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Malazan


Ammanas

Favorite Malazan Book  

15 members have voted

  1. 1. Favorite Malazan Book

    • GotM
      0
    • DG
      0
    • MoI
      5
    • HoC
      0
    • MT
      3
    • Bonehunters
      3
    • RG
      2
    • TtH
      2
    • DoD
      0
    • CG
      0
    • FoD
      0
    • FoL
      0
    • KoK
      0
    • RotCG
      0
    • Stonewielser
      0
    • OST
      0
    • BoB
      0
    • Assail
      0
    • Dancers Lament
      0
    • Deadhouse Landing
      0
    • Kellanved's Reach
      0


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36 minutes ago, Yvainnie said:

I really dont mind spoilers because they just get me excited more for that book :)

Precisely! If a spoiler ruins a book, that book is not that good. Or, if all you are interested in is what happens and not HOW it happens, the writer (or reader) did not do their job right. 

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I wonder if there is anyone in this book who is ultimately bad guy (just worst motherf*cker). So far, I always thought that I find him until I read some pages from their point of view, which made sense and I really did not kno who is bad or who is not. There were two exception and that what Anaster and Leoman. Anyone agrees? And I think Crippled God may be one but I am in Bonehunters now so I will wait until I know more of him, but he seems like he would fit right with the two of them.

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2 hours ago, Yvainnie said:

 There were two exception and that what Anaster and Leoman. Anyone agrees? 

I actually really like Leoman in...

Spoiler

Esslemont's Stonewielder and Orb, Sceptre, Throne. I think Anastar knew he was born wrong and knew he had a problem if I remember Memories of Ice correctly. Erikson is on the record of saying that the main message of his malazan books is "compassion". Even Malick Rell in Esslemonts books seem to be a very capable administrator that is making life a lot better for the typical malazan citizen; he also seems willing to let the past go and move on with the future

 

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7 hours ago, Yvainnie said:

I wonder if there is anyone in this book who is ultimately bad guy (just worst motherf*cker). So far, I always thought that I find him until I read some pages from their point of view, which made sense and I really did not kno who is bad or who is not. There were two exception and that what Anaster and Leoman. Anyone agrees? And I think Crippled God may be one but I am in Bonehunters now so I will wait until I know more of him, but he seems like he would fit right with the two of them.

I mean "bad guy" always depends on which side you're standing on, and I think Erikson does a good job portraying that with people like Karsa, the Edur, Draconus, and Kallor. Even Anaster is humanized, to a point.

Really the only character that sucks pretty much all the time is the Errant, and even he started much more benign than he ended. So obnoxious. Also, he is

Spoiler

more or less responsible for Trull's death, which I cannot forgive.

Plus Korbolo Dom, and Mallick Rel are pretty terrible.

Edited by officiumdefunctorum
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10 hours ago, Ammanas said:

I actually really like Leoman in...

  Hide contents

Esslemont's Stonewielder and Orb, Sceptre, Throne. I think Anastar knew he was born wrong and knew he had a problem if I remember Memories of Ice correctly. Erikson is on the record of saying that the main message of his malazan books is "compassion". Even Malick Rell in Esslemonts books seem to be a very capable administrator that is making life a lot better for the typical malazan citizen; he also seems willing to let the past go and move on with the future

 

I do have to read those books since right now after...

Spoiler

Y´Ghatan

I hate him but it is true that I also thought ....

6 hours ago, officiumdefunctorum said:

I mean "bad guy" always depends on which side you're standing on, and I think Erikson does a good job portraying that with people like Karsa, the Edur, Draconus, and Kallor. Even Anaster is humanized, to a point.

Really the only character that sucks pretty much all the time is the Errant, and even he started much more benign than he ended. So obnoxious. Also, he is

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more or less responsible for Trull's death, which I cannot forgive.

Plus Korbolo Dom, and Mallick Rel are pretty terrible.

...Karsa was evil. But he seems to be pretty good.

Nice thought about compassion, I never actually thought of that this way but it makes a lot of sense also in makes me wonder about Crippled God, I thought him worst evil until...

Spoiler

Paran blessed his House of Chanis

...I think he is definitely the one who could recieve some compassion.

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1 hour ago, Yvainnie said:

I admit I have not read it yet but it is in my list of books to read mostly because Sanderson finished those last ones but I heard from a lot of people a lot of complain that some of the books from the series are unreadable.

Listen to the audiobooks. Michael Kramer and Kate Reading are magical and any slow parts are totally worth it for how awesome everything else is.

