Steven Erikson: Malazan Book of the Fallen Series-THE BEST SERIES EVER?!?!

Anyone else been reading this? I'm totally psyched, the third book "House of Chains" was just released. The first two are: "Gardens of the Moon" and "Deadhouse Gates".

Seriously, this may be the best fantasy series I've ever read (and I've read a lot!). It's truly epic, on a scale I've never seen before and the writing is sensational. It's "meaty" and deep and the characters are awesomely real and complex. The story is truly epic spanning thousands of years and a whole world, numerous races and histories and a cast of hundred's of characters. The author does an amazing job keeping the action and suspense going and achieving the impossible by developing a cast of literally hundreds of characters so you can really identify with, relate and form attachements to them while weaving together incredibly complex plots, sub-plots and themes. These books are awe inspiring.

Anyone?

Can you tell me more? What is the series about?

It's so epic it's hard to put it succinctly, and since I'm only on the fourth book (I made a mistake in the OP, it's the FOURTH book that was just released, the third book is "Memories of Ice") I obviously don't know the whole story (there are apparently going to be 10 books). It sort of centers around a company of elite soldiers (at least in the first and third book, the second book is a whole new cast) called the Bridgeburners (if you've read and enjoyed the Black Company, it's similar to that, but even better and way more epic) and their imperialist campaign for the Malazan Empire on another contintent. But it's also about the Pantheon of gods and their power struggles and manipulations of events and characters in the world to achieve their ends, as well as the power struggle between various powerful ancient races that have, up until now, essentially disappeared from the world as well as various individual characters' paths to "ascension". There are several plot lines in each book that happen in different parts of the world, but often refer to eachother and are tangentially related. Each book so far has introduced practically a whole new set of characters, although some cross over from book to book. Book 2 and 3 actually happen concurrently in different parts of the world, and the books also recount histories and events that have happened thousands of years in the past.

What I really like about it is it's moral ambiguity and the realness of the characters and their choices. There's no "black and white" and "good and evil", nothing is that simple nor are characters necessarily what they seem at first and each character evolves, grows and changes in sometimes surprising, but believable ways. It's gritty and realistic and exceptionally well written. The characters and their choices, evolution and dialogue are very real and believable. With such a huge cast of characters Erikson does an amazing job of developing them and making them real and emotionally investing you in their stories. The books are big, but you tear through them (at least I do), because the story's really move and are action packed w/ lot's of suspense and twists.

I highly, highly recommend these books. They may be the best series I've ever read and I don't say that lightly.

The book just released in the series is the FOURTH BOOK, "House of Chains". The series so far:

1. Gardens of the moon
2. Deadhouse Gates
3. Memories of Ice
4. House of Chains

Although the fifth book "Midnight Tides" and the sixth book "The Bonehunters" have been out for a few months :P

Still finishing HoC though...