MALAZAN GARDENS OF THE MOON REVIEW

Here is my spoiler free review for Gardens of the Moon, the first book in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series by Steven Erikson.

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#malazan #gardensofthemoon #malazanreview

[robpaul]

Messenger bird!!?? 🤣🤣😂 Crone would love to have a talk with you about her perspective

Well, the review was a lot more positive than I feared! And much like the book itself I need to revisit it to catch all of your points, you went to town on this one.

Minor thing about the one guy who made a derisive comment about a girl with a sword..
He was explicitly called a dumb abrasive brute, and definitively proven wrong - if I'm thinking about the right guy.

[whiskeySeen]

Some of you may guess where I got this name.

First in, last out

[theriddler]

the set gender role is very deliberate from steven and Ian when they made the world - the base idea is that magic not muscle is the ultimate power and in a world where everyone has access to magic the gender roles would evolve in a very different way than in our world. (they've both written and talked about it a lot) ... props for spotting it so early, most of us miss it for a long time as it's never rally talked about in the series.


hint about the magic(clues in the transfer hairlock to a puppet scene) there are more than 1 system of magic in the world.


you'll learn a lot more from kulp and the wican warlocks in deadhouse gates.


looking forward to hearing about the arguments you'll have with your BF over felisins story in the next book. And do enjoy the chain of dogs - one of the most stunning story arcs ever written and where the series overall themes starts to come into play.

[danbuter]

Once you finish the series, this book makes a lot more sense. Many "minor" characters in this book end up being very important later. Also, the next book is a huge jump up in writing quality.
Heck, wait until you meet Iskaral Pust, Coltaine, Krupp, and Bugg.

[haroldniver]

You will feel a much greater connection to the characters when/if you read Deadhouse Gates. I won’t say which ones, though. Your sympathies will probably sway, and sometimes you’ll feel torn, but your emotions will definitely come into play.

[mkgnlgt]

A thorough review 😊

Your criticisms are accurate, fair and not at all wrong. That said, great writing doesn’t always make for a great story, just more linear reading, and authors don’t owe us readers a damn thing

These books are tough, and get much tougher, Toll The Hounds wounded me deeply, I couldn’t pick up a book for months afterwards, and none of them are perfect, but the price is worth paying, it’s always an even trade with Mr. Erikson

After each book, after finishing the series, after a re read, after each heart wrenching chapter of each book the one review that always stands out to me is ‘I stand slack jawed in awe of The Malazan Book Of The Fallen...’

You will not be disappointed when you finally put down The Crippled God, I swear it.

[LanaFeyah]

I think this is the most complete and accurate review of Gardens of the Moon that I have yet to come across, and I'm so grateful to you for making it! It would have been SO useful to me two years ago, when I was presenting the Malazan Book of the Fallen to my fellow coursemates at uni, haha!

[jameskanney]

GotM is generally considered to be the weakest book of the series. Erikson also wrote it years before he started book 2, Deadhouse Gates. Glad to see the series getting some recognition.

[MarvinMcDougle]

I would love to see a re-review after you've finished the series if you can spare the time for a re-read. For so many of us this series improves on the second reading.

[danielsmithiv]

People are so sleep on this series, it's ridiculous.

Example, for you Game of Thrones fans, imagine Daenyrs could not only command dragons but can transform into a dragon herself and was also a great swordswoman who had the power to wield magic??

And then imagine that this almighty Daenrys fought against Jon Snow whose Targaryen blood allowed him to be superhuman strong, agile, and deadly enough to combat Daenrys with his supreme swordsmanship -- even though he himself couldn't transform into a dragon?

And imagine that Jaime Lannister was such a crazy swordman that he could've killed two of Daenyrs dragons in a sword fight all by himself with his own strength and superior skills?

Ladies and gents, what I just described to you is a small TASTE of Malazan Book of the Fallen.

If people love action, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, or any other fantasy in general, people have to experience this story.

But, heads up, this story is not only complex, but incredibly, emotionally intense, brutal, and sad.

There's Metal Gear Solid. There's Soul Reaver. And then you have something special like Malazan Book of the Fallen.

Check it out now.

[IronArkadius]

Great review Elliot! I’m glad you noticed the subtle worldbuilding through character’s eyes. That’s actually what sucked me in to the books, I really liked it. It somehow let me picture the scenes and settings quicker and more completely than paragraph after paragraph describing the carpets and desks, etc.

