[Reborn]

It would be interesting to see which book people consider their favorite now that Toll the Hounds has been released.

It would be nice if you ranked the books in a post as well, and wrote your reasons/arguments for thinking as you do.

Edit: I just realized that it would be ideal with a poll (all the eight books listed) but I'm not sure how to manage that. Could someone help me?

[Veilside]

1.Return of the Crimson Guard
2.Toll the Hounds
3.The Healthy Dead
4.Memories of Ice
5.Deadhouse Gates

My top 5, feeling too lazy to mention why they're in that order at the moment.

[blackzoid]

1: Midnight Tides
2: Memories of Ice
3: Toll the Hounds
4: The Bonehunters
5: Reaper's Gale
6: Return of the Crimson Guard
7: Deadhouse Gates
9: Garden's of the Moon
10 Night of Knifes (only because it was so short)

[buddhacat]

TtH has changed up my list of favorites a bit:

1. MoI
2. TtH
3. MT
4. DG
5. RG
6. tBH
7. HoC
8. RotCG
9. GotM
10. NoK

If the Tyrant thread had had a proper cliffhanger ending (if not resolution), rather than just petering out at the end, then TtH would have been #1.

[Lister of Smeg]

1. Deadhouse Gates - The Chain of Dogs is still unmatched IMO.
2. Midnight Tides - love the characters, and has the single best duel of the series at the end.
3. Toll the Hounds - I just really liked it. So many great POVs (Kallor, Nimander, Endest, etc.) and a gripping ending. Might move up or down with a reread.
4. The Bonehunters - Y'Ghatan and Malaz City.
5. Memories of Ice - Siege of Capustan and the ending make up for a very boring beginning.
6. Reaper's Gale - Felt a bit cheated by parts of this (the Karsa-Rhulad fight, Icarium) and there were some seemingly pointless story arcs. Even if their relevance become clear, it doesn't change the fact that the stories RG felt pointless.
7. House of Chains - I do like this book, especially the Karsa intro, but it doesn't hit the heights of the others.
8. Gardens of the Moon - Hard to get into, lacked the emotional impact of the others IMO.

I haven't read RotCG yet, but I would rank NoK as way below GotM in terms of quality.

[Imperial Historian]

Added a poll for you.

TTH changed the ordering of my list, it is as follows:

1. DhG - still the best, the book which got me addicted
2. MOI - closely follows as being very, very good
3. TTH - Not quite up there with the first two, but damned good all the same
4. MT
5. RotCG
6. GotM
7. HoC
8. RG
9. BH

I can't really rank the novellas in with the main series, but I added it as an option anyway, my favourite novella is LoLE, closely followed by NoK

[caladanbrood]

At the moment, Memories of Ice, Midnight Tides and Toll the Hounds are my joint favourites. I can't actually choose between them!!

[Dancer+]

It's a knee jerk reaction but I've chosen RotCG, the presense of the Old Guard and the realisation that this series could be a two-man one. I expect greatness from SE but ICE had me surprised and laughing greatly at several epic encounters. I'm very fond of Traveller, him and Dancer are my two favourite characters.

I have a hard time formulating lists anyhow. My tastes differ too quickly, and my love is for characters and scenes rather than books as a whole. It's hard to gauge a proper result although DHG, MoI, Bonehunters, TtH and RotCG are probably my top five. I feel GotM, HoC and RG were all very entertaining, and that MT will improve on rereads. NoK is not in the same league as the rest quite frankly.

[Aptorian]

1 TTH
2 MOI
3 DG
4 MT
5 GOTM
6 BH
7 HOC
8 ...
9 ...

snip

33 RG

[anothevilbadguy]

1.Reaper's Gale - Mixed most of favorite characters, with the best convergence so far, and probably the best combat chapter (Edur attack on the village full of marines). Even though the Redmask storyline was quite unrelated still enjoyed it.
2.Deadhouse Gates - Made me fall in love with the series.
3.Midnight Tides - Amazed how Erikson managed to pretty much start a new story in the same world, and introduced so many amazing characters.
4.Memories of Ice - Possibly the most engrossing of the novels, probably would at least be my second favorite if not for the maybe, which are undoubtedly the poorest parts of the whole series.
5.The Bonehunters - Excellent as always, but lacked certain epic quality that others have. Also the first novel where Steven's humour really started to shine, showing how it is possible to mix serious, moving and exciting themes with genius comic moments.
6.Return of the Crimson Guard - The novel with the most standout scenes, but with the amount of quality set pieces, it is no wonder. ICE showed us he is only a step behind SE, and although i hope he realizes in future novels fart jokes aren't actually funny.
7.House of Chains - I think this one only suffered in its lack of stand out moments, i.e. it blurs a bit with bonehunters. However, the Chain of Dogs is amazing, and the creation of the most horrific character in Mallick Rel is a plus, I am still peeved that ICE made me sort of like him (think ICE and SE must look at him slightly different).
8.Gardens of the Moon - An amazing novel with an amazing story, but the mistakes sometimes confusing prose (certainly pre-Darujhistan) need to be sorted before it can compete with the above.
9.Toll the Hounds - Thematically it is the strongest book, and has some of the funniest sections, i.e. anything with Pust. However, it is easily the least tight in my opinion. The greatness of Erikson is in how he intertwines so many story lines, he fails to large degree in this book, at least for his standard. The Bellurdan inclusion was stupid, the reasoning behind the two big confrontations are nonsensical. And I admittedly wanted a proper battle, probably spoiled by ROTCG. However, his prose was great, and how he managed to interest me in a number of characters I previously was so-so about (Remaining BBs and the young Andii) was terrific. But i believe how he left the Humble Measure storyline is a great disappointment. I will stop now.
10.Night of the Knives - Highly enjoyable once i got into it, and some excellent character work, especially on Tay, but it seemed ICE took some time to get into it, and also was so much shorter.

