Scan barcode
littlelynn's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
blainembentley's review against another edition
3.5
Erikson has been very consistent for me. I have the same praise and same criticism for every single book. The downfalls: too many characters/POVs, all major events happen at the end instead of being spread throughout the book, emotional moments don’t work for me. The strengths: Erikson nails the ending, and they are always epic. The threads built earlier always tie back into each other for a satisfying conclusion.
I have always solely blamed the number of characters and POVs to my not connecting to the characters. During this book, I realized that another factor is how Erikson does his character work. The first ¾ of each book is slow, then picks up for an epic conclusion. I’ve struggled to connect with characters because I get bored during the character-building moments. Most moments not feeling like they are plot relevant. I will say part of this is my fault, I am reading these faster than I should, but at the same time, if I read slower, or waited between books, I would forget a lot of details. I think my enjoyment would be a lot better on a re-read, where I could take it slower.
Toll the Hounds is a continuation from the characters and events from book 3. As this is book 8, this was an issue for me, as I couldn’t recall a lot of details from book 3.
I think Erikson intended the ending to be very emotional. However, I felt no emotion at these moments I felt should be emotional. I can’t trust Erikson when he tries to make us say goodbye to people. Too many characters end up being written back in. The gap in these events/characters from book 3 to book 8 also made me not care as much for what was going on, made me feel more disconnected to these characters. I also feel there was a lot of lost potential with one character. I wanted so much more out of them and didn’t get it. Which also just made me more dissatisfied with this ending.
anael21's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sjgomzi's review against another edition
5.0
Holy crap! I feel mentally and emotionally exhausted from the last 150 pages or so of this book. This was amazing, but I’m gonna need at least 1 or 2 non Malazan books to read, to recover, before tackling the final 2 books of this series.
earnestfantasydad's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
emwalker0406's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
malazan's review against another edition
5.0
‘There is no struggle too vast, no odds too overwhelming, for even should we fail – should we fall – we will know that we have lived.’
I will never be the same.
I will never be the same.
nickharbour's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
letmeeatcake's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Toll the Hounds is where Malazan lost me. I loved the start of the series but this book and its sequels felt like they meandered too much. Many people love them so your mileage will vary, but I struggled a lot.