The world that the Malazan Empire seeks to rule is vast, as are the books that tell its story. I began Steven Erikson’s decalogy of novels knowing there were adjacent works to consider. After finishing book five, and with the help of this chart, I decided to slide over to the first book of Ian C. Esslemont’s “Novels of the Malazan Empire” series.

Night of Knives tells the story of Kellanved and Dancer the night of … well, I’ll leave the spoilers aside. The novel is set within one 24-hour period and is much shorter than Erickson’s books.

Of course, with a different author, there’s a different voice and narrative flow. Many critics have noted that Esslemont’s prose doesn’t reach the lofty standard of Erikson. That criticism is unfair. While it’s true that Esslemont’s book is more linear than Erickson’s, it’s no less gripping. From what I hear, Esslemont’s writing continues to improve with each new foray into this world.

Reading Esslemont is like shifting from monocular to binocular vision. An epic as grand in scale as the Malazan Empire deserves nothing less.

Esslemont, Ian C. Night of Knives. Narrated by John Banks, audiobook ed., unabridged ed., Transworld, 2016. Novels of the Malazan Empire 1.