The Book in Brief
The Malazan Empire has spent years conquering the continent of Genabackis. After capturing Pale, the Empire turns toward Darujhistan, the final independent Free City in its path.
The surviving Bridgeburners are sent to infiltrate Darujhistan and prepare it for conquest. Captain Ganoes Paran is assigned to command them while secretly helping Adjunct Lorn investigate Sorry, a young soldier possessed by the god Cotillion. Meanwhile, Anomander Rake and Darujhistan's hidden mages prepare to defend the city.
Lorn's true plan is to release Raest, an ancient Jaghut Tyrant. She hopes the Tyrant will attack Rake and weaken both of them. Instead, the arrival of so many powers produces a convergence in which soldiers, gods, mages, assassins and ordinary citizens all influence the fate of Darujhistan.
Spoiler warning: The following summary reveals the entire plot, including the major deaths, betrayals and ending.
Important Characters
Ganoes Paran: A Malazan officer who serves Adjunct Lorn before taking over Whiskeyjack's squad, where Sorry murders him and the twin gods of chance bring him back as their instrument. He frees himself by giving up his sword Chance, keeps hold of Raest's Finnest until the young Azath House can claim it, and finishes the book as the Bridgeburners' commander.
Whiskeyjack: Sergeant of the Bridgeburners, who accepts the Darujhistan mission despite believing the Empire designed it to finish off his squad. He runs the infiltration his own way, mining the city's intersections, and ends up second-in-command to Dujek when the newly outlawed army turns to fight the Pannion Domin.
Crokus Younghand: A young Darujhistan thief who becomes Oponn's unwitting Coin Bearer when the gods' coin saves him from an assassin's bolt. He rescues Baruk and Derudan from Vorcan with two well-thrown bricks and, at the end, drops the coin into Lake Azur and leaves with Apsalar.
Sorry: A fishergirl possessed by the god Cotillion, who joins the Malazan army and kills Paran before he has properly met his new squad. When Cotillion releases her she remembers nothing of it, and Crokus renames her Apsalar after the patron of thieves; Kalam, Fiddler and Crokus set out to escort her home.
Lorn: The Empire's Adjunct, ostensibly investigating Sorry while secretly working to free the Jaghut Tyrant Raest so that he and Rake will destroy each other. She buries the Finnest in the garden of Lady Simtal's estate and turns her hunt on Crokus, but Blues of the Crimson Guard wounds her, Meese and Irilta finish her off, and she dies with Paran beside her.
Anomander Rake: Leader of the Tiste Andii, who meets the Malazan assault at Pale with devastating magic from Moon's Spawn and then offers Darujhistan his protection. Wielding the sword Dragnipur, he takes dragon form to destroy the Galayn Demon Lord that Lorn looses on him, sealing it inside the blade.
Quick Ben: The Bridgeburners' mage, once a servant of Shadow under the name Ben Adaephon Delat. He preserves Hairlock's soul in a wooden puppet, trades the increasingly insane puppet to Shadowthrone to buy his own freedom from Shadow's revenge, and opens seven Warrens against the possessed Mammot.
Kruppe: A Phoenix Inn regular who converses with the Elder God K'rul in his dreams and there witnesses Silverfox's birth. Charged by Baruk with guarding the Coin Bearer, he is eventually presented to Rake as the figure known as the Eel.
Tattersail: A Malazan sorceress at Pale whose Deck of Dragons reading reveals Oponn's hand in events, and who becomes Paran's lover. She sets out to warn the Bridgeburners of Lorn's plan but apparently dies in a magical clash with Bellurdan; her soul survives inside the child Silverfox.
Rallick Nom: A Darujhistan assassin devoted to avenging his ruined friend Coll against Lady Simtal. He kills Councilman Lim, the assassin Ocelot and finally Turban Orr in a duel, then carries the injured Vorcan into the Azath House as its doors close behind them.
Baruk: An alchemist of Darujhistan's secret T'orrud Cabal, who accepts Rake's alliance to keep the city out of Malazan hands. When Vorcan begins murdering the Cabal's mages, he survives her attack only because Crokus intervenes.
