Gardens of the Moon
- Downloads：2117
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-23 10:55:46
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Steven Erikson
- ISBN：0553819577
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
The Malazan Empire simmers with discontent， bled dry by interminable warfare， bitter infighting and bloody confrontations with the formidable Anomander Rake and his Tiste Andii， ancient and implacable sorcerers。 Even the imperial legions， long inured to the bloodshed， yearn for some respite。 Yet Empress Laseen's rule remains absolute， enforced by her dread Claw assassins。
For Sergeant Whiskeyjack and his squad of Bridgeburners， and for Tattersail， surviving cadre mage of the Second Legion， the aftermath of the siege of Pale should have been a time to mourn the many dead。 But Darujhistan， last of the Free Cities of Genabackis， yet holds out。 It is to this ancient citadel that Laseen turns her predatory gaze。
However， it would appear that the Empire is not alone in this great game。 Sinister， shadowbound forces are gathering as the gods themselves prepare to play their hand。。。
Conceived and written on a panoramic scale， Gardens of the Moon is epic fantasy of the highest order--an enthralling adventure by an outstanding new voice。
At the Publisher's request， this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software （DRM） applied。
For Sergeant Whiskeyjack and his squad of Bridgeburners， and for Tattersail， surviving cadre mage of the Second Legion， the aftermath of the siege of Pale should have been a time to mourn the many dead。 But Darujhistan， last of the Free Cities of Genabackis， yet holds out。 It is to this ancient citadel that Laseen turns her predatory gaze。
However， it would appear that the Empire is not alone in this great game。 Sinister， shadowbound forces are gathering as the gods themselves prepare to play their hand。。。
Conceived and written on a panoramic scale， Gardens of the Moon is epic fantasy of the highest order--an enthralling adventure by an outstanding new voice。
At the Publisher's request， this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software （DRM） applied。
Reviews
Jessica Rushing
，
See my review on YouTube: https://youtu。be/P77xK8OPwP4I started reading this book because Mike's Book Reviews on YouTube is doing a readalong on his channel and Discord （https://www。youtube。com/channel/UCm_D。。。）。 This is not my first foray into epic， expansive， exhaustive fantasy， but it is the first in a long time。 I read the first seven books of The Wheel of Time in middle school， and I thought。。。I can read this series。 The time frame was supposed to be ten books over two years。 I was not prep See my review on YouTube: https://youtu。be/P77xK8OPwP4I started reading this book because Mike's Book Reviews on YouTube is doing a readalong on his channel and Discord （https://www。youtube。com/channel/UCm_D。。。）。 This is not my first foray into epic， expansive， exhaustive fantasy， but it is the first in a long time。 I read the first seven books of The Wheel of Time in middle school， and I thought。。。I can read this series。 The time frame was supposed to be ten books over two years。 I was not prepared。 This book is more than fantasy。 It is horror。 It is historical fiction （of the world in which this takes place）。 It is romance。 It is supernatural。 It is a thriller。 What Erikson has done is not just created a story， but actually succeeded in creating a world， from the plants to the animals to the people to the internal struggles and emotions and daily minutea of the people。 Be prepared for a fully immersive experience。 From nobility to thieves to assassins， Erikson draws you in and mesmerizes you。 。。。more
Momo
，
Probably 4。5/5It is difficult getting into it， 2 times I stopped reading。 3 times I begun reading。 One time i finished。But Iam glad i finally did it。 Once i managed to push past page 200 （circa） it was like an avalanche had set into motion。 I didn't manage to put it down。Although character work is less good than in other great fantasy books， Steven Erikson makes up for this with incredible worldbuilding and an absolutly fascinating intriguing plot。I look forward to reading the next book in this Probably 4。5/5It is difficult getting into it， 2 times I stopped reading。 3 times I begun reading。 One time i finished。But Iam glad i finally did it。 Once i managed to push past page 200 （circa） it was like an avalanche had set into motion。 I didn't manage to put it down。Although character work is less good than in other great fantasy books， Steven Erikson makes up for this with incredible worldbuilding and an absolutly fascinating intriguing plot。I look forward to reading the next book in this serie。 。。。more
Traistaru Iustina
，
I enjoyed it really much。It is such a dense book。It requires a lot of commitment。
Fardin Helal
，
