this world sounds so interesting, I feel like I’ ...more

"Now these ashes gave grown cold, we open the old book.
These oil-stained pages recount the tales of the Fallen,
a frayed empire, words without warmth. The hearth
has ebbed, its gleam and life's sparks are but memories
against dimming eyes - what cast my mind, what hue my
thoughts as I open the Book of the Fallen
and breathe deep the scent of history?
Listen, then, to these words carried on that breath.
These tales are the tales of us all, again yet again.
We are history relived and that is all, witho ...more
These oil-stained pages recount the tales of the Fallen,
a frayed empire, words without warmth. The hearth
has ebbed, its gleam and life's sparks are but memories
against dimming eyes - what cast my mind, what hue my
thoughts as I open the Book of the Fallen
and breathe deep the scent of history?
Listen, then, to these words carried on that breath.
These tales are the tales of us all, again yet again.
We are history relived and that is all, witho ...more

Gardens of the Moon is the grand overture to Malazan Book of the Fallen, providing just a glimmer of what this massive, grimdark epic fantasy tale has to offer, which is best described below in the author's own words.
"Now these ashes have grown cold, we open the old book....more
These oil-stained pages recount the tales of the Fallen,
a frayed empire, words without warmth. The hearth
has ebbed, its gleam and life's sparks are but memories
against dimming eyes - what cast my mind, what hue my
though

Jan 08, 2018
❄️BooksofRadiance❄️
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
adult-fantasy-sci-fi
Now THIS is what I call a pleasant surprise.
I’m very tempted to jump right onto book two but
First order of business: recharge brain battery.
~~~~~~~~~<<<<<<~~~~~~<<<<<<~~~~~
Let’s... DO THIS!
...more
I’m very tempted to jump right onto book two but
First order of business: recharge brain battery.
~~~~~~~~~<<<<<<~~~~~~<<<<<<~~~~~
Let’s... DO THIS!


i feel like i'm being pretty generous in giving this 3 stars. okay, it is my good deed for 2011. now don't say i never did nuthin' for you, steven erikson!
the cons: so much, where do i even start. (1) the dialogue is a joke, a sad flailing uncomfortable joke, the kind that just goes on and on and i start to look away from the joke teller in embarrassment. corny corn, beyond belief. (2) and the characterizations - so flat! so trite. and when they weren't trite - just entirely unrealistic. there a ...more
the cons: so much, where do i even start. (1) the dialogue is a joke, a sad flailing uncomfortable joke, the kind that just goes on and on and i start to look away from the joke teller in embarrassment. corny corn, beyond belief. (2) and the characterizations - so flat! so trite. and when they weren't trite - just entirely unrealistic. there a ...more

My second read leads me to believe that this is a series that only gets better with re-reading!!! I find myself needing to bump my rating this time to
*** 4.44 ***
so it isn't full 5 stars - this way I have space to bump it more the next time I revisit it:):):)
A buddy re-read with the folks at FBR! Because once is never enough when it comes to Malazan!!!
"..."Tell me, Tool, what dominates your thoughts?"
The Imass shrugged before replying. "I think of futility, Adjunct."
"Do all Imass think about f ...more
*** 4.44 ***
so it isn't full 5 stars - this way I have space to bump it more the next time I revisit it:):):)
A buddy re-read with the folks at FBR! Because once is never enough when it comes to Malazan!!!
"..."Tell me, Tool, what dominates your thoughts?"
The Imass shrugged before replying. "I think of futility, Adjunct."
"Do all Imass think about f ...more

"Every decision you make can change he world. The best life is the one the gods don't notice. You want to live free, boy, live quietly."
Great advice anytime, but even better advice when your world is in a constant state of war. Living large as the younger generation used to say. I'm sure I'm at least a few years out of date with that term. I think someone "living large" is exactly who the universe is most attracted to, not that it is above toying with the occasional poor bastard who just hap ...more

Great advice anytime, but even better advice when your world is in a constant state of war. Living large as the younger generation used to say. I'm sure I'm at least a few years out of date with that term. I think someone "living large" is exactly who the universe is most attracted to, not that it is above toying with the occasional poor bastard who just hap ...more

