Gardens of the Moon

By Steven Erikson,

Book cover of Gardens of the Moon

Book description

When the last of the free cities of the Malazan Empire is targeted by the forces of the Empress Laseen, Bridgeburner squad leader Sergeant Whiskeyjack and the mage Tattersall confront dark gods to protect the citadel of Darujhistan.

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Why read it?

2 authors picked Gardens of the Moon as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

The first installment in Erikson’s magnum opus introduces readers to the voracious Malazan Empire and focuses on a military, political, and supernatural battle for the free city of Darujhistan.

It boasts a vast, strange cast of characters and an even vaster, stranger world. However, Erikson demonstrates how every element, from the lowest trader to the mightiest god, can shape the outcomes of events. The free will of each character is shown to be in constant tension with the free wills of others, as well as the wrenching currents of history.

The antagonist of Erikson’s story is not a dark lord,…

From Duncan's list on The best philosophical fantasy novels.

First things first, I could make this thing really easy for myself by simply selecting any five books from this masterful 10-book series and be done with it, but I won’t do that to you. Were I asked to name my top five favorite books of all time, however, ‘twouldn’t be a lie to do just that. The Malazan Book of the Fallen is, in my opinion, the single greatest example of Epic Fantasy in all of human history. As I said, it’s 10 books long, about 1,000 pages each. Erikson creates not merely a continent, but an entire world—…

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