steven erikson malazan book of the fallen goodreads

Even in my third reread of the series I found pieces that I missed, changing my whole view of related events. A character's thoughts may give you some insight, but like real people, actions speak louder than words.ģ) Your first read through will be woefully incomplete. Characters can be introspective, sometimes to the point where a reader may want to skip, but there are often profound repercussions on the character's actions, and characters will sometimes seem to be acting paradoxically to their thoughts, but this only makes the characters more realistic. A character may muse on another character's qualities or their own, but every character is fallible, never take a point of view for granted. They must be judged by the reader through their actions. Never is a character's personality or motivations spelled out in absolutes. Some first time readers complain that the writing is sub par at first glance, but it isn't, it only seems so until you realize that Erikson rarely wastes words, and pretty much anything on the page is relevant, you just may not realize it yet.Ģ) Characters will not give themselves away (this goes for plots as well). A couple of key points for potential readers:ġ) Nothing is trivial. Be warned, at first it is confusing and seems random, but if you bear with it, you will be rewarded. Hands down my favorite fantasy series ever.

Steven erikson malazan book of the fallen goodreads