SFF Readalongs led by Kitty G discussion

This is for discussion of Chapter 9 of Memories of Ice. Please ensure you do NOT post spoilers for any other part of the book! Thank you!

Ok, we have seen how many Grey Swords and T'lan Imass it took to kill 5 K'Chain Che'malle K'ell hunters. Take a pause here and absorb the immensity of how quickly the 3 Segulehs decapitated the K'ell hunter. My jaw literally dropped! (as did Tool's probably from what I surmised). And immediately I thought of the fight between Rake and the Seguleh earning him the mask of the Seventh. My mind is reeling from all the awesomeness!

We finally arrived into the Pannion Domin and it is sickening! So much so that the description of the Child of the Dead Sead is enough to make even Lady Envy turn pale.

Okay so I have just finished up Chatper 9 and read through what you've said so far TS and I completely agree with a lot of it so I won't rehash it.

I will say that this book is far easier for me to want to listen to and read because I think it's more interesting and engaging. I feel like this is the first book Erikson has really 'got right' between the pacing (being a good speed) and the characters (being well developed and ones we can connect with).

At present my two favourite characters are certainly Toc the Younger, whose storyline is constantly and interesting one and the Lady Envy and Tool are great travelling companions.
I like the fact that Toc is sarcastic about the situations he's in whilst also realising the trouble and the need to get away from the others and off tot he Malazans again.

I also really loved the Tool - Toc conversation that they had about names and some of Tool's history has been revealed which is nice. I liked the vision Toc had, and I think he's a character I'm rooting for and excited to read about :)

I'm also very intrigued by Kruppe as always. He's just so captivating and every time he's in a chapter I just want to keep on reading and try and figure him out. He's a truly mirthful and hilarious character, but he clearly cares too, like when he helped out Silver Fox's mother.

Tool said that there was a drain on his life force in an earlier chapter too, which I assume comes from Silver Fox, like how she is draining her mother?

On the whole I am enjoying that this is not so large scale battle heavy (although things are certainly leading to war!) and that we're seeing more scaled down and interesting fights and battles which I think works really well to show the strengths of the various races/cultures etc.

And finally, I completely agree that the Segulehs are crazy badass and hardcore. I like seeing them and their rivalry with Tool, and I wonder if we'll still see them now that Toc is leaving the group - I'm sure Lady Envy will be back at some point though, she and her Hood allegiance seem pretty insanely powerful!

I also thought that Tool is being drained by Silverfox mainly because the Tellann warren that created her was Tool's.

I feel as if I am reaching for things to comment about in these chapters without rehashing what you ladies have so eloquently stated...

There wasn't a great deal of humor here, however I really enjoyed Toc annoying Lady Envy with the telling of his birth. The fact that Erikson goes on to let Toc start the story before ending the section of the chapter was a nice touch.

I didn't realize until this chapter how big these hounds are. Being able to stare eye to eye with a man is not an animal I would want to tangle with.

I find it interesting that after Lady Envy's meeting with the elder God she goes out of her way to now enslave Toc. She seemingly wants to but knows deep down he has a special purpose that she does not want to interfere with. I have had the vibe that she loved Toc, and this seems to be bared out when she informs him that his kiss of her will not enslave him. Of course he soon departs from the group entirely to rejoin the Malazans.