Reviews

Took too long to get started, and I'm learning I don't love military fantasy so much as character fantasy, and while the first bit hinted at both it only demonstrated military. I'm sure it would be good if I finished it but I want to read too many things to settle for something this long.

mortifiedpenguin92's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

xkrow's review against another edition

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4.0

I simultaneously agree with those who call Gardens' a rough start and and disagree that you have to "push through" to get to the good books. Of course, I have not yet read the rest of the books, but if this is supposedly the worst of them I think I'm in for an all-timer series. My agreement with the above sentiment comes largely from the first half of the book. The word "frustrating" comes to mind as I recall my experience - an incredibly array of names, events, and plotlines are dragged through your mind as you slowly attempt to pick through Erickson's dense and elaborate prose. People and things pop up with little to no explanations; every character has like three different titles; and we don't situate into a stasis, continuously hopping across the minds of characters and actual locations, as we try to catch up with all that has been happening in the outskirts of the Malazan Empire since the prologue (which is a whole another can-o'-worms).

But then I got to the halfway point and something incredible happened. I started knowing people's names. PoVs began being returned to more often than not. And the intentions behind certain plotlines become clearer. And with all this, my reading speed also picked as I got used to Erickson's prose, having it just be the natural way this world exists. I sped through the last half of this book in like two days because of a) competition but also b) I was incredibly hooked onto what was going to happen next. The way the climax is constructed in Darujhistan is a bit last-minute, but it converges the different plotlines in an incredible manner, giving a satisfying end to characters who never even end up meeting within a single event. It was absolutely glorious, and why I also disagree with the initial sentiment I heard about the book. It's not a "bad one" before the "good ones" - it just has a lot of inherent set-up that feels confusing due to its sparse nature but if you manage to push through it manages to pay off only half a book later.

I have applauded the plot - what about the rest? Well, the major element that Malazan is praised for is its world building, and its clear why that is. This is a rich world. Though we only see a few parts of it, there is a vivid history that exists within these pages that hint towards the larger picture. There are many more gods at play, other characters that are building their own momentum, the ultimate goals of the empire. It requires a lot of world to keep track of everything, but if is willing to commit that effort, they too will find themselves rewarded with a vast world that breathes like our very own.

The characters too are written at such a panoramic scale, but that doesn't always improve their landing. The breadth with which Erickson writes means that small character moments are sometimes left behind in favor of the larger matters, with characters not reacting to things around them as they should. There are also times where we are simply told about certain elements rather than shown. I think the major part where this shows is in the reputation of the Bridgeburners and Whiskeyjack's squad. We are told they are respected by others around, but are rarely shown it. There are also other parts where character relationships are built and destroyed in mere moments - Paran and Tattersail and Paran and Lorn come to mind.

A further note on this point - this came out with my discussion with @Isaac [Gardens of the Moon] but a lot of the un-satisfaction from the characters may come from the slightly different mode of story that Erickson is attempting. In that, he is not trying to center a few number of people as central to his world, like most stories tend to in an imitation of the "Great Man" theories. Rather, he is trying to showcase how many different groups and people have goals and plans and that a handful of them are not going to change the world by themselves. When Whiskeyjack, who I went in assuming would by the Main Character (Tdm) (don't ask me why) only plays a small role, in the large scheme of things. It's a unique mode and something that may not gel with pure character readers, but it is definitely something I respect him for trying.

Oh, and now for the faves:
Character: Anomander Rake
PoV: Paran or Kruppe
Chapter: Chapter 6 or 10
Moment: The Jhagut getting taken to Kruppe's Dream/Kruppe's reveal
Mystery: What are the gods actually trying to achieve?

saitu282's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging funny mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

Was quite difficult to engage with in the beginning. What they say is true. You really gotta push at first. It gets gripping soon, though. Stick with it. So many questions, so many answers, and so many more questions. By the end, I was eager to immediately start the next book.

arcanepoet's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

lookingforvheissu's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

natty0011's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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