# Malazan Book of the Fallen Question

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malazan-book-of-the-fallen-question/547986>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [July 25, 2010, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malazan-book-of-the-fallen-question/547986 "2010-07-25T22:39:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\
**Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malazan-book-of-the-fallen-question/547986/1 "2010-07-25T22:39:31Z")

</div>

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?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\
**Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malazan-book-of-the-fallen-question/547986/2 "2010-07-25T22:49:34Z")

</div>

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.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\
**Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malazan-book-of-the-fallen-question/547986/3 "2010-07-25T23:40:05Z")

</div>

Not required to enjoy the rest of the series, definitely recommended if you enjoy the other books though.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\
**Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malazan-book-of-the-fallen-question/547986/4 "2010-07-26T00:19:03Z")

</div>

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](http://Tor.com). Some interesting connections and insights which only become apparent when looking back at the start of the whole grand thing.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\
**Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malazan-book-of-the-fallen-question/547986/5 "2010-07-26T00:48:46Z")

</div>

Yeah there are TONS of throwaway lines, characters, and foreshadowing that don’t make sense until many many many books later.