I’m currently working my way through (and very much enjoying) the Malazan Book of the Fallen series. I’m about half way through Toll the Hounds and about to get Dust of Dreams. Should I bother reading the various other spin-off books (Night of Knives, Return of the Crimson Guard and Bauchelain and Korbal Broach)? Do they add much to the overall narrative or are they worth getting just for their own sake? Oh and when’s the last book due out in paperback?
I have read both of Esslemounts books, and I would say go for them. Good reads on their own merits, but they also dovetail quite nicely with the main Erikson books. I assume having reached book nine, that you like the Malazan world? Well these books flesh this world out a bit. You might be surprised, there are events that happen in the books that should have large repercussions on the main storyline.
They arent required reading, but as a fan, I say get them, definately.
Not required to enjoy the rest of the series, definitely recommended if you enjoy the other books though.
Thanks for the recommendations, I’ll add them to my wish list. Incidentally, I’ve also been enjoying the reread of the series they’ve just started at Tor.com. Some interesting connections and insights which only become apparent when looking back at the start of the whole grand thing.
Yeah there are TONS of throwaway lines, characters, and foreshadowing that don’t make sense until many many many books later.