The Fantasy/Sci-Fi Books Thread Book • Page 69

Thank you.

I do want to attempt the Malazan books again at some point when I'm a little less frazzled. This is really good to know.

 

I learned about ICE's books just from reading GOTM too, which I think is even more impressive :P

 

I’ve been sitting at the airport listening to Gardens of the Moon waiting for my flight. So many names I’ll never know how to spell.

 

These are the Malazan books I own and the order I was told to read them in. That damn Audible sale where they were all $3.75 clearly got me good.

1. Steven Erikson - Gardens of the Moon
2. Steven Erikson - Deadhouse Gates
3. Steven Erikson - Memories of Ice
4. Steven Erikson - House of Chains
5. Steven Erikson - Midnight Tides
6. Ian C. Esslemont - Night of Knives
7. Steven Erikson - The Bonehunters
8. Ian C. Esslemont - Return of the Crimson Guard
9. Steven Erikson - Reaper’s Gate
10. Ian C. Esslemont - Stonewielder
11. Steven Erikson - Toll the Hounds
12. Ian C. Esslemont - Orb Sceptre Throne
13. Steven Erikson - Dust of Dreams
14. Steven Erikson - The Crippled God
15. Ian C. Esslemont - Blood and Bone
16. Ian C. Esslemont - Assail
17. Ian C. Esslemont - Dancer’s Lament
18. Ian C. Esslemont - Deadhouse Landing
19. Ian C. Esslemont - Kellanved’s Reach
20. Steven Erikson - Forge of Darkness
21. Steven Erikson - Fall of Light
    

 

The name Ian C. Esslemont was familiar to me even though I've never read any of his work, but I had no idea he was at all involved in anything Malazan. I thought Malazan was entirely Steven Erikson's writing.

 

Up to you but you can read Night of Knives earlier if you want to get a feel for ICE. It's a novella so obviously a much quicker read. As long as it's before Bonehunters and after Deadhouse you're fine.

Also up to you, but there's no reason to read ICE's prequels before Erickson's prequels. Especially since ICE still has another book coming, I mean technically so does Erickson but that series is on hiatus which is still a knife to my heart.

 

Good to know! There was a very convincing blogpost that determined this order. Also had short stories I’m just not gonna worry about, haha.

 

I can tell you that the short stories do not matter, for the most part they are comedies, using the sort of humor I assume he uses in Willful Child. They're worth reading if you absolutely love the world and will do anything for more, but they don't add to the story or world in any meaningful way. They also take place in areas not visited in the series so they really don't feel that connected.

 

I low key loved Willful Child so that’s a fun connection.

 

Guy in front of me on the plane is reading Words of Radiance. He’s in the Sanderlanche.

 

You love to see it.

 

For as much as I love Malazan, I still haven't read any ICE books. Huge blind spot for me.

 

Caught the 20th anniversary screening of Return of the King last night.

Just a lovely reminder of how excellent those books and movies are.

 

I got a push notification on my phone for a news story for the new "The Lord of the Rings: Gollum" video game, and the story was about the character designs being very different from the Peter Jackson movies. I can't find the story now or the picture that was with it, but I actually do like this game's character design for The Mouth of Sauron more than the design used in PJ's ROTK. Here is a different picture -->



and a few other design pictures that I could find -->



The neck thing he has on is a little weird, but I like it better than PJ's super literal 'dude with a HUGE MOUTH'.

I always pictured him as very human looking when I read the books and that he was fulfilling a role that Sauron simply was not able to anymore given his non-corporeal form.

 

Finished The Three-body Problem this week and LOVED it. Felt like a complex and dense sci-fi prose with some incredible concepts mixed with the breeze of a Dan Brown novel (in the best way). Had to read separate material about some of the mathematical and theories presented in the novel, which was fun to read up on!

Currently reading Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli so I can have a little more background and understanding regarding some of the quantum physics in that series lol

 

For those who have read it, in the Malazan Re-Read on Tor, they do Night of Knives immediately after Gardens of the Moon. Is that how I should do it? @Vivatoto I know you mentioned it being an early read (I currently have it 4th or 5th).

I'm not sure how I would even understand Gardens of the Moon without this re-read. I miss like 90% of what they point out...and I'm not a bad reader. At least, I didn't think I was. My literature professors would be so ashamed of me.

 

No, after Deadhouse you are good to read it, but there is a MAJOR reveal in both, and I personally think it would be better to have it revealed in Deadhouse

 

Malazan……the one thing I don’t think I’ll ever be able to read due to its fierce nature and scope.

 

I think you'd be surprised. I think anyone who's read a decent amount of fantasy would be properly prepared. Personally I think I had a harder time with Feast for Crows and Dance of Dragons than I ever did with Malazan (though in all fairness that was like my first real fantasy series)

I'll keep saying it, I think my method of plowing through even when you don't fully grasp it can work if you're feeling overwhelmed. I have confidence it would come together for any other fantasy reader like it did for me.

 

After having to read the entire re-read of the Fallen to understand what I just read in Gardens of the Moon, I think I may be a lot dumber than I knew. 20 more books of this will be... something. Starting Deadhouse Gates here in a bit. I remember this one being remarkably better written. Hopefully that's a true memory.

 

He is a completely different writer by the end. He grows so fucking much. I know it's forever away, but Toll the Hounds is where he reaches the stratosphere and becomes my favorite fantasy author. It doesn't take him that long to get good of course, just by that point it's like a whole other level.

Again I think that the understanding is going to come with more reading. Focusing too much on the minutia now is just going to get in the way of the storytelling, especially when things will be either properly explained or given better context. But I mean I guess that's a personal thing, if you find more enjoyment that way then definitely do it, I just really want to hammer home that you don't have to if you don't want to. You will not be left in the dust. I'm far from the smartest person in the world and I didn't dive into material outside of the work until book 5, and then it was just because I wanted to know more.

 

I legit couldn’t follow half of GotM at all, so if I didn’t read it I wouldn’t know anything without it.

 

Speaking of dense fantasy, I'm reading A Day of Silent Night which might have the best cover art (and back, full wraparound) I've ever seen? But yeah this has been a very slow read, lots of maps and lots of characters that I'm trying to keep as straight as possible. And wayyy too many fantasy series in between this and when I read Priory, so that's barely helpful. But it's excellent.

 

Oh man, Deadhouse Gates is another level entirely and has one of the best plotlines in the main 10 books

 

I remember liking it a lot when we attempted the book club.