I've heard many things about this series before。 One thing among those is its elaborate world building or variations。 I stand to disagree。 The world building is not much different from other expensive high fantasies。 Usually books use already existing myths like elf， drawf， etc。 and some new conjurings。 In this book all the magical and mythical races are new except dragon。 Dragon is a universal creature with nothing to replace it！ The new world build-up is not properly explained， well other book I've heard many things about this series before。 One thing among those is its elaborate world building or variations。 I stand to disagree。 The world building is not much different from other expensive high fantasies。 Usually books use already existing myths like elf， drawf， etc。 and some new conjurings。 In this book all the magical and mythical races are new except dragon。 Dragon is a universal creature with nothing to replace it！ The new world build-up is not properly explained， well other books of same category are also guilty of this crime。 I don't begrudge。 Its like a challange， you have to understand it by guessing from the scant hints provided。 Many don't like high fantasies for this exact reason。 For me， its the opposite。 Anyway， I was saying that I didn’t find the wold buildup exclusively elaborate。 Not impressed。 However， the story is of another matter。 I've seen such complex storyline， or should I say storylines， few times。 In the first part， of the seven， I thought the plot is concentrated。 What do I mean？ If you are familiar with books like game of thrones， you know how much messy and widespread the story can be。 So this book I hoped would not be like that。 I couldn’t be more wrong！ The story continued to expand and expand and expand and expand from part two。 Where I guessed things are coming together， they started to fall apart。 Things became too enterwined to track with so much players with their so much agendas on board。 At one point， it seemed everyone is planning to kill each other。 Good luck understanding who is whose ally and who is going to play what role。 There is not much of a twist in the book thankfully。 There are a few， but not worth fretting about。 The intricate storyline is enough to baffle the brain。 There are some things that felt off。 Like there are traditional hero and heroine in this damn book， but their romantic bond is lost on me。 There should have been some more work on this to make it more lively。 It was scrappy。 I hope in the next book I'll see more of it。 That's all I can remember about the book。 However I am not going to recommend or something like that。 For my being a great fan of high fantasies I have yet to read a high fantasy that I didn’t enjoy。 So of course I enjoyed this book too。 But my opinion is most probably biased by my taste。 Whether it is a good book or not is up to you for deciding。 。。。more
Simeon Totomanov
，
I have tried reading this book 4 times in the timespan of 5 years。 Never managed even 50-100 pages。This is what was keeping me away from Malazan and let me think the malazan books are below average。Oh gosh how wrong I were。 Malazan Book of the Fallen is the most epic fantasy I have ever read。 Its amazing。 I would give it 6 stars out of 5。But because the first book is hard to read， i have to give it 4 out of 5。 Still a great book， once you manage to read the first 100 pages。
Brandon
，
Reread， and I definitely caught bits I forgot / didn't catch in my first reading。 Reread， and I definitely caught bits I forgot / didn't catch in my first reading。 。。。more
Santiago Alvarez
，
Very fun book， confusing at parts， but in general very entertaining， I feel really satisfied having completed it。
Tim Robichaux
，
I don't know why I resisted reading this book for years。 For some reason every time I saw it in a list of recommendations， I glossed over it。 Maybe I thought I had tried to read it and didn't like it， or maybe I heard it compared to a book I couldn't stand。 No matter the reason， I decided to take a chance。Whoosh， I am glad that I did！ This book was really satisfying， plumping me down in a world that has a rich and varied history， and takes off at a break-neck pace。 One of my favorite things in b I don't know why I resisted reading this book for years。 For some reason every time I saw it in a list of recommendations， I glossed over it。 Maybe I thought I had tried to read it and didn't like it， or maybe I heard it compared to a book I couldn't stand。 No matter the reason， I decided to take a chance。Whoosh， I am glad that I did！ This book was really satisfying， plumping me down in a world that has a rich and varied history， and takes off at a break-neck pace。 One of my favorite things in books like this is that the author doesn't spoon-feed you details， but makes you work things out on your own through context， or through details revealed later on。 It's not slap-dash， but deliberate， and by the end of the book， I was finding myself thinking back on earlier parts of the book with the newly connected ideas， and that made the experience more engaging and rewarding， overall。 I'm looking forward to reading more！ 。。。more
Lida
，
2。5 stars100pages - Epic Battle。 Total confusion200pages - 50 new names。 Total confusion300pages - oh， I'm starting to get this 400pages - 50 new names - Gods。 Humans。 Non-humans。 Mages。 Assassins - who the fuck is this again？！500pages - total confusion600pages - ah now， it's coming together700pages - Immortals。 Dragons。 Demons （why？！）。 An evil tree-house （why？！！）。 Epic BattleThe EndI would have given it 3 stars at some point 'cause I did enjoy parts of it， but man it was a chore to read sometim 2。5 stars100pages - Epic Battle。 Total confusion200pages - 50 new names。 Total confusion300pages - oh， I'm starting to get this 400pages - 50 new names - Gods。 Humans。 Non-humans。 Mages。 Assassins - who the fuck is this again？！500pages - total confusion600pages - ah now， it's coming together700pages - Immortals。 Dragons。 Demons （why？！）。 An evil tree-house （why？！！）。 Epic BattleThe EndI would have given it 3 stars at some point 'cause I did enjoy parts of it， but man it was a chore to read sometimes， and I would definitely not recommend it to my friends。 。。。more
