Erikson: The Bonehunters

[Werthead]

Finished The Bonehunters. Great book, probably the third-best of the series (after MoI and DHG). Lots of questions answered, lots of new ones raised. A lot of setting-up for both Reaper's Gale and Toll the Hounds and also a much higher-than-normal quotient of cliffhangers at the end of the novel.

SPOILER: The Bonehunters

The ending is pretty staggering: Kalam, Quick Ben, Trull Sengar, Apsalar, Onrack, Fiddler, a lot of the 14th, a few more T'lan Imass, Apt, Icarium (now we know why he inspires such terror in everyone he meets) and a shedload of soldiers, Tiste Edur warriors, marines and City Watch getting involved as well in two seperate but interlinked battles. Sadly, Karsa sits it out but makes a vow at the end of the book that leaves the reader somewhat bemused and rather eagerly awaiting Reaper's Gale.

Some thoughts on the cliffhangers:

1) The 14th Army and their new allies, the Perish, are on their way (almost certainly) to Lether to take on the Tiste Edur head-on. Unfortunately, they seem to be rather outnumbered: the Letherii army by itself was 400,000 strong in Midnight Tides. Now it is bolstered by the Edur and their magic. The combined 14th and Perish armies are only about 25,000. Methinks the 14th will need to link up with the Tiste Andii of Bluerose and the neighbouring kingdom of Kolanse if they are going to take the Edur and Letherii down. Our heroes have Quick Ben (I presume he rejoins them after helping fend off Icarium), who in turn has the ability to call on Tayschrenn if things turn really hairy. Rake's children and grandchildren are with the 14th as well, so maybe Rake himself will enter the fray.

2) WTF are Paran and Onearm's Host up to? They link up with Mathok's tribesmen, announce they are heading for Aren, and drop out of the story. No indication that they are going to Lether or heading back to Quon Tali. Paran at least will play a role in the remaining books as Master of the Decks, but what fate has in store for the 2nd Army is less clear. If the remaining books take place 'outside the Empire' then the 2nd cannot go to Quon Tali or remain in Seven Cities, yet it seems to have no reason (yet) to go anywhere else.

3) Icarium is going to kill Rhulad. A lot. It remains to be seen if his newly-revealed abilities are enough to kill Rhulad permanantly.

4) I'm guessing Cutter, Barathol, Scilliara, Iskaral Pust and Mogora are heading back to Genabackis to alert the people of Darujhistan to the threat of the Tyrant King and a possible showdown or alliance with the Seguleh in Toll the Hounds.

5) The Malazan Empire is totally screwed, with genocide against the Wickans, the grain supplies from Seven Cities failing and threatening to plunge Quon Tali into famine and Korbolo Dom and Mallick Rel now in positions of power. I'm not sure how this storyline will be resolved in the remaining books (which take place 'outside the Empire' as mentioned above) unless it's off-screen or in an epilogue to Book 10. As of the end of TBH, the 14th are gone and the 2nd is literally the only major mobile fighting force left to the Malazan Army (although what's left of the 5th and 6th seem to still be in northern Genabackis as a police force).

6) Possible set-up for ICE's books: the situation in Korel has collapsed. The Korel Compact seems to have retaken the island of Theft and the Malazans are planning a counter-attack but hopes do not seem high.

7) Some interesting comments by Cotillion about Assail, with the T'lan Imass continuing to lose their war there but refusing to disengage.

[Stubby]

Summer 2007, it is rumoured,

I assume you mean the northern summer? So it looks like June-ish?

[AndyP]

I just finished last night, great book.

SPOILER: Werthead

In regards to what is now High Fist's Paran's Host it is clearly stated that after they reach Aren they are leaving Seven Cities never to return. Where they go from there is anybodies guess.

SPOILER: Question

I haven't read the whole thread yet but any ideas who Hood wants Paran to get for him?

SPOILER: also

IIRC In MOI Wiskeyjack seems to remember meeting Fid during the chase across Raraku, yet it seems from the Bonehunters that they knew each other before they were in the army. Also am I the only one who thinks WJ is Iskar Jarak the Iron Prophet of the Aniber.

[AndyP]

Andy,

SPOILER: BH

I asked the same question about Hood a while back, and no one has answered. I did a browse at Erikson's board, but didn't find any answers. I didn't look that hard either.

For your second question, I don't remember reading about Iskar Jarak the Iron Prophet of the Aniber anywhere. Do you remember what book that came up in? Was it in BH and I read too fast to notice?

SPOILER: Hood

I think the only two clues that we have are from Parans reaction which was one of surprise but it's not someone that he seemed to care about. Also we get a simular reaction from Kalam IIRC when Quick Ben tells him (Quick was spying on Hood and Paran) tells him about it.

SPOILER: Iskar Jarak

It's in the start of chapter 12 where Boatfinder of the Anibar tell Samar Dev and Karsa of a mysterious King Iskar Jarak "the Iron Prophet" of the Mezla (ie Malazan) who had given their people warnings. They say that Iskar Jarak (which may be a bastardization of WhiskeyJack) lives in the "unfound time" (the future)

Page 428 of the UK paperback:

'Iskar Jarak was a Mezla'

'Yes'

Samar Dev opened her mouth for one more question, then realized that it wasn't necessary. She knew its answer. Instead, she said, 'Boatfinder tell me, from the frozen time into the flowing time, is there a bridge?'

