Reaper's Gale continues that proud MBOTF traditional of introducing new characters, developing them into complex and fully believable people and seamlessly connecting them to the existing characters.Redmask is such a character, who has come to unite the Awl and lead them against the Letherii, aided by two K'Chain Che'Malle Kell hunters. Other tribes are preparing for war against the Lether empire, which is teetering under the misguided rule of the Tiste Edur, as the increasingly insane Emperor Rhulad slaughters champion after foreign champion as he seeks out deaths in battle and malignantly prodded by his untrustworthy chancellor.Among these champions are Icarium and Karsa Orlong, who are analogous to the Hulk and the Terminator. A simmering tension is kept throughout this plotline, as it soon becomes clear that Karsa Orlong desires to test himself against Icarium rather than the emperor, but bides his time for reasons known only to himself.Toc the Younger reappears for the first time since Memories of Ice, now a prisoner ho knows far more than his captors. So too do the Bonehunters arrive, answering the crimes of the Edur rather than rebel against the Empress, and this has to be my favourite plotline in the book, as the Malazan marines go to war in the way that only they know how, only to learn that they may not have been correct in who was subjugated by whom. This can sometimes get confusing, with 72 named marines in the book, but many of them are old favourites, such as Fiddler, the ever-drunk Hellian, Gesler, Stormy, Bottle, Smiles, Deadsmell, Quick Ben and many more.Hood himself, the titular character, does in fact not make an appearance, although his influence is felt everywhere.This is certainly one of the stronger books in the series, although really such a statement is meaningless as every book in this series is fantastic, and the only one that didn't stand out to me as a strong entry was Midnight Tides.As ever, Erikson's greatest strength is his ability to build such a richly detailed, complex world, with equally complex characters inhabiting it, and weave them together with such subtlety as to leave you standing (or sitting) in awe as you are compelled to turn page after page until the early hours of the morning. But hey, sleep is for the weak.