Hi everyone,
Our apologies for the suddenness of this announcement, but it seems our long (seven years!) journey is coming to an end, as Tor.com will soon be reorganizing some of the content and formats on the site so as to better meet the needs/desires of its audience. But while that means that the reread will be closed out, that doesn’t mean that discussion of the Malazan universe will disappear from Tor.com—just that further exploration will come via different formats, such as essays or reviews.
For myself, I can’t say enough about how much I’ve enjoyed this trip. Amanda has been the perfect partner (seven years—my longest relationship outside my marriage!), and our followers have to be amongst the most committed and knowledgeable readers out there. Ostensibly, I was supposed to be the “experienced” one here, but as became quickly apparent, I was learning as much or more from your comments, which made one of my favorite fantasy creations all the more richly enjoyable. So thank you for that and for your time, whether you just joined in, dropped in and out over the years, or were with us every step of the way.
We’re very proud of this massive reread, and thrilled with how Tor.com has supported us over seven years, through over 400 posts covering more than a dozen novels, and a handful of novellas. And of course, we can’t sign off without thanking Steven and Ian, both for the books themselves but especially for their willingness to give their time at the end of each novel to answer (well, OK, not really “answer” but respond to) our questions.
Look for us on Tor.com in future pieces, and look for more on the Malazan world as well. After all, as we all well know from these books, how often is an “ending” really the end?
–Bill
Well, the journey is done and now we can rest. After seven plus years, sixteen books and massive personal life changes, the Malazan Reread has come to an end. So here is my Oscar-style speech to close it off!
First of all, heartfelt thanks to Stefan Raets. If it wasn’t for him having to step away from the project at its earliest stage, I would have never had the opportunity.
I don’t have the words to properly pay tribute to Bill—his patience, his kindness, his humour, all have helped me through the Reread. I couldn’t have done it without his wise voice and support. This has, in fact, been my longest relationship EVER, and I will be forever proud of that fact.
Thank you to Tor.com for hosting the project, for providing guidance and allowing us the space to commit thousands of words to blog pages on just one subject.
I also struggle to find suitable words for Steven Erikson and Ian Cameron Esslemont—without their creation and their stupendous talents, I wouldn’t have been part of something so very special. The Malazan world is so rich and rewarding, deserves multiple reads and new readers, and will always have a place in my heart. Without the challenge of these books, I wouldn’t have become the editor I am today, so I owe a massive debt to their creators.
– Finally, thanks to you, the readers of this long-running series. You have laughed and cried with us, argued over scenes, added perspectives, shared favourite characters and moments, and genuinely made this Malazan Re-read everything we hoped it could be. The experience was all the more engaging because of you, and it means a lot that you stuck with us.
In the inimitable words of Porky Pig, “That’s all, folks!”
Cheers,
–Amanda
PLEASE NOTE: All previous posts and comments in this series will continue to be available on the site, and can always be found at the Malazan Reread Index.
So, they’re not going to be doing re-reads anymore, one of the only reasons I and lots of others come to the site? Makes sense to me.
I’ll miss you guys. You’ve held my hand through this universe of books and encouraged me when I was befuddled and made it a joy to read them. I’ll keep going, but it won’t be the same.
While I was only active in the reread during the beginning, I have dropped in and out over the years. I always found it comforting to see your posts as you pressed on through this massive series. Thanks to you both for hosting it and good luck in the future!
Well, yet another of the reasons I come to Tor.com down the drain…. Not gonna be long, and I won’t have any reason to be coming to this site anymore.
Bill and Amanda, rereading alongside you for these past 7 years has been a real treat, and you’ll be sorely missed!
Are there any plans for the folks doing rereads in general to move them to other sites? And is this affecting ALL reread blogs, or just this one?
I agree that these rereads are really the only reason I come to this site. It’s a real shame.
Sad to hear. Well, so long Tor! Only reason I ever came to this site was for this and other re-reads. Mainly this one. Thanks Bill and Amanda and re-readers, it was great while it lasted.
Well that’s soul-crushingly sad.
And Forge of Darkness is the best book to do a careful reread of =(
Please don’t get rid of the re-reads! I “need/desire” them!
I started reading the Malazan series last year, reading the reread posts as I go. I’m sorry not to have been there when they were in progress for the books I’ve gotten to, but very grateful for all that they add to my reading.
Will the posts that are up still be available? I’m only Toll the Hounds, and these re-reads have added another dimension to my enjoyment of the saga.
For those asking about the status of other rereads on the site, as things currently stand, the majority of our current rereads will continue. And of course, we still plan to continue discussing Malazan (both the main series and related novels) on Tor.com–that discussion will be in the form of essays and other articles, however, rather than chapter-by-chapter commentary. We also want to express our sincere thanks to Bill and Amanda for all of their hard work, humor, patience, and for sharing their amazing insights over the years–we hope there’s much more to come!
@9: Yes, all previous posts will remain up and available on the site.
I am really sorry to see this re-read ending. It has been a big part of my life over the past 7 years and immensely helped my enjoyment of the series.
As I said on the final actual Malazan book post, it stinks this is happening. And just when I finally catch up to where Bill and Amanda were, after reading 16+ books and 5 B&KB novellas.
This re-read helped me out a lot, especially in the early going, when I had no real clue as to what was going on, other than Darujastan (sp) was a pretty hoppin’ town with all sorts of really strong forces swirling around it, threatening to blow up the entire countryside. All the “file cabinet” notices helped me pick up on details. As I got further into the series, I didn’t need that stuff any more, since I’d been “trained” to notice that stuff on my own, but still loved reading the opinions (and still occasionally got some help with finer details I was too obtuse to immediately pick up on my own).
