Book One of the Kharkanas Trilogy (A Novel of the Malazan Empire)

I have been reading fantasy/sci do since I was a kid. Beginning with the venerable Tolkien like so many do, then expanding into The Great's of both genres. Steven Erikson is the best I have ever read.I

I am an Erickson fan so I read this eagerly. His writing is as always excellent but the book suffers from a common problem of authors who want to write series books, there is no plot resolution. It just stops. I will read the ne t book in the series because I have read all his previous works but if I were new to this author I would probably loose enthusiasm waiting for the next chapter in an essentially unfinished work.

Love the discrepancies between what we thought and what is! Great read. I flew through this book. Steve Erikson at his best. He writes so well, that it is easy to see how the "origin" stories of the original series derived from actual events, but with serious twists. I highly recommend this book.

One of my greatest joys is to sit down and read a thrilling epic from Steven Erikson. I would definitely place him as one of my favorite authors. Without this past enjoyment, I would have rated Forge of Darkness at 2 stars and likely not finished the book. Forge of Darkness was the first book by Erikson in which I found myself skipping ahead to read just a few morsel of actually movement or any type of action. Through out the book Erikson shows what a brillant mind he has by writing down the insightful relevants of EACH and EVERY character ad nauseum. In his past works, Erikson saved the brillant inner dialog for the most thoughtful and complex characters. In Forge of Darkness, everyone has about two to, and at times, three pages of very sharp thoughts on the world and everything in it. Forge of Darkness reads about 10% action and 90% extremely intelligent musings. I appreciate the musings, I really do! However, it drags like nothing else Erikson has ever written. Instead of being intrigued by the beginings of Erikson's and Esslemont's world, I keeping hoping to find the last page of the book. Whereas in the past, I dreaded reaching the last page of Erikson's books (and now Esslemont's books as well, sans Night of Knives - the rest is brillant).

This is the crisp, poetic literary writing that so endeared me to Mr. Erikson. The "Crippled God" was a complete let down. It was as if Erikson was exhausted and felt obliged to fashion a conclusion that came across as lazy. My favorite books by Erikson always involved the factions of the Tiste. "Forge of Darkness" is a return to form. A true pleasure to have felt at home in the realm of Kurald Galain. Well done

I've been a fan of Erikson's work for a very long time. I was a bit skeptical going into a prequel, since they tend to be heavy-handed with using predestination to push the story along. Still, I enjoyed Esslemont's "Dancer's Lament," and thought this would be a great series that fills in the early blanks of the Malazan series. I was tremendously mistaken. The world-building was slim at best, and was centered around a great war that was never really expounded upon. What was the lead-up to the war? Why did it happen? No real information was given.

The only thing that was pushed upon the reader is that everyone is sad and depressed. In fact, everyone from the highest lord to the lowliest stableboy or drunkard spends pages and pages lamenting some great loss. The forests were lost, the animal were lost, loved ones were lost. It was just complaint after complaint after complaint. I had to stop a third of the way through the book because it was making me begin to feel depressed. I wanted every character in the book to be killed off so they would cease the incessant bitching. I was thinking about this a few days after I stopped reading, trying to figure out what it was about the characters that bothered me so much, when I realized it. Every character in this book reminds me of a disenfranchised Hillary/Bernie supporter. The constant doom and gloom of a world with no future. The depressed silences as each character reviews their own inner turmoil of a life unwanted. It was at this point that I laughed. Hard. This is why I gave it two stars instead of one.

having already read the other series this was even more interesting. good background on a lot of characters and interesting to see how the changed as they aged aswell as the events that formed them.
the storyline is good in and of itself but i feel the character development was the real strength of the book.
huge fan.

If you liked every book Erikson has ever written, you'll love this one. If, like me, you loved the early Malazan books (GARDENS OF THE MOON, etc.), but think the series jumped the shark with book five (MIDNIGHT TIDES), then you probably won't.

There's actually a pretty decent story in this book, but it's smothered by endless internal soliloquies and dreary, pointless, but very weighty, dialogue. Erikson's style in FORGE consists of frequent and rapid viewpoint shifts, and each shift carries with it the--apparently obligatory--windy pontifications by the viewpoint character (and his companion if he's not talking to himself) that do nothing to advance the plot. Then, if we have been very, very good, we get a little tidbit of action. I finished the book because I had paid for it, and because there was a bit of story in it. But I won't be buying the next installment. Too bad--I had high hopes that Erikson might have returned to his earlier form.

Steven Erikson brings to bear on his new trilogy, prequel to the Malazan Book of the Fallen, the same quiet mastery of tragedy that is a highlight of his work. If tragedy is catharsis however, this series is the prelude to catharsis - this is the wounding itself!

Fans will find many answers, and many more questions. The Elder Gods, Darkness and Light, Chaos and the Dragons, and many characters that lurked mostly in the background of the main series are wrenched to the front in this one. Those who haven't read Erikson's (or Esselmont's) work before will find this a more accessible entry (perhaps) to the series than Gardens of the Moon (The Malazan Book of the Fallen, Book 1), but will not be able to appreciate the delicious irony that infuses some pages where the reality behind myths is revealed.

More importantly, they will not be able to savor (perversely, perhaps) the sense of utter doom that accompanies the reading of the hopes and dreams of several characters, knowing how (in some cases in books 8 through 10 of the "main" series) those arcs close. It is impossible to not fret at the friendly banter between some characters knowing the ferocity of the betrayal that awaits them... No, publication order remains the best way to enjoy the Malazan series, "first time reader thresholds" notwithstanding!

For the second time in a "Malazan" book (after Dust Of Dreams) there is no convergence to close the book, as the book sort of comes to a close in media res. However there are the seeds of some truly epic action to come.

This is not a standalone book at all, which costs it 1 star (all of Steven Erikson's other books are, except Dust of Dreams, and he was profusely apologetic about the cliffhanger!). I am already eager for the next volume. Of course, "Fall of Light" and "Walk in Shadow" are still several months (at least) away. That said, it is a worthy read.

My personal experience with prequels has been that too often they have a going-through-the-motions feel to them, as if the author is mechanically connecting the dots, reverse-engineering the novel from characters and events laid out in the original story: " Explained why they call that thingamabob a "graggle"? Check. Explained why everyone wears red now? Check. Why Character A is a jerk? Check." While this may result in some readerly satisfaction--"Oh, so that's why it's a graggle. Cool!"--it seldom creates an organically compelling storyline or rich characterization. These problems are compounded by the fact that we know where story and characters are heading, thus robbing the prequel at the outset of narrative tension and reducing the opportunities for those joyful moments of discovery.

So how does Steven Erikson deal with these potential pitfalls in Forge of Darkness, the first novel of a trilogy set before his massive Malazan Book of the Fallen (MBoF) series? He sets the prequel so far in the past--thousands of years--that any lines connecting the dots have either long since faded out of sight over the horizon (because events and people have been forgotten) or have curved out of joint (because events and people were distorted into myth), thus freeing himself from the plot/character constraints that dog so many prequels.

The truly brilliant twist in Erikson's method, however, is that many of his characters are so long-lived that they actually span that time period. You loved Anomander Rake in MBoF? No problem, he's still here. But because time has lost and/or distorted so much, you can still be surprised by him because a lot of what you thought you knew was wrong or wasn't the full story.

