[OXL]⋙ PDF Gratis Forge of Darkness The First Book in The Kharkanas Trilogy Steven Erikson 9780593062173 Books

Forge of Darkness The First Book in The Kharkanas Trilogy Steven Erikson 9780593062173 Books

Download As PDF : Forge of Darkness The First Book in The Kharkanas Trilogy Steven Erikson 9780593062173 Books

Forge of Darkness The First Book in The Kharkanas Trilogy Steven Erikson 9780593062173 Books

The Forge of Darkness is the first book in the Kharkanas Trilogy. It is a prequel trilogy, taking place hundreds of thousands of years before the immense Malazan Books of the Fallen. Its focus will be the splintering of the Tiste people--what happened and why.

Structurally, this seems to be a real change from how Erikson wrote all of the MBoF. In that series, even though there were continuing storylines, each book seemed to be more self-contained, with climaxes built into each volume. So, for example, we got the Chain of Dogs story, which climaxed and had resolution within a single volume, although there were characters and storylines which continued into subsequent volumes. The Forge of Darkness, however, is structured more like the first volume in a traditional fantasy series. When it climaxes, it is rather a setup for the next volume in the series. There is no resolution to the storylines found here; this is buildup to the larger storyline.

In many other ways, this is a typical Steven Erikson novel. There is a massive pool of characters, with revolving POVs from many of them. Even though it is set hundreds of thousands of years before the MBoF, there's already lots of hazy backstory that we learn about through rumor and speculation. Characters are prone to rumination and philosophizing.

Many familiar characters appear here: Gothos, Draconus, Anomander Rake, Silchas Ruin, just to name a few. No, we don't get POVs from any of these high level characters. That duty falls to numerous other friends, relations, vassals, etc who live and act around these familiar names.

If you've made your way through all 10 books of The Malazan Books of the Fallen, then absolutely you'll want to read this. Most likely you are someone engaged with the complexities of Erikson's world, and you are used to some of its more difficult aspects. There are so many under explained portions of his creation that there is more than enough room for prequels without falling into the many usual traps of that sort of thing.

If you are new to the Malazan world, should you start here? That probably would not be my recommendation. The Forge of Darkness is no less complex than any of the Malazan books which have preceded it. Without the perspectives of the Malazan soldiers, Erikson's writing is more opaque than is perhaps usual. His Tiste perspectives given in this book are more detached, and archaic in their speech and manner. It's an unusual choice, and one that makes it more difficult for new readers than the more modern manner of his Malazans.


Tags : Forge of Darkness: The First Book in The Kharkanas Trilogy [Steven Erikson] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Steven Erikson returns to the Malazan world with the first book in a dark and revelatory new epic fantasy that tells the tragic story of ruin of a realm. <b> </b> This is the story of the early years of Anomander Rake,Steven Erikson,Forge of Darkness: The First Book in The Kharkanas Trilogy,Bantam Press,0593062175,Fiction Fantasy General

Forge of Darkness The First Book in The Kharkanas Trilogy Steven Erikson 9780593062173 Books Reviews

Like the entire Book of the Fallen series, this prequel follows the style and tone that is Erikson's trademark. In other words, it's dark, gloomy, and morose. Human expectations are all about destruction, failure, and enduring pain, but there is always a thread of light where by embracing these moribund tenants, the characters in the end manage to find enlightenment.

Erikson is true to form here. The story is complex. The character's motives are often hidden. Everybody, even the near-omnipotent, makes mistakes. The fantasy races involved, like in Book of the Fallen, seem to love to cut down forests and never replant (this seems to be one of Erikson's favorite tropes to rant on -- but it's a minor flaw that doesn't detract from the story too much). There is much death and destruction, and again true to form, much of it is derived from massive misunderstanding driven by a few errant characters. It makes the death even that much more sad.

It may sound like I didn't like this book, but I did. The writing is excellent. The story is complex and rich. It is one of the most imaginative stories and worlds that I have ever read. It's well worth the effort of slogging through the depression and environmental rants.
I read this book when it came out, and recently reread it. That being said, DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU HAVE NOT COMPLETED THE MAIN SERIES. For a new reader there is too much going on, too much character and world introduction to really grasp the story. If you had previously read Malazan Book of The Fallen this book serves as some small part of the backstory for quite a few of the characters, and allows you to see the difference between Them Then (this Trilogy) and Them Now (Malazan Series). This book whets your appetite, it sets you up for the character arcs (such as the friendship between Anomander and Caladan, The turning away of Mother Dark, How the Daughters of Father Shadow came to be), it sets the stage for the world altering dramatic events (Jaugut war, Sundering of the Tiste Realm, Kallor Maybe (I hope!), The creation of the warrens/holds). Without fore knowledge of these events you can not appreciate the setting of the stage.

Reading this book first and rating it as a complete story, is like rating a fine dinner based on only the appetizer, without having any prior knowledge of what food is or how to eat it. This book is an appetizer, not the full course.

My only question is Where is Quick Ben? You know he has to be here somewhere......
Erikson has one of the longest running fantasy series in his Malazan series, you want to read his other books first even though this is a prequel. His other books tend to become a little long-winded but always very very good. This one is more concise and on point. This prequel offers quite a few surprises, offering a different take on characters you thought you knew quite well. A must read for any Erikson fan.
The Forge of Darkness is the first book in the Kharkanas Trilogy. It is a prequel trilogy, taking place hundreds of thousands of years before the immense Malazan Books of the Fallen. Its focus will be the splintering of the Tiste people--what happened and why.

Structurally, this seems to be a real change from how Erikson wrote all of the MBoF. In that series, even though there were continuing storylines, each book seemed to be more self-contained, with climaxes built into each volume. So, for example, we got the Chain of Dogs story, which climaxed and had resolution within a single volume, although there were characters and storylines which continued into subsequent volumes. The Forge of Darkness, however, is structured more like the first volume in a traditional fantasy series. When it climaxes, it is rather a setup for the next volume in the series. There is no resolution to the storylines found here; this is buildup to the larger storyline.

In many other ways, this is a typical Steven Erikson novel. There is a massive pool of characters, with revolving POVs from many of them. Even though it is set hundreds of thousands of years before the MBoF, there's already lots of hazy backstory that we learn about through rumor and speculation. Characters are prone to rumination and philosophizing.

Many familiar characters appear here Gothos, Draconus, Anomander Rake, Silchas Ruin, just to name a few. No, we don't get POVs from any of these high level characters. That duty falls to numerous other friends, relations, vassals, etc who live and act around these familiar names.

If you've made your way through all 10 books of The Malazan Books of the Fallen, then absolutely you'll want to read this. Most likely you are someone engaged with the complexities of Erikson's world, and you are used to some of its more difficult aspects. There are so many under explained portions of his creation that there is more than enough room for prequels without falling into the many usual traps of that sort of thing.

If you are new to the Malazan world, should you start here? That probably would not be my recommendation. The Forge of Darkness is no less complex than any of the Malazan books which have preceded it. Without the perspectives of the Malazan soldiers, Erikson's writing is more opaque than is perhaps usual. His Tiste perspectives given in this book are more detached, and archaic in their speech and manner. It's an unusual choice, and one that makes it more difficult for new readers than the more modern manner of his Malazans.