Erikson was born in Toronto, Ontario, and grew up in Winnipeg.[1] He subsequently lived in the UK with his wife and son, but has since returned to Winnipeg.[1] He is an anthropologist and archaeologist by training and is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop.[2] For his thesis at the Iowa Writers' Workshop, Erikson wrote a "story cycle" of short stories titled A Ruin of Feathers about an archaeologist in Central America. Subsequently, he received a grant to finish the work which was published by TSAR, a small Canadian publishing house. For his next work he co-won the Anvil Press International 3-Day Novel Contest for which he signed away the rights, a mistake he attributes to inexperience. Erikson's third book was also published by TSAR, and consisted of a novella and short stories titled Revolvo and other Canadian Tales. Later, upon moving to England, he sold what he refers to as his "first real novel" to Hodder and Stoughton — This River Awakens — written when he still lived in Winnipeg. Before assuming his pseudonym, Erikson published his first four books, currently out of print, under his real name.[3] In addition to writing, he paints using oil paints.[3]
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Main article: Malazan Book of the Fallen |
Erikson and Esslemont initially devised the Malazan world as a backdrop for a table-top role-playing game.[4][5] Unhappy with the lack of quality adult oriented fantasy movies at the time, the duo decided to write their own movie script using their gaming experience and the world they had created. The script, titled Gardens of the Moon, was deemed too risky and failed to sell. With interest in the script seeming nonexistent, Erikson, with Esslemont's go ahead, reworked it into a fantasy novel, which he completed around 1991–92. [6][7]
After meeting almost a decade of rejection, the novel was finally sold to Transworld, a division of Random House. The publisher was pleased with the work and requested Erikson write additional books in the series.[8] Using the history of the Malazan world Erikson plotted nine additional novels. After the publication of Gardens of the Moon, reviews spread via the internet, and Orion publications attempted to lure Erikson away from Transworld. However, Transworld retained an option on additional novels in the series and offered £675,000 for the remaining nine books of the series.[8]
While there are many plotlines woven through the whole series, the main storyline focuses on a period in time where the Malazan Empire is facing resistance to their conquest of the world. When gods and ascendants come into play, everything that follows has repercussions for the whole world. The series was completed with the publication of The Crippled God, the tenth novel in the series, in 2011.[9][10]
Erikson's background as an archeologist and anthropologist also shaped how he crafted the story. His approach was to use as many perspectives and point of views as possible in terms of interpreting history, which without a doubt has given the Malazan world more layers and has created a sense of reality. He also drew inspiration from Homer's Illiad, where gods constantly meddled into mortal affairs, adding the twist that it doesn't always workout as planned for the god, since even a lowly thief has the power to bring him down.[11]
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Main article: The Kharkanas Trilogy |
After the publication of the seventh novel in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series, Reapers Gale, Erikson and his publisher reached an agreement for him to write two trilogies and novellas set in the Malazan world. This consequently led Erikson to the choose to write a prequel trilogy, titled the Kharkanas Trilogy, set almost three hundred thousand years before the events of the main series.
The series deals with numerous founding or elder races from the Malazan World, with the narrative anchored around the circumstances that would ultimately lead to the split of the Tiste race. It sheds light and demystifies the events that are often hinted at in the background of Malazan Book of the Fallen. Primarily focusing on characters such as Anomander Rake, Draconus, Gothos, Krull and Hood, mainly through the eyes of secondary characters.
As of 2018, two novels have been published, Forge of Darkness (2012) and Fall of Light (2016), with the third taking a backseat to the first novel in the Witness trilogy. In a post on his official Facebook account, the author explained that the dismal sale figures for the previous novels and the creative toll employing the writing style used throughout the previous books was what had led to his decision to take a break from it in order to do it justice.[12]
The second trilogy Erikson planned on writing will centre around the popular Karsa Orlong character, a barbarian type character similar (yet dissimilar) to Conan the Barbarian. This trilogy will be a sequel to the main series, set, according to the author, five years after the main narrative. The first novel is titled The God is Not Willing, which is set to be released in November, 2019.[13]
Erikson wrote side stories centering on two necromancers and their butler, characters he introduced in Memories of Ice, the third novel in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series. These side stories take place in the Malazan world, but have no connection to the series' overall plot.
As of 2018, six novellas have been published, the first in 2002, titled Blood Follows, and the latest in 2016, tilted The Fiends of Nightmaria. In 2009, the first three novellas were collected and published together as The Tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach. And in 2018, books four to six were collected and published together as The Second Collected Tales of Bauchelain & Korbal Broach.
