The Darkness That Comes Before (The Prince of Nothing, #1)

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The Darkness That Comes Before (The Prince of Nothing #1)

3.75 of 5 stars 3.75 · rating details · 5,962 ratings · 347 reviews

Strikingly original in its conception, ambitious in scope, with characters engrossingly and vividly drawn, the first book in R. Scott Bakker’s The Prince of Nothing series creates a remarkable world from whole cloth—its language and classes of people, its cities, religions, mysteries, taboos, and rituals—the kind of all-embracing universe that calls up comparison to the wo...more

Mass Market Paperback, 638 pages

Published June 2005 by Orbit (first published April 15th 2003)

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Apr 20, 2012 Elspeth rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: imho

I never finished this book, actually I never finished the first chapter.

I couldn't read this book it was like the author grabbed a thesaurus and picked out vocabulary that would have even made Jerome Shostak have to look it up!
It made me hate the author...it felt arrogant, high handed and pissed me off.

*shivers*

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Oct 19, 2012 Harold Ogle rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Its jacket covered with hyperbolic praise, this book intrigued me enough that I borrowed it from our local library. Reviewers compare it, ecstatically, to both the Song of Ice and Fire and the Lord of the Rings, though in some measure surpassing both of them. Well, comparisons to LotR are de rigeur for any fantasy novel wanting to be taken seriously. But why compare this to GRR Martin's series? For the first hundred pages, the comparison seems nonsensical. But then it starts to make a twisted se...more Its jacket covered with hyperbolic praise, this book intrigued me enough that I borrowed it from our local library. Reviewers compare it, ecstatically, to both the Song of Ice and Fire and the Lord of the Rings, though in some measure surpassing both of them. Well, comparisons to LotR are de rigeur for any fantasy novel wanting to be taken seriously. But why compare this to GRR Martin's series? For the first hundred pages, the comparison seems nonsensical. But then it starts to make a twisted sense. "The Darkness that Comes Before" tries to take aspects of "The Song of Ice and Fire" - in large part, many of the more unpleasant aspects - and surpass them. The book follows multiple characters, but it doesn't follow the clear delineation by chapter break that GRRM does - it's like an MTV jump-cut version of character POV, as Bakker switches without warning between characters from one section to the next. Thankfully, much of the time which character is speaking can be inferred by the context of the location/setting. Sadly, each of the characters is reprehensible, as if "The Song of Ice and Fire" had been rewritten with only Lannister characters (excluding Tyrion - he's too sympathetic).

Worst of all is the series' titular character, Anasurimbor Kellhus, later jokingly called "the Prince of Nothing", who is such an unabashed villain that I spent most of the novel building up a crazy hope that the author was going to kill off the character in a suitably nasty way. As a result, the most sympathetic, relatable character is the insane barbarian Cnaiur, who, while being a horrible piece of work himself, earns the gratitude of the readers by being the only character to recognize what an inhuman monster Kellhus is. By the end of the novel, if you're like me you'll be rooting for Cnaiur to get the better of Kellhus and save the world from his madness.

The setting is an interesting one: magic is a taint that manifests itself in random individuals, who are then found and trained by one of the many Schools of magic. Such sorcerers are tremendously feared by everyone else, for their completely out-of-reason powers to destroy multitudes. Between the Schools there exists great rivalry and political machination. Getting the least respect is the Mandate School, so called because their first grandmaster, at the end of his life of fighting the inhuman monsters called the Consult, cast a spell on his deathbed so that everyone indoctrinated to the School would dream the grandmaster's life at night as if it were his own. When the story begins, more than 2,000 years after the death of the grandmaster, the threat of the Consult is real and present to everyone in the Mandate, but to everyone else the sorcerers are cranks and lunatics (though still possessed of dread arcane powers), fearing what they believe to be the imaginary "threat" of the Consult. All pretty compelling, but the problem lies in the main character, who is a monk descendant of the grandmaster's first liege lord. The monks have isolated themselves for the last few millennia in the far north, studying the Logos. The Logos is a logic based on the premise that everyone's actions are predetermined by what has happened previously (hence, the "darkness that comes before"), and that by completely owning and occupying one's powerlessness over events one actually gains the ability to effortlessly predict and manipulate events. For the whole novel we see Kellhus wandering the earth, manipulating and charming everyone to his own inscrutable ends, with a contempt for everyone else's lack of awareness of Reality. He's like an evil robot, undefeatable in battle, wits, love and hate. It may be that we are meant to like the character, but I doubt it, as he has no endearing qualities.