In one stroke of setting, Erikson frees his creativity, giving himself a nearly blank canvas to work on, while retaining the characters that so captivated his audience the first time around. It's the best of both worlds. As a side luxury, it also highlights two of his major themes--the ways in which story ("made up") and history ("really happened") often blur together and the way the present is continuously and eternally reshaping itself in response to the past. It's sheer evil genius. And it absolutely works.

Readers are treated to favorite characters from MBOF like Rake, Silchas Ruin, Draconus and others, but there is a wide range in how well they match their characters in MBOF, some lining up quite well and others presented in surprisingly different fashion. It's a fine line to walk, giving us characters who veer from our previous experience without having them seem wholly and arbitrarily changed just for the sake of plot, and Erikson toes that line successfully throughout. The characters were fresh and surprising despite my thousands of pages of previous experience with them and never once did I pull back thinking the character had been "broken."

Of course, a host of new characters are introduced as well, perhaps too many for some though I enjoyed the multiplicity of viewpoints. I won't swear to a precise count, but I came up with over 30 different point-of-view characters, almost all of who are original to Forge (some may in fact complain about the lack of povs from the big MBoF characters). We get a broad spectrum of class, age, race, gender, tone, and philosophy, as well as seeing several "sides" of an impending civil war. It all makes for a rich pointillist sort of painting in terms of plot and theme.
The characters vary greatly in page time as well--Erikson doesn't mind killing off pov characters--but even those we see only briefly are sharply and fully drawn, and it's hard to imagine a reader not caring what happens to nearly all of them. Some of the most moving scenes, in fact, involve the most minor of characters.

The plot is complex, but not as sprawling as in many of the MBoF novels, with the overarching plotline tightly focused mostly on the looming Tiste civil war. One needn't have read MBoF to follow the storyline, but it would probably make for a richer experience. Pacing is a little slow at the outset, picks up in the middle then accelerates as we near the end. Contrary to what MBoF readers might expect, the book doesn't build to the usual huge confrontation or, to use an Erikson term, convergence. But being the first book of a trilogy, it doesn't really need to. We can feel the storm brewing; it's fine if we don't get actual thunder and lightning yet. That said, the closing image is a killer.

Some readers may find that the pacing is slowed by the characters' penchant for introspection or philosophizing, new ones especially as long-time Erikson readers probably wouldn't be long-time ones if it bothered them so much. Similarly, some might prefer fewer metafictional aspects--a frame story with one poet telling this tale to another, a painter who thinks a lot about his craft, and lots of references to storytelling. For myself, those moments are part of what raises Erikson's books above a lot of fantasy--these musings on core questions of culture, of civilization, of being.

It's true, the plot does come to a halt when two characters discuss the purpose and progress of civilization or when one character tries to comprehend the concept of justice. But plot is only one aspect of a novel and for me, examination of these larger issues enhances the story even if it comes at the expense of pace. And Forge is rife with recurring themes to be pondered: environmental deprivation, the creation and role of history, extinction, return to childhood, the costs of certainty, questions of religion, justice, empathy.

MBoF fans will be happy to have some answers to long-debated questions ("What did it mean that the first children of Mother Dark were not Andii? How did Caladan Brood and Rake get together?"). But getting answers isn't the best part; it's just how creatively surprising the answers are. Some questions, of course, remain unanswered, and it wouldn't be a Malazan book if hordes of new questions didn't arise.

Those just beginning the Malazan experience might miss the full prequel experience, but in some ways, Forge of Darkness might be a better place to start rather than Gardens of the Moon, the first book of MBoF. For one, it's the product of a writer fully conversant with his universe and working with all the craftsmanship years of writing has provided. It also probably eases the reader in more smoothly and gradually than does Gardens. It's possible this is just a result of my own familiarity with Erikson's characters and world, but that's how it seemed to me.

Being the first book of a new trilogy, Forge of Darkness is required to do the table setting and it's a pretty large table, one of those long banquet tables requiring lots of chairs. Characters have to be introduced or re-introduced, settings need to be explained, and basic workings of the world--politics, religions, etc.-- need to be presented. Erikson handles all this smoothly, with little recourse to clunky exposition. Because of these requirements, though, plot probably moves a little slowly than some might prefer. But the complexity and range of its characters and the way it is willing to examine larger questions more than makes up for this. It's difficult to judge Forge of Darkness fully until we see the trilogy complete and can place it in better context, but it certainly does its set-up job well and deserves its place on the (extremely long) shelf next to its Malazan brethren.

This book seemed to have gone away from the other Malazan book in terms of style. I found myself skipping a lot of chapters because a lot of story line was devoted to every character's philosophy about life and little on the gritt and gristle and detailed epic battles and humor that is a typical Malazan book. I usually re-read the books in this series but I was just happy to complete the book and hopefully forget about it when it was through. Each time a new character was introduced, I mentally sighed because I new several pages of writing about that particular characters philosophy on life was on its way.

Forge of Darkness, the first book of Steven Erikson's Malazan prequel, The Kharkanas Trilogy, struck me in much the same way that Gardens of the Moon did so many years ago. In both cases, it took me several aborted attempts to get through the book, and many of those little things that bothered me about Gardens of the Moon weighed on me even more wit Forge of Darkness. Don't get me wrong, there are some awesome moments in the book, and some fascinating revelations of how the world of the Malazan Empire came to be, but there's far too much filler.

This is a book that, for all intents and purposes, comes across an epic fantasy soap opera. It could have made for an interesting evolution of the saga, but it lacks much of the humor of the original books, settling instead for something dry and overly melodramatic. To make matters worse, the very nature of a prequel means we get stuck with whiny, immature versions of some of our favorite characters, forcing us to endure the same coming-of-age aspect that was so refreshingly absent from the original 10 books.

I'm not saying this is Erikson's Phantom Menace, but we all know how well that approach worked for Darth Vader.

I think there's an element of too much, too soon with this book as well. We were introduced to a lot of characters in The Malazan Book of the Fallen, but that was over the course of 10 books. There, we had a chance to get to know them, to understand them, and to appreciate their contributions to the story. Each of them had an extended spotlight that made them both memorable and relevant. Here, it feels like there are even more characters thrown into the mix, but all at once, over the course of a single book. It's confusing at best, and bewildering at worst. Even with the 4 pages of Dramatis Personae, I found my brain glossing over as to who was who, where they fit, and why the hell I should give a damn.

Similarly, while many of the narrative tangents and philosophical discussions in the original series were interesting, adding color to the characters we already knew and loved, here it's too much again. There were pages upon pages where we got mired in nonsensical conversations about grand, esoteric concepts, which did nothing to advance the plot. Instead of accentuating the characters, these discussions defined them - and when you're already struggling to keep tabs, that makes a confusing tale a boring one as well. Add that to a serious pacing issue, with hundreds of pages passing between events of interest, and you have a book that is challenging even to fans.

I kept thinking of how Goodkind went off the rails with his repetitive, heavy-handed philosophy, and that's not a comparison I thought I'd ever make with Erikson.

Now, like I said, there are some awesome moments. T'riss was, for me, the absolute highlight of the book. Her emergence from the sea of Vitr and journey to Mother Dark is full of action, horror, imagination, and humor. It's like Erikson took everything that made the original series great and put it all into her. Anomander and Silchas Ruin had some great scenes together that evoked memories of Malazan (just not enough of them) while Lord Draconus was a welcome surprise in how strongly he dominated the tale.

Having said all that, I will still give Fall of Light a read, because I believe Erikson can do better, although I am worried a trilogy may not be enough time to win me back.

