#1 - Gardens Of The Moon
Bled dry by interminable warfare, infighting and bloody confrontations with Lord Anomander Rake and his Tiste Andii, the vast, sprawling Malazan empire simmers with discontent.
Even its imperial legions yearn for some respite.
For Sergeant Whiskeyjack and his Bridgeburners, and for Tattersail - sole surviving sorceress of the Second Legion - the aftermath of the siege of Pale should have been a time to mourn the dead. But Darujhistan, the last of the Free Cities of Genabackis, still holds out against the empire - and Empress Lasseen's ambition knows no bounds.
However, it seems the empire is not alone in this great game. Sinister forces gather as the gods themselves prepare to play their hand . . .
Conceived and written on an epic scale, Gardens of the Moon is a breathtaking achievement - a novel in which grand design, a dark and complex mythology, wild and wayward magic and a host of enduring characters combine with thrilling, powerful storytelling to resounding effect.
Even its imperial legions yearn for some respite.
For Sergeant Whiskeyjack and his Bridgeburners, and for Tattersail - sole surviving sorceress of the Second Legion - the aftermath of the siege of Pale should have been a time to mourn the dead. But Darujhistan, the last of the Free Cities of Genabackis, still holds out against the empire - and Empress Lasseen's ambition knows no bounds.
However, it seems the empire is not alone in this great game. Sinister forces gather as the gods themselves prepare to play their hand . . .
Conceived and written on an epic scale, Gardens of the Moon is a breathtaking achievement - a novel in which grand design, a dark and complex mythology, wild and wayward magic and a host of enduring characters combine with thrilling, powerful storytelling to resounding effect.
#2 - Deadhouse Gates
'This masterwork of the imagination may be the high watermark of epic fantasy.' Glen Cook
'This is true myth in the making, a drawing upon fantasy to recreate histories and legends as rich as any found within our culture' Interzone
In the Holy Desert Raraku, the seer Sha'ik and her followers prepare for the long-prophesied uprising named the Whirlwind.
Enslaved in the Otataral mines, Felisin - youngest scion of the disgraced House of Paran - dreams of freedom and vows revenge.
The outlawed Bridgeburners Fiddler and Kalam conspire to rid the world of the Empress Laseen - although it seems the gods would, as always, have it otherwise.
And as two ancient warriors - bearers of a devastating secret - enter this blighted land, so an untried commander of the Malaz 7th Army leads his war-weary troops in a last, valiant running battle to save the lives of thirty thousand refugees.
In this thrilling second chapter in the epic story of the Malazan empire, war and betrayal, intrigue and roiling magic collide, shaping destinies and giving birth to legends . . .
'One of the best fantasy novels of the year.' SF Site
'Arguably the best fantasy series ever written.' Fantasy Book Review
'This is true myth in the making, a drawing upon fantasy to recreate histories and legends as rich as any found within our culture' Interzone
In the Holy Desert Raraku, the seer Sha'ik and her followers prepare for the long-prophesied uprising named the Whirlwind.
Enslaved in the Otataral mines, Felisin - youngest scion of the disgraced House of Paran - dreams of freedom and vows revenge.
The outlawed Bridgeburners Fiddler and Kalam conspire to rid the world of the Empress Laseen - although it seems the gods would, as always, have it otherwise.
And as two ancient warriors - bearers of a devastating secret - enter this blighted land, so an untried commander of the Malaz 7th Army leads his war-weary troops in a last, valiant running battle to save the lives of thirty thousand refugees.
In this thrilling second chapter in the epic story of the Malazan empire, war and betrayal, intrigue and roiling magic collide, shaping destinies and giving birth to legends . . .
'One of the best fantasy novels of the year.' SF Site
'Arguably the best fantasy series ever written.' Fantasy Book Review
#3 - Memories of Ice
The ravaged continent of Genabackis has given birth to a terrifying new empire: the Pannion Domin. Like a fanatical tide of corrupted blood, it seethes across the land, devouring all who fail to heed the Word of its elusive prophet, the Pannion Seer.
