This is perhaps an exaggerated statement, but sometimes you come across a book or an author that has the skill and the imagination to create something original. Refreshing a genre that has been on hold and needs new “blood”.

When Steven Erikson wrote Gardens of the Moon he added something totally new to a genre that really required some new input. The fantasy genre was in my opinion losing its appeal and the storyline was often very “ unchallenging ”. Steven brought a complexity to the story and the characters. The magic and the people flowed together as authentic as it possible to achieve in fantasy story. It can be very difficult for a writer to write about magical people and their magical interventions.

But for Steven, the story around magic is not casual invented and he uses his great imaginative intellect to weave a plausible reason how magic works and who can cast and rule it. Erikson calls it The Warrens and the magic is not only a about casting but a “universe “in itself with their own rulers or Gods.