Nov 23, 2016
Orient
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
fans of epic fantasy
Recommended to Orient by:
Evgeny
Shelves:
entertaining,
favorites,
hero,
november-read,
desperado,
recs-by-evgeny,
fantasy,
historical,
killer
Reread 2018.01.04-26.
Wow, loved this book even more. It was awesome meeting the characters I love from the first read, everything got clearer and all the tiny clever bits which weren't spotted the first time - blew my mind 😱💜

Original review 2016.11.12-23
Crokus studied Moon's Spawn instead...
'Do you see its oceans?' Apsalar asked.
'What?' He turned.
'Its oceans. Grallin's Sea. That's the big one. The Lord of the Deep Waters living there is named Grallin. He tends vast, beautiful underwater garde ...more
Wow, loved this book even more. It was awesome meeting the characters I love from the first read, everything got clearer and all the tiny clever bits which weren't spotted the first time - blew my mind 😱💜

Original review 2016.11.12-23
Crokus studied Moon's Spawn instead...
'Do you see its oceans?' Apsalar asked.
'What?' He turned.
'Its oceans. Grallin's Sea. That's the big one. The Lord of the Deep Waters living there is named Grallin. He tends vast, beautiful underwater garde ...more

A unique series with the only flaw of being so complex that one really gets into flow in the second and third parts when the scenery is unfolding. Before, it´s close to a bit of work to get into this colossal epos. The best example for this is the rating, that gets amazingly high after the first part.
I am still very vividly remembering reading the first novel and permanently trying to internalize the plot, constellations, and context, something I automated to recall elements of books for a longe ...more
I am still very vividly remembering reading the first novel and permanently trying to internalize the plot, constellations, and context, something I automated to recall elements of books for a longe ...more

Chapter 24: I am finished. On many levels.*
Chapter 23: I wish to say I understand everything. Alas, I do not.
Chapter 22: The most amazing thing about this novel is not the fact that it gives you the whole galaxies of protagonists and plotlines. The whole genius that has shaken so many readers with tremors of awe (count me in!) lies in how masterfully each of those shining stars is connected with the others and in how many minuscule surfaces of seemingly random details this is reflected.
Chapter ...more
Chapter 23: I wish to say I understand everything. Alas, I do not.
Chapter 22: The most amazing thing about this novel is not the fact that it gives you the whole galaxies of protagonists and plotlines. The whole genius that has shaken so many readers with tremors of awe (count me in!) lies in how masterfully each of those shining stars is connected with the others and in how many minuscule surfaces of seemingly random details this is reflected.
Chapter ...more

25.01.2018. Re-read update:
A brilliant introduction to the greatest epic fantasy series ever. A bold statement isn’t it? And a true one, as well.
A brilliant introduction to the greatest epic fantasy series ever. A bold statement isn’t it? And a true one, as well.
''Now these ashes have grown cold,...more
we open the old book.
These oil-stained pages recount the tales of the Fallen,
a frayed empire, words without warmth.
The hearth has ebbed, its gleam and life's sparks are but memories against dimming eyes - what cast my mind, what hue my thoughts as I open the Book of the Fallen and breathe deep the scent of hi

This was a buddy read with the gang at BB&B.
Gardens of the Moon is the first book in Steven Erikson's epic Malazan book of the Fallen series. The word epic may be overused when describing some books, but that is not the case here. Erikson has created one of the most vast world's I have ever read. The amount of characters, magic system, history, plots and subplots is on a level of its own. My advice when reading this is just go with the flow of the book. If you try to remember every detail i ...more
Gardens of the Moon is the first book in Steven Erikson's epic Malazan book of the Fallen series. The word epic may be overused when describing some books, but that is not the case here. Erikson has created one of the most vast world's I have ever read. The amount of characters, magic system, history, plots and subplots is on a level of its own. My advice when reading this is just go with the flow of the book. If you try to remember every detail i ...more

This is my second reading of Gardens of the Moon. I’ve long suspected that the best way to read Erikson’s Malazan series is to read it again. I can now confirm that suspicion has been proved correct as far as this book goes. I loved rereading this book. There were so many times reading the series initially that I felt certain information and story arcs and characters just came out of left field. But having read this first book again I am astounded at the sheer level and volume of foreshadowing c
...more