Raest: An ancient Jaghut Tyrant buried in the Gadrobi Hills, released by Lorn and Tool in the hope that he and Rake will cripple each other. After surviving an attack by dragons he possesses the scholar Mammot, but the Bridgeburners destroy the borrowed body and the newborn Azath captures what remains of him.
Vorcan: Master of Darujhistan's Assassins' Guild, who takes an imperial contract to murder the city's secret mages. She overwhelms Baruk and Derudan before Crokus brings her down, and she ends the book carried into the Azath House by Rallick.
Tool: An undead T'lan Imass, properly named Onos T'oolan, who rescues Lorn from Barghast warriors and helps her open Raest's barrow. Freeing the Tyrant leads him to question his ancient vows, and he walks away to seek his own answers.
Prologue
Twelve-year-old Ganoes Paran watches unrest spreading through Malaz City's Mouse Quarter. He meets Whiskeyjack, who warns him against dreaming of military glory. The Empire is already changing: Emperor Kellanved's reign is ending, Surly is consolidating power, and members of the old imperial order are disappearing.
Book One: Pale
Chapter 1. Seven years later, a fishergirl and an old wax-witch named Rigga watch a Malazan regiment pass through Itko Kan. A soldier kills Rigga, but the witch uses her final moments to place part of herself inside the girl.
Shadowthrone and Cotillion unleash the Hounds of Shadow, massacring the regiment and nearby villagers. Cotillion possesses the fishergirl, who later joins the Malazan army under the name Sorry.
Lieutenant Ganoes Paran assists Adjunct Lorn in investigating the massacre. The evidence points toward sorcery, and Lorn arranges for Paran to follow Sorry's progress through the army.
Chapter 2. The Malazan army attacks Pale and the floating fortress of Moon's Spawn. Anomander Rake answers the Empire's High Mages with devastating sorcery. Calot, Nightchill and A'Karonys are killed, while Hairlock is cut in half.
Moon's Spawn withdraws and Pale falls, but the Malazans suffer enormous losses. Most of the Bridgeburners die when the tunnels beneath the city collapse. Quick Ben saves Hairlock by transferring his soul into a wooden puppet. The survivors suspect Tayschrenn deliberately allowed the Bridgeburners to be destroyed.
Chapter 3. Paran travels to Pale to assume command of Whiskeyjack's squad. Tattersail performs a reading of the Deck of Dragons and discovers that Oponn, the twin gods of chance, have entered the conflict.
The Bridgeburners become convinced that Sorry is an assassin and that the Empire is eliminating soldiers loyal to the old Emperor. Before Paran can meet his new squad properly, Sorry murders him.
Chapter 4. Paran reaches Hood's Gate, but Oponn intervenes and restores him to life. The Twins make his sword, Chance, an instrument of their influence.
The Bridgeburners bring Paran to Tattersail. Hairlock arrives while fleeing the Hounds of Shadow, and the Hound Gear attacks the house. Hairlock attempts to seize Gear's soul, but Paran intervenes and wounds the Hound with Chance.
Dujek privately warns Whiskeyjack that the mission to Darujhistan has been designed to destroy the remaining Bridgeburners. Whiskeyjack nevertheless accepts the mission, knowing that thousands of soldiers may support Dujek if he rebels.
Book Two: Darujhistan
Chapter 5. In Darujhistan, the thief Crokus Younghand robs Challice D'Arle's bedroom. On the rooftops, an assassin mistakes Crokus for an enemy and fires at him. A coin falls at precisely the right moment, causing Crokus to duck and avoid the bolt.
The coin belongs to Oponn, making Crokus the gods' unwitting Coin Bearer. He flees the assassins and returns to the Phoenix Inn, where Kruppe, Murillio, Rallick Nom and Coll regularly gather.
Chapter 6. Anomander Rake sends the Great Raven Crone to arrange an alliance with Baruk, an alchemist and member of Darujhistan's secret ruling Cabal. Rake later arrives personally and offers to protect the city from the Empire.
