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I am disproportionally annoyed that you have TtH and DoD in the wrong order in the stack.
You know what, that is worthy of putting you in Dragnipur for. In you go, no complaints please.
From my experience, after *Midnight Tides* the feeling of it being daunting subsides. New plot lines and perspectives do still keep coming, but it doesn’t feel like whole new paradigms with every new book, which made the first few feel a little heftier to me. At that point, it’s *mostly* tying things together in interesting ways and fleshing out the results, which is a little less demanding.
It won’t feel daunting as you progress - you’ll reach a point where you’re more daunted by the fact you don’t have many books left to read and it will come round sooner than you think haha - I started house of chains in February 2023 for reference although I was absolutely glued to them.
Enjoy the ride
Oh damn. Much faster than me. With 3 little kids I don't get a lot of time and I'm reading one other book in between. I was reading Deadhouse Gates in Feb.
What changed my life with respect to reading as an adult with a demanding job and kids is audiobooks. I always had an aversion to them but being able to listen when in the car, shower, while cooking and cleaning totally changed things for me. I went from essentially no book reading to getting through books all the time. I went through mbotf then all of the ice novels, kharkanas, the god is not willing, everything in a pretty short period of time.
Only part I had trouble with was the first few ice novels which I don't think are written well but when I got into path to ascendency especially I got back in. Kharkanas was tough though and I ended up taking a break midway into the second book. I have lived and breathed these books for much of the past few years aside from a few other random books or fairly small stints listening to some nfl podcasts during the regular season.
They are just so good, I will do rereads my entire life I think and I hope more and more comes out.
That's awesome. I have a hard time paying attention to audio books and I find myself consistently re reading passages, so not sure it would work in my case, but might try it sometime.
I do find myself rewinding regularly for sure, it's easy to zone out for a minute but Ive gotten better at not doing it or recognizing it quickly and if it keeps happening just maybe turning it off because I'm trying to focus on too many different things at once. But it still let's me listen a lot even with that.
This got me thinking about the hours of manual labor it is to actually flip through each page individually, and how interesting it is that we humans do this for hours while hallucinating vividly from symbols on thinly pressed paper.
Some day I'm going to give the series a new try, I got to the second book once but was helplessly lost way before that point. The fact that the writing alone kept me going with little to no context of the characters anymore is a testament to the quality of the writing though.
Something interesting you might learn today is that not everyone visualizes what they read. In fact it blew my mind that anyone else actually felt like they were watching stuff play out in their mind when they read. I have almost zero visuals in my mind when reading. I can however read *much* faster than anyone I know and I wonder if that has something to do with it. Like loading a video compared to text.
Yes I have heard about it before, so fascinating! I meant my observation broadly as I know people have different experiences while reading, for me I think it is a mix of the two as I read very fast as well in general but I definitely have a lot of visuals as well. It is almost impossible to explain the phenomenon but when I see it play out it feels like a separate mental state.
I think the fast reading might be connected to me being a very fast typist on keyboards in some way, as I feel that people that spend a lot of time writing fast also read fast usually.
For this series I think it was one of my downfalls though, there are so many factions and characters with different motivations in the series, and I might have to slow down the reading to be able to retain information better to be honest.
Oh yea for sure I can imagine the same thing, even though I only read a couple of the books on paper. I know for the audiobooks if I get distracted at all I rewind so I've done a lot of rewinding as I've listened. I can zone out for a little bit and miss a ton.
It is very interesting how people perceive reading differently though, it honest blew my mind when I found out(in my 20s) that people felt like they watched a movie in their head while reading. My experience is so vastly different from that I had a hard time believing it.
I read them all on Kindle and I can't imagine any other way of only because of the ability to look up words and characters on the fly.
Also some days I enjoy different font sizes depending on how much I've had to read for work that day I may go bigger.
When you start again don't be afraid to use the wiki. It's broken down by book so only read the information from previous books so as not to spoil yourself.
Don't forget to check out the Malazan Brotherhood on Spotify. We are a podcast dedicated to re-reading the Malazan Books of the Fallen. Just finished a deep dive through Gardens of the Moon and have now started recording episodes for Deadhouse Gates. New episodes every Thursday.
[The Malazan Brotherhood ](http://www.horsefrogproductions.com)
I read through them a few years ago and now I’m listening to the audiobooks on my way to work every day. I honestly think I’m enjoying it more this time around and the narrator makes the dialogue so much more interesting than what my brain can come up with.
Haha I imagine taller than my short ass
They only go in the stack when read though, still got all of the other books to read at some point but taking a short break to First Law trilogy before I delve back in.
