[mojojojo]

Hi everyone,

I'm a new reader and joined the forum to check out answers to my confusion...unfortunately it seems the general consensus is to prepare to be more confused! I have been sticking to the book, slowly plowing through and I want to let you guys know that I am now on page 325 on my ebook version out of 537 pages (including glossary) and I'm starting to find the book consistently engaging. Granted, there were passages here and there that were interesting, like soul shifting and shadow hounds- but i find myself now flipping through the book *with interest*. I am at the part where its revealed that Caladan Brood was descending down from the sky with his assassins onto Quick Ben as he unleashes the demon Pearl to its death and slips away. The fact that the demon admits that although it can apparently level a city but asks Quick Ben if he has pity for him as he stops the assassins shows what a bad@ss this Caladan Brood is. I am a bit lost as to who is chasing who and why, but I suppose these are questions everyone has.

Is Tattersail supposed to be a hot fat chick? I thought that was cool of Erikson, it threw me through a loop though because I was expecting her to be a sexy muscular fantasy sorceress. However, I finished reading the part where she soul-shifted a second time into a baby or something in Kruppe's dream. I'm noticing there are a lot of chubby characters in the book!

Speaking of Kruppe, does anyone else find it annoying how he speaks of himself in the third person?

Anyway, I've got about 200 more pages to go and I am going to try and finish tonight although it feels like it takes me way longer to read this than normal books. I think I have to pay closer attention and sometimes re-read passages several times. A coworker who knows I am obsessed with GRRM's Song of Ice and Fire recommended this to me and told me to stick it through because it was BETTER than ASOIAF. That was the only reason I stubbornly plowed through, I had to confirm the validity of that blasphemous statement. I'm not quite ready to believe him yet, and I'm not sure if its a proper comparison yet, given the differences in style and plot, but I'm going to keep going and hopefully the excitement that I'm experiencing will only get better.

[Defiance]

That wasn't Caladan Brood descending from the sky...might want to go and check your facts there. I can tell you who it was, if you want. Not that big of a spoiler.

Spoiler

Anomander Rake

Yes, I do find Kruppe annoying at times. But he's also very interesting at others.

As for being better than ASoIaF, I'm sure the consensus on this forum will be either 1) ASoIaF is good but Malazan is better or 2) ASoIaF sucks and Malazan is awesome. Myself, I love both of the series, but for different reasons. I think GRRM is a better writer than SE, however SE is my favorite writer right now because he's actually releasing material at a very fast rate. That said, sometimes I do like to think of what Malazan could have been if SE had been given all the time he wanted to write the books, rather than being on a book a year contract or whatever.

Anyway, I don't think the beginning of GotM is boring so much as you have no clue what the fuck is going on at first. I reread the book a month or two ago, and I was amazed at how much better it was when I could actually understand (almost) everything.

This post has been edited by Defiance: 02 June 2010 - 12:47 AM

[SalokinX]

I'm glad you're enjoying it.

Considering that I walked straight out of ASOIAF into The Malazan Book of the Fallen, I had incredibly high expectations because, like you, a lot of people were saying it was incredibly good.

So far (half-way through the third book) I find that ASOIAF is much, much better. I just can't get myself to fall in love with this series... So far I consider it a so-so fantasy. Nothing that special, like ASOIAF or Lord of the Rings.

I hope you enjoy the books, because I bet that those who really love it might be going wild reading it (just like I did while reading Martin's ASOIAF). I was really expecting another deep adventure into a near-perfect world with Steven Erikson, but that still hasn't happened.

I'm sticking to the story nonetheless. It's getting more interesting as I get deeper into the story and the history of this magical world starts to fit together and make sense.

Anyway, I absolutely love Kruppe and, in his absence on Deadhouse Gates, Iskaral Pust was my second favorite character (he's like a more mysterious and less 3rd person Kruppe, basically).

Good luck on your readings!

[EsotericForest]

ASOIAF is much easier to get into, that's for sure. But at least Erikson will actually finish his series before he dies . I'm part way through a Feast for Crows and can't seem to get through it, mostly because I know I'm just going to want to read the next book...a book that seemingly will never be released.

But anyway, I apologize for my little side-tracked rant.

Kruppe was a bit annoying when I first read Gardens of the Moon...but I loved him in Memories of Ice. He's a very intriguing character.

