It's kind of done on purpose, of course, it almost seems like Erikson makes a point of putting at least one revelation and twist casting a new light on the events of each previous novel, in every new book he releases. It certainly makes the series more interesting, and induces people to re-read, but it almost seems like a gimmick. My last re-read of Gardens of the Moon must've been somewhere around the time I read Midnight Tides or the Bonehunters; since then, my reading Reaper's Gale, Night of Knives and especially Toll the Hounds has added still new things that will have an effect on how I interpret things in Gardens of the Moon.
I don't know if it's a gimmick as much as it just fits with one of the themes of the series, namely that of there being so many layers to the events past and present that are explored in this series.
I do wonder whether my decreased enjoyment in the Malazan series in recent books is because those books are really less good, or merely because things get repetitive and one gets the feeling that nothing really matters in the end. Toll the Hounds is probably a better novel by far than Gardens of the Moon, considering the oft-discussed jump in Erikson's writing abilities from GotM to DG, but I have a feeling rereading GotM would be more fun for me regardless.
It may be. I have no idea what my reaction to TtH will be this time. Slightly behind on my intended reading pattern due to having to get somewhere in the neighborhood of 35-40 stories mailed out tomorrow. Thankfully, I'll have that amount, but I've been busy with my editing duties these past few days.
As for the Bridgeburners, other than Whiskeyjack most of them at the time of GotM had little distinct personality, at least for me, and that made them less interesting. The fleshing out of several of them - Quick Ben, Kalam, Fiddler, Antsy, Blend and Picker, probably more I'm forgetting now - later in the books ought to make their scenes in GotM more enjoyable. So it doesn't surprise me that you like them more this time around.
What I found surprising was how much "personality" most of these had when I revisited this book. I think it's because I see the storyline "future" in reading the "past" events in a re-read. I like surprises on occasion.
On the other hand, I think if I reread it, my annoyance with the exaggeratedness of "Kruppe is a genius orchestrating everything" from Toll the Hounds might carry over to the lesser instance of the same thing in GotM, and same perhaps with other things (Erikson's rather dubious moral observations on bullying children and the like from that same book).
Luckily, that didn't happen on my re-read, maybe because I had successfully blocked that from my memory until now
Illusions fall like the husk of a fruit, one after another, and the fruit is experience. - Narrator, Sylvie
Je suis méchant.
Je suis méchant.
Steven Erikson and Ian Cameron Esslemont, Malazan Book of the Fallen (series reviews)
- 17/05/2010 01:09:47 PM
1300 Views
Gardens of the Moon (2002-2005 re-reads; 2010 re-read)
- 17/05/2010 01:10:14 PM
913 Views
I have the same experience with rereads of Erikson always bringing new things to the fore.
- 17/05/2010 01:32:28 PM
771 Views
I wonder as well
- 18/05/2010 07:12:23 PM
757 Views
Re: I have the same experience with rereads of Erikson always bringing new things to the fore.
- 19/05/2010 02:12:42 PM
670 Views
MT was just as good as those two, IMHO of course.
- 21/05/2010 12:29:22 PM
613 Views
Re: MT was just as good as those two, IMHO of course.
- 21/05/2010 03:39:10 PM
714 Views
For me, GotM remains a half-failure
- 22/05/2010 06:05:30 PM
907 Views
I think even most fans of the series will agree with you there.
- 22/05/2010 07:32:25 PM
721 Views
Re: I think even most fans of the series will agree with you there.
- 23/05/2010 10:32:49 PM
821 Views
Ye gods, that reply was long.
- 27/05/2010 04:20:35 PM
689 Views
- 27/05/2010 04:20:35 PM
689 Views
Re: Ye gods, that reply was long.
- 27/05/2010 10:57:00 PM
782 Views
- 27/05/2010 10:57:00 PM
782 Views
Oh, it's not about a lack of action.
- 28/05/2010 08:56:48 AM
784 Views
I'm pretty sure that I found MbotF from Wotmania, so thanks for that.
- 17/05/2010 03:28:08 PM
736 Views
Never quite thought of Erikson's series as being akin to screwing in the backseat...
- 18/05/2010 07:14:01 PM
881 Views
It's not my cup of tea. Good luck reading it!
- 19/05/2010 03:42:08 PM
810 Views
I've got to ask.
- 20/05/2010 08:56:14 PM
696 Views
Fans of the series told me that "Gardens of the Moon" isn't a good book to start with.
- 21/05/2010 10:47:52 PM
768 Views
Deadhouse Gates (2002-2005 reads; 2010 re-read)
- 21/05/2010 06:13:47 PM
762 Views
I find myself...
- 06/06/2010 03:21:07 AM
860 Views
Memories of Ice (2002-2005 reads; 2010 re-read)
- 27/05/2010 08:47:02 AM
777 Views
As I posted in your blog RE: Themes.
- 27/05/2010 05:25:19 PM
800 Views
I was going to respond later today to those 
- 27/05/2010 05:39:38 PM
876 Views
- 27/05/2010 05:39:38 PM
876 Views
The Pannion Seer had been brainwashed by the Crippled God, he was a slave to his will. Inocent
- 27/05/2010 06:34:05 PM
724 Views