Rallick Nom is preparing revenge against Lady Simtal, who ruined Coll and stole his position. After hearing Oponn's coin, Rallick unexpectedly changes his plan and assassinates Councilman Lim instead.
Chapter 7. Kruppe meets the Elder God K'rul in a dream. K'rul warns that ancient powers are returning and that a dangerous awakening is approaching.
Turban Orr continues plotting to surrender Darujhistan to the Malazan Empire. Rallick and Murillio prepare to restore Coll by disgracing Lady Simtal. Baruk learns that Oponn has selected a Coin Bearer and orders Kruppe to protect him.
Book Three: The Mission
Chapter 8. The Bridgeburners cross Lake Azur disguised as fishermen. Whiskeyjack abandons the Empire's suicidal plan and decides to infiltrate Darujhistan on his own terms.
Quick Ben meets Hairlock inside Chaos. Hairlock has grown dangerously powerful and increasingly insane. Quick Ben realises that the puppet may soon become a greater threat than the enemies he was meant to investigate.
Chapter 9. Toc the Younger finds Lorn's escort under attack by Barghast warriors. The undead T'lan Imass Onos T'oolan, commonly called Tool, appears and saves Lorn.
In Pale, Paran cares for Tattersail while she recovers. Lorn and Tayschrenn discuss the Empire's plans, including an intended purge of Pale's nobility. Someone has burned the relevant records, preventing the massacre. Paran and Tattersail become lovers.
Chapter 10. Paran reveals that Lorn is travelling with a T'lan Imass and searching for something connected to the Jaghut. Tattersail leaves to warn the Bridgeburners.
Bellurdan intercepts her under Tayschrenn's orders. Tattersail tries to explain that Lorn intends to release a Jaghut Tyrant, but Bellurdan refuses to believe her. Their confrontation ends in a magical conflagration that apparently kills them both.
Unknown to the others, Tattersail's soul, Bellurdan's power and Nightchill's remains become part of a new child called Silverfox.
Book Four: Assassins
Chapter 11. Kruppe witnesses Silverfox's birth in a dream shared with K'rul and the ancient Imass Bonecaster Pran Chole.
The Bridgeburners disguise themselves as road workers and plant Moranth explosives beneath Darujhistan's major intersections. Sorry follows Kruppe to the Phoenix Inn and identifies him as a powerful Adept.
Crokus accidentally reveals Oponn's coin. Sorry recognises him as the Coin Bearer but finds herself unable to kill him, showing that Cotillion's control is beginning to weaken.
Chapter 12. Kruppe researches Moon's Spawn and learns that it may contain several dragons. Baruk and Crone discuss the Jaghut barrow in the Gadrobi Hills and realise that the Malazans may intend to open it.
Quick Ben enters Shadowkeep and bargains with Shadowthrone. He offers Hairlock to the Hounds in exchange for his own freedom from Shadow's vengeance. Shadowthrone recognises him as Ben Adaephon Delat, a former servant who escaped the Shadow cult.
Chapter 13. Kalam and Quick Ben attempt to contact Darujhistan's Assassins' Guild. They instead become caught in a rooftop war between the Guild and Rake's Tiste Andii assassins. Quick Ben releases a demon named Pearl to cover their escape, but Rake kills it with Dragnipur.
Sorry follows Crokus to the D'Arle estate, intending to kill him. Crokus returns Challice's stolen possessions and declares his affection for her. Sorry again hesitates, and Crokus escapes.
Book Five: The Gadrobi Hills
Chapter 14. Lorn and Tool locate Raest's barrow. Tool explains that Lorn's plan depends upon Raest fighting Rake, after which the survivor should be sufficiently weakened for the Empire to destroy.
Kruppe, Murillio, Coll and Crokus travel into the hills to investigate. Sorry secretly follows them. Paran and Toc pursue Lorn, finding Hairlock's trail marked by the bodies of Great Ravens.
Chapter 15. Hairlock attacks Paran and Toc, throwing Toc into an unknown Warren. Quick Ben informs Shadowthrone of Hairlock's location and then severs his control over the puppet. The Hounds arrive and tear Hairlock apart.