I think all of your criticisms are very valid. I can’t really deny any of them despite loving the book lol!

Hope you’ll enjoy Deadhouse Gates more, it’s very slow in the beginning but much better written. There was a 10 year gap between Erikson writing Gardens and Deadhouse. He grew a lot as a writer. Can’t say it doesn’t get any less chaotic though lol

[Suport]

I agree with your review. Nice review by the way! I gave up after book 3 because I got lost with all the characters. But I would like to know how the series ended. The series is massive. I wish Erikson would have gone ASOIAF to George. R. R. Martin way with one chapter focusing on one character instead of head-hopping. Didn't work for me. But that just me.

[dylearium]

The audiobook performances are phenomenal. Ralph Lister & then Michael Page both made huge fans out of me (minor tragedy that Lister doesn't read the entire series).

But you pointed out the biggest drawback to the audiobook experience. The desperate need for better indicated scene shifts.

Really thoughtful review!

[sirbooksage]

Just finished Gardens of the Moon this weekend and I'm very early on in Deadhouse Gates. I'm really enjoying it so far. You touched on a lot of great points. For me, however, even with those things, it really clicked for me. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a rollicking, rambling, epic fantasy fun. Kruppe was my personal favorite character. I got the impression this first book was all about laying the seeds for future major events. I'm looking forward to your future thoughts as you continue through the series.

[honorspren]

Man I have been watching your reviews a lot, but this one is just something next level stuff. The level of depth analysis that you did and the clarity with which you expressed your views was just phenomenal. Will definitely give this one a read. Although it is overwhelming, but your review made me feel like I can give it a try!!
Thank you!!

[willprotector]

Thanks for the fair and honest review. The first book is not the best beginning for fantasy series and I understand completely those who DNF because Erikson is still developing as a writer as he fleshes out the first book. I would also say that the story is about the world, not the characters. Characters do develop as the story goes on but they are never really the point at least not individually. Erikson sees the people of his world as one large character exhibiting both good and bad tendencies. Compassion is a theme throughout and I think that is what keeps it away from the nihilism of grim dark. I look forward to you guys reading more of series.

[amateurmmer]

Great review! Although I have one counterargument to provide: most of your criticisms are almost sort of "intentional" flaws. Stuff like the Azath houses might seem like deus ex machina but if you read all of Malazan its comparable to being blind and trying to navigate a city and suddenly being able to see for the first time. So much stuff makes sense and I awe Erikson's forethought when constructing the world. It's like Hoid in the cosmere, only it's not one person but an entire world that is connected. IMO it's so interesting because it is an absolute reflection of reality. We don't know or understand everything and we never will. People will come and go, and they might never even cross our mind again while they go on to bring great change. I still think after 20 years of being a fantasy nerd that Malazan is the most rewarding series ever when it comes to rereading. It's like a beautiful painting, which everytime you look at it reveals another hitherto hidden detail. No other series made my head hurt so much and yet and I still feel blessed to have discovered it (looking at you WoT). Good luck with DG!

[NofirstnameNolastname]

If you read more of the books then trust me you will cry as you start caring about characters.

I personally read the main series once and then another time with all of the sides stories which is like 26 books total. I just can't get enough of Erikson. This man is just impossible with his imagination.

*edit*

Ian c. Esslemont has also been getting better and better fyi. Orb Sceptre Throne and Blood and Bone are fucking epic

[Wankeroo]

"Thrown into a world" is basically a perfect description for this book. The book is not a book that can be properly reviewed on its own imho. On its own this book is not great. It's basically just setting the scene with a lot of "intro" and not much depth beyond 2 characters. Re-reading this book after reading the entire series is entirely different from the first read. The arc of this series is fantastic and nothing compares to it. It's so ridiculous that you don't even get a proper sense of the main arc until book 5 which is a masterpiece. Re-reading these books is a must - especially the epilogues and prologues.

[grafffuller]

Thank you. I have been interested in this series for years, but because of the negativity attached to "getting into" the series...I have held off. Because of this review...I think it will be something that I do sooner, than later. Thank you. I really enjoyed the depth of this review, without spoilers. Great insights and thoughts. I will check out your groups.