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#9 Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson


Gardens of the Moon is the first novel in The Malazan Book of the Fallen series by Steven Erikson, published in 1999. It took me more than five attempts to finally finish it, but I can now proudly say it sits on my bookshelf, and when I glance at its spine, I think of the author’s achievement, and how lucky I am to have experienced it.

Given how widely known and now considered a classic this novel is, and with so many videos and articles available online, I asked myself how I could make my own piece interesting to someone. That led to some decisions I’ll explain shortly.

Aside from wanting to cover the entire series, since I plan to host it here on this site,  and aside from writing a brief summary of the events (at least what I can recall, because we’re talking about a story of massive scale), I’ll also be including a few thoughts throughout. I’ll also share a short personal story, which I hope adds an extra layer of meaning or motivation for anyone continuing to read.

What could this guy possibly have to say that I haven’t heard before? Not anything original, I’ll admit that upfront. But it’s heartfelt and thoughtful. So, let’s get into it.

To begin with, in case you have no idea what kind of work Gardens of the Moon is, let me just say this: it’s a fantasy novel filled with a vast number of characters, battlefields, gods, demons, magic (obviously), violence, realistic descriptions and reactions — which I believe is one of the author’s strengths — and an overall heavy, somber atmosphere that sets the tone for the broader worldbuilding.

I say “sets the tone” because, from what I know, later books shift locations on the map, introducing completely different situations, characters, and stakes. But one step at a time, let’s focus on the basics.

Since the plot is fairly complex, I’ll be selecting a few key elements to share here, so that the description makes some sense. But keep in mind, this is far from the whole picture.

The Malazan Empire is trying to bring down the last remaining free city, Darujhistan. The first move toward that goal is to send in a group of soldiers, the Bridgeburners, to lay the groundwork, so to speak. Part of the story revolves around this group.

Of course, the city won’t fall without resistance. That’s where we meet characters like Kruppe, Crokus, Baruk, and others, including the incredible Anomander Rake, who — as you’d expect — is an immensely powerful mage with more than a few secrets up his sleeve.

Within this intricate network of power plays and survival, and I use "play" loosely, because it’s anything but a game, gods also become involved. That’s how massive the scale is. These divine entities influence the events directly.

To give just one example, one member of the Bridgeburners is used as a pawn by such forces. And naturally, some of the characters from Darujhistan are also affected in various ways.

There’s a significant amount of death and violence in Gardens of the Moon. Heroes fall, and not just them.

As for the final confrontation, well, I won’t spoil that here.

Does Darujhistan fall?

Does it hold?

You’ll have to read the book to find out.

This astonishing novel touches on many themes, but if I had to pick just a couple to highlight, they would be power and the idea of free will, specifically, how free it really is. That’s the rough outline, in very broad terms.

Now, for the short personal story.

This book came into my hands thanks to a friend. He told me, “This is for you. I won’t say much, just take it and good luck. I tried it myself, but couldn’t get through it. Maybe it’ll work better for you.”

My friend, thank you for this wonderful gift. I finally managed to read it, and even went on to collect the rest of the series, which now waits patiently for me, one volume at a time.

I know there’s nothing quite like Gardens of the Moon, and by that I mean Erikson clearly made an effort to make the later books more accessible. This particular novel is packed with information, chaotic at times, and that has understandably discouraged many readers from making it through, myself included. I had it in my possession for nearly ten years before I finally managed to finish it.As for the rest of the series, I can’t speak on them just yet, but I will eventually. And when I do, I hope to share my thoughts here, and that you'll be here with me to read them.

Until next time — be well, and keep reading.

It’s important!


Accompanying Notes: 

https://avantgardemusic.bandcamp.com/album/cernunnos


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