[paladyr]

Let me preface by saying my kindle says I'm 74% of the way through. I stopped reading for several months at 45% because my interest waned.I'm glad to see I'm not the only one that struggled to get through Reaper's Gale.

Spoiler

Really the only thing keeping me in this book is the anticipation of Karsa/Icarium fighting Rhulad and Tehol/Bugg.

I got from 50% to 74% just this past week so I'm making a strong push to finish, but I'm considering whether or not I even want to finish the series. The thought of pushing through another book like Reaper's Gale sounds a little painful.

Can anyone offer reassurance that maybe this is the slowest book and it gets better, or maybe a warning about slow parts that are coming up that I should try to move quickly through?

Thanks!

[nicetrout]

The ending climaxes for sure, like most, but I was pretty underwhelmed by that book in total. I definitely enjoyed Toll The Hounds more, although that book is a casually paced. I read Return of the Crimson Guard in between them and loved that book. So make of that what you will, I plan on finishing the whole thing. Reading Stonewielder next, need to finish some Jane Austen first.

[Andorion]

The book finishes strongly with some very important events happening at the end.

Toll the Hounds will feel quite different, but it has the single most important climax before the finale.

I would definitely advice you to continue

[Esa1996]

You're 7 books into the series, how can you possibly think of quitting?

Anyway, I'd recommend at least finishing the main series. If you want more at that point you can start reading Esslemont's Novels of the Malazan Empire books. They are somewhat different in writing style and they aren't quite as good as the main series but they do have some really epic and cool stuff in them nonetheless. Esslemont's Path to Ascendancy gets a high recommendation from me. While the scope is far smaller than the main series, but they are really nice reads. Kharkanas Trilogy has been a struggle even for me so far and the third one has just been put on hold so you might want to wait out on that unless you really want to know everything about the world, and you want to know it now.

[paladyr]

I didn't read the side books at all, after Reaper's should I go read Return of the Crimson Guard and then continue on in the recommended reading order including the side books? I heard NoN is skippable and since I'm already struggling to get through the series I don't want to make it any more painful lol.

[QuickTidal]

Yeah, this one finishes strong I recall. I also recall to enjoying most of it mind you, so I don't know that I can commiserate on stalling out on it. I DID however stall out on TTH's the first time I tried to push through it.

Sufficed to say that with Erikson it's ALWAYS good to push on through.

[Slow Ben]

I can’t help you. Reapers Gale was my favorite book my 1st read through.

And NoN might be skippable, but IMO it was the best and most enjoyable esselmont book before the last 2.

[Gorefest]

If you like it, read on. If you don’t, don’t. I never understand these requests for justifying why someone should keep on reading. If you are on the seventh book you should have a pretty good idea by now of SE’s writing style and the malazan world in general. If it is not grabbing you by this point, just go and read something else.

[Abyss]

Keep reading or we come to your house at night and beat you senseless with hardcover copies of MEMORIES OF ICE. Then we steal all your alcohol and baked goods. And your copy of MEMORIES OF ICE.

Keep reading or you, as a fantasy lit fan, will regret it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon, and for the rest of your life. And die cold and alone and empty. Possibly drunk. Unless we already stole all your alcohol.

Keep reading. People who don't finish RG are statistically proven to be cold and dead inside. Also, alone and empty. Possibly drunk... see above.

You should keep reading. RG has a solid finale, and the rest of the series is glorious.

[QuickTidal]

And THE CRIPPLED GOD is inarguably the strongest "finish" to a series I've ever read, so anything that helps work its way there, can only be good.

[paladyr]

Gorefest, on 02 January 2018 - 06:20 PM, said:

<br />If you like it, read on. If you don't, don't. I never understand these requests for justifying why someone should keep on reading. If you are on the seventh book you should have a pretty good idea by now of SE's writing style and the malazan world in general. If it is not grabbing you by this point, just go and read something else.<br />

&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;<br /><br />It's not quite that simple. Parts of the series I am very interested it, but the plethora of characters that don't really grab my interest made Reaper's a struggle. Also, these requests are valid because people who haven't finished the series don't know if the subsequent books become more of a struggle to get through. People who have read it know whether or not those books are strong or similar.