It definitely added to my enjoyment of a really fun series (much like Leigh’s for WoT and ASoIaF), so it’s a bummer that it’s going away. Especially when in the early stages of what’s seemed to be a really interesting book.
Suggestion: Make an ebook out of it. All of it. Every post, questions and answers, comments. A documentation of the massive project. I know I can do it myself but hey
Just a reminder that rude, dismissive, and/or aggressive comments will be unpublished. Please keep the discussion civil.
@10: Coming back one more time for a question… If other re-reads are continuing what’s the justification for shutting this one down? Seems rather arbitrary. Unless it’s based on number of commenters or something?
I mean, if Bill and Amanda are tired and don’t want to continue, I get that. It’s been a long haul for them and their dedication is unparalleled but to pick and choose what re-reads are discontinuing is a disservice to a group of your long term site users isn’t it?
Very disappointing decision if that’s the case.
I absolutely loved this reread, it’s a shame to see it ending.
Bill and Amanda thank you so much for devoting seven years of your time to this wonderful series. I know that several times I have jumped into a post and had my mind completely blown by some little insight yourselves or one of the commenters would make about an event that would change my perspective and make me rethink allot of the opinions I’d formed over the years of reading and rereading the series.
Once again THANK YOU to BILL AND AMANDA for taking on the Mt. Everest of fantasy series with all of us in tow. I will sincerely miss seeing your posts every week.
A big thanks to Bill and Amanda for all their effort – it has been a big pleasure to read your thoughts on the works of Steven Erikson and Ian C. Esslemont.
I`m sad that the Reread has now come to an end – I was really looking forward to read the reactions to the great (and tragic) moments of the Kharkanas trilogy and discuss in detail the themes and characters in the comments section.
Well, it shouldn`t be. Nevertheless, I`m looking forward to future articles on this fantastic series, and once again, thank you for all your time and effort, Bill & Amanda.
@@@@@ 18: you’re putting my thoughts out there…
this series is so complex and it’s really sad to not discuss it chapter by chapter.
and just as we come to the kharkanas trilogy and dancer’s lament is out as well :-(
it was/is always a joy to return here and read bill & amanda’s posts and every other comments.
i want to thank you again for all your efforts and clarifications!
I also give thanks to Bill and Amanda. Great job, folks! I dropped out during the Esslemont books, but was actually back for this one, though I rarely comment. I really enjoy the re-reads and this was one of the more in depth ones, which I liked. Plus, Erikson’s writing rewards discussion and examination, which other authors may not merit quite as much.
I also enthusiastically boo changing the format of re-reads on the site, as those are some of my favorite things to read here (and if we stop the re-read of Warbreaker, I will riot.) Most of the sites I love that “change formats” only go down in quality, not up. But I’ll give the benefit of the doubt until we see what’s up. I really like chapter by chapter, though.
Thanks to both of you for the wonderful years of work on the reread. It helped me get into Malazan.
Long time reader, first time commenter here. Just wanted to say thank you to both Bill and Amanda. I started reading this series last year and found this reread while I was reading Memories of Ice. I began reading your posts after every single chapter and I can’t fully express how much it increased my enjoyment of the series (and helped me when I was lost as to what was going on.)
I am halfway through Blood and Bone now and was very excited to catch up. Now I’m sad I will not get that chance, but will continue to read the updates through B&B, Assail and FoD. Thanks again!
This reread is what brought me to tor.com in the first place. I hope it will not be removed from the site!
Oh no! What to do without my weekly Malazan-fix? It’s amazing we have been doing this for 7 (seven!) years, in which I’ve got the feeling of ‘knowing’ many of you. While the amount of comments and commenters have been waning, I’m sure I’m not the only one who was still reading every single word that was posted.
It’s a pity the read comes to an end, and that it happens so unexpected / abruptly. We’ve just started FoD… Back to Eriksons philosophy that would offer some good discussions.
So, Bill and Amanda. Thank you (THANK YOU!) for all your work, insights, summaries that have shed bright light on the immense universe that is the Malazan world. You were a perfect duo (how suitable in a series full of brilliant duos) of fresh (though thoughtfull) observations and elaborate analysis. I’ll miss you.
And of course a big thanks to Steven and Ian, the creators of a wonderful universe, who have conquered two whole bookshelves full of dilapidated books in our living room :-). It felt very special that you visited us occasionally and took the time to answer our questions, I really appreciated that.
So, goodbye to you all?
@mods
will there be an alert or a new indexpage for everything Malazan-related (and if so, will its start be posted here)? I have never been able to navigate tor.com (really!) and just came here (and to some other rereads) by direct bookmarks to the indexpages. I’m afraid that without such an indexpage I’ll be lost for tor.com, which would be a pity because the posts are good. During the reread I have often just accidently heard about other Malazan-related posts (for example reviews of new publications by Bill) by comments in the reread.
And a suggestion: one of the big fantasy-irritations are series that are not (yet) finished (erm, SoIaF?). We have already started FoD. Why not phasing out this Malazan series? Kharkanas is ‘just’ a trilogy, and you know that Erikson finishes what he starts, so… can’t we just finish the Kharkanas books? :-D
I followed along with this reread during my own first reread of the series, and throughout I was consistently amazed by Bill’s insight and amused by Amanda going through the journey that I had undertaken just a few years before. My own tempo was quite a bit faster than yours so although I started a few years late, I still managed to catch up to you sometime during one of the later Esslemont books. I briefly stopped by to say my thanks for the companionship during the reread, and I do believe I can call it companionship, one-sided as it was. To avoid making this any longer I want to once again thank both of you from the bottom of my heart. Reading along with you was an absolute blast, and what’s more it made me a far better reader than I was before.