The quality of the writing - the syntax, word choice, how phrases are formed - is good, but the characters are all so base this is a hard book to read. I will likely read the second book, though, just for the chance that someone, somewhere, will enact revenge on Kellhus for his crimes against, well, everyone.(less)

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Sep 20, 2012 Mark Lawrence rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Found this in the parents' room at the hospital.

So I've seen a lot of Bakker-talk online and you'd think to read it that the man was either the devil incarnate or a seven-fold genius come to show the true way. A phrase I'm used to hearing is 'marmite book', another is 'you'll either love it or hate it - there's no in between'. All as much bollocks here of course as when applied to my own work. A simple click of the ratings button shows a vast number of in betweens. In fact most people are in bet...more Found this in the parents' room at the hospital.

So I've seen a lot of Bakker-talk online and you'd think to read it that the man was either the devil incarnate or a seven-fold genius come to show the true way. A phrase I'm used to hearing is 'marmite book', another is 'you'll either love it or hate it - there's no in between'. All as much bollocks here of course as when applied to my own work. A simple click of the ratings button shows a vast number of in betweens. In fact most people are in between the 5* and the 1* on this book (as on mine). Most people give it 4*, 1* is the least popular rating.

There are plenty of good things to say about the book.

I've heard it comprises 'dense philosophy'. To my mind that would make an awful work of fiction. I've read philosophy text-books, and the fiction of Satre, De Beauvoir, and others. This is nothing like that. This is a fantasy story with a complex plot and plenty of action. Yes there's a little more introspection than typical for the genre. But philosophy? Very little. Bakker wisely opts for aphorisms and a measure of psychology to scatter around and create the ambiance.

The prose is powerful (can be long winded in places), there an abundance of cleverness and insight on offer, the much talked of darkness of the book didn't strike me as particularly dark at all.

At the end of the book the threads converge and a pretty decent 'climax' is delivered, ending without a cliff hanger and with a (for me) mild impetus to continue.

The intricacy of the many part plot ... well, I admired it but I can't say it really did it for me. I guess it's a ton of material for the epic side of epic fantasy to play with over the course of the next however many books. I perhaps wanted more focus and more character-time.

There's great imagination here and Khellus' methods are a fresh and entertaining idea. All that really pushed this a touch below 4* for me was the fact that the whole book lacked the emotional content I enjoy. I don't need nice characters. I don't need to cheer their every move. And Bakker's character list certainly includes interesting characters - which is great. But I never really felt emotionally involved and that blunted my enjoyment.

The Mandate Schoolman was the most involving character for me, then Esmenet.

In short then, a book with depth, complexity, written with skill, and well worth a look. Personally I wasn't as swept up and held by it as I had hoped to be, but your mileage may well vary!

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Apr 06, 2012 Justin Evans rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

Ha! I love the reviews for this book. If you're older than 14, and have ever read anything the cover of which does *not* feature embossed gold lettering and a fire-breathing dragon Goddess, you love it. People who don't understand the 'show' vs 'tell' distinction but use it anyway, people who have the vocabulary of a 12 year old, and people who are unwilling to put in any effort whatsoever hate it. I don't read much fantasy, just because I can't take much description in prose, let alone the stil...more

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Jan 28, 2008 Heinleinfan rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a disappointment. I generally like epic fantasy, but this author is convinced that having absolutely no exposition is perfectly okay when creating a world. It's not. If there are 8 different countries and nationalities, a few nobles, a few peasants, 12 different factions within each nationality, 5 different schools of magic, 3 different major religious beliefs, some humans, some not humans (maybe?) and all these things are named with the most un-familiar sounding tripe names you can ima...more

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Jan 11, 2013 Belen Schneider rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review is more of an overall primer to the series, and less of a book-specific review. - but I feel like some folks might need a little initial encouragement :)

I've read a fair amount of fantasy fiction, and what I find most compelling in a book is strong character development and witty banter. This book took everything I had to get through the first 4-5 chapters...but it was well worth the tenacity.

