A pretty good summary of the first volume of the serie I would say. It’s massively ambitious and the author does not apologize for it or try to make it easier. He basically dumps you right in the middle of the action with zero explanation as to the origin of the conflict (though that is the easiest part I guess, imperialism hello) and it’s up to you to figure everything else out. But fear not it’s a great story and a very well written one, definitely worth the effort.

That being said, so many things happen in this book and I won’t even attempt to summarize it myself, I’ll stick to the official back cover of it: “The Malazan Empire simmers with discontent, bled dry by interminable warfare, bitter infighting and bloody confrontations with the formidable Anomander Rake and his Tiste Andii, ancient and implacable sorcerers. Even the imperial legions, long inured to the bloodshed, yearn for some respite. Yet Empress Laseen’s rule remains absolute, enforced by her dread Claw assassins.

For Sergeant Whiskeyjack and his squad of Bridgeburners, and for Tattersail, surviving cadre mage of the Second Legion, the aftermath of the siege of Pale should have been a time to mourn the many dead. But Darujhistan, last of the Free Cities of Genabackis, yet holds out. It is to this ancient citadel that Laseen turns her predatory gaze.

However, it would appear that the Empire is not alone in this great game. Sinister, shadowbound forces are gathering as the gods themselves prepare to play their hand…”

GotM is a good book but it’s not a GREAT great book. In my opinion that is mostly due to a lack of space/time to flesh the story out better (I know it’s long for a first book but adding 100 pages or so could have helped along I think). As it is, you’re taken in for the ride (a very good ride) and you can only try your best to follow along. Again, characters aren’t truly fleshed out, most of it seem intentional, you’re not supposed to be able to relate to or understand Anomander Rake, you’re just supposed to be in awe of him. Besides, I’ll forgive SE anything character wise in this, first because that wasn’t an issue in later books and second because he gave me Kruppe who is possibly my favourite character in fantasy ever.

The biggest issue I had when reading this is that I didn’t know who was who or why they acted the way they did. The book opens at the siege of Pale and you’re suddendly introduced to dozens of characters with muddy motives and you’re somehow supposed to remember them all. And then 200 or so pages later, you’re introduced to a completely new set of characters who first seem entirely disconnected to the first part of the book and even the general tone of the book changes. The dramatis personae at the very beginning turned out to be a blessing considering this.

That being said, I still enjoyed it a lot, the story is compelling, the magic system is a confused mess but the potential there is basically endless. The world building is nicely done, you have lots of hints of a very long (and very relevant) history, and the things hinted at… well let’s just say it makes you very very curious to see what else is there (I mean there’s a flying mountain in the first 50 pages, without even mentioning the talking crone or the dragons). Also very intriguing are the gods, here they aren’t remote entities, they’re real and directly involved in everything that’s happening even if their motives are all jumbled at that point.

Another thing to point out, the points of view are constantly changing, you can have 4-5 different POV in a single chapter. I personally enjoy this way of writing fantasy, especially in huge settings like this one, sticking with just one or two characters would mean missing out on a lot of what’s happening.

All in all, by the end of the book, you don’t know much about what’s going on aside from the obvious conflict between the empire and the free cities but one thing is for sure, it’s going to be a wild ride. Ultimately, I think this book’s greatest strength is how much better it gets once you understand more of this world, because it’s all there, the author just did not give you the tools to see it yet. And honestly going back to check something after a revelation in later books is always crazy because I kept wondering how I had missed hints that big in the first place. Seeing everything fall into place perfectly as the story develops is one of the most satisfying experience as a reader.

Also for those that aren’t sold after reading this first book because it’s confusing and it’s a big commitment considering the length of each book: please read the next book at least and then make your choice. It’s worth it.

Lastly spoilers ahead, but i need to rant: bring my boy Rallick Nom back!!! It’s been five books already, how much longer do I have to wait until he wakes up?!