I was filled with glee when I got my advance readers copy of Bloodhound. I tore my way through Terrier as quickly as possible (and I’m glad I did), before I started on Bloodhound as soon as I was able.Whilst waiting for Bloodhound to come out (and it has been a long wait) I would eagerly read all the news from Tammy about the progression of the book. I was a little dismayed to learn that Beka would be out of Corus and in Port Caynn, therefore away from all of those much loved characters from Terrier – Aniki, Kora, Rosto, Ersken, Tansy and et cetera. I also learned, while she would still be with Goodwin, Tunstall would be out of the picture with broken legs! However, it turns out (as it usually does), that my fears were unfounded and what I think sounds odd in summary turns out to be grand in actuality. Bloodhound takes place sixteen months after Terrier, and the action happens over the course of (almost) three weeks. The book builds on what Terrier established. There are new words introduced into the language (one reason why re-reading Terrier before Bloodhound is such a good idea) as well as an expansion of Dog methodology. Bloodhound is one long hunt to resolve the issue of coles being filtered into the money stream, which are raising the prices of food and causing civil panic. There are some sterling action sequences in Bloodhound, making me feel like I was actually part of the riots and chases and also making me feel that poor Beka must have had some terrible hand cramps after her long stretches of diary and report writing! There is also significant time spent in Corus before the adventures ‘round Port Caynn begin, giving some quality moments with all of the well loved characters before we meet the new folk. Yes, the old faithful were keenly missed at some moments during Bloodhound, but this is good for both Beka and the reader (but mostly Beka, as we are selfish readers who want things Our Way!). We are introduced to a vast quantity of new characters, mostly in Port Caynn but some in Corus too. The most notable addition is Atchoo, the scent hound who was mentioned in Terrier takes a leading role here (and once you read the book you will understand why the cover was changed to focus on her and leaves Pounce out). Atchoo is a fantastic partner for Beka, who adds to Beka’s skills set and resources as well as being a loyal and lovable companion (in the way that dogs are). Another of our new characters is Dale Rowan, a clever and likable cove who captures Beka’s affections and won over me too! Other new characters include the Port Caynn Rouge, her Rats and Port Caynn Dogs. As with Terrier, there are familiar family names in Bloodhound – watch out for a member of one particularly famous family who proves that insanity really did run in the family! I suspect that the majority of these characters we will never see again, but it’d be a crying shame if we didn’t see a few back in ‘Mastiff’ – or at the very least a mention of what they’ve been up to. There are further explorations into things that have previously been touched on in the Tortall universe books – the female warriors of the temple of the Great Mother are featured in Bloodhound somewhat, providing welcome detail into something that was merely mentioned in passing in ‘Song of the Lioness’. The Dancing Dove is introduced, and I was pleased to note that the reasons behind its name have changed since the preview in the back of Terrier. Also, if anyone was still in any doubt, Pounce’s identity is confirmed once and for all. Beka’s magic also gets further explanation, which is welcome, and ties her to a particular god as she experiments with methods of using her magic. Her understanding and implementation of her magic is markedly improved from what it was in Terrier. It is these touches that make the book so vivid. They are woven into the story in such a way that they are part of the tapestry for the book itself and the larger Tortallan history. For those of us who are Tammy devotees this is an absolute delight and will enrich your knowledge of the Tortall world.It was a hard trial to put the book down every time I had to, and once I got into the final stretch I simply could not put it down until I was finished. The plot is set up in such a way that it’s fairly obvious early on who is behind the cole-mongering. However, Tammy throws in something she’s become rather good at – making you feel that sense of empathy for the characters behind the very thing that Beka is racing to put a stop to. You don’t want it to be them, you want to be proven wrong and at the final turn you can understand why they took the actions they took, but you really wished they hadn’t. There is a rich layering of detail that makes such a complex plot believable. Beka makes mistakes during the book (at one point I wanted to shake her for forgetting something); she also does remarkably astounding things too (she spends a lot of time traipsing through sewers, which made my stomach turn). I was pleased to see that alongside her natural aptitude for Dogging she is still learning how to be a Dog, they ways of people and the ways of the world. It humanises and humbles her, and I felt that she learned a lot from her experiences, both professionally and personally. By the end of the book several things fall neatly into place – how Beka’s partner problem is solved and also the set up for explaining why Lady Knights (and more gender equality across the board) exists in Beka’s time yet the mentality has changed by the time Alanna disguises herself and turns Tortall on its head. This will, I expect, be explored in ‘Mastiff’. I’m very much looking forward to ‘Mastiff’ and the conclusion of the Legend of Beka Cooper, here’s to settling in for another Very Long Wait (although, mercifully, not as long as that between Terrier and Bloodhound)!