Why was it such a slow start for me? Bakker has obviously put an enormous amount of effort i...more This review is more of an overall primer to the series, and less of a book-specific review. - but I feel like some folks might need a little initial encouragement :)

I've read a fair amount of fantasy fiction, and what I find most compelling in a book is strong character development and witty banter. This book took everything I had to get through the first 4-5 chapters...but it was well worth the tenacity.

Why was it such a slow start for me? Bakker has obviously put an enormous amount of effort into his world-building, and it is certainly Tolkien-esque in that arena (but much darker and grittier). He spends a lot of time establishing that baseline, and it's rather slow going at first. Also, my husband and I were reading it out loud to each other, and the people and place names are a mouthful, which added to the initial awkwardness.

However, once a couple of the characters climb out from under the immensity of his descriptions, I felt like the book exploded to life.

What I liked best:

Command of Language - Bakker chooses words that both perplex and enlighten. Initially, I would re-read sentences simply because the descriptions were so unusual. His choice of adjectives and adverbs often feel like strangers to their neighbor nouns and verbs...until you see them together and think - yes...that's perfect. In the months I have been reading his first trilogy, I find Bakker's writing style has raised my bar for descriptive prose - I want his more creative approach.

Depth of Characters - They are like onions with no end to the layers. Many of the characters begin disturbingly flat (which also made the beginning very hard), and slowly develop into wonderfully complex characters...with no one being purely good or purely evil. They are compelling, funny, heartbreaking...and they constantly evolve over the books.

Intriguing Plot - This is really not a read-once series. Even reading the books in the first trilogy back to back, I found the summaries at the beginning of each incredibly helpful in solidifying my understanding of the various threads that are being woven. The magic is bordering on simply an advanced application of futuristic science (which is an nice twist), the ancient "evil" forces implicate alien beings (which is intriguing), and the concept of the race bred from the Anasurimbor line is terrifying and mesmerizing.
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Feb 16, 2013 Althea Ann rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

2/13 - I'm currently on page 216 and it doesn't seem to be "getting better" yet. It's not the verbosity that's bothering me, it's the utter lack of characterization, combined with the lack of visuals. I feel like I can neither 'see' nor 'know' any of these characters. They're simply ciphers moving about. Not only that - this is not one of my usual things to complain about, but out of a Cast Of Thousands, literally 3 women have appeared 'on-screen.' Two are literally whores, and the third is a ha...more 2/13 - I'm currently on page 216 and it doesn't seem to be "getting better" yet. It's not the verbosity that's bothering me, it's the utter lack of characterization, combined with the lack of visuals. I feel like I can neither 'see' nor 'know' any of these characters. They're simply ciphers moving about. Not only that - this is not one of my usual things to complain about, but out of a Cast Of Thousands, literally 3 women have appeared 'on-screen.' Two are literally whores, and the third is a harridan who is described as 'whorish.' I don't have a problem with reading about misogynistic societies, but it almost seems like women here simply don't exist!

2/14 - I nearly, nearly gave up on reading this last night, but decided to plow through just so I don't get castigated by the fanboys for reviewing a book I didn't finish. Now on page 432. Starting with Part 3, the book has improved a bit. The writing has become a bit smoother, some characters have begun to emerge, and a couple of women even get to have a POV. This was the author's first book, and I feel like I'm almost seeing him learn how to write fiction as I read. (I'm sure he's written plenty of academic papers; he definitely has a command of English - I'm actually pretty impressed that I'm reading an unrevised proof, and there's only been one typo so far ["sneak peak" instead of "sneak peek."] Not bad.) I'm still not won over; I feel like the first third of the book needs a serious revision/edit, but my current opinion is upgraded from one to two stars.

2/16 - Finished it yesterday. As I expected, it doesn't end on any sort of note of resolution; and I'm not feeling that motivated to go pick up the next volume. The various factions of military, magical and political forces in this vaguely-Babylonian world can go philosophize about their Holy War without me.

