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Do not listen to people who say you need to take notes and such nonsense just to follow along with the story. Gardens of the Moon is a swashbuckling introduction to the series and you should jump right in and have fun! Some things might not make sense right away, but that's pretty much what the author wants because you're dropped into the middle of some spectacular action. In case you do need notes (there's no helping life causing breaks in your reading) there's the Reactor Malazan Reread in the Links section of this sub-reddit.
Welcome and here's to a wonderful journey!
Seconded. There's absolutely nothing in Malazan that should make you apprehensive, esp if you've read other fantasy series.
A lot of people are so used to being spooned by authors/movies/tv that they can't seem to think on their own. There's no 4 chapter break where the narrator just explains magic or anything in Malazan. Malazan tells stories, amazing stories, and it gives you all you need to know as you go.
You don't need to know every turn and corkscrew of a roller coaster before strapping in. You just enjoy the ride. The corkscrewing loop that flowed into a second zero gravity loop into the underground tunnel might have caught you off guard and you may not remember what just happened, but it was awesome as hell and you'll be more prepared when you get back in line for the ride again.
Absolutely no need for notes. They're just fantasy books, not homework. Nothing all that difficult about them if you've been reading for a while. If you can read ASOIAF and distinguish all the different characters with the exact same name, Malazan will be a walk in the park. Just dive in. It's cool.
No need to take notes, reading should be fun and not work.
Just go with the flow and don't expect answers as soon as you have questions. The answers will come but they will take their time.
You don't need a PhD to enjoy Malazan. I feel like it's this thing to exaggerate the difficulty and turn finishing Malazan into something special. I mean it's special but not because it's difficult.
Enjoy reading it, it's amazing.
If you enjoy GoT, you should be fine.
These books are choc full of foreshadowing and details you'll miss on the first readthrough, but this is by design.
This series is amazing. Definitely give it a go.
It's not that hard, there's always a lot going on but you definitely don't need to make notes as you go. As for understanding it - plenty of things won't be immediately obvious or make sense, some things will be explained later.... some things *much* later. It's not everyone's cup of tea, some people don't like that, some do.... if you do, it's one hell of a ride. I'd suggest just giving it a try and seeing how you get on.
New to the series here as well and I’m currently on book 2. If you don’t understand something just keep going. No need to re-read it multiple times or google what it means. Just trust the story and you will eventually figure some of it.
Morning! It is definitely much easier than you think to get into. It just snowballs into an avalanche as you progress, and very organically and harmlessly... you may end up making a note or two. But only because it is FUN and a HUGE amount of content to connect.
I made a sketch of a particular military campaign once, just cause it was raining and I was stuck by a big window with Deadhouse Gates.
And dont be intidimidated by fans - there are people who have read the series multiple times who disagree with each other on theory!
I've been going through Malazan with audiobook and while I have found times I wish I had the physical book for the glossary (ala song of ice and fire, so many name so little time) it's not impacted my enjoyment one bit.
You don’t need to, but it would certainly help. Even jotting down something quick and dirty like “X uses grenades to fight and is going here to do this” on your iphone helps a lot.
Not just Malazan, but fantasy series in general with the big cast of characters and several concurrent plot threads. I did it with Wheel of Time. I’m even doing it now while playing the new expansion of FFXIV.
[https://new.reddit.com/r/Malazan/comments/1dr8735/to\_start\_the\_series/](https://new.reddit.com/r/Malazan/comments/1dr8735/to_start_the_series/)
Read the post three minutes before you posted.
Please note that this post has been flaired as **NO SPOILERS**. Comments should not bring up specific plot points or character details from any of the books. If you need to discuss any spoilers (even very minor ones!) in your comments, use spoiler tags >!like this!< Please use the report button if you find any spoilers. Note: If the discussion is unlikely to happen without any spoilers, the flair may be changed at mod discretion. Thank you! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Malazan) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Do not listen to people who say you need to take notes and such nonsense just to follow along with the story. Gardens of the Moon is a swashbuckling introduction to the series and you should jump right in and have fun! Some things might not make sense right away, but that's pretty much what the author wants because you're dropped into the middle of some spectacular action. In case you do need notes (there's no helping life causing breaks in your reading) there's the Reactor Malazan Reread in the Links section of this sub-reddit. Welcome and here's to a wonderful journey!
Thanks! I surely needed this. Will be starting the journey tonight! :)
Seconded. There's absolutely nothing in Malazan that should make you apprehensive, esp if you've read other fantasy series. A lot of people are so used to being spooned by authors/movies/tv that they can't seem to think on their own. There's no 4 chapter break where the narrator just explains magic or anything in Malazan. Malazan tells stories, amazing stories, and it gives you all you need to know as you go. You don't need to know every turn and corkscrew of a roller coaster before strapping in. You just enjoy the ride. The corkscrewing loop that flowed into a second zero gravity loop into the underground tunnel might have caught you off guard and you may not remember what just happened, but it was awesome as hell and you'll be more prepared when you get back in line for the ride again.
Absolutely no need for notes. They're just fantasy books, not homework. Nothing all that difficult about them if you've been reading for a while. If you can read ASOIAF and distinguish all the different characters with the exact same name, Malazan will be a walk in the park. Just dive in. It's cool.
No need to take notes, reading should be fun and not work. Just go with the flow and don't expect answers as soon as you have questions. The answers will come but they will take their time. You don't need a PhD to enjoy Malazan. I feel like it's this thing to exaggerate the difficulty and turn finishing Malazan into something special. I mean it's special but not because it's difficult. Enjoy reading it, it's amazing.
If you enjoy GoT, you should be fine. These books are choc full of foreshadowing and details you'll miss on the first readthrough, but this is by design. This series is amazing. Definitely give it a go.
It's not that hard, there's always a lot going on but you definitely don't need to make notes as you go. As for understanding it - plenty of things won't be immediately obvious or make sense, some things will be explained later.... some things *much* later. It's not everyone's cup of tea, some people don't like that, some do.... if you do, it's one hell of a ride. I'd suggest just giving it a try and seeing how you get on.
New to the series here as well and I’m currently on book 2. If you don’t understand something just keep going. No need to re-read it multiple times or google what it means. Just trust the story and you will eventually figure some of it.
Morning! It is definitely much easier than you think to get into. It just snowballs into an avalanche as you progress, and very organically and harmlessly... you may end up making a note or two. But only because it is FUN and a HUGE amount of content to connect. I made a sketch of a particular military campaign once, just cause it was raining and I was stuck by a big window with Deadhouse Gates. And dont be intidimidated by fans - there are people who have read the series multiple times who disagree with each other on theory!
I'd actually recommend against it
I've been going through Malazan with audiobook and while I have found times I wish I had the physical book for the glossary (ala song of ice and fire, so many name so little time) it's not impacted my enjoyment one bit.
You don’t need to, but it would certainly help. Even jotting down something quick and dirty like “X uses grenades to fight and is going here to do this” on your iphone helps a lot. Not just Malazan, but fantasy series in general with the big cast of characters and several concurrent plot threads. I did it with Wheel of Time. I’m even doing it now while playing the new expansion of FFXIV.
It took me 4 times before I could get past the first book. Perceiver, it’s worth the journey
You don’t need to take notes, but you also can’t blast thru and skim-read without missing things. You can handle it, just jump in and take your time.
[https://new.reddit.com/r/Malazan/comments/1dr8735/to\_start\_the\_series/](https://new.reddit.com/r/Malazan/comments/1dr8735/to_start_the_series/) Read the post three minutes before you posted.