I just want to add my thanks to Amanda and Bill. I greatly enjoyed following along with you all of these years. I especially enjoyed being able to vicariously experience the books for the first time again through Amanda’s contributions.
Wow, that’s a huge bummer. I don’t know what led to this decision, but I’ll echo others in saying that I’m hugely invested in this reread. Having it end abruptly in the middle of a book is pretty heartbreaking. I had this reread’s RSS in my Feedly feed, so I really don’t have a reason to go to Tor.com if the Malazan reread is gone.
This reread has been enormously enjoyable for me over the years. I joined around the time you guys were reading Midnight Tides and I haven’t missed a post since. This reread has expanded my understanding and enjoyment of the Malazan books immensely. Amanda’s commentary was great because she said exactly what I was thinking when I first read through myself.
If nothing else, this reread has made me a huge Bill Capossere fan. Bill’s “file cabinet” was a stroke of genius and helped me to think differently about the way I read these books. His knowledge regarding writing structure and his scholarly background made his posts seem at once conversational and insightful.
@bill, do you have social media somewhere? I’d like to follow along whatever you’re writing, if you’re going to continue writing about anything.
I also want to give my utmost thanks to Amanda and Bill. The Malazan books are incredible and beautiful but also subtle and tricky. Having the two of you to read along with made the books all the more delightful.
And it was the only thing that brought me to this site. It’s an end of an era, but thank you sincerely for being guides and friendly voices along the way.
The re-read is the only reason I have ever been to Tor’s website…
Thanks for the effort Bill and Amanda!
This saddens me. This read helped me when I was starting the series back in 2012. My reading a slowed lately currently reading Stonewielder, but thanks guys. Will the posts still be accessible and nothing new being posted or is it all going?
@@@@@ Moderators – this makes no sense.
1) Why remove this re-read when others continue?
2) Why remove it after 16 books with only 2 and a half books left?
3) Why remove it in the middle of a book re-read?
I hope we can all be notified if this discussion can continue elsewhere. This has been an amazing resource and I am deeply upset (and angry!) that it has been removed
Bill, Amanda and all of you fellow commenters…. Thank you, thank you thank you. Not only have you helped me survive the series, but have deeply enriched the journey for me
TOR – find a mirror, sit down in front of it and have a good, long hard look at yourself
First time commenter, a fact which I very much regret after hearing of this deeply disappointing decision. I’ve been keeping up the past few years and have been loving this reread above all others. I really enjoy the concept of experienced vs. first time impressions; it’s just the perfect way to analyze the stories set in this expansive world.
Bill and Amanda have been an unparalleled resource and the main reason I check tor.com on a regular basis. I hope they understand how they are appreciated by those that have been following along with them!
Would just love it if this ruling somehow got overturned…
Hi everyone,
I just wanted to say thanks for all your kind words and support here. I love the passion, and it’s nice to see how much this reread meant. I know this was a bit jolting. Ideally, had we known this was coming, we obviously would have ended with Assail, a nice place to stop with the closure of the main series, and that also would have avoided the tease of starting a book then suddenly dropping it. But the site evaluation’s timing unfortunately just didn’t work out that way, I’m sure much to everyone’s dismay. I think it’s only honest/fair to note that Tor did give us the option of doing a few wrap-up posts for FoD—one for each large remaining section of the book to maybe ease the ending, but after discussing it, Amanda and I thought that didn’t make a lot of sense to us since a) we’d still end up with an abrupt ending since we’d only be covering the first book of a trilogy and thus there’d still be no sense of closure and b) we’re sort of wedded to the detail we can cover in the chapter-by-chapter mode because these books are so densely packed. So ending here rather than after three more general posts was our decision, not Tor’s.
With regard to the other rereads or changes coming, or how index pages will work etc., I’m not privy to those discussions, so I can’t speak beyond what I mentioned had been passed on to me. The staff has already mentioned here that many of the rereads will continue (hopefully that assuages some of your concerns), and I assume more details will eventually be announced or just made clear by what happens on-site. We weren’t being purposely coy or opaque in our announcement as to reasons for ending this reread or what other changes were coming; that’s all just above our pay grade.
Speaking of pay grade, I’d be lying if I didn’t say that my immediate thought upon learning of this was to just move over to where I review and keep going and continue this sense of community (Really, how weird is it to feel you’re going to miss people whose names you don’t actually know? Did I mention seven years with you people?!). But my wife has mocked me forever over what this works out to as hourly pay (no slam at Tor, who has never asked us to delve into things in such detail or at such length, just a recognition of how long these posts take), and I think she’d stop speaking to me if I did it as just another non-paying gig — and before you get the wrong image of my wife, this is the same woman who let me quit a safe, full-time job to go part-time so I could work on my writing; she’s got standing. So while I still have that little nagging voice in my ear (“c’mon, just do it . . . you know you want to . . . C’mon . . . “), it’s hard to imagine.
As for where to find me now that the reread is over (and thanks for asking). First, I’m hoping not to disappear from entirely from Tor. Obviously there’s no guarantee of acceptance, but I’ll certainly submit stand-alone essays and the occasional review and if the writing passes muster you still may see me here now and then. And (hope this is OK with our staff—if not they’ll remove it and you’ll have to just Google me . . . ), you can always find my regular science fiction/fantasy reviews over at fantasyliterature.com (one of those time-consuming, non-paying gigs I mentioned). Usually I’ll announce those reviews, or any other writing (published stories, essays, etc.) via my Twitter @billcap11.