It is more than a quarter of a million years before the time of the Malazan Empire. In this ancient age, the Tiste race is divided between noble families and bickering militias, trying to find their place in the world following the devastating wars against the Forulkan and the Jheleck. When the Tiste ruler, Mother Dark, takes the obscure Draconus as lover and consort, the noble houses are incensed and the seeds are sowed for civil war and religious conflict.

Forge of Darkness is the first novel in The Kharkanas Trilogy, a prequel series to Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen. This trilogy will chart the splintering of the Tiste race into the three sub-races seen in the main series book (the Andii, the Liosan and the Edur) and explain much of the ancient backstory to the series. Some characters from the main series - such as Anomander Rake, Silchas Ruin, Hood and Gothos - appear here as much younger, far less experienced figures. However, those hoping for I, Anomander Rake will likely feel disappointed. Rake is a central character in the events unfolding and appears a few times, but much of the action takes place around new, much less important characters. Also, while the story is set more than 300,000 years before Gardens of the Moon, this isn't the alpha-point of the entire Malazan universe. Tiste society is many thousands of years old when the story opens and Rake, Mother Dark, Ruin and Draconus are already important characters with significant histories in place.

Instead, the trilogy is much more concerned with clarification of events in the main series books and explaining why certain things are the way they are. Surprisingly, the series addresses questions that I think most fans thought would simply be left as, "That's how it is," such as the nature of the gods in the Malazan world (and the apparent realisation by Erikson that 'gods' was not the right word to use for them), why the different Tiste races have different appearances and why the Jaghut evolved the way they did. Some long-burning questions are indeed addressed, such as the reasons for and the nature of Hood's war on death, but for the most part Erikson is not really concerned with really addressing obvious mysteries (those left wondering what the hell the Azath Houses are will likely not be satisfied by this book, in which even the race they are named after is baffled by them).

Instead, the narrative unfolds on its own terms. As usual, Erikson has a large cast of POV characters including nobles, soldiers, priests and mages, many of them with slightly cumbersome names. However, Erikson strives to differentiate his characters more from one another then in previous novels. Forge of Darkness enjoys a shorter page-length than most of his prior books (clocking in at a third less the size of most of the Malazan novels) and is far more focused. The plot is a slow-burner, divided into several relatively straightforward narratives. This is Erikson at his most approachable, easing the reader into the situation and story rather than dropping them in the middle of chaos and expecting them to get on with it (such as in the first novel in the main series, Gardens of the Moon).

Of course, Erikson isn't going to give the reader an easy ride. Minor peasants continue to agonisingly philosophise over the nature of existence with surprisingly developed vocabularies at the drop of a hat. There are too many moments when characters look knowingly at one another and speak around subjects so as not to spoil major revelations for the reader, regardless of how plausible this is. There is an awful lot of hand-wringing rather than getting on with business. But there's also a few shocking reversals, some tragic moments of genuine emotional power and some revelations that will have long-standing Malazan fans stroking their chins and going, "Ah-ha!"

Forge of Darkness (****) is Erikson's attempt to channel the in-depth thematic approach of Toll the Hounds but weld it to a more dynamic (by his terms) plot-driven narrative whilst also satisfying the fans' thirst for more information and revelations about his world and characters. It's a juggling act he pulls off with impressive skill, with some polished prose and haunting moments. But those who continue to find his reliance on philosophical asides and long-winded conversations tiresome will likely not be convinced by this book. The novel is available now in the UK and USA.

Secret truths and inner reflection are fine and good but this book contains little else. Everyone receives at least 10-20 pages of inner reflection and another 10-20 detailing conversations they had about the meaning of life / secret truths of life. Remove the fluff and this book would be classified as a short story. Its like SE wrote a 100 page story and then decided to bring it up to the required page count with fluff: inner reflection and pointless conversations. He should have used that extra space to build up characters and give us more content. Its like he is leaning on the last dozen books for his characters instead of making them more dynamic.

I agree with other reviewers that this book will be appreciated more if you read it after the 10 main thread books by the author and the 6 parallel books by Esslemont.
Erikson continues his insightful, moving and brilliant writing after leaving off from the Crippled God. This book exhibited less humor than the latter books in the main thread, but the political intrigue felt more intimate as the competing forces seemed to get a lot more attention in terms of their intent.
So many quotable passages about the human condition in this book, several important aha moments due to revelations.
The character development is deep, even for those that don't live long.

My only quibble is the maps do not align well,and this has been a problem throughout the series

Forge of Darkness bySteven Erikson is the first of The Kharkanas Trilogy set. Just what have I gotten myself into? To summarize, I was never a fan of the Malazan series although that barely counts for anything since I've quit reading Gardens of the Moon at around the 40% mark. I've never cared for the series since then. That was in December of 2011. Fast forward to November of 2016 and I found that the next random thing I wanted to do was to read Forge of Darkness, the prequel to the Malazan series. Why? I really can't say. Sometimes you don't chose the next book to read. It chooses you (yeah I know, cliché). I thought it was a good a chance to start over fresh. Being a prequel, I didn't really have to understand any of what happened in the Malazan series to enjoy Forge of Darkness. So how'd it go? Well, good news is I made it all the way through this time around and the book was very good. Bad news is what do I do now? If I continue on, I have a feeling that after finishing this trilogy, I'll have to revisit the Malazan series again. Folks, that is an epic ten book series! I don't have as much free time as I did back in year 2011 so I need to spend my time wisely in choosing my next books to read. On the bright side, at least all ten books have already been released!

To start off, you will in the beginning be assaulted with a huge amount of characters to keep up with in Forge of Darkness. I couldn't remember the last time I had trouble keeping up with the amount of characters in a story. Too late did I realize that in each given chapter, there seems to be a "fixed" amount of characters. So while there are a lot of characters to deal with overall, characters A, B and C usually are in one chapter and D, E and F are usually grouped into another. It also bothered me that I personally lost track a couple times as to what was actually happening. For example, I could be reading about three or four character storylines in chapter 4, then read chapters 5, 6 and 7, and then in chapter 8 when it goes back to those characters that were presented in chapter 4, I'd be like wait, how the heck did these characters meet up?! I thought they were leagues apart in the world?! That just goes to show you that the storyline is pretty complex and you need to really pay close attention to everything.

The fantasy world of Gurald Galain is pretty grim and dark (no pun intended). Expect no humor whatsoever from the characters. Zero. Not once could I remember either chuckling, smiling or laughing throughout reading any part of the book! Surprisingly though, I don't believe that's what made me feel detached from a majority of the characters presented. While I understood what the characters are going through and whatnot throughout the story, they were simply just "there". I didn't really care if the character I was reading in any given chapter was evil or good. This then brings me to the writing. If you are one to like highlighting passages and quotes, get ready because I'm thinking you'll be doing a whole lot of that here. There is a lot of internal character dialogue that showcases the author's talent for character growth and personalization. If you're not one to like challenging your beliefs and ideology while reading a story, this book probably isn't meant for you or probably any of the other books from the author. The reading can be a bit hard to get into, especially for beginners, due to the poem-like structured writing and dialogue. I actually welcomed it as it is a good change of pace from what I'd normally read. Nothing beats reading these types of books on a Kindle device as looking up the definition of a word is just a single click away. I read a lot but I admit that I had to do a whole lot of just that!

