• 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
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (11,918 ratings)

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Gardens of the Moon  By  cover art

Gardens of the Moon

By: Steven Erikson
Narrated by: Ralph Lister
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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

Featured Article: The top 100 fantasy listens of all time


When compiling our list of the best fantasy listening out there, we immediately came up against the age-old question: Is this fantasy or science fiction? The distinction is not as clear as you may think. Dragons, elves, and wizards are definitely fantasy, but what about wizards that also fly space ships? (Looking at you, Star Wars.) For the sake of fantasy purity, the top 100 fantasy listens include the best audio works in all manner of fantasy subgenres.

What listeners say about Gardens of the Moon

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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    6,653
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Performance
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Story
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  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

great book

This is an amazing book, but if you stop paying attention for a minute you will be lost.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

One of the best Fantasy Series ever written

Erikson's Malazan series is long and intricate but well worth the time and effort to carefully follow every interesting and tight plot line.

Ralph Lister is a joy to listen to as he brings the character's and Erikson's world to life brilliantly.

The price for these audiobooks is staggeringly low for the quality and length in comparison to other books. I strongly suggest you grab every book in the series ASAP!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

SUCKS that the Ralp Lister only does 3 books

Would you listen to Gardens of the Moon again? Why?

Yes, Because of Ralph Lister bringing the story to life.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Cropper!

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

He is AMAZING, and I will not be listening any Malazan book that is not done by him.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Ralp Lister.... That is all

Any additional comments?

Please Re-do the books all under Ralph Lister, the new guy reading book 4 and on has made the rest of this story un-listenable for me.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

No Clue What is going on 3 times through

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would be hard pressed to recommend these books. I feel like even though I am very used to fantasy novels and writers this series requires you to essentially listen and take notes.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Paran I think I mean god know who all the characters are and half of them have similar names. I'm not even sure I know what is going on.

Any additional comments?

Hire an editor for your next book

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Complicated but Enjoyable Ride

What made the experience of listening to Gardens of the Moon the most enjoyable?

The wealth of characters, all of which had amazing voices from Lister, made this a very fun listen.

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoyed a lot of slight details the author threw in, my favorite example is a bit of a spoiler, but Erikson definitely knows how to link the various stories occurring in the book.

Which character – as performed by Ralph Lister – was your favorite?

Kruppe is the best for sure, he's more or less that one crazy friend we all have, really fun to listen to.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Tattersail's fate is fairly emotional, don't want to spoil anything though!

Any additional comments?

It will take you some time to get into (like most Fantasy/Sci-Fi) but if you can stick with it, you'll enjoy yourself immensely.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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Rewarding!

The narrative is dense and rewards readers for taking the time to figure out what is going on. nothing is spoon fed to the reader. the book was amazing. I thoroughly recommend it

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Grand but joyless

needlessly complicated power fantasy plot that drives endlessly on with meaningless histories and Deus machina

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

My review of the performance

The book seemed well written lots of different plot lines that converged. However, the performance was terrible. The accent of the narrator was such that I difficulty understanding half of what he said when he talked, especially when he voiced different voices. Some of the characters he portrayed unintelligible. It's really detracted from my enjoyment of the book.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Narrator

Love these books. however, first 3 books are hard to get through due to this narrator.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

well written but not my style

This book is like a fever dream or Salvitor Dali painting odd, hard to describe and subject to taste. I can see the appeal gods, demi-gods, immortals, mages mixed regular humans. With multiple planes of existance, animated marionettes and dragons the other tells a tale of a particular set of events from all sides perspectives at once. I think the jumping from character to character group to group is what lost me. With as esoteric as the world is the like of a centeral grounding point in the form of a cause or character to route for is what loses it for me personally. That said the writing, imagery and poetry are clearly the work of a talented artist.

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