Chandos the Red
Tue, 15th Mar '05, 5:03am
Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson * * * * *
First volume of A Tale of the Malazan Book of the Fallen
Rating: Superb - five out of five stars
Let me begin by saying that Gardens of the Moon is one of the best fantasy adventure books I have read in a long time. This may or may not mean anything depending upon how one views the current state of the genre, so your mileage may vary. Gardens is the first in the series of volumes, subtitled: Tales of the Malazan Book of the Fallen. And it is suggested, but not essential, for one to begin with this volume if you are new to Erikson. A word of warning: This is epic fantasy adventure on a large scale and comes with all that the description of “epic” implies – loads of characters, heaps of locations and more than enough subplots all woven together to form the mythological and heroic history of a coherent fantasy world, particularly a history of a series of wars of conquest conducted and fought by the Malazan Empire and it’s unpopular, but powerful Empress, Laseen.
Like much of the genre these days, Erikon’s world is less informed by the Arthurian Legends, and its dependence upon heroic and honorable sword-play, but instead a cast of mages, wielding a complicated system of magic based upon warrens, or paths, and dark-shrouded, hooded assassins and thieves, who appear with fatal suddenness from the shadows, with dual flashing knives, or crossbows which deal out as much death to their opponents as any heavy, two-handed battle sword.
The main character in the story appears to be Ganoes Paran. There are so many other characters of importance that is difficult to say there is even a “main character” in the traditional literary sense. The book loosely follows the rise of Paran through the Imperial ranks, and his subsequent difficulties in remaining loyal to Laseen’s imperial cause. The plot itself moves like lighting, and Erikson shifts quickly from subplot to subplot in much the same way a director of a cinematic movie would. And the plotting is filled with war, political intrigue, pointed revenge and even a few love interests along the way. All this shifting around leaves little room for true character development in any real depth, so those who like the focus and more intense story driven view of a main character may at times feel a bit shortchanged in this area.
But what really sets Gardens apart is its mythological system of gods and “Ascendants,” which are god-like beings who are associated with a godly order or “House.” For example, there is the mysterious Shadowthrone, supreme god of High House Shadow, and his company of ascendants, which includes a pack of death-dealing hounds and a shadowy assassin called Cotillion, also known as “the Rope.” These Houses conform to a system of tarot-like cards known as the “Deck of Dragons” and a few of the mortal characters in the story can foretell the otherwise covert and mysterious actions of these gods, and their accompanying Houses, through these magical cards. Sounds interesting? It is, to say the least. To make matters even happier, the carefully woven plot of Gardens weaves its way to a mighty climax, as all the intricate strands of its plotting converge and intersect each other, and befitting the book’s epic ambitions, the ending will not disappoint.
As has been noted elsewhere, Erikson’s books require a great deal of time and patience. But the rewards are well worth the effort.
First volume of A Tale of the Malazan Book of the Fallen
Rating: Superb - five out of five stars
Let me begin by saying that Gardens of the Moon is one of the best fantasy adventure books I have read in a long time. This may or may not mean anything depending upon how one views the current state of the genre, so your mileage may vary. Gardens is the first in the series of volumes, subtitled: Tales of the Malazan Book of the Fallen. And it is suggested, but not essential, for one to begin with this volume if you are new to Erikson. A word of warning: This is epic fantasy adventure on a large scale and comes with all that the description of “epic” implies – loads of characters, heaps of locations and more than enough subplots all woven together to form the mythological and heroic history of a coherent fantasy world, particularly a history of a series of wars of conquest conducted and fought by the Malazan Empire and it’s unpopular, but powerful Empress, Laseen.
Like much of the genre these days, Erikon’s world is less informed by the Arthurian Legends, and its dependence upon heroic and honorable sword-play, but instead a cast of mages, wielding a complicated system of magic based upon warrens, or paths, and dark-shrouded, hooded assassins and thieves, who appear with fatal suddenness from the shadows, with dual flashing knives, or crossbows which deal out as much death to their opponents as any heavy, two-handed battle sword.
The main character in the story appears to be Ganoes Paran. There are so many other characters of importance that is difficult to say there is even a “main character” in the traditional literary sense. The book loosely follows the rise of Paran through the Imperial ranks, and his subsequent difficulties in remaining loyal to Laseen’s imperial cause. The plot itself moves like lighting, and Erikson shifts quickly from subplot to subplot in much the same way a director of a cinematic movie would. And the plotting is filled with war, political intrigue, pointed revenge and even a few love interests along the way. All this shifting around leaves little room for true character development in any real depth, so those who like the focus and more intense story driven view of a main character may at times feel a bit shortchanged in this area.
But what really sets Gardens apart is its mythological system of gods and “Ascendants,” which are god-like beings who are associated with a godly order or “House.” For example, there is the mysterious Shadowthrone, supreme god of High House Shadow, and his company of ascendants, which includes a pack of death-dealing hounds and a shadowy assassin called Cotillion, also known as “the Rope.” These Houses conform to a system of tarot-like cards known as the “Deck of Dragons” and a few of the mortal characters in the story can foretell the otherwise covert and mysterious actions of these gods, and their accompanying Houses, through these magical cards. Sounds interesting? It is, to say the least. To make matters even happier, the carefully woven plot of Gardens weaves its way to a mighty climax, as all the intricate strands of its plotting converge and intersect each other, and befitting the book’s epic ambitions, the ending will not disappoint.
As has been noted elsewhere, Erikson’s books require a great deal of time and patience. But the rewards are well worth the effort.