This post has been edited by paladyr: 02 January 2018 - 07:44 PM

[paladyr]

Abyss, on 02 January 2018 - 06:33 PM, said:

<br /><strike>Keep reading or we come to your house at night and beat you senseless with hardcover copies of MEMORIES OF ICE. Then we steal all your alcohol and baked goods. And your copy of MEMORIES OF ICE.</strike><br /><br /><strike>Keep reading or you, as a fantasy lit fan, will regret it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon, and for the rest of your life. And die cold and alone and empty. Possibly drunk. Unless we already stole all your alcohol.</strike><br /><br /><strike>Keep reading. People who don't finish RG are statistically proven to be cold and dead inside. Also, alone and empty. Possibly drunk... see above.</strike><br /><br />You should keep reading. RG has a solid finale, and the rest of the series is glorious.<br />

<br /><br /><br />

Omg I cracked up reading that, hilarious!!!!

[Puck]

paladyr, on 02 January 2018 - 07:43 PM, said:

Gorefest, on 02 January 2018 - 06:20 PM, said:

&lt;br /&gt;If you like it, read on. If you don't, don't. I never understand these requests for justifying why someone should keep on reading. If you are on the seventh book you should have a pretty good idea by now of SE's writing style and the malazan world in general. If it is not grabbing you by this point, just go and read something else.&lt;br /&gt;

&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;<br /><br />It's not quite that simple. Parts of the series I am very interested it, but the plethora of characters that don't really grab my interest made Reaper's a struggle. Also, these requests are valid because people who haven't finished the series don't know if the subsequent books become more of a struggle to get through. People who have read it know whether or not those books are strong or similar.

No, it's as simple as Gorefest says. Those who have finished the series have obviously found something worth to keep them reading and those who haven't, well.. haven't. Other people telling you to keep reading won't guarantee you anything, and we've had people come here who had let themselves be convinced to keep reading who whined about wasting their time by doing so. If you have enough stuff in the series that is interesting to you, you will find a reason to keep reading. As Gorefest already points out, by the seventh book of ten you should already have an idea of what these books are like and whether they're keeping your interest. I get it when people are unsure after, say, GotM, but by RG you should have a pretty good picture of whether you want to finish or not.

Let's be honest, considering what you seem to dislike about RG, TtH is going to be your book-shaped nightmare. It's also one of my personal all-time favourites not just within the MBotF series, because tastes differ. On the other hand, everyone, even those who disliked it, agrees that it's got the most worthwile ending. So there. The thing is that due to varying tastes, what one person may find slow and boring and skippable, another may find the greatest thing ever.

This post has been edited by Puck: 02 January 2018 - 09:49 PM

[Gorefest]

paladyr, on 02 January 2018 - 07:43 PM, said:

It's not quite that simple. Parts of the series I am very interested it, but the plethora of characters that don't really grab my interest made Reaper's a struggle. Also, these requests are valid because people who haven't finished the series don't know if the subsequent books become more of a struggle to get through. People who have read it know whether or not those books are strong or similar.

But how can other people possibly know what you consider a 'struggle'? Personally I found RG very enjoyable on the first read-through, especially when the malazan covert guerilla attack starts as it is one of the most tasty morsels of malazan campaigning in any of the books (possibly bar DG and MoI). And after 2-3 rereads it is now one of my favourites of the series because of the wealth of info. So I genuinely cannot say if you would find the next few books a struggle, because I didnt consider RG a struggle to begin with.

I think TtH is brilliant but it is a slow burner and the punch and payoff arrives quite late. So by that reasoning you are probably not going to like it. Then again, you revisit a lot of familiar characters from Daruhjistan which you may have more affinity with than the Lether crowd. So perhaps you will love it. I don't know. How can I?

