Book Review: Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson (The Malazan Book of the Fallen book 1)

 

“Now these ashes gave grown cold, we open the old book.
These oil-stained pages recount the tales of the Fallen,
a frayed empire, words without warmth. The hearth
has ebbed, its gleam and life's sparks are but memories
against dimming eyes - what cast my mind, what hue my
thoughts as I open the Book of the Fallen
and breathe deep the scent of history?
Listen, then, to these words carried on that breath.
These tales are the tales of us all, again yet again.
We are history relived and that is all, without end that is all.”

-Steven Erikson, Gardens of the Moon

Finally, I started to read the fantasy master piece, The Malazan Book of the Fallen, written by the famous author, Steven Erikson. Malazan series is often compared to George R.R. Martin's “A Song of Ice and Fire” series. The Malazan Book of the Fallen is a 10-book series which started in 1999, and ended in 2011. This series is beloved by hardcore fans of fantasy genre, often praised as one of the best works in fantasy fictions. However, reviews on this series are also very divisive. There are many praises to this series as “the best fantasy ever written”, but some dislike this series tremendously, claiming Erikson's works are too complex and incomprehensible to be enjoyed.

I read a lot of reviews for this series on the internet, and finally bolstered enough courage to purchase all 10 books from ebay. After I read Gardens of the Moon, the first book to The Malazan Book of the Fallen, I will like to share my thoughts on this book.

Synopsis:

Open wars are everywhere in Malazan Empire, a world torn asunder by fire and steel. Many cities, full of discontent, intended to rebel against the empire. The supreme ruler of Malazan Empire, Empress Lassen seek to subdue these free cities with martial power. On the continent of Genabackis, Malazan empire sent Sergeant Whiskeyjack and his legion of bridgeburners to conquer the city of Pale. Yet victory came with a heavy price, as many lives were lost when bridgeburners clashed with the force of Moon's Spawn, led by the formidable Anomander Rake, the Lord of Moon's spawn.

After the siege of Pale, Empress Lassen dispatched Whiskeyjack and the surviving bridgeburners to conquer Darujhistan, the last of the free cities. However, as Whiskeyjack and his team began their mission, they discovered the empire has many hidden motives for sending them on this mission, it is a mission shrouded with mystery and bathed in treachery. Yet, there are more powerful forces drawn into this conflict, where elder races, gods, and men will all play their role in writing a history, the history for the book of the fallen..

What I think about this book:

I really like Gardens of the Moon, it is a good book, but it is not a book for everyone. Let me explain. Usually in a fantasy novel (or series), early in the story, an author will hold readers' hands, and guide them into the story world through lots of world building elements. This helps readers to grasp the world in the book, and the main objective of the story unfold very early on.

Not in this book.

In Gardens of the Moon, readers are dropped into a vast world created by Erikson's breath taking imagination, this is a world where many events are happening concurrently. In the story, there is a handful of names, places, lores, and plots. And unlike most fantasy novels out there, Erikson doesn't spoon feed information to his readers. He drops hints at places, gradually providing information only when it is necessary, expecting you (the reader) to figure it out by yourself. It feels like being dropped into the middle of a world war, with zero knowledge about the background of it, and you gradually piece the big picture together. This can be very challenging for people who are used to reading traditional, messianic fantasy novels such as works by Tolkien or Rowling.

Secondly, in Gardens of the Moon, there is a large cast of characters, each belonged to different factions. Every faction has its own storyline, they do not appear to be connected. However, as the story develops, these plots gradually converge towards the end (in a very smart way). Therefore, the structure of this book is very unusual, and for those who like to have the main story laid out in front of them, Gardens of the Moon will probably prove to be a chore to read.

Thirdly, Gardens of the Moon is not a “page turner”. You have to read every sentence carefully, no skimming is allowed. If you skim through words and sentences, you are bound to miss vital information about character development and story elements.

In other words, reading Gardens of the Moon will actually make you think. If you want to read this book, you need to invest time. If you expect to read this book as if you were reading Harry Potter, then you will become lost, confused and frustrated 200 pages into this book.

But having said all these, personally, I loved this book!

A lot of concentrations and thinking are required to read this book, but the investment is worthwhile and rewarding. I have to say, reading Gardens of the Moon is a very immersive experience. Steve Erikson has an amazing imagination, the world he created is full of interesting history and lores. This book also has a large cast of characters, some characters are simply the most memorable characters I've seen in fantasy fictions. For example, I am sure no one can read this book, and ever forget the invincible Anomander Rake, Lord of the Moon Spawn. I also admire how Erikson structured this book, I am amazed at how he managed to make many seemingly unrelated plots converge to a satisfactory ending. Furthermore, I also found interesting philosophies behind the themes of this book, for example, the futility of trying to have control over life.

As I have mentioned earlier, some people have tried to read this series and due to its unusual structure, just couldn't get into it. Personally, I think to enjoy this series, readers have to trust that the author will tell them a good story. Let the story and the characters sink into your mind, without trying to figure out everything by yourself at once.

As I read the epilogue for Gardens of the Moon, I could hardly wait to read the next book in this series, titled Deadhouse Gates. I am really glad I discovered The Malazan Book of the Fallen series, a jewel in fantasy fictions that I wished I had uncovered earlier.