Sorry for the length.

[Theyis]

1: Toss up between Memories of Ice and the Bonehunters, although I voted Bonehunters in the poll, because I felt it needed some more love...
Bonehunters just gets better every time I read it, with so many interesting bits, great characters, great humor and drama.
Memories of Ice for its sheer epicness and making me cry for those poor Bridgeburners and Itkovian.
3: Deadhouse Gates, because of the Chain of Dogs storyline.
4: Reaper's Gale
5: Midnight Tides
6: House of Chains
7: Gardens of the Moon
8: Toll the Hounds
9: NoK

Of course upon reread this might change. The Bonehunters was at the bottom of my list too when it first came out, but it rose fast. Also, I thinbk BH got better when I read Reaper's Gale and found out where a lot of BH lead to...

[Slum]

I adored the last 200 pages of Toll the Hounds, pure awesomeosity! It just didn't have the same emotional heft as did Deadhouse Gates and Memories


-MOI
-DG
-TTH
-MT
-HoC
-GotM
-BH
-RG

Still haven't managed to get a hold of an ICE novel, so I'll have to rearrange that list after reading his, I'm sure.

[Skywalker]

I'm not gonna vote just yet... I had hated TBH on my first read... that is where I am with TtH (to a lesser degree given the honey-dipped awesomeness of the last 150 pages)... But then I liked TBH a lot more on the second reading... so will vote in this here thread post-RoTCG, when I've had a chance to read TtH again.

[Use Of Weapons]

1. Toll the Hounds, cos it made me cry for the last 200 pages, and laugh the longest of any Erikson novel for Pust on the mule.
2. Memories of Ice, for Itkovian and the Grey Swords, Toc, and the BBs
3. Deadhouse Gates, for the Chain of Dogs, Kalam, Pearl and Lostara Yil, and Mappo and Icarium
4. House of Chains, for Raraku, Sha'ik, Tavore and Paran
5. Gardens of the Moon -- for sheer awesomeness of a new epic
6. Bonehunters, for Fire and the Queen of Dreams
7. Midnight Tides, for Tehol and Bugg, Ublala, and Trull
8. Reaper's Gale -- need to read it again, but I thought lots of it was pretty boring, especially Cutter & co. I actually enjoyed it when he was eviscerated.
9. Night of Knives. Too short, and the first copy I got hold of had 50 pages missing in the middle

[flea]

1. Memories of Ice
2. Toll the Hounds
3. Bonehunters
4. Midnight Tides
5. Deadhouse Gates
6. Gardens of the Moon
7. House of Chains
8. Reaper's Gale

After typing this I find myself totally uncertain, except for positions 1, 7, 8. 2-6 are all pretty awesome. I ended up liking House of Chains much more after a re-read, so I'm perfectly certain about that position.

My only general disagreements with people is about Bonehunters, which I seem to have liked more than many. I also love Midnight Tides, perhaps mroe than others, although those who like it usually seem to like it a lot.

Have any of you tried to explain SE to others? I don't even try because his universe is so damn weird. I can't think of any other writer I have stuck with whose creation is so strange and difficult to understand. Quite an achievement.

[Brahm_K]

1. Midnight Tides
2. Deadhouse Gates
3. Reaper's Gale
4. House of Chains
5. The Bonehunters
6. Memories of Ice
7. Gardens of the Moon
8. Toll the Hounds

[Valgard]

1. Deadhouse Gates
2. Memories of Ice & Toll of the Hounds
3. Midnight Tides
4. House of Chains
5. Return of the Crimson Guard
6. Gardens of the Monn
7. Night of Knives
8. Bonehunters
9. Reapers Gale

[caladanbrood]

OK, I worked it out, with gaps between indicating relative position

Memories of Ice
Toll the Hounds
Midnight Tides

Gardens of the Moon


Bonehunters
Deadhouse Gates

Reaper's Gale


House of Chains

[carnage4u]

How do people have Return of the Crimson Guard alraedy? I have it set on Pre-order in the UK, but the release date is not even here yet.


1.)Reaper's Gale
2.)Memories of Ice
3.)Deadhouse gates
4.)Bonehunters
5.)House of Chains
6.)Toll of Hounds
7.)Midnight Tides
8.)Gardens of the Moon


Honestly I enjoyed them all. so it feels to rank some so low

I thought reapers gale was a great book. I thought it completed the story arcs from book 5 and book 6 very well. The Malazan army runnning around was just fun as well.


I like Night of Knives as well, but i just ranking it differently as its not part of series.

[Illuyankas]

ROTCG was actually available before TTH was, except in crazy £80-o-availablity. I'm happy to wait for August, personally, since I have no money anyway.