A review by brittney_tyler
The Bonehunters by Steven Erikson

5.0

Star Rating: 5 stars

Note: This is the 6th book in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series and the 7th in the combined Malazan universe so this will not be an in-depth review.

In an effort to keep up with the series that I am currently making my way through and since I was waiting on my new releases to come in, I decided to pick up The Bonehunters by Steven Erikson, and although it was one of the longest books that I have ever read, it was also one of the most rewarding. This book continues the story of our various characters as they struggle to survive in a world that may very well be heading through apocalypse.

I want to start this review by saying that this book is definitely a set-up book, in that, it was wrapping up a lot of plotlines that have been hanging and setting up a lot of ones that need to exist for the conclusion/continuation of the series. You shouldn’t let that be a deterrent to you, though, as it gives not only a satisfying conclusion to those plotlines that need to be ended but also an exciting opening for ones that are starting.

The most important thing in this book and in pretty much every book in this series is the themes/ideas being discussed. As we should know from this point, the authors (both Erikson and Esslemont) really like exploring the cycle of history and how we can both potentially influence and whether it is pointless to do so as the cycle may, in fact, be inevitable. They have looked at this theme through many different lenses over the course of this series, and in this book, it’s no different as they look at our central themes through the lens of witnessing. Our myriad of different characters experience and are witness to multiple events that contribute to or are a part of the cycle of history. At first, they think that their witnessing will keep the same events from happening or at least create a reckoning with those that are responsible, however, they realize over the course of the narrative that is not the case. Their reaction to this, acceptance of it, and what they decide to do because of it is the both the conclusion of the existing narrative and the beginning of the next phase.

All in all, this was a great continuation of the series and I am very excited to see where we go from here. I will be reading more books in this series as soon as I’m able, and although, I don’t think a review of book 6/7 is going to convince you to read this series, you should try, especially if you like epic high fantasy and enjoy being challenged. 5 stars!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!