[Spoilers FoL] Discussion about events and characters

Hi r/Malazan, sorry if this is a discussion that has happened several times before but since I cannot engage a sufficient amount of people by replying in old discussions, I am submitting a new one.

I am somewhere about 30% into FoL and I must say that I have experienced some of the most intense, engaging and enthralling fantasy I have ever read.

Right from FoD where the story of the Rake brothers unfolds, the whole sombre mood and setting and pathos filled story lines of the Tiste, the story of Orfantal, the tragedy of Arathan, the sheer ridiculousness of the 3 sisters have kept me on my toes.

I find Arathan's contrast to his 3 sisters so stark and that it throws his whole broken young man image into greater perspective.

You can see the beginnings of the Rake we encounter later in the main series and it's very well tied in without being overly "in your face". The subtlety, especially in the way you can see minor events and decisions shaping the tragic hero we know. I mean what a life. To start there and fight a valiant battle for years. To struggle with that burden for millenia. The sheer enormity of Anomander, Andarist and Silchas' tragedy is mind boggling. Not to mention other minor characters who lead equally, if not more difficult existences. They might not share the same responsibility, nor burden, but that does not lessen their struggle. These are lives worth telling stories about.

Oh, the heartbreaking story of Enesdia. The atrocities of the legion. It pains me to even type this as I recount reading about Enesdia and what they did to her. Andarist's pain. Again, it makes so much sense that Andarist is the man he is in the main series. The power of the reveal later on in FoL when Narad says that they will come when the shore is on fire. For her. It instantly brings back memories of Yedan Derryg's stand on the shore against the hordes of the Liosan. His hust sword's wail as it dealt Enesdia's vengeance. It makes everything hit home so much harder.

Kagamandra, Spinnock, Korya are equally interesting even though they are majorly side characters. The comic relief of Hood's henchmen, Gothos and the Tel Akai. Prazec and Dathenar's musings. After so many heavy pages and PoVs, I find myself waiting for these brief interludes where the weight of the narrative slacks ever so slightly to give you some respite before you dive into the Shakespearean theme of the book.

What did you particularly enjoy about the books so far? Since i have no friends who are even remotely into this series, this community is my only recourse to express my excitement and thrill at finding out some of the things we've found out, to grieve the events that transpire and most of all, to bear witness to the scale of this undertaking.