In its path stands an uneasy alliance: Dujek Onearm's Host and the Bridgeburners - each now outlawed by the Empress - alongside some enemies of old that include the grim forces of Warlord Caladan Brood, Anomander Rake, Son of Darkness, and his Tiste Andii, and the Rhivi people of the Plains.
But more ancient clans are also gathering. As if in answer to some primal summons, the massed ranks of the undead T'lan Imass have risen. It would seem that something altogether darker and more malign threatens the very substance of this world. The Warrens are poisoned, and rumours abound that the Crippled God is now unchained and intent on a terrible revenge . . .
Marking the return of many favourite characters from Garden of the Moon and introducing a host of remarkable new players, Memories of Ice is the thrilling third chapter in Steven Erikson's magnificent, genre defining epic fantasy.
In its path stands an uneasy alliance: Dujek Onearm's Host and the Bridgeburners - each now outlawed by the Empress - alongside some enemies of old that include the grim forces of Warlord Caladan Brood, Anomander Rake, Son of Darkness, and his Tiste Andii, and the Rhivi people of the Plains.
But more ancient clans are also gathering. As if in answer to some primal summons, the massed ranks of the undead T'lan Imass have risen. It would seem that something altogether darker and more malign threatens the very substance of this world. The Warrens are poisoned, and rumours abound that the Crippled God is now unchained and intent on a terrible revenge . . .
Marking the return of many favourite characters from Garden of the Moon and introducing a host of remarkable new players, Memories of Ice is the thrilling third chapter in Steven Erikson's magnificent, genre defining epic fantasy.
#4 - House of Chains
In Northern Genabackis, just before the events recounted in GARDENS OF THE MOON, a raiding party of savage tribal warriors descends from the mountains into the southern flat lands. Their intention is to wreak havoc among the despised lowlanders, but for the one named Karsa Orlong it marks the beginning of what will prove an extraordinary destiny.
Some years later, it is the aftermath of the Chain of Dogs. Coltaine, revered commander of the Malazan 7th Army is dead. And now Tavore, elder sister of Ganoes Paran and Adjunct to the Empress, has arrived in the last remaining Malazan stronghold of the Seven Cities to take charge. Untested and new to command, she must hone a small army of twelve thousand soldiers, mostly raw recruits, into a viable fighting force and lead them into battle against the massed hordes of Sha'ik's Whirlwind. Her only hope lies in resurrecting the shattered faith of the few remaining survivors from Coltaine's legendary march, veterans one and all.
In distant Raraku, in the heart of the Holy Desert, the seer Sha'ik waits with her rebel army. But waiting is never easy. Her disparate collection of warlords - tribal chiefs, High Mages, a renegade Malazan Fist and his sorceror - is locked in a vicious power struggle that threatens to tear the rebellion apart from within. And Sha'ik herself suffers, haunted by the private knowledge of her nemesis, Tavore...her own sister.
So begins the awesome new chapter in Steven Erikson's MALAZAN BOOK OF THE FALLEN - an epic novel of war, intrigue, magic and betrayal from a writer regarded as one of the most original, imaginative and exciting storytellers in fantasy today.
Some years later, it is the aftermath of the Chain of Dogs. Coltaine, revered commander of the Malazan 7th Army is dead. And now Tavore, elder sister of Ganoes Paran and Adjunct to the Empress, has arrived in the last remaining Malazan stronghold of the Seven Cities to take charge. Untested and new to command, she must hone a small army of twelve thousand soldiers, mostly raw recruits, into a viable fighting force and lead them into battle against the massed hordes of Sha'ik's Whirlwind. Her only hope lies in resurrecting the shattered faith of the few remaining survivors from Coltaine's legendary march, veterans one and all.
In distant Raraku, in the heart of the Holy Desert, the seer Sha'ik waits with her rebel army. But waiting is never easy. Her disparate collection of warlords - tribal chiefs, High Mages, a renegade Malazan Fist and his sorceror - is locked in a vicious power struggle that threatens to tear the rebellion apart from within. And Sha'ik herself suffers, haunted by the private knowledge of her nemesis, Tavore...her own sister.