Incidentally, I noted that among the gushing praises on the back of this book are recommendations from both Steven Erikson and John Marco. I've tried both of those authors: John Marco was a did-not-finish, and Steven Erikson was a this-is-not-for-me. I actually find the quality and style of writing here to be similar to Erikson, and I would say I didn't like it for similar reasons. If you love Erikson (which many people do) you may very well like this series. But my final rating is hovering around one-and-a-half stars.(less)

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May 12, 2011 Paul Stotts rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

There are very few books that are as ambitious as R. Scott Bakker's "The Darkness That Comes Before". Most authors would never attempt to create such a vast world with a deeply encompassing and vital intellectual history, and disparate races that have varying philosophical viewpoints and ways of perceiving the world. This novel, while a putative fantasy, is so remarkably well-conceived and executed that it feels more like a historical recollection of a lost world. In fact, Bakker liberally uses...more There are very few books that are as ambitious as R. Scott Bakker's "The Darkness That Comes Before". Most authors would never attempt to create such a vast world with a deeply encompassing and vital intellectual history, and disparate races that have varying philosophical viewpoints and ways of perceiving the world. This novel, while a putative fantasy, is so remarkably well-conceived and executed that it feels more like a historical recollection of a lost world. In fact, Bakker liberally uses real Western civilization history and philosophy (with some aspects of Middle Eastern thought) and reshapes it especially for his world. The result is an absolutely brilliant fantasy novel that elevates the entire genre to a new level.

First, I will admit to being bias toward Bakker's novel. I studied philosophy both as an undergraduate and graduate student, so there is much here I recognize and appreciate from my studies. Let's just say, the complexity of Bakker's work is suited to my kind of academic geek, one who is deeply fascinated in the "why" of things, events and history. One who may be interested in Bakker's concept of the darkness that comes before, and what events result from that state of pre-rationality.

The novel is segmented into parts, each one following a different character and setting the scene for the second volume in the trilogy. Drusas Achamian is a Mandate sorcerer, plagued by the terrible and bloody dreams of his long dead predecessor. It is the Mandate school's mission to fight against the mysterious Consult, an organization whose existence has not been seen in decades. Achamian is commanded to uncover information about the plans of Maithanet, the Shriah of The Thousand Temples, the major religion of the region. Maithanet has recently declared the formation of a Holy War, a war that will take back the holy land of Shimeh. What Achamian discovers is a mystery that is potentially at the heart of this newly-declared Holy War.

Cnaiur is a Scylvendi barbarian, a survivor of the tremendous military defeat of his people at the hands of the martial prodigy, Ikurei Conphas. Soon, he meets Anasurimbor Kellhus, the son of Anasurimbor Moenghus, a man who, in the past, lead Cnaiur to terrible actions against his father that still torture his soul. Cnaiur and Kellhus make their way to Momemn to join the forces gathering for the Holy War, both with the agenda of finding Anasurimbor Moenghus.

Bakker writes with a depth to his characterization that is staggering. His characters are as complete intellectually, emotionally, and philosophically as you could possibly imagine. The world-building is unbelievable, as each region and race have their own history, reasoning, and stance to the events that unfold during the course of the novel. It is rather overwhelming and requires a great effort from the reader, but in the end, the effort pays off with a truly amazing fantasy experience.

It should be pointed out the majority of the novel is centered on setting the scene for the rest of the trilogy, to situate the reader in this finely imagined world. This setting up is, in a sense, the darkness that comes before, a pre-history that will be necessary to fully comprehend that which follows in the next two volumes. If R. Scott Bakker's "The Darkness That Comes Before" is any indication, what follows may be the greatest fantasy trilogy ever.

Last Word:
An amazing experience that will challenge for one of the greatest fantasy novels ever released. Bakker creates an incredible world, and populates it full of characters with such reality and intellectual history as to be staggeringly fascinating. This is absolutely must read fantasy literature.
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Jan 20, 2008 St-Michel rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008, own

After reading up on this series, I had really high hopes going into it - looking for something that would really revolutionize the fantasy genre. Boy, was I ever disappointed...and I mean really disappointed.

