Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen) (Mass Market Paperback)

Firstly if you are looking for any of the following, beware!
A young nobody (or lost prince) finds famous sword, hacks up baddy, saves the world
Main characters that never seem to die
A light read i.e. Few brain cells or imagination required (Harry Potter?)
Author spoon feeding i.e. everything is explained immediately
Elves, Orcs, Hobbits, goblins etc

After about 100 pages of gardens of the moon you will be very confused, after about 200 it will be even worse, it was for me when I first read it. The story does pick up, but there are still a number of things that will have your head spinning. Erikson is not the type to give info dumps so the brain cells will have to stay sharp while reading this book since the info is spread through all the books. The first book is the weakest of the 5 currently published simply because it is impossible to fully understand everything that happens since you don't have enough information about the Malazan world. But perseverance pays of tenfold as soon as the second book and there is hardly any filler (WOT?) so it is worthwhile not to skim through.

To give a head start I would say that there are 2 definite constants in the Malazan world. The first is convergence which means that power draws other power. And the second one is a balance of that power. It is also useful to condition your thinking and remember that this is a completely different world and is not based on LOTR or D&D, for example a god is not one in the conventional sense, but is just a powerful being who commands a warren (a realm can be used to release magic into the Malazan world).

Even though gardens is a good book, there will always be debate about its quality since it is quite complex and a lot of people can't take that. However, that debate dies off after Book 2 (Deadhouse Gates) , which even with a good dose of extra mystery is easier to follow and the Erikson proves himself as top class with incredible story that leaves most people very numb and wanting more. If you are not hooked after that there is still some hope as book 3 (memories of ice) is in my opinion even better.

There will invariably be comparisons made to George Martin's (another favourite of mine) song of ice and fire. Which is fair since they are both gritty and main characters can and do die. However, I would say that Martin is more character driven, while Erikson is more event or plot driven. But both do it so well that they are arguable writing the best ongoing fantasy series at present, other really don't come close.

So you should get into the Malazan series if you're looking for:

A powerful story that will blow you away
An intriguing web of plots with no clichés
A chance to test the limits of your imagination
A different world you can really get into

Enjoy.

Then I stumbled into George R.R. Martin, and I felt kind of refreshed. But with Eriksson one should say "it makes you feel reborn!" Great characters, with approaches scarcely read in fantasy books, where sword and magic, gods and mortals blend in a unique mixture of adventure, intrigue, and analysis of human nature that gets a grip on the reader until he has finished the story. After that, your first word usually is "Whoah!"

What fantasy fans need is more writers like Eriksson or Martin, so we can think that our cause is not lost.
Astonishing writting, complex plots but never boring, Eriksson provides something that many known writers just dream of. In Eriksson Books, nothing is what it seems to be, so the reader is always on the verge, trying to expect the unexpected while the tide of the story comes and goes, weaving surprising dialogues and plots, creating a maelström of characters so powerful that it doesn't matter who is the main one, since every one of them fits perfectly in the puzzle created by Eriksson. Absolutely brilliant.