So begins the awesome new chapter in Steven Erikson's MALAZAN BOOK OF THE FALLEN - an epic novel of war, intrigue, magic and betrayal from a writer regarded as one of the most original, imaginative and exciting storytellers in fantasy today.
#5 - Midnight Tides
After decades of warfare, the tribes of the Tiste Edur have at last united under the rule of the Warlock King. But peace has been exacted at a terrible price - a pact made with a hidden power whose motives are at best suspect, at worst deadly.
To the south, the expansionist kingdom of Lether has devoured all of its less-civilised neighbours with rapacious hunger. All save one - the Tiste Edur.
But Lether is approaching a long-prophesied renaissance that it will take it from a kingdom and lost colony to an empire reborn - and has fixed its gaze on the rich lands of the Tiste Edur. It would seem inevitable that the tribes will surrender, succumbing to the suffocating weight of gold, or to slaughter at the edge of a sword.
Or so Destiny has decreed.
A pivotal treaty between the two sides nears, but unknown ancient forces are awakening. For the impending struggle between these two peoples is but a pale reflection of an altogether more profound, primal battle - a confrontation driven by a still-raw betrayal and a craving for vengeance.
War and confrontation, magic and myth collide in this, the stunning fifth chapter in Steven Erikson's magnificent The Malazan Book of the Fallen - a series hailed as an epic of the imagination and a classic work of high fantasy.
To the south, the expansionist kingdom of Lether has devoured all of its less-civilised neighbours with rapacious hunger. All save one - the Tiste Edur.
But Lether is approaching a long-prophesied renaissance that it will take it from a kingdom and lost colony to an empire reborn - and has fixed its gaze on the rich lands of the Tiste Edur. It would seem inevitable that the tribes will surrender, succumbing to the suffocating weight of gold, or to slaughter at the edge of a sword.
Or so Destiny has decreed.
A pivotal treaty between the two sides nears, but unknown ancient forces are awakening. For the impending struggle between these two peoples is but a pale reflection of an altogether more profound, primal battle - a confrontation driven by a still-raw betrayal and a craving for vengeance.
War and confrontation, magic and myth collide in this, the stunning fifth chapter in Steven Erikson's magnificent The Malazan Book of the Fallen - a series hailed as an epic of the imagination and a classic work of high fantasy.
#6 - The Bonehunters
The Seven Cities Rebellion is over, Sha'ik is dead, but a last rebel force remains, holed up in the city of Y'Ghatan under the fanatical command of Leoman of the Flails. The prospect of laying siege to this ancient fortress makes the battle-weary Malaz 14th Army uneasy - for it was here that the Empire's greatest champion Dassem Ultor was slain and a tide of Malazan blood spilled...
But agents of a far greater conflict have made their opening moves. The Crippled God has been granted a place in the pantheon, a schism threatens, sides must be chosen but whatever each god decides, the rules have changed - and the first blood spilled will be in the mortal world: a world in which a host of characters, familiar and new, search for a fate that they might fashion by their own will. If only the gods would leave them alone.
But gods are disinclined to be kind. There shall be war, war in the heavens. And the prize? Nothing less than existence itself...
But agents of a far greater conflict have made their opening moves. The Crippled God has been granted a place in the pantheon, a schism threatens, sides must be chosen but whatever each god decides, the rules have changed - and the first blood spilled will be in the mortal world: a world in which a host of characters, familiar and new, search for a fate that they might fashion by their own will. If only the gods would leave them alone.
But gods are disinclined to be kind. There shall be war, war in the heavens. And the prize? Nothing less than existence itself...
#7 - Reaper's Gale
The Letherii Empire is in turmoil. Rhulad Sengar, the Emperor of a Thousand Deaths, spirals into madness, while the Errant, once a farseeing god, appears suddenly blind to the future. Driven by the corruption and self-interest, the empire edges ever-closer to all-out war with its neighbouring kingdoms. And the great Edur fleet draws ominously ever closer. With Karsa Orlong and Icarium Lifestealer among its warriors, that blood will be spilled is certain.
