MALICE 🗡️- REVIEW

My review of Malice, by John Gwynne. The first book in the Faithfull and the Fallen series.
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[@mikesbookreviews]

I read the entire series in April/May and feel confident in saying Malice is probably the least best of them. The series is that good.

[@JARHuygebaert]

You made me buy another book. Damn it

[@ReallyGoodandKind]

Eyyyy Mike good to see you. When you reading Malazan?

[@bbthrashcan4857]

@@ReallyGoodandKind he's starting on January 2021. He has a video on his channel about it so people can get to read along him.

[@mikesbookreviews]

@@ReallyGoodandKind Channel read along begins January 1st.

[@ihab2002ahmad]

Tell me if you've heard of prince of nothing otherwise you have to check it out. It's very grimdark, and especially the later books get very lovecraftian. I think you'll like it.

[@TheNerdyNarrative]

I held my breath until you said you liked it. It’s my favorite completed fantasy series that I’ve read. Malice is seriously focused on character development and some world building on the front end, but the rest of the series is action. I can’t wait to see what you think of Valour - it’s chock full of action, maneuvering and STRATEGERY!

[@MagnetonJjungle]

Love the »if you like [x] ...« segment. You are allowed to keep it.

[@UH98561]

He picked up that book and I only wanted Daniel to spank it. I miss his DGPDBAB series

[@davidpo5517]

I would argue it's actually more of a PDGDBAB series... because I'm that guy right now.

[@atharvadeshpande4749]

@@davidpo5517 Lol I was about to do the Same because I am that guy too.

[@reading_faerie]

Yeah I want Daniel to spank books... too

[@voices4oppressed]

@@reading_faerie mhm! Seems like someone must be fantasizing not just spanking of books 😁😂 (fun intend)

[@sanvadghokshe5320]

*Daniel gives a positive review to another fantasy book* My amazon cart : Don't you dare, don't you fu****g dare. Me : *Add to cart*

[@a_blitz]

*Wallet screams in anguish*

[@visheshaneja4600]

worth it.

[@atharvadeshpande4749]

Your Amazon cart (In CJ's Voice): Ah Shit! Here we go again!

[@robertdickson3619]

7.55 on Kindle..... Yup, good enough for me

[@gnamhcir]

@@a_blitz more like my bookshelves... speaking of which I need another... again

[@mad0813]

"Pretty tropey high fantasy." Say no more I'm sold.

[@thejohnsanger]

I’m so glad you got to Malice. To me they only get better and better. His follow up series is terrific as well. It’s definitely ok to take things already done and just do them really well. I love his books

[@ryan_17295]

Totally agree. It builds and builds and then gut punches. Author cruelty is definitely right

[@halion4487]

John Gwynne is amazing at building for 90% of the book, then the massive release of everything going to shit and things go wrong in the last 10%. It’s a great feeling. However, I feel the sequel are weaker in characters, mainly because they don’t change over the course of the series. Bleda is still quiet and contemplative, Riv is still hotheaded and rash, and Drem is still, well, Drem. The combat and plot are still superb, but the characters are much less developed imo

[@darmokandjalad7786]

The lighting looks really good in this video!

[@christinacarter5018]

FINALLY!!! John Gwynne is one of my favorite Authors. He is an automatic buy. He also does a lot of reenacting and weapon collecting. He is very involved with understanding the weapons and strategies he chooses to use.

[@Khepriem]

We judge the pacing of all other media, but when it comes to fantasy books it seems us readers are expected to just deal with 10, 20, 100 pages that could have been cut because we've been taught that epic fantasy is supposed to challenge the reader. I think this status quo is actively harming the genre and I'm always really excited to hear of a book that's clearly been edited down for good pacing.

[@GrapplingBook]

I'm glad people are vocal about this.

[@gavasiarobinssson5108]

@@GrapplingBook Why? Cant there be different styles?

[@YourBlackLocal]

Honestly i don't think it's because they think it's challenging, i think it's just they don't want to get rid of these things they feel are unique to their Stories, even if they don't add anything.

[@GrapplingBook]

@@gavasiarobinssson5108 It's not about different styles, this is about fantasy books tending to be unnecessarily long when it could have been cut down to a much lower page count.