Again, thanks for the generosity of spirit that led you all to let us know how much you’ve enjoyed this reread. It means a lot to see that.
Bill
First the First Law serues reread was discontinued and now this.
Bill, Amanda, it’s been an absolute pleasure to follow along with all of these over these many years, and I’m sad to see it end with such abruptness. I’m also sorry I didn’t do more with FoD – a lot of travel in recent months prevented me having the time to sit and join in properly.
I can understand how these commercial decisions are made though, and both of you can stand proud over a massive body of work. I’m sure your families will be glad to get you back again :)
To the rest of the usual suspects, even back to mad old Abalieno, you know who you are. Always an even trade.
So very puzzled and confused about this. Pulling the plug just as we are so tantalizingly close to catching up to publication. More disturbing to me, what will this mean for the archived index of re-read material that I’ve pointed people here to read from all over the net (and frequently encountered others who had already discovered and appreciated it)?
Hi everyone,
I can’t tell you what it means to hear so many people say that they have enjoyed the Malazan Re-read and recommended it to people. Honestly, you’re making me feel all weepy with happiness that it was appreciated.
Amanda x
An unfortunate end to an amazing run. Thanks to all who contributed.
I have never posted any comments to the re-read posts, but I have read all of them and found them very valuable.
Actually I kind of feel bad about never having contributed to the comments section, because perhaps if each article of the series had gathered 100+ comments, maybe they wouldn’t have terminated it…
Anyway, thank you and congratulations for a very well done job on this re-read.
I never post but have been following along for the past 4 years. Shame on Tor, this is very short sighted as the series seems to be getting traction since so many people want more fantasy and can’t be bothered to wait for Winds of Winter. Bill and Amanda I can’t stress how much I looked forward to every new post. Thank you!. Please join us at r/Malazan.
Well, there goes my main motivation to go to this site. Even though I never used the reread while reading Malazan myself, I enjoyed reading these posts afterwards and the comments/discussions that followed them. I created an account just for this reread, so I’m probably not going to use my account ever again.
Just want to add my thanks to the chorus. I’ve been following as much as I could since you started. Amazing work, and I’m disappointed to see it end with only 3 major published books left. Damn, I was stoked to get to Dancer’s Lament.
Hi everyone.
On behalf of all those of us who have only commented once or twice, or maybe never, but have been following the re-read on and off for many years…
Thank you to Amanda and Bill and thank you to all those who did comment regularly – you have contributed so much to our love and understanding of this epic series.
It is a crying shame that this re-read has been terminated as you don’t need to search long in places like the Malazan Empire forum or r/reddit to find someone recommending this Tor re-read to new readers.
I so hope that those Nameless ones who made this decision might come to see the error of their ways and re-instate the re-read.
Let’s hope it is the Lady’s pull!
Egwene of the Malazan Empire
What a heartbreaker. I work at a bookshop (ahem: “the World’s Greatest Outdoor Bookstore”), and have put this series into many dozens of hands. It can be difficult to recommend a challenging ten-book series, especially when it comes with the caveat “It”s one of the best things I’ve ever read, a three million word short-story, but it also kind of ruined Fantasy for me in the best possible way.” And nearly every time I’ve recommended the series, I turn them on to the Malazan Reread as well and I send them to Tor. It has been that valuable of a resource.
The Malazan Reread is one of the best things I’ve been a part of on this “series of tubes.” I haven’t commented much other than the DoD & CG chapters, but when I did, SE was making appearances, and it was revelatory. These books have changed the way that I read; and this community has raised my expectations for what is possible as far as insightful and productive online discussions. I am going to miss this so much if we don’t figure this out.
GoFundMe? GothosMe? Can we put our jakatas where our tusks are? Just throwing it out there…
In any case, I am filled with gratitude and respect for Amanda, Bill, and the Malazan lovers who have made project what it is. Messrs Erikson & Esslemont, thank you so much – your words & worlds astound.
I’ve been following this reread for years and years. Didn’t get to start commenting until FoD. So sorry to see it go! It has absolutely helped me appreciate these works on a level I hadn’t even known was there. A massive thank you to the commenters as well. You made the ride all the better.
Amanda, Bill – if you’d be up for a Patreon-style thing to get us all to the finish line, I bet a lot of us will absolutely be down! We can’t stop now – FoD and FoL are the densest and most sophisticated yet!
“. . . Tor.com will soon be reorganizing some of the content and formats on the site so as to better meet the needs/desires of its audience.”
From the response so far I would say that the “needs/desires of its audience” is pretty clear.
More to this story than is being said.
To give a different perspective from the veterans here, I’m not quite 3 months into reading the Malazan books and I doubt I would have made it to book 2 without the re-read. After hearing about the series I was interested, but kept hearing that it’s hard to start, and one reviewer suggested using the Tor re-read to help orient.
I started GotM in January and while the first handful of chapters were hinting at interesting happenings, I was following so little of both the characters and action that it was frustrating me. I then remembered about this site and starting on the first re-read post.
The read-along filled in the blanks for me: reading the chapter summaries clarified the plot details I missed, and seeing the characters described with a different perspective helped me appreciate them. It got my interest level high enough to keep reading until GotM hit its stride, and I was digging it by the climax.
From there, I quickly got into DG and was then blown away by MoI, so I didn’t really “need” the re-reads anymore. Even so, I kept right on following them, usually lagging just a few chapters behind wherever I was in the books. I’m wrapping up Bonehunters now and still checking the Tor archives, and I’m happy to have so many more to come.
