A review by booksandchocaholic
Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson

5.0

I found this first book a bit confusing and overly dense. This is the sort of book that would benefit from a glossary, dramatis personae and a map. The names took me a while to get used to because not only is there the usual issue of fantasy names but also fictional official titles which I had to distinguish from personal names and then the basis for the role as well. As I continued through and began to understand a little more of who was who and what their motivations were I settled into the story more. You do get dropped into the story and the author certainly doesn't hold the reader's hand. I found Tattersail and Sorry the most compelling characters but I also enjoyed Paran. If anything the strengths are obvious: the magic system and world building which are almost unparalleled and it's weakness is that it takes too long to care about the characters. However as the series progresses I can foresee joining the ranks of those who advocate so strongly for this series, I'm just not quite there yet.