Introduction thread - always need one of these

[David Sven, Mortal Sword..Meow]

Welcome Dara!

[Rob, Quick Ben]

Yeah. He beat me to it. Busy day at work since I'm missing a bunch of hours tomorrow/Friday.

[Dara]

Thanks, David! I've been reading a chapter then reading the discussions and I must say, your comments have been very helpful, particularly about Kruppe.

[Rob, Quick Ben]

That was his nickname through the first book..

[Mpauli]

Yay! Happy to have you aboard. Let's sail this ship into the infinity of the Malazan ocean! :)

[Pietro]

Hello everyone! My name is Pietro and I've been part of this group for some time but I never thought to introduce myself. I've read everything malazan except forge of darkness. Not on a reread at the moment but I really enjoy new readers' impressions on the series (which is my absolute favorite by far).

[David Sven, Mortal Sword..Meow]

Welcome Malazan veteran Pietro.

[Rob]

Hi all,

I've been lurking for a few weeks now and figured I should finally post!

- I started reading GOTM back in 2008 on a summer camping trip. Heck, we had to leave, had the car all packed to go back home and I kept out the lounge chair so I could finish it before we hit the road. Then I my wife and I had our first child. So it was a year before I got around to Dead House Gates, loved it, and immediately purchased Memories of Ice, but combined with having our second child and deciding to put our house on the market, its been buried in a box with the rest of my books for sometime.

A couple of years back I reread the Wheel of Time Series (first time I had since the 90s) from start to finish with as result of the new books coming out. Loved the full immersion experience and decided, that that when I came back to Malazan I had to start from the beginning and do the same!

So, audiobook versions started coming out late last year and that pushed me to do it. Listened to the first three books and then when I went hunting for House of Chains, low and behold, found out it was not coming out for December and they were changing narrators. (ergh for anyone who endured the GRRM switch from Roy Dotrice for Feast of Crows, you know the agony). So I launched back to print, not wanting my experience to end. I just finished chapter 15 in House of Chains and am endeavoring to catch-up. This book, in particular, has a lot that needs digging into so going back to the chapter sections has been helping to confirm a lot of my thoughts.

As an aside, my now 4-year old daughter keeps hiding my copy of House of Chains on me as she is scared of the cover and I have to keep remembering to put it cover down and covered by another book!

Thanks - Rob

[Rob, Quick Ben]

Welcome Rob.

[Mpauli]

Welcome all! :)

@Robert:

I think switching to the print version is a great idea. There are so many details in those books and you want to check back on earlier stuff often in the read, so I would do audio maybe on a third read, but not earlier.

[Ryan]

Hi all,

I began reading this series about three months ago and I've just finished House of Chains and I'm thoroughly engrossed. Just downloaded Midnight Tides and I'm looking forward to getting stuck into the inevitable new cast of characters. Everyone has to have a favourite character and mine is undoubtedly Kalam Mekhar! Kruppe is a close second, purely due to his undeniably entertaining dialogue.

[David Sven, Mortal Sword..Meow]

Welcome to the group Ryan!

[Sam]

Hey everyone.

So I got Gardens of the Moon a few months back and attempted to read it. It was so confusing!

I had heard about it on a website. Best fantasy novels or some such thing and the website recommended this to me. So I went out and bought it with a few other novels. I got maybe 3 chapters in before I became hopelessly lost. I set it down and left the book alone for awhile. Read a few other books.

I had that itch though. Once I have a book I must at least attempt to read it a few times. So instead I came to good reads to read some of the reviews on the books. I had no idea goodreads was such an in depth website and had groups. I just figured I would use the site to recommend more books to me based on what I've read.

Then I read Robs review and I saw he had joined a group read discussion. I checked it out and it was so thorough with discussions and summaries of chapters. I don't feel so lost anymore.

A trend I've noticed is that almost everyone says it gets better by the second book. I've just started on book two and honestly I see what they mean. The only way I can explain it is like when you first learn to read. Everything is new and very hard to understand. Reading book one was like learning how to read all over again. By book two I know what to expect, I know the authors style of writing and story telling, how he paces everything, how not all the knowledge is given to the reader on a plate. I don't understand everything of course but the understanding of *how* the author presents it makes a big deal.

Whew! That's a lot of rambling. I'm just very excited to finally have a place that I can talk/discuss books with other people :D None of my friends or family reads. So this is great!

Hopefully my rambling, jumbled post makes sense to someone.

-Scylight

[Lori]

Welcome!

[Rob, Quick Ben]

Welcome Scylight, I'm glad my review led you here.