Kami Knight
，
3。5 / 5Strong first half， tedious second half。It has a really intriguing magic system。
Robert Gray
，
Honestly felt like a breeze （which I’m extremely surprised by）。
Łukasz
，
Sometimes it's good and imaginative， most of the time it's messy， confusing， illogical， and frustrating。 There are no flesh-and-blood characters only。。。 endless names， races， tribes， houses。 Even the protagonists seem half-made， doing things and moving back and forth， never wondering 'Why？' or 'Is it worth it？。' The author likes using different perspectives in his narrative。 I get that。 Who doesn't nowadays？ But， please， stop doing it when a character is simply walking down a street！ Every one a Sometimes it's good and imaginative， most of the time it's messy， confusing， illogical， and frustrating。 There are no flesh-and-blood characters only。。。 endless names， races， tribes， houses。 Even the protagonists seem half-made， doing things and moving back and forth， never wondering 'Why？' or 'Is it worth it？。' The author likes using different perspectives in his narrative。 I get that。 Who doesn't nowadays？ But， please， stop doing it when a character is simply walking down a street！ Every one and a half page there is a switch in the focus and once again I don't t know WHOSE eyes I am using and WHAT I gain from the change of the perspective （or rather: the angle）。 It's not a video game。 Ah， and the ending is anti-climatic。 （view spoiler）[ The master of all evil and an extremely powerful creature that defeats 5 dragons。。。dies in a city garden。 But wait！ There will be another villain in the last 15 pages no one had ever mentioned before。 It's not fair to the reader 。。。nor very engaging。 （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Dare Talvitie
，
What a troublesome book。 On one hand， it did have huge scope and imagination， but on the other hand it kept me at arm's length from its characters and left me feeling pretty cold。 This is clockwork epic fantasy -- perfectly thought-out but somewhat soulless， or maybe a Michael Bay vision of same -- huge spectacle， but as a reader I didn't really care。It took me three hundred pages to find something to actually interesting。 I had the same problem with Black Company， which I read is a major inspir What a troublesome book。 On one hand， it did have huge scope and imagination， but on the other hand it kept me at arm's length from its characters and left me feeling pretty cold。 This is clockwork epic fantasy -- perfectly thought-out but somewhat soulless， or maybe a Michael Bay vision of same -- huge spectacle， but as a reader I didn't really care。It took me three hundred pages to find something to actually interesting。 I had the same problem with Black Company， which I read is a major inspiration here。 Even so， I think I might be interested in finding out if the sequels have any more emotion。 。。。more
Carson Barger
，
4 stars， man I’m excited for the rest of this series。 If this is a low point then I think the rest will be just fine if not exceptional。 Not that this is without flaw。 Here are pros and cons:Pros:- Despite large cast of characters， every single one feels unique and at no point got confused with any other characters in the story。 The majority of the characters had good screen time， and feel like every single character story felt like it contributed to the overall story and direction of the book。- 4 stars， man I’m excited for the rest of this series。 If this is a low point then I think the rest will be just fine if not exceptional。 Not that this is without flaw。 Here are pros and cons:Pros:- Despite large cast of characters， every single one feels unique and at no point got confused with any other characters in the story。 The majority of the characters had good screen time， and feel like every single character story felt like it contributed to the overall story and direction of the book。- Was a big fan of the set up in overall world that the author threw me into。 Each place that I was taken to Felt like a living breathing part of a bigger world。 In addition throughout the story I kept wondering what was going on other parts of the world when I was being discussed。 For the start of an epic story such as this， world building that gets me this excited and curious for what else is happening outside of what is going on with the characters in the story。- The story moved along in a very satisfying Way all the main story points kept me invested for far longer than I ever imagined it would， left me wanting even more。Cons:- Chapter length。 For a book as long as this， with as many winding roads and some stories and plots， I feel like it would’ve done wonders for the pacing of the book to have any number of shorter chapters other than the hour long behemoths that I had to read through at many points during the story。 - Better formatting for me to truly tell when I got a shift in characters perspective in the middle of a chapter- While I really liked the story， there were a lot of other things that happened too fast for me to fully wrap my head around/truly appreciate。 I feel like this is the type a series where even the small details will come up even in the future books， definitely think that when you throw so many in there during the story a lot will go through the cracks and not get noticedOverall this was a great introduction into this series and this world。 I am looking forward to reading the second book soon！ 。。。more
