[Aventinus]

What's an equivalent you might ask. Well, let's see: Long-lasting, complex, deep, superbly thought-out, brutal, dark, does not spoon-feed you, with many awesome characters, amazingly huge lore etc.

So basically, as Malazan fans, do you know a scifi book series for which you might say that it is the equivalent of Malazan?

[amphibian]

The Dune series is probably the "ur-Malazan" despite being sci Fi oriented. I would recommend being very, very cautious about reading the follow ups by Frank Herbert's son and Kevin Anderson. (The follow ups and prequels are mostly terrible)

David Brin's Uplift series is very good.

Iain Banks wrote amazing books with his Culture series, but they are not as connected or moving in terms of emotional impact.

Alastair Reynolds has several terrific books within his two or three series.

China Mieville has written a superb trilogy in the Bas-Lag books, although they are much grimmer than Malazan usually is.

Ann Leckie has finished a pretty great, yet smaller scope Ancillary series, and might expand on it in terms of a farther future new series.

[Solidsnape]

I'd go with Banks and Reynolds too.
Both fantastic, and very little spoon-feeding.

Also, Dune.

[amphibian]

The very best answer, which only hit me about thirty minutes late, is Gene Wolfe who wrote the Solar Cycle, which is sci Fi, fantasy, a helluva story, and much thinking of "this writer is way smarter than I am".

I'm sure Erikson would be pleased to know I consider his works in the same strata as Wolfe's.

[HoosierDaddy]

Reynolds' Revelation series, agreed.

This post has been edited by HoosierDaddy: 04 February 2017 - 06:33 PM

[Mentalist]

Peter Hamilton's "Night's Dawn" is similarly epic in scope.

Neal Asher's Polity books do the "throw you in the middle of ongoing history" thing, though it takes a while for the main sequence (the Cormac books) to become "large scale"

[Avatar]

Not equivalent, but as far as Ive seen, one of the best series, very dark and original is the Hyperion Cantos.

[Tiste Simeon]

Mentalist, on 05 February 2017 - 06:00 AM, said:

Peter Hamilton's "Night's Dawn" is similarly epic in scope.

I was going to suggest this. While it is only a trilogy, it does cover millions of miles across space and a whole range of characters in the same way the Malazan series does.

[Baco Xtath]

Similar to Malazan, I'd say Revelation Space: Ancient entities that are extremely powerful. Other races that fought those entities. Modern humans having to deal with their (ancient civilizations) legacy. Dark setting and large cast. Also, top of the genre imo. However, Reynolds really doesn't do humor. Where Malazan is my favorite fantasy (or very near), Reynolds' Revelation Space is my favorite sci fi.

[kkyyyssss]

You guys are not answering the question, you re just giving you favorite series with a similar Epic quality. Epic is not what defines the Malazan series for me. It's the nitty gritty of squad base level next to the powerful and the mysterious. From what I have heard so far, Dune comes the closest but it's missing the while small squad of military working side by side. I would like to hear more suggestions in that sense.

[Whisperzzzzzzz]

kkyyyssss, on 05 February 2017 - 11:16 PM, said:

You guys are not answering the question, you re just giving you favorite series with a similar Epic quality. Epic is not what defines the Malazan series for me. It's the nitty gritty of squad base level next to the powerful and the mysterious. From what I have heard so far, Dune comes the closest but it's missing the while small squad of military working side by side. I would like to hear more suggestions in that sense.

Joe Haldeman's Forever War?

[worry]

That was even less of an answer to the OP's questions.

[Whisperzzzzzzz]

death rattle, on 05 February 2017 - 11:31 PM, said:

That was even less of an answer to the OP's questions.

It was more of an answer to the person I quoted's emphasis on smaller-scale, squad-based milsf. I've also only read the first third of the book

This post has been edited by Whisperzzzzzzz: 06 February 2017 - 12:06 AM

[worry]

I wasn't talking about your post!

[Whisperzzzzzzz]

death rattle, on 06 February 2017 - 12:19 AM, said:

I wasn't talking about your post!

Me either!

[worry]

Good point!

[Andorion]

IMO, if you combine Hamilton, Reynolds and Dune, you get something like sci-fi Malazan

[amphibian]

kkyyyssss, on 05 February 2017 - 11:16 PM, said:

You guys are not answering the question, you re just giving you favorite series with a similar Epic quality. Epic is not what defines the Malazan series for me. It's the nitty gritty of squad base level next to the powerful and the mysterious. From what I have heard so far, Dune comes the closest but it's missing the while small squad of military working side by side. I would like to hear more suggestions in that sense.

We are answering the original question posed. Your set of criteria are a bit different.

If you want more military flavored sci fi, rather than adventurer sci fi, that's fine. I'd suggest checking out Scalzi's Old Man's War and the subsequent books, Vorkosigan series, Mote in God's Eye/Gripping Hand, Gaunt's Ghosts series, and others if you haven't gotten there yet.

There's other standalones like Armor, Outpost, Forever War, All You Need Is Kill etc.

But very few of these get into the truly epic scale that the original question was hankering after. They focus much more tightly in time and scope.

[Abyss]

FOREVER WAR is squad level action with bigger societal and political issues in the background/overplot.

I might argue for Morgan's KOVACS trilo... small squad vs bigger uglier power arises in bks 2 and 3. It's a bit of a stretch to draw an analogy to Malazan, but not entirely.

[QuickTidal]

Abyss, on 06 February 2017 - 07:32 PM, said:

I might argue for Morgan's KOVACS trilo... small squad vs bigger uglier power arises in bks 2 and 3. It's a bit of a stretch to draw an analogy to Malazan, but not entirely.

This would be my suggestion as well. For those same reasons.