@johthohar -- Thanks for the tip about the Malazan boards, I have been avoiding them figuring that, since the series has been around so long, it would be all spoilers.

I am reading this series now for the first time (100 pages left in book 2), so I figured I would mention a couple of things I am noticing...

You really do get dropped in the middle, which leads to a couple of issues. First, it really seems like major plot elements come out of nowhere, especially at the end of the first book. Maybe there was a reference earlier that I missed, but I really felt unsatisfied with the resolution of one of the plot threads (sorry if this is poorly written, I am trying to express my thoughts about the end of the first book without spoilers).

I also think that Erikson has a habit of switching points of view too soon/too often. For much of the first book I didn't feel like I could get a good handle on the characters. Every time I would get close, I felt like the POV switched. The second book is better, I think. Either that or I just have a better grip on the world now so I am less distracted while reading.

The other thing I wanted to expand on, is that it isn't just a question of the second book being a different story, it is almost entirely different characters from the first. I don't know if this continues throughout, but it was jarring to say the least when I started book 2, read the first 20 pages, and had three different POV, all brand new characters.

To be honest, I didn't love the first book, or the start of the second for these reasons. If Erikson wasn't so highly thought of, I probably wouldn't have bothered continuing with this series. I am glad I did though, because I have enjoyed the second book.