Series Review - The Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson

To start things off, this is a series that I have already read before, and am currently re-reading it. In my opinion, this series is by far one of the best that I have ever read. And it is virtually impossible for me to review one book at a time as I finish them because I feel like it does not do everything justice. Especially because I have read it before, and it is impossible for me to just consider one book at a time.

One of the best things about this series is that none of the characters are perfect. Every character just seems extremely real; you see them make mistakes, you 'hear' their thoughts and know when what they are thinking is definitely far from true. The good guy characters are all very likeable in their own little way. The characters that are more on the neutral side, where they do both good and bad, are done well enough that they keep the reader guessing. When people die, and they do (especially if you are used to reading The Song of Fire and Ice) you feel sad at their passing  because you have grown attached to them in some way.

After the first book or so, the books after that happen along the same time frame but address the different areas of the world. For me at least, the way that he managed this was done well. You are slowly seeing really how big their world is, and how complex everything is. Each book that happens alongside each other reference the big events so you are able to keep everything straight time wise.

However, all of this pales behind Erikson's skill at doing plot twists. The first time I read this series I kept getting surprised by the different turns that the story takes, and it is just as enjoyable the second time around. You are slowly figuring out that everything is by far more complex then it had appeared to be.

The only downside that I had, and for me it wasn't much of one to really matter, but the first book sort of throws you in the deep end. I know many people who hate books that start off in that manner. If it is done well then I don't mind, it lets to reader have a more active time in trying to figure everything out. I can guarantee you however, that once you stick through it you will not regret it at all. This series has very memorable characters all over the place, a unique take on the system of magic (unique in the sense that so far none of my hundreds other books have done it this way), and a story that does not get boring at all. You are constantly being fed more information about the world you are reading, even in the times where it seems like events are going slow. I never found myself struggling through a part because it was getting boring.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to undertake a series that even for the fastest reader, will take awhile for you to get through. He is also currently working on a prequel series to go more in depth into the stories of the characters who are of the longer lived sort (think centuries of existence).