So i have completed my re-read and i have thoughts.
1. The Cannibal Rape Holocaust is better upon a re-read. But its hard to tease out exactly why. I think i appreciate it more, full stop. I also think that i wasnt impatient to get to the part of the book where, you know, maybe the Unholy Consult gets the detailed treatment many of us assumed it would. Since that obviously didnt happen i was better able to just carefully read the CRH and appreciate it for what it is. Its still too large a portion of the book but since the book is what it is i know longer hate it and take it on its own terms
2. There are still a whole lot of Chekhov's Guns laying around. My initial criticisms of RSB stand in regards to Akka and Mimara going for a fucking 4 book walkabout and do a grand total of jack shit. That doesnt mean that i dont hold much love for both of them, i do, however, their integration into TUC was a whole lot of sound & fury signifying nothing.
3. The title should be changed to: The Horns of Golgotterath - sure, the boards had guessed about the Dunsult twist but obviously no one knew. What was in actual evidence was that the most devious and evil minds of inchies/non-man/man were still the Unholy Consult. I think the title vs. the actual substance of the book is a cheap 3 card monty type of subterfuge. At least we have The False Sun and ill consider that my go to for cool Unholy Consult pov and background. The ppl on this board and others around the 'net are by definition a very small subset of RSBs very small fan base - how many ppl have actually read and discussed TFS? probably not many in the grand scheme of things. This title sucked.
4. Has anyone figured out wtf RSB was referring to when he talked about everyone missing something important? Dear RSB, if everyone is missing it the fault is with you, not the reader. RSB is very glib when pushing back on the readers and while i am 100% fine with ambiguity (as previously stated i loved the ending of TTT for example, or the pulling of Serwe's heart, etc etc) but when everyone is fucking clueless than perhaps pull back a bit on your glibness and spell some shit out and please spare me the sanctimonious crap regarding how the people who dont get it are actually the ones who get it the most of all. That the sort of BS i expect out of upper mngt trying to pull a TED talk out of their ass while they are announcing layoffs.
5. Because i dont have TGO near me i have a quick question that i just cannot recall the answer to. At the end of TGO when future/current/always No-God Kel interrupts the Narindar creeping up on Kellhus, which god does that WLW belong to? Yatwer, Ajokli, Momas? I just cant recall.
Anyways, upon review, i like TUC (HOG) better than before but i am still moderately unsatisfied. Meh.