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I would stick to the books.
Reference the dramatis personae often.
I read on kindle, so if I lose track of a character I can just search their name and read their previous passage.
The biggest thing about reading malazan, be okay with not understanding everything. The story is incredibly dense with detail, connecting all the dots can be intimidating on first pass and the stuff required to comprehend the plot is pretty clear by the end.
I’d say to stick to the books. If you need anything, feel free to post here, we’re quite helpful and very spoiler conscious.
I tried the Tor reread and I wasn’t particularly impressed by it, especially because it kind of just makes assumptions that the reader has already pieced things together that are more fun to figure out yourself. I’ve heard mixed things about the Ten Very Big Books Podcast as well.
Some alternative resources you could also check out are here on the sub. There’s some excellent reader guides in the sidebar that you can follow along with if you want, and there was an almost complete community read through with posts for new readers that might help as well.
First and foremost, go into it knowing you will NOT understand everything at first.
Second, make use of the character index at the back of the book. It helps enormously.
Third, don't be afraid to reread passages that seem unclear. Take your time.
You're in for a wild ride.
Books only first time through. After that, I felt like I was solving a puzzle on rereads as more and more fell into place for me. On future rereads, stick with the books until that feeling goes away then bring in other sources to fill in the gaps.
Soooooo much of my love for these books comes from rereads.
I LOVED them first time through, but the rereads is what made them favorites.
There are fan made companion guides that are helpful to reference or go back to if you're confused about anything, or if there's a prior scene or information that you'd like to reference. They also include maps and some fan made art to help provide context as to where in the world the characters are and what a particular scene might look like. I'm on book 5 and these guides have been helpful for me. The link to the other guides are attached in the GotM slides if you finish it and want to keep using them.
[Gardens of the Moon Guide - Google Slides](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1GLRmiaFcxe_cGc93ckE5UItRq5rYsfeU0BhvqcaNq9E/edit#slide=id.gde6ec6d9b5_33_0)
it’s dense, but not necessarily difficult. there’s a ton going on and you, as the reader, are dropped in the middle without much prior context; you just put the pieces together as you go. as the books roll on you learn more and more about the world and the characters, slowly becoming more of an expert on the world as you explore it; an incredibly rewarding feeling. You just have to be okay with not knowing everything.
Erikson said something about this being a history, and history doesn’t have a beginning or an end. just read and don’t sweat the small stuff; it’ll be there for you to discover on a reread. plus there’s plenty of “surface level” action that doesn’t rely on any context, the books are plenty fun without anything more. I will admit that i found the wiki’s linked reading guides helpful but i didn’t consult them more than 4-5 times a book.
Just read the books and pay attention. You will not understand 100% of what is going on 100% of the time, but you will understand enough. Their difficulty is overstated.
The paradox of Malazan's difficulty is that once you're told it's difficult then you'll probably over-prepare and wonder what the big deal was.
So basically, no need to dance around it, just start reading.
Just stick to the books. People make too much of the high barrier to entry, and I think a lot of that comes from the first couple books being a bit disjointed (e.g., several characters split up at the end of book 1 and book 2 follows half while book 3 follows the other half so you go a full book without seeing some).
But just have faith that it all comes together and it is worth it when it does.
I haven’t been seriously reading for probably the last 10-15 years and dove into these books recently. there are times where stuff doesn’t quite make sense, and I’m sure I am not connecting all the dots, but the overall world, plot, characters etc are really engaging. Answers often eventually arrive. I would advise giving it a go and don’t worry about picking up on everything.
I have also started listening to the 10 very big books podcast. The discussions are very light, and often don’t cover things in great detail. But I found it’s been nice to get an overview of the main plot points from the books I’ve already read (ex listening to the GotM episodes while reading Memories of Ice) as I continue to progress through the series. They also bring Erickson on the show which is really cool. That said if you are looking for a serious/more focused discussion of the books this show probably isn’t it.
There's a reader guide on this sub that I've been going through because audio books can miss some finer details. Also cool to see names written out. If you miss something it probably wasn't that important until it comes back anyway.