All in all, this book is best treated as a slow burner, which is to be expected for a book in the epic fantasy genre. With the complex plot and large amount of characters to keep track of, many of us have no choice but to take it slowly. Yes, you may get your mind warped a couple times and not everything will make sense, at least initially. But then again, what epic fantasy series do in the beginning? Things need to simmer for a while before it gets going and I find that it was worth it. It could just be that I'm a sucker for epic stories that are willing to spend an equally amount of time on all characters, whether or not they are considered evil or good and Forge of Darkness hits just the right spot for me to consider this feat accomplished.

This book is heavy-handed to the point of exhaustion. Pretty much every character presented in the book has the same voice -- that of a mad philosopher speaking in non-sequitur. I picked up this book thinking it would be somewhat similar to other political fantasy novels I've read, and I was very disappointed to find a story that was written in an unpleasant form of expression.

I can't recommend anyone spend the time to read, let alone purchase this book. If you doubt my review, read all of the other negative reviews and look how cohesive and singular the complains are. Overly philosophical, slow paced, gruesome sexual violence.

For those who have read the books of the fallen this is well worth your time. Erikson starts to provide us with the details of the history that predates the books of the fallen, The book does not have as many action scenes as we are used to but the is plenty of intrigue. Erikson, as you would expect, introduces new characters and develops them and provides the stories behind familiar favorites.

This is typical erikson with an elaborate world and numerous characters to keep track of - the wiki is not fully fleshed out for this series so you have to go it alone :)

I enjoyed the book and look forward to the release,of the next book in the series

Steven Erikson stands among the great novelists of all time. I do not garner praise easily--a ruthless critic of most art. But when I encounter inspired art I know it immediately. A story should cause us to think, to dream, stir our imagination, and awaken wonder. A contrived piece never accomplishes that. The author is merely pumping out another story using the trendy writing formula learned at writing school. Today, in the decline of the modern Roman empire, ludicrous works such as 'Fifty Shades of Trash' are actually considered literature. A disturbing trend. The next time someone mentions a 'hook', and is not referring to a curved metal object, I may consider vomiting directly on them.

Erikson's writing is dense. So concentrated that I read this book one and a half times to get through it, re-reading many paragraphs. I wanted to. Some of the paragraphs are so gorgeous that they border on prose. In fact, I kept thinking he was about to wax poetic, but then I realized it was all like that. Superb sentences, vast vocabulary, all written in an old-fashioned classic style. Some words I did not recognize. Good.Is it not an outside ramification of a novelist? To introduce readers to sophisticated terms and serve to advance the evolution of a language?

Erikson's characters are deep, and feel like real people. The only complaints I have are that it was bit of a challenge to read. I tended to loose track of who a particular character was, and had to repeatedly refer to the list of them in the front of the book. Also, there were times when I didn't know who was speaking in a dialogue. Oh well. If a musician is playing well, but misses a note, I ignore it.

Erikson really has something(s) to say. His social commentary lurks behind the entire piece. Many issues are entertained. Bravo! Other reviewers here have complained about an excessive use of personal reflection on the part of the characters. and cried out for more action. Each to his own. I do not seek to be entertained in IMAX fashion. Erikson reviewers are obviously an intelligent group, but perhaps a tad picky. This is very fine work folks!
Some may deem the theme dark, but I felt darkness being used to help accentuate the light, like sweet and sour. In fact, no character in the tale is truly evil {except perhaps the three...). There is no Sauron. They all feel justified in what they choose to do, for better or for worse. That overall theme--that people are essentially good--in spite of themselves, reminds me of a new book I just read in a different genre, an easy read--much less sophisticated, but a good read as well. Check it out:The Sacred Spring of the Blood Royal: The Secret Order of the Grail

This starts off difficult. Lots of perspectives from bunches of characters spread all over the land, most seemingly unrelated and slow to start. The first 30% had me intrigued and interested but also slightly frustrated. It felt I was reading 5 different books at once.

But this is actually a strength of Erikson's and of the story and I wouldn't change a thing! Spend enough time with the disparate characters and storylines and you find yourself enjoying it all individually in its own rights. The scope and depth of the world and tale are part of the main appeal. And besides, naturally, this being an Erikson novel, it's not long before threads and characters slowly start to intertwine to form a big, beautiful and often-tragic mess.

The writing and storytelling feels more subtle than Malazan Book of the Fallen. MBotF was like a punch in the face. This is like sitting peacefully watching the ocean while a knife is very slowly and discreetly driven into your back. 5-star storytelling.

Forge of Darkness (2012) is the first Fantasy novel in the Kharkanas Trilogy, prequels to the Malazan Book of the Fallen series. It is set within Kurald Galain and environs centuries before the Malazan empire. The world is more primitive and stable, yet is on the cusp of change.

In this novel, Draconus is a Tiste and Lord of Dracons Hold. He is also the Consort of Mother Dark. He has three daughters -- Spite, Envy and Malice -- and one son, Arathan.

Sagander is Arathan's tutor. He remembers when Arathan had fallen through the ice.

Ivis is the Captain of the guard in Dracons Hold. He has also been teaching Arathan how to use a sword.

Jaen Enes is a Tiste and the Lord of House Enes. He has a son -- Kadaspala -- and a daughter Enesdia.

Kadaspala is a Tiste of House Enes. He is the best portrait painter of Kurald Galain. He only loves his sister Enesdia.

Cryl Durav is a Tiste of House Durav. He has been a hostage of House Enes for eleven years and will soon be returning hom.

Vatha Urusander is a Tiste and the commander of the Legion. He has a son Osserc.

Hunn Raal is a soldier of the Legion. He is also Osserc's companion and mentor.

Hist Tulla is a Tiste. She was Anomander's first lover.

Anomander is a Tiste and the First Son of Darkness. He was Hist's first lover.

Andarist and Silchas Ruin are Anomander's brothers. They are all from Purake Hold. Andarist is betrothed to marry Enesdia.

Korya Delath is a Tiste. She is a hostage of Huat.

Huat is a Jaghut scholar. He lives at the edge of the Arudine Hills.

Caladan Brood is an Azathanai High Mason. He is tasked by Anomander with providing a hearthstone for Andarist's new house.

In this story, Arathan watches Draconus returning to Dracons Hold. Draconus talks to his son's tutor and his swordmaster. Sagander assures Draconus that Arathan has learned his lessons and so does Ivis. Yet the guard captain thinks that Arathan has not been pushed to the limit of his skills.

Arathan has only been in his father's presence a few times, but now Malice comes to take him to see Draconus. Arathan thinks that he will be thrown out of the Hold, but Draconus speaks of his mother. Then he says that he will be venturing into the west and Arathan will accompany him.

Osserc and Hunn Raal are watching Kadaspala paint Vatha's portrait. Osserc can see that his father is becoming impatient, so he interrupts the session to suggest that the subject is getting tired. Kadaspala isn't yet ready to quit, but realizes that he risks Urusander getting irritated. Muttering to himself, Kadaspala agrees and starts putting away his paints.

After his father leaves, Osserc and Hunn Raal follow him out the door and start a conversation about politics. They talk about Urusander's place in Tiste society. Osserc mentions the plans to reduce the size of the Legion. They could all be on the streets if the Tiste cut costs too drastically.

Kadaspala is thinking about servants and his sister. He refuses to have a servant, even to clear his paint brushes. He is also yearning for the sight of his beautiful sister. She is the only female that interests him.

Cryl is arguing with Enesdia again. It seems that they argue all the time. Once they were the closest of friends, but now Enesdia is too interested in beaus to converse with him.