I’m saddened to see this announcement, as I had hoped to catch up to the current books at some point. Instead, I will say my thanks while I can:
Bill, I came to really appreciate both your “file” statements and the subtle nudges you gave as to identity and background of various mysterious characters and happenings. Never so much as to spoil it, while often enough to help me figure it out on my own. It’s a fine line to walk and you nailed it.
Amanda, with us both being first time readers it was fun to compare our reactions to the various shocking scenes of the story. Anytime something awesome and/or tragic happened I looked forward to seeing your take on it, which gave me the feeling of having a reading group to bounce it off of.
Both of your work of the last 7 years is still being picked up and appreciated by beginners to the series today, and anyone I introducte to GotM I’ll be pointing to your archives. Thanks so much!
Amanda and Bill – thank you! I can’t believe it’s actually been seven years! This re-read has been a fundamental part of my Malazan journey – it has made the experience immeasurably more enjoyable.
Amanda, I squealed with delight when we made the same connections and discoveries. It was fun to see connections before you, and to go “aha” when you picked up something I did not.
Bill, your careful highlighting of a word here or a passage there was critical to me seeing the depth of Malazan. My first read of the series would not have been so rich without you.
Of course then there are the lengthy philosophical discussions which are such a big part of Malazan. I haven’t been very involved in the other forums, so this is where I got a chance to dig into it. I really should have saved some of those comments from the various posters.
I really hope that Tor will release the re-read as an ebook, I will definitely re-read the re-read when I next do a re-read. I think that’s a correct sentence. ;)
Thank you so much to Bill and Amanda for your incredible work over the years! What an enormous mistake by tor. I echo that there has to be more to this story. No way whoever is in charge of this site could be foolish enough to discontinue the reread for the explanation given.
Goodbye and best wishes to Bill and Amanda! Goodbye and the opposite of best wishes to Tor!
I can only agree with all the comments made. These posts have been an important part of my life for the last seven years. I am sure they will be studied for decades more. An ebook sounds like a wonderful idea.
I hope that in the long run the discussions will be stored on a noncommercial site for the benefit of both literary and social historians.
My heartfelt thanks to all especially both authors and Amanda and Bill.
I have to thank Bill and Amanda for giving up so much of your valuable time and for doing sich a good job on this re-read. Your thoughts and emotions as we went thru the books were very illuminating.
Thanks go to Steven and Ian, not just for the books but for your occasional visits. You both have created an incredible world and stories.
Nice way to upset a fanbase! The initial reason I came to your website was because of the re-reads. After doing so I would often explore other areas of your site. Not anymore. I’m done with Tor.
This announcement left me sadder than I expected. This reread has been one of the best things I have read. I don’t think I would have been able to go past the first book if not for this. Many, many thanks to Bill and Amanda for doing this for so long. I will miss this.
First time commenter. I’m following this Re-read for years and it enriched my Malazan reading experience in so many levels I can’t even put it to words. Steven and Ian created such an astounding and complex world with so many characters, plotlines, ideas, philosophy,themes, originality and creativity that one can feel overwhelmed sometimes, in a good way, amazed by the vast scope, the depths, the vividness of this world. And Amanda and Bill were there all these times, to guide me through the hardest parts, to laugh together when it was funny, to be shocked and saddened when it was rough, to share, to walk together, step by step through this journey.
Without knowing you guys in “real” life, you felt for me already like friends (and I can also refer here to some of the “regular” commenters throughout the years.) To read these posts after each chapter in each book was to dive into my own private world, where I can find friends who share the Malazan world with me, friends I can enjoy reading their thoughts about something that means a lot to me, enjoy their ideas, their discussions, their presence at my side in this spectacular journey.
Amanda, as a first time reader I had a thrill reading your comments, many times you figured things that I missed, I enjoyed your reactions,shared your views on several concepts and characters, your comments were always fun and great to read. Bill, your commentary was always rich with depth and gave me new ways and tools to comprehend the themes, the philosophy, new filters to look through, new ways of thinking. It was fascinating. Wow, such a long and amazing journey with you two.
You were so important to my Malazan reading experience, I see you two as an integral part of this world, of this reading. I can’t imagine how it will feel to continue reading these books without the joy of your comments, without you being at my side as friends to this trip, as my guides sometimes… I feel sad that it’s over, but blessed for all the good that you two had made for me and for the others here. You made people here feel together as a one big family. You entered my and other people’s hearts and it can be seen here in the comments. You touched, affected. You are the real deal…
Thanks a lot for everything, for the effort, the thoroughness, the wit and vivacity, you made something great! It will be treasured. I’m full of appreciation to your work. You’ll be missed.
I can just hope that Tor will understand how important you are to people, that there are many who read you and maybe they can change their minds… Please, Tor’s staff, reconsider. Amanda and Bill’s post are pure gold. The Malazan world deserves them and the work is not done yet. You don’t stop something like that all of a sudden. It hurts.Unfair to your loyal readers. It’s not natural and this is not the end that these posts deserve to get after so many books and years, after so much of an effort. Please, reconsider.
@@@@@ 57 Yoni: amen to everything you say!
(were your well formulated plea a petition, I would have signed it…)
@57, @58: Agreed!
After this many comments I’m still waiting for someone from Tor do us the simple courtesy of explaining how this “better meet[s] the needs/desires of its audience” as Bill so aptly put it. It’s not on Bill or Amanda to do so. Ok, I’ve been a website moderator too and I understand it’s not a democracy and they don’t HAVE to explain, but I think when as many posters are upset about it as have indicated, including some who were outraged enough to post something that had to be deleted, it shouldn’t be that hard to give some reasoning. Not enough readers? Not enough commenters? Not Wheel of Time or Game of Thrones? I’ll accept any answer lol, just would like something before I delete Tor from my bookmarks.
