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.
veronica87's review against another edition
5.0
Alas, time grinds on. All fates spin and not even the gods can guess how each will topple.
The Malazan Book of the Fallen (MBotF) series has quickly risen to be one of my all-time favorite fantasy series. The writing is superb and the world building is better than almost anything else out there. Even the books that I’d rank at the bottom of my MBotF Favorites List are still far and away superior to a lot of other series out there, past and present. Now, from what I’ve seen, opinions on this particular installment are mixed. Some love it and others love it less. A lot of that has to do with the sort of content you prefer. If you love books that are more action oriented then, yes, I can see where this book might fall short of expectations. If, however, you like more introspection from the characters and a deep dive into what makes them tick then you’re in for a treat. Me? I’m firmly in the "love it!" camp and of the eight MBotF (main series) books I've read so far, this one ranks up there in the top four.
Steven Erikson has created a world whose history goes back hundreds of thousands of years but it’s a history that is still very relevant to the current plots of each and every book. And it’s not just the history of one culture, no, it’s the ancient histories of several cultures across at least three continents, all brushing up against each other in ways that shape the world around them. This is a series that not only tells a sprawling, and yet still intimate story - that would be a grand enough achievement on its own - but it also makes you think, long and hard, as the individual characters bump up against philosophical and moral dilemmas as they fight to navigate their often brutal world. And, dear reader, you’ll see our world mirrored in theirs.
This series has so far focused its attention on three separate continents: Genabackis, Seven Cities, and Lether. With this eighth book, the action swings back to Genabackis, where it all started. Just in looking at the Dramatis Personae, I knew I was going to really like this book because it had so many of the characters that I love. I won’t mention any names here but every single POV held my attention this time around and that’s not an easy thing to accomplish for a story with multiple POVs going on. Usually there’s at least one POV storyline, even in an awesome series like this one, that I’m impatient to get past as quickly as possible. There was no danger of that happening here.
"It is an extraordinary act of courage...to come to know a stranger’s pain. To even consider such a thing requires a profound dispensation, a willingness to wear someone else’s chains, to taste their suffering, to see with one’s own eyes the hue cast on all things - the terrible stain that is despair. I have no such courage. It is, without a doubt, the rarest of abilities."
This book presented readers with the mightiest of characters right down to the most vulnerable. It gave us characters whose names are legends and some whose names we were hearing for the first time...and even one whose name was never even revealed. Redemption was a big theme for this book and its effects rippled through the narrative with some characters actively seeking it, some feeling unworthy of it, and still others questioning its meaning. The philosophical workout I get every time I read a MBotF installment is something I always look forward to. There is always so much to think about, to ponder over, and to discuss because there are always so many layers to every sentence...and then layers underneath that. The nuanced prose simply begs for rereads and the themes and events stick with me long after I close the cover and mark the book as 'finished'.
There were many great character moments too. Funny moments, poignant moments, and moments that just flat out broke my heart. In typical MBotF fashion, the story builds to its climax, with the tension slowly increasing so that by the time readers get to those last three or four chapters they couldn’t stop reading even if they wanted to. In my opinion, this book has the best convergence of characters and forces in the series so far. There was just no putting the book down once past the point of no return, even as I dreaded what was coming. And I was right because no MBotF installment is complete without some loss. There is always a price to pay to visit this world and you have to take the bitter with the sweet, the tears with the laughter, and the despair with the hope. It is exquisite heartbreak but, oh, so worth it.
"If we are to live," Rake went on, "we must take risks. Else our lives become death in all but name. 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."
The Malazan Book of the Fallen (MBotF) series has quickly risen to be one of my all-time favorite fantasy series. The writing is superb and the world building is better than almost anything else out there. Even the books that I’d rank at the bottom of my MBotF Favorites List are still far and away superior to a lot of other series out there, past and present. Now, from what I’ve seen, opinions on this particular installment are mixed. Some love it and others love it less. A lot of that has to do with the sort of content you prefer. If you love books that are more action oriented then, yes, I can see where this book might fall short of expectations. If, however, you like more introspection from the characters and a deep dive into what makes them tick then you’re in for a treat. Me? I’m firmly in the "love it!" camp and of the eight MBotF (main series) books I've read so far, this one ranks up there in the top four.
Steven Erikson has created a world whose history goes back hundreds of thousands of years but it’s a history that is still very relevant to the current plots of each and every book. And it’s not just the history of one culture, no, it’s the ancient histories of several cultures across at least three continents, all brushing up against each other in ways that shape the world around them. This is a series that not only tells a sprawling, and yet still intimate story - that would be a grand enough achievement on its own - but it also makes you think, long and hard, as the individual characters bump up against philosophical and moral dilemmas as they fight to navigate their often brutal world. And, dear reader, you’ll see our world mirrored in theirs.
This series has so far focused its attention on three separate continents: Genabackis, Seven Cities, and Lether. With this eighth book, the action swings back to Genabackis, where it all started. Just in looking at the Dramatis Personae, I knew I was going to really like this book because it had so many of the characters that I love. I won’t mention any names here but every single POV held my attention this time around and that’s not an easy thing to accomplish for a story with multiple POVs going on. Usually there’s at least one POV storyline, even in an awesome series like this one, that I’m impatient to get past as quickly as possible. There was no danger of that happening here.
"It is an extraordinary act of courage...to come to know a stranger’s pain. To even consider such a thing requires a profound dispensation, a willingness to wear someone else’s chains, to taste their suffering, to see with one’s own eyes the hue cast on all things - the terrible stain that is despair. I have no such courage. It is, without a doubt, the rarest of abilities."
This book presented readers with the mightiest of characters right down to the most vulnerable. It gave us characters whose names are legends and some whose names we were hearing for the first time...and even one whose name was never even revealed. Redemption was a big theme for this book and its effects rippled through the narrative with some characters actively seeking it, some feeling unworthy of it, and still others questioning its meaning. The philosophical workout I get every time I read a MBotF installment is something I always look forward to. There is always so much to think about, to ponder over, and to discuss because there are always so many layers to every sentence...and then layers underneath that. The nuanced prose simply begs for rereads and the themes and events stick with me long after I close the cover and mark the book as 'finished'.
There were many great character moments too. Funny moments, poignant moments, and moments that just flat out broke my heart. In typical MBotF fashion, the story builds to its climax, with the tension slowly increasing so that by the time readers get to those last three or four chapters they couldn’t stop reading even if they wanted to. In my opinion, this book has the best convergence of characters and forces in the series so far. There was just no putting the book down once past the point of no return, even as I dreaded what was coming. And I was right because no MBotF installment is complete without some loss. There is always a price to pay to visit this world and you have to take the bitter with the sweet, the tears with the laughter, and the despair with the hope. It is exquisite heartbreak but, oh, so worth it.
"If we are to live," Rake went on, "we must take risks. Else our lives become death in all but name. 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."
brocktoon2382's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
varmint3's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 - I think I can see where this is going now - but I'll bet there are still a few good surprises in store in the final 2 books... =)
llona_llegaconlalluvia's review against another edition
3.0
Anomander, perchè??
Troppi personaggi inutili, intreccio poco credibile
e... ma davvero la luna va in pezzi e a nessuno frega nulla?? (e con ripercussioni gravitazionali zero?? maddai!!)
Troppi personaggi inutili, intreccio poco credibile
e... ma davvero la luna va in pezzi e a nessuno frega nulla?? (e con ripercussioni gravitazionali zero?? maddai!!)
raeesventura's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
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? It's complicated
3.75
tehols_blanket's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
nickkimball's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
tatedixon19's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-paced
5.0