Gardens of the Moon
Steven Erikson
703 pages
published in 1999
This may very well be the ultimate epic fantasy series. Ten books are projected, of which seven so far have been published –this being the first one– and as far as I know each sequel is bigger then the previous book. Size of course isn’t everything and there have been enough other fantasy brick series
published, so what makes this one so special?
It has everything.
A horrendously complicated system of magic, the Undead (they’re good guys, sort of) dragons, a multitude of lesser and greater gods, epic battles, a plot that makes the Wheel of Time look simple, a grittiness that matches anything Glen Cook wrote about in the Black Company series, great and powerful heroes and villains (but who is who depends on your point of view), several innocents caught up in it all, worldweary and cynical soldiers still trying to do what’s right, wizards and demons by the ton, even honest to god ninjas. Gardens of the Moon is the first book of a new fantasy series, but it feels as if you’re dropped in the middle of a long running one. There’s no slow start, no gradual acclimatising; what little clues are given to the greater story you have to find for yourself. Little is explained, there are no handy infodumps and if you’re not familiar with epic fantasy in general, do not even start this.
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