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Toll the Hounds (Malazan Book of the Fallen) | 
 enlarge | Author: Steven Erikson
Publisher: Bantam Press
Category: Book
List Price: £18.99
Buy New: £9.99
You Save: £9.00 (47%)
New (19) Used (8) Collectible (2) from £8.43
Avg. Customer Rating:  14 reviews
Sales Rank: 295
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 896
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.8
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.5 x 2.3
ISBN: 0593046374
EAN: 9780593046371
ASIN: 0593046374
Publication Date: July 1, 2008 (New: Last 30 Days)
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand New, UK Based & In Excellent Condition!
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| Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...
 Dark and Compelling July 23, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Toll the Hounds, is not just dark and compelling, it also easily ranks in the top 3 of all the the tales of the Malazan Book of the Fallen so far, and not only because of its spectacular, if somewhat confounding finale.
There are some gripes about this being too slow paced, and yes if one were in it for the big battle scenes and non-stop action, well, I can see how this would not be to one's liking.
So then what makes it one of the best tales so far for me? First of all our reunion with some major and some lesser characters from Gardens of the Moon and Memories of Ice and the return to a Darujhistan as we have not seen it before. Erikson finally takes his time for some serious characterisation, developing plot lines that add to the texture of the cities of Daruhjistan and Black Coral, or in fact the entire setting, making its feel more real and richer than I have ever felt before. As reviewer Whitehead already mentioned, this is also a tale with core themes of love, redemption and sacrifice in the face of betrayals, depressions and just plain visciousness, not to say evil.
There are also great insights into the Tiste Andii, and especially Anomander Rake's background. But also we get closer looks at Kallor, Traveller and Caladan Brood, making them more real than ever before.
As with most of the other installments in this series it was really hard to put down but for the first time I was forced to do so because of the impact some moments had on me, forcing me to come to grips with and realize what just had happened.
All in all this is a more than worthy installment and I can barely wait for Dust of Dreams.
4 1/2 stars.
 Worthy addition to the series and begs the question, what next? July 17, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This book starts much slower than many of the past books in the series and for the very first time in the series I found myself skipping lightly thru several pages as it seemed irrelevant to the story and was mostly Erikson playing around with the writing. Sometimes there was enough humor to justify it, but alot of the time my eyes glazed over and I paged ahead for some action or character development.
1/3 or 1/2 way thru the story picks up speed incredibly quickly and I found myself enjoying it amongst my favorite of the previous books. Without giving away too much of a spoiler, for only the 2nd time there seem to be some major characters dying, perhaps in a final way. Also Karsa Orlong finally seems to be a bit less unstoppable as even he realizes there are some things he might not want to get in the way of.
I would say that I'm really beginning to wonder how long Erikson can keep this series going strongly. The number of great books in this series is astounding compared to other authors brand name series, but if I rated the first part of the book independently it would get 2 stars. Since the last part would get 5 or 5.5 if possible overall it's a solid 4.
More teasers about the far off continent where an Imass Legion lost completely and where the Master of the Deck seems to have landed with the invasion force gathered in the last book. Although I can't imagine what can be a worse enemy than the one defeated(even if only temporarily) in this book.
part 8 July 13, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
First up - this is book 8 of 10. If you've not read the previous 7 definitely don't buy this [yet] Go read gardens of the moon first & make up your mind whether to continue with the series. Hopefully you will because its very good.
I have enjoyed this series from the off, and this instalment advances the plot in a number of new ways, and has some good revelations. By the end the direction of the series seems to have changed a fair bit.
It is slower than some of the previous books; fewer huge things happen for the first 600 pages and it feels like the events (ie the books) are no longer in parallel, like they were in the early days of the series. Saying that the book is focussed on Darujistan & Black Corral, and we dont get to hear much from Letheras, Seven Cities or other locations of the previous books.
The series is huge with a vast cast, and I'm struggling to keep track of who everyone is & where they have come from or how they have previously interacted. Suspect reading the whole series again will help, and this book does have many hooks back to previous events which helps to keep things together. Am also impressed that the series still hangs together without huge/obvious contradictions (take note Mr E Feist!)
The dull sections are starting to grate a little, eg many of the "and then Mappo/Khalor/Karsa went there..." or "Iskaral Pust said something daft while the Bhokolara looked on adoringly" and we don't need any more "the son of darkness is real honourable" (we get it already!) However the scope and vision of the series continues to make up for that for now at least.
And finally, no comment on this series should be complete without referring to Skinner. Please, please can we meet this chap and find out what all the fuss is about.
 Could have been better July 12, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I was lucky enough to attend the book signing that Steven Erikson had in Glasgow on the 8th of July.
This was a great chance to meet the author that I much admire. Steven went on to read some of the poems at the start of various chapters of Toll the Hounds, talke about his new book and had a little Q&A, over all the book signing was great.
I was then really looking forward to reading the novel after the the book signing so I rushed home.
However this is where things start to be a little less positive, Steven did comment during the booking signing that he is changing his writing style and I am not sure if this is a good thing but then thats just what i think.
I found Toll the Hounds to be for the most part too slow paced for my liking. There was not alot that happened and what did was not that interesting. I did struggle a little with this one and its been the first one of his novels that I have felt that way about.
I think perhaps I was hoping for more epic battle.
Overall I do love the Malazan series so thats why I give the novel 3*'s as there are still some good comedy moments in there.
Steven also commented that he has signed on for 6 more books.
 Going downhill... July 11, 2008
4 out of 7 found this review helpful
"Toll the Hounds" is far and away the weakest Malazan book since the first one, "Gardens of the Moon". The previous book, "Reaper's Gale", was good in places but overall a disappointment, and this latest volume of the epic saga is another step down.
A big problem is that it's so damn slow. We are introduced to some boring new characters (and the old ones who used to be interesting are now boring). These characters then do very little but talk for approximately 800 pages before seventeen things happen at once. We are also treated to plenty more of the pretentious inner monologues that have marred the series from the start. Steven Erikson also attempts to go "arty" on us by having each chapter begin and end with a windy monologue from Kruppe, who is narrating the entire story. It doesn't work - it gets tedious real fast. We even get whole scenes written from the point of view of an ox - no, seriously.
I should point out that it's not just because the book is slow that I don't like it. Midnight Tides was slow, too, in the first half, but it picked up after that, and ended up being probably my favourite in the series.
There are one or two major, significant events at the end of Toll the Hounds, but the vast majority of it is arbitrary. Mappo and Karsa, two of my favourite characters, are both in it, but get nothing to do except travel for the whole book, and then when they get where they're going they actually don't do very much anyway. This is more of a paperweight - in more than one sense - than a novel.
Now don't get me wrong. I admire the Malazan series as a whole, and think Erikson should be credited for the immense tale he is spinning (even if there are some signs that it's beginning to spin out of his control). But as a writer he can at times be exceptionally poor, and the books have numerous flaws. I have not been satisfied with the last two books. I hope "Dust of Dreams" and "The Crippled God" will make up for this disappointment, but I'm currently hesitant in being too optimistic.
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