Cryl leaves Enesdia's room and goes to the Great Hall. There he finds Jaen and asks him if he may be permitted to ride out and look for eckalla. Jaen reminds him that eckalla have not been seen for years. Then he mentions the loss of a daughter and a beloved hostage.

Hist is riding to Kharkanas when it starts to rain. She guides her horse under a tree and waits. Then she sees three men standing before a basalt gravestone out across the track.

The rain becomes a drizzle and she nudges the horse into the graveyard. The three men hear the horse and turn toward her. Anomander and Silas Ruin had been her lovers sometime ago, but Andarist had not.

They tell her they have come to their father's grave out of curiosity and determination. Actually, Silas Ruin wonders what is written on the other side of the stone. Since it is the seal of the crypt, he intends to rip it off the wall and look. Andarist points out that the inscription would be in Azathanai and he couldn't read the text.

After Hist leaves, the brother talk about her. Silas Ruin had left her because she seemed so intangible. Anomander has gone off to war and others had taken his place. He still has feelings for her and his brothers tell him to go for it.

The brothers arrive at Andarist's new house just in time to see the hearthstone set into the ground. The High Mason requires that Anomander give his blood and vow to the stone. Anomander does so and then requires the blood and vow of the High Mason. Caladan mentions that the consequences of his requirement will have unforeseen consequences.

Korya plays with her hostage dolls on the Aerie overlooking the border reaches of the Tiste territory far to the east. One day she observes Jheleck coming to the castle. Huat goes out the front gate in full armor, but laughs and proclaims them as guests.

This tale takes the Kurald Galain into war. Arathan learns a bit about war and about women during the journey. He also sees the world changing around him.

This story has all the strengths and faults of the other Malazan volumes. It has very interesting storyline, but it is very long, is multi-threaded, and has a cast of hundreds. Twenty-seven names are included in the character list; at least the cast is smaller than within the sequels.

Sometimes I wish the author would just publish dozens of shorter scenarios. The next installment in this sequence -- Fall of Light -- has not yet been announced on the store.

Highly recommended for Erikson fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of alien cultures, armed combat, and politics. Read and enjoy!

-Arthur W. Jordin

I have been a long-time fan of Erikson and his Malazan work, but Forge of Darkness was simply like walking through a literary bog. There is no doubt that Erikson is a gifted writer who works in an amazingly grand scope. Here, however, the amount of actually interesting and engaging plot is hard to find. I simply cannot enjoy hundreds and hundreds of pages of self reflection and theorizing about why society exists in the first place. It is like a dull philosophy paper about the meaning of life from two dozen viewpoints. I am currently re-reading Gardens of the Moon and it is a great book that moves along well with just the hint of self reflection and philosophical ponderings that elevate it.

Forge of Darkness cannot make that same claim.

I found this book very hard to read. I don't know if it was the author's style of writing, the vocabulary or the story itself. I read about 50% of the book and I was lost the entire time and just couldn't get into it.
This isn't the first book I've read either. I read constantly from various authors and genres. I wouldn't recommend this book at all, and especially not to a light reader or someone that reads a book every couple of years.

Forge of Darkness is the first installment of the Kharkanas Trilogy. The events take place several hundred thousand years before the main series. As such it has a slightly different tone. It still follows Erikson's formula of different POV's and he toys with our perceptions of history and how we remember events. Many things we have been led to believe up to this point may be quite different from reality.

That being said, Forge of Darkness reacquaints us with some familiar characters in their younger days and sets the stage for some epic conflict. There is some action in this book, but it is like the beginning of most trilogies and does a fair amount of world building. Series fans should be thoroughly pleased and left hungry for more; as in typical Malazan fashion, Erikson creates as many questions as he answers.

If I loved Mr. Erikson a little bit more than I do now, I will probably kidnap him and make him write Malazan novels for me for the rest of his life. Maybe I'll do that after Fall of Light comes out...haha. Seriously though. If you've read and loved The Malazan Book of the Fallen series like me, then you maybe a bit skeptical about this prequel trilogy. I mean it's the Teste people ! they weren't the most interesting characters in main series aside from Anomander Rake and a handful others and we already know the history of the universe and its gods. But man oh man, you are wrong !! Read this book and your mind will be blown away into to tiny, microscopic nano bits. It will make you feel bad for suspecting Steven Erikson talents after you've read the main series. Now, go enjoy this masterpiece, ladies and gentlemen...

Erikson hasn't disappointed me yet. Great Book! Gives interesting background detail to some of my favorite characters from the Malazan Empire Series. Fleshes them out with the foibles and follies of youth. If you love that series, you will love this book too. Warning, you may also end up just like me, waiting impatiently for the next book.

Mr. Erikson has given up on storytelling and now continuously indulges in strings of seemingly unrelated philosophical character vignettes. This one isn't as bad in that regard as the last few books in the Malazan series, but it still kills the enjoyment for me. There is a story in here somewhere and I read through it because I'm still very interested in his world and SOME of his characters. I just don't care about the vast majority of his groundling characters. Having each chapter for more than half the book introduce an yet another new set of characters and their morbid inner life is tedious in the extreme. I should have got out a pair of scissors and cut the book down to the just parts about Draconus and Anomander, since that's where the meat lies. Guess Mr. Erikson is just too successful to submit to necessary editing nowadays. When I compare the way his writing style has evolved from his earlier edge of the seat dramas I'm sorely disappointed.

"Forge of Darkness" starts "The Kharkanas Trilogy", a prequel to the "The Malazan Book of the Fallen" chronicles. A few storylines dominate the novel such as following the Purake Hold, the Dracons Hold, and Jaghut Haut and Korya Delath's journey. Basically a couple battles throughout a lot of travelling, dialogue, introspection, and political maneuvering.

Despite knowing their future, I found Anomander Purake the most compelling with Draconus and his son Arathan a close second. Unfortunately current catch phrases have found their way into literature, specifically "That said" as a transition between counterpoints modernizes the story. No particular incident jumps out as fascinating or terrible, pretty much an average writing.

Given the abundant quantity of characters, an improved comprehensive appendix is necessary including racial characteristics, relating magical powers, and describing creatures.

Thank you.

This is a beautifully crafted, intelligent fantasy epic. The language is amazing, and I found myself sucked into the lives of the characters. I usually prefer novels with more action, but the internal conflicts and scheming from the characters make up for the lack of epic battles. Highly recommended.

This is the first Erikson novel I've ever read. After the first few chapters, I went online to see why the hell anyone would read a confusing writing style like this. I took everyone's advice, and stuck with it, and I'm glad I did, because once it all starts to come together, it's an epic fantasy story of the greatest quality. This is a very different world, with exotic races and landscapes - very original, and very well thought out. There's tons of characters and houses ala Game of Thrones style, but entirely unlike Martin's writing.

The story is very dramatic, dark, depressing and tragic... and I love it! The plot and dialogue often made me feel like was reading Shakespeare. The language is very graceful, maybe too graceful at times.

Erikson's writing style doesn't come anywhere near his imagination in terms of quality. I'm not quite sure why he leaves you lost in the beginning - I'm not sure what the reader gains from this tactic. I basically had to re-read the entire first 150 pages, because I had no idea who anyone was or what was going on at the time. While there is a fun element to piecing everything together eventually, I feel that better writing could accomplish this in a less infuriating manner.

All of the characters were extremely two-dimensional. They all speak the same. They are all deeply contemplative. Highborne, lowborne, main character, side character, male, female, god, mortal - They all talk like THE SAME EXACT PERSON.