My Response: It’s not easy to find the excitement in counterfeiting, but Pierce puts forth an admirable effort that pays off in the long run. The gradual yet uncontrollable effect that the coles (counterfeit coins) have on the Tortallan economy, beginning in the poorest neighborhoods and spreading outward, is truly horrifying, and Pierce does a good job of making the stakes understandable. Her cast of supporting characters is lively, and her descriptions of the Port Caynn docks, gambling dens, and eating houses are alternately gritty and fun.Oh, and the punishment for colemongering? Death by boiled oil? No, thank you!That said, there’s less narrative tension here than in earlier Tortall books, mostly because the main antagonist is revealed early and obviously. Add to this the absence of Tunstall and Pounce, whose wit and snark are needed to balance Beka’s serious approach to nearly everything she does, and it’s not surprising how noticeable Bloodhound’s significant length (560pp.) is throughout. More than once, I checked my progress only to think, Whoa. I have that much left?Beka’s partnership with the scent-hound Achoo is cute, as well as typical—most of Pierce’s heroines bond at least as easily with animals as they do with humans—and the dog clearly has her part to play in the resolution of the story. However, even for a dog, she’s underdeveloped, and I couldn’t help but think she’d been brought in to haplessly tug our heartstrings first, move the story along second.Though it doesn’t rank among my all-time favorite Tamora Pierce books, Bloodhound is a definite improvement over Terrier, which left little to no impression on me when I first read it in 2006. The first-person narrative feels less contrived, and Beka’s voice more fully realized, which I assume is due to Pierce herself growing more comfortable with the style. As a result, Beka’s growth and maturation from Puppy to Dog is that much more believable.From what I’ve read on Goodreads, there’s been some negative response to Beka’s sexual activity, to which I say, Get over it. Teenagers have sex, and not always as responsibly as 17-year-old Beka—to be honest, one of my favorite moments of the entire story is her shy visit to the Healer’s to purchase a pregnancy charm, because let’s be honest: we’ve all been there, in one way or another. I might not rush to give this book to, say, a 10-year-old with limited understanding of life and relationships, but I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to readers in their mid-teens who almost assuredly know what sex is.As for Okha Soyan/Amber Orchid: transgendered people exist, and the more honestly we portray the world and its people in books for young adults, the better for us all, so again, Get over it. Frankly, I’m surprised and a little disappointed that it took Pierce as long as it did to explicitly write queer characters into the Tortall universe.My Recommendation: Long-time fans of Tamora Pierce are unlikely to be significantly disappointed, especially with so many nods to names and places that have appeared in the past (future). I myself flailed with happiness upon learning the origin of The Dancing Dove’s name.However, for readers new to Tortall, Beka’s story could be hit or miss. Those looking for a more typical fantasy heroine would be best served by starting with Alanna: The First Adventure (Song of the Lioness #1), or possibly First Test (Protector of the Small #1) (though I hate to recommend books out of order).On the other hand, those who love detective stories (Veronica Mars, Law & Order, etc.) will likely enjoy reading a YA novel that features a quieter, more cerebral heroine, one who cares less for glory and more for simply getting the job done, one day and one clue at a time.
What do You think about Bloodhound (2009)?
If, like me, you're planning on reading this second installment without having re-read Terrier since it was first released... don't. Bloodhound relies too much on the knowledge you gleaned from the first book for it to be enjoyed purely of its own accord. I found myself often confused, especially as regards to characters and Beka's job routines, although once she had moved to another city on a special mission, where there were new things to discover and new characters to meet (rather than struggling to remember exactly who 'Tansy' was), it got easier.Gripes: The constant 'thieve's cant' - men aren't called men, they're called 'coves'. Women are called 'mots'. Prostitutes and general tarts are called 'doxies'. Small girls are called 'gixies'. It's enough to drive one MAD! Occasionally slipping in one of these terms would be fine, but every single time? Ridiculous. (Also Beka always referring to her breasts as 'peaches' was just off-putting)Gripe about Tamora Pierce in general: I feel that Pierce's books are not the kind of YA that you can continue enjoying into adulthood. Which is a pity. I read her series about Alana and her Realms of the Gods series multiple times when I was younger, and thought them the best books ever. Then I tried to read them again at about 17 or so, only to become cruelly disillusioned. I should really stop trying. It is also a tendency of hers to have really tough, strong, fighting women in all her books, and after one or two (or three or four) it gets a little tiring.
