Review of Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen series - **
Full disclosure: I have not completed the series- I am just beginning book 8. But I think that's enough for an informed review, so here goes.
Steven Erikson's Malazan series is less a series than a succession of stories, some of which are only vaguely connected to others. His world is vast and his characters numerous. One book may relate a tale of humans while another switches continents to tell of some savage race. Generally characters from one book will find themselves intermingled somewhere down the line. The books are firmly fixed in the fantasy genre, and very heavy on magic. His system of magic is so confusing that I still barely understand it.
Erikson's strong point is his characterizations. Characters such as Iksaral Pust, the powerful high priest of Shadow who can never figure out that he is speaking his petty and hateful thoughts aloud, never cease to amuse. Characters like Karsa Orlong, the giant and savage 4-lunged Toblakai who begins his saga on a quest to find and murder as many "children" (by which he means humans) as he can, will leave you gasping in awe. As will "The Emporer of a Thousand Deaths", gifted with a sword from the Crippled God which allows his soul to return and reanimate his body, leaving him a little more insane each time - though the first time was the worst, his resurrection occurring after burial rites involving gold coins seared into every inch of his corpse had already been performed. Death is no impedance to character development in Erikson's world, and even mortals can "ascend" to an unfilled role in the pantheon, if they are cool enough. In almost every novel Erikson finds a way to create characters ever more breathtakingly original and unforgettable.
Unfortunately, in the realm of plotting, Erikson falters. He adopts an almost "anime" style of plotting in which most of the action is nothing more than a lead-up to the "big event". Sometimes there will be two or 3 "big events", generally punctuated by grisly scenes of brutality in which the more powerful characters (who are often gods) generate destruction on a massive scale. Before the "big event" Erikson spends much of the time placing his myriad characters like pieces on a chess board,all contesting one square. Some of the books could be called "military fantasy" because Erikson's "big event" is often a clash between armies, with entire companies of infantry, along with generals, being fleshed out in detail beforehand.
The multitude of characters and "mini-plots" leading up to the big event can get incredibly confusing, and often makes the reading somewhat less than compelling. Erikson will even go so far as to provide a single paragraph for one characters story before moving on to the next. He almost always fleshes out both sides of a conflict. I have trouble remembering many of the characters as I read, particularly if they are doing nothing but trudging toward the next war trading witty barbs.
This is not always the case. For example, in House of Chains (book 4), The story of Karsa Orlong is told in a focused and effective manner for the first half of the book. It's Erikson's best piece of writing and although every book in this series is entertaining and worth reading, it may be the best place for the wary to begin.
Another problem I have with Erikson is his tendency to make his characters spout modernist, nihilistic drivel. "Enlightened" characters in the Erikson universe are generally embittered and unable to see the good in man. Such characters will often espouse savagery over civilization, though certainly both savagery AND civilization are equally, erm, savaged. Erikson is no doubt a leftist and as a capitalist who loves western civilization, I often take umbrage at his sense of life. I also find it hard, as a fantasy afficionado, to accept that cultural self-loathing is even possible in a pre-industrial civilization. I find it jarring. If you're a leftist you might prefer it, I don't know.
Finally, and most important: no author has overused a word the way Erikson has done with "desiccate". No long-dead battlefield is complete without desiccated corpses. No mention of the T'Lan Imass, a race of humanoids who forswore death and the afterlife in order to pursue a wraith-like vengeance against another race, would be complete without a nod to desiccated skin. In Erikson's world, even a shrug can be desiccated. I don't recall ever seeing the word used before, but man, he sure loves to throw it around!
I know it may seem that I have shit on Erikson a bit here, and perhaps you are wondering why I rate the series so highly with 2 stars. So I must reiterate that Erikson's characters are so inventive and unique that they will blow you away. And certainly, despite the draggy plots and too many characters, when the big event does come, oh yes, you will be satisfied every time.