Have you heard of Malazan: Book of the Fallen? If you frequent the fantasy subreddit you almost certainly have, since it will often get recommended for almost every imaginable request. Steven Erikson’s magnum opus is well known for being one of the most expansive and narratively packed series in epic fantasy, with over 400 POV characters, and action spanning several continents and magical dimensions across ten books averaging over 1000 pages each (not counting the several prequels, spin-off novellas, sequels and companion series, some written by co-creator of the setting Ian Esslemont).
I first started reading Malazan thirteen years ago, where I finished the first two books. Then again ten years ago where I managed to get to book seven. Finally, four years ago I read the series from start to finish in three months. Since then I’ve gone on multiple rants about the series to friends and anyone who cares to listen. There’s a lot to love in this series, but also a lot of off-putting elements that make the series hard to recommend. I’m going to try and collect the core themes of my rants together now, in the hopes that I get most of it out of my system (and have somewhere to point people if they want to know what I have to say).
Some things to say before I begin – this is not an exhaustive review of the series, nor is it an admonition of the writer or anyone who loves the series and it doesn’t present a coherent or well researched critique of the series from any literary viewpoint. This is a rant about how I feel about the books, nothing more or less. There will be varying degrees of spoilers, especially regarding the general fate of certain characters and the overall shape of the series.
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Writings of a Doomscribe 