Rating: 
Summary: Give this a chance and you won't be disappointed.
Review: Some people who start reading 'Gardens of the moon' may feel slightly out of their depth. The book does not have some series-defining prologue that tells you where the story is going, nor does it reveal anything about the world's past.The world that Erikson has created with this book is startlingly original, without appearing too esoteric. However, you only learn about this world as you read through the series. This makes you hunger, not just for the answers to the plot that Erikson unfolds, but also for understanding as to the vagaries of magic and society within this world. This book presents a story in which the reader will be unaware of just who is the villain. Gardens of the moon only touches the tip of the iceberg, and it will have you craving more at the end. Erikson writes in a way which leaves the person enthralled, yet totally aware of what the author is describing; For instance, the action scenes of the book are written in a way that actually gives a clear image of what is going on (unlike many fantasy authors i can name). Steven Erikson's books are written in an expert manner. The characters he creates are able to be sympathised with, yet display a remarkable diversity. He crosses Robert Jordan's fecundity of imagination, George R R Martin's dark side, and Robin Hobb's avoidance of blatant cliches. I have read all the books that have been released in this series thus far, and will buy the next one as soon as it is released. I recommend that everyone else does the same.
Rating: 
Summary: Grim, epic fantasy
Review: I greatly enjoyed Steven Erikson's "Gardens of the Moon". Its a grim, epic fantasy in the vien of Glen Cook's Black Company series. Steven Erikson has a vivid, well-imagined world peopled by soldiers, spies, wizards and assorted baddies all competing for not very well-defined goals. If I have a single difficulty with "Gardens of the Moon" its that every character, no matter who seemingly insignificant, has some power or skill that raises them far above the human norm. This gets old very quickly.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent First effort.
Review: While the story seems somewhat disjointed through the first half due to the myriad of protagonists, it all slowly gels and comes together for a fitting climax. Some interesting ideas and characters. Gods and Mortals at play. Intriguing magic system and political machinations abound. A little bit of everything in this book and well worth the read.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: So much praise has been heaped upon this novel, that it seems trivial for me to add me comments. So I'll try to highlight some things that really haven't been mentioned. Firstly, I'll second a lot of the endorsements and criticisms people have about GotM. The plot is great, it's fast and exciting and keeps you guessing. The characters are solid (although, Deadhouse Gates - the second novel - is much better in this aspect). Most importantly, for a fantasy novel, the invention is truly grand and inspiring. The faults have been well noted. Magic is undeveloped, and seems to merely be for fireworks and to dig the plot out of holes. A lot of necessary knowledge is left undisclosed (much of which is made known in the third novel Memories Of Ice). This tends to get annoying, rather than mysterious. The thing I would like to note about the novel, is that for all the comparisons made to Martin, these two writers are very different. Martin is full of court treachery and intrigue, and tends to read more as medieval history. Erikson is more about ancient secrets, the bleak reality of a war torn world, and the unfathomable motivation of gods. As much as Erikson tried to emphasise the reality of the situation, the atmosphere of the novel is much more akin to the brooding nature of Donaldson, and also the magic of Jordan/Tolkien. The dialogue is also quite good, with some moments reminding me of the exquisite banter in Eddings' work. My biggest gripe with the novel is in an early scene with a massive pyrotechnic display of sorcery. Erikson reduces his descriptions to 'a wave of sorcery' which is extremely disconcerting. He shows remarkable verbosity throughout the novel, but here he shamefully lets himself down with such a poor explanation of the magic. 'Sorcery' just doesn't explain anything. Perhaps that was the point, but it comes across as very lacklustre. In short, I'll say that Gardens Of The Moon is a very good, but not great book. However, I'd have to say that it comes with my highest recommendation, purely because Deadhouse Gates and Memories Of Ice are truly brilliant. Can't wait for book four.
Rating:
Summary: Are you reading this stuff Jordan?!
Review: I've got about 100 pages left in this tome, but I simply couldn't wait to write my review. I've read the best there is out there; Jordan, Goodkind(don't know why everyone rates him as one of the best...), Modisett, and Martin, but none of these guys has anything on Erikson. His world-building is impressive, plot keeps you glued, and most importantly, there are no GOOD/BAD guys. Just people, like you and me. Kinda scary actually. Kinda reminded me of Martin in that aspect. Think of Forgotten Realms, written by G.R.R. Martin, and you just about got it. Without the dwarves and elves though, thank Oponn!! Enough said, buy the book. We gotta support this guy. Make his publishers more interested in bringing his stuff over to North America. Like a reviewer before me said, what's with the stealth release over here? This guy makes Jordan look like Walt Disney...
