[WinterPhoenix]

So about 350 or so pages in and I can safely say that unless there is sudden and vast drop in quality of writing that this will knock MoI from its perch as my favourite Malazan book!

Anywho, right off the bat, I'm not wrong in thinking that Traveller hasn't actually been explicitly stated to be Dassem as of yet, right? I had suspicions of his identity as far back as HoC and the meeting on Drift Avalii, RotCG just mostly confirmed my suspicions but in reading the scene between Traveller and Shadowthrone/Cotillion I suddenly realised that it actually hasn't been outright confirmed. I have found assumptions dangerous and often unfounded in the series thus far, I must say though that I didn't think I was making an assumption here, I think part of my brain actually believed it had been confirmed in RotCG.

As for Traveller, I was racking my brains trying to think of a legitimate reason why Mael might want him as Shadowthrone suggests. I can only think that perhaps Male wished him to kill (or not kill as the case may be) Rhulad - having no reason to believe in the efficacy of Karsa and too much reason to believe in the efficacy of Icarium, the world's best swordsman may have seemed a great option. I racked my brains considering the finale of RG and how it relates timeline wise to the events of RotCG and TtH and considering the year or more the journey from Malaz Island to Lether took the Bonehunters it seems entirely possible that the assault on Traveller's ship and crew could've begun before the events at the close of RG and that by the time Traveller meets S/C these events have transpired, allowing Karsa to be on the continent of Genebackis.

Right or wrong I am dreadfully excited at the prospect of a Karsa/Traveller meeting. Though I will admit to a secret (and perhaps petty) delight in the idea of Karsa being pulled down a peg or two by the ultimate badass Dassem Ultor, I fear that instead the two shall become fast friends - of course any interaction at all will still be all kinds of awesome and I look forward in much anticipation.

I genuinely love the tone of Erikson's writing in this novel so far, to the point where I could read philosophizing internal monologues of character after character and never grow tired (well after awhile ). I had almost forgotten about the magisterial presence that is Kruppe and his many-pastried fingers, I could honestly read his narration all day long, the eloquence of Kruppe cannot be overstated, 'Oh, glories unending!' Rake is a total badass and I am so happy that he is back on my page!! Kallor is proving interesting also, though I hate him no less, I do look forward to his arrival on page, my interest is well and truly piqued.

As I said I just love the tone so far in this book, even the poetry is great! One I particularly loved:

From her ribs and from the hair of women

Seen swimming sun-warmed rivers in summer's light,

From untroubled brows and eyes clear and driven

Gazing out from tower windows when falls the night



From hands cupped round pipe bowls alabaster carved

When veiled invitations coy as blossoms under shade

Invite a virgin's dance a rose-dappled love so starved

Where seen a coarse matron not yet ready to fade



And the tall bones of legs 'neath rounded vessels perched

Swaying lusty as a tropical storm above white coral sands

Where in all these gathered recollections I have searched

To fashion this love anew from soil worked well by my hands



And into the bower garland-woven petals fluttering down

Hovers the newfound woman's familiar unknown face

For on this earth no solitude is welcomed when found

And she who is gone must be in turn be replaced



And by the look in her eye I am a composite man

Assembled alike from stone, twig and stirred sediments

Lovers lost and all those who might have been

We neither should rail nor stoke searing resentments

For all the rivers this world over do flow in but one

Direction





Love of the Broken

Breneth



I read that 6 times before I moved on! I read these fantasy epics for Trolls and shizzle, now I'm legitimately adding a poem to my list of absolute faves!



(I said I would wax lyrical!)

EDIT: No idea why all the writing after the copy/paste is a different colour, at least it's still readable lol

This post has been edited by WinterPhoenix: 05 May 2016 - 10:40 PM

[worry]

If you like it now, you're gonna LOVE it by the end. If you LOVE it now, you might actually have a seizure when you finish so be careful.

[WinterPhoenix]

Oponn Relationship, on 05 May 2016 - 10:57 PM, said:

If you like it now, you're gonna LOVE it by the end. If you LOVE it now, you might actually have a seizure when you finish so be careful.

Lol, I will make sure to let people know when I've finished whether I actually had a seizure or not

[Siergiej]

Toll the Hounds is probably the most polarizing of the ten Malazn books (someone even showed that after analyzing people's votes on Reddit) because the change of style and a big push toward philosophizing and introspection. But if you've enjoyed the first half, then pretty much what OR said. You're up for a treat that will melt your brain (and heart).

[Andorion]

TtH was among my least favourite books on my first read. On the reread it was fighting TCG and MoI for top spot.

[Adhara]

Wow, I love this book too, even ... well, all of you already know what happens at the end... By the way, did you have your seizure yet?

[WinterPhoenix]

Haha, I guess I never did let anyone know whether I had that seizure The ending was incredible, but no seizure was had thankfully enough, I think I would still say that this is my favourite book of the series, even despite my abiding hatred for Clip. No idea how long it'll be before I get round to a series reread, or whether my order of the books in terms of quality will change when I do, but I'm pretty certain my choice for number one would still be between this and MoI - It's hard to beat a cast that includes Rake, Kruppe and Itkovian. That being said, I'm still pissed to all hell that Dassem didn't kick Karsa's arse

[Abyss]

WinterPhoenix, on 06 September 2017 - 10:18 AM, said:

... I'm still pissed to all hell that Dassem didn't kick Karsa's arse

Admit it... their buddy act and Samar Dev's utter exasperation with it was better than any fight could have been, given the fight we actually got at the end, from Karsa's pov.

