Has anyone who likes high fantasy (Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones etc.) read this series?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malazan_Book_of_the_Fallen (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malazan_Book_of_the_Fallen)
The author is new to me. Not sure if it is my current "thing" after reading a bit on Amazon. But might give it a go.
I don't recommend it.
There's lots of bleak stuff, which is fine but there isn't much reward for all the suffering you do.
Some good characters, some seem to be duplicated.
I got up to book nine (maybe) and thought this is a good place to drop it.
Quote from: Bad Penny II on April 02, 2018, 10:39:44 AM
I don't recommend it.
There's lots of bleak stuff, which is fine but there isn't much reward for all the suffering you do.
Some good characters, some seem to be duplicated.
I got up to book nine (maybe) and thought this is a good place to drop it.
Are they well written at least? :)
I'd hate to start a series only to drop it somewhere in the middle! I felt like doing that with the Game of Thrones books when I got to book 3 (slow, tortuously slow). And those books aren't the amongst the best written books out there. ::)
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on April 02, 2018, 12:47:23 PM
Are they well written at least? :)
I'd hate to start a series only to drop it somewhere in the middle! I felt like doing that with the Game of Thrones books when I got to book 3 (slow, tortuously slow). And those books aren't the amongst the best written books out there. ::)
I might not be the best person to ask this, back when Game of Thrones was being discussed, (not favourably) I said I liked his style. Does well written mean prose, sentence structure and/or the way the story is structured? This is another story with lots of different stories occurring on different continents.
I like Kruppe, it's not all Kruppe, more's the pity.
QuoteKruppe paused to study the cheese in his hand. 'A thought Kruppe has not considered before now, mingling with the silent observation of mould on this cheese. But alas, the subject is in danger of being lost within the maze of such semantics. Nor can beggars be choosers when it comes to cheese. You have returned once again, and Kruppe knows why, as he has already explained with admirable equanimity.'
'The Coin spins, Kruppe, still spins.' The spokesman's face lost its humour.
Kruppe sighed. He handed the chunk of goat cheese to the man seated on his right. 'Kruppe hears it,' he conceded wearily. 'He cannot help but hear it. An endless ringing that sings in the head. And for all that Kruppe has seen, for all that he suspects to be, he is just Kruppe, a man who would challenge the gods in their own game.'
Another random selection.
QuoteKalam walked around the wax circle to the bed. He took a leather satchel from a peg above the bedpost and set it down on the thin, straw-filled mattress. Peeling back the flap he removed the contents. A minute later he'd laid out the mechanisms for a goat's foot arbalest. The crossbow's metal parts had been blued, the narrow wooden stock soaked in pitch and dusted with black sand. Kalam slowly, quietly, assembled the weapon.
Quick Ben spoke behind him. 'Done. Whenever you're ready, friend.'
'The man left through the kitchen. But he'll be back,' Kalam said, rising with the arbalest in his hands. He attached a strap to it and slung the weapon over one shoulder. Then he faced the wizard. 'I'm ready.'
Quick Ben also stood, wiping his forehead with a sleeve. 'Two spells. You'll be able to float, control every descent. The other should give you the ability to see anything magical – well, almost anything. If there's a High Mage kicking around, we're out of luck.'
I don't mind the way GoT's story is structured, even though I found myself dreading some characters' chapters. It isn't among the worst out there as well, I just found some parts to be repetitive and others too drawn out. George Martin is good at building the universe but his books could have done with some more creativity in choice of words and figures of speech, I think. The impression I got was that the writing was very cinematic, like it was written for the screen even before it got to the screen. That's not necessarily a bad thing, I just prefer something a little different.
I read all 5 of the GoT books so far, so it's not like I totally hated the experience. ;)