Steven Erikson
Author of Gardens of the Moon
About the Author
Steven Erikson, a pseudonym used by Steven Rune Lundin, was born in Toronto, Canada on October 7, 1959. He is an anthropologist and archaeologist by training and a graduate of the Iowa Writer's Workshop. He is the author of the Malazan Book of the Fallen series and the Bauchelain and Korbal Broach show more series. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Disambiguation Notice:
Please distinguish between this Steven Erikson (1959-____), author of Gardens of the Moon, and Steve Erickson (1950-____), author of Days Between Stations. Thank you.
Series
Works by Steven Erikson
The Second Collected Tales of Bauchelain & Korbal Broach: Three Short Novels of the Malazan Empire (2018) 98 copies, 1 review
Walk in Shadow 31 copies
Legacies of Betrayal 7 copies
I giardini della luna. Una storia tratta dal libro Malazan dei Caduti. Ediz. speciale (Vol. 1) (2025) 2 copies
Stolen Voices/Vacant Rooms (Stolen Voices by Steve Lundin/Broken Rooms by Mitch Parry) (1993) 2 copies
Bauchelain and Korbal Broach 2 copies
Midnight Tides • The Bonehunters 2 copies
Amnesiascope 1 copy
Buzun Anıları 1 copy
This Rich Evil Sound 1 copy
Quashie Trapp Blacklight 1 copy
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Lundin, Steve Rune
- Birthdate
- 1959-10-07
- Gender
- male
- Education
- Iowa Writers' Workshop
- Occupations
- novelist
anthropologist
archaeologist - Short biography
- Steven Erikson se ve skutečnosti jmenuje Steve Rune Lundin. Pseudonym si zvolil podle rodného jména své matky, milovnice dobrodružných románů. Narodil se v kanadském Torontu v roce 1959. Vystudoval paleontologii a 18 let jezdil po vykopávkách v Jižní a Střední Americe. Tak poznal i svou ženu. Spolu se přestěhovali do Anglie, kde však nemohl najít odpovídající místo, takže byl nucen vykonávat různé kancelářské práce. S těmi mohl praštit až ve chvíli, kdy jeho Měsíční zahrady sklidily obrovský úspěch. Autorova popularita má i svou příjemnou stranu – patří k nejlépe placeným autorům tohoto žánru. Nyní se věnuje pouze psaní, jeho cyklus Malazská Kniha padlých má už osm dílů (z plánovaných deseti). Napsal i humornou novelu Potoky krve, popisující dobrodružství nekromantů Korbala a Bauchelaina a jejich lokaje.
Jeho oblíbenými autory jsou například Tom Clancy, Robert Ludlum, Stephen King, Glen Cook a Ursula Le Guinová. V oblibě má i RPG hry, vycházející ze systému GURPS. (Fantasy Planet) - Nationality
- Canada
- Birthplace
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Places of residence
- Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
UK
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada - Disambiguation notice
- Please distinguish between this Steven Erikson (1959-____), author of Gardens of the Moon, and Steve Erickson (1950-____), author of Days Between Stations. Thank you.
- Associated Place (for map)
- Canada
Members
Discussions
Reread of Malazan on Tor.com in FantasyFans (August 2010)
Reviews
Like Brust's The Skill of Our Hands and Stross's most recent books, both Laundry File and World-Walker, this is a speculative fiction response to the current political situation (with a healthy block of attention paid to the environmental situation here, as well, which is what ratchets up the real stakes). Internally, it's a surprisingly optimistic one, but it casts a large shadow as regards a downside for the planet and for human society, as the optimism is a result of a deus ex machina show more (which is legitimate enough, when the novel's whole focus is a first contact scenario). It also has some internal-to-SF aspects which recall Niven and Pournelle's Fallen Angels, although it is a considerably better book.
This is also a response to, and a rejection of, Campbellian first-contact stories -- the ones where humans are shown as better, more successful, tougher, than any aliens who might be out there. It doesn't go as far as Watt's Blindsight -- in this case, the aliens' motivations are at least comprehensible; Watt's novel is to my mind a better first contact novel because the aliens are so completely incomprehensible. In Rejoice the politicians and SF writers who take a Campbellian attitude to the alien appearance are implicitly held up to ridicule. The aliens are far enough ahead of us that no human ever sees them: we communicate only with an AI who represents three (we are told) alien races with a much, much higher level of technology. For all practical purposes it's as if the Arisians moved in with a shorter timeframe and more limited agenda as far as practical resistance goes.
It's also a novel where Erikson's Canadianness comes out clearly. Not only is a significant block of the novel set in Canada, but the social and political views the novel represents are far more at home in a Canadian context than in a US context.