[SalokinX]

EsotericForest, on 02 June 2010 - 01:59 AM, said:

ASOIAF is much easier to get into, that's for sure. But at least Erikson will actually finish his series before he dies . I'm part way through a Feast for Crows and can't seem to get through it, mostly because I know I'm just going to want to read the next book...a book that seemingly will never be released.

But anyway, I apologize for my little side-tracked rant.

Kruppe was a bit annoying when I first read Gardens of the Moon...but I loved him in Memories of Ice. He's a very intriguing character.

Hahaha, you're so mean with the old guy.

Give him space to breathe. He said in an interview that he's a slow writer and has always been that way. I like the fact that he takes long. It makes the book perfect to the last detail. I expect the book A Dance With Dragons will come out either this year or the next, no later. The script is almost as big as A Clash of Kings, which means he can't go much further without having to split the book - yet again.

Anyway, I think that Kruppe is getting somewhat less interesting on Memories of Ice. I'm only at page 350, but so far it seems that he's changed. Before he used to be just plain funny, but now it seems he's smarter... Not that he wasn't smart on Gardens of the Moon, but now he's showing it too much, whereas before the impression we got from him was that he was a fat, useless slob.

[worry]

What an insolent way to speak of the Eel.

[HoosierDaddy]

I'm glad the book is beginning to engage you. Some like it, some love it, others loathe it, for whatever reason. Hopefully, it won't take as long to "grab" you in DG.

[mojojojo]

Defiance, on 02 June 2010 - 12:46 AM, said:

That wasn't Caladan Brood descending from the sky...might want to go and check your facts there. I can tell you who it was, if you want. Not that big of a spoiler.

Spoiler

Anomander Rake

I read your spoiler, thanks for warning me, it was considerate, but at this point since I don't understand anything, even if you told me what happens in the end, I probably wouldn't get it without reading through the book yet, you know?

The reason I thought it was Brood is because I thought Brood has the hammer strapped onto his back, right? The description said one of the guys floating down had something strapped onto their back which was when the demon knew he was going to die. Does Rake carry an implement too? Oh yeah! I forgot, he has that 6 foot sword, right? Maybe it was written that way to keep the reader guessing. Martin and Erikson both have the same trait where the most seemingly trivial detail can actually have greater significant meaning, so you have to pay attention.

I think I read like 70 pages today, and I can normally speed through novels, but I enjoy it better when I don't rush it and absorb it better to. I want to find out what happens to Tattersail!

I must admit, I like the mad puppet. I think its awesome that its insane. Erikson does have a good imagination and probably a good sense of humor too!

Thanks everyone for saying hi, everyone is really friendly on this forum.

[Shinrei]

Was I the only one who read this as "Finally got past the boring pants" and thought of Rodeo?

[EsotericForest]

See the "mad puppet" thing is one of the things I didn't like in Gardens of the Moon...just a little hard for me to take very seriously.

[Verjigorm]

mojojojo, on 02 June 2010 - 12:23 AM, said:

Hi everyone,

I'm a new reader and joined the forum to check out answers to my confusion...unfortunately it seems the general consensus is to prepare to be more confused! I have been sticking to the book, slowly plowing through and I want to let you guys know that I am now on page 325 on my ebook version out of 537 pages (including glossary) and I'm starting to find the book consistently engaging.

Welcome to the forum!

Your experience sounds a lot like my start with GotM. I even read like the first 150 pages and then put the book down for a few weeks, cause I found it confusing and didn't get much of what was going on. When I was finally interested in the characters, the story shifted to Darujisthan, introducing even more characters.
But when the story archs came together, my interest grew. I'm really glad I kept on reading due to the awesome journey it started for me. I'm now on book 7 and really love the series.

SalokinX, on 02 June 2010 - 01:30 AM, said:

So far (half-way through the third book) I find that ASOIAF is much, much better. I just can't get myself to fall in love with this series... So far I consider it a so-so fantasy. Nothing that special, like ASOIAF or Lord of the Rings.

At this point, I had similar feelings. GotM was okay with me, but I didn't like DG very much. MoI was better than the first two and I really wanted to like the series, but up till then I also had the feeling that SE wouldn't meet my expectations. It took until HoC, where I finally got hooked. I won't go into any specifics, for this being the GotM forum. I was really confused, cause so many others stated DG and MoI being their favourite books of the series and I wasn't that excited about those two, but I kept reading and was rewarded.