Speaking of contemplative, there is so much philosophical mumbo jumbo being vomited out by every single character, that half way through, I learned how to skip these ramblings and get back to the story. I really tried to appreciate them, but often their subjects had nothing to to with ANYTHING. This book would be half the length without them, and twice as fun to read.

I love the world and the story, and I am going to give the earlier books a try. From what I can tell, the fun of the series outweighs the frustrating writing style. The Forge of Darkness was of good book, but it could have been something truly great.

I really hate to give this book only 3 stars. Especially because the positives easily outnumbered the negatives. But because the negatives were so HEAVY, I cannot, in good conscience, rate this book any higher. This is the first time I have ever reviewed a book I actually loved, so you're going to have to bear with me through my tears.

Steven Erikson is my all-time favorite author. Just hands the f- down.There is not a single fantasy book in the world as well written/compelling/frustrating/thought provoking/and and and etc.as the Malazan Book of the Fallen. Knowing that, and knowing that the Kharkanas Trilogy was focused on the backstory of some of (which turns out to be MOST OF) the major players in the MBotF, I left Forge of Darkness on my shelf for 3 months before I cracked it open. Because I knew that I was going to get sucked into the Malazan world for at least a few weeks as I read and absorbed the story. Sadly, this book left me incredibly frustrated.

The following are not really 'spoilers', but they do refer to scenes in the book.

First, the language. Each of the characters had the same voice. Everyone spoke in this super cryptic way, and although I didn't mind that (that's part of the mystery, after all), NO ONE was ever straight forward and EVERYONE spoke in paragraphs and long periods of internal dialogue and cryptic spoken metaphors. Even Orfantal, a 5 year old boy, spoke in complete cryptic sentences and paragraphs. While I understand (I think) that this was done on purpose -- everyone speaks metaphorically because that's the way of language in Kurald Galain -- but it wasn't just the Tiste; it was the Jhaghuts, the Azathanai, and the Soletaken (can't remember their proper name, apologies). Even the townspeople. And it just became tiresome after a while.

Second, the aristocratic focus. One of the reasons that I loved MBotF was that, for once, the focus was not on the rich, the highborn, the aristocracy, the privileged. MBotF was the story o the everyday jane and joe. The soldier, the shopkeeper, the orphan, the street thug, the mage, the lowly corporal or engineer. It wasn't the story of the Big Names who make the history books because they are the ones credited with the deeds of the people socially and economically below them. And that's what separated Erikson from the rest, and why SO MANY new sub-genres of fantasy emerged after Gardens that were told from the non-royal perspective. MBotF (and, in essence, the Black Company) took a giant S*** all over high fantasy by asserting that there was MORE THAN ONE STORY that deserved to be told. And yet... and yet FoD is exactly the opposite. The entire story is based on the Tiste aristocracy.And while it is impossible for Erikson to write even a boring SENTENCE, this entire storyline was just so... uninspiring. Their conversations, their motives, their worries, their actions... I didn't care. At all. About any of them. I recall, from MBotF, that the downfall of the Tiste was a result of their aristocracy and arrogance, so it's not as though I don't understand why the storyline is important. But... why from their point of view? Why?

Which brings me to Third, the Big Heroes from the MBotF. The ones whose motives and characters were never fully fleshed out in those first 10 books have finally gotten to have their chance in the spotlight. But why are they all in the same book, why are they all around the same age? All of the characters in the book are either in their 20s or 40s. One woman is said to be in her 40s and nearing the end of her childbearing years -- how do people live to be centuries old but can only give birth for a teeny tiny portion of them? What is the aging process? How do you tell between someone who is 60 and someone who is 600? Only one character is said to be in his 100s. They make clear that the Tiste are long-lived already, so how is it that nobody in the book is, say, 250 years old, considering that MBotF is set hundreds or thousands of years into the future? Almost every single Tiste character that you desperately wanted to know more about in MBotF but didn't (which kept you completely off balance for all 10 books and added to the allure of the story, because you just NEVER KNEW) has made an appearance in FoD. Even the damn frog Kadaspala, and Gothos, and Kilmandaros. All the mystery about these minor characters from MBotF is (SNAP!) gone. And while it is very satisfying to have a bunch of Ah-Ha! moments, it is also disappointing -- it's like learning that Santa isn't real or that wrestling is fake of that Dr. Pepper is made from plums. I didn't want to know the truth about EVERYTHING. Some things, yes -- I am so happy to finally learn what the f-ing 'Shore' was to the Shake, to read Sandalath Korlat's history, to finally understand where Gates came from, to see what happened to Hood -- but the rest of it just took all the mystery away. MBotF took 10 books to introduce hundreds of characters and the Big Heroes and Big Baddies of the past. In FoD, we have already met more than half of them (Korlat, Andarist, Anomander, Silchas, Orfantal, Arathan, Osserc, Draconus, Errastas, Caladan Brood, Gothos, K'rul, Hood, Olar Ethil, Kilmandaros, Kadaspala, Spinnock Durav, Sechul Lath, Mother Dark) and they are almost all Tiste or Azathanai.

Fourth, speaking of Mother Dark, Erikson has again latched on to this unknown and unseen female ruler. First it was Laseen, this all-knowing all powerful woman who no one knew or understood and despite her being a woman in complete control of her entire world, we never got to see her point of view. We never got to understand her, or her motives. We saw her vaguely through the eyes of others who saw her in pieces, but never from her own perspective, never as her own agent, never able to defend herself or her motives, nor have the agency in which to tell her own story of how she came to be the supreme ruler in a land where, even though women soldiers were the norm, they were still greatly outnumbered by males. So first we got Laseen, then Adjunct Tavore Paran and now Mother Dark -- never seen, never heard, but we must applaud him for bending norms and putting a woman in charge? Why don't these women get a voice, but somehow we should sympathize with Narad the rapist? I don't understand this, Erikson. Why?

And finally, Fifth, the women. What happened to the women in this story? In TEN books of the MBotF, Erikson passed the proverbial Bechdel Test in every single book. The women had their own agency, their own points of view, their own stories. In FoD, there was not a single woman's storyline that did not have to do with a male they they want to, or had already, slept with. All conversations inevitably lead to the discussion of potential mates, if women talked to eachother at all. WHY? I felt so betrayed by Erikson in FoD, so insulted and offended. Whereas in MTotF, we barely even knew what any of the women looked like, in FoD, if a woman was remarked upon at all her looks were always a part of the discussion. This was a MAJOR letdown. Only a few weeks ago, someone asked me to name an author who wrote 'strong female characters' that differed from your basic GRRM/high fantasy variety, and I immediately named Erikson. A week later, I'd finished FoD and wanted to kick myself for even suggesting it.

2 brief mentions here: first is Erikson's 2 gruesome rape scenes. The detail involved in both of these scenes actually made me cry. Like, physically cry actual tears. There was no real reason for him to describe HOW these 2 women were raped, only that they were. It did not advance the story in any way, and it was disgusting, totally unnecessary, and it made me hate Erikson as a writer, for even just those brief moments. Second is the portrayal of lesbians and gays. We get graphic descriptions of Arathan's first time having sex, we are supposed to sympathize with Kadaspala's incestuous longing for his own sister, Farror Hend's lust for her 1st cousin... but we just gloss over Ville's affections for "a young man back home in the village"? Or even in MBotF, Tavore's relationship with (can't remember her name) just completely glossed over, but it was fine to describe the repeated rape of Hetan, the lustful rapes committed by Karsa Olong, etc etc etc? It's infuriating!

