Review by chingwan7 - Gardens of the Moon

A review by chingwan7
Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson

3.75

Actual Rating: 3.75/5.0

SPOILER FILLED!

“...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.”

-Gardens of the Moon

Malazan Book of the Fallen is an epic fantasy series written by Steven Erikson. and it has about ten novels set in the world of Malazan. I first learned about this series when I was actively seeking out fantasy series. Gathering from online sources, I learned the series is extraordinary. It has a massive and complex setting with hundreds of characters that develop together to exemplify significant themes—which are also relevant to real humanity. Of course, this description can be said for any fantasy work, but what makes this series unique is that you won’t be presented with the information about the elements of the series right away. Erikson plops you in the events and occurrences, so it is up to an individual perspective to make sense of it. But rest assured, most of the baffling events will be given more context and explanation once you read later novels. What is even more uplifting is that once you have reached the tenth novel, The Crippled God, you will be totally satisfied. Veteran readers say just trust in Erikson and you will be able to understand Malazan Book of the Fallen.

The feats of Malazan Book of the Fallen intimidated me, but it motivated me more to read it. Its epic scope, thematic focus, and reward of fulfillment fascinate me. I have a gut feeling that Malazan Book of the Fallenseries might become one of my best fantasy reads ever. So beginning my adventure into Malazan Book of the Fallen, I started reading the first novel of the series, Gardens of the Moon.

After reading it for 2 months, I was absolutely flabbergasted by the Gardens of the Moon. I expected this novel would plunge you into the world but I still found myself unprepared for everything that ensued. Due to my shock, my stance on this book is mixed but mostly positive. Moreover, my memory of the plot is hazy so do understand this review won’t discuss the plot specifics in great detail.

Firstly, I would like to say the plot structure has been a roller coaster. As mentioned earlier, Erikson does not hold your hand in understanding the events so of course close reading is recommended. I promised myself I would take my time to read but my gosh there were so many events that are very obscure. My eyes squinted and my mind crumpled so much because I was confused about the point of these events in the novel. Because of the vague style of storytelling, I became impatient and started skimming almost every page. Although I became less disoriented, this worsened my comprehension and lessened my apprecation of the main storyline. In actuality, the main story of Gardens of the Moon’s is simply summarized as the expansionist Malazan Empire aiming to conquer the City of Darujhistan. My situation proves . I am aware that as you're not expected to understand everything but I was dissatisfied— and this dissatisfaction will be elaborated later. However, this dissatisfaction is not necessarily a bad thing because this motivated me to read the sequels to Gardens of The Moon. I want to learn more about the lore of Malazan so I could better appreciate this first novel.

Accompanying the plot is the massive setting. This novel, even the prologue, already tells me that the world of Malazan might be the grandest in scale, even compared to any other fantasy series I have ever read. There are histories of events that occurred in a hundred thousand years and over multiple continents. Erikson and Esselmont have written other trilogies exploring specific time periods of the Malazan world. There are very diverse races that are innovatively derived from existing fantasy tropes. For example, the T’lan Imass, Jaghut, and Tiste Andii are inspired by the undead, orcs, and elves tropes yet are more characterized and unique than their counterparts. There are also locations wherein factions have distinct and overlapping cultures. The main faction we journey with, the Malazan Empire, has already defined

Subsequently, the pantheon and magic system were tantalizing. The Malazan Pantheon is similar to the Greek and Roman Pantheons in the way that they bicker and influence the landscape. I like this concept because it shows that the entities are active participants in the world and their actions (or politicking) are reflected onto societal cultures. There is even a series of tarot cards, called the Deck of Dragons, wherein people interpret the Deck to understand the circumstances of the gods and how their mortal fate is affected. Like the uninhibited nature of the Malazan Pantheon, the magic system is wild. There are dimensions called Warrens, or sometimes Holds, wherein users tap into its power and utilize it creatively. The effects of tapping into these Warrens vary depending on the nature of the Warren. For example, a mage who taps into the Warren of Denul can heal others, while a mage who taps into the Warren of Telas can blast fire. Furthermore, the specific usage of these Warrens depends on the ingenuity of the users. However, there is no clear explanation about the characteristics of Warrens, so again, it is up to the readers how they will interpret it. Because of the limitless possibilities with Warrens, there is more diversification of character responses to the environment, more tension and mystery, and a more immersive experience for readers.