I'm also a huge ASoIaF fan and re-read the whole series four times, before running into the Malazan world, but now these two are on an even level of enjoyment. You can't really compare both authors and I guess both have their fields, where they are better than the other, but in the end it all comes down to one thing. Only those two were able to give me this level of satisfaction and complexity in reading a multi volume fantasy saga.

[MoK3]

Make sure you finish this book and read Deadhouse Gates before quitting, I was the same way and now i am in love with these books

[MoK3]

Quote

At this point, I had similar feelings. GotM was okay with me, but I didn't like DG very much. MoI was better than the first two and I really wanted to like the series, but up till then I also had the feeling that SE wouldn't meet my expectations. It took until HoC, where I finally got hooked. I won't go into any specifics, for this being the GotM forum. I was really confused, cause so many others stated DG and MoI being their favourite books of the series and I wasn't that excited about those two, but I kept reading and was rewarded

Interesting MoI and DG were my favourites, hmmm....

[SalokinX]

mojojojo, on 02 June 2010 - 03:35 AM, said:

Defiance, on 02 June 2010 - 12:46 AM, said:

That wasn't Caladan Brood descending from the sky...might want to go and check your facts there. I can tell you who it was, if you want. Not that big of a spoiler.

Spoiler

Anomander Rake

I read your spoiler, thanks for warning me, it was considerate, but at this point since I don't understand anything, even if you told me what happens in the end, I probably wouldn't get it without reading through the book yet, you know?

I would just like to point out that if you're not understanding anything, you should restart the reading. So far, at page 450 of Memories of Ice I am yet to be lost. People say the serious is extremely complicated, but so far it seems pretty straight forward - no mysteries.

Verjigorm, on 02 June 2010 - 11:51 AM, said:

SalokinX, on 02 June 2010 - 01:30 AM, said:

So far (half-way through the third book) I find that ASOIAF is much, much better. I just can't get myself to fall in love with this series... So far I consider it a so-so fantasy. Nothing that special, like ASOIAF or Lord of the Rings.

At this point, I had similar feelings. GotM was okay with me, but I didn't like DG very much. MoI was better than the first two and I really wanted to like the series, but up till then I also had the feeling that SE wouldn't meet my expectations. It took until HoC, where I finally got hooked. I won't go into any specifics, for this being the GotM forum. I was really confused, cause so many others stated DG and MoI being their favourite books of the series and I wasn't that excited about those two, but I kept reading and was rewarded.

Well, I already bought House of Chains for exactly this reason. If I come across the feeling to quit, well, I already bought the book, so that isn't an option. I am taking extremely long on this series, though. It's about 2 months since I started reading and I'm still at book 3, and not even half-way through yet. I think it would be unfair for me to judge the book before going through it completely.

So far the only thing keeping my attention is the history of Erikson's world. How the four founding races evolved, what battles they fought, why, etc. I like a good "fantasy history class" (mind you, I'm not a big fan of real-world History).

Verjigorm, on 02 June 2010 - 11:51 AM, said:

I'm also a huge ASoIaF fan and re-read the whole series four times, before running into the Malazan world, but now these two are on an even level of enjoyment. You can't really compare both authors and I guess both have their fields, where they are better than the other, but in the end it all comes down to one thing. Only those two were able to give me this level of satisfaction and complexity in reading a multi volume fantasy saga.

Haha, 4 times? I'm not a big fan of re-reads, but I feel that ASOIAF might be the lucky one, but I'm not sure when, since my to-read list goes to over 30 books, and constantly growing.

[worry]

No mysteries?!?!?!?!?!

This post has been edited by worrywort: 02 June 2010 - 08:22 PM

[HoosierDaddy]

worrywort, on 02 June 2010 - 08:21 PM, said:

No mysteries?!?!?!?!?!

I assume it means he is following the story lines well enough that he knows what is occurring plot-wise.

[SalokinX]

H.D., on 02 June 2010 - 08:27 PM, said:

worrywort, on 02 June 2010 - 08:21 PM, said:

No mysteries?!?!?!?!?!

I assume it means he is following the story lines well enough that he knows what is occurring plot-wise.

