Malazan Book of the Fallen - Page 4

khazaddum · 03-15-2014, 01:18 PM

I feel the same way about starting this series. I was dissuaded from it because people were calling the plot "problematic" and I don't want to study a book, just read and enjoy without feeling incompetent later on in the series. Apparently the big test is the first book...maybe I will finally give it a try, since the OP seems to be really enjoying it!

jgaiser · 03-15-2014, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by khazaddum

Apparently the big test is the first book...maybe I will finally five it a try, since the OP seems to be really enjoying it!

For me, the big test were the first 8 or so chapters. *For me* the book ended satisfactorily and I enjoyed it. Book 2 is coming on a bit slower, but only because my reading time has been limited lately, but I'm about 2/3 through the book and enjoying it much more than book 1.

At this point I intend to finish the series, but I'll will be taking a break after Deadhouse Gates. Need to finish The Golem and the Jinni, which hasn't been touched in nearly a week and a Mark Twain biography that I've been dipping into for the past month or so.

khazaddum · 03-26-2014, 09:53 PM

alright I just wanted to express my thoughts now that I'm past the first half of the first book.
Wow! It's not even that complicated! The story is amazing and from the very beginning you feel the grandness of the world and you get an instant sense of intrigue and immersion in this dark and cruel world.
Yes, the plot is not induced to the reader from the very beginning (and as far I've read I'm still discovering more and more).
And the writing is great in my opinion, I like it when there are very few short sentences. That alone makes the experience more...full, substantial.

Even if I'm not done reading, would I recommend the first book?
YES

mewmartigan · 03-27-2014, 01:25 PM

Glad to hear it! It almost seems like some of the warnings about its confusing storyline prepared you for the worst and it wasn't too bad. Maybe that's how it will be for me to when I get around to Gardens of the Moon.

jgaiser · 03-27-2014, 04:20 PM

And I just finished Deadhouse Gates this morning. Didn't disappoint. I'm going to take a break for a while, though. Time for a a bit of easier reading.

khazaddum · 03-29-2014, 09:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mewmartigan

Glad to hear it! It almost seems like some of the warnings about its confusing storyline prepared you for the worst and it wasn't too bad. Maybe that's how it will be for me to when I get around to Gardens of the Moon.

Yes, I had thought this would be a grotesque and awkward, distressing experience, and it just wasn't, it is rich and intriguing.
I would definitely recommend Book 1; it is not condescending with the reader, but by no means an insulting challenge (as I had thought it'd be).

Abtacha · 03-30-2014, 02:06 PM

I just read Gardens of the Moon last week, and I agree with those here that say it's not too confusing at all. Maybe it got that reputation by being recommended to people relatively new to this kind of fantasy? I could certainly see myself being completely lost if it where my first exposure to epic fantasy.

mewmartigan · 05-28-2014, 12:09 PM

Just finished up Gardens of the Moon and I enjoyed it. I will be moving onto Deadhouse Gates now and we'll see about break after that.

I did find it a bit confusing in the beginning and the book is full of mentions to things the reader knows nothing of or characters will quote something that everyone in the universe knows but the reader doesn't, etc.

Overall though I was able to follow the flow of the story and I enjoyed the characters. Having said that, I looked at the large character list for book 2 and it looks like there are only 4 folks from book 1 in it, haha.

jgaiser · 05-28-2014, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mewmartigan

Overall though I was able to follow the flow of the story and I enjoyed the characters. Having said that, I looked at the large character list for book 2 and it looks like there are only 4 folks from book 1 in it, haha.

Yeah. There does seem to be huge character shifts in the first couple of books, but most are woven in and out of the stories as you go along through the following books.

Hmm? I don't know if I really should post this link, but here's a list of the named characters and the books in which they appear. Then you can really feel overwhelmed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...len_characters

mewmartigan · 05-28-2014, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jgaiser

Yeah. There does seem to be huge character shifts in the first couple of books, but most are woven in and out of the stories as you go along through the following books.

Hmm? I don't know if I really should post this link, but here's a list of the named characters and the books in which they appear. Then you can really feel overwhelmed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...len_characters

Haha, I haven't looked at the list but I remember the same thing from the Wheel of Time books. A character appears in book 2 in a small role, then book 6 in a slightly larger role, then dies on one page in book 9....
(that was a made up example by the way, no spoilers, haha)

Katsunami · 05-28-2014, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jgaiser

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...len_characters

Yeah, but that includes every named character in the book. I doubt they are all important to the story.

Most books use tons of unnamed characters, such as "The guards at the gates", and "the 12 henchmen of <important char x>." If those books would name all those characters, they'd easily have tons and tons of them too.

jgaiser · 05-28-2014, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Yeah, but that includes every named character in the book. I doubt they are all important to the story.

Most books use tons of unnamed characters, such as "The guards at the gates", and "the 12 henchmen of <important char x>." If those books would name all those characters, they'd easily have tons and tons of them too.

Spoilsport...

xg4bx · 07-23-2014, 08:56 PM

Rise from your grave, thread.

