I don’t like to think that I cry that easily.

But Steven Erikson seems determined to prove me wrong.

In my journey to finish the Complete Malazan series this year, I just finished the novel Memories of Ice. 

It was one of the very best fantasy books that I have read this year.

Incredibly complex world building. Deeply layered and fascinating characters. A mysterious plot. Friendship, redemption, betrayal, and failure all have their day in the sun here. In my mind, these books represent some of the best fantasy has to offer, and in my opinion, that’s doubly true of the sub-genre of dark fantasy.

For a book that is nearly a thousand pages, I felt like I flew through it, always eager to return for more. It’s one of the rare enormous fantasy stories that I don’t think I would hesitate to read again.