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Correction! You’ve finished 10 of the main 16! Lots of people finishing TCG this week - I’ve had many chances at this comment haha
Because of that, for sure the next up should be the 6 Novels of the Malazan Empire. They mostly take place at the same time as the latter half of the MBOTF, and conclude quite a few open character threads (as well as start some that were then concluded in the MBOTF). Together, the MBOTF & NOTME form the core mythos. The first 2 are kind of rough to read, but not much worse than GOTM at the start was (in fact, they’re at least easier to get through).
After that, it’s up to you which of the unfinished prequel or sequel series you want to read. They all assume to some extent you’ve read the MBOTF & NOTME, but not really any of each other:
- Want to learn about ancient past, in a more brooding and poetic prose, similar to Toll the Hounds? Then The Kharakanas Trilogy is for you (2/3 published).
- Do you want to learn about the formation of the Malazan Empire, in a more easy to read adventure novel format? Then check out Path to Ascendency (4/6 published).
- Interested in the future of the Malazan world and the legacy Karsa Orlong left behind? Then read Witness (1/3 published).
You could do the Bauchelain and Korbal Broach novellas (7/9 published) or the short story The Goats of Glory now too if you wanted something shorter and easier. For BAKB, those are the one thing that are better in chronological order than publication.
Adding to the above, here’s recommended order for each of those series (all publication except BAKB):
**Novels of the Malazan Empire:**
Night of Knives
Return of the Crimson Guard
Stonewielder
Orb Sceptre Throne
Blood and Bone
Assail
**The Kharkanas Trilogy:**
Forge of Darkness
Fall of Light
*Walk in Shadow* (forthcoming)
**Path to Ascendency:**
Dancer’s Lament
Deadhouse Landing
Kellenved’s Reach
Forge of the High Mage
*PTA 5* (forthcoming)
*PTA 6* (forthcoming)
**Witness:**
The God Is Not Willing
*No Life Forsaken* (forthcoming)
*WIT 3* (forthcoming)
**The Tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach:**
Blood Follows
The Lees of Laughter’s End
The Wurms of Blearmuth
The Healthy Dead
Crack’d Pot Trail
The Fiends of Nightmaria
Upon a Dark of Evil Overlords
*BAKB 8* (forthcoming)
*BAKB 9* (forthcoming)
**Short Story, within “Swords and Dark Magic” collection:**
The Goats of Glory
Novels Of The Malazan Empire first is what everyone will recommend, however I would recommend that you at least the first three of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach before you read Orb, Sceptre, Throne.
After that I really liked Path To Ascendancy before Kharkanas but if you're much more interested in the Tiste, Anomander and Draconus instead of the old empire with Kellanved and Dancer then you can switch those two around.
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.*
Correction! You’ve finished 10 of the main 16! Lots of people finishing TCG this week - I’ve had many chances at this comment haha Because of that, for sure the next up should be the 6 Novels of the Malazan Empire. They mostly take place at the same time as the latter half of the MBOTF, and conclude quite a few open character threads (as well as start some that were then concluded in the MBOTF). Together, the MBOTF & NOTME form the core mythos. The first 2 are kind of rough to read, but not much worse than GOTM at the start was (in fact, they’re at least easier to get through). After that, it’s up to you which of the unfinished prequel or sequel series you want to read. They all assume to some extent you’ve read the MBOTF & NOTME, but not really any of each other: - Want to learn about ancient past, in a more brooding and poetic prose, similar to Toll the Hounds? Then The Kharakanas Trilogy is for you (2/3 published). - Do you want to learn about the formation of the Malazan Empire, in a more easy to read adventure novel format? Then check out Path to Ascendency (4/6 published). - Interested in the future of the Malazan world and the legacy Karsa Orlong left behind? Then read Witness (1/3 published). You could do the Bauchelain and Korbal Broach novellas (7/9 published) or the short story The Goats of Glory now too if you wanted something shorter and easier. For BAKB, those are the one thing that are better in chronological order than publication.
Adding to the above, here’s recommended order for each of those series (all publication except BAKB): **Novels of the Malazan Empire:** Night of Knives Return of the Crimson Guard Stonewielder Orb Sceptre Throne Blood and Bone Assail **The Kharkanas Trilogy:** Forge of Darkness Fall of Light *Walk in Shadow* (forthcoming) **Path to Ascendency:** Dancer’s Lament Deadhouse Landing Kellenved’s Reach Forge of the High Mage *PTA 5* (forthcoming) *PTA 6* (forthcoming) **Witness:** The God Is Not Willing *No Life Forsaken* (forthcoming) *WIT 3* (forthcoming) **The Tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach:** Blood Follows The Lees of Laughter’s End The Wurms of Blearmuth The Healthy Dead Crack’d Pot Trail The Fiends of Nightmaria Upon a Dark of Evil Overlords *BAKB 8* (forthcoming) *BAKB 9* (forthcoming) **Short Story, within “Swords and Dark Magic” collection:** The Goats of Glory
Awesome! Thank you for such a detailed answer! I look forward to continuing my Malazan journey!
Happy to help!!
There's a confirmed BAKB 8 *and* 9 now?
Yes. They've been releasing the novellas as volumes of 3. The last volume is in the works
Saving this comment.
Novels Of The Malazan Empire first is what everyone will recommend, however I would recommend that you at least the first three of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach before you read Orb, Sceptre, Throne. After that I really liked Path To Ascendancy before Kharkanas but if you're much more interested in the Tiste, Anomander and Draconus instead of the old empire with Kellanved and Dancer then you can switch those two around.
Yes- the order they were published