It has flaws like any long series, but ultimately it is so well constructed that I think of it as the pinnacle of the genre if you're bringing a story from its beginning to its conclusion. People will disagree with me, but it's super worth it.

Also... Sanderson's contribution is amazing but there were things he did that cheesed me pretty hard, so. There's that.

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5 hours ago, officiumdefunctorum said:

Listen to the audiobook

Speaking of audiobooks I have a question about one. I have all of Esslemonts first six books except for Return of the Crimson Guard. In the review section a couple of people mentioned there is a flaw with one sequence in the audiobook being switched with another. Has that been fixed? Did you notice anything like that when you listened to it?

Also on a WoT note, since I now know you are female, do you or know anyone that yanks their braids/hair when they are upset? I have never come across any females who do that and yet I think they all do in that series. 

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16 minutes ago, Ammanas said:

Speaking of audiobooks I have a question about one. I have all of Esslemonts first six books except for Return of the Crimson Guard. In the review section a couple of people mentioned there is a flaw with one sequence in the audiobook being switched with another. Has that been fixed? Did you notice anything like that when you listened to it?

Also on a WoT note, since I now know you are female, do you or know anyone that yanks their braids/hair when they are upset? I have never come across any females who do that and yet I think they all do in that series. 

Mallet and Hedge both pull their own hair, iirc. On a funny note, everytime someone pulling their own his comes up, I think of Bill Murray in Kingpin

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7 minutes ago, AngelEy3 said:

Mallet and Hedge both pull their own hair, iirc

Maybe its just more noticeable in WoT because it happens almost every page lol. I don't remember that Mallet Hedge scene, but I'm sure there are lots of scenes I dont remember buried beneath the 25k thousand or so pages of Malazan :)

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3 hours ago, Ammanas said:

Maybe its just more noticeable in WoT because it happens almost every page lol. I don't remember that Mallet Hedge scene, but I'm sure there are lots of scenes I dont remember buried beneath the 25k thousand or so pages of Malazan :)

Pust, too!

And no, hair pulling is not my particular affectation, though to be fair my hair is super long, and curly, and I do mess with it constantly if it's down. If I had a braid as "thick as my wrist" hanging over my shoulder, I'd probably mess with it, too.

I think of it like Islington's Lycanius books. He always always ALWAYS writes that someone "inclined/s their head", which is NOT A THING PEOPLE DO except very occasionally or if you're, like, Lucius Malfoy. But nobody ever nods agreement, or says "yep", it's always "inclined his head". I honestly was going to start counting, like the skirt smoothing.

So yeah, braid tugging is a Jordanism.

Re: audiobook. I didn't notice anything wonky, but that doesn't necessarily mean it wasn't there.

Edited by officiumdefunctorum
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I feel a little ridiculous (since I have read all ten malazan books twice) but I am looking at Tad Williams Otherland series, which is only four books, and I feel intimidated! All the books are such massive tombs and I heard there is a lot going on and stuff to keep track of.

If I want to go the free route, through the library, they only have the mass market paperback versions and you would need a magnifying glass to read the print. Its not on overdrive, but I might spring for the audiobooks as its currently cheaper than it usually is. Has anyone read or listened to these and have a preference for ebooks vs audio? Is this series even worth the effort?

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@Ammanas I've never heard of it before, but usually forgo anything with a Goodreads rating below 4 stars. GR has all four books at a just about a solid 4 stars, and the audible ratings are better. Maybe listen to a sample? 28 hours doesn't feel long, anymore. Not after 55 hours of Oathbringer, lol.

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I am also a Malazan fan who is intimidated by Tad.  I get the impression that Memory, Sorrow, & Thorn is the fan favorite series, but I could be wrong.  That's the one I'm planning on starting with, daunting as it may be.  I've heard that To Green Angel Tower is the longest published English fantasy book of all time.

Edited by Who Sharded?
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@officiumdefunctorum I listened to a sample and think I will go that route! I know you have a reputation for devouring audiobooks so maybe you will eventually give it a chance. I think it was more of the small print being a barrier than anything else...I got vertigo just reading a couple of paragraphs! I may of gotten spoiled with large kindle print size...

@Who Sharded?According to this list I read awhile back it is 5th longest!

http://thewertzone.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-longest-sff-novels-of-all-time.html?m=1

Edited by Ammanas
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I'll give a update when I am through with it (if anyone is interested), but City of the Golden Shadow feels like a malazan book in one respect; he keeps on introducing new plot line after new plotline (I think I am  at five right now) and I have no idea how they are going to relate to one another! They are all more or less interesting. The opening section was a surprise for me it follows a WW1 soldier in the middle of a battle before things start getting really strange.