[@confusedwhale]

@@gavasiarobinssson5108: You can think of it as an act of self gratification on the part of the author. Droning on and on and on and on and on and o--- Think of the editor as a surgeon cutting necrotic flesh to prevent sepsis setting into the patient. So to does the editor expertly slice extraneous passages from the text to let the greater whole survive. At the end of Elantris, Brandon Sanderson talks about cutting a rando that was introduced too late into the book that would have muddied the whole if it were to be kept. The others talk about having an editor that wasn't as merciless as he/she should have been, or a publisher that required a higher word count than the author could fulfill without it feeling like an utter slog. So, it's not about style. It's doing the job. ... And no one wants to see the author masturbating on the page.

[@TheJavy]

Really appreciate the lighting! It's looking so crisp

[@B.LEE.DbrianleedurfeeREVIEWS]

My novel The Forgetting Moon gets compared to Malice almost more than any other book.

[@lordphinix3]

I've enjoyed the first 2 books of that series. Waiting on book 3.

[@benjaminmolina3456]

Hopefully, next moth I´ll get the sequel.

[@MrShaiya96]

hey, brian. we need the next book, yesterday

[@B.LEE.DbrianleedurfeeREVIEWS]

@@MrShaiya96 i turned it into my publisher back in January. then Covid19 hit and slowed everything in publishing waaaaaay down

[@lipeeefl]

@@B.LEE.DbrianleedurfeeREVIEWS nice, haven't read yet, but it's always a good thing to know how it's going

[@zollieberdy4405]

That intro was funny.

[@markravetto4619]

"Old wolf" fans out there?

[@AshtheViking]

Maquin is probably my ideal man.

[@gincentbeeney]

Fav character. Love seeing his name above a chapter

[@KyleRodger.]

Maquin is the shit.

[@GallowglassVT]

Mark Ravetto Maquin is who Chuck Norris wants to be when he grows up.

[@markravetto4619]

@@GallowglassVT lol YES

[@jujubean9063]

I don’t understand peoples distaste with tropes. All books have some tropes. It doesn’t bother me at all. I like fantasy tropes, it’s one of the reasons I read fantasy. Chosen ones, good vs evil, and all that delicious stuff is part of what I love about fantasy. Malice blew me away. It’s so well done and the tension was unreal. This is a masterpiece, in my opinion.

[@havokix]

Yeah I like the new "This is like:" section. Sets up comparisons and contrast discussion. Bet you that you'll love the slower paced beginning of malice on a re-read. Beginnings often struggle with pacing.

[@Emma-sj6wp]

Daniel: MALICE! Me playing BotW: where?

[@AdityaSingh-kx7eu]

Daniel PLEASE DO A VIDEO WHERE YOU TELL US THE MOST ESSENTIAL BOOKS EVER THANKS sorry for shouting

[@ShadowWolf1307]

He kinda already did. He made like 5 videos (bc of updates) ranking "all" fantasy series both from his perspective and from magazines etc, presenting and discussing their placement in the ranking system. If you want more information on them, most of them have a "why you should read" video (theres even a playlist on his channel with all of these vids) on a lof og these series. So yea, there you go Just use the search bar in the video section of his channel.

[@Nasser851000]

0:00 you had us fooled there for a second XD

[@rishabhdave5773]

I genuinely did not know about the whole lighting for good/bad books thing, now I'll be looking for it in future videos.

[@llamallama1509]

Glad I'm not the only one

[@lightningtiger7721]

I read Malice a while ago, enjoyed it, and didn’t really pick up the sequels because the audiobook didn’t have any at the time. Now I have read Valor and am on Ruin. They do such a good job at delivering the promises of the first book so far. The characters feel more alive than ever to me and the action is still as stellar as ever.

[@jossecoupe446]

(Mini spoiler about a secondary character becoming a main character in the fourth chapter of book 2, not really that surprising but still) I read these books so long ago, but all I remember is... Maquin best boi. One of the few characters in fantasy that made me cry (besides Robin Hobb's characters). And I've heard that the sequel series is even better. Also a thing that I noted, in this series almost every chapter has dramaticesque endings, I remember going 'oooooooo shit' so many times.

[@dirkcrafford1814]

Came here to say this. Maquin is a character that will stick with you for a few years. Goddamn

[@beedoo000]

I really like the "if you like X, you'd probably enjoy this" section. Could you maybe do a whole video focusing on the most popular/famous fantasy series and recommend ones with a similar "vibe" to them? Thanks for all your hard work, your reviews are definitely among my most-trusted on KZbin. So many reviews on here are just spoiler-filled book talks and give little to no explanation of whether or not I should pick up the book.

