Toll the Hounds Audiobook By Steven Erikson cover art

Toll the Hounds

Malazan Book of the Fallen, Book 8

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Toll the Hounds

By: Steven Erikson
Narrated by: Michael Page
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In Darujhistan, the city of blue blue fire, it is said that Love and Death shall arrive dancing. It is summer, and the heat is oppressive, but for the small, rotund man in the faded red waistcoat discomfiture is not just because of the sun. All is not well. Dire portents plague his nights and haunt the city streets like fiends of shadow. Assassins skulk in alleyways, but the quarry has turned, and the hunters become the hunted. Hidden hands pluck the strings of tyranny like a fell chorus. While the bards sing their tragic tales, somewhere in the distance can be heard the baying of hounds...and in the distant city of Black Coral, ruled by Anomander Rake, Son of Darkness, ancient crimes awaken, intent on revenge. It seems Love and Death are indeed about to arrive...hand in hand, dancing.

A thrilling, harrowing novel of war, intrigue, and dark, uncontrollable magic, Toll the Hounds is the next chapter in Erikson's monumental series - epic fantasy at its most imaginative and storytelling at its most exciting.

"This novel and all others in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series follow my own pronunciations of Malazan words and names. My thanks to Michael and Jane and everyone at Brilliance Audio." (Steven Erikson, Victoria, B.C. Canada, January 2014)

©2008 Steven Erikson (P)2015 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved. Action & Adventure Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Military Sword & Sorcery

Critic reviews

"Extraordinarily enjoyable.... Erikson is a master of lost and forgotten epochs, a weaver of ancient epics." ( Salon)
"Truly epic in scope, Erikson has no peer when it comes to action and imagination, and joins the ranks of Tolkien and Donaldson in his mythic vision and perhaps then goes one better." ( SF Site)

Featured Article: The Best Fantasy Audiobook Series


There is nothing like a great fantasy series, one that invites you to bring yourself into an inventive world unlike our own. And a masterful fantasy audiobook can further enhance that feeling, taking an engaging reading experience and amping it up to the realm of total immersion. Marked by brilliant narration and perfect character voices, a stellar audiobook series takes an already amazing fantasy saga and transforms it into an unforgettable adventure. If you’re looking for the best fantasy book series to listen to, these titles are a great place to start.

Featured Article The Best Fantasy Audiobook Series
Complex Characters • Philosophical Depth • Satisfying Convergence • Epic Fantasy • Engaging Storyline • Excellent Pacing
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Story: huge blocks of exposition drug it down
Performance: while some voices were spot on (Murillio for example), some were incredibly inappropriate, showing a lack of understanding of the characters. Also a lack of range for the large cast.

Series low point, but still far better than most.

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here is another good instalment on both the aurator with his many voices and the penmanship of this epic journey.

another good instalment

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Laugh, cry, swell with pride. Do all these and more as a wonderful story is told by a most gifted and skillful narrator. None other than Kruppe of Darujhistan!

What a wonderful series

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The only series I will listen to again and then again. Its like treasure hunting.

Complex. Fun. Endearing. Unforgettable.

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It is honestly such a shame that this series lost its original narrator as this guy is constantly involved sitting with his narrative voice and often mixes up the voices of the characters. some chapters are read in Krupe's voice for no reason. Duiker sounds like an insane old man for no reason and many others randomly take up an Indian accent.

I won't even touch the inconsistent pronunciations or other minutiae. what will keep you listening is the phenomenal story as all of the threads draw together. 2 more books of this guy and then I hope I never have to hear him meander around such a masterpiece again.

great story but bad narratir

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I still love every book in this series, but this one really pushed the philosophical monologues to another level. The climactic convergence at the end is epic and exhilerating, but even fans may get a little tired of how long it takes to get there.

story still unparalleled; lots of musing, though

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I felt like I have been reading the Maha Brata and this is the Bhagavad-Gita. It is filled with wisdom and insight and an addition to being a freaking awesome story one of my favorites. It is a spiritual journey.

Bhagavad-Gita

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The book was good but it felt like it dragged a bit but towards the last few chapters it became great and it made it all worth the wait!

Be patient it's worth it!

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Solid performance, not the greatest in the series so far story wise, seemed to wander aimlessly in the middle for a bit, somewhat reminiscent of the Middle wheel of time books. But Strong ending and looking forward to the next one.

Solid performance and ending but a bit waffle

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What made the experience of listening to Toll the Hounds the most enjoyable?

The Narrator is very good and by book 8, I have gotten comfortable with his style and delivery. The pace and tone are good and the book itself has a decent pacing so part of his job is done for him.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

This is book 8 in a 10 book series. It is, so far, my least favorite of the series. I actually read the books starting in the 1990s but had to get them from the UK which meant long periods of time between books.

I bought the series from Audible to listen to them in order, back to back. I have found that in doing so, subtle parts that I missed when reading the books so many years ago, I pick up on now.

They are all great, but this is my least favorite of the series. The book tells parts of the story from inconsistent points of view (in my opinion) which is not bad, but not as smooth as the earlier stories. Still, a good read, but just a different style than the other 7 books.

What does Michael Page bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

If you are listening to the series, by book 8 you are very comfortable with Michael's style and you recognize characters by voice. When I read the books, I sometimes had a hard time keeping the many, many characters straight. Especially if time had elapsed between my reading.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It is very difficult to do this given it is a 40 hour commitment. I do find myself trying to get to the end of a chapter or looking forward to a serious block of time when I can listen for a few hours at once.

Any additional comments?

This is a great series. While this is not my favorite book, I have both read and listened to it. I still highly recommend the book and the series.

Good, but my least favorite of the series

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