/lit/ - Literature

>>4804487
Hello. I've read all of Malazan.

Part of the appeal of the Malazan series is that nothing is explained to you, and that you have to figure shit out on your own.

FoD definitely "spoils" you a bit in that it gives you a lot of pieces of the puzzle from the get-go. It's set several thousand before the main series, however.

Regardless, FoD was written with new readers in mind, and serves as an alternate starting point. In fact, it might even be beneficial to read it so you don't get a massive headache from Gardens of the Moon (the first entry in the main series).

It's a pretty good book. It won't spoil anything plot-wise, but will make you understand the world.

As always, follow the /lit/-related reading order guide after you finish either WoD or Gardens of the Moon (whichever you end up choosing). You can skip the red series.

>>4746467
Book 5 is fairly weak. The Tiste shit can be hard to get through. It does step up, fairly soon, but I won't admit there aren't rough patches where whiny people walk slowly across barren wastelands for hundreds of pages.

It's worth it in the end. There's a payoff.

Also, remember to follow the proper reading order. Esslemont's prose starts out weak, but his novels supplement the Malazan series well. Some fun action in the Empire itself can be a nice diversion from emo Tiste faggots crying.

My ranking:

3>2>10>4>7>6>8>9>1>5

>>4682174
Just make sure you follow the correct reading order.

>>4623139
Just follow this handy guide. Best of luck.

>>4365387
Those are the old covers. They suck ass. Granted, some of the new ones aren't much better.

>>4355550
Oh, and you'll need this.

Here's a handy guide, OP. You can skip the Tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach, but the rest are all passable to excellent fantasy novels.

The correct answer is Malazan Book of the Fallen.

>>4218800
Try Malazan Book of the Fallen. It's exactly what you're looking for.

>>4201709
>Am I meant to be confused as shit in the first couple hundred pages?
I believe the author himself has expressed regret for this particular facet of that novel. Bit of a shame, it seems decent enough.

Personally I am finally finishing off Malazan Book of the Fallen (well, the novels that have been published thus far, anyway). Starting Blood and Bone as soon as I finish this Umberto Eco novel. Both authors (of Malazan) really improve over time, and I have to say that there is a big difference in prose quality between their earliest works and their latest. For Erikson, his characterization has improved a lot, and he seems to focus more on characters rather than events. Esslemont's prose is actually coherent and readable at this point. It's weird.

>>4109912
I've read it all.

Just... just get through Gardens of the Moon. It's fantastic beyond that point. It's very much inspired by The Black Company, but lacks the down-to-earth tone of Cook's works.

Oh, and attached is a handy reading order. The "Tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach" novellas are highly optional, but the rest of the works are pretty important (picking up on plot points unfulfilled in the "main" series). If you like the series I'd heavily recommend reading it all.

>>4063764
>You can't just throw in made up fantasy terms and expect us to know what the fuck you're talking about.
Half the point of the series is figuring it out.

>minorities and women are actually characters in this series
The minorities aren't there for political correctness' sake. Everything in the series is there for a reason.

Memories of Ice is a fucking fantastic book, by the way. I wept like a little bitch.

>>4050527
It's very far from generic.