Erickson Stephen (born Steve Rune Lundin) is a famous Canadian writer practicing in the fantasy genre. The man borrowed the surname Erickson from his grandmother, thereby making it easier for himself to create a simple pseudonym for the writer. Almost world-famous for its only cycle of ten books entitled "Malaysian book of the fallen."
General biography
The name of Stephen Erickson is famous among fans of the magical worlds indescribably less than the names of J.K. Rowling or Cl. S. Lewis, however, in the future it may be one with them.
Erickson Stephen is a man who has tried himself in several genres before finding the one that could take absolutely any form in his hands. This writer showed with his example and other young story-makers that fame does not come instantly - for this you have to go a long way, consisting of many failures and disappointments. And he walked with dignity, rising from the first steps, from the basics of literary genres, to the height that he has conquered now.
Erickson’s repertoire of writings currently has a large cycle - the decalogy “The Malaysian Book of the Fallen,” several short stories written on the basis of this cycle, as well as a small number of short works related to Erickson’s past hobby - anthropology.
Childhood
So, the future science fiction was born in Canada, in the city of Toronto, on October 7, 1959. However, the boy spent all his childhood there - the tiny place Winnipeg considered the writer his true home. With no remarkable boy, he went to school here and graduated from it just as inconspicuously. As a child, Stephen was keenly interested in the ancient world and ancient civilizations. And perhaps, thanks to this, having matured, Erickson Stephen will connect his whole life first with the study of the remnants of ancient civilizations, and then with the creation of these civilizations in his thoughts.
There is absolutely no information about what the writer's parents did, but it is worth noting that they supported the choice of a son, both in the case of a passion for history, and in the case of a change in the work of life.
Early work
After school, the young man enters the University of Manitoba at the Department of History and Archeology. Studying there, without a doubt, liked the future writer, especially when it came to research and archaeological excavations. In 1980, the guy received a bachelor's degree at his university, but not for long the historical atmosphere warmed the soul of a young dreamer - already in 1983, having abandoned writing a master's thesis in anthropology, Erickson Stephen went headlong into writing of a different nature.
So his first short stories appeared, written so far exclusively on historical topics. Nevertheless, a man who could not seriously write to his profession could not write without education. So, in 1988 he receives a bachelor's degree in fine arts, and in 1890 - a master's degree, but in a different field, also goes to Erickson.
After receiving an education, a man with a clear conscience wrote several more short stories and a small cycle of them, but now the writer was eager to show his creation to someone. Thus, the man submits one of his works to the Anvil Press Three-Day Novel Contest and, unexpectedly, wins it for many. After this, in the writer's soul, faith in himself and in his future books was revived (in English, of course).
Step into the fantasy world
In 1999, the writer decides to change the direction of his work. And his choice falls on the genre, highly valued by the main audience of many books - adolescents and young people up to thirty years old - fantasy. At first, the process is difficult: Erickson out of habit begins to delve into history, and knowledge in the field of prehistoric sciences prevents the creation of ancient worlds abstractly and without calculation. The man decides to find an assistant who would be savvy in a new genre for him. And this person becomes in the future a very close friend of Stephen Ian Esslemont. Together they create a completely new world, relying on both history and the imagination of the creators - Malazan.
The story of the creation of a new world
The empire of Malazan was invented by Erickson and Esslemont long before the release of the first book, namely in 1982. The stars came together in an interesting way that year: both men, Jan and Stephen, were archaeologists who were commissioned to excavate at a joint facility. It is not clear how, but the same idea occurred to both friends on how to keep themselves busy at long archaeological gatherings - they came up with a role-playing game for themselves. First, they wrote chapters for a book in English for each other, trying to get around one second, but then other people entered their game with invisible listeners. So the idea arose to create a truly huge world in which each person could find something interesting for himself. Malazan is the brainchild of two people who have changed their ossified outlook on life, people-dreamers who were not afraid to create an extravaganza from their own fantasies.
Initially, Malazan was nothing more than a backdrop for a historical-fantasy game, but two writers managed to recreate the image of this universe from their heads so thoughtfully that it was decided to create not just a role-playing game with characters and quests, but a whole series of books with the same characters, but already revealing their characters, intertwining storylines and giving heroes difficult tasks. One had only to start, and Erickson’s story is instantly born for the first book of the cycle. The foreword to the entire history of the Malaysian empire is "Gardens of the Moon." In 1999, the book is published, submitted to the court of human and almost instantly gains world success.
The first volume of legends about Malazan acquaints readers with the main characters of the story: there are ordinary inhabitants of the empire, and magicians, and a whole guild of thieves, and an alchemist, there are unprecedented creatures like werewolf dragons and even real gods ... Everything in this world is intertwined in one frantic tangle, and all in order to seize the throne and rule all the lands of Malazan.
"Malaysian book of the fallen"
The series of books about the Malazan empire includes 10 volumes written by Erickson, as well as several books by Esslemont. Each of the writers supplemented with their stories the events described by the other, and as a result, the reader received an absolutely complete picture of everything that is happening in Malazan.
Each book is a separate story of a new hero, and the continuation of the path of the old. Here is a complete list of volumes from a cycle written exclusively by Erickson:
- "Gardens of the Moon."
- "The gates of the house of death."
- "The memory of ice."
- "House of Chains."
- "Midnight Tide."
- "Bone Hunters."
- "The Storm of the Reaper."
- "Call the dogs."
- "Dust of Dreams."
- "The crippled god."
Inspiration
Often, a Canadian writer answered questions from readers about where he takes inspiration from writing such action-packed stories. And most often the answer was a list of the names of Erickson's favorite authors, who - one way or another - with their creativity prompted the writer to action. His favorites in literature include Homer, Glenn Cook, John Gardner, Mark Helprin and other equally talented writers.
Current activity
Currently, Stephen Erickson, whose books are still very popular, is still writing small short stories that describe the universe of Malazan in more detail. He is a 51-year-old, extraordinarily energetic man who has a thriving not only creative, but also family life.
Now he continues to live in his own small town with his wife and already an adult son. The quiet and peaceful life of the writer completely suits him, because this is another opportunity to pass the time for writing new stories about the majestic Malaysan empire.