In fact, the US is the problem child among nations in this novel. This is, as I said, a response to current politics; it is very clearly a book born out of alarm and irritation at the policies and views of the Trump administration. As such it should be read with an awareness of its being litterature engagée.
All that being said, it's well written and moves quickly, with the pacing of a thriller (punctuated, it is true, by an ongoing dialogue regarding principles between a human representative (who happens to be an SF author) and the AI who represents the aliens). While, from my perspective, it's not the masterpiece the blurbs make it out to be, it's well worth reading. show less
This is also a response to, and a rejection of, Campbellian first-contact stories -- the ones where humans are shown as better, more successful, tougher, than any aliens who might be out there. It doesn't go as far as Watt's Blindsight -- in this case, the aliens' motivations are at least comprehensible; Watt's novel is to my mind a better first contact novel because the aliens are so completely incomprehensible. In Rejoice the politicians and SF writers who take a Campbellian attitude to the alien appearance are implicitly held up to ridicule. The aliens are far enough ahead of us that no human ever sees them: we communicate only with an AI who represents three (we are told) alien races with a much, much higher level of technology. For all practical purposes it's as if the Arisians moved in with a shorter timeframe and more limited agenda as far as practical resistance goes.
It's also a novel where Erikson's Canadianness comes out clearly. Not only is a significant block of the novel set in Canada, but the social and political views the novel represents are far more at home in a Canadian context than in a US context.
In fact, the US is the problem child among nations in this novel. This is, as I said, a response to current politics; it is very clearly a book born out of alarm and irritation at the policies and views of the Trump administration. As such it should be read with an awareness of its being litterature engagée.
All that being said, it's well written and moves quickly, with the pacing of a thriller (punctuated, it is true, by an ongoing dialogue regarding principles between a human representative (who happens to be an SF author) and the AI who represents the aliens). While, from my perspective, it's not the masterpiece the blurbs make it out to be, it's well worth reading. show less
I just finished the third installment in Steven Erikson's "Malazan Book of the Fallen" and while I loved it very much and I couldn't put it down, I am finding it pretty hard to write a review that conveys my enthusiasm for this book and this series.The main reason for this is that I want to say that this book is 'more of the same'. And that sounds like it is a bad thing, a boring thing, but for me this couldn't be farther from the truth.
The third book in a series of ten, Memories of Ice show more takes place right after Gardens of the Moon and during Deadhouse gates. In this book we mainly follow Dujek Onearm's army, who have been exiled from Malazan. They join forces with their former enemies Caladan Brood and Anomander Rake to fight the Pannion Domin. This is a new empire trying to take over everything in sight, let by a Seer, and having a terrible cult-like way of life, which includes cannibalism as a strategy of reward and feeding, and having demon-like undead creatures with swords for hands. Meanwhile, Toc the Younger, the former Claw and Onos T'ooolan the T'lan Imass warrior meet up and meet Lady Envy, a powerful sorceres who has three Segulah warriors as servants. Ganoes Paran finds he has a new role he is reluctant to accept, and we are also introduced to some new characters, new gods, and new legends. In the background The Crippled God is playing a bigger and bigger role.
When writing that short summary (without trying to spoil too much) I realize just how much was in this book. I haven't even named half the character (groups) and the new revelations in this novel. That's why it is easier for me to see these Malazan books as one long story, with each book looking at a different aspect, group of people or location but still fitting in the bigger picture. The world Steven Erikson creates is so complex that I can see links appearing between events happening in this book and the previous one, and I am sure I (with my crappy memory for plot details and characters) am missing a whole lot of the finer points. I am still addicted to these books, and I can't wait to start the next installment. Besides the complexity in legends, gods, magic and back story, I also enjoy something I loved in George R.R. Martin's books, which is that characters can die. Even the heroes, even the ones you love. And they might die, not in a grand way, but in an ugly, stupid and preventable way. That makes the books even better to me, because they feel more honest. I am glad I discovered these books while the first series is finished so I can just read them all back to back. This one also gets five out of five stars. If you liked the first two, you'll like this one. show less
The third book in a series of ten, Memories of Ice show more takes place right after Gardens of the Moon and during Deadhouse gates. In this book we mainly follow Dujek Onearm's army, who have been exiled from Malazan. They join forces with their former enemies Caladan Brood and Anomander Rake to fight the Pannion Domin. This is a new empire trying to take over everything in sight, let by a Seer, and having a terrible cult-like way of life, which includes cannibalism as a strategy of reward and feeding, and having demon-like undead creatures with swords for hands. Meanwhile, Toc the Younger, the former Claw and Onos T'ooolan the T'lan Imass warrior meet up and meet Lady Envy, a powerful sorceres who has three Segulah warriors as servants. Ganoes Paran finds he has a new role he is reluctant to accept, and we are also introduced to some new characters, new gods, and new legends. In the background The Crippled God is playing a bigger and bigger role.
