62 pages • 2 hours read
Steven EriksonGardens of the Moon
Steven EriksonFiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1999A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Character Analysis
Captain Ganoes Paran
Paran is one of the primary characters in Gardens of the Moon whom the limited omniscient narrator follows closely. The reader has access to Paran’s inner thoughts during the chapter sections that are dedicated to him.
Though he is described as “dour,” Paran is a charismatic leader. The author uses characterization devices like Paran’s position as captain and his masculine good looks to establish Paran as a trustworthy leader whose opinion is respected.
Paran is a dynamic character who begins the novel as an outspoken, brave young man. Though he is noble-born and thus has access to a safe, luxurious life, Paran decides to become a soldier. Adjunct Lorn recruits him into her service because she likes his frank, unapologetic way of speaking. As Paran experiences the stress and violence that accompany military life—especially life as a secretive agent for Adjunct Lorn—he becomes more jaded and guarded than he was in his early years. The author uses Paran’s internal thoughts to reflect that change: “When he thought of himself, of that young noble-born man with the overblown faith in honesty and integrity, the vision that came to him now was of something cold, hard, and dark” (98).
Paran undergoes another transformation when he meets Tattersail and the Bridgeburners. As Paran discovers Adjunct Lorn’s treachery and realizes the deceit and cruelty with which the empire maintains control, his loyalty shifts to the friends he makes along the way, namely Tattersail, Toc, and the Bridgeburners. By the end of the novel, Paran is motivated by a desire for justice and revenge and aligns himself wholly with the rebellious intentions of the Bridgeburners.
Central to Paran’s characterization and narrative arc is his involvement with the gods, which begins with his near-death experience and his sword, Chance. Paran is often described as being “used” by the god Oponn, the god of luck and fate. As such, Paran’s character arc is most closely aligned with the theme of Fate Versus Free Will. As Paran matures throughout the novel, he develops past being a tool of the gods; he decides to stop letting fate push him where it will, instead choosing to be intentional with his actions. Take, for example, when Paran thinks to himself, “[I]t seems I am a walking convergence, a lodestone to draw Ascendants [...] The truth is, my cause has become my own. Not the Adjunct’s, not the Empire’s. I said I'd rather have no enemies at all—and the old woman saw those as true words. And so, it seems, they are” (353). Paran seizes control of his own actions, finally deciding to form alliances with people he trusts and resisting fights that he doesn’t believe in.
Paran’s progression from naivete to maturity and from unthinking loyalty to loyalty driven by affection, as well as his brief romance with Tattersail, are hallmarks of a traditional protagonist role. Gardens of the Moon, however, features a large cast of characters and is not centered on the development of any one protagonist. In this way, Paran is one of several protagonists in the novel.
Tattersail
Tattersail is one of the primary characters in Books 1-3. The reader has access to Tattersail’s inner thoughts during the chapter sections that are dedicated to her. She is a sorceress, and her thoughts about magic are instrumental in establishing the reader’s understanding of the Warrens and the powers that exist in this fictional world. Tattersail serves with the armed forces, performing battle magic to support Dujek’s army. She’s been assigned to the same section of the army as the Bridgeburners for many years.
One of Tattersail’s unique magical abilities is that she is adept at reading the Deck of Dragons, a prophetic tool similar to tarot cards. The illustrations on the cards are rich with symbolism and detail; that Tattersail reads them with such skill marks her as an insightful, observant character. Tattersail’s interactions with the Deck of Dragons are a significant occurrence of the novel’s repeated motif of prophecy and serve to develop the theme of Fate Versus Free Will.
Tattersail is Paran’s romantic interest. Although the two don’t spend much time together, they form a strong connection that proves to be an important motivating factor for Paran after Tattersail’s death. It is her loss and his affection for her that leads Paran to Darujhistan and shifts his loyalties away from the empire.
Tattersail is a dynamic character who undergoes a drastic transformation through death. Tattersail dies in Book 3, though her magically preserved soul is reborn into a new body. Her rebirth takes place in one of Kruppe’s magical dreams and is facilitated by ancient beings. Through these supernatural circumstances, the reborn Tattersail becomes an embodiment of magic, a child wise beyond her years who is aging at a faster-than-normal rate. Tattersail, in her new identity as Silverfox, will continue to be an important character throughout the Malazan Book of the Fallen series.