^^^^This
I’m really sad about this, I’ve been following the reread during my first read for the last 9 months and every chapter up until current chapters. I was hoping to catch up eventually but that will never happen now, but lll still hope to catch up every week
Thank you Amanda and Bill! Like so many others have said, your posts really helped me appreciate this brilliant series. I doubt I will visit this website often anymore, other than to re-read this awesome re-read.
Same here as everyone else – I don’t understand the reasoning behind this move (and no real reason was provided) – why is this getting shut down?
I’ve been following this reread for the last year, and it has really helped me understand the Malazan world in a depth that I would not have been able get to on my own. One reason for continuing to buy the next book in the series was the info and discussion in the reread threads. I’m still catching up with the reread (currently in Reaper’s Gale), but I’m sad to see it getting closed and would like to understand why that is happening.
If this is about money or ad revenue or anything like that – I would even pay a monthly fee if that would keep the reread alive – yeah, it’s that good.
To Amanda and Bill, thanks for spending the time on this, it’s incredible to see how long this reread was going so far, and how engaged the crowd of commenters were. I really appreciate what you have been doing, and would like to sincerely thank you for your efforts and dedication.
As many others have already said, this reread was my primary reason for visiting this site, and without having a better explanation for this weird move, I doubt that I will visit the site again once I’ve read all of the Malazan books. What a great way to alienate your readership…
Thanks for seven great years of insightful work Bill and Amanda! Very sorry to see this end.
forum.malazanempire.com
…just saying…
@dear TOR,
Several of us have asked above if you want to give an explanation why the Malazan reread stopped (so suddenly). I’m wondering whether you are planning to do that, instead of letting Bill and Amanda act as messengers of your bad news.
As you may have read, this reread meant a lot to many people. It isn’t only for fun, but it brought deep understanding for both rereaders as newbies.
Such an explanation would be appreciated, and hopefully bring some understanding for the decision. As it is now, it clearly doesn’t ‘better meet the needs/desires of [us, your] audience’.
It is not to late to reconsider. As we say in the Netherlands: it is better to stop half way than to persevere in an error.
Thanks in advance.
Hi all,
Since there have been so many new comments since my last thank you– I just wanted to pop in and express my gratitude for the first time to all of you who have written since my last post, and for a second time to those who posted before it, and just to everyone yet again for the years’ worth of comments (and popping in to do so is no at all a revelation of my inability to let this go :)
Seriously though, your passion for this reread has been truly heartwarming
This is very sad. I’ve been making my way through the Malazan series for the past six months and I’ve always welcomed the additional insights that Amanda and Bill have provided. Before that, I joined Graeme on his Black Company re-read.
Thank you Bill and Amanda. I don’t think I’d have stuck with this saga if it wasn’t for you helping me to get over the start of GoTM. Good luck with your future projects!
I sincerely hope that TOR archives this amazing re-read for future readers. TOR team: I’m not angry. Just disappointed at your lack of vision. Essays covering entire books are well and fine, but large and complex books like the Malazan series greatly benefit from a chapter by chapter commentary as well.
Like everyone else, I am also despondent to hear this. I developed the habit to read a few chapters in the evening and then look up the appropriate re-read entries in the morrow to compare, contrast and intensify all that thought process.
It cannot be stressed enough that this re-read not only provides a lot of clarity for the new reader (in terms of the structure of the narratives, or in the form of helpful reminders regarding the “file cabinet”, for example), it also decelerates the reading process in the best way imaginable. I at least find that due to the captivating nature of these books, you tend to overlook delicacies/allusions/potentially divisive lines of thought that may seem plausible enough at first. Reading in a vacuum, as it were, is also prone to creating solipsisms or false certainties, a theme that is depicted many times in the books themselves.
Being able to not only read through Amanda’s and Bill’s amazing responses but also those of the various commenters broadens the horizon considerably. This is a monumental series of books, vast in scope, menacingly so. One person by him- or herself is not going to notice each and every detail, is not going to mull over every possible line of dialog, is not going to appreciate each and all of the facets presented. The shared experience provides so much more than a mere explanation or brush-up, it complements and completes the isolated reading, in fact.
Thus, I am eternally grateful for all the participants (especially Amanda and Bill, of course!) and fervently hope that there will be another way. It seems rather coarse to me to unceremoniously pull the plug partially through a book, this close to the end. This outstanding communal project really deserves better than this.
Let me just start by saying, i wish i would have posted more during this re-read.
unfortunately, i hadn’t found this re-read end of 2016, and when i started my own reread, most of the beginning of the series hadn’t had posts since 2012 or earlier. i was finally excited to see FoD started and that for once i could be apart of the actual discussion of the book in “real time” and it felt great. but sadly, all good things must come to an end. the only thing id wish differently would be if TOR would allow one last reread for Dancers Lament. over the course of reading the posts of this re-read, its one of the books i was truly looking forward to seeing both Amanda and Bill’s responses too!
But at the End of it all, thank you both for doing this reread, i cant imagine just how much time has gone into this from both of you, Thank you Tor for hosting it for all these years and thank you Steven and Ian for the time you guys have put into this Amazing world. This series has truly and deeply effected my life and the way i view all of Fiction, and this Re-read has truly changed the way i even see the series. So many details i missed the first time, so many Throw away lines that i quite literally, threw away and so forth. this reread has helped me go back and pick up on every little minute plot point and statement, no matter how seemingly small, and helped me realize just how Truly massive SE and ICE have designed this world to be.