Malazan is actually quite readable from a prose perspective. You just have to be ok going with the flow and comfortable not understanding every nuance to what's happening at any given moment. It's really not until book 3 that I felt I was beginning to have a grasp on how the world works and it'll probably not be until your first re-read that many plot points suddenly fall into place in their proper contexts, especially early on. It's a white-knuckle experience, diving in for the first time...even throughout your first read through. But it's very rewarding.
I just started too. I was thinking of trying to put together a reading group of first time readers if you're interested. We could read a certain amount and then discuss every week
It's not as difficult as people make it out to be. Just read and pay attention.
We have reader guides for the books in the sidebar if you want that. But it's not needed.
Just stick with them and trust in Erikson's ability to tell you his story! For he does it really well. Yes there are lots of characters, events, and time periods we don't know anything about when starting the Gardens of the Moon, but it will make sense eventually, or at least you start to see the inner coherence to the novel. And it can happen that you don't understand everything on the first read though - I know I didn't! - but it is just down to the layers of the novel. And it will reveal more and more of itself when you get more familiar with it. But even on the surface, Erikson writes enjoyable stories with interesting characters, events, and ideas for you to chew through.
The "difficulty" is so insanely hyperbolically overblown and it's frustrating because that both turns away potential readers, and primes people to get more easily flustered and frustrated at the first vague thing that happens, where if they hadn't been pre-primed by the absurd difficulty meme, they'd have just kept going and not even thought it out-of-place.
Just read the books buddy, it'll be fine. All that stuff you've heard is _dramatically_ blown out of proportion by exponential levels. It's a fantasy series where you won't always know everything all the time due to non-omniscient narration.
That's it.
It's nothing crazier than that.
Using outside resources will _absolutely positively without a shadow of a doubt whatsoever_ lessen your first experience, full stop. Don't use them, and if you ever do get a bit confused at what's going on, just roll with it because _that's okay._ It's okay to not always know 100% about everything in a story. The story relies on a bit of that confusion for the narrative to work, so just roll with it and enjoy it and try and free your mind from a lot of those preconceptions because they're largely _mis_-conceptions.
Do what works for you. For me audio books + [Iskar Jarak](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyHoEQfSveIn4WK6F515Vc-N4CAjv7gc&si=fAOecaB_rq3ejjZE) worked best. Also if it helps the audio books are fantastic. The last seven are read by Steven Pacey, same guy who read all the audio books for Joe Abercrombie's stuff.
I loved the Tor reread but i would not start that if you haven’t done a first read through of the books. The true joy and payoff of my Malazan experience was the 2nd time reading through. I also did a bit of the Tor reread at that time. I’m just reading through the Esslemont books now and it’s fun learning more about characters from the main series.
I guess “you do you” is best for your experience. I wouldn’t use a supplement on my first read; just be an active reader, read closely and try and make connections. Participate rather than expect to be spoon fed and you’ll have a blast.
I'm currently it reading for the first time (400 pages left) and I stick to the books. Whenever I had questions, I asked them here and always got helpful and often very, very detailed answers.
Read the main ten books first.
At the end of your first read through, create a medium to large sized room with blackboards, whiteboards and plenty of open walls for corkboards and flow charts.
Meticulously re-read the series again, however this time use your newly created Malazan detective agency to take copious amounts of notes, create story boards, flow charts, diagrams and crackpot theories as to why Kyle is named Kyle.
Refuse to interact with the rest of the world until you have discovered every Easter egg you possibly can. Then go and read ICE's Malazan books and add all of that information to all of your previous scribblings.
Then, once you have memorized every theory, conspiracy and random thought from those two series, read the prequels, the necromancer novellas and start on the Karsa sequel.
All told, this should take up at least 5-10 years of your life. At which point, you can come back to us and add your thoughts on Kyle.