All in all, I was not pleased with this book. The writing was superb, and for the writing alone I could give the book a 5. If this book had not been a prequel to something as great as the Malazan Book of the Fallen, if my expectations of the story, the characters, the women, the varieties of characters, were not based upon having read one of the greatest stories ever told, then I probably would have given this book a 5. I would have probably considered it to be a new take on 'high fantasy' like GRRM's awful books. But because I have, and it was, this book barely gets 3 stars from me. I have never been so disappointed to read something. Steven Erikson is one of THE greatest writers of all time and, for him, this book was trash. If this book -- not even the actual writing, but just the story alone -- would have been written by some mediocre author like Abercrombie or Weeks or Sanderson, I would have been blown the f- away. It would have received 5+ stars from me, because I don't think any of those authors has the imagination to come up with such a fascinating story. But because I know what Steven Erikson is capable of, I know what he has done before and what he can do again, I felt like this story was only slightly better than awful even though the writing was A+.

Like I said, I am really sad to write this review. I'm sure a lot of people wont agree with me, and will be offended by my words here today, and thumbs down this review before taking the time to actually read it. But I can only write the truth here, and the truth is that this book was subpar. I will, of course, read the remainder of the trilogy, but will certainly not have high expectations for it. I can only hope that Erikson does not waste his talent and become a high fantasy author.

Loved all of the Malazan series. But while the writing is superb, this book goes on a bit long and has minimal action. It was nice seeing some of the characters from the Malazan series, but we spent way too much time in individuals heads. Here's hoping the second book in the trilogy goes somewhere with this rather dense foundation.

Seriously guys, if you're reading this trilogy, you've probably read Malazan BOTF and should already be acquainted with the authors style.

If the concepts are too grand for your imagination, then try something simpler.

There's a lot of reading ahead if you've never read any of Steven Erikson's ten-volume Malazan Book of the Fallen, plus a three-volume prequel that begins with "Forge of Darkness" (Tor, $27.99, 662 pages) - but I'm not too sure about the "good."

That's not to say Erikson isn't a good writer, because he is. His command of the voices of the various characters, and the narrator, is superb, and his ability to create characters with depth and texture is also way above average. The problem for me, though, is the unrelentingly bleak and violent world and narrative that Erikson chooses to present.

"Forge of Darkness" is set some time before the Malazan Book of the Fallen (of which I read two or three installments, but never could get through them all), and I thought this might be a way for me to re-engage with Erikson's 10-volume, highly acclaimed, series. Unfortunately, "Forge of Darkness" pushed me to the brink of actually not finishing a book - which in my compulsive professionalism, is something I do maybe once a decade. Why? The book was just too painful to read, in great part because of Erikson's ability to transform words into living beings (even if not quite human) that matter to the reader. So what happens is that those living beings get raped, brutalized, tortured, wounded and killed in various extremely unpleasant, and meticulously described, ways, and after a while, it simply wears you down.

Add to that an incredibly complex plot with many, many characters, and many different points of view, and you have a work that not only details an unpleasant world at the beginning of an even more unpleasant civil war, but also requires constant reference to the cast of characters thoughtfully included at the start of the book. (And it doesn't help that one major character is named Risp and another Rint, or that you can go hundreds of pages before returning to one narrator, and then are immediately plunged into twists in a complex and constantly evolving plot.)

Presumably, all of these various threads will unite in one grand tapestry by the end of the third book, but that tapestry is going to be dyed in blood and depict nothing but treachery, torture, agony and death - and you know, I can find all that just by reading the paper every morning.

So even though Erikson is clearly talented, and even though the reputation of the Malazan Book of the Fallen suggests that the Kharkanas Trilogy, as this is called, will be at the worst an above-average fantasy series, it's just too dark and bloody for me.

I have tried to finish this book multiple times, and every time I can't. The Malazan Book of The Fallen series is probably my all time favourite, but this!!!! Don't get me started, just page after page of philosophising dribble. Give yourself an uppercut Steven Erikson go back to what made the first series so epic, fast and punchy and mind bending worlds and characters. All I can say is thank you Ian for releasing that Dancer novel, except it was too short, finished it in 1 day.

Steven Erikson is an amazing writer and his Malazan series was one of the best stories i've ever read but this first installment of a new series is plain old boring!!! It is super exciting to hear all of these famous names but it takes FOREVER for anything to happen. nothing exciting happened for the first 300 pages

This another amazing work from Erikson. Readers are treated to a "pre-history" of characters first met in his Malazan books. He is a master of developing complex and "real" characters and plot lines. A must read for any fan of fantasy fiction.

While I was reading Erikson's magnum opus, The Malazan Book of the Fallen, even though there were more than enough incredible storylines, my favorite parts were always the prologues offering flashbacks from the tale's distant past. Hence, when the author revealed that he would write an entire trilogy chronicling the story of Anomander Rake and the Tiste people, I was giddy with excitement.

I was looking forward to reading Forge of Darkness, for I knew that it would be a different reading experience. As was the case when we watched the second Star Wars trilogy, we already know how it's going to end. So in a way, we're along for the ride to finally discover how Anakin will turn to the Dark Side and become Darth Vader. And yet, as is Steven Erikson's wont, the novel raises a lot more questions than it answers. . .

The Malazan Book of the Fallen was so vast in depth, scope, and vision, my only true concern was that this new trilogy wouldn't live up to the lofty expectations created by the original book cycle. And although Forge of Darkness may not be as sprawling a novel as the other Malazan installments, it remains an epic and multilayered tale.

Here's the blurb:

Forge of Darkness: Now is the time to tell the story of an ancient realm, a tragic tale that sets the stage for all the tales yet to come and all those already told...

It's a conflicted time in Kurald Galain, the realm of Darkness, where Mother Dark reigns. But this ancient land was once home to many a power... and even death is not quite eternal. The commoners' great hero, Vatha Urusander, is being promoted by his followers to take Mother Dark's hand in marriage, but her Consort, Lord Draconus, stands in the way of such ambitions. The impending clash sends fissures throughout the realm, and as the rumors of civil war burn through the masses, an ancient power emerges from the long dead seas. Caught in the middle of it all are the First Sons of Darkness, Anomander, Andarist, and Silchas Ruin of the Purake Hold...

Steven Erikson entered the pantheon of great fantasy writers with his debut Gardens of the Moon. Now he returns with the first novel in a trilogy that takes place millennia before the events of the Malazan Book of the Fallen and introduces readers to Kurald Galain, the warren of Darkness. It is the epic story of a realm whose fate plays a crucial role in shaping the world of the Malazan Empire.

Forge of Darkness takes us back millennia into the past. The earliest flashback from The Malazan Book of the Fallen takes us back nearly 300,000 years and Forge of Darkness occurs centuries or millennia before that. As the tale begins, dragons are just a legend. It is a time before the Elder Gods, before the Holds, before the Warrens. After a bitter and hard-fought war against a previous incarnation of the Forkrul Assail (or so it seems), there is finally peace in Kurald Galain. The cult of Mother Dark cult is growing in Kharkanas and the Tiste people have grown hedonistic and decadent, and now civil war is looming.

