Now is the time to tell the story of an ancient realm, a tragic tale that sets the stage for all the tales yet to come, and all those already told ... Steven Erikson entered the pantheon of great fantasy writers with his debut GARDENS OF THE MOON. Now he returns with the first novel in a trilogy that takes place millennia before the events of THE MALAZAN BOOK OF THE FALLEN, and introduces readers to Kurald Galain, the warren of Darkness. It is the epic story of a realm whose fate shaped the Malazan Empire.

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 before the events of the Malazan Book of the Fallen. The Forge of Darkness takes readers to Kurald Galain, the warren of Darkness, and tells an epic tale of a realm whose fate plays a crucial role in the fall of the Malazan Empire.
It's a conflicted time in Kurald Galain, the warren of Darkness, where Mother Dark reigns. But this ancient land was once home to many a power ... and even death is not quite eternal. The commoners' great hero, Vatha Urusander, longs for ascendency and Mother Dark's hand in marriage, but she has taken another Consort, Lord Draconus, from the faraway Dracon Hold. The idea of this union sends fissures throughout the realm, and as the rumors of civil war burn through the masses, an ancient power emerges from the long dead seas. Caught in the middle of it all are the Sons of Darkness, Anomander, Adarist, and Silchas Ruin of the Purake Hold.
Steven Erikson brings to life this ancient and important tale set in the world he introduced in the Malazan Book of the Fallen in a way that should appeal to fans of George R. R. Martin.

Archaeologist and anthropologist Steven Erikson's debut novel, Gardens of the Moon, was shortlisted for the World Fantasy Award and introduced fantasy readers to his epic 'The Malazan Book of the Fallen' sequence, which has been hailed as a masterpiece. He lives in Cornwall. To find out more, visit www.malazanempire.com and www.stevenerikson.com

Steven Erikson: Steven Erikson, in Kanada geboren, lebt seit vielen Jahren in der Nähe von London. Der Anthropologe und Archäologe legte 1999 nach einer sechsjährigen akribischen Vorbereitungsphase seinen weltweit beachteten Debütroman "Die Gärten des Mondes" vor.