Nena Smith
，
I really enjoyed this book。 I have to admit there's a lot going on here。 My favourite character in this book has to be Kruppe， but I enjoyed all of the characters。 I really enjoyed this book。 I have to admit there's a lot going on here。 My favourite character in this book has to be Kruppe， but I enjoyed all of the characters。 。。。more
Kate
，
Time of death @ page 50。 I love fantasy and world building however， I have read the same paragraphs over and over again and my eyes are still glazed over。 Everything that I love about fantasy should have worked。 I spent more time spreading soil and bark to make my gardens look good。 When I can easily put down a book， walk away and spend eight hours in the garden but can only read for half an hour before my mind starts to wander it’s time to call it quits。
Nipun
，
2。5Gardens of the Moon is an ambitious mess of sprawling plotlines and intricate worldbuilding。 Although some of the worldbuilding was quite interesting， Erikson failed to deliver with characters and plot。 Several plots resolved disappointingly， particularly the final major conflict which seemed to be over in a poorly explained fizzle。 None of the characters were memorable or likeable， largely because dialogue and characters' actions were often incongruent with their initial characterisation。 In 2。5Gardens of the Moon is an ambitious mess of sprawling plotlines and intricate worldbuilding。 Although some of the worldbuilding was quite interesting， Erikson failed to deliver with characters and plot。 Several plots resolved disappointingly， particularly the final major conflict which seemed to be over in a poorly explained fizzle。 None of the characters were memorable or likeable， largely because dialogue and characters' actions were often incongruent with their initial characterisation。 Initially I thought I was missing things， but when it was happening to almost every character I realised Erikson just doesn't give enough weight to the transformation in characters' arcs and doesn't include key moments in their character growth。A lot of people enjoy this series because of its complexity and as it doesn't explain events in the pace that novels conventionally do， but I think when that affects the resolution of conflicts in individual books （like the final conflict of GotM which is ended by something unexplained appearing and fixing it） it just leaves an unsatisfying ending。 It's asking a lot to stick through a 10-book series when the first resolves so disappointingly。 Apparently GotM is the weakest of the series， so I'll probably give book 2 a go before calling it on the series。 。。。more
Robbie Lampton
，
This book is really hard to read。 The story is epic and I’ve heard the writing gets much better in the sequels， so I’ll probably read #2 and see。 This would be one star if it wasn’t for the fact that this story has 5* potential。 It’s just such a slog to get through because of the way it’s written。 Here’s my pros and cons;Pros- Very rich and cool universe- He doesn’t spend 3 pages describing every flower in the background。 Very concise scene descriptions。- No drawn out action scenes that don’t tr This book is really hard to read。 The story is epic and I’ve heard the writing gets much better in the sequels， so I’ll probably read #2 and see。 This would be one star if it wasn’t for the fact that this story has 5* potential。 It’s just such a slog to get through because of the way it’s written。 Here’s my pros and cons;Pros- Very rich and cool universe- He doesn’t spend 3 pages describing every flower in the background。 Very concise scene descriptions。- No drawn out action scenes that don’t translate book。- Endless possibilities as to where he can take it。 I really do want to know what happens。 Hence I’ll read #2。Cons- The writing is very tough to follow。 I find myself reading things 2 to 3 times to understand what he’s saying。 Even then， sometimes I can’t。 It’s a slog to get through。- Characters are very one dimensional， again writing is not great。- It struggles to find a coherent order in which to tell the story。 Poor editing and organization。 After reading this I’m so dissatisfied that it isn’t better than it is as written。 This is a world that rivals Game of Thrones， Lord of the Rings， Stormlight， yet can’t do anything with it。 I’m going to read one more in hopes the author and publisher find their legs with this story because the ceiling is really high for the franchise。 。。。more
Shawn Rusich
，
