** spoiler alert ** Erikson has still managed to stay consistently good if not great. I found this book more of a page-turner than some of the others and really got caught up in the action (which is rare for me--I tend to prefer the drawn out exposition more than the climax). I was also caught up with the characters much more emotionally in this book and thought that I was feeling for the Bonehunters what I was supposed to feel for the Bridgeburners in previous books (I liked most of the Bridgeburners as characters--I just didn't feel like I was as upset as the author seemed to want when many of the died and they were disbanded). With the Empress' betrayal of the 14th and the Wickans, however, and the slow, reluctant acceptance of Tavore by the group, Erikson really managed to capture me. I still find that there is a little too much going on, and am getting a little annoyed with Iskaral Pust as a character and like the Icarium storyline less without Mappo with him. Other than those complaints and the continued unwieldiness of the amount of characters, continents, and storylines I may have bumped this up to 5 stars.