Best Book in the Series (so far)?

[Farm Ur-Ted]

Yeah, when I voted way-back-when, I'd only read the first 3 books, and MoI is still probably my favorite, although HoC was no slouch either.

[Onos T'oolan]

I wasn't expecting such greatness from it, but Return of the Crimson Guard is tied for my third favorite, after MoI and DG.

[Darujhistan]

Just finished MT, and I enjoyed it very much. 5 books in and i'm starting to feel maybe as if this series is better as indivdual novels rather than a series. What i'm really hoping is the next 3 books really tighten things up for the final 2 in the series.

Here's my rank so far.

1. Memories of Ice
2. Deadhouse Gates
3. Midnight Tides
4. House of Chains
5. Gardens of the Moon (I feel sorry for GOTM, it's always going to be the worst novel in the series, and suffers from being a scene setter, and really itseems to me Steven was not half the writer he was in DG)

I did hear a tale that GOTM was written a long time before DG and shelved...that would explain the jump in the quality of writing.

I now have the first 8 novels all in MM paperback (smallest size) with the new covers and they look great on my shelf! - i'm sure the final two will also eventually come in this format.

My plans for finishing the series are to read TBH, RG, TTH before the release of The Crippled God, and then read Dust of Dreams of TCG back to back as soon as TGC is released.

The release date for TGC in the UK is Jan 20, 2011...

[Onos T'oolan]

That's a great ranking. I'd say MT and HoC could interchange, but, if I had to pick one, I'd put HoC at #3.

[Darujhistan]

That's a great ranking. I'd say MT and HoC could interchange, but, if I had to pick one, I'd put HoC at #3.

It was a close run thing, I just think MT is 'tighter' than HOC, although HOC's opening 'Faces in the rock' is one of the best sections in any of the malaz series i've read so far.

[I'm Murrin]

Moved Darujhistan's post and the replies to a (slightly) more relevant topic. Still doesn't fit, but you had a rank of the books so far, and I couldn't find a better option.

[Cameraman Jenn]

I haven't voted yet. I need to seriously think about it. I love that so many of you in the first part of this thread agree with me on Karsa being awesome. I had a conversation with Steve a while back in which he asked me what stood out about the series and my first reaction was to mention Karsa and his see it simple and tell it like it is/do or do not personality and how much I enjoy reading his story and how much more fun it became with the addition of the complicated peronality of Samar Dev. He looked surprised and told me that he was really glad to hear that because he gets more hate over Karsa than any other character in the series ESPECIALLY since the introduction of Samar Dev and especially from WOMEN. I was shocked to find that out. I imagine all the fans of Karsa will be flabbergasted by that as well.

[lucimay]

yeah thats crazy! i loved karsa before samar but after he met her i find that their story line is probably my favorite and the single most anticipated outcome of any of the major threads in the series.

[Darujhistan]

yeah thats crazy! i loved karsa before samar but after he met her i find that their story line is probably my favorite and the single most anticipated outcome of any of the major threads in the series.

Love stories? - ew!

Esepcially not in Fantasy, i'll skim read that nonsense!

[Onos T'oolan]

Does this mean you haven't read the Romance thread??
kevinswatch.ihugny.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=15906

[Darujhistan]

Does this mean you haven't read the Romance thread??
kevinswatch.ihugny.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=15906

There's a romance thread???

[Onos T'oolan]

I don't see a post. Did you check it out yet??

[Zenlunatic]

I'm not going to vote yet, since I haven't finished all the books, but at this point I'd go with:

1) Gardens of the Moon (not because it's my favorite book of the series so far or the best written (it's not), but I consider it the "best" book since it set the stage for all to follow, and I just remember what a departure it was from other fantasy I had read...it was so different and Erikson just threw you in to the middle of it as a reader with little guidance...I thought it was great - others hate it but that's a matter of opinion.)
2) Midnight Tides (my "favorite" book so far)
3) Memories of Ice
4) Deadhouse Gates
5) House of Chains
6) Tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach 1
7) Night of Knives

In truth, they're all great...

[lucimay]

I'm not going to vote yet, since I haven't finished all the books, but at this point I'd go with:

1) Gardens of the Moon (not because it's my favorite book of the series so far or the best written (it's not), but I consider it the "best" book since it set the stage for all to follow, and I just remember what a departure it was from other fantasy I had read...it was so different and Erikson just threw you in to the middle of it as a reader with little guidance...I thought it was great - others hate it but that's a matter of opinion.)

In truth, they're all great...

i soooooo agree with you about Gardens of the Moon.

when i first read the series i'd've said that DG was my favorite, and it still is in many respects. traveling the chain of dogs with duiker was like being at the Peloponnesian wars with Thucydides. i loved that aspect of it.

but i've read the series through several times now, in weird orders as well, and House of Chains is brilliant. there's a LOT of info in that one that i didn't get my first time through.

memories of ice is also at the top of the list for me.

and i LOVED Badalle's poetry in Dust of Dreams.

i can't choose a favorite book because its too large a story and to me, it's all one story.

All of the Malazan Book of the Fallen is my favorite book.

[Avatar]

Yeah, I sorta feel the same.

--A