Lorn encounters Kruppe's group and attacks them, badly wounding Coll. Sorry prepares to kill Crokus but is interrupted by the violence.
Anomander Rake arrives and confronts the Hounds. His presence forces Shadow's servants to reconsider their part in the conflict.
Chapter 16. Lorn and Tool enter the barrow and free Raest. Tool begins questioning the purpose of his ancient vows and tells Lorn he intends to search for answers.
Cotillion abandons his possession of Sorry. The confused fishergirl no longer remembers who she is. Crokus finds her and gives her the name Apsalar, after the patron of thieves.
Paran encounters the Rhivi and the child Silverfox. Although he does not yet understand her identity, something about the child reminds him of Tattersail.
Book Six: The City of Blue Fire
Chapter 17. Rallick learns that Turban Orr and Lady Simtal have placed a contract on Coll. He and Murillio continue with their plan to restore their friend.
Baruk confronts Rake about allowing Raest to be released. Rake explains that he will not betray Darujhistan, even though its struggle is not truly his own.
Paran finds the wounded Coll and begins helping him back toward the city.
Chapter 18. The Bridgeburners make one final attempt to contact the Assassins' Guild. If it fails, Whiskeyjack intends to detonate the mines.
Rallick confronts and kills Ocelot. The Otataral dust on Rallick's skin protects him from the assassin's sorcery and produces strange healing effects.
Paran brings the gravely wounded Coll through Darujhistan's gates and to the Phoenix Inn.
Chapter 19. Crokus and Apsalar leave the Phoenix Inn despite orders to remain hidden. Serrat attempts to kill Crokus, but agents of the Crimson Guard secretly protect him.
Paran reunites with the Bridgeburners. Whiskeyjack explains that Dujek intends to break with Laseen and oppose the expanding Pannion Domin.
Lorn leaves Tool at the barrow and carries Raest's Finnest---the repository of much of his power---into Darujhistan.
Book Seven: The Fête
Chapter 20. Preparations begin for Lady Simtal's fête. Rake decides to attend because he senses that numerous powers are converging on the estate.
Lorn enters Darujhistan and resumes command of the Bridgeburners' mission. Whiskeyjack pretends to cooperate while Quick Ben remains hidden.
Raest awakens and begins travelling toward his Finnest. Silanah and four black dragons attack him outside the city.
Chapter 21. Lorn plants the Finnest in Lady Simtal's garden and begins hunting Crokus. The object starts growing into something none of the characters recognise.
At the fête, Baruk — who has long known Kruppe is the Eel — presents him as such to Anomander Rake. Rallick provokes Turban Orr into a duel and kills him, removing Darujhistan's most powerful advocate for surrender.
Murillio confronts Lady Simtal with the return of Coll and the collapse of her power. He leaves her with a dagger, and she later takes her own life.
Chapter 22. Raest survives the dragons' attack and attempts to transfer his spirit into Mammot. The possessed scholar unleashes Jaghut sorcery at the fête.
Quick Ben opens seven Warrens against Mammot, while Hedge uses a Moranth munition to destroy the possessed body. Roots from the strange growth in the garden capture what remains of Raest.
Paran is transported into a supernatural struggle involving the Finnest. The growing structure proves to be a young Azath House, a living prison created to contain dangerous powers. Paran holds the Finnest long enough for the Azath to seize it.
Kalam offers Vorcan, leader of the Assassins' Guild, an imperial contract to kill Darujhistan's secret mages. She accepts, unaware that the Bridgeburners' loyalties are changing.
Chapter 23. Cotillion pulls Paran into Shadow and confronts him. Paran refuses to let Cotillion restore Apsalar's traumatic memories. He surrenders Chance, breaking Oponn's hold over him.
Lorn attacks Crokus but is intercepted by Blues of the Crimson Guard. After he wounds her, Meese and Irilta finish the job. Paran finds Lorn dying and remains with her during her final moments.
Before pursuing Crokus, Lorn releases a Galayn Demon Lord and orders it to kill Rake. Rake transforms into a dragon and attacks it above Darujhistan.
Vorcan begins assassinating members of the T'orrud Cabal. Baruk and Derudan realise that she is coming for them.