Echoes of The Black Company books by Glen Cook （at least the first three that I've read）; the prose is a touch more evolved， though still rather spartan and a bit light on metaphor。I was amazed at how many perspectives the story presents， how many different characters and groups it follows。 At the same time， I was also a little dismayed。 I think it works， sometimes， just barely。 Well， maybe depending on where I am in the book。 As a result of the vast cast， I didn't quite feel invested in most th Echoes of The Black Company books by Glen Cook （at least the first three that I've read）; the prose is a touch more evolved， though still rather spartan and a bit light on metaphor。I was amazed at how many perspectives the story presents， how many different characters and groups it follows。 At the same time， I was also a little dismayed。 I think it works， sometimes， just barely。 Well， maybe depending on where I am in the book。 As a result of the vast cast， I didn't quite feel invested in most the characters。 I don’t think the style lends itself to the psychological depth needed if we’re focusing on a small set of characters。The more creative aspects of the story are the range of locales， the rich mythology of the world （all the gods have agendas， can touch the mortal world and have their own realms）， and the wide range of magics and peoples in the story world。 There are a couple interesting characters。There is an attempt to make a comment on the imperialist leanings of fantasy， but I think the book gets a little too caught up in these imperialist leanings to challenge or question them （I guess 2004 was too early）。 A few philosophical moments don’t quite cut it。 A quick read overall， decent but not incredible。 。。。more
Michael
，
Gardens of the Moon is the entry point to the Malazan series。 I would describe it as being different because that's really the only way you can describe such a behemoth。 It is everything that people describe it as and that evidently just doesn't work for everyone。 While I'll go into a lot more depth on the matter， I ultimately didn't love it but also didn't hate it。 This review will likely sound quite negative because it's far easier to talk about where Malazan goes wrong as opposed to what it d Gardens of the Moon is the entry point to the Malazan series。 I would describe it as being different because that's really the only way you can describe such a behemoth。 It is everything that people describe it as and that evidently just doesn't work for everyone。 While I'll go into a lot more depth on the matter， I ultimately didn't love it but also didn't hate it。 This review will likely sound quite negative because it's far easier to talk about where Malazan goes wrong as opposed to what it does well， but keep in mind I still gave it a three star rating ultimately。The book is often described as incredibly epic and incredibly confusing。 Both， I feel， are very accurate statements about the book。 The narrative is quite confusing and you often feel like you don't understand what's going on or why characters are doing what they're doing。 That being said， you can feel how epic the story is。 There are mages and assassins， there's an empire crushing a rebellious state， there are gods and god-like characters， and so it always feels like the stakes are high and that this is what epic fantasy is supposed to be。The narrative is absolutely confusing and Erikson makes no attempt to assist you。 The book largely takes place a few years into the rule of a new empress trying to take control of a city that refuses to bow to her rule。 The book thrusts you into the middle of that narrative， not giving you a moment to catch your breath。 I would say that you understand the big picture in terms of the narrative but that's it。 It would be like if you got thrust into Star Wars episode 6 and Luke was a Jedi fighting against the empire， except you didn't know what the empire was， what a lightsaber was， why he's fighting the empire， and nobody ever took a second to explain。I found this to be largely troubling for the book。 It wasn't quite as bad as some people make it out to be but certainly I do feel like there was a lot of room to explain things and get me more up to speed。 Even now， writing a review， I feel like I don't know all that much about what happened。 It seems like such a dangerous approach to take for writing because some people will love it but a lot of people will hate it。 Even Erikson himself points out that there's no middle ground on it （which oddly enough， I am a middle ground person）。The book does follow some smaller sub-narratives that do all easily tie back into the main story。 I never felt like things were happening that were useless， at least not in the way some books go。 I thought that was quite good as it felt like everything was always important and that I wasn't randomly reading useless filler。Going on to the characters it is also a very mixed point to the book。 There are a lot of characters in the book， so much so that there's a list of them at the beginning， and that list is over 90 characters。 They're also split by their affiliation to make it a bit better （not that it helps when affiliation is fickle）。 It's an overwhelming list of characters， make no mistake about it。 While that's not uncommon for epic fantasy what is uncommon is how many of them get significant screen time。If you were to ask me who the main characters are I'm not sure I could tell you。 Certainly some of these 90 some odd characters are more important than others but a large number of them have a large amount of screen time， as I mentioned。 There's probably around 20 with regular screen time if I had to guess。To me， that wound up adding a lot to the confusion。 I found myself disliking how big the regular cast of characters was for the reason that I couldn't keep track of who was who。 