The book started off great, which lead me to believe that it was truly going to live up to the reviews I've read. Well, as soon as the introduction came to a close, this thing just began to droll on and on at such a tediously slow pace. This book just bored the hell out of me. It seemed to f...more After reading up on this series, I had really high hopes going into it - looking for something that would really revolutionize the fantasy genre. Boy, was I ever disappointed...and I mean really disappointed.

The book started off great, which lead me to believe that it was truly going to live up to the reviews I've read. Well, as soon as the introduction came to a close, this thing just began to droll on and on at such a tediously slow pace. This book just bored the hell out of me. It seemed to fall into a predictable pattern of long, drawn out conversations which inevitably would lead to a pivotal climax, only to break right before said climax; suddenly jumping to other matters which would only restart the cyclic dribble.

Now, it wasn't all boring, it did have its scenes that drove me to exclaim "Finally!" thinking that I just needed to get through the languid marsh that was first presented before I actually got to the "real deal" that seems to be an unfortunate device used in so many other books (though not on purpose of course, or so I hope). Nope, as soon as it got good, it would quickly flip back into its usual slow-paced boredom.

About halfway through, I almost didn't even bother with finishing and let it sit for two or three weeks before I finally came back to it. I kept saying to myself, "It's gonna get better." Oh, if only it did. I really don't know if I'm going to bother with the rest of the series. I mean, I really wanted to like this book - I had read so many good things about it. I wish I could have liked this book, but in the end, I really didn't care for it.

Despite it all, the scenes that perked my interest perked it enough that this book could have squeaked by with a 3 star rating, but...then we come to my biggest issue that I have with Bakker: his writing style. Good God!! Now I'm all for against-the-grain writing styles but with what appears to be a 10 to 1 ratio of fragments to sentences, this book was driving me nuts. If he could have just turned half of those periods into commas or semi-colons, maybe I could have given this book 3 stars.

In the end: I deem it yet another fantasy book to steer clear of. But then, perhaps the other two books in the series are better and pick up the pace - at least, that's what I've read to be the case. But I don't know, the way this book was, if I do choose to continue this series, it's going to be a long long time before I ever bother picking up anything by this author again.(less)

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Sep 09, 2007 KJ rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I can't decide how I feel about this book. Well-written, engaging characters, a fantasy world with enough differences from the norm that I felt like I was discovering something new and interesting. I picked it up from the shelf in the bookstore because the recommendation card said "Fans of George R.R. Martin and Guy Gavriel Kay will love it!", and I certainly see where they're coming from with that. This is the first book in a (complete! hooray!) trilogy, and I'm sufficiently engaged that I'm wo...more

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Jul 06, 2012 Neil Pearson rated it 5 of 5 stars

One of the most polished starts to a fantasy series I have read, Bakker uses excellent characterisation to ensure the backdrop of a second apocalypse is the culmination of the hopes and fears of dozens of central characters as opposed to said apocalypse being the driving force for said characterisation. The approach is definitely a more mature one and many characters are reprehensible and uncompromising, yet Bakker makes them likeable by showing that this is how his world operates.
If this is mer...more

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Jun 01, 2008 David Clark rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The first in a massively epic fantasy series based strongly on the Crusades and rooted in philosophical discourse and concept. This book is about the size of Jordan's Wheel of Time or Goodkind's horrid Wizard's First Rule, but it's actually good. A little slow to really start moving, but the world is so originally constructed and richly detailed, and the writing is such a relief (not brilliant but certainly very good) that the starting speed can be forgiven. There are many "main" characters and...more

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Feb 15, 2008 Curtis rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This trilogy is really crazy interesting. My friends and I have a category of literature that I enjoy, basically calling it "Lit grad student masturbation" (e.g. Cloud Atlas, Infinte Jest). Although it's mainly used in the perjorative, it also describes incredibly accurately the writing style, very heady, involved, and vocab intense.