When writing that short summary (without trying to spoil too much) I realize just how much was in this book. I haven't even named half the character (groups) and the new revelations in this novel. That's why it is easier for me to see these Malazan books as one long story, with each book looking at a different aspect, group of people or location but still fitting in the bigger picture. The world Steven Erikson creates is so complex that I can see links appearing between events happening in this book and the previous one, and I am sure I (with my crappy memory for plot details and characters) am missing a whole lot of the finer points. I am still addicted to these books, and I can't wait to start the next installment. Besides the complexity in legends, gods, magic and back story, I also enjoy something I loved in George R.R. Martin's books, which is that characters can die. Even the heroes, even the ones you love. And they might die, not in a grand way, but in an ugly, stupid and preventable way. That makes the books even better to me, because they feel more honest. I am glad I discovered these books while the first series is finished so I can just read them all back to back. This one also gets five out of five stars. If you liked the first two, you'll like this one. show less
HoC opens with something entirely unexpected: more than 200 pages following a single character whose story begins in Genabackis. Karsa Orlong is a Conan-like barbarian with extra streaks of mean - not a likeable guy. At least he's surrounded by the author's hints of lessons to come for this character, and there's an undercurrent of humour to his kind of single-mindedness ("I can't wait for the day they put a pickaxe in your hands," another character observes.) The focus implies this show more character will have an enormous role to play, and we get a hint of what that is before the novel is done.
The rest of the novel is largely a sequel to the events of Deadhouse Gates, serving primarily as the tale of the Crippled God's assemblage of his House. It describes machinations on the part of gods and ascendants on both sides, as they manipulate events through the mortals over whom they have influence. By novel's end we can see that the storylines of Genabackis and Seven Cities are merging but without a clear future direction. Instead a secondary plot involving the T'lan Imass and Tiste Edur will be lending the next volume its focus.
The writing style is subtly different throughout this fourth volume. Erikson lingers this time over the philosophical points of his characters' evolutions, and some of his geographic descriptions (particularly of Raraku) turn more lyrical. I've the sense that he's found more value in these things than previously, a greater willingness to devote more energy than simply outlining and forging on. He's actually rather good at it when he makes the effort; some passages are worth pausing to reflect over, and I'm inspired again to believe there will be more aftertaste to reading this series than what mind-numbing scale and go-go-go action alone can supply. show less
The rest of the novel is largely a sequel to the events of Deadhouse Gates, serving primarily as the tale of the Crippled God's assemblage of his House. It describes machinations on the part of gods and ascendants on both sides, as they manipulate events through the mortals over whom they have influence. By novel's end we can see that the storylines of Genabackis and Seven Cities are merging but without a clear future direction. Instead a secondary plot involving the T'lan Imass and Tiste Edur will be lending the next volume its focus.
The writing style is subtly different throughout this fourth volume. Erikson lingers this time over the philosophical points of his characters' evolutions, and some of his geographic descriptions (particularly of Raraku) turn more lyrical. I've the sense that he's found more value in these things than previously, a greater willingness to devote more energy than simply outlining and forging on. He's actually rather good at it when he makes the effort; some passages are worth pausing to reflect over, and I'm inspired again to believe there will be more aftertaste to reading this series than what mind-numbing scale and go-go-go action alone can supply. show less
Another phenomenal book in the Malazan Book of the Fallen. Transporting to several thousand years before the events of the first four books, we see the beginning of the story of Trull Sengar, who was introduced in House of Chains, told through the war between the humans of the Letherii empire and the united tribes of Tiste Edur. As ever, empires rise and fall, species of all kinds go about their lives doing what seems to be good to them, gods play their games and make their movies; and it is show more never clear - among all players major and minor - who is good, who is evil, who is right, and who is wrong. Because their is no right answer. Steven Erikson is one of few fantasy writers who can abandoned the "hero's journey" trope and truly make every one of his characters and civilizations complex to the point of being unable to completely route for or against anyone. He forces you to be an at most tenuously biased observer of his universe. And this novel is perhaps his most adept at that skill thus far into the series. show less
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- Works
- 78
- Also by
- 11
- Members
- 38,081
- Popularity
- #472
- Rating
- 4.1
- Reviews
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- ISBNs
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- Favorited
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