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

Not the story for multitasking!

A great establishing story, though they're is definately a lot going on with multiple moving parts. On more than one occasion I had to rewind due to missing some key piece. Well read and executed.

classically epic

Tis not a book for the faint of heart. If you are but brave, you will squeal with fanboy delight.

Intricate. Beautiful.

Epic on the scale of Tolkien. Large on the scale of Jordan. Visceral like Abercombie, minus the colloquial language.

Not to say that this is a patchwork of impressions of those authors, but their influence is apparent in this, entirely singular work.

The depth of the prose is amazing. Both beautiful and horrifying in places. Fast paced, and far richer in magic than GRRM or Abercombie, this is a high fantasy lover's dream.

I will caution that the plot and dialogue are finely woven, and without careful attention, the threads will pass the listener by. This is not an adventure story to listen to while doing something else. This demands, and deserves, your attention.

The narrator is superb. Just wonderful.

I really wanted to like this....

In spite of a great narration, this is one of those books that needs to be read instead of listened. It's simply too large, with too many characters, and too many subplots, to be easily consumed in the audiobook format. I'm going to get the kindle version and re-read it, to see if I want to continue with this series or not.

I have some other problems with the book, but I'm going to hold off on those feelings until I've read the kindle version. I may feel differently after reading the book with my own eyes. For now I'll just say, buy the paper or kindle version. Not the audiobook.

the best fantasy period

the voice actor brings this epic to life. whoever decided to remove him for the later books should be fired. be ready to get lost in another world.

Not for the multi-tasker!

As a print book, I am convinced this tale is amazing. Or, if I had an attention span that could focus purely on an audio experience, this tale would be phenomenal. But I had the audio book. And my attention is always split at least two ways while I listen. I felt bad about this, until I finished the book and read other reviews (I don't know why I didn't notice these before buying...) and realized I am not alone - and it's not (necessarily) my IQ that is failing.


First, the good:

- Narration. Is. Awesome. I really, really, really enjoyed listening to Ralph Lister. Maybe too much, because I'd kind of drift off with his voice in the background, pleasantly letting my mind wander while his expert performance continued. This can only happen if there is really NOTHING to annoy me about a narrator's voice. He was incredible. I'd cancel Pandora if he and Michael Kramer would just record a duet reading the phonebook. Among my top 5 narrators.

- Magic system! Incredible! Complex! Even that doesn't quite describe my enthusiasm for this imaginative and detailed organization of the magics used in this tale.

- Characters were well-crafted, endearing, had depth and complexity, were often witty without trying to be funny. I became attached to Whiskey-Jack and Captain Perrin and Tattersail (spelling unknown on each, these are what I heard). Their storylines are what kept me listening.


OK, now the not so good:

- Nearly everything that is good, is also somewhat negative, at least for me. The complexity is really this book's greatest strength and greatest weakness. I listen mostly while driving. Or while doing crosswords. Or exercising. Or doing chores. Or while reading other books. I am a serial multi-tasker who hates the television, so I listen to books for my background entertainment. This book is so poorly suited to this role. I had to restart the book 3 times, and rewind innumerable times, to figure out what I had missed (only to sometimes discover I had missed either nothing, or something that happened hours ago and I just had to deal with it). In print, I would be able to focus on these complexities and really enjoy them as they were meant to be enjoyed. But then I'd miss out on the narration ... Choices.

- No matter how much I liked the characters, I have no desire to listen to the next book. None. Usually, in a series, especially an epic one like this, after spending over 25 hours with the characters, I am itching for the next book because I just have to know what their futures hold. I did not feel this way when this book ended. I was actually relieved it was over because concentrating without my mind wandering or focusing on traffic (such a petty distraction) was getting exhausting.


In sum:

Steven Erikson is clearly a mastermind. One whose intellect and capacity for meticulous detail exceed my everyday abilities. If I go on a long plane ride, or train ride, or suddenly wake up and find myself with inhuman focus, he will get another chance. Possibly sooner. But, for now, he has tested the limits of my attention span and I have failed. He is just too good.

If you are a focused listener who doesn't often flip backward when you read in print, this epic is for you. And I envy your ability to enjoy it in a way I never will.

Not as bad as all the reviews suggest

Sure it’s not the best book I’ve ever listened to, but I found it enjoyable complex and fun. I will agree the shifting perspectives needs a bit more of a transition in the audio version because it’s often hard to keep track but if you pay attention I didn’t think it was too hard. The shifting perspective reminds me of one of those rom coms where there’s so many character that tie the story together, but they are constantly in each other’s scenes in the background which provides a transition of the point of view. It’s a fun and novel approach to the writing and I will be checking out the second book.

Even better the second time!

I'm listening to this book after reading years ago to make the prequel make more sense and I'm delighted that this story appeals to me even more now than when I read it 5–10 years ago 🙂

ralph lister is so friggin good

Ralph Lister is so freaking good I am very excited to listen to the next 2 books with Ralph Lister and then stop listening to the audiobooks and read them physically. Not to say that the other narrator is bad I just don't want to have to deal with them pronouncing things differently and my only big disappointment with the other narrator is that he never actually did the research to pronounce things the same way that Ralph Lister did maybe hes pronouncing them the proper way but I don't really care in terms of listening experience I just want to hear it the same way I heard at the 1st time

Awesome book

Awesome book, very interesting storyline, a lot of characters to deal with but i think it worths it. Looking forward for the second book. Recommended to any fantasy readers.