CHENNAI: I was recently dared into reviewing the sci-fi, fantasy genre. Now, I am not a huge fan and my experience with fantasy-fiction goes as far as reading The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which I loved (and not just because of Aragon). So I reluctantly started reading Malazan Book of the Fallen, for the third time, because juicy, new books kept distracting me and I often abandoned the stoic Malazan Empire for the British one, the most recent of which was Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall. This really is a book you can sink your teeth into.
Why Hilary Mantel won the Man Booker Prize in 2009 is evident in every page and every line. For those especially interested in British history, this book is an absolute treat.
But coming back to Steven Erikson’s epic series, I kickstarted the Malazan with Gardens of the Moon and have successfully moved past the prologue and onto the first chapter (I can already feel the curses coming from Erikson fans). But after reading the prologue for the third time I can sort of sense why the series is such a roaring success, and not just because of the fun names the characters have, like Whiskeyjack (I do think I have found a name for my progeny), Anomander Rake (he is the lord of Moon’s Spawn!!) and Cotillion (why would you name a rogue character after a debutante ball dance? Don’t be misled though, there are no debutantes or dances, there is not even a whiff of romance) to name a few.
Surprisingly I am beginning to like the book considering it is all about bloody battles, warring empires and the dark forces. But I do resolve to get through the entire series in 2010, although I have a feeling, that after I finish Gardens of the Moon, I’d probably have a cool Malazan moniker and attend Malazan conventions voluntarily.
So here’s to a year of expanding my reading list, to fighting the dark forces, to the struggle of good over evil... to a year of Malazan (will keep you posted on how many tries it takes me to get to the second chapter).
(This column wouldn’t have been possible without the love, support and encouragement from Parthib – so this one is dedicated to him)