This is the first time I've encountered Philosophy grad student automanipulation, and it's enthralling, especially in the fantasy genre, where various philisophical...more

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Mar 07, 2009 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a very difficult book to begin reading. The first one hundred pages or so are filled with so many characters and plots and the setting up of a whole fantasy world that your brain swims in all of these details while trying to keep them together. The determined reader will be richly rewarded though by continuing through hundreds of pages over Bakker's next two books in the trilogy. I am completely at awe with his masterful interjection of philosophy, keen insights into human pysche and the...more

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Aug 18, 2011 Sean Lavelle rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 999, challenge, in, 2009, fantasy

The Darkness That Comes Before is the first book in the Prince of Nothing Trilogy. The great cities of the north were destroyed over two thousand years ago during the first Apocalypse. The north is nothing but a wasteland full of crumbling ruins, barbarians, the inhuman Sranc and the enigmatic NonMen. From this land a lone monk sets out on a journey to meet with his father in who had left the order 30 years before.[return][return]As always, discovery is one of the most enjoyable features and the...more

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Mar 31, 2009 Sahil rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: best-of-the-best

Dark, powerful, and an excellent beginning to what I hope (and kind of expect)will be an excellent series.

The combination of philosophy and fantasy allows a breakthrough into a new dimension of both that allows a much deeper immersion into the book than with any traditional fantasy novel.

Although Achamian is the protagonist of the novel, one cannot help but be drawn to many of the other characters. Esmenet, for example, shows tremendous wisdom but is helpless because of her situations, fabricate...more

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Jan 04, 2009 D. Eric rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

This is actually a three/four star book--see my review following:

The first book of "The Prince of Nothing" trilogy, "The Darkness that Comes Before" is a fantasy take on the Crusades, though set in a fantasy world all its own. It is a bit tough to follow sometimes, mainly because of all the foreign names of people, places, and religions/schools of magic. In fact, if you have the opportunity, it would help to read the first page and a quarter of "What Has Gone Before" from "The Warrior Prophet,"...more

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May 16, 2013 Ryan Groesbeck rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved the complex plotting here, with the sinister hidden evil manipulating things behind the scenes. Everyone's got an agenda, and how those agendas overlap and interfere with each other is fascinating reading. That would be 5 stars.

I cannot forgive the female portrayal in this book though. It's not just that the only major female characters are whores (with a poorly-argued "exception" for the emperor's mother, who if she weren't noble-born, would be a shrewish, incestuous whore instead). Ot...more

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May 09, 2013 Shaun rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I hope that this review will appear early on in someones search for an honest opinion of this series. It is actually horrible. I am an avid reader of speculative fiction and love philosophical forays into deeper questions of existence. The Prince of Nothings series, however, fails miserably at constructing either a coherent story, a single likable character, philosophical significance, or even an enjoyable read.

The plot is mangled with endless references to other places and cultures that are nev...more I hope that this review will appear early on in someones search for an honest opinion of this series. It is actually horrible. I am an avid reader of speculative fiction and love philosophical forays into deeper questions of existence. The Prince of Nothings series, however, fails miserably at constructing either a coherent story, a single likable character, philosophical significance, or even an enjoyable read.

The plot is mangled with endless references to other places and cultures that are never explained through plot or exposition, leaving the reader to search the appendix for perspective. This works well in other series but in The Prince of Nothing it didn't take long to realize that I just didn't care who the Kuniuri were and just plod on. Also, many of what should be big payoff scenes were not cohesive in any way. In one scene, a character is described as pulling out their own heart but a few sentences later when they set it on fire it was actually someone else's, without a real believable way of how this was achieved. There are literally too many of these disappointments to list.

Next, is the abysmal characterizations. There is rarely ever a believable motivation for any action in the entire series unless it could be that the characters are actually as empty as they feel. One character actually travels an incredible distance (some of it with bare feet after their shoes wear out) just to get to someone they may or may not love, then when they finally see them they actually leave and go whore themselves to a whole camp full of soldiers. Really!!!!! And the sex scenes (of which there many) aren't even any good. I found myself often trying to figure out "why did they do that?" then realizing I flat out didn't care. There was not one single redeemable character that I could feel anything about whatsoever. If the author had developed despicable characters that were interesting or clever I could have enjoyed hating them, but in the end ... Nothing.