The last two books are really one big book that is cut in half and you will again get introduced to new characters and concepts. So you probably won't like it. But then the finale is arguably the best piece of epic fantasy ever committed to paper with a highly satisfying 10 book payoff. So maybe that will make it all worthwhile. But who am I to judge? If you continue reading and you dont like the ending you are going to blame us for giving you 'false' info; if you dont read on you have just invested months worth of time and energy on an unfinished series. Really it is up to you.

This post has been edited by Gorefest: 02 January 2018 - 09:50 PM

[worry]

I heard it was good.

[paladyr]

Puck, on 02 January 2018 - 09:44 PM, said:

<br />

paladyr, on 02 January 2018 - 07:43 PM, said:

<br />

Gorefest, on 02 January 2018 - 06:20 PM, said:

&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;If you like it, read on. If you don't, don't. I never understand these requests for justifying why someone should keep on reading. If you are on the seventh book you should have a pretty good idea by now of SE's writing style and the malazan world in general. If it is not grabbing you by this point, just go and read something else.&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;

&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It's not quite that simple. Parts of the series I am very interested it, but the plethora of characters that don't really grab my interest made Reaper's a struggle. Also, these requests are valid because people who haven't finished the series don't know if the subsequent books become more of a struggle to get through. People who have read it know whether or not those books are strong or similar.<br />

<br /><br />No, it's as simple as Gorefest says. Those who have finished the series have obviously found something worth to keep them reading and those who haven't, well.. haven't. Other people telling you to keep reading won't guarantee you anything, and we've had people come here who had let themselves be convinced to keep reading who whined about wasting their time by doing so. If you have enough stuff in the series that is interesting to you, you will find a reason to keep reading. As Gorefest already points out, by the seventh book of ten you should already have an idea of what these books are like and whether they're keeping your interest. I get it when people are unsure after, say, GotM, but by RG you should have a pretty good picture of whether you want to finish or not.<br /><br />Let's be honest, considering what you seem to dislike about RG, TtH is going to be your book-shaped nightmare. It's also one of my personal all-time favourites not just within the MBotF series, because tastes differ. On the other hand, everyone, even those who disliked it, agrees that it's got the most worthwile ending. So there. The thing is that due to varying tastes, what one person may find slow and boring and skippable, another may find the greatest thing ever.<br />

<br /><br /><br />

I'm just going to have to disagree. People who have finished or maybe went through similar feelings and finished can certainly give people like me advice about whether or not to continue. Very simple and worthwhile to ask for advice on.

[Gorefest]

Okay. Continue. Definitely.

[Avatar]

I would say: go on. Not because RG is the best book in the series. Not because you will like TtH at first reading. And in DoD and tCG I even lost track, and my interest in all the threads and characters. I would still recommend going on, because in the end, the series is brilliant, you invested much of your time already, and chances are, it will pay off.

The bad news is: some of it may come only at your reread. (The good news might be: at some point, maybe you will get this urge to do a reread and enter this world again) Enjoy!

This post has been edited by Avatar: 04 January 2018 - 03:17 PM

[RACHEL]

It sounds like you were enjoying the series until Reapers Gale came along and stole your thunder. If that is the case then you should continue. If you get to Toll the Hounds maybe the change in location, characters,and tone will suck you back in. If that doesn't work, take a break from the series, you can always come back. Sometimes I need a break from a book or series even if I'm enjoying it. I struggled with the first two books in Erickson's Karkhanas trilogy but they were worth it.

[paladyr]

Just an update, I'm at 90% and I'm so glad I continued. I have been reading at every opportunity I get and I'm currently at:

Spoiler

Clip just killed Fear, onrack is with kilava, seren is getting with trull, and poor kettle....

The book is really finishing strong, so glad I continued!