As always, Erikson's worldbuilding is top notch. As Warrens don't exist just yet, Kurald Galain is a land situated in a "real" world. It is unclear if this country and the realms beyond it -- the Thel Akai, the Jaghut, the Jheck, and the Dog-Runners' realms to the west beyond the Bareth Solitude, as well as the Forulkan realm to the south -- existed at one point on Wu or if they exist in another dimension or something similar. It is ambiguous, for there are mentions of the High Kingdom and its High King, and Malazan fans are well aware that before he was cursed by three Elder Gods, Kallor ruled over an empire on the continent of Jacuruku. Then again, it might be a different High King, or it might be that he ruled in another dimension. As far as the Malazan canon is concerned, unless Kallor reached Wu first, the Tiste Invasion took place long before the evolution of humans when the Tiste Andii and the Tiste Edur faced the K'Chain Che'Malle on the continent of Lether. Thus, a lot of questions remain unanswered.

Though Forge of Darkness raises a panoply of new questions and provides very few answers, discovering more and more regarding that distant and mysterious past is utterly fascinating. One thing to remember is that as the tale begins, even though there are factions and dissension among them, the Tiste are a united people. At this point, there is no such thing as the Tiste Andii, the Tiste Edur, or the Tiste Liosan. It's interesting to see and learn things about the previous incarnations of races that populate The Malazan Book of the Fallen. Like the Jaghut, who have put an end to their civilization. Or the Azathanai, the people that were never born. Or the Dog-Runners, the Imass' ancestors.

The characterization is probably the aspect that will disappoint some readers. Sadly, the narrative doesn't feature POVs from Anomander Rake, Silchas Ruin, or Andarist. Forge of Darkness unfolds through the eyes of a great many disparate characters, a lot more than I felt was necessary. But since this is the first volume, only time will tell if such a high number of POV protagonists was required. As was the case with the last few Malazan installments, Erikson's characters go through a lot of introspection. Which at times, it's true, can bog down the narrative.

One would have thought that familiar faces such as the Sons of Darkness, Draconus, and Scara Bandaris would have been the principal POV characters, but the better part of the novel is made up of the POV from new protagonists. Although most of the scenes featuring Draconus are told from his bastard son Arathan's perspective, finding out more about this enigmativ man was great. We are aware that he's at the heart of what's to come, so it's nice to see Draconus feature so prominently in Forge of Darkness. Another factor that readers might find off-putting is that, not only don't we get POVs from Anomander Rake, Silchas Ruin, and Andarist, but the three brothers don't get much "air time" in this book. Still, it is intriguing to follow younger versions of characters such as Osserc, Spinnock Durav, Sandalath Drukorlat, Orfantal, and others.

Although we were told that Steven Erikson's style would be a bit different in this new series, I haven't perceived any difference in style and tone. But it does feel that Erikson writes with a tighter focus. Though epic in scope, it's not as sprawling as The Malazan Book of the Fallen. More structured, also, which at times feels a bit odd, given the style of the 10-book cycle (where everything could happen at any given moment). Having said that, the plot is as convoluted as that of any other Malazan offering.

The pace of the novel is a bit uneven and much different from what we are used to from Erikson. Habitually, the author starts slow, gradually building up the plotlines, and then going all out for a mind-blowing finale. Virtually all the Malazan installments were like that, so fans have come to expect such structure. With Forge of Darkness, it's the complete opposite. The book features a strong beginning, and then an even stronger middle portion. Yet instead of the exciting ending that we have come to love, Erikson came up with a somewhat weaker and anticlimactic ending for Forge of Darkness. I have a feeling that it has a lot to do with the structure of a trilogy. In and of itself, Forge of Darkness is a set-up book. Steven Erikson is laying A LOT of groundwork for the rest of the series. And though it may be a little lackluster, it looks as though Forge of Darkness ends just the way it should, setting the stage for what should be an amazing sequel. Only time will tell if Fall of Light will live up to that potential. As things stand, it appears that Forge of Darkness is a vast introduction that will serve as the opening chapter for what is to come, and as such I'm wondering how well it will stand on its own.

Even with the absence of the sort of convergence that always allowed Erikson to cap all of his novels off with style, there is more than enough secrets, questions, and revelations to satisfy Malazan fans. Forge of Darkness will have you begging for more, which is all we can ask for!

What would be a new Malazan offering without a timeline issue, right!?! And yes, Forge of Darkness features a couple of glaring timeline errors. The first: Sukul Ankhadu was a soletaken Eleint goddess of the Tiste Edur. She was sister to Menandore, and half-sister to Sheltatha Lore. She was the daughter of Tiam and Osserc. At least, that's what we learned in The Malazan Book of the Fallen. Problem is, at the beginning of Forge of Darkness Sukul Ankhadu is already a young woman held as a noble hostage. It is a problem because she appears to be older than Osserc (who could be anywhere between late teenage years and young adulthood). So as things stand, Osserc could not have fathered Sukul Ankhadu. Moreover, at this juncture dragons are just a legend and Tiam remains unknown to the Tiste. The second time issue has to do with Sheltatha Lore. But I can't provide more details without including spoilers, so I'll refrain from doing so.

I brought it up on malazanempire.com and we were told that Steven Erikson is aware of these apparent errors and remains unmoved. Hence, we have to trust the author and see how he will reconcile these errors with the established Malazan canon.

For all of its flaws, Forge of Darkness is a "must read" for all Malazan fans out there!

Check out Pat's Fantasy Hotlist!

I was listening to the audiobook. I kept waiting for some plot to happen.

Will there be a fight? Will there be magic? Will the harvest fail? Will a rebellion breakout? Will there be ominous foreshadowing? Will there be a geopolitical debate about the price of tea? No, there is no action...Maybe a little action? No. Please? No.
Then eventually they will pack their bags to go...where? Who knows? Who cares? I already gave up.

I must be too used to the modern format of "Throw the reader into some interesting part of the story, then when the reader says 'Holy crap; how the hell did this happen?' You back up and fill them in." This to me is a definition of a page-turner book. When a sly author makes a reader NEED to keep reading.

I hate to be the stereotypical jerk who says "Ain't nobody got time for this." But I guess I am today. Thanks, Steven Erikson.

P.S. This is the first book to go on my new personal spreadsheet of Books-to-Avoid so I won't mistakenly pick up this book again. No disrespect to you, Steven. Your book is just the first.

Forge of Darkness
Steven Erikson
Tor, Sep 18 2012, $27.99
ISBN: 9780765323569

In in Kurald Galain, the Tiste people look forward to the peace after a brutal war against the Forulkan and the Jheleck. However, the militia having no external hostilities to fight refuses to give up power earned during the war and argue between themselves over leadership. Additionally, the three prime Tiste races (the Andii, Liosan and Edur) also are divided as the eight-Highborn noble families covet more affluence and influence.

In this hodgepodge of potential violence, Tiste ruler Mother Dark chose Draconus as a lover. This angers the other noble families who feel their ruler slapped them with picking Draconus; as in their minds the consort is a nonentity lesser Highborn while each of the other aristocratic houses expected one of their members selected. Even the commoners take issue with Draconus as they demand Mother Dark choose their hero Vatha Urusander. Civil was seems imminent.

The opening entry in The Kharkanas Trilogy prequel to the Malazan Book of the Fallen is a fascinating tale that occurs centuries before any event (including flashbacks) in the main saga. The engaging storyline focuses on how they got here questions from the series though there remain older historical events (including new references). Well-written for fans of the Malazan although there is no closure, readers will appreciate this epic prequel.

Harriet Klausner

I loved the Mazalan series, but this book has rambled on for 1000 pages going nowhere. It's shorter than his other works, so I'm wondering when the book will unfold something of interest. Sorry, but I expected more after the Mazalan series.