Quon Tali

The birthplace of Kellanved and Dancer’s ascent and the foundation of the Malazan Empire's initial power.

Quon Tali is a central location within the shared world created by Steven Erikson and Ian Cameron Esslemont in 1982, originally serving as the backdrop for their Advanced Dungeons & Dragons campaign before evolving into the setting for the Malazan Book of the Fallen. This city serves as the focal point for the early adventures of Dancer and Kellanved (referred to as Dorin and Wu in Esslemont's prequel series, Path to Ascendancy), where they eventually rise to power. The region is deeply intertwined with the history of the Malazan Empire, which began its expansion from this land before moving its operations across multiple continents.

Quick Facts

Major powers: Site of the rise to power for Dancer and Kellanved (Dorin and Wu), foundational

Reader's Guide

Readers seeking information about Quon Tali should consult Ian Cameron Esslemont's Path to Ascendancy series, which is explicitly set in the world of Malazan and deals with the early adventures of Dancer and Kellanved (Dorin and Wu) on this land. The authors recommend reading books in order of publication rather than chronological event order, as Tor.com's proposed chronological lists are not considered suitable for first-time readers. For a comprehensive understanding of the empire's origins on Quon Tali, one must look to these specific prequel novels alongside Esslemont's Novels of the Malazan Empire, which cover events simultaneous with the main series, including mysteries surrounding the Crimson Guard and the succession of the Malazan Empire.