Steven Erikson is an archaeologist and anthropologist and a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop. The first seven novels in his Malazan Book of the Fallen sequence – Gardens of the Moon, Deadhouse Gates, Memories of Ice, House of Chains, Midnight Tides, The Bonehunters and Reaper's Gale – have met with widespread international acclaim and established him as a major voice in the world of fantasy fiction. The thrilling eighth installment in this remarkable story, Toll the Hounds, is coming soon from Bantam Press. Steven Erikson lives in British Columbia, Canada.
Acclaim for Steven Erikson's The Malazan Book of the Fallen:
'Steven Erikson is an extraordinary writer ... My advice to anyone who might listen to me is: treat yourself Stephen R. Donaldson
'Give me the evocation of a rich, complex and yet ultimately unknowable other world, with a compelling suggestion of intricate history and mythology and lore. Give me mystery amid the grand narrative ... Give me the world in which every sea hides a crumbled Atlantis, every ruin has a tale to tell, every broken blade is a silent legacy of struggles unknown. Give me in other words, the fantasy work of Steven Erikson ... a master of lost and forgotten epochs, a weaver of ancient epics' Salon.com
'I stand slack-jawed in awe of The Malazan Book of the Fallen. This masterwork of the imagination may be the high watermark of epic fantasy' Glen Cook
'Truly epic in scope, Erikson has no peer when it comes to action and imagination, and joins the ranks of Tolkien and Donaldson in his mythic vision and perhaps then goes one better' SF Site
'Rare is the writer who so fluidly combines a sense of mythic power and depth of world with fully realized characters and thrilling action, but Steven Erikson manages it spectacularly' Michael A. Stackpole
www.rbooks.co.uk/stevenerikson
'Like the archaeologist that he is, Erikson continues to delve into the history and ruins of the Malazan Empire, in the process revealing unforeseen riches and annals that defy expectation ... this is true myth in the making, a drawing upon fantasy to recreate histories and legends as rich as any found within our culture' Interzone
'Gripping, fast-moving, delightfully dark ... Erikson brings a punchy, mesmerizing writing style into the genre of epic fantasy, making an indelible impression. Utterly engrossing' Elizabeth Hayden
'Everything we have come to expect from this most excellent of fantasy writers; huge in scope, vast in implication and immensely, utterly entertaining' alienonline
'One of the most promising new writers of the past few years, he has more than proved his right to A-list status' Bookseller
'Erikson's strengths are his grown-up characters and his ability to create a world every bit as intricate and messy as our own' J. V. Jones
'An author who never disappoints on delivering stunning and hard-edged fantasy is Steven Erikson ... a master of modern fantasy' WBQ magazine
'Wondrous voyages, demons and gods abound ... dense and complex ... ultimately rewarding' Locus
'Erikson... is able to create a world that is both absorbing on a human level and full of magical sublimity... A wonderfully grand conception ... splendidly written ... fiendishly readable' Adam Roberts
'A multi-layered tale of magic and war, loyalty and betrayal. Complexly drawn characters occupy a richly detailed world in this panoramic saga' Library Journal
'Epic in every sense of the word ... Erikson shows a masterful control of an immense plot... the worlds of mortals and gods meet in what is a truly awe-inspiring clash' Enigma
Gardens of the Moon
A Tale of the
Malazan Book of the Fallen
STEVEN ERIKSON
Table of Contents
Copyright Page
About the Author
Acclaim for Steven Erikson's The Malazan Book of the Fallen:
Title Page
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Preface to Gardens of the Moon redux
Maps
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
Title
Lament
Epigraph
Prologue
BOOK ONE: PALE CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
BOOK TWO: DARUJHISTAN CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
BOOK THREE: THE MISSION CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
BOOK FOUR: ASSASSINS CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
BOOK FIVE: THE GADROBI HILLS CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
BOOK SIX: THE CITY OF BLUE FIRE CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
BOOK SEVEN: THE FÊTE CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Epilogue
Glossary
Extract: The Malazan Book of the Fallen
Also by Steven Erikson
NIGHT OF KNIVES
ACACIA BOOK ONE: THE WAR WITH THE MEIN
DEATH'S HEAD
This novel is dedicated to
I. C. Esslemont
worlds to conquer worlds to share
Acknowledgements
No novel is ever written in isolation. The
author wishes to thank the following for their
support over the years: Clare Thomas, Bowen,
Mark Paxton-MacRae, David Keck, Courtney,
Ryan, Chris and Rick, Mireille Theriacelt,
Dennis Valdron, Keith Addison, Susan, David
and Harriet, Clare and David Thomas Jr, Chris
Rodell, Patrick Carroll, Kate Peach, Peter
Knowlson, Rune, Kent and Val and the kids,
my tireless agent Patrick Walsh, and Simon
Taylor, one terrific editor.
Preface to Gardens of the Moon redux
There