Impossible to rate before completing book 10, which is really the second half of this two-parter. I'll have to report back when I finish it.

Fannst erfitt að tengja við þessa næst síðustu sögu Eriksons í seríunni. Fjöldi persónanna gerir sem fyrr miklar kröfur til lesandans og sagan er á köflum langdregin með þunglyndislegri heimspeki. Heimsmyndin er hins vegar mögnuð og blæbrigðin í ólíkri menningu og sögu ólíkra hópa þessa heims eru með ólíkindum. Þessi saga er í raun bara fyrri hlutinn af endalokum seríunnar og því endar hún dálítið í lausu lofti en eftir ofboðsleg átök þar sem margar af sögupersónum fyrri bóka falla - en líkt og komið hefur oft í ljós í ritröðinni þá eru guðirnir ekkert á því að sleppa tangarhaldinu af þeim sem deyja heldur er þeim teflt stöðugt áfram aftur og aftur. ( )

If Toll the Hounds is slow and steady, then this book is a tortoise for 90% and a Hood damned rocket for the rest 10%. The K'chain definately stole the show, with the malazans second and the Bargahst plot, which I thought was overly depressing and confusing, taking up the rear. Who knows how Erikson is going to finish all this, but we'll see.

THE RANKING THUS FAR:

DG ( )

( )

3* is harsh, it's better than that but I feel dirty giving it a 4*. Undoubtedly this book would've been closer to a 5* had I read it over a shorter period in bigger bursts but honestly, the last 10% was great and the first 10% was great but everything in between just lost me. Its such a detailed series that all these brilliant epic storylines and plots were so tremendously foreshadowed and weave themselves so beautifully into the theme and the message... And after 9 books I've forgotten how half the characters were introduced and why this person is so depressed and if this culture is selfish or egalitarian or anything else in between. I'm sure on a reread (if it ever gets to that) this entire body of work is a brilliant and unsurpassed 5* from page 1 right to the very end, but this is my first read, and this book highlighted my only problem with Malazan - I haven't been able to give it the attention and dedication it needs to get the most out of it. But honestly, it could have done more to demand it at certain times in this journey, particularly for nearly a thousand pages in this one. ( )