Precisely. Thanks for clearing it up.

I mean, as far as I'm going, there's no "what the hell is going on here?"

I think the current of the story is one that you can just lay down and let it drag you without much problem.

[ansible]

I agree, if you're paying close attention the plot isn't impossible to follow. One of the biggest problems I had when reading for the first time was, "What the hell is a warren and how does it work?" Details like that would confuse me. However, in the end, I don't have a problem with the way GotM is written, and I actually love how he starts the story in media res.

This post has been edited by ansible: 02 June 2010 - 08:50 PM

[SalokinX]

ansible, on 02 June 2010 - 08:48 PM, said:

I agree, if you're paying close attention the plot isn't impossible to follow. One of the biggest problems I had when reading for the first time was, "What the hell is a warren and how does it work?" Details like that would confuse me. However, in the end, I don't have a problem with the way GotM is written, and I actually love how he starts the story in media res.

Haha, I had a hard time with warrens myself. Took me a while to understand it, although I still don't get it sometimes. I just wish he had explained it a bit better - or at all - in the first book.

[Abyss]

mojojojo, on 02 June 2010 - 12:23 AM, said:

Hi everyone,

Welcome! (or re-welcome - i trust your posting issue was cleared up...)

Quote

...I am at the part where its revealed that Caladan Brood was descending down from the sky with his assassins onto Quick Ben as he unleashes the demon Pearl to its death and slips away. The fact that the demon admits that although it can apparently level a city but asks Quick Ben if he has pity for him as he stops the assassins shows what a bad@ss this Caladan Brood is. I am a bit lost as to who is chasing who and why, but I suppose these are questions everyone has.

Per elsepost, it's Rake, not Brood, but i can see how the 'big frikkin powerful thingy on his back' may have thrown you.
Without getting into mad details, QB and Kalam got caught in a battle between the assassins guild and Rake's Andii mage-assassins. Things went badly.

Quote

Is Tattersail supposed to be a hot fat chick? ...I'm noticing there are a lot of chubby characters in the book!

Yep. SE sort of skips a few of the 'musclebound lean and mean protagonists' tropes. Sure, there are those too, but not just those.

Quote

Thanks everyone for saying hi, everyone is really friendly on this forum.

Glad to hear it.
Psst. it's working! when do we demand money?

Shinrei, on 02 June 2010 - 11:25 AM, said:

Was I the only one who read this as "Finally got past the boring pants" and thought of Rodeo?

god i hope so.

EsotericForest, on 02 June 2010 - 11:30 AM, said:

See the "mad puppet" thing is one of the things I didn't like in Gardens of the Moon...just a little hard for me to take very seriously. .gif" />

it's not serious but it IS fun.

MoK3, on 02 June 2010 - 04:09 PM, said:

Make sure you finish this book and read Deadhouse Gates before quitting, I was the same way and now i am in love with these books

Yep. And then dive into MoI and have your brains fried in awesomesauce.

Quote

I would just like to point out that if you're not understanding anything, you should restart the reading.

I disagree. Accept that you won't catch everything at the outset. Finish. Read as far into the series as you like, THEN start the reread.
Rereads are awesome and part of the fun is how the series shifts the second time around. And then again on the third. by the fourth ... i'll just move along now.

SalokinX, on 02 June 2010 - 08:31 PM, said:

...I think the current of the story is one that you can just lay down and let it drag you without much problem.

I think that's a fair description. The people who tend to flee the series are the ones who feel offput by the fact that not everything is spoonfed bit by bit via an ignorant farmboy type viewpoint character.

ansible, on 02 June 2010 - 08:48 PM, said:

... in the end, I don't have a problem with the way GotM is written, and I actually love how he starts the story in media res.

QFT.

SalokinX, on 02 June 2010 - 09:12 PM, said:

Haha, I had a hard time with warrens myself. Took me a while to understand it, although I still don't get it sometimes. I just wish he had explained it a bit better - or at all - in the first book.

I had that same reaction but after a moment i realized i was happy about that. It shows that the author is confident and respects the reader's thinkymeatz enough to let them figure it out along the way.

mojojojo, on 02 June 2010 - 12:23 AM, said:

Speaking of Kruppe, does anyone else find it annoying how he speaks of himself in the third person?

- Abyss, does not know what you are talking about...