[MaxWilson]

Yeah, I was initially attracted to the series by a recommendation that it was fantasy evil done *right*. Evil, in practice, isn't the megalomaniacal Dark Overlord who wants to turn the world into zombies, it's something a lot more human and (on some level) understandable. I liked "A Game of Thrones" because it wasn't entirely clear who the "good guys" and "bad guys" were or that the "good guys" were all going to wind up on the same side. It made it seem more relevant to real life. Some parts of the series have apparently continued to develop on that theme--Jaime has turned out to be a surprisingly complex character by all reports--but I haven't been following closely.

Steven Erikson's writing has its faults (SE and ICE have developed a lot of characters over the years and perhaps sometimes too many of them wind up in the a single book) but 1.) he writes a book a year, and the MBotF has a definite end in sight two years from now, and 2.) it's not pornographic. Ugly things happen (sieges and rapes and tragic murders just when you least expect it) but neither the author nor the protagonists enjoy it. Some of the more twisted villains do (Tanal Yathvanar springs to mind)...

-Max

P.S. I LOVE the redemption of the Jaghut villain Pannion in Memories of Ice.