Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion

January 1st.

Spot!

Link to the old thread where Scott posted detailed, chapter per chapter comments:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Page count for the competition: 772 (English edition)

IN! :)

In

In

I'm in....

In

I'm in.

I can't decide if it's too soon for me to do a re-read or if I should wait until I'm done with the whole series before going back.

Whole being the main series + extras?

Veronica wrote: "I can't decide if it's too soon for me to do a re-read or if I should wait until I'm done with the whole series before going back."

Maybe just start with GotM and see if you still feel like rereading it all?

In

Diana Stormblessed wrote: "In"

You really need to read or whispersync this series. Audio is really rough in trying to follow this complicated of a story.

Scott wrote: "Diana Stormblessed wrote: "In"

You really need to read or whispersync this series. Audio is really rough in trying to follow this complicated of a story."

I'm going to go back to my kindle for it this time around. I have the kindle edition from when TOR was giving it away as their book of the month.

Diana Stormblessed wrote: "I'm going to go back to my kindle for it this time around. I have the kindle edition from when TOR was giving it away as their book of the month. ..."

Nice.

Bea wrote: "Veronica wrote: "I can't decide if it's too soon for me to do a re-read or if I should wait until I'm done with the whole series before going back."

Maybe just start with GotM and see if you still..."

It's not a question of desire. I want to reread it but I can already tell that there will be so much more I glean from the early books knowing what I know now (up to book 6). If I start my reread now though I'll miss additional connections I might make if I waited until I had read the rest.

Whatever I decide, I'll definitely be following the discussion here. :-)

Soo wrote: "Whole being the main series + extras?"

The main series.

Forgot to mention in this thread that I'm in! So excited to re-read :)

I'm in for the re - read. I've only read the first book, but never got to the rest this year, because of lack of time.

Veronica wrote: "Bea wrote: "Veronica wrote: "I can't decide if it's too soon for me to do a re-read or if I should wait until I'm done with the whole series before going back."

Maybe just start with GotM and see ..."

Hm. I'm not sure how many connections there are between GotM and the later books since it's been over two years since I read GotM, so I forgot a lot. Maybe ask for Scott's opinion?

Jenna wrote: "Forgot to mention in this thread that I'm in! So excited to re-read :)"

Yay! Another re-reader :)

Hooray, so much awesome company! :)

In :)

Yay! Such a big group for this read! It's going to be amazing :D

Veronica if you are sticking with the read that is currently going on I would recommend not starting a reread. I think you would then get more out of a reread later on. There's so much of the origins of characters I'm learning in The Kharkanas Trilogy that it will make a reread once I'm up to date more satisfying. There's so much I've forgotten.

If you are going to restart the earlier books then rereading the earlier books and continuing is a great way to go.

Good luck deciding.

Angela wrote: "Veronica if you are sticking with the read that is currently going on I would recommend not starting a reread. I think you would then get more out of a reread later on. There's so much of the origi..."

I concur. There's so much I know know after finishing BotF, Empire, Kharkanas and P2A that I wouldn't have otherwise. I also have to say the reread in many ways has been better than the first time. I can completely relax and let the story come to me. I'm not worried about missing stuff and between that and the luxury of hindsight I see so much more.

I usually read a little before bed and finished my book. I've been really busy at work so I haven't started a new physical book since I won't have time to finish before January. Instead I've been reading Scott's GotM chapter summaries from the old thread to better prepare (since this one at least is a reread for me). Those should count for pages read in 2018. They are really helpful. And less intimidating on a reread.

Diana Stormblessed wrote: "I usually read a little before bed and finished my book. I've been really busy at work so I haven't started a new physical book since I won't have time to finish before January. Instead I've been r..."

Glad they're helping.

Okay, so I read the first 3 books I think it was and I wanted to reread and finish the series of just the main books. I’m going to try to do this with this thread and keep up with y’all. I have a big of big reread series and regular books this year.

My fingers are crossed for the new year!

Happy New Year to everyone 🥰

Anybody else starting this today? :)

I am! :D

I’m going to try for today or tonight!

Definitely!

Hi there Jeffrey! I’m over here in Chattanooga! I love meeting book lovers in the same state 😃

I'm not going to be starting for a couple of days. Don't go back to work until this weekend and I have the auido version.

Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ wrote: "Hi there Jeffrey! I’m over here in Chattanooga! I love meeting book lovers in the same state 😃"

Hi, did you live near Nashville before? I may be wrong, but we may have met tracking dogs. Any way, good to have another book/dog friend

Elizabeth wrote: "I'm not going to be starting for a couple of days. Don't go back to work until this weekend and I have the auido version."

The audio is awesome!!

Jeffrey wrote: "Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ wrote: "Hi there Jeffrey! I’m over here in Chattanooga! I love meeting book lovers in the same state 😃"

Hi, did you live near Nashville before? I may be wrong, but we ma..."

No, I used to visit the Nashville Zoo a lot many moons ago when I was young. Lol.

I’m just 3 hours away in Chattanooga! It’s great meeting dog loving book friends across the book web 😊

Just started (I'm so excited!)

Prologue: (view spoiler)[The first poem is very notable on reread. Also, it makes the prologue more interesting knowing that the two Bridgeburners are (view spoiler)[Whiskeyjack and Fiddler (hide spoiler)]not sure if that actually is a spoiler but I treated it as one. (hide spoiler)]

This book/series is littered with foreshadowing, and just plain things you won't know to notice on first read... which is why reading the Tor re-reads is so dangerous... I spoiled the meaning of that poem epitaph at the start of the prologue, just checking out the Tor Reread of the Fallen, last year...

Bea wrote: "Just started (I'm so excited!)