Erikson, as per his agreement with his publisher, is expected to write three more novellas featuring these characters.Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page without content in them (see the help page).
Erikson has stated explicitly that he enjoys playing with and overturning the conventions of fantasy, presenting characters that violate the stereotypes associated with their roles. They embody the multidimensional characteristics found in human beings, making them more realistic and giving the story more depth, which is why his books are anything but predictable.[14] He deliberately began Gardens of the Moon mid-plot rather than beginning with a more conventional narrative.[14][4] Erikson's style of writing includes complex plots with masses of characters. In addition, Erikson has been praised for his willingness to kill central characters when it enhances the plot.[1]
Compassion, justice, social inequality, egalitarianism, racism, tolerism, death, life, history, historical accuracy are among some of the themes that can be found in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series.
| Word of mouth is very powerful in fantasy, and the net carries its own energy. It made a huge difference – people were picking [Gardens of the Moon] up from Amsterdam to the US. |
| — Steven Erikson[8] |
Erikson's first novel of the Malazan Book of the Fallen series, Gardens of the Moon (1999), was well received. It was short-listed for a World Fantasy Award[15] It has also earned him the reputation as one of the best authors in the fantasy genre,[15] and was described as "An astounding début".[16] The novel was acclaimed for its "combination of originality and intelligent, strong and exciting storytelling".[15] The second book in the series, Deadhouse Gates (2000), was voted one of the ten best fantasy novels of 2000 by SF Site.[17]
During a 2008 question and answer session in Seattle, Washington, Erikson stated he had signed a deal to write two more trilogies and six novellas;[18] Erikson planned to use the novellas to continue the Bauchelain and Korbal Broach storyline[19] while one of the trilogies would be a prequel to the main series, detailing the history of Anomander Rake and Mother Dark.[18] He also said that he would write a trilogy on the Toblakai.
Erikson is a huge fan of the Star Trek series, especially the first iteration which he credits as being his gateway to Science Fiction in general. But he finds himself feeling disenfranchised by some of the later iterations, especially from The Next Generation onward. In a interview he goes into detail regarding this issue, concluding that among other things creative compromises was to blame for the dip in quality. And while criticizing the series' current state, he affirms that he nonetheless still is a fan.[20] Willful Child, published in September, 2014, is Erikson's response to the overused tropes and caricature of Captain Kirk esque characters in scifi, with the main character, Captain Hardrian, being the most recognized reflection. While the novel is a spoof of science fiction in general, it is rife with often times poignant social commentary. [21]
The Wrath of Betty, the follow-up, was published in 2016.[22]
| Instead ... I wanted an ET arriving that then set about doing what it does, while utterly and completely ignoring the usual list of suspects (presidents, men-in-black, scientists, the military); and to then not only ignore them, but bring them down. An end to secrecy. An end to hidden power-blocks and all the vicious games they play to stay in power. Wake up, world, to a brand-new day. |
| — Steven Erikson[23] |
Having written a three million words spanning fantasy series and having dealt with all the tropes that came with it, Erikson feels desensitized by most works found in the genre, which is why he prefers reading Science Fiction.[9] For more than a decade, he has also had aspirations to write a first contact science fiction novel, using most of his time for research. In 2017, UK based publisher Gollancz revealed in a press release that they had acquired the right to this project, titled Rejoice! A Knife Through the Heart.[24][25][23] In Canada, the publishing right are owned by Promontory Press Inc. [26]
Similar to his fantasy work, Erikson revealed that he would be playing with and overturning the conventions and dismantling a few tropes. It was his opinion that far too often the invading aliens would seek contact with an authority figure, someone in power. His goal was to flip that by asking what would happen if the aliens made contact with someone completely opposite.[23]
The novel was released on October 16, 2018, and was received with critical acclaim, with science fiction author Robert Sawyer praising its concept and its execution.[27][27]
Erikson attributes paper and pen Role-Playing games, specifically AD&D and GURP, as being the biggest influence in his writing career, and even calls it the fundament the Malazan Empire, from his Malazan Book of the Fallen series, is based on. Stephen R. Donaldson's, The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant and Glenn Cook's The Black Company, both ushering post-Tolkien style of writing, are among some of the works that have influenced his storytelling. He also credits the works of Robert E. Howard, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Homer, Arthur C. Clarke, Roger Zelazny, John Gardner, Gustav Hasford, Mark Helprin and Robin Hobb as some of the influences he used in the Malazan works.[28][1]