[NefaraisBredd]

Hello fellow Malazans! I have read all books related.to.the Malazan world three times, going on 4. I am a fan of classical literature and Mythology. I have rarely encountered anything like The Malazan Book of the Fallen. It has captivated my heart and my imagination. I just finished reading Homer (Iliad) and.the Epic of Gilgames. Erikson is a master of the Word, akin to Homer, Shakespeare,etc. move over Tolkien, Donaldson, G.G Kay, Erickson, The Master of the Word has written the only.modern epic. The tragedy is, nobody seems.to recognize this!

[nacht]

Is this guy for real?




I am no English LIt guy, but I wonder if it is appropriate to compare with Shakespeare. It seems that guy was more of a screenwriter (albeit likely the greatest). The Shakespeare I read in school was more like Act I, Act II..
After reading (a few) of Erikson's Deconstructing Fiction blogs, I dont think this this is straight prose anymore; more like some kind of hypnotic word weaving pattern art which induces some kind of an emotional dance in the readers brain (most of it subconsciously)
I think Tolkein lacks that emotional resonance. LotR has great characters, great mythology, elegance but it lacks that emotional maturity (not even a single reader would emphasize with Sauron or the Orcs). How to fuck did SE convince us to symphatize (even root) for zombies :-)



Btw, I hope you got the joke. Welcome to the forum

[NefaraisBredd]

Lol, Kettle, the T'lan Imass/Edgewalker, etc.(good joke)! I hear what you are saying about Shakespeare (as far as structure goes). I was referring to.the archetypes and emotional maturity/depth of his writing. He managed.to.include all of the devices.of great mythology(storytelling) just like Erickson has done with Malazan Series. I am not an English major, I just love good books and sadly, one cannot find much in modern literature. Eriksson avoided the 'tropes' of manufactured/cookie cutter writing by returning to the old way of storytelling. Your.comment about processing much of the story at a subconscious level is a brilliant observation! Good writing does that to people. I think he got us to root for zombies as another way to develop an anti-hero and.explore the subject of life and death. The tragedy of the Imass is profound on many levels: to me, they represent hubris and the dangers of selling your soul for something that is out of your reach(losing your humanity). Also, they are a wonderful device to.show the calculation and kinder side of Kellanved. The emperor is always portrayed as an evil and diabolical genius who is capricious to the extreme. He is Zeus and Prometheus (god and trickster) all at once. I know that a book reflects the reader's experiences as much as the writer's intended meanings, yet, I cannot help but think that he (Erikson) was intentionally employing anthropology, theology, mythology and 'unorthodox' theories about 'pre-history' that are based upon history and mythology of ancient earth. We humans are an evolutionary marvel-we have traits from almost every living (and extinct) creature that has ever graced this planet. Eriksons' dcription of Teblor, Forkrul, Imass, Jaghut, Tiste, Trell,etc., makes me wonder what other sentient creatures have lived before and with us humans in the ancient past.

Thank you for.your reply and your warm welcome.

[NefaraisBredd]

I could list great modern authors with ease-there just aren't that many, in my opinion. Here is a list of my favorite authors, please feel free to add your favorite authors as well:

Steve Erikson (Malazan Book of the Fallen)
Stephen R. Donaldson (Gap Series, Unbeliever Series)
Frank Herbert (Dune Series, The White Plague)
Tad Williams (Memory, Sorrow, Thorn)
Black Library Warhammer (Astartes) 40k-multiple authors (Horus Heresy Series)
Guy Gavriel Kay (Tigana and other books)
Gary Jennings (Aztec Series, Raptor, The Journeyer)
Isaac Asminov (Foundation Series)
Piers Anthony (Xanth Series, Adept Series)
*I would add Esselmont, however, as much as I admire his imagination and creativity, he is nowhere near the Master of the Word (Fisher nee Erikson)

There are many.other great fiction writers out there but I am referring to the genre that we all love: Fantasy/Sci Fi

[nacht]

That's a good list. I have read a few of these (mostly a while back).
There are several threads where forum members recommended other authors/books.

I personally like Jim Butchers Dresden files and Mark Lawrence Thorn series (after forum members recommended these), both of them from a "very interesting/fun ideas/worlds/plots" perspective rather than the "incredible prose" perspective.

[Grimjazz]

NefaraisBredd, on 26 August 2013 - 11:36 PM, said:

I could list great modern authors with ease-there just aren't that many, in my opinion. Here is a list of my favorite authors, please feel free to add your favorite authors as well:

Steve Erikson (Malazan Book of the Fallen)
Stephen R. Donaldson (Gap Series, Unbeliever Series)
Frank Herbert (Dune Series, The White Plague)
Tad Williams (Memory, Sorrow, Thorn)
Black Library Warhammer (Astartes) 40k-multiple authors (Horus Heresy Series)
Guy Gavriel Kay (Tigana and other books)
Gary Jennings (Aztec Series, Raptor, The Journeyer)
Isaac Asminov (Foundation Series)
Piers Anthony (Xanth Series, Adept Series)
*I would add Esselmont, however, as much as I admire his imagination and creativity, he is nowhere near the Master of the Word (Fisher nee Erikson)

There are many.other great fiction writers out there but I am referring to the genre that we all love: Fantasy/Sci Fi

Welcome NafaraisBredd



Gene Wolfe (The Book of the New Sun) In my humble opinion, the true Master of the Word

Brandon Sanderson (His Cosmere works)



These are two author's I feel are definitely among some of the best Fantasy/Sci Fi writers still around today.