I finished this book a few days ago and wanted to digest it a bit before posting my thoughts. The good, the bad, and the ugly... Please respond - I would love to discuss this book with anyone.

This book was not your typical Erikson book for one simple reason... for the good guys, everything goes according to plan. For the bad guys, its foiled attempt after foiled attempt until the last Forkrul Assail is blown up or Elder God smitten. There were very few twists, some gut wrenching sacrifices, and one very obvious betrayal that didn't last very long.

The Bonehunters: I get it, they're badass. They basically thirst to death in the Glass Desert, which got pretty boring to read about. I only enjoyed reading about them in the final battle scenes. Everything else got far too monotonous. The constant comparison to the Bridgeburners was nice - it gave us a little more info on the good ol' days with Whiskeyjack.

The Host: Never got tired of these guys - mainly because they were actually DOING stuff. I loved seeing Ganoes, QB and Kalam tearing up the FA armies. I really wish we could have found out more about QB though - some revelations there would have made for a better payoff to the series. He's some sort of Ascendant, obviously, but we get nothing else.

The Snake: I hated this plotline from the very beginning. I think it was supposed to be heart-wrenching or something, but the bad poetry from the stupid mage-girl just turned me off everytime. Just die already.

Shadow's Plan: So I guess this was the plan from the start:
The CG needs to be freed for several reasons: 1) the souls of his followers are coming to the planet in the form of Jade Giants who will pretty much kill all life when they impact. 2) the other Ascendants and/or the FA are about to begin feeding off his heart, thus greatly increasing their powers and jeopardizing/diminishing Shadowthrone and Cotillion's place in the pantheon and 3) the way he's been treated is just soooooo unfair.

So Team Ammanas/Cottillion (A/C) conspire to free Korabas, send the BH off to the Glass Desert to draw the FA away from the heart, send the K'Chain Che'Malle in to decimate the armies surrounding the Spire and steal the heart, send the crows in to build the CG a new body, and have D'rek protect the BH while Korabas weakens the chains so that the CG can break free. At which point the CG will re-bind Korabas and Cotillion will then kill the CG, sending him back home and leading the Jade Giants away from the planet... and killing every god who ever bound him? (Not sure about that part) At some point Hood jumps in on this deal, bringing in his bargain with Anomander Rake and agreeing to play a role in destroying the FA as long as he doesn't make a move for the heart.

Here's what I don't get:

1) Korabas. Team A/C absolutely needed her free to break the CG's chains, I think. Yet they never conspired with Kilmandaros, Knuckles, and the Errant. Was this part of their plan or just a convenient catalyst?

2) The effect on the Pantheon. Other than the FA (and Fener) dying, the only other gods I can see who were taken out was D'rek - and that isn't even clear. The book never says that the ones who forged the chains on the CG were killed when Korabas came into contact with them, I just presumed. Yet when its all over, Ammannas acts like there's only a few of them left, and that it was all by their design.

3) T'iam. So I guess T'iam is a d'ivers of all the existing dragons? If so, what a badass. She never quite manifests, but the picture Erikson paints of all the dragons whirling around into one huge shape is mindblowingly cool. HOWEVER, doesn't that change what happened between T'iam and Anomander back in Kharkanas? How would Rake kill such a thing? why would Mother Dark care?

4) The Kharkanas Battle/Mother Dark. I thought she had returned, right? I thought she had all kinds of cool Elder power at her command. I thought she gave a damn about the Andii and their legacy again. So where the hell was she when her people were being slaughtered?

5) the CG's rebirth/assassination. So... I guess that was the only way to send the CG home? Of did it end his existence all together? I'm confused.

Parts I loved:

- Ublala Pung and Draconus are the ultimate odd couple. Loved
em.
- Draconus is such a badass. That's all.
- The Tiste Andii intervention at the Shore. That was so well-written, and their bow to the Shake at the end was viscerally good.
- the CG as a benevolent being, for once, in awe at the sacrifice of the BH. It was good to see him restored.
- I really grew to love Abrastal. At first I thought she would be another stuffy royalty type, but she really brought her A game to this convergence.
- Brys. I just love this dude. His romance with Aranict felt genuine as well and was a constant source of comfort. I loved Tehol's offstage presence as well.
- Stormy & Gesler. What a way to go - saving Bent, of all things!
- Hood and his Fourteen. I laughed out loud at their last scene, with Roach pissing on Hood's leg. Who knew laughing Jaghut could be this fun?
- Fiddler and Hedge's conclusion together.

Anyway, I wish there could have been more resolution, but then again, it's Erikson. It was a fun ride and I'm glad I spent the time and money on it.