His smile was wistful, filled with longing. 'There is.'

'But you cannot cross it.'

'No.'

'Because it's burning.'

'Yes, witch, the bridge burns.'

King Iskar Jarak, and the unfound kingdom...

[Slick Mongoose]

SPOILER: tbh

I really don't think we have enough info to even guess who Hood wants, but my first thought was Icarium.

How is Iskar Jarak a bastardization of Whiskeyjack?

Iskar=whiskey, Jarak=jack. Makes sense to me. And that bit about the burning bridge is clearly a reference to the bridgeburners. After the bridgeburners were formed, they were fighting a lot in 7 cities. I seems that they managed a trip over to the Anibar (sp?) and warned them about the Malazans, for whatever reason.

BTW, can anyone clarify whose finger Feather Witch took?

It's the finger from Brys from just after he fights Rhulad (sp? Not having the book with me, those spellings are annoying).

[AndyP]

SPOILER: Iskar Jarak

I don't think the warnings about the Malazans but about the T'lan Imass. I think this is after the attack on Aren, maybe?

Iskar Jarak seems to have meant a lot to this people. I would guess that over time he might become these people's primary protector god.

[Slick Mongoose]

Ahhh, could be.

[Maltaran]

SPOILER: TBH

My first thought on what (or rather who) Hood wanted from Paran was Skinner. After all, his Soldier seems to have some sort of personal vendetta there, although why Skinner instead of any other Avowed is unclear. Then I thought that that's probably wrong, since Hood pulled the Second away from his hunt for Skinner to go to that D'rek monastery, so I started thinking again. Maybe it's the twelve souls Quick's hoarding.

BTW, did anyone else immediately think of the Night's Watch when the Stormwall was mentioned? Stormriders=Others, seems a fairly obvious homage.

[Werthead]

Erikson hasn't read ASoIF, apparently. And Ian Cameron Esslemont, who is primarily responisble for the creation and history of the Korelri and Assail continents, dislikes ASoIF, so I don't think it's a homage. Plus the Malazan world was apparently created in 1982, fourteen years before A Game of Thrones was published. So, a coincidence is more likely.

[AndyP]

SPOILER: TBH

Then I thought that that's probably wrong, since Hood pulled the Second away from his hunt for Skinner to go to that D'rek monastery, so I started thinking again. Maybe it's the twelve souls Quick's hoarding.

SPOILER: Hood

The only problem I have with that is that QB was spying on the conversion between Paran and Hood and he didn't seem alarmed by the information.

I wonder if it is Laseen?

[Arakasi]

No Maltaran I'm pretty sure there is no direct homage to Martin. Its not exactly like the wall protecting civilization manned with brave men fighting external forces is a new idea. Hadrian's Wall, the Great Wall of China, etc. The world does not revolve around Martin, despite what some here might think.

[Maltaran]

Well, it was more than just the wall. It was the fact that if you go there you never leave, and it's assaulted by inhuman enemies using nasty sorcery as well.

[squiddly]

inhuman enemies using nasty sorcery as well

If that doesn't sound like the scots then I don't know what does.

ETA

[IheartTesla]

Just started the book, am probably a hundred pages into it. To be honest, as EHK (I think it was) mentioned, some of Erikson's tics are beginning to piss me off, such as his characters tendency to pontificate. Otherwise it is a welcome return to the world, thus far.

[I Wish_I Wish_For A Chequy Fish]

Andy, spec is that its not laseen but resignation

how do you do spoilers?

[Dolorous Edd]

I love these books, but find Erikson's comic relief somewhat tiresome. With each book, he seems compelled to add more and more, even as the quality of it steadily fades.

[Arakasi]

Really? I don't recall that much comic releif in TBH. MT had a ton of it, but TBH had pretty small amounts iirc. The main stuff was those 2 ghosts, and they were hardly major. Nothing compared to Tehol and Bugg.

[Werthead]

I Wish: type the following in exactly and put your spoiler in the middle.

[spoiler=The Bonehunters]whatever your spoiler is[/spoiler]

Arakasi, there's a lot of humour in the book outside the ghosts (who kind of seemed to get forgotten towards the end). I'm thinking mainly of the banter between the various members of the armies and in particular:

SPOILER: The Bonehunters

The scene where the Trygalle Trade Guild rescues Paran from the Nascent/Shadow dimension and they escape via Hood's Realm. When they emerge in Omtose Phellack they've inadvertantly taken an undead through with them, who picks himself up, dusts himself off and says, "Thanks, how much do I owe you?"

[Plessiez]

Well, just finished this yesterday.

Overall, I really liked it ... a return to form after the disappointing (to me, anyway) last two books. It really brought everything together from the rest of the series - not just plot strands, but also the differnt tones - the epic pieces from DHG and MoI and the more humourous elements from MT. The humourous stuff worked a lot better than in Tides too, I think largely because it wasn't so central to the plot. And for what must be the first time since I started the series, I actually have some idea of where Erikson's headed.

I'm still not sure which of Kruppe and Karsa I find more annoying though.

[Stubby]

I'm still not sure which of Kruppe and Karsa I find more annoying though.

Karsa, easily.

Someone (who would need to be quite strong) needs to throttle him and remind him "its not always about him....."