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pippasha's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.0
whimsicalmeerkat's review against another edition
3.0
I am giving [b:Gardens of the Moon|55399|Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #1)|Steven Erikson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1316129563s/55399.jpg|2646042] three stars, but I plan on reading further in [a:Steven Erikson|31232|Steven Erikson|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1219169436p2/31232.jpg]'s Malazan series. In some ways, this is the result of an average. The first half of the book might barely get a 2 out of me. Once I hit page 300, though, it picked up and started displaying the elements of epic fantasy I love. There is a moral ambiguity that makes this interesting. I enjoy books where it is hard, if not impossible, to point to anyone who is wholly good or wholly bad. Overall, if you can power through the first part and keep in mind that it takes awhile for things to start connecting, this is a good book.
seba_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
just_rossie's review
3.75
A bit rough around the edges but not as difficult as it is said to be after getting past the first few chapters.
pinch's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
dkadastra's review against another edition
4.0
This book is pretty bonkers. Really throws you into the deep end, lore-wise and doesn't hold your hand. Makes for an intriguing read, and there's a lot of cool ideas here. The flip side of that, is that, occasionally, something will pop up that solves a problem for the protagonists that wasn't even really hinted at before. Not quite a deus ex machina, but definitely toes that line. That's a pretty minor quibble overall. This was a re-read for me, but after going through it a second time I can't understand why I wouldn't have moved onto the rest of the series. Definitely going to remedy that now!
gearyofbooks's review against another edition
4.0
All I was told when going into this book was that it's brilliant and complex.
Fine I thought, I've read complex stuff before. How hard can it be?
Oh you sweet summer child, how wrong you were.
With that said it was worth the effort. Gardens of the Moon is a book which rewards the effort and engagement. You are not just viewing you are engaged in the tale. You find out if your ideas about the outcomes were even close.
There is a grimness to the action and execution, there is humour and laughs to offset the harder times.
Political scheming, wizard battles, demonic weapons and beasts, there is something for everyone here.
Fine I thought, I've read complex stuff before. How hard can it be?
Oh you sweet summer child, how wrong you were.
With that said it was worth the effort. Gardens of the Moon is a book which rewards the effort and engagement. You are not just viewing you are engaged in the tale. You find out if your ideas about the outcomes were even close.
There is a grimness to the action and execution, there is humour and laughs to offset the harder times.
Political scheming, wizard battles, demonic weapons and beasts, there is something for everyone here.
_yumitsang_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
emma_evr's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
This book is maybe just not for me and normally I would have dnf this book but I made a promise to finish it. I don’t pretend have have great tastes in books but here is my review anyway:
The good things:
The last 200 pages are good and interesting but it makes you wonder why the first 500 were needed
Less good things:
It’s based on a d&d campaign and that means is just overly descriptive but in an almost comically way that just makes the book feel unnecessary sluggish. A saying from my languages is “don’t dye red roses red” meaning you don’t need to over emphasise things that readers already understand or can picture in their mind if it’s not relevant to how a character interacts with the world.
Also this book in my opinion needs editing, there is just so much dead air and unnecessary in betweens with seemingly no purpose.
Then there are some character a really like, however be prepared that in between ever cool moment you have about 50 pages of a character you just don’t care about up until page 400/500
Why are the chapters so long, I dislike it. It gives reader no natural break in between if you are travelling or just want a quick book break in between other stuff.
I wil start on book 2 because of obligation so let’s see if it makes book 1 worth it.
The good things:
The last 200 pages are good and interesting but it makes you wonder why the first 500 were needed
Less good things:
It’s based on a d&d campaign and that means is just overly descriptive but in an almost comically way that just makes the book feel unnecessary sluggish. A saying from my languages is “don’t dye red roses red” meaning you don’t need to over emphasise things that readers already understand or can picture in their mind if it’s not relevant to how a character interacts with the world.
Also this book in my opinion needs editing, there is just so much dead air and unnecessary in betweens with seemingly no purpose.
Then there are some character a really like, however be prepared that in between ever cool moment you have about 50 pages of a character you just don’t care about up until page 400/500
Why are the chapters so long, I dislike it. It gives reader no natural break in between if you are travelling or just want a quick book break in between other stuff.
I wil start on book 2 because of obligation so let’s see if it makes book 1 worth it.