Forge of Darkness

Technically no, but readers who know the main series will recognize characters and understand consequences the prequel cannot explain. Most readers recommend finishing the main series first.

An Elder God and consort of Mother Dark who creates the sword Dragnipur — the sword carried by Anomander Rake throughout the main series. This novel depicts his original choices and their costs.

Yes — set tens of thousands of years before the events of the main series, depicting the origins of the Tiste Andii, Tiste Liosan, and Tiste Edur, and the creation of weapons and events whose consequences shape the entire Malazan world.

It is slower and more philosophical than most MBotF entries, written more as literary fiction than military fantasy. Many readers find it easier to follow because it has fewer simultaneous plotlines.

Erikson has confirmed the third volume, Walk in Shadow, is in progress. As of 2024 no publication date has been announced. Book 2, Fall of Light, was published in 2016.

Reading the ten books of the Malazan Book of the Fallen first is widely recommended, as this prequel relies heavily on established knowledge of characters and events that are considered myth and legend in the later series.

This novel serves as the first entry in the Kharkanas Trilogy, which explores the ancient history of the Tiste people and the origins of figures like Anomander Rake and Draconus long before their appearances in the main sequence.