[@Law-of-EnTropy]

"There's some author cruelty to the readers.." I'm in!

[@Noxturne09]

The Masochist in all of us jumps for joy

[@bryson2662]

Thanks. I'm gonna put this on my TBR. Sounds great. Also I really want to say I appreciate all the effort you put into your videos. Also prose is a non-countable noun.

[@sernoddicusthegallant6986]

Daniel: "More giants in fantasy please!" Me, an intellectual: *THE LEGEND NEVER DIES*

[@cokeMONSTERps3]

It's an old one sir, but it checks out.

[@Wildcamfire]

Got this a while back and had trouble getting through the first part, ended up completely forgetting about it but since I've now been told the second half gets better I'll give it another shot.

[@SorcerersApprenticeReads]

I just started this, and I'm really struggling with the beginning, so it was good to see this review today and get some renewed optimism that it will be worth it.

[@Ablofluido]

I loved this book! I found the genre tropes very comforting in a way. Unfortunately, I felt the second in the series had too many events happen because the plot needed them to happen and it really turned me off.

[@leonhudson6644]

If you want something different, that keeps you up at night thinking about it, in a new an different fantasy word, you should read the One Piece manga. I think if you get far enough in, you will be hooked and very surprised by the storytelling, world building and emotional impact it will have on you

[@jcwoodman5285]

OK somebody give me a reason to finish this one???? I got to the point were Corben saves the wolven cub & I wanted to throw my phone! I would have thrown the book!😤 REALLY???🥺

[@toinenosoite3173]

If you like action, battles, fights, and politics without much surprise and things that do not require too much of you? Well, then this book is perfect for you. For everyone else, there are at least these "problems": 1) incredibly predictable in every sense, 2) boring battles with "fantastical creatures" (fights were a bit better - but the deus ex canis in the end, deep sigh!), and 3) unnecessarily jumpy POV presentation style. This book was so full of tired stereotypes, I decided not to continue reading the series, although it was a fast and simple read. And to other authors: please take care that your characters have the right weapons carried in the right places for a reason. Long curved swords carried on their backs - yeah sure...

[@FlashMac31]

"i dont have opinions on the Giants football team" so we do need to hear your opinions on the Giants baseball team :)

[@NoMereRanger73]

True! :)

[@Punkandcannonballer]

This one just didn't do anything for me. I felt like the prose was simple, the characters were fairly shallowly developed (because there were so many of them), and the plot just seemed on the rails. What I really didn't like about the action is that he overused specific phrases SO much. Around the 15th time I heard "exploded into motion" I just started sighing.

[@Big993Mac]

I am glad you liked the book. Although it has some tropes, it kind of felt refreshing to me. The sequels are even a little bit better imo, only the first half of the third book can get a little tenacious, but the second half is outstanding with probably one of the best one on one swordfights ever written. You can look forward to that.

[@zaroc]

Oh boy if you enjoyed malice the story gets better and the characters are amazing

[@paula7465]

You should read Circe by Madeline miller! Retelling of Greek mythology with an astounding characterization! Doesn’t ressemble typical fantasy

[@lycoris8879]

If you read all of his first series, The Faithful and the Fallen, you should definitely read the follow up series. It's a trilogy and it's amazing. The follow up series is called Of Blood and Bone.

[@fatedhydra8074]

Just read that series a few months ago. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Kinda weird I just ordered the 1st book of his next series and here you are talking about malice. I heard it described as Wheel of Time lite. Not 100% sure of that....but was a very good read. And I also read the 1st 2 books of the Poppy War because of you. Thanks!! Really well done series.

[@aysseralwan]

Yeah, I'm glad that a big booktuber is shining some light on this series. It's absolutely awesome and has a follow up trilogy around 130 years into the future which is as good as this series. I hope the fandom of the Faithful and the Fallen and John Gwynne will grow as a result

[@GreeneZonee]

Oh just you wait. This series gets so much better!

[@mischarowe]

I hope so. It's now on my TBR. Except for the slower start it sounds like I'll enjoy it very much. :)

[@mrhawkeye293]

I only got about halfway and set it down. Lost interest. Might have to pick it back up.

[@seanpoore2428]

"......like that one shot take from old boy...." You have my attention o.o

[@clarkbayles9795]

You want something different? try China Meiville.

