Here is a list of 10 Epic Fantasy Books Better Than ‘Gardens of the Moon’, According to Goodreads.
The first book in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series by Steven Erikson, and the first published work in the shared fantasy world with Ian C. Esslemont (who has also written many books within the world), Gardens of the Moon is considered by some to be a very difficult book to get into, but most who have read at least a few books in the series know that the work pays off!
Gardens of the Moon has a rating of 3.90 on Goodreads, as many who try it either give up or finish it without really knowing what happened for the past 900 pages… This is not a criticism of those individuals (I put the book down after 150 pages the first time I tried to read it, too), but it might explain the lower rating in comparison to the ratings for the other 9 books in this series.
So, here is a list of fantasy books similar to Gardens of the Moon which have a higher rating on Goodreads (also first books in a series).
The Black Company (The Chronicles of the Black Company, #1) by Glen Cook
Goodreads Rating: 3.94
From the blurb:
Some feel the Lady, newly risen from centuries in thrall, stands between humankind and evil. Some feel she is evil itself. The hard-bitten men of the Black Company take their pay and do what they must, burying their doubts with their dead.
Until the prophesy: The White Rose has been reborn, somewhere, to embody good once more. There must be a way for the Black Company to find her…
The Forgetting Moon (The Five Warrior Angels, #1) by Brian Lee Durfee
Goodreads Rating: 3.97
From the blurb:
Welcome to the Five Isles, where war has come in the name of the invading army of Sør Sevier, a merciless host driven by the prophetic fervor of the Angel Prince, Aeros, toward the last unconquered kingdom of Gul Kana. Yet Gault, one of the elite Knights Archaic of Sør Sevier, is growing disillusioned by the crusade he is at the vanguard of just as it embarks on his Lord Aeros’ greatest triumph.…
Forge of Darkness (The Kharkanas Trilogy, #1) by Steven Erikson
Goodreads Rating: 4.11
From the blurb:
Steven Erikson entered the pantheon of great fantasy writers with his debut Gardens of the Moon. Now Erikson returns with a trilogy that takes place millennia before the events of the Malazan Book of the Fallen. The Forge of Darkness introduces readers to Kurald Galain, the warren of Darkness, and tells an epic tale of a realm whose fate plays a crucial role in shaping the world of the Malazan Empire.…
Promise of Blood (Powder Mage, #1) by Brian McClellan
Goodreads Rating: 4.13
From the blurb:
Civil unrest cripples the citizens of Adro in the aftermath of the revolution that obliterated the monarchy. Now, Field Marshal Tamas and his lieutenants must confront the true cost of freedom in book one of the Powder Mage Trilogy.
It’s a bloody business overthrowing a king. . .
Of Blood and Fire (The Bound and the Broken, #1) by Ryan Cahill
Goodreads Rating: 4.15
From the blurb:
Born in fire. Tempered in blood.
Epheria is a land divided by war and mistrust. The High Lords of the South squabble and fight, only kept in check by the Dragonguard, traitors of a time long past, who serve the empire of the North.…
Malice (The Faithful and the Fallen, #1) by John Gwynne
Goodreads Rating: 4.15
From the blurb:
The world is broken. . .and it can never be made whole again.
Corban wants nothing more than to be a warrior under King Brenin’s rule — to protect and serve. But that day will come all too soon. And the price he pays will be in blood.
Evnis has sacrificed — too much it seems. But what he wants — the power to rule — will soon be in his grasp. And nothing will stop him once he has started on his path.…
Illborn (The Illborn Saga, #1) by Daniel T. Jackson
Goodreads Rating: 4.20
From the blurb:
Long ago, The Lord Aiduel emerged from the deserts of the Holy Land, possessed with divine powers. He used these to forcibly unite the peoples of Angall, before His ascension to heaven.
Over eight hundred years later, in a medieval world which is threatened by war and religious persecution, four young men and women begin to develop supernatural abilities. These forbidden and secret powers will shatter the lives that they have known, and will force each of them to confront the mystery of the ethereal Gate which haunts their dreams. What does the dream mean, and how is it connected to their burgeoning abilities?…
The Blade Itself (The First Law, #1) by Joe Abercrombie
Goodreads Rating: 4.20
From the blurb:
Logen Ninefingers, infamous barbarian, has finally run out of luck. Caught in one feud too many, he’s on the verge of becoming a dead barbarian — leaving nothing behind him but bad songs, dead friends, and a lot of happy enemies.
Nobleman, dashing officer, and paragon of selfishness, Captain Jezal dan Luthar has nothing more dangerous in mind than fleecing his friends at cards and dreaming of glory in the fencing circle. But war is brewing, and on the battlefields of the frozen North they fight by altogether bloodier rules….
The Pariah (Covenant of Steel, #1) by Anthony Ryan
Goodreads Rating: 4.22
From the blurb:
Born into the troubled kingdom of Albermaine, Alwyn Scribe is raised as an outlaw. Quick of wit and deft with a blade, Alwyn is content with the freedom of the woods and the comradeship of his fellow thieves. But an act of betrayal sets him on a new path – one of blood and vengeance, which eventually leads him to a soldier’s life in the king’s army.…
Dancer’s Lament (Path to Ascendancy, #1) by Ian C. Esslemont
Goodreads Rating: 4.37
From the blurb:
Ian C. Esslemont’s prequel trilogy takes readers deeper into the politics and intrigue of the New York Times bestselling Malazan Empire.
The first book of the Path to Ascendancy trilogy, Dancer’s Lament, focuses on the genesis of the empire and features Dancer, the skilled assassin, who, alongside the mage Kellanved, would found the Malazan empire.
