The Malazan Fallen discussion

With the ICE read on the go, I thought I would post this lost as a number of people of contacted me in regards to if spoilers in Malazan Empire would affect their Fallen read.

Personally, I think that Return of the Crimson GUard can be read at the same time as Reapers Gale. I certainly don't think that reading RG is a pre-requisite before starting RotCG as there are two distinctly different story settings. But it has been a while since I read RoftCG.


This is the best list I could find from the wiki site. http://malazan.wikia.com/wiki/Suggest...

Gardens of the Moon
Deadhouse Gates
Memories of Ice
House of Chains
Midnight Tides
Night of Knives
The Bonehunters
Reaper's Gale
Return of the Crimson Guard
Toll the Hounds
Stonewielder
Dust of Dreams
Orb Sceptre Throne
The Crippled God
Blood and Bone
Assail
Forge of Darkness
Fall of Light
Walk in Shadow

That's what I'm following but I'm also doing the B&KB books and eventually Path to Ascendancy starting with Dancer's Lament.

https://www.goodreads.com/series/173946

I copied the order from the link above to my own Malazan folder so I can track my progress. I'm through Reaper's Gale which means I've read 7/10 from Fallen, 1/6 from Empire, 4/6 from K&KB and 12/28 total.

#17 Goats of Glory is only found in a short story collection book. I'd like to read it but I'm not paying $10 to read 20 pages when nothing else interests me. If I can come by a copy I'll certainly do it.

Having read the core series three times now and currently working through the ancillary novels, I would highly recommend reading GOTM first. Then proceeding through the core series before hitting the other books. Logic: the speculation with regard to events past and present (but unknown to whatever characters are speaking / musing) is part of the story and intended. The ancillary novels contain much clarity with regard to many things, but are not part of the original story; the speculation and wondering is absolutely part of the story. Anyway...imho and all that.

I guess people like what they're familiar with. Because I'm doing the recommended reading order the things that fill in the character's personalities is to me invaluable. I don't feel Empire of K&KB give anything in the main series away and you get some good back stories.

I read BotF first because that is the series I owned, but if I had all the books available to me at first and had known of the recommended reading order, I would have followed it. Some of the crossover storylines and the overarching threads would have worked beautifully if read in the recommended order.

I was doing my second read by this chart: https://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/... and I think it was the best.