[Adhara]

Agree, I had a lot of fun with these two interacting on such a buddy way... And Samar with her stereotypical but not less real feminine behaviour... Come on, girl, join the party too...

This post has been edited by Morgan Lefay: 06 September 2017 - 02:05 PM

[WinterPhoenix]

Abyss, on 06 September 2017 - 01:44 PM, said:

WinterPhoenix, on 06 September 2017 - 10:18 AM, said:

... I'm still pissed to all hell that Dassem didn't kick Karsa's arse

Admit it... their buddy act and Samar Dev's utter exasperation with it was better than any fight could have been, given the fight we actually got at the end, from Karsa's pov.

Actually yeah that is true. Especially considering Karsa's, I wanna say awe, at that fight is as close to humbled as I imagine I will ever see him get.

[Gorefest]

I thought it was beautiful how SE used the full weight of our impressions of Karsa to give that fight between traveller and rake even more depth.

[Dust of Creams]

I finished TtH 2 days ago and I am so going to miss Rake What I didn't quite understand is why did Traveller even want to fight Rake? Did he know that Hood was already in the Dragnipur? If he did, what sense did it make to fight Rake? He should instead have asked to die.

[Adhara]

I suppose he just was blinded by his overwhelming desire of vengeance and he didn't think rationally. Whether he sensed Hood inside Dragnipur or simply he thought Rake was just shielding him (as if Hood was hiding behind the corner in the most mundane way) is irrelevant.

And I miss Rake so much, too!<br>Why I edited: Oh, my non-native spellings betray me too often!<br>

This post has been edited by Morgan Lefay: 17 November 2017 - 10:33 AM

[Dust of Creams]

Morgan Lefay, on 17 November 2017 - 10:28 AM, said:

I suppose he just was blinded by his overwhelming desire of vengeance and he didn't think rationally. Whether he sensed Hood inside Dragnipur or simply he thought Rake was just shielding him (as if Hood was hiding behind the corner in the most mundane way) is irrelevant.

And I miss Rake so much, too!<br>Why I edited: Oh, my non-native spellings betray me too often!<br>

Yeah, there was a scene in the book where Samar Dev and Karsa are watching a conversation between Cotillion and Traveller and at the end of the conversation Cotillion covers his face with his hands. I can feel that pain Cotillion really is an amazing character.

One other thing that's bugging me, why and how was chaos inside Dragnipur? How did it get there? Was it part of the way the sword was built?

[Abyss]

Dust of Creams, on 17 November 2017 - 11:58 AM, said:

Morgan Lefay, on 17 November 2017 - 10:28 AM, said:

I suppose he just was blinded by his overwhelming desire of vengeance and he didn't think rationally. Whether he sensed Hood inside Dragnipur or simply he thought Rake was just shielding him (as if Hood was hiding behind the corner in the most mundane way) is irrelevant.

And I miss Rake so much, too!<br>Why I edited: Oh, my non-native spellings betray me too often!<br>

Yeah, there was a scene in the book where Samar Dev and Karsa are watching a conversation between Cotillion and Traveller and at the end of the conversation Cotillion covers his face with his hands. I can feel that pain Cotillion really is an amazing character.

One other thing that's bugging me, why and how was chaos inside Dragnipur? How did it get there? Was it part of the way the sword was built?

My take was that Chaos isn't actually inside the sword, rather, the gate to Darkness is inside the sword's warren and Chaos is pursuing it because an 'wandering' Elder Warren Gate is vulnerable and Chaos is automatically drawn towards it.
It's more like an ocean flooding a gap than a predator chasing prey.

Everything 'inside' the Sword - the wagon, the chains - is a representation of how the souls power the ritual that keeps Chaos away from the gate, which exists to give the souls something to work towards.

[Dolmen 2.0]

I'm still struggling to decide which book I like more between MoI and TotH. I've retread the series three times and I think TotH wins by a whisker.

(Midnight Tides and The Crippled God are in contention for third.)

I think there was so much Improvement in Kallor from RotCG and so much depth to Travellers situation that the conclusion hit my feels dead centre. I mean Rakes lil moment with the Coyote has to be the most humanizing moment I've ever read then Kallor has his little chat with a mug of Ale. The weight behind small moments like those did the job of entire chapters.

And weirdly I have another favorite moment. That Tower Gothos lives in and everything Gothos says made him immediately the most interesting character to ever not get a book in his name.

Unless, of course, Erikson is actually writing Gothos Folly even as we speak and it's not finished yet...

[TheHoundsCall]

I’m 450 pgs in so I skimmed through this to avoid spoilers but I have to agree that this book is very good. Have aching questions already but I’m confident that TtH is gunna be in my top 3. So much better than Reapers Gale already