**Also Thank you for the whole “file cabinet” system Bill, ever since i first saw you mention it, I’ve been using it, not only for this series but for every series/game i read/watch/play. and it has changed the way i comprehend a lot of the little things in these stories.
Thank you for exploring the Malazan Universe with fresh eyes and experienced eyes. Thank you for the teaching and the learning both. Thank you for challenging the authors, getting answers on the more confusing pieces of the puzzle, adding volumes of knowledge to the pages we love.
The re-read will be re-read by me and will play a big part in luring in the next generation of fans. You guys are awesome. I look forward to whatever you guys work on next.
Cheers
-Shadaan
Bill and Amanda,
I know it has been said many times, but I wanted to thank you again, for all your work. You have been entertaining and enlightening throughout the whole series, I will be sad to see you go. You have been a huge help in comprehending the tremendous world that SE and ICE created. I think everyone who was following was looking forward to the re-reads of the latest novels, they really just keep getting better.
I will just say it again, thank you!
I may have commented once or twice throughout the years of this thread, I can’t actually remember, but this is something I’ve come back to many times during my journey through MBotF. I’d just like to thank Amanda and Bill and my fellow readers. Sorry to see it go!
I just finished Gardens of the Moon last week and found it to be an amazing book. I decided to check out this “Malazan” series because this reread kept showing up on Tor.com. I really enjoy going back and reading the chapter write-ups on the individual chapters as I read them and I’m glad to see they’re not going anywhere. I look forward to finishing this series (in the order the reread was done). Thank you for turning this fantasy fan on to this great series.
Been following his site for years now and only commented once or twice. I too would like to express my eternal gratitude to Bill and Amanda for the work and time they have put into this wonderful site. I would also like to give my heartfelt thanks to all people that have contributed to the discussions, it really has made for a wonderful and enlightening journey. It has greatly enriched my experience and brought home the brilliance of the story-telling throughout this series.
I have enthusiastically recommended the Malazan books to numerous friends, and have always given them this site as a reference to follow as they read through the books. It has helped them as much as it has helped me.
It really is a huge disappointment as many of you have remarked. It’s pretty sick to close it off just as we’ve come to this trilogy. Having read a book and a half I’ve come to realise that there is just so much information and detail here that relates to everything that we’ve learned in the Malazan world. I just can’t believe that it’s not going to be dissected, pretty criminal if you ask me!
Any way rant over. Going to miss you all, and thanks again from the bottom of my heart!
Thank you much Bill and Amanda – you made the series more worthwhile and helped clarify so many things. A shame it has now been cancelled.
I feel badly that I and others did comment/traffic enough to “justify” keeping the reread going.
Again…. Thanks
To Bill and Amanda,
You guys rock. Seriously. There was nothing better than reading a Malazan chapter and then seeing your thoughts for reference. It was like reading in a group and I loved it. The chapter by chapter analysis is not something people tend to do because of the amount of effect it takes. The form of essays that Tor.com is going to try to do to cover future Malazan rereads is going to be lackluster compared to what you both accomplished. You’ll be sorely missed!!
This is sad news.
I have been extremely busy in RL lately, and wanted to pick up today, and then I see this. It has been a wonderful and great seven years here, but I guess all good things come to an end…
That leaves me with a few last messages:
@bill and Amanda: THANK YOU for creating something special
@ALL rereaders over the years: see above. We’ve had some great discussions over the years, and none of them turned into shouting. There is still hope for Mankind ;)
@steven and Ian: THANK YOU (again) for these wonderful books.
Dear Amanda & Bill,
Wonderful job with the re-read, as so many others have said, it’s enriched the experience of an awe-inspiring creation.
Wish you were (still) here.
Just wanted to say that I would not have enjoyed this series without this reread (and probably never finished it).
Thank you.
I know I’m late to the party- just came back to TOR after a long hiatus to find much of what I previously enjoyed has been cancelled- but many thanks to Amanda and Bill for their work and insight. I know this re-read helped me to a much greater understanding, and hence, enjoyment of the Malazan world.
Hello, first time posting. Just wanted to Thank Bill and Amanda for this wonderful experience. I loved the Malazan series but the reread Made me appreciate it even more. And thank you Tor for making this happen. Hope they bring back the reread for the remaining books.
I just found out about this, so, rather belatedly, many thanks to Bill and Amanda for their great achievement here!
I started reading the Malazan books about 2.5 years ago and quickly realised I was getting lost in their the richness and complexity. While searching the Internet for help I discovered the rereads and they’ve been fantastic both in guiding me through the books and giving me a sense of community and shared experience.
I’m now almost up to date, I’m ahead with FoD, FoL and DL, hopefully the rereads will remain for BaB and Assail, the last 2 books on here I haven’t read. They’ll be bittersweet reads.
I honestly think this is a shortsighted decision, Erikson’s books at least are absolute classics and I can’t think of another book series that benefits from this sort of thing more. Having a complete set of commentaries for posterity would have been great.
Oh well, thanks again Amanda and Bill, it was great spending time with you, good luck for the future!
Just stumbled upon this “final post” while still reading the series for the first time… I’m on the back half of HoC, and the Rereads have been an incredibly useful and enjoyable companion to this series of such extraordinary depth and complexity. I am sure I am not alone in reading the “reread” along side my first read of the series and finding it to be a superb reference and resource.
Thank you to Bill and Amanda for all of their efforts over the 7 years, as well as the commenter community who provided additional depth. And as a first-read ‘rereader’, you all have done a great job of not disclosing major spoilers while providing extremely helpful context and perspective.
