Gardens of the Moon (The Malazan Book of the Fallen, #1) in Sword & Sorcery: "An earthier sort of fantasy"

Jan 21, 2012 Robin rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

I have heard a lot of good things about this series. There is certainly a lot going on in 'Gardens of the Moon,' but stories of the many individuals involved are so splintered that they are difficult to follow. I am disappointed with the characterization—one fellow seems so much like the other(s) that they were confusing. We join in the middle of the story (which is good), and although I applaud the lack of long passages of exposition, the reader is a stranger in a very strange world and critica I have heard a lot of good things about this series. There is certainly a lot going on in 'Gardens of the Moon,' but stories of the many individuals involved are so splintered that they are difficult to follow. I am disappointed with the characterization—one fellow seems so much like the other(s) that they were confusing. We join in the middle of the story (which is good), and although I applaud the lack of long passages of exposition, the reader is a stranger in a very strange world and critical information is withheld, including the various motivations. And what is with giving characters such similar names that we can't remember who is who through this complicated weaving? Most of the names are just plain awful. Worse, they lack any kind of cultural cohesion that might help us keep track.

The aspect of world-building leaves something to be desired. A good part of the problem may be because there are so many names and places and events being tossed around, willy-nilly. The places are so huge that I wondered if the author really knew what a 'league' was. The structure of the magic is only brushed upon—apparently the "warrens" (sources) the mages use have specific flavors/abilities, but that is not reflected in what the mages do with their magic. It is amazing to have so much magic going on and still not really know what happened.

The writing style... goes from 'fair' to 'atrocious' to 'funny.' The characters exchange inside jokes the readers have no way of understanding—or make references to things that make no sense to us outsiders. Was there an editor involved in this process? There are misused words, repetitious words/phrases, terrible punctuation, wildly awkward sentences that never will make sense no matter how often they're reread...

And yet...

The revelation of vast powers at work, political and military maneuvering, and tiny glimpses into the lives of pawns of every social station was just enough to keep me turning the pages, wondering how (and if and when!) problems would be solved. The whole is complicated emotionally by having points of view from the side of the conquerors as well as those being conquered. I've heard that the second book involves the characters better, as opposed to laying out the draft of the juggernaut empire. Here's hoping... ...more

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May 14, 2013 Peter rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, epic-fantasy

Steven Erikson does not make it easy for his readers. Reading fantasy never felt so much like doing homework.

Still, I could not put it down.

This is really epic: powerful characters, story lines that change the face of the world, and a enormous cast. The world and it's history feel big and real.

(I'm so happy there's the internet now: with the amount of characters and story lines to keep track of, I'm glad I could check Goodreads and the Malazan wiki.

I will finish the complete series one day, but ...more

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Mar 11, 2025 Darren rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: sword-sorcery, military

Okay, it didn't really take me 13 years to finish this book. I still haven't finished it, after 13 years. It took me 13 years to stop feeling bad about how much I don't like it, and that I truly do not want to finish it.

The first time I gave up on it, I felt like it was deliberately trying to be obscure, and I couldn't be bothered, after a while. I picked it up years later and just powered through this. I understand it better now, but like it less. About the time I started to pretty much get wh ...more

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Dec 26, 2012 Haaze rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, 2024, malazan, x_erikson

The Malazan world is a fantasy realm created by Steven Erikson. I decided to start this series over even though I years ago read the first two volumes in the series. I note that I rated this book three stars back in 2012, but I have changed my opinion about the world building as well as the writing. The plotlines are a bit chaotic weaving a web of patterns that often can be confusing even for people rereading the book. Erikson has a tendency to not explain the origins of entities or the politics ...more

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Apr 22, 2012 Emily Randolph-Epstein rated it it was ok · review of another edition

I really wanted to like this book. I'd heard great things about it, but I found myself disappointed the further I read. The characters are, for the most part, your basic everyday fantasy archetypes, although there are a few exceptions. The plot was slow paced and predictable. The romance forced and unnatural. However, I would not call Erikson a bad writer. I liked his prose, his dialogue was quite good and his world building his impressive. It's just that I could not shake the feeling that he'd ...more

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