Gardens of the Moon
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4.4 • 796 Ratings
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
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.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Plunge into a mesmerizing fantasy adventure brimming with charismatic, morally ambiguous characters. As the evil Empress Laseen moves to cement her power by conquering the last free city on the continent, a rogue army unit vies to capture it for themselves. But first they have to battle underworld criminals and a clutch of ancient deities. The first book in Steven Eriksen’s 10-volume Malazan Book of the Fallen series moves with the relentless efficiency of a great Dungeon Master, thrusting us right into the action and always keeping things interesting.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this sprawling fantasy epic of the Malazan empire at war with its enemies and itself, the first of a projected 10-volume series, Canadian newcomer Erikson offers many larger-than-life scenes and ideas, but his characters seem to shrink to fit the story. Perhaps they need to stay small enough for the reader to keep them all in mind. Jumping often between plot lines, the novel follows Ganoes Stabro Paran from his boyhood dreaming of soldiers to his escape from imperial service. Paran travels on journeys of body and soul, going from innocent to hardened rebel against gods and empire without losing his moral core. Other characters may go further, to death and back even, but none is as sharply portrayed. The book features a plethora of princes and paupers, powers and principalities, with much inventive detail to dazzle and impart a patina of mystery and ages past. The fast-moving plot, with sieges, duels (of sword and of spell), rebellions, intrigue and revenge, unearthed monsters and earth-striding gods, doesn't leave much room for real depth. Heroes win, villains lose, fairness reigns, tragedy is averted. Erikson may aspire to China Mi ville heights, but he settles comfortably in George R.R. Martin country. FYI: The first four volumes have already been published in the U.K.
Customer Reviews
Getting better
I’ve read this book 3 times now and it does get better with each read. I think the thing that amazes me most is the magic. It’s certainly powerful but it’s not so fantastic it overwhelms the story. It is a very bleak story and my one complaint is it feels like you’re not sure ho you’re rooting for or have a full understanding of the players involved. That being said I’ll continue to read and hopefully get a better understanding.
People can't read...
Why all the negativity? I understood everything that was going on through the whole book and loved it, some of the most detailed characters I've red about. Note this isn't one of those book where you can read a couple of pages and come back 2 weeks later and know exactly what's going on you have to be a fairly consistent reader and not skip around in the book, if you do you WILL be lost. Excellent series I recommend it to everybody who knows how to read ;)
Gardens of the Moon
Not a bad book. Hard to keep everything straight in the fist third of the book with so many plot threads. I like the fact that I got halfway through the book and still didn't know who was "bad" and you was "good". Effective use of "grey" characters. Many unanswered questions at the end of the book, too many if you ask me. I'll give the second book a shot and see how it goes.