[Cifrocco]

At the local bookstore here in Montreal, I noticed two copies of The Bonehunters while looking for works by Jack Whyte and George R. R. Martin. I never heard of Steve Erikson, so out of curiosity I picked up a copy and flipped through it. Couldn't help notice how nice the paperback book quality was. Smooth thin pages, very malleable binding, all 1200+ pages.

Since I like my books in mint condition, I didn't buy a copy because both had minor imperfections. Besides I wanted to surf the 'Net to learn more about the author and the series. All reviews I've come across so far have been very good so I think I will splurge for it. Just checking to see if there is a book set, like 3 volumes at a time or something, but haven't found anything. Will have to acquire them one by one. Anyways, Amazon.com shows the paperback edition of The Bonehunters as having about 750 pages, so I was wondering why the difference.

Is there more than one version of the paperback edition? I really want the one with excellent paper quality as mentioned above. Makes reading a thick book so much easier on the fingers, since I don't crack the spine when I read. After I'm finished my books they still look like they just came off the press. Yes, I know, I'm a freak, but that's the way I like it. My fingers are sore from reading the first two novels of Jack Whyte's Dream of Eagles, (The Skystone, and The Singing Sword). Paper is thick and the binding is stiff, too tight, spine is wavy along the inside when opened for reading (publisher is Penguin).

Got me Googling topics about paperback paper and binding quality but found precious little. Anyways, would love to hear from readers that already have The Bonehunters, what version, quality and number of pages.

Thanks.

[Dolorous Menhir]

Amazon just make up their page count data. Ignore what it says.

[Abyss]

Also, you might want to start with NIGHT OF KNIVES or GARDENS OF THE MOON. Given that you had never heard of Erikson, i assume you haven't actually started the series at the beginning, but might want to... THE BONEHUNTERS, while brilliant, is more enjoyable in its place in the series.

- Abyss, has books that look like a drunk llama chewed on them.

[Cifrocco]

I just bought The Bonehunters, House of Chains, and Deadhouse Gates at the local bookstore. The books come from www.booksattransworld.co.uk and the page counts are as stated on their website. Good quality paper and binding. I won't start reading this series until I finish Jack Whyte's novels. Looking forward to it, have seen nothing but rave reviews everywhere regarding Erikson's work.

Also, still itching for the next installment of George R. R. Martin's amazing series, plus the HBO adaptation!

[Dolorous Menhir]

Cifrocco;206037 said:

I just bought The Bonehunters, House of Chains, and Deadhouse Gates at the local bookstore. The books come from www.booksattransworld.co.uk and the page counts are as stated on their website. Good quality paper and binding. I won't start reading this series until I finish Jack Whyte's novels. Looking forward to it, have seen nothing but rave reviews everywhere regarding Erikson's work.

Also, still itching for the next installment of George R. R. Martin's amazing series, plus the HBO adaptation!

I may be misunderstanding you, but if you only own the three Erikson books you mention above then it's important that you buy Gardens of the Moon (book 1) and read it first, then proceed from there. You've got books 2, 4 and 6 out of the current seven listed above, and it won't be easy to read those and gain a full appreciation of the story.

If you already have the other books though, just ignore all that.

[Abyss]

Cifrocco;206037 said:

I just bought The Bonehunters, House of Chains, and Deadhouse Gates at the local bookstore. ....

GARDENS OF THE MOON and MEMORIES OF ICE.
Go buy them
Now.

THEN read.

- Abyss, notes you'll thank me later.

[Imperial Historian]

Deadhouse Gates and House of Chain's can really be read without Gardens of the Moon, there's some stuff you'll miss, but I don't think GotM is absolutely essential, it will be better sure, but not essential.

However for the Bonehunters you really need to have read Midnight Tides and the rest of the books in the series mentioned (Gardens, Deadhouse gates, Memories of Ice, and House of Chains) to have a good appreciation of what's going on, the first 5 books can be read in isolation in my opinion, but the rest can't.

[BridgeBurner]

Abyss;206105 said:

GARDENS OF THE MOON and MEMORIES OF ICE.
Go buy them
Now.

THEN read.

- Abyss, notes you'll thank me later.

He's right too

Especially Memories of Ice.

[Abyss]

Reading HoC before MoI would REALLY be cheating yourself of some of the best twists in the books.

- Abyss, totally didn't expect Trotts to be Kaizer Sozé...

[Aptorian]

I'll add that Midnight Tides, like Reapers Gale, if nothing else is worth buing just to read the prologue. Pure awesome condenced to bookform and made into small letters.

[Cifrocco]

Thanks for all the helpful replies. Haven't started this series yet, probably won't for a while. Still need to get Gardens of the Moon, Memories of Ice, and Midnight Tides.

Reaper's Gale is selling as Trade Paperback as opposed to Mass-Market Paperback at this point? What is the difference? I guess books 1 to 6 are Mass-Market?

I'm buying from transworld.co.uk which carries the nice Bantam paperbacks. I don't like the Tor editions, the quality is inferior.

[Dolorous Menhir]

Cifrocco;210328 said:

Reaper's Gale is selling as Trade Paperback as opposed to Mass-Market Paperback at this point? What is the difference? I guess books 1 to 6 are Mass-Market?

Trade paperbacks are roughly hardback sized. Mass-market are the normal sized paperbacks. The only differences are page number and convenience.

[Mentalist]

Since Reaper's gale is still rather "new", only Tradepaperback copies are out right now... and yes, it is about Hardcover in size and has 900-something pages, whereas mass-market paperback will be smaller and probably have 1200-1300 pages..
It's all the matter of size and how the books will look aesthetically on the bookshelf... Now i must buy every other Malaz book in Trade paperback to be consistent...

[Folken]

yeah good luck trying to find them in Trade...especially Gardens. And used Trade copies just don't count, Gardens being the exception, cause well...they just plain suck:p