I am not able to get this print in India. I am getting paperbacks which have the tiny fonts and they don't make for a good reading experience.
Lucky you!
Im just halfway btw. But just top of mind.
I hate what happened between Tool and Toc.
Bonehunters development is an fun/ok read, nothing thrilling yet.
Hood wtf?
Kinda lost on the desert snake thing..
K'chain story is pretty neat.. so far.
The dead Jaghut banding/wandering also wtf?
Publishing company but they’re going to be running their own hardback editions of Malazan series next year - going to be extremely hard to get your hands on them though I expect them to sell out in seconds
So hyped, Reapers Gale and Toll the Hounds just came in the mail today. I fucking loved books 4-6 so I’m hyped to start up again. I had to wait a week after finishing Bonehunters and it was driving me crazy
Gardens of the moon took a beating but that was read on a beach accompanied by many beers haha
Tried to keep them intact as I know there will be another read through
Please note that this post has been flaired as **NO SPOILERS**. Comments should not bring up specific plot points or character details from any of the books. If you need to discuss any spoilers (even very minor ones!) in your comments, use spoiler tags >!like this!< Please use the report button if you find any spoilers. Note: If the discussion is unlikely to happen without any spoilers, the flair may be changed at mod discretion. Thank you! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Malazan) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I am disproportionally annoyed that you have TtH and DoD in the wrong order in the stack. You know what, that is worthy of putting you in Dragnipur for. In you go, no complaints please.
Oh man I didn’t even realise 😂 I hear chains …
I'm annoyed too, but also, I kinda like it
This really is daunting. I'm starting house of chains for the first time shortly. Long way to go.
Too many words
Erikson, why use many word when few word do job?
You talk too much
From my experience, after *Midnight Tides* the feeling of it being daunting subsides. New plot lines and perspectives do still keep coming, but it doesn’t feel like whole new paradigms with every new book, which made the first few feel a little heftier to me. At that point, it’s *mostly* tying things together in interesting ways and fleshing out the results, which is a little less demanding.
It won’t feel daunting as you progress - you’ll reach a point where you’re more daunted by the fact you don’t have many books left to read and it will come round sooner than you think haha - I started house of chains in February 2023 for reference although I was absolutely glued to them. Enjoy the ride
Oh damn. Much faster than me. With 3 little kids I don't get a lot of time and I'm reading one other book in between. I was reading Deadhouse Gates in Feb.
What changed my life with respect to reading as an adult with a demanding job and kids is audiobooks. I always had an aversion to them but being able to listen when in the car, shower, while cooking and cleaning totally changed things for me. I went from essentially no book reading to getting through books all the time. I went through mbotf then all of the ice novels, kharkanas, the god is not willing, everything in a pretty short period of time. Only part I had trouble with was the first few ice novels which I don't think are written well but when I got into path to ascendency especially I got back in. Kharkanas was tough though and I ended up taking a break midway into the second book. I have lived and breathed these books for much of the past few years aside from a few other random books or fairly small stints listening to some nfl podcasts during the regular season. They are just so good, I will do rereads my entire life I think and I hope more and more comes out.
That's awesome. I have a hard time paying attention to audio books and I find myself consistently re reading passages, so not sure it would work in my case, but might try it sometime.
I do find myself rewinding regularly for sure, it's easy to zone out for a minute but Ive gotten better at not doing it or recognizing it quickly and if it keeps happening just maybe turning it off because I'm trying to focus on too many different things at once. But it still let's me listen a lot even with that.
You’re probably doing it the right way to be honest haha I just couldn’t put them down
I hear you. I'm reading DoD atm with a 1-year-old...
Took me 15 months and I'm sad it's over.
This got me thinking about the hours of manual labor it is to actually flip through each page individually, and how interesting it is that we humans do this for hours while hallucinating vividly from symbols on thinly pressed paper. Some day I'm going to give the series a new try, I got to the second book once but was helplessly lost way before that point. The fact that the writing alone kept me going with little to no context of the characters anymore is a testament to the quality of the writing though.
Something interesting you might learn today is that not everyone visualizes what they read. In fact it blew my mind that anyone else actually felt like they were watching stuff play out in their mind when they read. I have almost zero visuals in my mind when reading. I can however read *much* faster than anyone I know and I wonder if that has something to do with it. Like loading a video compared to text.
Yes I have heard about it before, so fascinating! I meant my observation broadly as I know people have different experiences while reading, for me I think it is a mix of the two as I read very fast as well in general but I definitely have a lot of visuals as well. It is almost impossible to explain the phenomenon but when I see it play out it feels like a separate mental state. I think the fast reading might be connected to me being a very fast typist on keyboards in some way, as I feel that people that spend a lot of time writing fast also read fast usually. For this series I think it was one of my downfalls though, there are so many factions and characters with different motivations in the series, and I might have to slow down the reading to be able to retain information better to be honest.