[@adamr9739]

I was about to click off the video when I saw the red light

[@MagusMarquillin]

Wouldn't want to be confronted with contrary opinions. -Scary- Outrageous. I'm glad he did that though, I didn't realize he had been picking colors that matched his feelings.

[@alexanderfyock9042]

My only question...what language do his trees speak?

[@felixtwingrin5911]

I am really struggling to read malice. It is just so cliché and simplistic. Felt like reading a fantasy book for teens. Does it get better?

[@Ridghost]

Yes, the series only really starts rolling at valour. If valour isn't for you, the series isn't for you, but i'd give valour a try.

[@felixtwingrin5911]

@@Ridghost read Valor and honestly it made me so confused as to why people like this at all. It's so uncreative and bland. There is literally nothing original at all. The characters are the worst cardboard cut outs I have encountered for a long time.

[@bradys_luck6963]

so you'd say the magic systems is half chubbed huh huh half soft half hard huhhhh

[@Desintyx2]

As a Firstlaw fan, I can honestly say this my **least** favourite series I read in 2019. A lot of the things I loved as a JA fan (characters driven, narrative feel, authenticity) were all completely absent. No hate! But as a DG fan, I just wanted you to know your recs weren't on the target.

[@riakm921]

Fantastic review, I can definitely notice an improvement in your execution of them! I've had my eye on this series for a while now, I guess you've convinced me to bump it up in my TBR queue.

[@amandap7733]

I picked up Malice during a sale at my local book store because I loved the cover but I haven't started it yet because of what a Thic Boi (TM) it is, looks like I need to get going.

[@AshtheViking]

Very excited for you to continue the series. It only gets better. Characters: 9.5/10 And author cruelty... you have no idea.

[@bucklogos]

I really disliked the book, specifically because of how "tropey" it is, I could easily win a "Fantasy cliche bingo" from this book alone. Spoilers ahead. Main character is a village boy? Check. Has a mentor who has a really mysterious past and turns out he was there to watch over him from his birth? Check. After a brief amount of training becomes one of the best swordsmen in his town? Check. Parents literally tell him "You are the chosen one from the prophecy" CHECK. Befriends a wild animal? Check. The bad guy commits regicide? Check. Has a dragon? Check. Oh and there's also the blood oaths, complete with cutting open your palm to draw blood just like any other shitty YA book/movie. Now if the next few books are different and actually do something to subvert my expectations I will continue to read the story, however, if it continues with the boring tropes then that's it for me.

[@bucklogos]

Although I did spoil myself really, I'm just after Stormlight re-read, Gentlemen Bastards, Kings of the Wyld and Age of Madness books, so jumping into this is just... so boring.

[@pierremartine5015]

Truth and Courage!

[@ritavashkunda2437]

Would you recommend this to someone who ABSOLUTELY loves the Powder Mage trilogy?

[@JosesAmazingWorlds]

Ritavash Kunda I would recommend it, I just wouldn’t trust anyone who ABSOLUTELY loves Powder Mage!😂

[@burton1ify]

May I recommend The Shadow Campaigns!

[@Desintyx2]

No, it's not as well made

[@WINO1964]

I'm completely surprised you didn't mention animals/beasts. I've read all 7 books, the 1st 4 twice. I think you'll really like where he goes from here.

[@GallowglassVT]

One of my all time favorite series. It only gets better and the battles are amazing throughout.

[@christinacarter5018]

Same, I love this series. I, also, enjoyed the next series that takes place in the same world.

[@MrMustache-yn4zm]

Its a knock off of asoiaf

[@GallowglassVT]

@@MrMustache-yn4zm 1, didn't ask, 2, don't care.

[@MrMustache-yn4zm]

Its not even hiding how much it copies, its honestly embarrasing@@GallowglassVT

[@GallowglassVT]

@@MrMustache-yn4zm did you miss my reply?

[@robbedoes77]

Well I know which book I'm picking up after Elantris & finishing my Witcher books :D - I read all 6 (or 7) of the Stormlight Archive books in two months or so, so sad to wait for the next ones... God that series is just so addictive!

[@pesvarunsathayerollno.2088]

The quality of your videos is ever increasing and I love the effort you put into each video. Keep up the good work man! And that intro was funny as hell😂

[@Nemo37K]

I would love it if you added "if you liked this you'll like {x}". And my TBR got longer...cool

[@bmwilsonify]

Does anyone know if he's ever said that he read the entire series?

[@Zach-fo6ri]

The lighting is good and makes you pop, but I think warmer lighting looks better. This feels almost like a hospital with the lighting - probably just me though.