But a band of fugitives look to escape from Lether. One of them, Fear Sengar, seeks the soul of Scabandari Bloodeye, for he hopes that with its help, they might halt the Tiste Edur and so save the emperor, his brother. But another is Scabandari's old enemy: Silchas Ruin, brother of Anomander Rake. He carries scars inflicted by Scabandari, and such bloodshed cannot go unanswered. There is to be a reckoning and it will be on an unimaginable scale...
But a band of fugitives look to escape from Lether. One of them, Fear Sengar, seeks the soul of Scabandari Bloodeye, for he hopes that with its help, they might halt the Tiste Edur and so save the emperor, his brother. But another is Scabandari's old enemy: Silchas Ruin, brother of Anomander Rake. He carries scars inflicted by Scabandari, and such bloodshed cannot go unanswered. There is to be a reckoning and it will be on an unimaginable scale...
#8 - Toll The Hounds
The eighth book in Erikson's acclaimed Malazan Book of the Fallen fantasy sequence
It is said that Hood waits at the end of every plot, every scheme, each grandiose ambition. But this time it is different: this time the Lord of Death is there at the beginning...
Darujhistan swelters in the summer heat and seethes with portents, rumours and whispers. Strangers have arrived, a murderer is abroad, past-tyrannies are stirring and assassins seem to be targeting the owners of K'rul's Bar. For the rotund, waistcoat-clad man knows such events will be dwarfed by what is about to happen: for in the distance can be heard the baying of hounds.
Far away, in Black Coral, the ruling Tiste Andii appear oblivious to the threat posed by the fast-growing cult of the Redeemer - an honourable, one-mortal man who seems powerless against the twisted vision of his followers.
So Hood waits at the beginning of a conspiracy that will shake the cosmos, but at its end there is another: Anomander Rake, Son of Darkness, has come to right an ancient and terrible wrong...
Archaeologist and anthropologist Steven Erikson's debut fantasy novel, Gardens of the Moon, was shortlisted for the World Fantasy Award and introduced fantasy readers to his epic 'The Malazan Book of the Fallen' sequence, which has been hailed 'a masterwork of the imagination'. This River Awakens was his first novel, and originally published under the name Steve Lundin. Having lived in Cornwall for a number of years, Steve will be returning to Canada in late summer 2012. To find out more, visit www.malazanempire.com and www.stevenerikson.com
It is said that Hood waits at the end of every plot, every scheme, each grandiose ambition. But this time it is different: this time the Lord of Death is there at the beginning...
Darujhistan swelters in the summer heat and seethes with portents, rumours and whispers. Strangers have arrived, a murderer is abroad, past-tyrannies are stirring and assassins seem to be targeting the owners of K'rul's Bar. For the rotund, waistcoat-clad man knows such events will be dwarfed by what is about to happen: for in the distance can be heard the baying of hounds.
Far away, in Black Coral, the ruling Tiste Andii appear oblivious to the threat posed by the fast-growing cult of the Redeemer - an honourable, one-mortal man who seems powerless against the twisted vision of his followers.
So Hood waits at the beginning of a conspiracy that will shake the cosmos, but at its end there is another: Anomander Rake, Son of Darkness, has come to right an ancient and terrible wrong...
Archaeologist and anthropologist Steven Erikson's debut fantasy novel, Gardens of the Moon, was shortlisted for the World Fantasy Award and introduced fantasy readers to his epic 'The Malazan Book of the Fallen' sequence, which has been hailed 'a masterwork of the imagination'. This River Awakens was his first novel, and originally published under the name Steve Lundin. Having lived in Cornwall for a number of years, Steve will be returning to Canada in late summer 2012. To find out more, visit www.malazanempire.com and www.stevenerikson.com
#9 - Dust of Dreams
The penultimate book in the acclaimed Malazan Book of the Fallen fantasy series
On the Letherii continent the exiled Malazan army commanded by Adjunct Tavore begins its march into the eastern Wastelands, to fight for an unknown cause against an enemy it has never seen.
The fate awaiting the Bonehunters is one no soldier can prepare for, and one no mortal soul can withstand - the foe is uncertainty and the only weapon worth wielding is stubborn courage. In war everyone loses, and this brutal truth can be found in the eyes of every soldier in every world.
