Malazan is my favourite fantasy series by far, but it's definitely not for everyone. If you get to the end of the 3rd book and still aren't enjoying it, you're probably safe to put it down. The series can be very heavy at times, and bounces around with a lot of different characters constantly while not explaining everything right away, but if you can get past those or don't care about those aspects, the rewards are absolutely worth it. Steve is also hilarious, and the humour in these books is severely underrated imo.
But damn does this series have moments I think about often. Not just plot points, but life perspectives that have probably changed as a result of engaging with the ideas and themes in these novels.
Steven Erickson also wrote a shorter sci-fi series called the Willful Child trilogy if that is your jam. It's somewhere between Star Trek and Galaxy Quest, but pretty funny overall.