Adjunct Lorn
Adjunct Lorn is one of the primary characters in Gardens of the Moon whom the limited omniscient narrator follows closely. The reader has access to Adjunct Lorn's inner thoughts during the chapter sections that are dedicated to her. As a high-ranking agent of Empress Laseen, Adjunct Lorn is the main character who most closely represents the empire’s methods. She is an anti-hero in the sense that the author develops empathy for her by allowing the reader access to her thoughts despite her cruel ways and her unwavering dedication to the empire’s mission of conquest.
Adjunct Lorn’s Otataral sword establishes her as a foil to the magic-wielding characters in the novel. As a representative of the empire and a wielder of a magic-deadening sword, Lorn embodies the empire’s side of the conflict: the side that seeks to conquer, limit the free use of magic, and resist the involvement of the gods. Lorn is specifically a foil to Tattersail, who embodies magic itself through her rebirth.
Adjunct Lorn is characterized as a complex, round character. In a notable use of the motif of masking one’s true identity, Adjunct Lorn thinks of herself as donning the identity of Adjunct, which requires her to abandon her emotions and humanity. The clearest instance of this masking is when Adjunct Lorn meets Tattersail in Chapter 9 and must force down the anger and trauma that Tattersail’s presence evokes. Paran, having spent many hours in Adjunct Lorn’s company, also observes her quash her emotions to fill her role as Adjunct. He notes, “Truly had the Adjunct made herself Laseen’s extension. But at what cost? He’d seen the young woman behind the mask just once [...] The pale, frightened girl that was Lorn had shown herself in a single, frail moment” (350). This ongoing internal battle underscores The Positive and Negative Aspects of the Human Condition as Lorn sees her human emotions as flaws that get in the way of her doing her job.
Sorry/Apsalar
Sorry is a young woman who undergoes several significant transformations over the course of the novel. In Chapter 1, she becomes possessed by Cotillion, and Cotillion and Shadowthrone give her the name Sorry. The god possesses Sorry because he and Shadowthrone seek revenge against Empress Laseen, and they think an unassuming young female soldier will prove to be a useful tool.
Sorry, possessed, spends much of the novel as an unnerving recruit to the Bridgeburners, with “dead, stony eyes” (76), expert fighting abilities, and an uncanny skill for sensing when magic is being used. Sorry is mistrusted by the Bridgeburners; her alienation from them is evidenced in her clothing, which is not the standard-issue uniforms that the rest wear, and in their continued labeling of her as the “recruit,” even after she has been with the squad for years.
Sorry is released from Cotillion’s possession in Chapter 15. Shortly thereafter, she chooses a new name, Apsalar, after the goddess of thieves. Originally, Apsalar does not recall anything that happened while she was possessed. As the novel progresses, memories from her time as Sorry begin to slip in as do the physical skills that she had while she was possessed by Cotillion. As Whiskeyjack reflects, “Certain memories, skills, had been freed, and with them a brutal knowledge. The pain was there in the woman’s eyes, a pain layered in years of horror—yet it seemed that she had it under control [...] she’d found a way, a strength, to live with what she’d been” (479). Apsalar’s healing process reflects The Positive and Negative Aspects of the Human Condition as she grapples with trauma and finds means to move forward with optimism. Crokus and Sorry spend a lot of time together in the final chapters, and the beginning of romantic interest between the two is hinted at.
The Bridgeburners: Sergeant Whiskey Jack, Quick Ben, and Kalam
Sergeant Whiskeyjack is one of the primary characters in Gardens of the Moon whom the limited omniscient narrator follows closely. The reader has access to Whiskeyjack’s inner thoughts during the chapter sections that are dedicated to him.
Whiskeyjack is the leader of the Bridgeburners, a squad in the imperial army. Whiskeyjack is a longtime military leader; he served in the imperial army under the former emperor. In those days, he led an entire company. After Laseen’s coup, Whiskeyjack was demoted, although he maintained a loyal following and a friendship with High Fist Dujek. Whiskeyjack’s most defining feature is his dedication to his troops and the loyalty that they give him in return. Whiskeyjack initially resists calling the soldiers under his command his “friends,” but he finally uses that word to describe the close relationship they have. He is, in many ways, an archetypal seasoned warrior: He is a tough, courageous man with a strategic mind, though he is not talkative.