Destinies are never simple. Truths are neither clear nor sharp. The Tales of the Malazan Book of the Fallen are drawing to a close in a distant place, beneath indifferent skies, as the last great army of the Malazan Empire seeks a final battle in the name of redemption. Final questions remain to be answered: can one's deeds be heroic when no one is there to see it? Can that which is unwitnessed forever change the world? The answers await the Bonehunters, beyond the Wastelands...
Archaeologist and anthropologist Steven Erikson's debut fantasy novel, Gardens of the Moon, was shortlisted for the World Fantasy Award and introduced fantasy readers to his epic 'The Malazan Book of the Fallen' sequence, which has been hailed 'a masterwork of the imagination'. This River Awakens was hist first novel, and originally published under the name Steve Lundin. Having lived in Cornwall for a number of years, Steve will be returning to Canada in late summer 2012. To find out more, visit www.malazanempire.com and www.stevenerikson.com
On the Letherii continent the exiled Malazan army commanded by Adjunct Tavore begins its march into the eastern Wastelands, to fight for an unknown cause against an enemy it has never seen.
The fate awaiting the Bonehunters is one no soldier can prepare for, and one no mortal soul can withstand - the foe is uncertainty and the only weapon worth wielding is stubborn courage. In war everyone loses, and this brutal truth can be found in the eyes of every soldier in every world.
Destinies are never simple. Truths are neither clear nor sharp. The Tales of the Malazan Book of the Fallen are drawing to a close in a distant place, beneath indifferent skies, as the last great army of the Malazan Empire seeks a final battle in the name of redemption. Final questions remain to be answered: can one's deeds be heroic when no one is there to see it? Can that which is unwitnessed forever change the world? The answers await the Bonehunters, beyond the Wastelands...
Archaeologist and anthropologist Steven Erikson's debut fantasy novel, Gardens of the Moon, was shortlisted for the World Fantasy Award and introduced fantasy readers to his epic 'The Malazan Book of the Fallen' sequence, which has been hailed 'a masterwork of the imagination'. This River Awakens was hist first novel, and originally published under the name Steve Lundin. Having lived in Cornwall for a number of years, Steve will be returning to Canada in late summer 2012. To find out more, visit www.malazanempire.com and www.stevenerikson.com
#10 - The Crippled God
The final, apocalyptic chapter in one of the most original, exciting and acclaimed fantasy series of our time . . .
The Bonehunters are marching to Kolanse, and to an unknown fate. They are exhausted - an army on the brink of mutiny. But their commander will not relent. If she can hold her forces and their fragile alliances together, Adjunct Tavore Paran means to challenge the gods...
Ranged against Tavore and her allies are the Forkrul Assail. Their desire is to cleanse the world - to eradicate every civilization, to annihilate every human - in order to begin anew.
And outside the abandoned city of Kharkanas, thousands have gathered upon the First Shore. Led by Yedan Derryg, they are preparing for the coming of the Tiste Liosan - and a battle they cannot win.
It had long been known that there would be a reckoning, but not the true, terrifying scale of what was to come. For the Elder Gods seek to shatter the chains that bind a force of utter devastation and set her free. It seems that, once more, there will be dragons in the world...
And so begins the last chapter in Steven Erikson's extraordinary, genre-defining Malazan Book of the Fallen.
The Bonehunters are marching to Kolanse, and to an unknown fate. They are exhausted - an army on the brink of mutiny. But their commander will not relent. If she can hold her forces and their fragile alliances together, Adjunct Tavore Paran means to challenge the gods...
Ranged against Tavore and her allies are the Forkrul Assail. Their desire is to cleanse the world - to eradicate every civilization, to annihilate every human - in order to begin anew.
And outside the abandoned city of Kharkanas, thousands have gathered upon the First Shore. Led by Yedan Derryg, they are preparing for the coming of the Tiste Liosan - and a battle they cannot win.
It had long been known that there would be a reckoning, but not the true, terrifying scale of what was to come. For the Elder Gods seek to shatter the chains that bind a force of utter devastation and set her free. It seems that, once more, there will be dragons in the world...
And so begins the last chapter in Steven Erikson's extraordinary, genre-defining Malazan Book of the Fallen.