I felt that GotM is the equivalent of building foundations for a new build. And that’s why it doesn’t make sense to a lot of people at first. It’s like looking at a bunch of girders and steel beams and trying to call it a building.

With that’s said there were lot of traditional high fantasy elements that you don’t really see throughout the rest of the series. Things like the whole coin bearer thing, and that Tiste Andii mage assassin Serrat. I remember she used ‘wards’ I don’t recall anyone using wards throughout the rest of the series, not explicitly anyway. Maybe it’s just implied.

It’s like GoTM established alot of fantasy tropes and the the rest of the series is spent subverting and breaking them down. That’s my take