Forthcoming Steven Ericson - Toll The Hounds

bonkey

For anyone else who's a fan of SE's work, and hasn't seen it yet...

Here is a copy of the prologue from the forthcoming book, given by Ericson to the malazan forums to post.

Mods - hope you don't mind me linking to another forum.

MayoForSam

Cool! I've read all of the Malazan books up to Bonehunters, Reaper's Gale is next on my list. He keeps churning them out, doesn't he? Still managing to maintain a very high standard of storytelling however.

bonkey

MayoForSam wrote: »

He keeps churning them out, doesn't he?

He's managing one a year...and expects to continue doing so until book 10, which will be the end of the series. TtH is book 8, if memory serves.

Of course, then there's always the Bauchelain and Korbal Broach novellas/books (3 so far?), also by Ericson.

And lets not forget the series of six (?) books by Ian Cameron Esslemont, of which one is published (Knight of Knives) and one is about to be published (Return of the Crimson Guard).

Sarky

Sweet, I've been lacking my fix of gigantic epic fantasy for a few months now...

Zapp Brannigan

Awesome. Can't wait, must give the series a reread.

Tar.Aldarion

\o/

Whan is it out?

!_Brian_!

I'm still only a fifth of the way through Deadhouse Gates .... think I'll be busy for a while so!

Shryke

I thought Night of Knives wasn't part of the six, or however many the deal includes. I'm reasonably positive it isn't at least. Which would mean more Malaz goodness.

Zapp Brannigan

Night of Knives deals with the gap between the prologue and first chapter of Gardens of the Moon. (I think, I've yet to read it)

Shryke

Ya, I've read it... I meant that NoK isn't part of the six book deal that Esslemont made. So after Return of the Crimson Guard there should be five more Malazan books by him, not four.

Zapp Brannigan

cool, I'm waiting for NoK's paperback release before I buy it. I want to read about the crimson guard specially after the brief glimpse you get of them in one of Erikson's books.

Sarky

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

\o/

Whan is it out?

This summer, according to the new paperback Reaper's Gale. \o/

Tragedy

Toll The Hounds: July 1st
Return of the Crimson Guard: 11th or 14th of August.

Shryke

Tragedy wrote: »

Toll The Hounds: July 1st
Return of the Crimson Guard: 11th or 14th of August.

Toll is coming out so soon? Man, I remember the huge wait I had to endure for Reapers Gale. And The Bonehunters for that matter. Time has flown by! I'll have to get this baby read before I head off inter-railing in mid July! Won't be any worries though, I'll chew it up in about two days! Awesome.

Tragedy

Toll was meant to be out in June, pushed back a month.

Tar.Aldarion

I await with glee.

Iago

I got my copy from Amazon yesterday

of course I'm still on Midnight Tides as I re-read the series so it'll be a couple of weeks before I get started on it!

Tar.Aldarion

My friend is already well into it, the swine.

Shryke

Mine is still in the mail. I better get it by Friday..

bonkey

Bah...my local bookshop doesn't have it in yet.

On the plus side...my Crimson Guard has arrived in the post, so that will keep me going till I do get TotH.

ixoy

Just bought my copy during my lunch break. To those who've started: how does it shape up?

moridin

Bah, we both know that it'll be 8 years before you get to reading it Ix...

ixoy

moridin wrote: »

Bah, we both know that it'll be 8 years before you get to reading it Ix...

Nope, it's the next book on my list. I've an exemption for Erikson from the list because yes otherwise it'd be 8 years!

Tar.Aldarion

Apparantly it's a very slow start for a few hundred pages anyway.

Tar.Aldarion

Then gets fantastic.

Just ordered it.

bonkey

bonkey wrote: »

Bah...my local bookshop doesn't have it in yet.

On the plus side...my Crimson Guard has arrived in the post, so that will keep me going till I do get TotH.

For the record...I'm a couple of hundred pages into RoTG and its pretty damn good. ICE's style is a bit different to SE's, but not too disimilar.

A number of characters that we've already met are making appearances...which is nice.

On the downside, there's a slightly-higher-than-usual number of spelling mistakes. I dunno if its because the book was massively delayed and then the first-ed was a bit rushed. Its not quite annoying me, but it is definitely more than just the "oh look, I found a mistake in a 700-page tome" sort of feeling I'd normally have.

ETA: And dammit...Toll isn't out in Trade until October. I have all the others in Trade. I'm not switching to hardback.

ixoy

bonkey wrote: »

For the record...I'm a couple of hundred pages into RoTG and its pretty damn good. ICE's style is a bit different to SE's, but not too disimilar.

Just out of curiosity - how many pages is it? Amazon list at 304 pages.. is that about accurate? A good bit shorter than the SE books if that's correct.

bonkey

ixoy wrote: »

Just out of curiosity - how many pages is it? Amazon list at 304 pages.. is that about accurate? A good bit shorter than the SE books if that's correct.