With Erikson unwilling to hold your hand you had to just sort of connect dots in ways that weren't always obvious， and it was very easy for you to miss a line here or there that was more significant than you'd realize。 There were some I found quite easy to keep track of because of their unique mannerisms but a lot of them weren't unique enough to be able to understand。What's worse is that the book plays out like Game of Thrones with being unable to determine who works with who and where allegiances lie。 While it was less on the politicking side it did add a lot to the confusion that I would think two people were enemies only to see them not attacking each other and then get quite confused as to how this allegiance is playing out。 Some of them were clear because they were in the same faction but a lot of them were not so clear。Another really big issue is how the book was written。 The book is separated out into seven books within it and then separated out into 24 chapters plus a prologue and epilogue。 While that isn't troublesome， what is troublesome is how chapters themselves are written。 Often chapters will focus on a single scene or a single character。 Reduce it to something simple the reader can follow along with and not overwhelm them。 With Erikson he instead takes an approach that everyone needs some time， so you'll go back and forth between characters in different scenes （presumably but not necessarily at the same time）。 Sometimes you get five pages of one scene other times you get a single paragraph。This approach is quite jarring and uncomfortable to read， I found。 It compounded the issue with characters because I never got enough time to understand them。 Normally you would get insight into characters by walking in their shoes for a bit but Erikson （I think intentionally） doesn't do so。 He doesn't seem to want you to understand their desires or motivations at an internal level so he intentionally just goes back and forth。 I really do wish that we could get more so I could feel better about what I know about the characters or actually grow to care about them。To me， characters ended up feeling quite hollow。 There was little character development and they mostly felt like they were along for the ride。 That is， they were characters on the chess board to be used in the game。 Some are knights or bishops， more powerful， useful， and important than others。 That being said， it felt like they were expendable to some degree， like we could just discard them if it made sense to the story。 While to some extent I understand this approach given the way his writing style is， at the same time I felt like I enjoy becoming invested in characters。 Killing off characters isn't necessarily a bad thing （and Game of Thrones does it in a way where it creates some of the most emotional moments you'll ever read）， but in this book I found I just didn't get that same emotional investment。 Whatever happened to characters I found myself not really caring all that much。The worldbuilding in Malazan was perhaps the strongest point to the story， if also a bit problematic。 The sheer scale and background of the novel is quite vast and you notice it pretty early on。 There are things that took place millennia ago that matter today which can be difficult to do。 It helps make the story feel epic， that there are old wars between gods that feel like they're impacting the story today。 While I like how epic that made the story feel it also， unsurprisingly， added to the confusion of the book。 The book never tries to explain those events and just references them in passing， even as it attempts to make some things very impactful to the story。The good of the worldbuilding is that you're never lacking for more epic things to consider。 There are always more epic characters being added to the mix， characters becoming more powerful than you thought， gods mingling in the plot， different species （both new and familiar）， etc。 Those all add to make the story feel like it's way more than squashing some rebel city。 It also makes me excited to see where the story would go because I really don't have a clue。There's magic in the story and it's somewhere between soft and hard。 In reality it might be a hard system but given Erikson's "don't explain anything" approach it has a softer feeling than it likely should have。 There are different types of magic and each person has different abilities based on how they can access it， but it seems like they all access it the same way。 It creates a cohesive feeling I like even if I don't understand what that cohesion really is。At the end of the day I feel like Malazan is something that is difficult to describe outside of the two words epic and confusing。 You're thrust into an expansive world and forced to fend for yourself。 I feel like some people will enjoy not being coddled while others will feel like they have no idea what's going on。 It seems like there's a lot there for people who crave for complex worlds and stories but that complexity does feel overwhelming for a majority of the book。I never found myself too perturbed by how confusing it was if only because I could see the stakes rising as the book went on。 It felt epic， it felt like a larger than life story， and that aspect was not half bad。 The fact that it continually felt like that made me okay to keep turning the page despite not really understanding。