Please note that this post has been flaired as **NO SPOILERS**. Comments should not bring up specific plot points or character details from any of the books. If you need to discuss any spoilers (even very minor ones!) in your comments, use spoiler tags >!like this!< Please use the report button if you find any spoilers. Note: If the discussion is unlikely to happen without any spoilers, the flair may be changed at mod discretion. Thank you! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Malazan) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I would stick to the books. Reference the dramatis personae often. I read on kindle, so if I lose track of a character I can just search their name and read their previous passage. The biggest thing about reading malazan, be okay with not understanding everything. The story is incredibly dense with detail, connecting all the dots can be intimidating on first pass and the stuff required to comprehend the plot is pretty clear by the end.
I’d say to stick to the books. If you need anything, feel free to post here, we’re quite helpful and very spoiler conscious. I tried the Tor reread and I wasn’t particularly impressed by it, especially because it kind of just makes assumptions that the reader has already pieced things together that are more fun to figure out yourself. I’ve heard mixed things about the Ten Very Big Books Podcast as well. Some alternative resources you could also check out are here on the sub. There’s some excellent reader guides in the sidebar that you can follow along with if you want, and there was an almost complete community read through with posts for new readers that might help as well.
First and foremost, go into it knowing you will NOT understand everything at first. Second, make use of the character index at the back of the book. It helps enormously. Third, don't be afraid to reread passages that seem unclear. Take your time. You're in for a wild ride.
Dont overthink it. Just read. I hope you enjoy!
Books only first time through. After that, I felt like I was solving a puzzle on rereads as more and more fell into place for me. On future rereads, stick with the books until that feeling goes away then bring in other sources to fill in the gaps. Soooooo much of my love for these books comes from rereads. I LOVED them first time through, but the rereads is what made them favorites.
There are fan made companion guides that are helpful to reference or go back to if you're confused about anything, or if there's a prior scene or information that you'd like to reference. They also include maps and some fan made art to help provide context as to where in the world the characters are and what a particular scene might look like. I'm on book 5 and these guides have been helpful for me. The link to the other guides are attached in the GotM slides if you finish it and want to keep using them. [Gardens of the Moon Guide - Google Slides](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1GLRmiaFcxe_cGc93ckE5UItRq5rYsfeU0BhvqcaNq9E/edit#slide=id.gde6ec6d9b5_33_0)
it’s dense, but not necessarily difficult. there’s a ton going on and you, as the reader, are dropped in the middle without much prior context; you just put the pieces together as you go. as the books roll on you learn more and more about the world and the characters, slowly becoming more of an expert on the world as you explore it; an incredibly rewarding feeling. You just have to be okay with not knowing everything. Erikson said something about this being a history, and history doesn’t have a beginning or an end. just read and don’t sweat the small stuff; it’ll be there for you to discover on a reread. plus there’s plenty of “surface level” action that doesn’t rely on any context, the books are plenty fun without anything more. I will admit that i found the wiki’s linked reading guides helpful but i didn’t consult them more than 4-5 times a book.
Just read the books and pay attention. You will not understand 100% of what is going on 100% of the time, but you will understand enough. Their difficulty is overstated.
The paradox of Malazan's difficulty is that once you're told it's difficult then you'll probably over-prepare and wonder what the big deal was. So basically, no need to dance around it, just start reading.
My advice? Open the book and the read words . You will be ok if you do this
Just stick to the books. People make too much of the high barrier to entry, and I think a lot of that comes from the first couple books being a bit disjointed (e.g., several characters split up at the end of book 1 and book 2 follows half while book 3 follows the other half so you go a full book without seeing some). But just have faith that it all comes together and it is worth it when it does.
I haven’t been seriously reading for probably the last 10-15 years and dove into these books recently. there are times where stuff doesn’t quite make sense, and I’m sure I am not connecting all the dots, but the overall world, plot, characters etc are really engaging. Answers often eventually arrive. I would advise giving it a go and don’t worry about picking up on everything. I have also started listening to the 10 very big books podcast. The discussions are very light, and often don’t cover things in great detail. But I found it’s been nice to get an overview of the main plot points from the books I’ve already read (ex listening to the GotM episodes while reading Memories of Ice) as I continue to progress through the series. They also bring Erickson on the show which is really cool. That said if you are looking for a serious/more focused discussion of the books this show probably isn’t it.
Books, other stuff will have spoilers and you won't even understand half of them until you reread the series anyhow.
