Gardens of the Moon (Malazan, Book of the Fallen, vol 1) - Tapa dura

Steven Erikson was born in Toronto, grew up in Winnipeg, then lived in the UK for a number of years with his wife and son. They have since returned to Winnipeg. He worked for nearly twenty years as an anthropologist and archaeologist, as well as being a graduate of the Iowa Writer's Workshop.

His debut fantasy novel, Gardens of the Moon, has been acclaimed for its combination of originality and intelligent, strong and exciting storytelling, singling out its author as a writer destined to rank alongside Steven R. Donaldson, George R.R. Martin, and Robert Jordan among the giants of the genre.

Praise for Gardens of the Moon:
"Steven Erikson is an extraordinary writer. I read Gardens of the Moon with great pleasure. And now that I have read it, I would be hard pressed to decide what I enjoyed more: the richly and ominously magical world of Malaz and Genabackis; the large cast of sympathetically-rendered characters; or the way the story accumulates to a climax that hits like machinegun fire. My advice to anyone who might listen to me is, Treat yourself to Gardens of the Moon. And my entirely selfish advice to Steven Erikson is, write faster."--Stephen R. Donaldson

"An astounding debut . . . has the potential to become known as a defining work in Fantasy." --SF Site

"I stand slack-jawed in awe of The Malazan Book of the Fallen. This masterwork of imagination may be the high water mark of epic fantasy---accomplished with none of the customary rifs on Tolkien. This marathon of ambition has a depth and breadth and sense of vast reaches of inimical time unlike anything else available today. The Black Company, Zelazny's Amber, Vance's Dying Earth, and other mighty drumbeats are but foreshadowings of this dark dragon's hoard."--Glen Cook

"Complex, challenging...Erikson's strengths are his grown-up characters and his ability to create a world every bit as intricate and messy as our own."--J. V. Jones

"Rare is the writer who so fluidly combines a sense of mythic power and depth of world with fully realized characters and thrilling action, but Steven Erikson manages it spectacularly."
--Michael a. Stackpole

"Gripping, fast-moving, delightfully dark, with a masterful and unapologetic brutality reminiscent of George R. R. Martin. Steven Erikson brings a punchy, mesmerizing writing style into the genre of epic fantasy, making an indelible impression. Utterly engrossing."--Elizabeth Haydon