This setting is pulsating with epic life. If this novel is only a glimpse into the setting, I am excited to read the sequels that will .

But the world of Malazan wouldn’t be as well-defined without its massive cast of characters and relevant themes. I would first say that Erikson’s style of characterization is really great . Unlike the central or limited POVs seen in other fantasy novels, Erikson writes multiple POVs. This style enables the experiences of numerous characters to collaboratively build the setting and highlight the themes of Malazan Book of the Fallen. In Gardens of The Moon, we mostly follow characters from two opposing factions, the Malazan Empire and the city of Darujhistan. I initially sided with the Malazan Empire because they are the main faction we will be journeying with but the longer I read, I realized there is no defined side. Characters from both factions were compelling and between and they will make you root for them. Additionally, the characters are similar to us in that they are confused and divided by the events surrounding them. Their reaffirmations, inner debates, and self-reflection are more faceted and humane to the reader. Moreover, this greatly immerses you in the shared perspective between the characters and your own of the Malazan world.

Despite the cast of Gardens of The Moon come from different factions, they both highlight how the themes of camaraderie, identity, and conscience resist the tightening grip of power. Because of the massivity of the POVs, I will share my favorite characters from the Malazan Empire and Darujhistan respectively.

After fighting a disastrous siege against the Free City of Pale, the Malazan military struggles to recuperate. However, Empress Laseen commands them to conquer another city, Darujhistan. From their situation, I can see the military’s discontentment with their empress and grievances with the empire. To show this, we see how Malazan POVs serve and react to the Malazan Empire.

The first POV, or precisely the group of POVs, we follow are the Bridgeburners. Led by Whiskeyjack, the Bridgeburners are a veteran squad of Malazan veterans, yet they were still traumatized by the Siege of Pale. Worse, the Bridgeburners become more worried about the Empress sending them to Darujhistan so she could indirectly kill them. Knowing this, the Bridgeburners stick close together no matter how dire the situation they are in. Although I like how all the members showed the brothers-in-arms aspect, there were members that stood out to me more than others.

Starting with the first member is the once noble Ganoes Paran trying to comprehend his role in the political games of the mortal world and the Malazan Pantheon. Next, Sergeant Whiskeyjack having difficulty tending his squad from the trauma and preventing them from breaking apart makes him a character worthy of respect. Thirdly, the mage Quick Ben creatively utilized Warrens into one of the most bizarre and critical moments of the story. And then Sorry, a fisher girl possessed by an unknown force, has become an eerie person of dread to other Bridgeburners and a strong hook for readers to wonder what is wrong with her.

The next Malazan POV and survivor from the Siege of Pale is Tattersail. She is the only survivor of her mage company from the Siege of Pale. Although the siege did devastate everyone, Tattersail suspects another Malazan mage has led her company to death. Besides her enjoyable arc of finding the mage who betrayed her company, Tattersail was a welcome and different fantasy character. She is this long-lived and strong mage, yet she is not overtly powered and remains human. In addition, she was described as having a plump body, which is an uncommon body type in most books.

Now the last Malazan and most memorable POV is the Adjunct Lorn. Being an Adjunct, Lorn serves the Empress Laseen by being an extension of the empress’ authority and being the bane to sorcery. Her reputation makes her seem intimidating, unflinching, and threatening, but there are hints of humanity within Lorn. In the prologue, Lorn and Paran witness the aftermath of a massacre and we actually see the Adjunct shocked by it . We would assume that she would not be fazed by horrific bloodshed considering her position but her shock shows otherwise. In the dinner scene, we see Lorn angrily confronts Tattersail for killing her family in the past, only for her Adjunct personality to deny her justice. This scene is significant because this shows how ingrained Laseen is in the Adjunct. Lorn’s orphanhood led her to the Empress molding her into an obedient and unfeeling servant.

