Tiste Andii

A prequel exploring the ancient divide of the Tiste through a claustrophobic, Shakespearean lens set 300,000 years before Malazan Book of the Fallen.

The Kharkanas Trilogy serves as a prequel to Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen, set approximately three hundred thousand years before the events of the main series. This epic fantasy series focuses on the Tiste, Jaghut, and Azathanai, detailing their histories through three novels: Forge of Darkness and Fall of Light (published as of 2025), with a third titled Walk in Shadow planned for later. The narrative centers on key figures such as Anomander Rake, Draconus, Hood, Gothos, and K'rul. Unlike the sprawling nature of the Malazan series, this trilogy is intentionally scaled down to be claustrophobic, drawing inspiration from Shakespearean declamation styles where sentence structures are dictated by breath-length.

Lore & Background

The story is divided into three main narratives. The first revolves around the Tiste and the events leading up to their split into the Andii, Liosan, and Edur. Themes run through the trilogy regarding how civilizations destroy themselves, specifically noting that various forms of art must be destroyed first—the meaning of art itself—when it ceases to oppose the desires of a civilization's power bloc. The narrative draws inspiration from Erikson's background as an anthropologist and archaeologist, suggesting that revelations from the Malazan series are discredited here to show how the present distorts or forgets past historical events. This is particularly relevant for long-lived characters. Characters across social classes engage in lengthy philosophical discussions, reflecting the author's view against assumptions regarding the intelligence of lower social classes.

Reader's Guide

Readers entering the Kharkanas Trilogy should expect a shift from the outward sprawl of the Malazan series to an inward, claustrophobic focus. The narrative is driven by three interconnected storylines: the Tiste division into Andii, Liosan, and Edur; the Jaghut's declaration of war on Death; and the Azathanai, who range from generous to exploitative. The writing style mimics Shakespeare, prioritizing breath-length sentence structures and declamations over traditional pacing. Published by Bantam Books in the UK/Canada and Tor in the US, the series includes audiobooks voiced by Daniel Philpott (Forge of Darkness) and Random House Audiobooks (Fall of Light). While the first two books are available as of 2025, fans must wait for the third installment, which is delayed until after Erikson finishes The God Is Not Willing.

Did You Know?

Steven Erikson chose a Shakespearean declamation style for this series to contrast with the Iliad-inspired scope of his earlier work.
The third novel, Walk in Shadow, remains on hold with no confirmed release date, primarily due to the emotional and creative difficulty of the writing style.