In terms of reading book two I would say maybe someday but not anytime soon。 I have a feeling that because I didn't dislike the first book that I may be okay with how the series is。 That makes me think that I could come to enjoy reading a second and then before you know it I've read all 10。 That being said it's also not exactly what I typically want and I'm not exactly thrilled about a book two。 My favourite author is Sanderson and I like to be given far more information than Erikson will ever want to give me。 With so many books on my TBR Malazan just feels like it's not worthwhile。 Had I been actively reading as it was coming out I probably would have been interested enough to follow along （and actively following along might have been a great experience because there's so much confusion that there's a lot to unpack and discuss）， but as someone who has a lot more to read I'd rather go do that。 I'm much more inclined to read on in a series like The Wheel of Time as opposed to Malazan。 。。。more
Curtis Wilson
，
I was really upset that I started this series towards the end of my degree when I had lots of academic readings to do。 I couldn't stop。Erikson and Esslemont's world is immense， and the unapologetic， sometimes confusing storytelling only bolsters the sense of scale and rewards commitment。 Nothing can't be answered by forging on， reading closely， or consulting the Malazan subreddit， and I sincerely hope that concerns around the book's complexity doesn't prevent people from experiencing this master I was really upset that I started this series towards the end of my degree when I had lots of academic readings to do。 I couldn't stop。Erikson and Esslemont's world is immense， and the unapologetic， sometimes confusing storytelling only bolsters the sense of scale and rewards commitment。 Nothing can't be answered by forging on， reading closely， or consulting the Malazan subreddit， and I sincerely hope that concerns around the book's complexity doesn't prevent people from experiencing this masterpiece of Canadian fantasy！ 。。。more
Yasser Maniram
，
Surprisingly not as difficult to follow as others may lead you to believe。 Just go with the flow and accept that there will be a lot of characters。 Also it helps on your first read not to dive to deeply into the introductory passages quoted at the start of each chapter， they are relevant but more in a big picture kind of way。 The characters are unique， likeable and thrilling。 Erikson may not have held the reader's hand at the start but if they are capable of walking this by themselves （or with o Surprisingly not as difficult to follow as others may lead you to believe。 Just go with the flow and accept that there will be a lot of characters。 Also it helps on your first read not to dive to deeply into the introductory passages quoted at the start of each chapter， they are relevant but more in a big picture kind of way。 The characters are unique， likeable and thrilling。 Erikson may not have held the reader's hand at the start but if they are capable of walking this by themselves （or with one of the several podcasts available that provide additional commentary after reading chapters） one will be greatly rewarded。 。。。more
Remi Majersdorf
，
Eerste deel in Eriksons epische cultreeks， The Malazan Book of the Fallen。 Springt her en der te gulzig van de hak op de tak， maar overtuigt met een intrigerende fantasiewereld en dito personages。
Nick
，
Despite the stars， I actually thought this was really well done in several ways， in particular the scale and scope and a lack of the most cloying sentimentality。 Ultimately I just couldn’t continue because I don’t like epic fantasy and the genre started to grate on me。
Fidei Defensor
，
Ovo ce biti pocetak jednog dugog druzenja。 Eriksonov svet je okrutan， mracan， konfuzan。 Iako sam vec preko knjizevnih grupa bio upozoren na mnostvo likova i efekta in media res to se nije nekako desilo。 Valjda dugo obvitavanje u klasicima je ucinilo svoje da ovo delo ipak ne bude previse naporno za citanje。 Hvatanje likova i radnje nije predstavljalo problem（ko je citao na pr 100 godina samoce ovo ce biti stend up komedija ako poredimo raznolikost likova）， ono sto je meni predstavljalo problem j Ovo ce biti pocetak jednog dugog druzenja。 Eriksonov svet je okrutan， mracan， konfuzan。 Iako sam vec preko knjizevnih grupa bio upozoren na mnostvo likova i efekta in media res to se nije nekako desilo。 Valjda dugo obvitavanje u klasicima je ucinilo svoje da ovo delo ipak ne bude previse naporno za citanje。 Hvatanje likova i radnje nije predstavljalo problem（ko je citao na pr 100 godina samoce ovo ce biti stend up komedija ako poredimo raznolikost likova）， ono sto je meni predstavljalo problem jeste da Erikson se nije previse obzirao na citalacku radoznalost pa tako cete svet i sve ono od cega se sastoji da popunjavate uglavnom svojom mastom ，do toga kako izgledaju nasi karakteri， ili pak se nije potrudio niti da objasni neke stvari blize kao na pr bogaz。 Zbog svega toga iako ne mogu poreci novi moderan still pisanja， koji je direktan i odmah napada vasa cula dajem ovoj knjizi samo ovu ocenu。 Sprega citaoca i autora mora biti u neprekidnoj korelaciji ali ta korelacija po meni mora biti dvosmerna。 Mozda autor krije iz njemu znanih razloga puno toga za kasniju pricu， pa tim pre ce biti mnogo mesta da i ocena bude veca。 I pored ove ocene primecujem da je delo vredno paznje i da ce biti od velike vrednosti kod okorelih ljubitelja EF， tako da preporuka。 。。。more