Prologue: [spoilers removed]not sure if that actually is a spoiler but I treated it as one. "

Now you’re getting me excited again!! 😃

Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ wrote: "Elizabeth wrote: "I'm not going to be starting for a couple of days. Don't go back to work until this weekend and I have the auido version."

The audio is awesome!!"

The audio can be a bit much, on first read, but it's probably great for re-reads... I think audio is great for re-reading everything... but Malazan is the only book/series I've had to drop the speed back down to 1x or 1.25x since I started increasing my listening speed to 1.5x/2x...

I know!! I had to drop my speed from double time! The narration is awesome too! I’m rereading the first 3 in physical form and finishing series in physical form! Then I will reread on Audible at leisure later on 😊

Timelord Iain (Eeyawn) wrote: "This book/series is littered with foreshadowing, and just plain things you won't know to notice on first read... which is why reading the Tor re-reads is so dangerous... I spoiled the meaning of th..."

Yeah, it will be hard not to accidentally spoil anything...

To all the new readers: do not google anything, be careful with looking up fanart and avoid the wiki! Otherwise you will spoil yourself!

For those wondering about the location in chapter one (I know I did the first time around): (view spoiler)[Chapter one is set on the continent Quon Tali, the home-continent of the Malazan empire. It is located west of Genabackis which is the continent on the map :) (hide spoiler)]

General chapter one thoughts: (view spoiler)[So Paran didn't listen...
I like Adjunct Lorn :)
Do we know who the captain is and does he show up again later? I can't remember...
The hounds caused quite a lot of destruction. Shows what they are really capable of, right?
So Rigga trapped souls in candles and burned them?
Interesting. ->Book 3:(view spoiler)[Makes me think of Quick Ben's souls immediately (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

Loose speculation about Topper based on the series up to book 7/8: (view spoiler)[So he is descended from a Tiste Andii and has white hair. Hm. Could he be related to Rake? Since all the Tiste Andii with white hair seem to be. (hide spoiler)]

Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ wrote: "I know!! I had to drop my speed from double time! The narration is awesome too! I’m rereading the first 3 in physical form and finishing series in physical form! Then I will reread on Audible at le..."

I'm probably going to re-read the first 3 on audio, continue with a mix of formats...

That sounds good!

I will start later as I’m watching some movies with mom today 😉

Bea wrote: "Loose speculation about Topper based on the series up to book 7/8:.."

Don't read unless this is a reread for you.

(view spoiler)[Yes and more specifically given its location from Drift Avalii. I've always wondered about him running into not only Rake and Silchas but Nimander and Clip. (hide spoiler)]

Scott wrote: "Bea wrote: "Loose speculation about Topper based on the series up to book 7/8:.."

Don't read unless this is a reread for you.

[spoilers removed]"

Do not open unless you've finished the series:
(view spoiler)[It does seem suspicious, doesn't it?
Especially if you also consider Pearl. I'm pretty sure he's a descendant of Rake, too. He says his Mom was a white-haired Tiste Andii halfblood from Drift Avalii. It's heavily implied that at least Phaed is half blood.
Also taking into account that we learn in Forge of Darkness (view spoiler)[that the white hair was a sign of Rake's defiance of Mother Dark (hide spoiler)] the white hair doesn't seem to be a common Tiste Andii thing but is probably an exclusive trait of the Purake family. (hide spoiler)]

I would love to re-read this book - it has been my favorite book for a long time. But I cannot read it a fourth time before I finish the rest of the series. I will be reading along your comments though and see what are your insights!

Bea wrote: "Scott wrote: "Bea wrote: "Loose speculation about Topper based on the series up to book 7/8:.."

Don't read unless this is a reread for you.

Do not open unless you've finishe..."

(view spoiler)[Agreed. I think it all plays into SE's larger message that we are all just fighting among ourselves. You've got Seven Cities people like Corabb, QB, Kalam, Lostara....all fighting for the Malazan and then you have all these Tiste Andii half bloods fighting for them as well. Then on the other side you have lots of Crimson Guard fighting against the empire even though they're indigenous to Quon Tali and also the Tiste Andii themselves. Then you've go the Edur vs the Andii vs the Liosan.....all the bloodlines out Toblakai, Thel Akai, Barghast, Trell......all coming from the same well. (hide spoiler)]

Finished chapter two. So far I've been loving every second of it!

(view spoiler)[
Enter Tattersail. Yes to women in fantasy who are not slender as a willow bough!
So Hairlock struck a bargain with the Bridgeburners/Ben down in the tunnels, I didn't pick that up the first time around.
At the moment I'm wondering why Tayschrenn killed the other mages. I can't remember when/if this is resolved.
So it was planned that the tunnels should collapse and bury Whiskeyjack's men. Nasty. And now both the BBs and Hairlock want revenge on Tayschrenn.

In hindsight it's a bit weird that nobody seems to know anything about Rake. In the later books he seems to be really a really famous person and basically everybody seems to have heard of him (that's not a spoiler, right?)
It's weird that Tayschrenn (supposedly) doesn't know who he is but then knows things about the nature of the Tiste Andii and also was apparently able to judge that his powers would be enough to hold Rake of.

What is Hairlock's warren?

A few things that might be noteworthy:
Nightchill is killed by a demon.
Also the description of the card of the knight of darkness. (hide spoiler)]

Do not open unless you've read Forge of Darkness:
(view spoiler)[When Tattersail unwraps Hairlock he is making her uneasy. "This was Elder magic, Kurald Galain."
The BBs seem to "walk the Warren closest to chaos."
A soul-wandering using Kurald Galain? Korya??? (hide spoiler)]