I highly encourage you to post in the discussion threads anytime you have issues or questions. You'll find the people here are pretty responsive.

[Mpauli]

Welcome Scylight! :)

The series is rather complex and you need a little faith in the author and it's totally natural that you get lost a lot.
But it's such a unique and rewarding experience to read these books.

Enjoy it and, as Rob said, feel free to ask anything.

[Akshay]

Hi everyone,

I made two failed attempts to read GOM a few years back before joining goodreads and was really frustrated. Then on goodreads someone mentioned this group in their review and about its discussions. I joined immediately and it helped me immensely to read through GOM.

The next books have been far easier though my confidence still takes a beating every time I open the dramatis personae of a new book. I'm currently reading Memories of Ice and hope to catch you soon to participate in the discussions. Cheers :)

[Rob, Quick Ben]

Welcome Akshay. It's starting to sound like we should turn this into a Victims of Malazan Abuse support group. :)

[Lee, High Priest of Shadow]

Welcome skylight and Akshay. You will find that we are a pretty easy going bunch here. There are a few of us here who are on our second read and a lot of new readers. We are pretty good with not dropping spoilers, everyone and then you'll see a spate of spoiler tags, but to be honest, most of the time we are jousting making fun of Rob knowing he won't read them.

The story is so big that most of us rereaders (omg spell check changed that to rear eaters) often have no recollection of the what's coming up as we read on our own, without a fun group like this :)

Jump in and feel free to comment, there is always someone going back through the threads responding to new comments.

[Mpauli]

(view spoiler)[Yeah, it's too easy^^ (hide spoiler)]

[Rob, Quick Ben]

Lee wrote: "We are pretty good with not dropping spoilers, everyone and then you'll see a spate of spoiler tags, but to be honest, most of the time we are jousting making fun of Rob because we're jerks."

I've always suspected..

[Lee, High Priest of Shadow]

LOL touche

[David Sven, Mortal Sword..Meow]

Lee wrote: "The story is so big that most of us rereaders (omg spell check changed that to rear eaters)"

Auto correct is good but you never know when it's going to bit you in the arse.

Welcome Akshay and Scylight

[Linette]

Lee wrote: "The story is so big that most of us rereaders (omg spell check changed that to rear eaters) often have no recollection of the what's coming up as we read on our own, without a fun group like this :)"

I spit my coffee when I read that! lol. I was texting recently and when I typed 'okay' in reply, it autocorrected to 'Klingon'. Awesome. And embarrassing. Your auto correct would have beat mine though.

I can't wait to go back and click all the spoiler tags when I finish this series! But...do I have to read FoD too before I can click?

[Mpauli]

Linette wrote: "Lee wrote: I can't wait to go back and click all the spoiler tags when I finish this series! But...do I have to read FoD too before I can click?

I can't speak for every spoiler, but I'm pretty sure that we normally tag the FoD spoilers as such, so for most of the spoilers you shpould be able to spot, if they are FoD related.

[Lee, High Priest of Shadow]

Mpauli is right. FoD is usually tagged before hand. To be honest a lot of the spoiler discussions are conjecture. The story is so freaking big and we are all struggling to remember what we read first time round.

The thing about this series that had me hooked, was the first time I read it, I was in the middle of Reapers Gale, coming up next, and I thought to myself, 'Gods I can't wait to read this series again'.

[Eddie]

I just finished the bonehunters on my first read thru and while I thought GOM was ok I hated DG I just couldn't get through it and it was about a quarter of the way through MOI where I just fell in love with this series and I'm trying to wait for the group to get to RG before I read it so ill have a better understanding but keep reading it took 3 books for me to love this series and its well worth the confusion and sense of loss

[Eddie]

Autocorrect is always changing some thong you didn't Nintendo

[Lee, High Priest of Shadow]

LMAO.

Eddie you need to wait for us. Because seriously, you have read the warm up, from Reapers Gale onwards the story is freaking awesome.

[Eddie]

I'm making myself wait I got insanely drunk after reading this thread last night cause I knew if I didn't get drunk enough to where I couldn't read I would have started RG lol

[Lori]

Haha! On my first read, it was impossible to stop reading that's for sure. And it's only with bk 5 that I've truly settled into our schedule - because I sense the end coming and I want to spread it out! Altho truth be told, by the time Friday rolls around, I'm getting fidgety waiting, waiting for US pacific coast time so when I give myself permission to start with the next chapters.

But get your will power, really the discussions here are so enlightening, and aid in comprehension, even for all of us who are on a reread.