Lastly, and most irritatingly, is how this series is somehow touted as an intellectually stimulating or philosophical work. That is just complete B.S. The attempts at deep truths about humanity fail so miserably that it almost made me angry at the pretense. The main character, Kellhus, (who also by-the-way is perfect at everything and can learn anything in the blink of an eye) can manipulate all human beings just because he understands what basically comes down to, wait for it, CAUSE AND EFFECT! BARF!!! All he has to do is spout any flowery cliche and every human tears up and worships his insightful wisdom becoming his puppets. The problem is that there are no arguments made here that feel in the slightest bit profound or even stirring.

If you like deep ideas but like it in the form of fiction instead of straight from the great body of purely philosophical works try Hermann Hesse's The Glass Bead Game(It won the Nobel Prize for Literature). It delivers. Or if you prefer complicated engrossing speculative fiction try Dune, Malazan Book of the Fallen, Song of Ice and Fire, Wheel of Time, or any of the several works by competent authors in this genre. I cannot, however, recommend any book in this series to anyone and, unfortunately, I read them all.

FINAL VERDICT: Complete waste of time, money, and paper.(less)

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Feb 19, 2013 Jared Logan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is first volume of an epic fantasy series that takes itself very seriously and packs in enough big ideas and style to get away with it. I really loved it.

Loosely based on the Crusades (very loosely), The Darkness That Comes Before takes place in the world of Earwä, in the region known as the Three Seas, where emperors and sorcerers politick and scheme against one another, deciding the fate of nations. A charismatic pope-type figure named Maithanet is uniting the various factions to embark o...more This is first volume of an epic fantasy series that takes itself very seriously and packs in enough big ideas and style to get away with it. I really loved it.

Loosely based on the Crusades (very loosely), The Darkness That Comes Before takes place in the world of Earwä, in the region known as the Three Seas, where emperors and sorcerers politick and scheme against one another, deciding the fate of nations. A charismatic pope-type figure named Maithanet is uniting the various factions to embark on a massive holy war, but there may be more to this Maithanet than at first meets the eye. And could the holy war itself be a smokescreen for something even larger and more terrible? Could this be the coming of the Second Apocalypse??!?!?

Yep, there's already been a FIRST apocalypse. It's hard to explain, but it's cool.

The characters are great. There's a middle-aged sorceror/spy who is haunted by dreams of a bygone age. He's in love with a prostitute who yearns for a life of adventure and intrigue. There's a barbarian warlord who hides a dark secret from his past. And then there's my favorite character, the wandering monk, Anasürimbor Kellhus, whose hyper-intellect allows him to predict a foe's (or ally's) every action or desire.

The bad guys are black-as-pitch super evil. The magic and supernatural elements are understated, well thought-out, creatively-presented. The world is three-dimensional and the author populates it with all those little details that make an exotic landscape come to life.

I'm very much looking forward to reading the next volume. My only criticism is that The Darknes That Comes Before is not an entire story unto itself. It is only part one of a trilogy. The first book was good enough to get me hungry for more and there are only three volumes in the series, so I'm in for the long haul. If this sounds like the kind of thing you like to read (and either it is or it isn't. most people shut down at the word 'fantasy') then I highly recommend checking it out.(less)

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Jan 29, 2013 Trevor Head rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Prince of Nothing is an amazing series. Its dark and epic and horrifying in a way that most fantasy isn't.
Bakker shows us a "dark lord" that gives you chills in a way Sauron never did.
That said, the series is also written at a very elevated level. Its dense. And its characters are interesting, but often not very likable.
I consider it an amazing series, and one of the best things being written today.
Name of the Wind, on the other hand, is the exact opposite of the Prince of Nothing in every p...more

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Jan 02, 2013 Onefinemess rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

by: R. Scott Bakker

Reading this book was like reading with a stone around my neck. It was heavy. Depressing. I just wanted to be done with it.

The world is kind of interesting... but so far devoid of anything "good" in the classical (or even a more modern) sense. Everyone is bad people, more or less. Although one is amoral and another supposed to be somewhat sympathetic. But UGH. So much filth.

And all the women are whores. Seriously. Ugh.