It looks like a typical Tad Williams novel with a very, very slow plot advancement  but nice prose, and solid world building. It's just interesting how the author explores the world he creates. Perhaps my random thoughts belong in the What You are Currently Reading section of the website so let me know if you want to keep it strictly malazan. Personally I think small tangents are ok within reason...

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Otherland Bk 1 is superb. Bk 2 is good but lacks the impact of 1. Bk 3 was okish from what I was able to read of it. My rusting copy had a defect about 2/3 of the way in and it repeated hundreds of pages that I already read with no ending in book. I never rebought it so I didn’t read bk 4. Pissed me off. Ed: just an example I got to pg 600 and the next pg went back to pg 400 

MS&T was superb. I will get new novella(not paying full HC$ on a novella) and new trilogy after it all hits in pb.

Edited by Briar King
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Okay, so I'm four books into the Wheel of Time re-read, and I'm already thinking ahead to my Stormlight re-read (nostalgia, Stormlight was my impulse buy when I finished WoT for the first time because I was devastated it was over and didn't know what to do after two months of Rand al'Thor's journey), and here's my take on something I appreciate a lot about Malazan:

Profanity. Like, I absolutely understand the whys and wherefores of having a home grown set of curses and whatnot to keep things PG-13 or just for reasons of personal taste, but I think back to times when characters like Temper, Hedge, Quickben, Draconus (v dramatic moment in Forge of Darkness) and Udinaas let 'em rip, and how totally relatable it was.

Jordan does it better than Sanderson, I think. "Light!" and "Blood and bloody ashes!" and "Burn me." are infinitely less... infantile than "Storm you". But man, it's gonna be awhile before someone gives the verbal finger to anyone in a book I'm planning to read, and I miss it already.

Edited by officiumdefunctorum
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40 minutes ago, officiumdefunctorum said:

Okay, so I'm four books into the Wheel of Time re-read, and I'm already thinking ahead to my Stormlight re-read (nostalgia, Stormlight was my impulse buy when I finished WoT for the first time because I was devastated it was over and didn't know what to do after two months of Rand al'Thor's journey), and here's my take on something I appreciate a lot about Malazan:

Profanity. Like, I absolutely understand the whys and wherefores of having a home grown set of curses and whatnot to keep things PG-13 or just for reasons of personal taste, but I think back to times when characters like Temper, Hedge, Quickben, Draconus (v dramatic moment in Forge of Darkness) and Udinaas let 'em rip, and how totally relatable it was.

Jordan does it better than Sanderson, I think. "Light!" and "Blood and bloody ashes!" and "Burn me." are infinitely less... infantile than "Storm you". But man, it's gonna be awhile before someone gives the verbal finger to anyone in a book I'm planning to read, and I miss it already.

It can be frustrating. It's like, for storm's sake, they are adult novels for adults! Your writing is not superior if you choose not to use swears.

 

Here's a short video that talks a bit of why swears can be fine and why we do it (with swears, of course!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfJ_-YdDYSk

 

Edited by TheOrlionThatComesBefore
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I think its all in how its done. I don't mind the cursing as long as it feels natural in the story (which in Malazan it certainly is). One series where it feels forced is Nevernight by Jay Kristoff; he drops a f bomb in what I feel like is every line of dialogue and it seems like he is trying to make a young adult novel "edgier". I feel like Lies of Locke Lamora had tons of cursing as well, but it seemed like it fit the story better. Oh, and in case anyone is interested about Nevernight, its ok...I guess, but I can't recommend it though. It's just a free audiobook from the library and I listen to on my walks. It has a lot of flaws, but am curious how it will end.

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38 minutes ago, Ammanas said:

I think its all in how its done. I don't mind the cursing as long as it feels natural in the story (which in Malazan it certainly is). One series where it feels forced is Nevernight by Jay Kristoff; he drops a f bomb in what I feel like is every line of dialogue and it seems like he is trying to make a young adult novel "edgier". I feel like Lies of Locke Lamora had tons of cursing as well, but it seemed like it fit the story better. Oh, and in case anyone is interested about Nevernight, its ok...I guess, but I can't recommend it though. It's just a free audiobook from the library and I listen to on my walks. It has a lot of flaws, but am curious how it will end.

I started thinking of Gentleman Bastards as soon as I started reading your post, haha. I think, especially with the audiobooks, it feels weird in Michael Page's voice, at first. It's a little discordant, but in Locke and Jean's characters it feels a lot more like Hedge and Fiddler.

"Nice bird, arsehole" will forever be one of my favorite quotes.

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