I had to say, this is the MOST AMAZING BOOK i have read since LOTR.

ANd this is putting it lightly. Who am i to say this? Well, this is coming from a reader who has read Terry Brooks, Terry Goodkind, PAtrick Rothfuss, George RR Martin, Peter Brett, Anthony Ryan, and yep, Brandon Sanderson. Erikson's writing has its own complexity, wit and charm that just blew me away. The world building, the peoples, gods, immortals, humans clash in a battle that is just bred with betrayal and deceit and game play that just drew me in.

I had to be honest, the first 35% of the book, i had trouble getting into because of these loads of information dumped, no explanations or back story whatsoever and unlike other fantasy novels that you can just fly through pages, this one has minute details within that you have to note of because they do appear chapters later in the book. So many characters are in play that this book actually felt like a trilogy! And never ignore the quotes/anecdotes prior to each chapter as they do tell a lot about the Malazan world itself. However, this novel has very graphic scenes that are just too darn epic.

The flying rock, where Lord Anomander Rake resides, battle against the sorcerers and mages employed by the Malazan Empire.

Hairlock torn in pieces after the great war against Moon's Spawn, with the arrival of Quick Ben, Kalam, Whiskeyjack, and Sorry.

Jaghut the Tyrant, fighting Silanah, the great red dragon. These are only a few of the best scenes found in the first book, Gardens of the Moon.

Founding Races found in Malazan World ***

Best of all, kudos to the author for creating a main character woman who is not skinny but plump. I mean, wow!

Reading this fantasy novel felt like playing 3D chess, keeping up 5-6 moves ahead just to maintain sanity. But it is so entertaining, vivid and so imaginative that the world felt like one MMRPG that you can't just discard. I had to keep a notebook for visuals of scenes i love, and details noted filed away for future reads of the series. I honestly think this has enhanced my reading enjoyment more than threefold. Awesome book! What more can i say? I am already a fan.