Author : Steven Erikson
Description : Toll the Hounds (2008) is the eighth fantasy novel of The Malazan Book of the Fallen series, following Reaper's Gale In the previous volume, Icarium activated his machine and found that it was broken. The Emperor left his sword in the leg of Karsa Orlong. Silchas Ruun attacked the Bridgeburners and was driven away. The Adjunct Tavore decided not to occupy Lether. Tehol Beddict was offered a new position and gained a wife. The Crippled God offered eternal life, but was refused.
In this novel, Gruntle is a caravan guard. He is also the Mortal Sword of Trake, although he keeps trying to deny his God.
Cutter is an assassin. He still loves Apsalar, but takes solace from Scillara.
Barathol Mehkar is a weapons maker and a former soldier. He takes care of Chaur, a simpleton.
Mappo Runt is a Trell and the former companion of Icarium. He is trying to return to his companion.
Picker, Blend, Antsy, Mallet, and Bluepearl are former Bridgeburners who have retired in Darujhistan. They are running a bar in a former temple of K'rul.
Murillo is a duelist and a lady's man. He is a friend of Kruppe and others at the Phoenix Inn.
Rallick, Torvald and Bellam Nom are cousins. Rallick and Torvald have not been seen in Darujhistan for some time.
Kruppe is a little round man and a regular at the Phoenix Inn. He is also known as the Eel.
Harllo is the child of Stonny Menackis. He is being raised by Myrla and Bedek with their children Snell, Hinty and Mew.
Anomander Rake is the Son of Darkness. He is the leader of the Tiste Andii and the ruler of Black Coral.
Karsa Orlong is a Teblor Toblaki warrior. He had traveled with Samar Dev until she helped him escape from the Letherii arena.
Samar Dev is a witch. She had escaped from Lether on Havoc, Karsa's carniverous horse.
Traveller is a former Malazan High Fist and is now an Ascendant. He is searching for Hood, the God of Death.
Kallor was the High King of the First Empire. He is immortal, but not really a God nor an Ascendant.
Clip is leading the children of Anomander Rake toward Black Coral. They are following him only because Nimander Golit sees no reason not to do so. Skintick, Nenanda, Aranatha, Kedeviss and Desra are really following Nimander.
Ditch was a wizard of Pale. Now he is imprisoned within Dragnipur, the sword forged by Draconus and now possessed by Anomander Rake.
In this story, Kruppe is confronted by an Elder God. K'rul declares that he is not part of the war, but Kruppe points out that K'rul is the prize.
Ditch is pulling the Burden, a giant wagon filled with the fallen. He is one of many. But the influx of prisoners has slowed down and the Burden is piled high. Even Pearl the demon -- who is carrying many of the fallen -- is beginning to lose his strength. And the Chaos is coming nearer.
Karsa Orlong is heading home. Samar Dev is following him to return his horse. Traveller and Kallor -- the High King -- are also traveling northward.
An old scarred dog stirs within a village of the Treblor Toblakai and leaves its place. Two young girls follow the dog southward.
Gruntle returns with four wagons driven by dead men, the remains of a larger caravan. Master Sirik is not inclined to believe his explanations, but then Gruntle releases the dead to go to Hood and they collapse on the wagon seats. Then Sirik thinks to pay only a portion of the pay due, but backs down when Gruntle promises to tell the Guild exactly what happened and why.
Gruntle goes to visit Harllo. The young boy is fascinated by Gruntle's stories and advice. Snell is envious and decides to give the younger child some thumps.
Gruntle also visits Stonny at her dueling school. He discusses his problems in the Caravan Guard Guild and suggest that he would be better off in the Trygalle Trade Guild. Stonny tells him to forget it, but he joins anyway.
Picker is fetching home some Rhivi flatbread for Blend. A Guild Assassin is following her. He is very surprised when she whirls and cuts him down with a single thrust of her longsword.
Two other assassins are waiting for Antsy and Bluepearl. They leap out behind their targets and thrust with their daggers. After they kill the illusive decoys, Antsy sticks his short sword through one's neck and Bluepearl strangles the other one.
Murillo is entertaining the daughter of the house while her mother rests from her own tryst. Then a young man sticks him with a sword. Murillo slowly returns to the Phoenix Inn before collapsing.
Torvald Nom returns to Darujhistan in a coracle and immediately runs into his old buddies Scorch and Leff. Unfortunately, they have his name on their list. Luckily, they listen to him and let him go until the next day.
Rallick Nom is awakened in the Finnest House to find Vorcan already gone. He follows her out -- carefully staying on the walkway -- and returns to the Phoenix Inn. Rallick is not in any hurry to let the Assassin Guild know that he has returned.
A ship is ties up at the pier. Sister Spite is the captain. The crew are Cutter, Scillara, Barathol, Chaur, Mappo Runt, a High Priest of Shadow, and his old hag of a wife. Also onboard are a miserable mule and a band of bhokarala.
Cutter goes ashore to find his way to the Phoenix Inn. Barathol and Chaur depart the ship to open a blacksmith shop and Scillara follows them. Mappo Runt leaves to find a way back to Icarium Lifestealer. Even Iskasral Pust, Mogora, the mule and the bhokarala quit the ship. Soon only Sister Spite is left on the vessel.
Mappo Runt hires the Trygalle Trade Guild to take him to Icarium. At first, the Trygalle Master says that it will take a while to gather more personnel to replace their losses from the last mission. Then Gruntle and three other become Shareholders and they are ready to leave the next day. They depart through Hood's Gate, but find it filled with the dead marching off to war.
Clip leads Anomander Rake's children to an inn in Morsko town where the residents are swilling saemankelyk. Clip goes into the inn, but the children of Rake move further down the street. After the sound of slaughter subsides, they return to the inn to find Clip unconscious on the floor amid the blood of the residents.
Then Snell attacks Harllo while he is gathering fuel. The unconscious boy is then sold to the iron mines. Murillo finds out the details and heads for the mines to recover the boy.
This tale brings change to Darujhistan, Black Coral and the world inside Dragnipur. A war is fought within Dragnipur that involves Gods, Ascendants, and the dead. The Dying God and the Redeemer face each other in Black Coral.
In Darujhistan, the Assassin Guild destroys itself trying to kill the Malazans within K'rul's bar and assaulting the estate of a new Councilor. The Hounds of Shadow and Light contribute their own confusion and wreckage. Then Traveller and Anomander Rake arrive. Karsa Orlong and Samar Dev witness the confrontation.
This work is a meganovel, having more than 800 pages and a cast of many thousands. The Dramatis Personae has over a hundred entries naming only the main characters. Many other characters are referenced in the narrative.
The chapters are broken up into short scenes describing small episodes. Story threads are interleaved with other storylines, so it is easy to lose track. Some main characters are killed in this work, but many others are left for the sequels.
Download :
http://www.ziddu.com/download/8626048/evenErikson-MalazanBookoftheFallen08-TolltheHounds.pdf.html
No comments:
Post a Comment