Gardens of the Moon

The Malazan Book of the Fallen, Book 1

By: Steven Erikson

Narrated by: Ralph Lister

Length: 26 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

Vast legions of gods, mages, humans, dragons and all manner of creatures play out the fate of the Malazan Empire in this first book in a major epic fantasy series

The Malazan Empire simmers with discontent, bled dry by interminable warfare, bitter infighting and bloody confrontations with the formidable Anomander Rake and his Tiste Andii, ancient and implacable sorcerers. Even the imperial legions, long inured to the bloodshed, yearn for some respite. Yet Empress Laseen's rule remains absolute, enforced by her dread Claw assassins.

For Sergeant Whiskeyjack and his squad of Bridgeburners, and for Tattersail, surviving cadre mage of the Second Legion, the aftermath of the siege of Pale should have been a time to mourn the many dead. But Darujhistan, last of the Free Cities of Genabackis, yet holds out. It is to this ancient citadel that Laseen turns her predatory gaze.

However, it would appear that the Empire is not alone in this great game. Sinister, shadowbound forces are gathering as the gods themselves prepare to play their hand....

Conceived and written on a panoramic scale, Gardens of the Moon is epic fantasy of the highest order - an enthralling adventure by an outstanding new voice.

©1999 by Steven Erikson. (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Erikson is an extraordinary writer. My advice to anyone who might listen to me is, Treat yourself to Gardens of the Moon. And my entirely selfish advice to Steven Erikson is, write faster." --Stephen R. Donaldson

"I stand slack-jawed in awe of The Malazan Book of the Fallen. This masterwork of imagination may be the high water mark of epic fantasy. This marathon of ambition has a depth and breadth and sense of vast reaches of inimical time unlike anything else available today. The Black Company, Zelazny's Amber, Vance's Dying Earth, and other mighty drumbeats are but foreshadowings of this dark dragon's hoard." --Glen Cook

"A world that is both absorbing on a human level and full of magical sublimity...a wonderfully grand conception...splendidly written...fiendishly readable." --Adam Roberts

What the ….

Going into this I knew what I was getting myself into. There is absolutely no story here and this book is mostly world building and introducing about a thousand characters, with many at the end. If you love David Lynch movies then you will love this book.

Excellent high fantasy. Does well making magic obtainable and part of the world instead of a god power.

The first few chapters feel disjointed . Once you get a grasp of the setting and characters it all comes together for a fantastic adventure.

Not well organized and confusing.

I do not how to criticize this book but i want to hate it... The author is original and has decent story telling. I think he wrote it without an outline. The reader is thrown into the middle of a story with little understanding of what is going on, who is what, and what motivates them. No comparison to wheel of time or Shannara books.

Very entertaining

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. I really enjoyed the story. Interesting use of magical system. The relationship between gods and humans was very unique

Who was your favorite character and why?

Sari

What does Ralph Lister bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Great Voice acting. Kept me drawn in

Good but, but hard to follow

An amazingly constructed world, filled with magic, mayhem and great characters. The only issue I have is that the author details things rather oddly. Sometimes the book feels like a history book to another world(which is kinda cool but rather dry). Other times he flashes from place to place explaining almost nothing until you have no idea what's actually going on.

I'd recommend two listens if your going to go on with the series.

Very complicated

This is a very complicated and complex story. Keeping everything straight can be tough. The performance was excellent. Very interesting story but I'm not sure what the plot accomplished by the end. Maybe it's just setup for another book.

This Narrator..

Why narrate a book when it’s clear that every single word you speak is a struggle? I swear, he has to take a breaths mid sentence and every word is spoken like it’s being forced out with great effort... sometimes he has to whisper because it’s like he’s run out of voice.

Lastly, he reads everything with such contrived intensity that it’s impossible to know when something intense is actually happening.

I recommend reading this book with your own two eyes. It’ll be easier to process and more enjoyable.

Might be a great story but I couldn't follow it

I really struggled to follow this story. I had a feeling that it might have been amazing, but I just couldn't
figure out who was aligned with whom or against whom. I generally do well with following stories via listening, but this was one that I needed to probably read with my eyes. In the end, I felt frustrated and confused.

That being said, there were some excellent characters and some very original ideas and scenes - it was these that kept me from quitting before the finish, though I was THIS close to bailing at least a dozen times.

All of which is to say that I didn't really enjoy the experience overall, but I don't necessarily blame the author, who clearly has great skill and a fantastic imagination. If you're going to read this one, take notes on characters and their relationships and give it your full attention.

Finally

I've been trying to read this book for years. It's immersion style of story telling is frustrating, and you constantly feel like your missing something new.

But after buckling down and reading it multiple times. You wonder how you ever went so long without finishing.

It's taken about a week and a half, which for me is 5-6 days longer than typical. But I will say it's worth it, and I will read more.

great story

my only crtisisim is that I wish that the performer took a longer pause between paragraphs.

extremely well written. is there another way to express a raised eyebrow? Lots of them in this story.