The Bridgeburners are an elite squad with numerous soldiers across different disciplines. There are several named characters in Gardens of the Moon who are members of the Bridgeburners and active in their mission in Darujhistan. Most significant to the narrative, aside from Sergeant Whiskeyjack, are Quick Ben and Kalam. Quick Ben is a mage, and Kalam is a former Claw assassin. The two are close friends who work in partnership to protect each other and carry out some of the more intricate aspects of Whiskeyjack’s plans. Tattersail notes their close friendship and long history when she observes, “These two men had a way of talking in tandem” (106). Both are originally from the Seven Cities, with the dark skin common to people from that region. Quick Ben and Kalam are motivated by loyalty to Whiskeyjack and to each other.
As the Bridgeburner’s mage, Quick Ben’s magical talents exert influence on the plot. He controls Hairlock and then tricks Shadowthrone into killing Hairlock once the puppet becomes erratic and dangerous. Quick Ben has access to seven Warrens, marking him as a uniquely potent magic user. This power, paired with his cleverness, helps bring the Bridgeburners’ plans to fruition.
The Phoenix Inn crew: Kruppe, Crokus, Rallick, and Murillio
The reader has access to Kruppe’s inner thoughts during the chapter sections that are dedicated to him. Kruppe’s distinct characterization is achieved through his unique way of speaking; he refers to himself in the third person and speaks with a complex, winding syntax that seems designed to confuse his listeners, as in this statement from one of his early dreams: “Surely not wise Kruppe! His mind wanders—Kruppe excuses the pun magnanimously—racked by the misery of his soles, which are tired, nay, half worn out from this reckless pace” (135). This intentional obfuscation with words is an indication of his role as Darujhistan’s master spy, known as the Eel.
Kruppe fills the archetype of the jester, a funny and disarming character who also speaks important truths. The author uses Kruppe’s physical appearance to characterize him thusly. Kruppe is short, rotund, bald, and sweaty, often with a pastry in hand. Kruppe is very well-informed, not least because he has prophetic magic that manifests in dreams. In introducing Kruppe’s first dream, the narrator notes: “The power of divination was in his head and he could not deny it, no matter how hard he tried. Within the walls of his skull rang the dirge of prophecy, and it echoed through his bones” (134). Kruppe’s dreams do more than just provide him with information. Throughout the novel, important figures, like gods and ancient beings, visit Kruppe in his dreams and enact magic there that influences the waking world. The most notable example of this is Tattersail’s rebirth, which takes place in one of Kruppe’s dreams.
Kruppe lives in Darujhistan and frequents the Phoenix Inn, along with several other important characters. The Phoenix Inn crew is all involved in the criminal element of the city, and they have an unlikely friendship with each other. Crokus reflects gratefully on that unlikely friendship when he thinks, “What a strange group—a drunkard, an obese mage of dubious abilities, a dandified fop, and a killer” (163). Crokus is a young man who finds “the street’s shadows and moonless nights on rooftoops far more exciting” than the bookish life led by his uncle and caregiver (163). Crokus’s discovery and continued possession of Oponn’s coin instigates many important events in the novel, as Adjunct Lorn, Anomander Rake, and Sorry all seek to find the coin and remove Oponn’s influence from the city. Crokus’s character arc supports the theme of Fate Versus Free Will as the lucky token that is Oponn’s coin protects Crokus through countless near-miss encounters, enabling him to keep acting on his own youthful desires unscathed.
Rallick, a “tall, dark-skinned man” with long black hair is the “killer” in Crokus’s friend group (162). Rallick’s suave looks match his skills as a quick, subtle killer. Rallick is indeed a member of the Darujhistan assassins’ guild, a role that brings him into contact with Kalam and Quick Ben. Rallick, along with Murillio, is motivated by loyalty to his friend Coll and his desire to see Coll in his rightful role as a leader of the city.
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