Chapter 24. Rake defeats the Galayn Lord and imprisons it within Dragnipur. Although wounded, he sends Crokus to warn Baruk.
Vorcan overwhelms Baruk, Derudan and their Tiste Andii protector. Crokus saves them by striking Vorcan with two bricks---an appropriately ordinary solution amid the surrounding magical catastrophe.
Dujek informs the Bridgeburners that they have been outlawed. He intends to ally with Caladan Brood against the Pannion Seer. Whiskeyjack becomes Dujek's second-in-command, while Paran assumes command of the Bridgeburners.
Rallick carries the injured Vorcan into the newly formed Azath House. Its doors close behind them, placing both outside the immediate conflict.
Epilogue
The Bridgeburners prepare to leave Darujhistan. Paran promises to find Silverfox after the war with the Pannion Seer, having finally realised that Tattersail still exists.
Kalam and Fiddler agree to escort Apsalar home to Itko Kan. Crokus joins them, partly because of his growing attachment to her.
As they cross Lake Azur, Crokus throws Oponn's coin into the water. For the first time since the gods selected him, his future belongs to him.
Ending Explained
How does Gardens of the Moon end?: Everything converges on Darujhistan during the celebration at Lady Simtal's estate. Raest, the freed Jaghut Tyrant, loses his host body and is claimed by a newborn Azath House; Anomander Rake takes dragon form to destroy a Galayn Demon Lord sent against him; and Adjunct Lorn dies in the city after her scheme falls apart. The Bridgeburners, newly outlawed, prepare to leave and fight the Pannion Seer beside Dujek and Caladan Brood, while Crokus throws the coin of Oponn into Lake Azur and takes back his own future.
What happens to Raest the Jaghut Tyrant in Gardens of the Moon?: Lorn and Tool free Raest from his barrow, expecting him to battle Anomander Rake so the Empire can finish whichever power survives. Raest lives through an assault by Silanah and four black dragons, then moves his spirit into the scholar Mammot and turns Jaghut sorcery loose at Lady Simtal's estate. Quick Ben counters him by opening seven Warrens while Hedge blows apart the possessed body using a Moranth munition. What remains of Raest is caught by the roots of the young Azath House growing from his Finnest, and Paran keeps hold of the Finnest until the house can take it.
Does Adjunct Lorn die in Gardens of the Moon?: Yes. After planting the Finnest in the garden of Lady Simtal, Lorn goes hunting the Coin Bearer Crokus, but Blues of the Crimson Guard intercepts and wounds her, and Meese and Irilta finish her off. Paran finds the dying Adjunct and stays with her through her final moments. The duel she engineered never plays out as designed, since Raest ends up imprisoned by the Azath House rather than locked in battle with Rake.
How does Anomander Rake survive the ending of Gardens of the Moon?: Before going after Crokus, Lorn releases a Galayn Demon Lord with orders to kill Rake. In response, Rake shifts into dragon form, battles the demon above Darujhistan, defeats it and imprisons it inside Dragnipur. Though wounded, he remains standing at the end, and he sends Crokus to carry a warning to Baruk.
What happens to Vorcan and Rallick Nom at the end of Gardens of the Moon?: Kalam offers Vorcan, who leads the Assassins' Guild, an imperial contract on Darujhistan's secret mages, and she starts killing members of the ruling Cabal. She defeats Baruk, Derudan and the Tiste Andii protecting them, until Crokus stops her by hitting her with two bricks. Rallick then carries the injured assassin into the newly grown Azath House, and its doors shut behind them, taking both out of the conflict.
What does the ending of Gardens of the Moon set up?: Dujek plans an alliance with Caladan Brood to fight the Pannion Seer, with Whiskeyjack serving as his second-in-command and Paran taking command of the outlawed Bridgeburners. Paran has finally realised that Tattersail lives on inside the child Silverfox, and he promises to find her once that war is over. Kalam and Fiddler agree to bring Apsalar, the fishergirl released from Cotillion's possession, home to Itko Kan, and Crokus joins the journey because of his deepening attachment to her.
