Gardens of the Moon: Book One of The Malazan Book of the Fallen

Some consider this series even better then A Song of Ice and Fire and I would not blame them. For one it's actually finished lol. Don't get me wrong I still think George is my number one but Steve is a close second. Either way the sheer level of detail Steve infuses in the different cultures in his universe are just astronomical and that's just merely one facet amongst many that makes this series awesome. Read it, love it, thank me later!

Ever since reading the Malazan Book of the Fallen, I've found it difficult to get in to and enjoy other things from other authors. I've become a literary snob. If you have other options on the table, I implore you to read them first. If you read those books after you've finished this series, chances are you'll end up rating them at 3/5, instead of what would have been your pre-Erikson 5/5.

Interesting in a complex way (the world building is awesome), but the existential angst loses its charm as the series drags on. Diverse characters with complicated motivations, but it would have been nicer if there were less than 20 point-of-view characters (and there's far more than 20), so it becomes difficult to relate to or become attached to any of the characters (may as well just read history text books for fun). Definitely cerebral; relaxing, humorous or enjoyable much less so. Thought provoking but very dense at times. The endings of the books are generally quite exciting/satisfying, enough that most people forget how tedious of a grind it was to get there.