Archive for October 29th, 2009

2009.10.29

Meeting Steven Erikson

I’m not a fanboy. I don’t go stalking celebrities or significant people. I don’t goto events or conventions to brush shoulders with the famous or infamous. It’s just not in my nature. I might think about it sometimes, but I have too much pride.

But I had to say I just met Steven Erikson last night and it was pretty cool to talk to an author I respect. Even if I felt a bit like a fanboy. It happened thus…

The mind and crew of Borderlands Books is opening up a cafe soon and I’ve been excited about it since first hearing about it; even more so now that I live in the neighborhood. I’ve been needing a good cafe to spend time in since my days in Prague and this just seems perfect. They won’t be opening yet (alas!) but yesterday night, in conjunction with this year’s World Fantasy Convention, they opened in order to host a bevy of authors, including Steven Erikson.

For those that do not know, and I admit I didn’t know until about six weeks ago myself, Steven Erikson is the author of a series of fantasy books set around an empire called Malazan. The world was built over a very long period of time with his friend Cameron Esslemont, who also writes books that take place there. (As an aside, I will read his books eventually and will then become a fanboy of his, but not until then). The books are pretty vast in scope, covering a myriad of characters, plot lines, situations and emotions. Honestly, in the five minutes I’m writing this I’m not going to be able to come up with a quick and easy review and that’s not my point. Let’s just say it’s the best fantasy I’ve read in many, many years. For that matter it’s one of the best books I’ve read in a while.

Blah blah blah. I went to the table with Mr. Erikson and Mr. Esslemont and talked with them a bit, asked some questions, got an autograph and moved on in order not to feel like too much of a fanboy. But I was. The only question I forgot to ask but wanted to was if there was, somewhere, a complete map of the world they created. I like maps…

RMCA took a few pictures, bless her, and here’s my two favorites.

Someday, it is my sincere hope to have written something on the scale and scope of the Malazan books and have someone appreciate them the way I appreciate Mr. Erikson and Mr. Esslemont’s work.