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Message: <blockquote data-quote="barsoomcore" data-source="post: 1388299" data-attributes="member: 812">All I'm going to say is I disagree with the review in its entirety.Memories of Ice easily ranks as one of the greatest fantasy novels I've ever read. One of the greatest novels, period. What Erikson accomplishes in this book astonishes me. He's using the fantasy form to really talk about ideas and themes that could not be discussed in any other form. He NEEDS 200,000-year-old characters. He NEEDS people of godlike power. He NEEDS hundreds of different characters, each with their own traumas and quests and desires.He maybe doesn't NEED a continent that looks like a cucumber, but it looks sufficiently like the southern half of Africa that this is just a silly argument anyway.It takes a long time to describe his scenes because he WANTS you to spend a long time in these scenes. He wants you to sink into his world, not to zip along from plot point to plot point. Brevity, in the Malazan Book of the Fallen, is not a virtue. It's like the first half of Fellowship of the Ring -- it's slow and dull and not much happens -- and that's what gives the rest of the story its power.Now these styles aren't for everyone. Obviously they aren't for you. And I'll agree that it takes a lot of patience and perseverence to get through Erikson's books.But if you haven't gotten to, say, the end of the battle for Capustan, to the climax of Itkovian's story, to the revelations of Quick Ben -- you're missing out, is all I'll say.I cannot recommend Steven Erikson highly enough. He is the first new writer since Cook and Brust appeared in the 80's to actually draw me back into fantasy. I've tried Jordan and I've tried Martin and neither appealed. Mieville I don't think very much of. Gaiman's okay but I don't look forward to his next book with anticipation.Erikson? I'm hooked. Big time.</blockquote>

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