Looking for the Malazan Book of the Fallen reading order? In this article I’m introducing Steven Erikson’s famous high fantasy book series Malazan Book of the Fallen. And yes, you will find the Malazan book order here, and you will also be able to get the books in this series.
But that is not all, not only you will find the Malazan Book of the Fallen order in this post, but if you are seeking to get a Malazan Book of the Fallen box set, we have not one but three recommendations for you! so make sure you don’t miss them!
Malazan Book of the Fallen reading order, In what order should I read Steven Erikson ‘s books?
I suggest you read the Malazan books in order of publication, since author Steven Erikson recommended such a reading order for his series. In case you want to get any of these novels it’s as simple as clicking on their cover:
As you can see, our list collects the original series by Steven Erikson, and also the expanded universe written by Ian Cameron Esslemont, who is in charge os writing both the sequel and the prequel of this series. However, we recommend you start with the work by Erikson first.
Now that you know the Malazan Book of the Fallen reading order, check out this book set!
If you are thinking about getting a Malazan Book of the Fallen box set here you have three different choices:
These book sets collect the first ten, eigtht, and six first volumes respectively. With any of these sets you’ll be more than ready to delve into the marvelous epic fantasy world created by Canadian author Steve Erickson.
Also, take a look at this post with The Witcher reading order, so you can read more fantasy.
List with the Malazan Book of the Fallen reading order: Steven Erickson’s books in publication order
We decided to make a list that collects al lthe books in the Malazan series so it’s easier for you to know which novel you should read next. As said before, the best reading order for the Malazan Book of the Fallen series is the publication order (recommended by the author himself).
Malazan Book of the Fallen reading order
Publisher:
- Tor Fantasy
Reading order:
- Gardens of the Moon (Malazan book 1)
- Deadhouse Gates (Malazan book 2)
- Memories of Ice (Malazan book 3)
- House of Chains (Malazan book 4)
- Midnight Tides (Malazan book 5)
- Night of Knives (Malazan book 6)
- The Bonehunters (Malazan book 7)
- The Tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach, Volume 1 (Malazan book 8)
- Reaper’s Gale (Malazan book 9)
- Return of the Crimson Guard (Malazan book 10)
- Toll the Hounds (Malazan book 11)
- Dust of Dreams (Malazan book 12)
- Stonewielder (Malazan book 13)
- The Crippled God (Malazan book 14)
- Orb Sceptre Throne (Malazan book 15)
- Blood and Bone (Malazan book 16)
- Assail (Malazan book 17)
- Forge of Darkness (Malazan book 18)
- Fall of Light (Malazan book 19)
- Dancer’s Lament (Malazan book 20)
- The Tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach, Volume 2 (Malazan book 21)
- Deadhouse Landing (Malazan book 22)
- Kellanved’s Reach (Malazan book 23)
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These novels have epic covers don’t you think? also, don’t get overwhelmed by the amount of books in the series. The fantasy world built by Steven Erikson is incredibly rich, with lots of charismatic characters, you’ll have an epic experience when reading these novels. True, it might not be the easiest read, but the complexity of the plot in these novels is what makes them have a more mature structure.
Malazan Book of the Fallen reading order: chronological order
If you like to read book series following its chronology then here you have Malazan Book of the Fallen in chronological order (only the original series)
- Midnight Tides
- Gardens of the Moon
- Deadhouse Gates / Memories of Ice
- House of Chains
- The Bonehunters
- Reaper’s Gale
- Toll the Hounds
- Dust of Dreams
- The Crippled God
This collects work by Steven Erikson, that is, the original series. Ian Cameron Esslemont
Malazan is composed of different series
While Malazan Book of the Fallen is the name of the original series, this seriesalso has a prequel named The Kharkanas Trilogy and an upcoming sequel namedThe Witness Trilogy. What is the proper reading order for Malazan?
- Original series: Malazan Book of the Fallen
- Prequel: The Kharkanas Trilogy.
- Sequel: The Witness Trilogy
What is Malazan Book of the Fallen about?
Malazan book of the Fallen tells the story of the Malazan armies, an expansionist nation set in the world of Wu (actually The Malazan world has no official name, but the author called it this way once and fans use it to refer to this world). Wu will be displayed through the eyes of a lot of characters through the series, showing the point of view of different races (including nonhumans) and diverse locations. The world is in a state of a great disturbance where rebellion and military conflicts appear to be the order of the day.
Malazan is a ten-volume story, but unlike most of the novels in the fantasy genre, each of the volumes consists of a different series of events instead of being a single long story. That being said, each of these volumes can’t be considered stand-alone novels since some of the characters and subplots will make their appearance in more than one volume.