What a delightful larger-than-life fantasy novel!
I was prepared to assume that it was going to be filled with an army of confused characters mired in grit and blood and that I shouldn't expect too much from the first novel because the series gets seriously good later.
I might have managed my expectations a bit too much, because I was delighted, instead. I've been a fan of the Final Fantasy RPGs since the first one, so I'm quite used to a lot of these tropes, plus I'm also a fan of the Cthulhu myt ...more
I was prepared to assume that it was going to be filled with an army of confused characters mired in grit and blood and that I shouldn't expect too much from the first novel because the series gets seriously good later.
I might have managed my expectations a bit too much, because I was delighted, instead. I've been a fan of the Final Fantasy RPGs since the first one, so I'm quite used to a lot of these tropes, plus I'm also a fan of the Cthulhu myt ...more

Loved this to pieces. From characters and setting, to prose and pace, every single aspect of the book was magnificent. If I could give it 6 stars, I would.
There's no point of reviewing such a popular book though, so I'll simply share some of my thoughts for people who have already read it. Spoilers ahead!
PLOT
While things seemed complicated at first, I knew that they would come together in the end, so I enjoyed trying to puzzle stuff together and figure out everyone's motives and whatnot. Unfort ...more
There's no point of reviewing such a popular book though, so I'll simply share some of my thoughts for people who have already read it. Spoilers ahead!
PLOT
While things seemed complicated at first, I knew that they would come together in the end, so I enjoyed trying to puzzle stuff together and figure out everyone's motives and whatnot. Unfort ...more

Mar 09, 2017
✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans)
rated it
it was ok
·
review of another edition
☣️ And Thus I Signed My Death Warrant DNF Buddy Read (ATISMDWBR™) with some lovely people of slightly despicable book taste over at BB&B ☣️

💀 DNF at 75%. No comment and stuff.
Friendly warning: grab a snack and get a drink, this whole lot of nuthin' should take a while.
➽ This crappy non-review is dedicated to all those Brave Little Barnacles (BLB™) out there who went the nefarious way and had the audacity to NOT luuurrrrrve this book. Consider my subaquatic kingdom a safe haven from the Erikson Ho ...more

💀 DNF at 75%. No comment and stuff.
➽ This crappy non-review is dedicated to all those Brave Little Barnacles (BLB™) out there who went the nefarious way and had the audacity to NOT luuurrrrrve this book. Consider my subaquatic kingdom a safe haven from the Erikson Ho ...more

A year or so ago someone PM'ed me on Goodreads out of the blue, practically demanding why I haven't read the Malazan series. I was simultaneously pleased and annoyed, the former because somebody seems to think I am some kind of SF/F guru who can be presumed to have read every worthwhile book in these genres, the latter because it's a bit rude init? Still, a backhanded compliment is better than no compliment, or an actual application of somebody’s backhand on my person.
Gardens of the Moon has a ...more
Gardens of the Moon has a ...more

Feb 20, 2017
carol.
marked it as don-t-count
Recommended to carol. by:
lots and lots of people
Shelves:
abandoned-with-prejudice,
classic
Malazan is an astonishingly great book.* Tremendous. Many of my friends love Malazan, giving this first book in the series an average 3.81 rating (way to bring it down, Sarah Anne and Becky!), and I love it too. It was great. Hugely great.
Erikson takes the time to build the sense of each character, the workings of their daily life and the way they continued to develop over the course of the book was exquisitely detailed. The plot quickly ramps into action, with events building to a frantic pace ...more
Erikson takes the time to build the sense of each character, the workings of their daily life and the way they continued to develop over the course of the book was exquisitely detailed. The plot quickly ramps into action, with events building to a frantic pace ...more

I like this book a lot. The author says he was inspired by Glen Cook's Black Company, and it shows. This is not an easy read. There are a lot of names to keep track of, places, races, etc. The glossary of major players in the beginning helps a lot; my advice for new readers: use it every time you encounter a new name, or forgot who this once mentioned person is. It does not help that as soon as a subplot gets really exciting (fortunately, this happens a lot), the author switches to another, much
...more