—Josie
Uhhhh..... What should I say? I loved it and didn't at the same time. Does that make any sense? I'll have to explain myself.We get to see the same great action sequences and heart that Beka has. Though we only stay in Corus for probably a fourth of the book and I thought the change of scenery did the series good. There is a trickle of new characters that come in. The most notable her new dog, Achoo. This comedian of a dog really made you love dogs even more. Ok what I didn't like. I'm pretty sure people thought the romance that Beka has in the story was done well, but it actually bothered me. I just knew how everything was gonna turn out, and for some reason for Beka's character I didn't think she would have let herself be so vulnerable. Then again I guess Pierce thought that it was time Beka did something other than Dog work. All I'm saying is that I think it could have been done differently or with another character. This one isn't as climactic as the first one. You know early on who is doing what and the reason given of why they did it (in my opinion) was weak. The book I think could have been 100 pages shorter. It's not that it dragged it just seemed that some of the plot that was put in there was unnecessary.Through all of that though I did really enjoy the last fourth of the book. This is where of course all the high action is and we see Beka at her best. I thought the ending left the series in a good place, and has me eagerly anticipating Mastiff.
—Cara
I've been waiting for this book for three years. I loved Terrier--the first book in Tamora Pierce's Beka Cooper trilogy and I looked forward to spending more time in her company. I've been a Pierce fan for a long time now and with this series it was literally like coming home being back in Corus, the capital of Tortall. It was also a nice change of pace to have the story set a few hundred years before Alanna's time, and revolve firmly around the lower classes. Unlike Alanna's day, Beka's Tortall is a place where lady knights roam the countryside freely and girls can grow up to be part of the city guard if they want. That is exactly what Beka's alwasy wanted and, thanks to the Lord Provost's benevolence, she's able to escape the city slums and help support her mother and siblings on a Dog's salary.In BLOODHOUND Beka finds herself typically partnerless. When one of the senior Dogs is laid up after a riot, Beka is temporarily partnered with her idol Goodwin and the two of them are sent to Port Caynn to run down the source behind a forgery ring that's been pouring silver plated copper "coles" into circulation throughout the realm. Transplanted out of her natural habitat, Beka is literally forced to step far, far outside her comfort zone in order to pass herself off as a flighty Dog who slides by on others' coattails and uses her womanly wiles to take credit for others' successes. Pretty much the polar opposite of her reserved, forthright, and honor-bound self. Going about her task with her standard single-mindedness, she doesn't expect to meet a young gambler who takes a romantic interest in her. She doesn't expect a mad Rogue who lets her people suffer and spends their takings. And she doesn't expect to be left alone.BLOODHOUND weighs in at over 550 pages and the entire story is told through Beka's painstaking journal entries. This is a very interesting installment and not at all what I was expecting. The majority of the story simply follows Beka's daily movements as she prowls through Port Caynn, inserts herself into the underworld, and struggles with her growing isolation and strong need for companionship despite her at times overwhelming natural reticence. I missed Beka's circle of friends at home in Corus as they were absent the majority of the time. I missed Rosto and his prickly friendship with Beka, the way they stretch and counter each other. I found myself painfully uneasy as I watched Beka grow closer to the gambler/bank messenger Dale Rowan. In fact, I longed to step in and help Beka throughout this book. She is an amazingly strong character and I love her. I just wish she didn't have to stumble and fall sometimes. And I wish she didn't have to experience some of the pain she did. She deserves better and she can't seem to see a few very important things. At the same time I can be grown up about these things (honest I can) and recognize they were necessary and be okay with that. I am so very excited to read the third and final book in the trilogy--MASTIFF--due out sometime next year. Knock on wood.
—Angie
