This is one of those moments I hate.
I rarely read incomplete series. It’s just not in my OCD nature. If I am going to read a sprawling epic of a tale, I want to read the books back to back until the reading is done. No need to wait years between novels. No need to take the time to reread to remember what has happened in earlier volumes. It’s just the most efficient way to spend my time.
Yesterday I received a package from Tor Books. Now I have to start reading like crazy! This was inside:
That is an Advanced Reading Copy of one of the most anticipated books of the year—The Crippled God by Steven Erikson.
The Crippled God is the final chapter in the Malazan Book of The Fallen series which began with Gardens of the Moon. It is now a complete series, one I can begin without fear of waiting, waiting, waiting for the next book. I should begin it. There are a great many people around the internet(s) who think Malazan is the best series of all time, rivaling the merits of J.R.R. Tolkien, Robert Jordan, and George R. R. Martin.
I’ve always been intrigued by it. Steve and I have been friends for five or six years now and his pure intelligence, wit, and charm makes reading this series a certainty. But now I have nine massive volumes to read before getting to The Crippled God. In short, this ARC won’t help me. It will only tease me, one of those annoying itches I can’t scratch.
Therefore I am going to give it to the most ardent Malazan fan I know.
And hopefully he will review it here on Suvudu!
More soon!
I’ll be interested to hear your thoughts on the series.
I’ve tried reading the first book about 5 times, and for some reason I just cant get through it. Maybe I’m too stupid to get it.
I *SO* want to love this series on the great word of mouth and the fact that the series is complete.
I think I’ll give it another shot – maybe six times is the charm.
Thought the release date is now so soon, I’ve been awaiting this book like no other. I can’t explain why, but I’ve been more enthralled by the writing, characters and extremely in-depth society building that this series offers than any I’ve read before. Nothing, in any genre, has captivated my attention and kept me re-reading like the Malazan Book of the Fallen. When friends don’t get through a book (or all of them, for that matter) I can’t help but think that they just don’t get i (intolerant as that may be).
Can’t wait for the review! Beyond that, and whatever this last book will offer, I just wish another character from the series would have made it into a Suvudu Cage Match
Maybe next time put Karsa Orlong, Anomander Rake or Icarium in there. Read the series, love it, and see if you don’t agree.
@ Michael Natale: The first book is hard to get into. A lot of people bounce off it hard. I suggest trying Book 2, DEADHOUSE GATES, as an alternative. It has a mostly different cast located on a different continent and is an easier introduction to Erikson’s style than GARDENS.
I’ll agree with Adam. Unfortunately, my belief that this series is the greatest ever written typically begins and ends with book 2. I have read then all, I just think Erikson’s greatness has blossomed, leaving us with an okay, but not great series.
Ok so I finally finished it. Sorry it took so long to get a review up.
First off Shawn once again I owe you gratitude. I have been waiting this book for over 7 years and over 7,000 hardback pages. I know many people who have tried to get into this series and fail for whatever reason. Most of them blame Gardens of the Moon and how Erikson dumps you into a world without any back drop. To me that is a terrible excuse. Give this series a chance. Read Gardens and even after you finish Gardens you have doubts finish Deadhouse and I promise you won’t. You have to realize that Erikson set this series up to be re-read. I like that. It shows guile and foreshadowing. There is a ton of things that he explains early on that I missed or overlooked and the answer was finally given in the Crippled God.
Onto the Crippled God.
The plot if beyond anything I could have ever imagined. The level of world and character building is once again top notch. What Erikson does with this book is set himself above all others. He brings something so massive and complicated to a close.
The story revolves around the Crippled God; a foreign deity that has been chained to the Malazan world and has been in pain and suffering for eons. A small army will set out to try and give answer to his suffering by finally cutting his chains and setting him free. Against them are all of the elder gods and the strongest and most devastating elder race there is the Forkrul Assail. They find allies along the way that will make you laugh and cry.
His story largely revolves around soldiers and friends. What he builds out of them is awe-inspiring. To me these are truly heroes. They do not want to be. They only want to do what is right. To give answer to what the world has done that is wrong. If you are a fan of these series like me and has grown to love many of these characters (Fiddler, Quick Ben, Gesler, Stormy, Cotillion, Shadowthrone, Mappo, and the list goes on) you will be happy to know that many of their stories come to an end. You will be amazing happy or be extremely crushed as I was. What sets Erikson aside for any other fantasy author to me is his ability to actually make you feel. No one else has made me sob like a little boy before. I find that I have little chance in resisting that emotion in his books. The Crippled God is no different. I promise you that you will love this book Malazan fans. I promise you that a part of you will break in reading it.
You come to realize after reading through the series that Erikson dwells on certain aspects of human feeling. The entire story really revolves around love, friendship, companionship, dignity, respect, and above all COMPASSION. To call it the best book in the series would be wrong. It is really the second half of Dust of Dreams. Together they make the best book I have ever read. I hope that some of you will read this and decide to finally pick up and complete Gardens of the Moon. I ask that you open your mind and willing try and WITNESS the epic greatness that is the Malazan Book of the Fallen. I hope it does to you as it did to me. The story beggars the mind and breaks the heart.
Cheers,
Eric M.
I do have to comment on the skip Gardens of the Moon comments. I completely disagree. Never read a series out of order. It may have 90% new cast of characters and a new story arc but there are things that happen that you need to know. If the series isnt for you skipping Gardens of the Moon will not cure that. I promise you if you give Gardens a legimate shot get to page (200 or so) you should be hooked.
Readers have to realize Erikson’s world is ridiculously large. The story has a plat that carrys over 200,000 years of history for gods, races, empries, etc. It is going to be confusing at first. It clears up fantastically. Just give it the time it requires. I for one am thankful that it is not like 90% of the fantasy drivel that has been inundating the genre for decades. It spits in the face of kitchen boy fantasy with pure awesomeness.
Cheers,
EM