Guest Raidne Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 I'm getting ready to go on a long camping trip, and need some good reading material. I've decided to pick up one or both of these two authors. Any thoughts? While we're on the subject, what book/series should I start with? Thanks for the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaceBannon42 Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 There are at least half a dozen threads comparing these two. Having said that, Bakker pwns Erikson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greyman Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 I haven't read Erikson, but Bakker will drive you nuts. It's a good series overall, but it's pretty infuriatingly awful at times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Raidne Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 Yeah, I wasn't really asking who was better, just if there was any reason to read one before the other. Also, I was hoping to get tips on where to start, e.g. am I supposed to read Deadhouse Gates before Garden of the Moon, or what? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyanna Stark Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 If you can stand being confused for 200 pages, start with Gardens of the Moon. I like GotM, but it has its sides and was written 15 years prior to the rest of the series. That said, Deadhouse Gates pwn all. It's got the same force as a greek epic tragedy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Raidne Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 Was Deadhouse Gates published as a prequel or something then? I should clarify - Barnes and Noble has Deadhouse Gates: A Tale of Malazan Book of the Fallen Series, Vol. 0, published in Feb 2006, but then also has Deadhouse Gates: Malazan Book of the Fallen Series Book Two, published in February 2005. What gives? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zadok Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 Based on the previous threads on these authors you'll get pretty far ranging opinions when it comes to quality for both of them. If length is a factor, Bakker currently has a completed trilogy, while Erickson has put out 6 of 10 planned books thus far. Other then that, I can't think of anything besides personal preference that would make you read one over the other first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Decius Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 Both authors will give you a hard time starting - they aren't very accessable or explain anything for the first 200 pages. That said I think Erikson's Deadhouse Gates is a good starting point, despite not being the first book. It takes place on a different continent with largely different characters at about the same time as The Gardens of the Moon. With Bakker you start with The Darkness That Comes Before, and I find Bakker a bit less easy to get in and the themes and characters he writes about tend to be more complex than those of Erikson (who on the other hand has the far more complex worldbuilding and story going). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pat5150 Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 Although I dearly love both authors/series, I opine that the Malazan books are much better, grander in scope. But for the simple fact that you can now read Bakker's THE PRINCE OF NOTHING in one go around, perhaps you should start there. My two cents! Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UberDarkLord Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 Since you ask, I give my opinion. It depends on in what mood you are which author is best suited. Bakker is Tolkienian in world-building, his prose is beautiful and his story fascinating. The plot is epic but zooms in on about 10 chars in all. The themes are semi-philosophical and the world is a fantasy version of our Crusader-era (plus magic and monsters add, ofcourse). In short, if you want a good but not easy read, check out Bakker. Big plus is that the series is complete, in 3 books none the less! Erikson is pulp (I'll await the attack ). It is basically a Dungeons & Dragons novel on steroids. Times ten. Tons of characters, all uberpowerful, all pwning eachother all the time. This makes for fun plotting and reading, but it is not a good plot. also, imoh, it becomes old quite fast. The characters are all memorable and grey, and the world is super-epic I might say, sprawling beyond detailed. Deadhouse Gates and Memories of Ice are the best in the series yet, but my main criticism of the series is that it is too drawn out, not always very readable and it take a loooooong time to cover ground (all books are 800+ pages!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry. Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 I think you need to bring either goat pr0n or Terry Goodkind along for the trip instead - then you can ponder the chicken that is not a chicken but instead is evil manifest The rest...well, opinions vary. I liked both for differing reasons and I think it's wise just to stop saying so much about one or the other. Unless it's Goodkind. Then we can quote him until the Gars come home Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ser Jaime Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 Erikson peaked with Memories of Ice, I think. The three novels published since MoI haven't come close to the greatness of that book. I tried reading Bakker but just couldn't get into it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Baelish Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 I agree with Pat. I love Erikson - he is my favourite fantasy author - and I really didn't like Bakker at all. But if you plan on reading both, read Bakker first as his trilogy is completed. Then start on Erikson and you can agree with us sane people about how much better he is than Bakker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ten Minute Timer Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 Read Bakker first. Always save the best 'til last. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathanael Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 Both authors will give you a hard time starting - they aren't very accessable or explain anything for the first 200 pages. That said I think Erikson's Deadhouse Gates is a good starting point, despite not being the first book. It takes place on a different continent with largely different characters at about the same time as The Gardens of the Moon. That's not what I remember . . . Gardens of the Moon is definitely before Deadhouse Gates. It's DG and Memories of Ice happen at about the same time with different characters on a different continent. To the orig. poster: I prefer Bakker, plus you'll have a definite stopping point so maybe Erikson will be closer to being done once you finish Bakker and catch up on Erikson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drawkcabi Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 PON is depressing as Hell, but an awesome story. Malazan is depressing too when it's not totally, bewlideringly, confusing, if you can get around all that you have a better than average story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matrim Fox Cauthon Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 Bakker is amazing! The first book takes a while because it acts as the Gathering. Erikson is just not my cup of tea, as said before Erikson = D&D on Steroids. :sick: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werthead Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 Be aware that Bakker's trilogy is actually the prelude to a larger story. So whilst it's complete in itself, a primary plot strand hanging over the series remains unresolved at the end of the trilogy. There are four more books (at least) to come. I'm actually just about to start The Darkness That Comes Before. At last! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diabloblanco18 Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 Read Bakker first. Always save the best 'til last. A wise strategy. Except the other way around. Read Erikson first, so you won't be disappointed and underwhelmed. Only confused as hell, but that's a common reaction to GotM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyarlathotep Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 Picked up both Gardens of the Moon and The Darkness that Comes Before a while back. Was pondering about which one I should read first. Wound up popping open TDtCB and read the first prologue. Found Bakker's names to be atrocious (almost infandous, in fact), so I read GotM first. GotM was pretty decent, and Deadhouse Gates was pretty good. Memories of Ice has been a mixed bag so far. Still have some four hundred pages left to chew through, so I've not made le judgement de finale yet, doh. Suppose that I'll read The Darkness that Comes Before once I've finished MoI. Will have to get back to you on which series is the better of the two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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