Review - Toll the Hounds by Steven Erikson

Erikson does it again, he blows me away with a stellar ending, but, does that make the other 1200 pages worth it?

I am a huge fan of the Malazan Book of the Fallen series and I fully realize my limitations when it comes to reviewing these doorstops, these paperweights for giants, these tomes of many words, these ... you get the picture. So, instead of attempting to review the entire thing, I'll let the back of the book tell you the story and then give you a couple thoughts.

In Darujhistan, the city of blue fire, it is said that love and death shall arrive dancing. It is summer and the heat is oppressive, but for the small round man in the faded red waistcoat, discomfiture is not just because of the sun. All is not well. Dire portents plague his nights and haunt the city streets like fiends of shadow. Assassins skulk in alleyways, but the quarry has turned and the hunters become the hunted. Hidden hands pluck the strings of tyranny like a fell chorus. While the bards sing their tragic tales, somewhere in the distance can be heard the baying of Hounds...And in the distant city of Black Coral, where rules Anomander Rake, Son of Darkness, ancient crimes awaken, intent on revenge. It seems Love and Death are indeed about to arrive...hand in hand, dancing. A thrilling, harrowing novel of war, intrigue and dark, uncontrollable magic, Toll the Hounds is the new chapter in Erikson's monumental series - epic fantasy at its most imaginative and storytelling at its most exciting.

In Toll the Hounds (2008) [US] [UK], which by the way is a brilliant title, Erikson departs from his usual formula by having Kruppe narrate. Yes, Kruppe, the man who has a way with words, many many words.

Don't get me wrong, I love Kruppe, he's probably one of my favorite characters in the series, but this really tends to lengthen out an already extremely long book. I've ranted a bit on this before, but I think a bit more editing could be used on these latter Malazan books. Then again, the fanboy in me can't ever get enough Malazan, but it still makes these daunting to say the least.

Does that mean this is a bad book? Definitely not. It's typical Erikson style, dark humor, lots of action, and an ending that is both tragic and exhilarating.

Toll the Hounds brings back a lot of characters that we haven't seen in a while (many not since Memories of Ice), such as the aforementioned Kruppe, but also Anomander Rake and his crew, and some ex-Malazan marines who happen to have retired in Darujhistan.

Why Should You Read Toll the Hounds?

Because it's Erikson, what's not to love? I'm guessing if you haven't given up by now you're probably in it for the long haul. This isn't my favorite installment, but that doesn't mean it's not on the same level as the rest of the series - one of my all-time favorite.

4 out of 5 Stars