yes. here for all of it. I enjoyed our Malazan journey, Dan.

This is a really great video where you explained so well why some books didn't connect with you and why the others did, that too in a non spoiler way. Kudos.

Glad to find your channel. I’m about to start malazan. I’ll check out your videos as I go along.

Thx for this have not been able to watch recent vids as I got exams so can't read TCG rn but stoked that we have reached the finish line (well not me but you get the point)

A book of parables compared to a series of short stories, both with overarching themes. I can appreciate that. The archaeological and anthropological aspects of this series are an obvious standout and a real feast now that you can divert focus from the main story elements. A post first read reaction to changes in location, persona, timeline and writing style through subsequent books in the series would be a fun discussion. I remember how jarring it was to start MT and HoC only to get hooked on all the newness after a few chapters. Your enthusiasm for TtH at the time was contagious. I enjoyed it even more while following along. Thanks for that!

Very nice. As I mentioned on discord, your ranking is actually pretty close to mine, outside of your insane issue with the last 2 books 😂 I’ll put my ranking below for… reasons But just fyi, having TtH first is absolutely not weird. It tends to be a divisive book, in that it usually ends up at/near the top OR bottom of people’s rankings. Usually not in the middle. So yeah don’t worry you’re not unique 😛 1. The Crippled Dream 2. MoI 3. TtH 4. MT 5. DG 6. RG 7. tBH 8. HoC 9. GotM

It’s weird how I can agree so much with a person and disagree so much too, currently reading the crippled god and toll the hounds is my favourite with dust of dreams a bit behind it.

My ranking (with spoilers): 1. Reaper Gale - The peak for the series in terms of political fiction, so easily what I enjoy the most as a fan of political fiction. Just great all around, though I do prefer the first half a lot more, before the Malazans come in a derail these plots) 2. The Bonehunters - While Reaper's Gale is like a 10/10 in the first half and a 8/10 in the second, I think this is consistently a 9/10. Still my favourite book ending in the series. 3. Memories of Ice - Where so many elements that got me exited to see where to series was heading are really introduced and highlighted here (the less I say about the resolution to these points the better...) 4. Gardens of the Moon - With how much crap this book gets, I couldn't believe how much I enjoyed it. It's quite different to the following books, has an almost swashbuckling feel with Cutter in Darujhistan, but I thought it was great. 5. Toll the Hounds - Darujhistan is perhaps my favourite setting in all of fantasy, so getting a deep dive into the inner workings of the city and it's underbelly was a treat. Hot take, as I know many see the ending of the book to be the peak of the series, but like Reaper's Gale I was actually enjoying it a lot more before certain events derailed many of these stories within Darujhistan. So much of the Darujhistany set up isn't resolved in this book, which was disappointing (but don't worry, read book 4 of this other authors other series and you can see these plot points destroyed!) 6. Midnight Tides. 7. House of Chains. 8. Dust of Dreams. 9. The Crippled God. 10. Deadhouse Gates - I genuinely believe how much I enjoyed Gardens of the Moon kinda spoiled this book for me. With how often it's said that you just how to power through book one and book two will blow you away, then given how much I adored GotM, I expected this to be an all time great. It's not really fair to the book, but it's just how I felt reading through it. I have no doubt that this will shoot up when I eventually do a re-read. All I can say it, Malazan community, be nicer to Gardens of the Moon!

Will you be continuing with Kharkanas? It has a different style and Erikson is exploring something unique, but it basically takes what you love about Toll the Hounds and runs with it as far as possible. Can't make any promises though, it might be too much for you, as it is for lots of people.

Where I am right now my rankings would go HoC > TTH > MT > MoI > DoD > DG > RG > TBH > GotM - It is intresting me and you both had our expectations raised for TBH but it kinda missed, for me the ending chapters are some of my fav in malazan while I actually hated chapter 7, while it is the flip side for you. I totally was with you in how I felt for RG at one point because that first book and some of the commentary is the best in the series, but the book personally felt as if it had stretched a bit beyond the themes and how it started to feel as if we were simply returning to similar ideas or whatever which did sour the ending for me personally. But yeah TTH... what more can be said, the most quotable malazan book arguably with Midnight tides

1) TtH 2)TCG 3)MoI 4) Reaper’s Gale 5) The Bonehunters 6) Midnight Tides 7) Deadhouse Gates 8) House of Chains 9) Dust of Dreams 10) Gardens of the Moon

Do a spolier ranking now please

I am here to confirm you are right Dan, House of chains is the best malazan book and it is not even close :)