I agree Bill’s “filing cabinet” has been great. This reread is a wonderful resource for this series. And it is a shame Tor decided to stop it prematurely. I know we are 6 months past the decision at this point, but if there’s any interest in a Patreon type deal to keep it going, seems like there would be plenty of support!
Cheers and thanks again.
Put me down as another disappointed lurker!
Currently in my own reread of HoC and greatly enjoying comparing my thoughts and feelings on each chapter with Bill, Amanda, and all the posters. Sad to see you go.
Just saw this. Deleting TOR from my bookmarks. I’ve faithfully perused this site for years, for things well beyond Malazan. And I had come to count on them for a lot of my fantasy info.
But you guys are what got me into the site in the first place.
And I honestly would have continued to read and use Tor’s website–but the fact that they weren’t kind enough to offer any kind of information on the WHY of this is a rude disservice to loyal members.
If I don’t deserve a simple explanation, then they don’t deserve my attention.
Just found out about this reread series ending. Very disappointed; Bill, Amanda, and all the dedicated commenters were such a huge help when I read through MBotF for the first time just over a year ago. Since then, I’ve decided to come back and do a chronological reread including the novellas and side series to get the “comprehensive” Malazan experience. Imagine my dismay after reading Chapter 5 of the very first chronological book, Forge of Darkness, and seeing this reread is no more!
A special thanks to Bill, Amanda, and all you commenters out there! I guess I’ll have to continue with “inferior” forum/wiki searches for the books that didn’t get a reread.
Side note to Tor (if anyone important reads this), as a fantasy reader I knew about Tor publishing, but I never knew how in-depth this website was. The ONLY reason I found out about it was through this Malazan re-read series. It’s also the only reason I’ve ever visited the site. Other series I’ve read like Stormlight Archive, Song of Ice and Fire, and The Wheel of Time may be big, but the level of complexity isn’t anywhere near Malazan’s level. I was able to casually read the other epic fantasy series with the help of a wiki search for more obscure characters. However, Bill and Amanda’s reread series has been invaluable to my Malazan reading. I strongly suggest you reconsider the decision to end it!
Anyway, that’s just my two-cents, thanks for publishing so many amazing books!
Glad I got here for Stormlight Archive reread and Wheel Of Time read. I am TRULY sorry I did not come to this site earlier. I really would have enjoyed this reread as it happened as I was reading everything Malazan. Ah,well timing is everything.
Bill and Amanda (and all commenters!),
I’ve never commented before (I’m a bit late to the party!) but THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH for your service over the years. I’m currently still only 3/4 of the way through Toll the Hounds and this has been an invaluable source during my first time through these fantastic books. I was gutted to see that the read of FOD ended so abruptly and have just read the reason why. Gutted, but at least the main storyline was rounded out. :)
Tor,
Shame on you.
Well I’m guessing no one will ever see this but thought I would post anyway. December 10, 2016, on the advice of a friend I started read the Malazan series. Like some first readers I was completely lost in the beginning. My friend just kept telling me to power thru and all would be revealed. After Deadhouse Gates I posted on Reddit how I was really struggling understanding many aspects of the books. I was pointed to this reread. So I started over from the beginning and went chapter by chapter, reading the synopsis, and reading the comments. What a difference!!!! Small nuances that I flew past before now were more clear. Here we are 2 years later and I just finished Assail. It takes a while to read a book when you read a chapter, read a synopsis, then read commentary. So I’ve basically read each book 3 times if you think of it in those terms. I cannot stress enough my disappointment at just finding this post stating the reread is discontinued. This reread has been invaluable to my understanding and enjoyment of the Malazan series. Will I continue? Yes as I am a completist and my OCD requires it. LOL Will I enjoy the rest of the books? Probably not as much. I certainly hope that Tor will recognize the desire of their readers and reconsider.
Anyway, thank you Bill and Amanda! It was a blast!
I’ve read occasional posts of the re-read and wish I had known about it when I read the series for the first time. I will definitely be reading it more thoroughly the next time I get up the energy to read the main series again. I found out about it being canceled just now when I started reading Forge of Darkness for the second time and noticed it only went up to chapter 4. Really sad I won’t get any help figuring out all the stuff I miss on my own! Thanks so much, Bill and Amanda and commenters, for all the work y’all did over the seven years!
Just a (belated) thank you for the kind words of those of you who have come across this reread after its cancellation. It’s truly heartening and heart-warming to know people are still finding it helpful/useful as they read or reread the series.
Still rereading, still following you on Twitter Bill, and still appreciating the wealth of knowledge shared by you and Amanda on this reread. I’ve converted 4 people in my life to the Malazan books, and I tell all the newbies to start with this reread. Thanks again to Bill and Amanda!
Good to know Kulp–you should get a commission!
I’d like to add my voice to the Book of Posthumous Readers… I love this re-read; I suppose it’s rather parasocial in nature but I feel a connection to the editors, the commenting regulars who I sort of get to know, before thinking, Oh yeah, this was put down 10 years ago, on the Old Internet, ancient slang popping up, interacting with phantoms… the power and the eeriness of the Preserved Web.
I just finished Deadhouse Gates… is it possible to hug all those commenters, frozen in time? I think we’re in an Azath, now that I mention it… you guys make good guardians.
Great work Bill, Amanda, anyone still reading (youtubesque: who’s still reading the re-read of the fallen in 2020???) (39479 likes)
I’ll keep following you through your past! Pretend that didn’t sound super weird!!
Hey guys dont know what happened here but the reread index is unreachable. Please dont tell me it is gone
The series index can be found here!