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

by Steven Erikson (Author), Neil Gower (Drawings)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (95 customer reviews)
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Frequently Bought Together

Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen) + Deadhouse Gates (Book 2 of The Malazan Book of the Fallen) + Memories of Ice (Book 3 of The Malazan Book of the Fallen)
Price For All Three: £21.13

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  • This item: Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen) by Steven Erikson

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  • Deadhouse Gates (Book 2 of The Malazan Book of the Fallen) by Steven Erikson

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  • Memories of Ice (Book 3 of The Malazan Book of the Fallen) by Steven Erikson

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Product details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 736 pages
  • Publisher: Bantam Books; New edition edition (1 Mar 2000)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0553812173
  • ISBN-13: 978-0553812176
  • Product Dimensions: 17.4 x 10.6 x 4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (95 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 126,553 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

With a field as crowded as heroic fantasy, a reader is entitled to know what makes the latest blockbuster worth his or her attention: but Bantam books are throwing considerable marketing weight behind Steven Erikson, because they clearly believe he is the Next Big Thing. They may be right--he has the breadth and detail of imaginative vision, he is able to create a world that is both absorbing on a human level and full of magical sublimity, and, above all, he can write.

Gardens of the Moon concerns the military campaign by the Malazan Empire to capture the last remaining Free City on the Gernsbackian continent. War is waged with conventional soldiers as well as powerful magicians, and gods mix with mortals in a complex, but rewarding, series of narrative threads that come chiefly out of the school of Feist's Magician, although there is also something of the flavour of Gavriel Kay's celebrated Fionavar books. The moon of the title is a wonderfully grand conception, a sort of floating mountain that moves through the skies of the war-striken continent, and is the home of the 'Son of Darkness'. The various magical battles are splendidly written, and the characters are well realised. Rewardingly mellow and fiendishly readable. --Adam Roberts --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.



Product Description

The Malazan Empire simmers with discontent, its subject states bled dry by warfare, purges, internecine strife and clashes with Anomander Rake, Lord of Moon's Spawn and the mysterious Tiste Andii. Even the imperial legions, long inured to bloodshed, yearn for respite. Yet the Empress' rule remains absolute, enforced by her dreaded Claw assassins.

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Customer Reviews

95 Reviews
5 star:
 (63)
4 star:
 (15)
3 star:
 (6)
2 star:
 (8)
1 star:
 (3)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (95 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
36 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Get into the Malazan World, 30 Mar 2005
Now where do I start? Gardens of the moon is the first book in a series of 10 (5 out so far) based on at least 5 continents and I estimated over 10 different character POV per book. There is also about 300, 000 years of relevant history, numerous different species and a completely different system of 'magic' to the regular fantasy fare. With countless mysteries and good number of extremely powerful beings it is quite hard to get your head around it at first. So I will try my best in this review to give you a good idea of what to expect from the series as a whole.

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.

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21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars An acquired taste, 23 April 2008
There was a lot going for this book. Epic scale, both in geographical and historical scope, multiple original plot lines, plenty of action, and well written.
So why only 2 stars?
Because, when all was said and done with the book, there was not one character that i came away caring about. They could all die, or not, i just didn't care, and that is Erickson's greatest flaw.
This book is reminiscent of a '70's movie, which strived for that 'real, 'gritty' feel, where there is no black and white, no good or bad, just shades of grey. Well, I do like a lot of contemporary authors that are writting 'dark and gritty,' such as Martin, Abercrombie, Ruckley, etc. but they still write characters that i feel concern for. This reminded me of 'Apocalypse Now', or 'Serpico', movies that i can appreciate on a certain level, but left me feeling cold. I prefer 'Gladiator' or 'Braveheart.'
I guess it comes down to a matter of taste - I can recognise quality within the work, a keen intelligence has crafted this world, but i could say the same for a lot of classical music or jazz, (much of which i love) but it takes more than that to make a book 'work.'. In all of my favourite books i have been drawn into varying levels of emotional involvement, which is really what i'm looking for in a read. Garden's of the Moon excels on a complex historical/cultural/geographical level, as well as maintaining multiple plot lines and truly original ideas, such as the 'Warren' magic systems, but what it is sadly lacking is interesting characters; ones that you care about or hate enough to want to find out what happens to them. Really the ultimate goal of a book for me is to be moved emotionally, to be transported to a world and characters where my mind keeps returning even when i'm not reading.This is not that kind of book - at the end of the day it just didn't move me.
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24 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The turn of the tide, 11 Jul 2002
After I read "Gardens of the Moon", I felt that I had to write a small review telling everyone out there how good this book was.
After almost 22 years of reading fantasy literature I had the feeling that the fountain of inspiration for fantasy writers had finally dried out.

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.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Halfway through review (so bear that in mind)
Bought the first in the Malazan series after various recommendations here. Not really sure I am enjoying it. About halfway through the book. Read more
Published 17 days ago by Hardin

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow!
The story starts with the encounter between a boy called Ganoes Paran and the Sergeant Wiskeyjack during the final year of the Emperor Kellanved's reign. Read more
Published 20 days ago by Yagiz Erkan

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Start To The Series
Gardens of the Moon is a fantasy set during a particularly brutual war brought about by the expansionist ambitions of the Malazan Empire. Read more
Published 29 days ago by L. Ferguson

2.0 out of 5 stars Epic but drab.
Having read other reviews for this book I sank my teeth into this being careful not to lose concentration as I knew it was supposed to be a bit of a challenge. Read more
Published 1 month ago by T. Ristola

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent but not as mindblowing as some would lead you to believe
I had came across this series since I was looking for something as good as A Song of Ice and Fire and this had came highly recommended, some would say its better than the... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Matthew Riches

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good, but better to come
I have read this a staggering 5 times in the last 6 years. Not as good as some of the books that follow it, but still miles better than most fantasy series.
Published 2 months ago by D Blewer

5.0 out of 5 stars a little confusing but worth every page
I decided to get the first 3 books in this series from the reviews alone. someone else said in their review that by 150 pages you will be confused and 300 u will be more confused,... Read more
Published 4 months ago by A. Mellor

5.0 out of 5 stars Start of an epic that matches worlds best
I have become a fan, and thats rare for me. Tolkein got me as a young man, Zelazny later, but this series is huge and well written and enjoyable. Read more
Published 5 months ago by A Johnson

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Fantasy book ever
I bought this book one of malazan series after reading good review for it on a fantasy books website. Read more
Published 5 months ago by rpg gamer

3.0 out of 5 stars What just happened?
Reading this book is a bit like sitting down at a feast where your host keeps presenting dish after dish to whet your appetite, giving you a brief taste of each and then whisking... Read more
Published 9 months ago by JF

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