Each of the novels has a subplot, showing a different aspect of the Malazan universe. In the first novel, Gardens of the Moon, the main characters are introduced. Along the subsequent novels, the action will take place in diverse locations such as the Seven Cities, Genabackis or Kolanse. The plot usually revolves around stories of rebellion and the armies of Wu.
If you are looking for a complex and wide number of characters set in an immense world while all of this wrapped in a dark tone then welcome to the Malazan Empire. This series is thought to be a bit difficult to read because of the vast number of characters and personalities (mages, immortals, soldiers…). But such difficulty shouldn’t let you down: Malazan Book of The Fallen is worth reading.
Favorite Malazan quotes
Malazan dialogues are exceptional. Here are some quotes of Malazan Book of the Fallen, these are a nice summary of the dark fantasy tone of this series and proof of how good Malazan Book of the Fallen is:
“Children are dying.”
Lull nodded. “That’s a succinct summary of humankind, I’d say. Who needs tomes and volumes of history? Children are dying. The injustices of the world hide in those three words.”
Quote from Deadhouse Gates
“Every decision you make can change the world. The best life is the one the gods don’t notice. You want to live free, boy, live quietly.”
“I want to be a soldier. A hero.”
“You’ll grow out of it.”Quote from Gardens of the Moon
Malazan Book of the Fallen movie/ Malazan Book of the Fallen tv series
No announcements are made regarding any agreement about producing a Malazan Book of the Fallen movie or a tv series. Having said that, and seeing how much fantasy series are increasing these days, there is no doubt that sooner or later Hollywood will produce a movie/tv series adaptation of this series. Game of Thrones is getting to its end, and fans are looking for its successor after all. Probably, the outcome of other upcoming adaptations such as The Witcher Netflix or The Wheel of Time will serve as a great introduction for other fantasy stories to be adapted. And of course, let’s not forget about the billionaire adaptation of Amazon’s Lord of the Rings.
How difficult is Malazan Book of the Fallen?
Malazan’s structure is pretty complex, there is its massive worldbuilding showing diverse cultures through the point of view of different characters. Also, as mentioned earlier, this is a ten volume story where each novel has a main subplot, set in a different location and introducing new elements and characters that make this book so rich. There is much to know about the Malazan Empire and the world of Wu.
Because of the complexity of these novels, we thoroughly recommend that you read the Book of the Fallen series in order of publication. This way you’ll ensure that you know where you are, note that the novels were envisioned that way, being published in that order, so you will miss not any detail.
Why read Malazan Book of the Fallen?
Putting this all together makes this series certainly difficult to follow if you are not an experienced fantasy reader, but don’t get this wrong, you definitely should give this series a try since it has a superb prose and such well-crafted dialogues and characters, but know that this series is not as linear and easy to follow as other fantasy books. The worldbuilding is also worth mentioning since you will able to discover different places of the universe through the eyes of so different characters.
Starting this series chronologically, by following the reading order of the Malazan Book of the Fallen shown earlier in this post, is another approach to enjoy these books. However, it might get quite complicated to follow.
Is it mandatory to follow a Malazan Book of the Fallen reading order guide?
Absolutely, while there other book series in which each of its novels can be read as an standalone and therefore they can be read with no particular order this is not the case for the Malazan books.
The world envisioned by Erikson, is wide, complicated and, some times, difficult to follow due to amount of detail and effort put in this series. Because of this, you’ll have a greater experience if you make use of our the malazan book order provided on this post.
Which Malazan book is the best?
There is no agreement at all about which Malazan book is the best, but the general opinion is that these books don’t go downhill. Hope that is enough for you to prove that this series is worth reading.
Oh, and check out this list of litrpg books, you will love them.
Hope this Malazan Book of the Fallen reading order was useful to you. Will you dare reading the Book of the Fallen?
Have you read any of the books in the Malazan series? if so, tell us what make you love this series so much by leaving a comment.
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Wow! a super long fantasy series, I read it’s difficult but why not give it a try? bought Gardens of the Moon!
A complicated series ah? I always liked complicated high fantasy, let’s give it a try
Thank you so much for this awesome guide, I always wanted to start Steven Erikson’s series but I didn’t know where to start…
Currently reading Reaper’s Gale. The series is fantastic, but “difficult” is an understatement. I’ve been reading epic fantasy for 30 years, and this series is without a doubt the most complex series I’ve read. An absolutely massive cast, MANY different cultures, religions, gods, demi-gods, armies, cities, ect. All described in intricate detail. Its been a great read, everyone should try it once or twice.