Next, we follow the journey of Lorn and Tool, my favorite scenes in the novel. The interaction between these two characters is thematically relevant, thoughtful, and even humorous. Moreover, this segment shows how Lorn is conflicted about the repercussions of releasing a Jaghut Tyrant—a violent Jaghut enslaving other Jaghut— into Darujhistan. Her conflict first stems from learning how Tool’s race, the T’lan Imass, has committed imperialistic atrocities on the Jaghut. Subsequently, Lorn realizes that she serves an Empress, perpetuating the same tyranny of the Jaghut in the past. Lorn despairs over this thought, but eventually, she sadly decides to release the tyrant into Darujhistan.

All these scenes humanize Lorn as it shows the tragedy of her character. She could have had the chance to resolve her trauma, decide the morally right actions, and break free from control. However, due to the indoctrination of Laseen, she has sadly repressed her emotions and succumbs to the Adjunct. Tragically, she has lost her identity of what makes her human.

These scenes are what make me decide Lorn as the highlight POV of Gardens of The Moon.

We now move on to Darujhistan, another Free City and target of the Malazan Empire. Though I like the characterization of the Malazan POVs more, the characters of Darujhistan were funny and relatable enough for me to worry about their safety. The Phoenix Inn Regulars are proof of my care for Darujhistan.

The Phoenix Inn Regulars are a group of guys from different backgrounds who happily tease, gamble, and support each other. These fellows are young thief Crokus, buffoon Kruppe, assassin Rallick, drunkard Coll, and courtier Murillio. However, similar to the Bridgeburners, only Crokus and Kruppe that engaged me as both have roles related to the Malazan Pantheon.

For the last POV, I have to talk about Anomander Rake. When he first debuted in the Siege of Pale, I thought he would be the ‘dark lord’ or ‘the enemy’ of the plot. He was described as the Son of Darkness, the Lord of the Tiste Andii and Moon’s Spawn (a floating fortress), and the wielder of the magic sword Dragnipur. But subverting my expectations, Anomander Rake was not that typical lord of evil and Erikson has succeeded in making him compelling. His reputation makes him a force to be reckoned with, and Erikson has skillfully written his traits in the novel. Every time Rake appears on a page, he radiates true enigma and charisma. His presence is overwhelming that he didn't only hook the attention of every character in the scene but the attention of readers as well. I am excited to learn more about the background of Anomander Rake.

Despite my amazement at the various elements of this novel, I still rated Gardens of The Moon only 3.75/5.0 for a few reasons.

Some characters felt underutilized or shallow. Prime examples of this con would be the Bridgeburners and Phoenix Inn Regulars, as some members of these groups did not catch my attention. This is due to the massive cast, so it is expected not everyone will be written differently and deeply. But I wish these characters were more distinct from each other. Furthermore, these characters become better if they interact with others and are given more attention.

Second, the romantic bits in this novel were lackluster. Though both share similar experiences, Ganoes Paran and Tattersail immediately loved each other after only meeting for a day or few, thus it felt rushed and contrived. Meanwhile I did not like Crokus trying to court Darujhistan Noble Challice D’Arle because this did not feel necessary and the resolution to it was weak.

Third, there is an overload of exposition and storylines. While I already shared my interest in the unconventional plot structure, I was in great disbelief and dissatisfaction in regards to certain storylines. Firstly, Kruppe has these dream sequences of him conversing with different entities. Second, the two gods related to shadow, Shadowthrone and Cotillion, are intertwined with some characters yet they feel too distant and vague from the main plot. Lastly, the Circle Breaker/Eel and Assassin war storyline was really confusing. This constant observation has sadly affected my appreciation for the rest of the characters. I do understand these elements will be given context later in the series, but these elements just felt too random and offbeat in this book.

Yet in hindsight, my rating for the novel Gardens of the Moon could have been higher. I have finished its sequels, Deadhouse Gates and Memories of Ice, and these made me warm up to Gardens of the Moon bit by bit . However, I decided to not change the rating because I still believe my criticisms still stand for a first time reading.

In conclusion, Gardens of the Moon is an overwhelming start for readers to the Malazan Book of the Fallen. Its immediate exposition, massive world and characters, relevant themes, and unconventional plot tests readers whether they are ready to commit to the series. Hopefully, like me, you will be intrigued to begin your journey with Malazan Book of the Fallen and then understand what makes it the most epic fantasy to date.

A review by chingwan7 Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson

A review by chingwan7
Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson