[Nunchucks]

I am really digging Fall of Light and enjoyed Forge of Darkness. The history, the characters, the philosophy of it all is fantastic. ICE is a decent writer, but I would have loved SE to write the Dancer and Shadowthrown backstory. It would have been much better.

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

Salt-Man Z, on 13 August 2018 - 05:22 AM, said:

My $0.02:

ICE has absolutely hit his stride with the PtA series, no doubt about it. They are fun, they're easy to read, and it's cool recognizing and rooting for characters we know. But for as enjoyable as the books have been, I have not found them particularly memorable. Right now, I could barely tell you what happens in the first two books beyond a one- or two-sentence summary of each.

As for SE, agreed that the Khark books are not as enjoyable to read as MBotF. They are dense and difficult and not particularly fun. But I find a stark beauty to them all the same in the way SE works with both language and myth. What sticks with me from the Khark books is not necessarily the plot (outside a small handful of very cool scenes) but the mood, the atmosphere; they feel like they have real substance, not just the (still enjoyable) popcorn fluffiness of PtA.

I've got the first PtA sat on my shelf to read, haven't got round to it yet.

I completely agree with the atmosphere and "feel" being what stays with me about Kharkanas (aside from the odd scene). I enjoyed the books but for me it's a mood thing - if I'm not in the right mood I'll find them too dense and not enjoyable. However, I know that's my mood because I've re-read MBtoF I think six times now, but recently gave up part way through Bonehunters on the next go through because the philosophising was driving me mad and I spent every chapter with her appearing wanting to absolutely brain Scillara in particular. I've never had that problem before so it was definitely a "not in the mood" thing.

I'll still buy and look forward to WiS when it lands - and will no doubt give FoD and FoL a re-read before then. I will however pick my moment!

This post has been edited by TheRetiredBridgeburner: 19 October 2018 - 07:53 AM

[Sindriss]

Really enjoyed FoD and was bored throughout FoL. Not sure how the tone changed between the two and maybe it is solved by a reread of FoL. Just didn't like it at all on the first read, whereas I was genuinely happy with FoD.

[WhiskeyJohn]

I simply think the style is due to the main characters chose, Shadowthrone has always been weird, wacky and unpredictable and that story is much more fun to read/write. Anomander and Andii were always portrayed as a secretive, deep and brooding bunch and Kharkanas perfectly reflects that mood.

Overall PtA is easier to read but Kharkanas is by far the better book. The insights we get into characters like Brood, Draconus, Mother Dark/Father Light, K'rul, T'riss, Errant etc is just plain fascinating and PtA offers nothing even close to this. Even the backstory to Dassem and Tays seems a bit dilute and more like a sidestory to Kell/Dancer. It just lacks the gravitas that I associate with Malazan.

[Avatar]

I was disappointed when I read FoL for the first time. I had really loved FoD, it's mood, atmosphere, the start of the dark and light religions. So I wanted to like FoL, but I didn't. I have no problem with reading internal monologue, but it was too much and it kept slowing my pace of reading again and again. I had to work to finish it.

Recently, I started in PtA,DL, expecting much after many positive reviews and posts about it. I'm still halfway in, but I don't think that this is for me. After years of Erikson, it feels too shallow. And when I, started a reread of FoL last week, I was positively suprised: this happened to me before when I did my TtH reread: the second time, when I already know the plot, I have the patience to just see what happens, without wanting the story to move on. And I must admit, even with it's flaws, this book is brilliant.

I do hope so much, that Steven Erikson will finish WiS

This post has been edited by Avatar: 05 January 2019 - 09:46 PM

[WhiskeyJohn]

Avatar, on 05 January 2019 - 09:45 PM, said:

Recently, I started in PtA,DL, expecting much after many positive reviews and posts about it. I'm still halfway in, but I don't think that this is for me. After years of Erikson, it feels too shallow.

I do hope so much, that Steven Erikson will finish WiS

Yeah, PtA is more light read, but then history of Emperor will be another 5 book series if SE writes it and it'd be awesome. What ICE does is fill in lots of holes and it feels like a feast of information, compared to scraps that SE love to throw about. I like both styles as they are very complimentary.

Also disappointed about WiS as Shadow is more interesting than either Galain and Liosan imo!