I've decided that next year for Christmas, I'm buying everyone in the family a copy of Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson. More people need to recognize that Erikson is the greatest fantasy writer of all time - better than Tolkien, better than Le Guin, better than Martin.

Better than EVERYONE.

@chaoticneutral WAIT WAIT WAIT - did I just find someone talking about Malazan Book of the Fallen randomly in the wild?
@redwizardrian I sometimes feel like I'm screaming into the void about the miracle that is Steven Erikson - it's so great to find people that appreciate his writing as much as I do.
@chaoticneutral Honestly one of my favourite series with so much world building put into it; it's been an inspiration for a lot of stuff I've done since I first read Gardens of the Moon like 15 years ago.

@chaoticneutral I love #Erikson and am in the middle of a reread at the moment, but I only recommend it to certain people these days. I've just come to realize that it's not for everyone and that's ok. It's not just a complicated narrative, but oppressively dark at time (and beautiful too).

I'm also the only person in my friend group who doesn't like Wheel of Time, so there's that.

@AdmiralFrosty I used to work with a guy who was neck-deep in the series - he had a BINDER full of tabs and Post-It notes to keep track of people, places, and storylines. Now THAT'S how fantasy should challenge a reader!
@chaoticneutral currently in my first read through of Gardens of the Moon and even if it's a bit of a challenge being thrown in the deep end as you are, I've found it much more of a gripping and interesting introduction than Eye of the World was for Wheel of Time.
@chaoticneutral I just finished this series last year, but I knew it was probably going to be the best thing I ever read by the third book (and it was even better than I expected). I’ve never felt so challenged, not just because the books are complicated but because they ask so much of the reader in the best way possible. Glad to see other people posting about it as well!
@chaoticneutral Also longer than everyone?
@bluetyson Just more of a good thing.
@toddlyons Attaboy. Stick with it, it is not an easy read and I found myself progressing slower than I typically do, often going back to re-read sections to ensure I hadn't missed anything important. This ain't Harry Potter, my dude.