This was a tough book to get into.
There is no spoon-feeding here. You are thrown into the world that Erikson created with no back story or explanation. Although there is a glossary of important terms and people. I suggest putting it to good use, like I did.
Nothing is clear from the start, but once you start getting invested and reading between the lines, you start to notice how truly amazing this book is. There are a lot of characters, and despite finishing this mammoth book I feel like I have b ...more
There is no spoon-feeding here. You are thrown into the world that Erikson created with no back story or explanation. Although there is a glossary of important terms and people. I suggest putting it to good use, like I did.
Nothing is clear from the start, but once you start getting invested and reading between the lines, you start to notice how truly amazing this book is. There are a lot of characters, and despite finishing this mammoth book I feel like I have b ...more

Gardens of the Moon is the first in Steven Erikson's gargantuan and oddly named fantasy series, Malazan Book of the Fallen. What's odd about it is that it took me THREE tries to get through this first volume. The first two times I tried, I got one or two hundred pages in and just lost interest, mainly because I was confused and didn't know what was going on. But the third time I tried it just clicked and I enjoyed it. Figuring out why this is the case took some thought, and I believe it boils do
...more

2nd Read March 2017
This is still a bit of a complicated book with a lot of stuff in it and I'm glad I read it with BB&B so that we could discuss some of the things I wasn't quite picking up on.
Problem #1 again is I don't think this is a good book to try and listen too. So much is going on and there are so many PoV shifts that it doesn't matter that the narrator is really pretty good it just makes the entire thing very hard to follow. So since I'm continuing on with this series I will probably h ...more
This is still a bit of a complicated book with a lot of stuff in it and I'm glad I read it with BB&B so that we could discuss some of the things I wasn't quite picking up on.
Problem #1 again is I don't think this is a good book to try and listen too. So much is going on and there are so many PoV shifts that it doesn't matter that the narrator is really pretty good it just makes the entire thing very hard to follow. So since I'm continuing on with this series I will probably h ...more

The second time through what stood out to me was my own idiocy in not seeing certain things the first time through. I think the things that makes Erikson tough to figure out is the pure volume of information he's throwing at you. There's one particular reveal in book 2, which I was blown away by in the first reading, that re-reading this it was so crystal clear if I just read between the lines.
Re-reading this two years later I was also shocked at parts I had forgotten completely. Part of that w ...more
Re-reading this two years later I was also shocked at parts I had forgotten completely. Part of that w ...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Fantasy Buddy Reads: Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen #1) [October 10, 2020] | 22 | 68 | Oct 29, 2020 01:50AM | |
The Malazan Fallen: Gardens of the Moon - no spoilers- | 8 | 119 | Sep 30, 2020 07:37AM | |
Pick-a-Shelf: Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson | 17 | 17 | Jul 30, 2020 05:28PM | |
Fantasy Buddy Reads: Buddy Read for Malazan | 6 | 31 | Jun 21, 2020 10:36PM | |
Fantasy Buddy Reads: Gardens of the Moon [Aug 14, 2019] | 148 | 82 | Jan 25, 2020 11:54AM |
Steven Erikson is the pseudonym of Steve Rune Lundin, a Canadian novelist, who was educated and trained as both an archaeologist and anthropologist. His best-known work is the series, the Malazan Book of the Fallen.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/steven... ...more
http://us.macmillan.com/author/steven... ...more
Other books in the series
Malazan Book of the Fallen
(10 books)
Articles featuring this book
Dragons, demons, kings, queens, and the occasional farm boy (with a special destiny, of course): Fantasy literature has it all! To celebrate...
441 likes · 282 comments
4 trivia questions
More quizzes & trivia...
“Tell me, Tool, what dominates your thoughts?'
The Imass shrugged before replying.
'I think of futility, Adjunct.'
'Do all Imass think about futility?'
'No. Few think at all.'
'Why is that?'
The Imass leaned his head to one side and regarded her.
'Because Adjunct, it is futile.”
—
352 likes
The Imass shrugged before replying.
'I think of futility, Adjunct.'
'Do all Imass think about futility?'
'No. Few think at all.'
'Why is that?'
The Imass leaned his head to one side and regarded her.
'Because Adjunct, it is futile.”
“Ambition is not a dirty word. Piss on compromise. Go for the throat.”
—
236 likes
More quotes…