[@brandonhunt9046]

Best prose I ever read was Cecilia Dart Thornton. Wordy as hell, but fantastic to read

[@seabird3896]

Hey heyyy do you hear that? Yes That's the sound of money leaving me to buy this book

[@MrPancake777]

One of my favourite series. Trust me, the series get much much better

[@BrightnessKatyReads]

I really enjoyed Malice, I think one of the biggest things for me was how wholesome it felt for a gritty adult fantasy, it was very refreshing!!

[@charlespeter5610]

You managed to slip in Oldboy in this video??? Bravo/10. I saw that you were reading this on Instagram around the same time I started it. Glad to see you enjoyed it about as much as I did. A lore video would be great because like you said, some of the beginning was a little confusing

[@blueeyed5074]

I love the ''it should be done better'' Or another one : ''should be executed better'' They don't mean anything. It's so subjective, it could have as many definitions as there are humans on this planet.

[@AdityaSingh-kx7eu]

Took you long enough

[@ryansutter9434]

Why is a book in a series that has set up seen as a negative? I think the opposite because its going to pay off later.

[@mischarowe]

It often just feels like filler unless it's tied up by the end. It's not a bad thing, technically, it's just dependent on how it's done.

[@visheshaneja4600]

What about sequels man?

[@kyklutch3530]

I liked this entire series almost as much as I like the Stormlight Archive, and I LOVE the Stormlight Archive. The series really starts slow and builds and gets betters as the books go on. If you like sword fighting, fun world building with mysteries that are explained as you go, and animals you will love this book. The relationships people have with their animals in this series is better written than most relationships between people in other books.

[@johncampbell2123]

Daniel is a masochist, confirmed.

[@ThePsychoNyx]

I honestly feel like I’ve never read a fantasy with giants but have seen them so often in games and movies so excited to dig into this book I’ve had on my shelves for...a year... A lot of action scenes feel repetitive in how they can be laid out and copy pasted from other books so this sounds refreshing. Gimme all the PROPHECIES gimme ALL THE BAD PROPHECIES. Horror fantasy sounds incredible and I can envision the visuals being brutal and raw.

[@gavinspammed]

To those who read both Codex Alera and Faithful and the Fallen, are they similar in the manner that you can skip the first book, and come back after reading the better second when you care about the characters more?

[@heatherstiara8033]

I just bought this yesterday at my local book store and am excited to give it a try. Got a week long hospital stay with my husband. (He’s allergic to his pacemaker/ defibrillator and has to have a second one removed. They had never seen an allergy like his before, so they didn’t know until it opened a hole for a second time). So we’re going to be bored. I got Malice and The Way of Kings.

[@NickWebbSax]

I've read the first 2 so far and have really enjoyed them both. There's part of the way he's handling one trope he uses that I am really enjoying. (Without getting into spoilers) I don't think I've read anything that does the same thing and it has made me think about what could happen in other books if the same subversion was used.... All the vagueness! Haha

[@tylerblack301]

Welcome to the Warband Daniel! 🐺⚔️

[@MissMokate]

I started the book today and the first thing I've felt is that lack of internal processing by the characters. up to this point I didn't even realize how much I've been relying on that in books and it feels a bit weird having it lacking to the extent it is in Malice

[@joshecobb]

Read Legend by Gemmell

[@danilodjekic8700]

You should REALLY check out "Acts of Caine" series by Matthew Stover....A (very) unorthodox fantasy series with some of the best written violence scenes I've ever read...

[@CrankyGrandma]

I keep trying to read it. The chapter by chapter change in POV makes it very hard to follow. It’s very very confusing. If the character storylines hung together for more than a few chapters maybe I can follow it. Even if it had a key in the front for character names it would help. It’s so so difficult to follow. In all fairness I’ve only slogged through to chapter 7. It needs a good editor.

[@wordsofclover]

So glad you loved this. It's one of my favourite series. I loved how John Gwynne played with the prophecy trope and how we grew with all the characters. I still think he has the coolest author photo of all time with his axe and his big dogs. I recently read The Gutter Prayer by Gareth Hanrahan and really recommend as a high fantasy that plays with god tropes but in ways I haven't seen before. I don't know if you've read it but highly recommend if you haven't.

