[Sypher]

I struggled a long time with whether or not to read RotCG. Tried a few times and ended up putting down the series for a year. Was going to just skip it and move to TtH but I decided to try RotCG again. I'm 3/4 way through the book and I'm liking it, it's pretty good. Along my research a lot of people say it's not a required read-- but with all the stuff going on I'm wondering how it's not needed? Big stuff is happening within the Empire. Is it not talked about or glossed over as unimportant in the later books? Is the crimson guard in the rest of the series (I guess that might be asking for spoilers b/c they could all get wiped out in this book, I'm only 75% through)?

Why do people say it's not required?

Edit: just finished the book. With the death of a very significant character, though haven't read TtH yet, I would say this book is required.

This post has been edited by Sypher: 04 July 2017 - 07:34 PM

[worry]

I won't spoil plot specifics, but:

Spoiler

The rest of Erikson's series tends to focus on the Bonehunters, the ex-Bridgeburners in Darujhistan, the Tiste Andii, and the Crippled God -- all of whom are divorced from or unaffiliated with the Empire. More direct stuff regarding the Malazan Empire and the Crimson Guard tends to be the focus of Esslemont's series. There are definitely implications that reach back and forth between the two series, but geographically there's not that much crossover (the big exception is Orb Sceptre Throne is something of a direct sequel to Toll the Hounds, but only in terms of threads that aren't obviously continuing in Erikson's work through his finale.

[Abyss]

Sypher, on 04 July 2017 - 12:34 AM, said:

...
Why do people say it's not required?

They are cold and dead inside and enjoy not knowing the whole story.


...or what Worry said.

[Esa1996]

I agree with Sorry and Abyss. ROTCG should definitely be read amidst Erikson's books. Naturally that means that so should NoK. Esslemont's other books can IMO be left to be read after TCG.

[Nevyn]

Sypher, on 04 July 2017 - 12:34 AM, said:

I struggled a long time with whether or not to read RotCG. Tried a few times and ended up putting down the series for a year. Was going to just skip it and move to TtH but I decided to try RotCG again. I'm 3/4 way through the book and I'm liking it, it's pretty good. Along my research a lot of people say it's not a required read-- but with all the stuff going on I'm wondering how it's not needed? Big stuff is happening within the Empire. Is it not talked about or glossed over as unimportant in the later books? Is the crimson guard in the rest of the series (I guess that might be asking for spoilers b/c they could all get wiped out in this book, I'm only 75% through)?

Why do people say it's not required?

Edit: just finished the book. With the death of a very significant character, though haven't read TtH yet, I would say this book is required.

This question, as asked, amounts to requesting spoilers.

Especially since you went ahead and read it anyway.

The simple generic version of the answer would be to say that SE wrote MBOTF so that it could be read as a stand-alone, and thus it can. You know what he wants you to at all points in the story.

[shovelbum]

I recently read Night of Knives and am now about 200 pages in to Return of the Crimson Guard.

Both books will be more enjoyable if you read the core Book of the Fallen novels first.

Night of Knives could be read at any time. It's a quick, fun, young-adult quality read. Return of the Crimson Guard requires you to be a fan of the Malazanworld/series first, I think--after page 150 or so, it's like the writer had a language-affecting stroke and the editor was too drunk to notice.