The Bridgeburners discussion
This topic is about
Forge of Darkness
Reading Forge of Darkness before completing the series
date
newest »
newest »
Mod
I'm very excited to see a Malazan group. Steven Erikson is probably my favorite writers.
But I have a question. I read the first four or five novels in the Malazan series a few year..."
HIYA Lee!!!! I too have been a SE fan for about five years now so welcome to the group!!! :)
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! I would NOT listen/read Forge of Darkness before finishing the Malazan series!! There is a reason why SE has taken us on the path he's gone and we must have faith and follow him. And I would recommend that you also read ICE's work too so that you have the full picture!
Yes ICE gets better as he goes, his last book I really enjoyed (apart from his trying to do Kruppe).If I were, or when I read again, I won't be re reading ice, but just doing the Malazan 10.
But they are sure worth reading through. Night if knives is the worst imho
Yeah and he fails miserably at it. It's hard to read because its so not Kruppe. However he does some great things with other characters that SE didn't expand on. Ansty and Blend are two that spring to mind that I really enjoyed.The other thing he improved on, during his books was humour. Lacking early on, he started to influence the books with his own style. Which was good.
I agrees that the last ICE book was the best. The others tried too much to emulate SE I think. Orb Sceptre Throne was a lot tighter and more his own style. As for whether you can read Forge on its own, I'm not sure. There is so much that won't be meaningful if you haven't read the bigger series. Even 5 books in. Though it might be interesting to read this just before Toll the Hounds.
I've read the first 8 Malazan novels (I plan on starting the series over come the new year). I have not read any ICE novels. I'm currently 40% complete with Forge of Darkness and I'm enjoying it and I don't at all feel lost.
Mod
Hey Lee!! No worries, we here love talking about SE/ICE to much not answer your questions! :)
Having said that, I do know what you mean about ICE! I find him all over the place where SE is very tight with his chapters and making sure he seperates those story archs, not to mention funnier! I will say this, ICE gets better, but I think Stonewielder was my favorite, because it finishes Kyle's story. Here's the thing that I find facinating, ICE kills off SE characters and SE uses ICE's backstory as his own (like the Vitr), so althought they are independant writings, they're really not! Also Toll the Hounds really makes more since if you read Return of the Crimson Gaurd first! I've listed the reading order somewhere on the Bridgeburners page, so follow that if it suits you! :) And as Lee said, on a second read thru the series you wouldn't need to read them!
So welcome Lee! :)
Mod
&%@(&&^%&...WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You've read the first eight books in the Malazan series and you haven't read DoD and tCG!??!!?!?!?!?!??! I don't care what you're reading right now, PUT IT DOWN AND PICK UP DoD RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!! *see Shelley's utterly surprised face* :O Hahahahahahahahahahahahahhaaaaa.... don't take all the caps to heart, I'm just surprised that you haven't finished the series!!! Honestly promise me that you'll read it soonest!!!! Please!!! Those two books ARE THE BEST THINGS IN ALL THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD AND WRITING!! They will leave your forever changed!
LOLI did read OST between DoD and tCG, which was hard to do, having tCG sitting on the shelf.
two Lee's in a small group, sigh, now we are never going to know which one of us Shells is shouting at.
Shelley wrote: "Dharmakirti wrote: "I've read the first 8 Malazan novels (I plan on starting the series over come the new year). I have not read any ICE novels. I'm currently 40% complete with Forge of Darkness ..."Shelley, I love your excitement!
I do plan on finishing the Malazan series (it's one of my favorite series ever). I started reading Dust of Dreams when it was published but got lost (too much time passed between my reading Toll the Hounds and starting Dust of Dreams). So, I figured I will start the series over from the begining (which I plan on doing come the new year).
Lee wrote: "David, I've been convinced to wait until I've read the Malazan series to start reading Forge.Of course it helps that I've also just discovered George RR Martin's A Game of Thrones (and the rest o..."
Might I also recommend the series Prince of Nothing by R Scott Bakker which starts with the book The Darkness that Comes Before.
Dharmakirti wrote: "So, I figured I will start the series over from the begining (which I plan on doing come the new year)."I think the best way to read Malazan is to reread the series. 10 BIG books. I refuse to do it. Absolutely. This year anyway. Maybe I'll do it next year. Oh wait, that's only 2 months away.
I agree, there is no way am I going to commit the time to reading ten 1000+ page books......this year......
next year? Yup, I would be up for that.
Mod
We could both pretend we think she's shouting at the other one ;)"
HAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA....
