Been working my way through the Malazan books again (1, 3, 2, 4) and so far House of Chains (4) could possibly be a starting point. The character knows little of the rest of the world and the action is in parallel to the first three. I’m not even certain how it connects together with the overall take yet.
I do plan on reading book 6 before 5, since I know that one takes place before any of them.
@deinol House of Chains (2) directly follows Deadhouse Gates (4). I can’t imagine reading 4 before 2, it’s so dependent on the story previously laid down. 6 before 5 is probably fine, but I’d still hesitate to recommend it. There’s a solid theme going over books 6-10, and interrupting that could make things a bit worse. Plus to be honest, 6 was a good break between 5 and 7
@deinol 1, 3, 2, 4 is absolutely valid, I’ve considered doing that order on a re-read. The fun fact about book 1 of House of Chains is that the author wrote it to prove a point to a critic who said that he couldn’t write from a single character’s perspective 😂 but it also works for that story in my opinion as well.
Is this a re-read for you or have you not finished the Book of the Fallen yet? I’m skeptical about including the Esslemont books before finishing the BotF, but I know some like it
@deinol@bwebster@Mayobrot maaan, I’m still stuck in Memories of Ice and can’t get my act together. I guess I’m waiting for summer months and sitting on the balcony…
@deinol@bwebster@kensanata I haven't read that far yet, but isn't 9 and 10 supposed to be one big novel? Maybe it's better to read them close together?
@deinol@bwebster@kensanata Also, uh doesn't book 5 take place before 6? Midnight Tides takes places before Bonehunters afaik and a pretty big thing in BH builds on the end of MT.
@deinol@Mayobrot@kensanata I would definitely recommend Midnight Tides before Bonehunters. Technically MT does take place like a few year before Gardens of the Moon (but after the prologue of GotM), but there’s a reason it is placed 5 in the normal reading order, it belongs best there and reading Bonehunters before it will throw things off for sure.