Forge of Darkness: Book One of the Kharkanas Trilogy (a Novel of the Malazan Empire) - Steven Erikson

Erikson, Steven: - Steven Erikson is an archaeologist and anthropologist and a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop. His Malazan Book of the Fallen series, including The Crippled God , Dust of Dreams , Toll the Hounds and Reaper's Gale , have met with widespread international acclaim and established him as a major voice in the world of fantasy fiction. The first book in the series, Gardens of the Moon , was shortlisted for a World Fantasy Award. The second novel, Deadhouse Gates , was voted one of the ten best fantasy novels of 2000 by SF Site. He lives in Canada.