It's easy really, Lee A (A for Ausie:) and Lee B (B for Brit:)....HA! ;-)
message 16:
by
Shelley, High Fist Shells
(last edited Nov 08, 2012 03:53PM)
(new)
-
rated it 5 stars
Mod
Surprising is not the word for it!! I hope I'm not alone when I say I was SHOKED when I read Return of the Crimson Gaurd, there's one particular character I would have bet money on wouldn't have been killed off by ICE....and yet they were! :O
I will say that no one but SE/ICE could ever write the Malazan world, or the Malazan military since of humor. For all ICE's short comings, this fact is his strongest assest! :)
As for GRRM Dharmakirti, I love the guy and have read his series years ago and love the HBO series too! And since it takes him AT LEAST five years to write a book, I think you have time to read him LATER AFTER Steven Erikson!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA.....
Except that I should be lee K (kiwi)
Or in Toc style the new Lee can be Lee the Younger
Mod
I see your spanner and raise you a wrench.I was born in England, raised in NZ and now live in Australia with one of my kids being American. We have many passports in our house.
Sooooo when is the next book projected to be released? Not send to ths waiting around.
You'll just have to reread the series in the meantime
Happy to do that, next year, but as a group with second or fourth (shells) time readers. It would be great to read and have a good level of discussion with my fellow bridge burners.
Start in January?
I am in. There are a couple of others who were keen too. I can't remember if Hanne has read them.
Mod
Lee the Elder wins!! :)
message 27:
by
Shelley, High Fist Shells
(last edited Nov 13, 2012 03:44PM)
(new)
-
rated it 5 stars
Mod
The next book to be released is ICE's "Blood and Bone" due out next month in the UK, May I think for the US. Sounds like the story continues after Orb, here's the blurb...
"In the western sky the bright emerald banner of the Visitor descends like a portent of annihilation. On the continent of Jacuruku, the Thaumaturgs have mounted yet another expedition to tame the neighboring wild jungle. Yet this is no normal wilderness. It is called Himatan, and it is said to be half of the spirit-realm and half of the earth. And it is said to be ruled by a powerful entity whom some name the Queen of Witches, and some a goddess: the ancient Ardata. Saeng grew up knowing only the rule of the magus Thaumaturgs -- but it was the voices out of that land's forgotten past that she listened to. And when her rulers mount an invasion of the neighboring jungle, those voices send her and her brother on a desperate mission.
To the south, the desert tribes are united by the arrival of a foreign warleader, a veteran commander in battered ashen mail whom his men call, the Grey Ghost. This warleader takes the tribes on a raid like none other, deep into the heart of Thaumaturg lands. While word comes to K'azz, and mercenary company the Crimson Guard, of a contract in Jacuruku. And their employer... none other than Ardata herself."
Hmmm, I wonder who the Grey Ghost is....maybe Kallor!? I really think we should do a group read for this release, since ICE's books are all over the place in the beginning of his books, we could help each other!
ORRRR maybe you meant Steven's next book!? :) Well since Forge was just released there really isn't any information on the next books!! :( I did find the "working" titles to the next two installments in this series, "Fall of Light" and "Walk in Shadow" I'm pasting a post from "The Wertzone" (which usually has the lastest news on upcoming releases) on Steven Erikson. < http://thewertzone.blogspot.com/2011/... >
The reason I've included this particular article is because the picture of Rake included for the article is the picture I have as wallpaper on my work computer, but is actually cover art for Gardens of the Moon". It's my favorite Malazan picture and I get a lot of "What is that?!" and I can tell whoever about Malaza!
The other reason I'm including it is you might want to become a frequent visitor (or stalker) of Wertzone so you have the latest news! :) Anyway, fingers crossed Fall of Light will be released next Aug/Sep 13!
I have as wallpaper on my work computer, but is actually cover art for Gardens of the Moon". It's my favorite Malazan picture and I get a lot of "What is that?!" and I can tell whoever about Malaza! And I bet half the office know better than to ask you about your desktop image so that they can avoid a Malazan lecture. :)
fingers crossed Fall of Light will be released next Aug/Sep 13!
sigh.
"Blood and Bone" due out next month in the UK, May I think for the US.
That is a big delay considering we have ebooks now.
Mod
Yeah tell me about the WAIT!!! For the life of me I can't figure out WHY they WAIT so long between each country to release the same book!!?? Because of this I order my books thru the UK because I CAN'T WAIT FOUR months for the US release!!
So yeah we wait until Aug 2013! :(
The only thing I will say about reading it now and not after you have finished the story, is that there are so many WTF, OMG, NO! Really!!? moments that only come because you are suddenly enlightened about somebody or an event that happens in the future.
But if I was in your shoes and I had the audio, i'd probably not be able to resist and listen to it anyway. In fact it might even make the last 5 books a little easier to understand with some back history :)