KM Seyam
，
One of the densest fantasy books I've read so far。 The story is like a birds-eye view of the world of Malazan。 Didn't get too much time to spend with the characters as everyone was on the run。 The first couple of chapters feels very rough to read as the world is not developed as much as I'd have liked and you have to push through them to understand the world and the characters。 The last quarter of the book was the most enjoyable to read as you've already been well-introduced to the plot and the One of the densest fantasy books I've read so far。 The story is like a birds-eye view of the world of Malazan。 Didn't get too much time to spend with the characters as everyone was on the run。 The first couple of chapters feels very rough to read as the world is not developed as much as I'd have liked and you have to push through them to understand the world and the characters。 The last quarter of the book was the most enjoyable to read as you've already been well-introduced to the plot and the characters though sometimes their motivations alluded me。 The plot thickens very quickly and the suspense is worth the read。 。。。more
M。J。 Finley
，
I read this book out of the recommendation of a dear friend who absolutely loved the series。 I’m afraid however， that I may belong to the bewildered group of readers of the Malazan Empire。 Erikson is a master of simile and descriptions。 Reading his work made me realise how much I still lack in those fields。 That being said， I’m afraid I lost my way several times during the read。 At a certain point， it all became a jumble of names and places which I could no longer tell apart。 I’m considering rea I read this book out of the recommendation of a dear friend who absolutely loved the series。 I’m afraid however， that I may belong to the bewildered group of readers of the Malazan Empire。 Erikson is a master of simile and descriptions。 Reading his work made me realise how much I still lack in those fields。 That being said， I’m afraid I lost my way several times during the read。 At a certain point， it all became a jumble of names and places which I could no longer tell apart。 I’m considering reading it again at some point and see if I getter a better grasp of what is happening， but for now， I’m hopelessly lost。 。。。more
Joa
，
Nota: 7。5/10
David
，
I had read enough about this series to know that it would be unlike other fantasy series I had read。 Rather than a slow introduction through a few characters with backstory “information dumps” to build the world， this one was said to throw you right into the middle of a world with little understanding of what’s going on。 I think doing this research helped me as I got into the book。 Honestly， it makes me wish I had done this for other series I’ve begun and not liked as much， wondering if maybe I’ I had read enough about this series to know that it would be unlike other fantasy series I had read。 Rather than a slow introduction through a few characters with backstory “information dumps” to build the world， this one was said to throw you right into the middle of a world with little understanding of what’s going on。 I think doing this research helped me as I got into the book。 Honestly， it makes me wish I had done this for other series I’ve begun and not liked as much， wondering if maybe I’d like them more if I went back and reread， knowing what I know now。 But that’s another story。Imagine being dropped into the middle of lived history - maybe the trenches of WWI or the American Civil War。 You meet a few soldiers， listen to them talk and plan。 They mention things and people， other nations or political events。 You don’t fully get what’s going on， but as you follow the clues some of it starts to make sense。 This is sort of how this book is。 Its a page turner with interesting characters living in a clearly complex world。 I will say that the character development was a bit light， perhaps due to so many characters。 I sometimes lost track of who was who and what they were doing。 I have also seen people say this is one of the weaker books in the series， so hopefully as it continues the characters will be fleshed out a bit further。 Overall， this was a great read and leaves me wanting more。 。。。more
Daniel Beimers
，
Thoroughly enjoyed reading the book。 Very well built out world with a lot of overlapping factions vying for their own goals。 If you aren't able to handle a bunch of characters or multiple things going on at the same time， I would suggest looking elsewhere， but if you can handle that and want to read about a world that has depth for days， I would recommend。 Thoroughly enjoyed reading the book。 Very well built out world with a lot of overlapping factions vying for their own goals。 If you aren't able to handle a bunch of characters or multiple things going on at the same time， I would suggest looking elsewhere， but if you can handle that and want to read about a world that has depth for days， I would recommend。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Gardens of the Moon
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Gardens of the Moon&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Gardens of the Moon&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0