Well, I finished books 4, 5, and 6. In a week. Which I think speaks well to Erikson's series. And to the fact that the office was pretty much empty this week and I had a ton of free time on my hands.
Book 4 was good. We follow a new (from his POV anyway) character for the first half of the book. For anyone who wants to know how to make a character we hate turn into one we love, they should read this novel. I started off disliking Karsa, but by the end I felt he had grown a lot. The final showdown with Sha'ik was a little anticlimactic, but that's alright.
Book 5 was...interesting. I didn't realize the entire book would be Trull Sengar's story. I can see why it was neccessary, the Crippled God's push for power is vast and sweeping. I finished book 5 and remember my head hurting. Why? Because Erikson's world is so vast and the cast of characters has grown so large that tracking them all made me feel like my brain was being forced to expand. Haha, not a bad thing in and of itself.
Book 6 was a return to some of the plots from the earlier books. It was refreshing after spending over a thousand pages away from them. The ending was amazing (as his endings usually are). It had me holding my breath, wondering what the fate of the 14th would be. I can't truly believe that the Empress is this big of an idiot, but if she is I hope her death is slow. She's earned it a hundred times over.
I love the social commentary that's made. There's some original Marxian thoughts, comments on civilization, on the cyclical nature of history, etc. Many of his thoughts mirror my own which might be why I like them so much, but he does it in a way that never comes across as preachy. That was one of Goodkind's many problems. Erikson introduces you to an idea from both perspectives and depending on who the POV is from we see what they think is the correct one. There's no blugdeoning over the head though and for that I'm thankful.
My complaints are few and the usual. Erikson's publishing speeds are incredible. Especially because the prose is good, the ideas are good, the characters are good. Rothfuss could take some lessons in building and maintaining tension from him (IMHO his second novel has little tension throughout). For all of that, the man is in desperate need of editing. Why? Because the man's books are good with great plots. They could be great. They could eclipse everything in fantasy today (perhaps not Sanderson...it's too early to tell, but if Stormlight Archive series gets better than WOK then they would rival each other). Even Jordan, and as a long time WOT fan I never thought I'd say that. Unfortunately, I don't think they will attain those heights. They are epic and breathtaking in scope. Sometimes the writing is almost Shakespearean in nature. Having said that, they are places where he overwhelms with exposition. Places where he indulges in something that's an obvious interest of his but does little to further character or plot. There are story arcs that take up dozens of chapters to deliver a small piece of the plot. I feel that in a way, his success is a curse. I'm sure the publishing companies are allowing him to do whatever he pleases. But sometimes you do have to kill your darlings. And sometimes there is too much of a good thing.
I'm moving onto the next one and am really beginning to wonder. Erikson's done a good job of convincing the reader that this world is doomed and the heroes are unlikely to save the day. Let's hope we're wrong :-)