Rating:
Summary: READ IT!!!!!!
Review: Have only just started (on P155) this magnificient work, and am already hooked. After reading the Prologue and Chapter 1 I was thoroughly hooked on this amazing book. The best part is there are another 2 books in the series :) Buy it, you won't be disappointed. And if you are disappointed, take it down a charity shop and make someone elses day...
Rating:
Summary: Erikson a UK hit, shame he's hard to get in the USA
Review: Erikson has written three books, Gardens of the Moon, Deadhouse Gates and Memories of ice. This stuff is different. Dark and compulsive with an indifference to character longevity that makes his warfare based stories seem all to real and his outcomes truly unpredictable. Do not buy these books if you are looking for a relaxing read.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but not great...yet
Review: According to the press info this is Erikson's first published book and to a certain extent it shows. The dialogue seems a bit forced (although this improves later on). And there's a large cast of characters that didn't seem very well differentiated to me- too many similar names and descriptions. Having said this, there are some very interesting ideas here- Warrens are very original. Some of the army organisation reminded me of vietnam-era stuff (especially the dragonflies) which was refreshing. The world building is on an epic scale. Plenty of people have compared this book to the George RR Martin series. I would align it more towards David Gemmel's territory. For a first book this is pretty good. I watch with interest...
Rating: 
Summary: grinning...
Review: If you took out the words grin, grinned, and grining, this book would be about half as thick as it is.
Rating:
Summary: Great new series
Review: Laseen, Empress of Malazan, has just crushed Pale, one of the last two Free Cities yet to fall under Malazan domination. However, the fight for Pale was unutterably ugly even for the seasoned fighters in the Malazan army. But Empress Laseen isn't quite finished yet. She is determined to grind Darujhistan, the last of the Free Cities, under her heel. However, many forces both inside and outside the Malazan empire are conspiring to see that doesn't happen. Tattersail, a powerful mage in the employ of the Empress has just witnessed the death of many of her companions during the siege of Pale. As they make the move toward Darujhistan, Tattersail wonders if the death of so many powerful mages was indeed the work of the enemy or rather of someone closer to home. Whiskeyjack, the seasoned veteran of the elite Bridgeburners squad also has doubts about why so many of his people were left to die in the siege. Ganoes Paran, a newly promoted captain knows he is simply a pawn, but whose? And finally the gods themselves have decided to take a hand in things. How will their presence affect matters? I can't even begin to do justice to the plot of this story in one simple paragraph. But I really hate to give too much a way because it is too fun to discover all the different people in this book. I discovered Erickson while casting around for someone to read after reading the latest installment of George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series. This was recommended to me. Little did I know that I couldn't get it in the US. Thank heavens for amazon.co.uk! Got it in a week... I can not sing the praises of this book more. I only gave it 4 stars because I did have a hard time getting into in the beginning. It does begin a bit slow and there is so much information that I had a hard time absorbing it all. But about the middle it starts to roll along and then it really picks up steam until it ends with a bang! Great momentum and a true page turner. And for those of you who like a big meaty book, this is it. However, the slow beginning is really worth it. The one thing I love about this book is the main thing I love about the GRRM books, the panoply of characters. Some are good, some are bad but many, many, more are somewhere in between. And although there is a huge cast, Erikson somehow manages to create a wonderful depth to them all. They each have a definite personality including quirks, foibles and vulnerabilities. Even the unsympathetic characters are given real moments of humanity. I can not recommend this enough, If you like large, sprawling books with a lot of characters who are all plotting and counterplotting, this is it for you. I especially recommend it for those who enjoy the Robert Jordan or GRRM series because it is along that vein that this book is written. However, I do stress that this book is not a cookie cutter of those two. It is as different form The Wheel of Time and The Song of Ice and Fire as they are from each other. It has its own flavor and Erikson has created a very different idea of magic in his book. I am eagerly awaiting the second book in the series to arrive (it should be on my doorstep any day now).
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