Malazan: Book of the Fallen

How are these books? I picked up the first in hardcover for like four dollars the other day, and I'm thinking about prioritizing it over some Gaiman books and Perdido Street Station and reading it after A Clash of Kings.

I hear they've got a really good story and some kick-ass fight scenes. Is it so? Also, are they about the same characters or are they all separate stories set in the same world?

>>1
Yes, that is so. Same characters, but the cast is vast. Sometimes it takes one or two books to get back to more than a passing mention about a character.
About prioritizing.. I don't know, Perdido and Gaiman (mostly) are very, very good too. Depends if you feel more like reading about EPIC (CAPS) scale conflicts and great battles with lots of magic instead of more character driven stuff at the moment.

That said, I maybe even like Malazan better than Song - but don't be put off by the first book because Erikson throws you head first into the story without much explanation. Once you have read a couple more books and can put the first into better perspective, it all becomes clearer. This series also demands re-reading, lots of little details to keep track of.