The first-ed is a two-book hard-cover set. It runs to almost 750 pages (740+), of slightly-less-then trade-paperback size. Of course, it all depends on teh font-size.

From what I've been able to find, RotG is in the region of 265-270k words. For reference/comparison, Reapers Gale was somewhere around 380k. I'd put it around the length of Gardens.

Sarky

So... Anyone finished Toll The Hounds yet? I'd like to hear how it compares to the rest.

Tar.Aldarion

I have been told: 'far more epic once you get past the halfway stage of the book since the first half is a LOT of background'.

ixoy

I'm halfway through (just finished Part Two) and am enjoying it so far. It is a little slow moving and, yeah there's a fair bit of background as characters reminisce about their past but it's generally interesting. The prose can be a bit drawn out and too wordy at times and the Tiste Andii tend to be a little too morose, too gloomy but I've been engaged so far. Now I expect thinks to pick up a bit as pieces fall into play, especially with certain characters.

Shryke

I finished this last week. The majority of the book is build up and I found it chaffing some. It wasn't painful but didn't hold me as well as other editions of the malazan saga. I think that's in part due to having certain answers to questions and not leaving as much engaging mystery to overcome. I could do some serious b!tching about certain things but the last couple of hundred pages really do pay off. There are some great moments and while I thought I may have gotten tired of the series after being a stolid fan for the first seven books I found my faith somewhat renewed.
I'm somewhat hesitant in looking forward to ninth as Erikson has said it will be all build up itself and will have a cliff hanger ending but then that the final book will be pure payout.
Also Erikson will afterward be writing two trilogies. Both in the malazan world. One of these trilogies will tie up a loose plot from the current series and another book will be the life story of Anomander Rake. Personally I don't give a **** about Rake. Baruk is more my cup of tea than the mysterious dark brooding immortal blah blah blah oh and he's a dragon... wow... whatever. :pac:
Still, more Malazan stuff. Yay! Add to that Esselmonts efforts and I don't think anyone will be short of material.

Tar.Aldarion

I'd be tempted to wait until 10 is out before I read 9. I also want the Anomandaris purake series! :d

bonkey

Sandor wrote: »

Still, more Malazan stuff. Yay! Add to that Esselmonts efforts and I don't think anyone will be short of material.

Yeah....I'm still getting through RoTG, and thinking that I need to buy the three Korbelain & Broach novellas that Erikson did.

There's not much chance of being short of material...as always, I find myself in the position of reading a new book in that world, and thinking I should re-read everything to really appreciate all the tie-ins.

There's little better than re-reading a book for the Nth time and still finding some new reference in there that give you an "a-HA!" moment.

ixoy

Sandor wrote: »

Also Erikson will afterward be writing two trilogies. Both in the malazan world. One of these trilogies will tie up a loose plot from the current series and another book will be the life story of Anomander Rake.

Source for this good news?

Any idea what the loose plot trilogy will be - it surely must be something big if it gets its own trilogy?
And is the other trilogy entirely about Rake or just one book of it? I'm guessing it's got to do with the beginnings of the Tiste Andii? The split from Mother Dark, Silchas Ruin, etc?

Shryke

Not a lot of details floating around but what we have came from Erikson himself speaking at a UK signing.
I hope it's alright to post this link:

http://malazanworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11071

Shryke

As for what the loose trilogy is about I have a few ideas...

Spoilers for Toll:

the whole tyrant debacle perhaps? I think this is the last book in the current series that is set in Darujhistan and we don't even know who this tyrant is. There's a good bit left unresolved there. The Seguleh, the cabal, that tool Humble Measure who was only touched on but put the contract out on the BBs. I could be way off. God knows it might all be wrapped up, or Essellmont will cover it. Who knows?

ixoy

Cheers. Seems there's also going to be a good few more K & B novellas too. Lots of Malazan to come and I still haven't gotten around to re-reading the current series so I can go "Ahhh!" as I uncover all the clever foreshadowing.

Sarky

bonkey wrote: »

thinking that I need to buy the three Korbelain & Broach novellas that Erikson did.

You do. They're stuffed with pitch black humour. The Healthy Dead is a work of genius.

Tragedy

How did people manage to get RotCG early?

ixoy

Tragedy wrote: »

How did people manage to get RotCG early?

By paying a ridiculous amount of money PS Publishing published "Return of the Crimson Guard" in an early edition but it was... pricey. I'm prepared to wait a bit longer! PS Publishing also do the K & B books.

Tragedy

Oh, one of the limited run signed slip cover things.

Bleh, books are to be read, used and abused - not treasured like that imho!

Reading them in the bath probably helps me have that view