atalea's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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: Death, Murder, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and War
Moderate: Rape, Animal death, Toxic relationship, Grief, Infidelity, Drug use, Cursing, Alcoholism, Abandonment, and Child abuse
Minor: Suicide and Pedophilia
fraun's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Toll the Hounds is not an aesthetically beautiful book.
It expands greatly on newer characters and plotwise is very meandering until the very end.
Which is not what most people expect going into book 8 of a 10 book series.
What this book lacks in page-turning potential it makes up for in terms of structural genius.
What I'm about to go into is personal preference and opinion, so feel free to disagree.
Anyways, onwards. Erikson is a master of setup and comparison. If you've gotten this far into the series you know that whatever important thing is going to happen has not only been a book in the making but often times many books in the making, with subtle hints that are carefully dropped and more fully explored as it gets closer to the climax.
In this book, Erikson brings this setup to another level.
And not only is the setup of the final payoff masterful but so is the characterization. The entire book is essentially a meditation on the influence, past and present, of Anomander Rake. Yet his lines in the book are probably less than 5%. Instead, parties and objects deeply connected to him in some ways are explored, and their actions taken are mirrored in Anomander's actions. Sound cheesy? Maybe. But also brilliantly executed. This comparison between Anomander, the view people have of him, and the actions people take based on their image of him is fascinating. He casts a shadow so deep and long it threatens to swallow certain characters in one way or another, and their struggle to grasp beyond yet stay within this influence is riveting.
This is also a book about reconciliation. Reconciliation with past errors, misconceptions, and a book about forging new bonds. As a book about transformations, Toll the Hounds is single-handedly carried by its themes and subtle characterization. If you are expecting momentous events, you will have to slog through 800 pages before getting there. Instead, I recommend taking it slow, enjoying your time with the characters and seeing the reasons behind their seemingly insignificant actions, and living with them through their emotional struggles, crying as they cry, persevering with them through to the momentous ending this book brings.
It expands greatly on newer characters and plotwise is very meandering until the very end.
Which is not what most people expect going into book 8 of a 10 book series.
What this book lacks in page-turning potential it makes up for in terms of structural genius.
What I'm about to go into is personal preference and opinion, so feel free to disagree.
Anyways, onwards. Erikson is a master of setup and comparison. If you've gotten this far into the series you know that whatever important thing is going to happen has not only been a book in the making but often times many books in the making, with subtle hints that are carefully dropped and more fully explored as it gets closer to the climax.
In this book, Erikson brings this setup to another level.
And not only is the setup of the final payoff masterful but so is the characterization. The entire book is essentially a meditation on the influence, past and present, of Anomander Rake. Yet his lines in the book are probably less than 5%. Instead, parties and objects deeply connected to him in some ways are explored, and their actions taken are mirrored in Anomander's actions. Sound cheesy? Maybe. But also brilliantly executed. This comparison between Anomander, the view people have of him, and the actions people take based on their image of him is fascinating. He casts a shadow so deep and long it threatens to swallow certain characters in one way or another, and their struggle to grasp beyond yet stay within this influence is riveting.
This is also a book about reconciliation. Reconciliation with past errors, misconceptions, and a book about forging new bonds. As a book about transformations, Toll the Hounds is single-handedly carried by its themes and subtle characterization. If you are expecting momentous events, you will have to slog through 800 pages before getting there. Instead, I recommend taking it slow, enjoying your time with the characters and seeing the reasons behind their seemingly insignificant actions, and living with them through their emotional struggles, crying as they cry, persevering with them through to the momentous ending this book brings.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Suicide, and Violence
Minor: Alcoholism and Sexual assault
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