[Eddie]

I'm trying to hold myself together by reading robin hobb and Scott lynch but I just fell in love with malazan but I don't have much longer I just might be drinking a little bit more lately to stop myself from drifting back

[Lori]

Ohh but Robin Hobb is so good!

[Eddie]

Robin hobb is amazing I'm on the 3rd farseer book

[Lori]

I LOVE that series, when I finished the Assassin series I didn't know that it continued, and when I found out I went to so many used book stores to get the Tawny Man because I couldn't wait to get it from the libes or mail.

[Eddie]

I can't wait to read the tawny man but I read online it's best to read the liveship traders first is that true or should I just jump to tawny man

[Lori]

You will understand a lot more if you read the Liveships first, they are really part of the whole series. I was itchy when I started the first one, I wanted to continue with Fitz and Nighteyes only! But then I got completely into them, and altho you don't see the connection at first they definitely should be read in between.

[Eddie]

I read that liveship trilogy is pretty awesome and I can't believe I haven't read anything by robin hobb sooner she is a great character writer and that's what I love is great characters I think no matter how good or original the story is if its got sucky characters the book is pretty much gonna suck

[Rob, Quick Ben]

I highly agree to read liveship first. While you won't be confused skipping to tawny man, you'll miss a lot that was introduced in liveship when it shows up again in Tawny man.

BTW, several of us are reading Lynch in another group. I see you've already found the Robin Hobb group.

[Eddie]

What's the name of the group cause I just started lies of Locke Lamora and it would b great to read along with other people or I can Catch up pretty quick

[Rob, Quick Ben]

http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/9...

Some folks are finishing book 1 now. The plan is to start Red Seas Under Red Skies on the 15th and The Republic of Thieves when it comes out next month.

[Eddie]

I'm gonna have to hit my audible account pretty hard next couple days so I can read along book 2 I'm only couple hours in Locke Lamora and appreciate the invite cause really liking the groups I never read a book along with anybody before

[Rob, Quick Ben]

Yeah it's always more fun to read along with others and discuss as you go along.

[Eddie]

It sounds a lot more enjoyable I haven't done it yet I was just lucky to finish bonehunters in time to read along with this group on reapers gale

[Mark]

Hey everyone,

I'm new to the Malazan series. I started the first book back in February or March of this year on a whim. I had seen it name dropped along with a few other titles as a series worth reading. I glanced at the wiki article for the series and just gave it a shot. Wow!

First book held my attention throughout but took a while to really hit its stride (which I had heard was the case) but by the end I knew I had found something to stick with. Immediately went on to Deadhouse Gates and I was in love. After that it was Memories of Ice which again was absolutely fantastic. I just finished reading that a few days ago and I am already on to House of Chains. Digging it so far.

The breadth of the series so far as well as the incredible characters have really hooked me. The emotional highs and lows that these books hit are simply incredible and are above all the aspect that has kept my interest. Not to mention the sheer mystery of the world itself which leads me to continue to try to unravel all the secrets. I really get into the fiction I'm consuming (whether it be books, games, movies) but never to this level. Nothing I have read even compares.

Anyways, that's enough gushing from me.

[Mpauli]

Welcome to the group, Mark! Have fun and if you have any questions, just ask in one of the threads. Normally we have an eye on the old threads and people here tend to be very helpful and respond quickly. :=)

[Zeke]

Hi all, my name's Zeke and I've just started with GOTM upon a recommendation because the series is so detailed in its worldbuilding. My only real experience with fantasy is GRRM's Song of Fire and Ice/Game of Thrones, and one of the aspects of that that I loved was the worldbuilding, so I thought I've give Malazan a try. Perhaps I've made a mistake, because I've chosen to "read" them as audiobooks, and so far I'm completely lost. But I really want to like this - I keep being told it's great and can tell there's a lot of good elements there that I'm just oblivious to - so I'm going out of my way to try and understand what I'm reading. I'm hoping this group will help.

[Eddie]

audio is better the second time around but your gonna be lost the first half of the book no matter if you read it or listen to it but I highly suggest reading it that way u can partially keep track of all the characters

[David Sven, Mortal Sword..Meow]

Welcome to the group Zeke.

[Rob, Quick Ben]

I agree with Eddie. This is a series better read. I find myself rereading paragraphs or even pages fairly often which is pretty hard in audio.

Plus only a few books have an audio version, and the release schedule looks to be pretty slow.

Anyways welcome Zeke. Feel free to ask questions as needed. You'll find people here are eager to help encourage others in their Malazan fandom.