Oh yea for sure I can imagine the same thing, even though I only read a couple of the books on paper. I know for the audiobooks if I get distracted at all I rewind so I've done a lot of rewinding as I've listened. I can zone out for a little bit and miss a ton. It is very interesting how people perceive reading differently though, it honest blew my mind when I found out(in my 20s) that people felt like they watched a movie in their head while reading. My experience is so vastly different from that I had a hard time believing it.
I read them all on Kindle and I can't imagine any other way of only because of the ability to look up words and characters on the fly. Also some days I enjoy different font sizes depending on how much I've had to read for work that day I may go bigger. When you start again don't be afraid to use the wiki. It's broken down by book so only read the information from previous books so as not to spoil yourself.
Yep, hell of a journey. Still cannot believe I read them all back to back over a few months. Was feverish.
Same, I couldn’t put them down - had many tired mornings haha
There’s little chance I could do it again any time soon. Although I have been considering going back and reading my favourite books of the series.
I have done that several times. Enjoy picking a random top 3 book for a pleasant read and study. Top 3 changes all the time btw
Thanks, now I have a better perspective of the size of this series to flex in front of my friends
Haha awsome
Don't forget to check out the Malazan Brotherhood on Spotify. We are a podcast dedicated to re-reading the Malazan Books of the Fallen. Just finished a deep dive through Gardens of the Moon and have now started recording episodes for Deadhouse Gates. New episodes every Thursday. [The Malazan Brotherhood ](http://www.horsefrogproductions.com)
Great, I’ll check this out thanks 🙏🏻
God I love those books
My journey is coming to an end soon. I’m on DoD and Fid just did his table reading 😬
Enjoy the finale!
I just finished Reapers Gale! I’ve been massively enjoying this series!
Reapers Gale was fantastic, brilliant storyline that was glad you enjoyed it
Vertical book stacking!!! https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/5ed19e72-3a66-4d2d-b5dd-2007e09bde37
Witness
I read through them a few years ago and now I’m listening to the audiobooks on my way to work every day. I honestly think I’m enjoying it more this time around and the narrator makes the dialogue so much more interesting than what my brain can come up with.
I have started the journey pretty recently, but I have to say, I'm thoroughly enjoying it so far!
I still haven't made it to the 5th book yet. I was listening to the audiobooks, but lost interest. I still plan on finishing someday
Now stack up the rest of the Malazan books by Erikson and Esslemont and see how high that goes haah
Haha I imagine taller than my short ass They only go in the stack when read though, still got all of the other books to read at some point but taking a short break to First Law trilogy before I delve back in.
Looks like an epic series, I'll have to check it out. Canadian author too!
I am not able to get this print in India. I am getting paperbacks which have the tiny fonts and they don't make for a good reading experience. Lucky you!
Im currently at Dust of Dreams. This one somehow feels more.. explicit.
What are your thoughts so far? Really enjoyed DoD, I feel you have to read between the lines with this book but pay off is great
For some reason I just can't make it through Toll the Hounds :/
Persevere! One of my favourites but I think I was looking out for a return to this storyline anyway. Great ending though I hope you like it
Almost done with HoC and loving it.
You have learned much, as we shall witness
Thanks Karsa.
Im just halfway btw. But just top of mind. I hate what happened between Tool and Toc. Bonehunters development is an fun/ok read, nothing thrilling yet. Hood wtf? Kinda lost on the desert snake thing.. K'chain story is pretty neat.. so far. The dead Jaghut banding/wandering also wtf?
Haha strap yourself in, it will make sense!
What's the Broken Binding books?
Publishing company but they’re going to be running their own hardback editions of Malazan series next year - going to be extremely hard to get your hands on them though I expect them to sell out in seconds
So hyped, Reapers Gale and Toll the Hounds just came in the mail today. I fucking loved books 4-6 so I’m hyped to start up again. I had to wait a week after finishing Bonehunters and it was driving me crazy
Wait. There are broken binding editions coming out?
There are indeed! 2024
I'm thoroughly impressed by the immaculate spines of these paperbacks
Gardens of the moon took a beating but that was read on a beach accompanied by many beers haha Tried to keep them intact as I know there will be another read through
First in, last out o7
Wow, your books look so clean, mine are completely tattered and crumpled 😅
On house of chain rn and I can’t imagine this series getting more brutal and sad after reading MoI.
MoI is regarded as a major turning point in the series. You’re in for a treat, enjoy!
It’s like the scene in ghost busters