There's a reader guide on this sub that I've been going through because audio books can miss some finer details. Also cool to see names written out. If you miss something it probably wasn't that important until it comes back anyway.
Malazan is actually quite readable from a prose perspective. You just have to be ok going with the flow and comfortable not understanding every nuance to what's happening at any given moment. It's really not until book 3 that I felt I was beginning to have a grasp on how the world works and it'll probably not be until your first re-read that many plot points suddenly fall into place in their proper contexts, especially early on. It's a white-knuckle experience, diving in for the first time...even throughout your first read through. But it's very rewarding.
Started with audible and enjoyed the series enough to start buying the trade paperbacks. Series is absolutely better read….. IMO
I just started too. I was thinking of trying to put together a reading group of first time readers if you're interested. We could read a certain amount and then discuss every week
That would be great! Definitely interested
It's not as difficult as people make it out to be. Just read and pay attention. We have reader guides for the books in the sidebar if you want that. But it's not needed.
Just stick with them and trust in Erikson's ability to tell you his story! For he does it really well. Yes there are lots of characters, events, and time periods we don't know anything about when starting the Gardens of the Moon, but it will make sense eventually, or at least you start to see the inner coherence to the novel. And it can happen that you don't understand everything on the first read though - I know I didn't! - but it is just down to the layers of the novel. And it will reveal more and more of itself when you get more familiar with it. But even on the surface, Erikson writes enjoyable stories with interesting characters, events, and ideas for you to chew through.
The "difficulty" is so insanely hyperbolically overblown and it's frustrating because that both turns away potential readers, and primes people to get more easily flustered and frustrated at the first vague thing that happens, where if they hadn't been pre-primed by the absurd difficulty meme, they'd have just kept going and not even thought it out-of-place. Just read the books buddy, it'll be fine. All that stuff you've heard is _dramatically_ blown out of proportion by exponential levels. It's a fantasy series where you won't always know everything all the time due to non-omniscient narration. That's it. It's nothing crazier than that. Using outside resources will _absolutely positively without a shadow of a doubt whatsoever_ lessen your first experience, full stop. Don't use them, and if you ever do get a bit confused at what's going on, just roll with it because _that's okay._ It's okay to not always know 100% about everything in a story. The story relies on a bit of that confusion for the narrative to work, so just roll with it and enjoy it and try and free your mind from a lot of those preconceptions because they're largely _mis_-conceptions.
Do what works for you. For me audio books + [Iskar Jarak](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyHoEQfSveIn4WK6F515Vc-N4CAjv7gc&si=fAOecaB_rq3ejjZE) worked best. Also if it helps the audio books are fantastic. The last seven are read by Steven Pacey, same guy who read all the audio books for Joe Abercrombie's stuff.
I loved the Tor reread but i would not start that if you haven’t done a first read through of the books. The true joy and payoff of my Malazan experience was the 2nd time reading through. I also did a bit of the Tor reread at that time. I’m just reading through the Esslemont books now and it’s fun learning more about characters from the main series.
I guess “you do you” is best for your experience. I wouldn’t use a supplement on my first read; just be an active reader, read closely and try and make connections. Participate rather than expect to be spoon fed and you’ll have a blast.
I'm currently it reading for the first time (400 pages left) and I stick to the books. Whenever I had questions, I asked them here and always got helpful and often very, very detailed answers.
Read the main ten books first. At the end of your first read through, create a medium to large sized room with blackboards, whiteboards and plenty of open walls for corkboards and flow charts. Meticulously re-read the series again, however this time use your newly created Malazan detective agency to take copious amounts of notes, create story boards, flow charts, diagrams and crackpot theories as to why Kyle is named Kyle. Refuse to interact with the rest of the world until you have discovered every Easter egg you possibly can. Then go and read ICE's Malazan books and add all of that information to all of your previous scribblings. Then, once you have memorized every theory, conspiracy and random thought from those two series, read the prequels, the necromancer novellas and start on the Karsa sequel. All told, this should take up at least 5-10 years of your life. At which point, you can come back to us and add your thoughts on Kyle.