Gardens of the Moon

Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson, 666 pages

Gardens of the Moon is the first book in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series. The series was recommended to me by NoveList while searching for other epic series similar to George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire. Having read it I can see the similarities. Both take place in a medieval time periods sinking into chaos. Both have very large scale battles in which the details are graphically described. Both have gods and magic, though the Malazan series has them more prevalently.

So far I have enjoyed the series, though Erikson has a tendency to skimp on characters initial backstory and let it emerge as the characters develop. While this is a more accurate portrayal of real life, it can lead to some confusion at times.