[@seangavrilles52]

I would love to see you review Saga by Brian K Vaughn and Fiona Staples. I feel as if saga scratches almost every genre within its story and it's about as out there and weird as it gets. Also, the most surprising plot twists I have ever seen in fiction

[@Arseniy_from_Mordor]

I really didn’t like info dumps. Like during the wedding the groom just request a freaking history lesson. Why would your listen to a history lesson during a wedding? History lesson about common knowlege as well. Heroic song, that what should be there. I couldn’t read even to the half. Even the violence felt boring.And names, countless complicated names I supposed to learn, but it was not fun at all. It was fun in ASOIAF. It wasn’t fun in Malice: too many, too soon. I tried two times to read this book. Even if it will become better, I just didn’t enjoyed it.

[@Atlasss97]

hmmm this is one of tbe rare instances where goodreads and booktube and booktok completely failed me. This was not well written and incredibly boring. Couldn't read past 60% of the book. Alot of card board cut out characters, shockiny bad structure and boring characters with trope-ridden predicable story arc.

[@AndrewWatsonChangingWay]

"tight book... only 600 pages"?!

[@devoringdemonsoulq9086]

That is tight, after 800 it’s heavy

[@ruth7817]

Giants are underrated

[@_princeovpeace6512]

I’m reaaaaally trying here. I binged through the Bloodsworn books and could not put them down. They’re in my top three sagas/series now without a doubt. I listened to the audiobooks and I found the narrator (for the most part) to really capture the tone of the story. Some of his characters were a bit jarring to listen to, but overall, he sold it. But Malice. Idk, I just can’t seem to get into it. Im pretty early on but I feel like nothing has happened in the first ten chapters, none of the characters are jumping out and grabbing me. Maybe it’s the narrator, or maybe it’s that this feels much more YA compared to the Bloodsworn Saga. But I want to keep pushing because people really seem to love these books, and also I know John Gwynne is a stellar character, world, and story builder. Help me get into this book, y’all. I feel like I’m right on the cusp of enjoying it but I’m just not there yet.

[@whosaidthat84]

It's okay, Daniel. The Giants football team is atrocious. We're talking Terry Goodkind levels of atrocious

[@ViperRT99]

I must say I found this series pretty forgettable. There is a followup series to it, but I'm not too keen on picking it up. At this point I'm surprised you haven't read/reviewed The Demon Cycle. I'm pretty sure you'd like the magic system, and there is plenty of cool action. Another series I'd recommend is a lesser known series by David B. Coe called Winds of the Forelands.

[@c.w.hughes2609]

Sometimes, basic is good. I don't need to have an existential crisis after every book. That would be exhausting. Fun points count! P.s. Dope wrist tat

[@alexkeer1418]

If you’re looking for more unorthodox fantasy, you should check out Christopher Russel’s new novel Rebirth. It’s a very steampunkesqe military action story with a lot of great fight scenes and well developed characters.

[@bloodybill01]

Speaking of unorthodox fantasy, have you ever heard of the Second Apocalypse series by R. Scott Bakker? It's about as unorthodox as it gets. The philosophical ideas Bakker plays around with haven't been replicated in any other fantasy that I'm aware of. It's not for everyone though, as it has a reputation for being one of the most grimdark series around, to the point that it makes A Song of Ice and FIre look tame by comparison.

[@LJ-bw7lv]

Loved this series. Definitely gets better as you move on. Basic premise, but done so well.

[@joshuanowlin443]

Liked the violence, but it was too common, after the first book there are a lot of fights and lacking story. Way to predictable, basically every paternal figure dies in their first combat scence, it got comically predictable. Good over all, but I am not sure I would read another of his series, I like a bit more story in my books.

[@Wordsalad69420]

Bitche please. After having read all Malazan books, nothing is really difficult to read. If a quarter of this book is setup, I'll take that any day over Malazan's first 5 books of setup.

[@SilverPanos]

I was about to buy the audiobook but for whatever reason I can only see the third book "Ruin" available on Audible and the other two are only available in German and French, this is so weird ... English version tagged: "We're Sorry Audible does not currently have the rights to sell this title in your country/region. Please consider another book"

[@arigat-o9670]

Giants? Good giants and bad giants? Hero’s Journey? Brutal action? Yep, it’s AOT.

[@soulreaper1898]

Will the series get better im on the 400th page and the characters felt like cardboard cutouts. They're so one dimensional. Throughout the book corban just got his horse, a pet wolf, trains with a guy and goes to a herbalist. I just summarized 300 pages of the book