I went back with an open mind and read book 1. I then read book 2. While I'm still not always 100% on what's going on, the books are incredibly addictive and atmospheric. There is some amazing imagery in these books as well as genuine emotion (by the end of book 2 I was emotionally exhausted). I'm taking a break before I tackle the 3rd book but I'm definitely glad I gave these a serious effort.

mewmartigan · 07-23-2014, 09:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xg4bx

Rise from your grave, thread.

I went back with an open mind and read book 1. I then read book 2. While I'm still not always 100% on what's going on, the books are incredibly addictive and atmospheric. There is some amazing imagery in these books as well as genuine emotion (by the end of book 2 I was emotionally exhausted). I'm taking a break before I tackle the 3rd book but I'm definitely glad I gave these a serious effort.

Excellent! I agree they certainly draw you in and there are juste endless layers of ideas. I just finished the 4th book tonight. It seems a good break point is between 4 and 5 so I am going to read some other books before heading back to the Malazan empire.

khazaddum · 07-24-2014, 12:16 AM

yes, the second and third one were so intense that I was emotionally drained. I really liked the story of Mappo and Icarium.
I also decided to take a break after the huge events of No. 3 and went ahead and read Nos. 3&4 of ASOIAF, they acted almost as a palate cleanser (a very enjoyable one, of course) and now I'm ready to start with House of Chains.

03-15-2014, 01:18 PM	#46
khazaddum Enthusiast Posts: 33 Karma: 200000 Join Date: Dec 2013 Device: Kindle Paperwhite	I feel the same way about starting this series. I was dissuaded from it because people were calling the plot "problematic" and I don't want to study a book, just read and enjoy without feeling incompetent later on in the series. Apparently the big test is the first book...maybe I will finally give it a try, since the OP seems to be really enjoying it! Last edited by khazaddum; 03-15-2014 at 04:23 PM.

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03-26-2014, 09:53 PM	#48
khazaddum Enthusiast Posts: 33 Karma: 200000 Join Date: Dec 2013 Device: Kindle Paperwhite	alright I just wanted to express my thoughts now that I'm past the first half of the first book. Wow! It's not even that complicated! The story is amazing and from the very beginning you feel the grandness of the world and you get an instant sense of intrigue and immersion in this dark and cruel world. Yes, the plot is not induced to the reader from the very beginning (and as far I've read I'm still discovering more and more). And the writing is great in my opinion, I like it when there are very few short sentences. That alone makes the experience more...full, substantial. Even if I'm not done reading, would I recommend the first book? YES

03-27-2014, 01:25 PM	#49
mewmartigan Guru Posts: 852 Karma: 8242060 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: Kindle Oasis (2019)	Glad to hear it! It almost seems like some of the warnings about its confusing storyline prepared you for the worst and it wasn't too bad. Maybe that's how it will be for me to when I get around to Gardens of the Moon.

03-27-2014, 04:20 PM	#50
jgaiser Omnivorous Posts: 3,281 Karma: 27978909 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Rural NW Oregon Device: Kindle Voyage, Kindle Fire HD, Kindle 3, KPW1	And I just finished Deadhouse Gates this morning. Didn't disappoint. I'm going to take a break for a while, though. Time for a a bit of easier reading.

03-30-2014, 02:06 PM	#52
Abtacha Addict Posts: 332 Karma: 6220000 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Germany Device: Kobo Aura HD	I just read Gardens of the Moon last week, and I agree with those here that say it's not too confusing at all. Maybe it got that reputation by being recommended to people relatively new to this kind of fantasy? I could certainly see myself being completely lost if it where my first exposure to epic fantasy.

05-28-2014, 12:09 PM	#53
mewmartigan Guru Posts: 852 Karma: 8242060 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: Kindle Oasis (2019)	Just finished up Gardens of the Moon and I enjoyed it. I will be moving onto Deadhouse Gates now and we'll see about break after that. I did find it a bit confusing in the beginning and the book is full of mentions to things the reader knows nothing of or characters will quote something that everyone in the universe knows but the reader doesn't, etc. Overall though I was able to follow the flow of the story and I enjoyed the characters. Having said that, I looked at the large character list for book 2 and it looks like there are only 4 folks from book 1 in it, haha.

07-23-2014, 08:56 PM	#58
xg4bx Are you gonna eat that? Posts: 1,633 Karma: 23215128 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Phillipsburg, NJ Device: Kindle 3, Nook STG	Rise from your grave, thread. I went back with an open mind and read book 1. I then read book 2. While I'm still not always 100% on what's going on, the books are incredibly addictive and atmospheric. There is some amazing imagery in these books as well as genuine emotion (by the end of book 2 I was emotionally exhausted). I'm taking a break before I tackle the 3rd book but I'm definitely glad I gave these a serious effort.

07-24-2014, 12:16 AM	#60
khazaddum Enthusiast Posts: 33 Karma: 200000 Join Date: Dec 2013 Device: Kindle Paperwhite	yes, the second and third one were so intense that I was emotionally drained. I really liked the story of Mappo and Icarium. I also decided to take a break after the huge events of No. 3 and went ahead and read Nos. 3&4 of ASOIAF, they acted almost as a palate cleanser (a very enjoyable one, of course) and now I'm ready to start with House of Chains.

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