I was hugely disappointed in this latest offering from Steven Erikson. Perhaps my expectations were too high, I had re-read the series over the last 3 months in preparation for the July release (superb early order from Amazon meant I got my copy last week). This feels like a linking book and with too many new or previously under developed characters given central billing and too many established characters marginalised. The story is too prosiac and stutters for the fist 300 odd pages. I also felt that Erikson tried to change his writing style in Toll the Hounds and this didn't work for me, the story is also dealing with a number of very abstract themes and it doesn't flow or even worse grip like his previous novels. Reviews of Reapers Gale had similar themes re too much focus on poor characters and marginal plot development and this has only got worse in this installment. In fact, if you distilled the least interesting characters from all the previous books you have Toll the Hounds (excluding Karsa, obviously). Just not as good as it should have been!!!