Despite many distinct story lines I got attached to nearly all characters in the books.

In this one I particularly enjoyed he portrayal of Beak an autistic wizard with the Malazans who surprises all. And Hellian is coming through as one of the more funny characters, I liked "Hellian's Art of War" - quite successful by the way.

Somehow Erikson manages to keep me on my toes throughout this whole book. I kept wondering who was on which side, who would win, who would live and who would be sacrificed to the drama of the story. He often shows the reader both sides of the conflict and so I am often able to sympathize with both. There is no black and white just a lot of grey. I am not even sure anymore about the ultimate goals of anyone in these books. So I am guessing that Tavore must be the author's stand-in since she also isn't telling anyone what her plans are ... ;)

With the contrasting finale of the Tehol and Seren story lines it seems the Letheras story has found a furious ending. At the end - as always - I am left wondering where several important characters, namely Icarium and Karsa, have vanished to. And where the heck is Kalam ...