I'm not sure if I'll continue with this series or not. If i...more

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Jul 30, 2012 Marc rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: far-far-away

ENG (approximative translation - some spoilers about the world, though not about the plot)
This is R.S. Bakker's first volume of his first trilogy.

I am reading it in English, which is not too difficult if you're used to reading Tolkien. The influence of the English forefather may be found in that Bakker's imagination stems from D&D campaigns, where the gamemaster he used to be coined his own homemade world to better whatever you could find on the shelves of game shops - but for Dragonlance ma...more

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Jun 25, 2012 Ward Bond rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Product Description

Strikingly original in its conception, ambitious in scope, with characters engrossingly and vividly drawn, the first book in R. Scott Bakker's Prince of Nothing series creates a remarkable world from whole cloth—it's language and classes of people, its cities, religions, mysteries, taboos, and rituals—the kind of all-embracing universe that has thrilled readers of Stephen R Donaldson and George R.R. Martin.It's a world scarred by an acopalyptic past, evoking a time both two

...more

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Feb 18, 2012 Martin Davey rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It took me a long time to get into this book, I kept starting to read it and then finding something else to do and putting it aside for a week here, a week there. But the book kept calling to me: the beautiful cover, the great reviews, and once I got into the story I devoured it.

When I hear about the 'new wave' of fantasy writers, I never think R Scott Bakker gets the credit he should, always people talk about GRRM, Brandon Sanderson, Steven Errikson, but really what Bakker started here in many...more It took me a long time to get into this book, I kept starting to read it and then finding something else to do and putting it aside for a week here, a week there. But the book kept calling to me: the beautiful cover, the great reviews, and once I got into the story I devoured it.

When I hear about the 'new wave' of fantasy writers, I never think R Scott Bakker gets the credit he should, always people talk about GRRM, Brandon Sanderson, Steven Errikson, but really what Bakker started here in many ways is well above any of those authors. There's a cool, elegant intelligence to this story that is married perfectly in the character of Kellhus, a Dunyain monk who can manipulate people by subtle changes in expression and voice--the way Bakker shows us how Kellhus's mind works is one of the joys of the book. How does an author write the thought processes of a super-intelligent man? It must be a hard feat to pull off, but Bakker pretty much nails it here.

Kellhus is only the tip of the iceberg in a book that seethes with originality, no cod-medieval type world here, and while we do have an 'evil' element in this world, there is a pitch black sexuality about them that really made them fearsome and sickening and dangerous in a way I rarely feel while reading more traditional fantasy.

While the Dunyain are undoubtedly the star of the show (and the central story of Kellhus's search for his father is fascinating) all the characters around him are more compelling than many a main character in other fantasy books, Cnaiur, a chieftain who's battle of wits with Kellhus is both tragic and entrancing, and Drusas, a world-weary sorceror who alone knows the threat of the Consult, and then more that we meet along the way. In many ways the story is slow in this first volume, which could be why I had such trouble getting into it, but by the end the reader is desperate to read the next volume which is a tribute to how well Bakker portrays Kellhus--we know his power and his strength but watching him use his powers so subtly and cleverly is enough to lure any reader into this strange dark and dangerous world.

(less)

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Apr 08, 2011 Matthew rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: abandoned

The story is interesting enough so far. The writing is merely competent; it keeps the story going, and that's about it.

I am abandoning this series. The writing is all tell and little show. I appreciate that Bakker has developed, or perhaps over-developed, a huge backstory to all of this, but instead of allowing it to seep up into the triology, he bombards you with it from page one. Just flip through this book and look at how many proper nouns there are on each page. It is absurd. None of the inf...more

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Jan 20, 2011 Marri rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Bakker's fantasy world is rich with innovative detail, yet grounded by allusions to historical earth cultures which give the reader mental purchase without falling into tired old fantasy cliches.

This is fantasy at an epic scale, but thoroughly rooted in the characters he presents. And this is where Bakker shines where many other fantasy authors of such Big Event stories fail. His characters don't feel like tent-pegs holding up the fabric of a broader narrative; they're very much alive. Moreover...more

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Aug 20, 2010 Scott rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: owned-physical

I'm rereading this series as I saw that there is a sequel trilogy out - I picked it up a couple years ago, and it is the series that got me started on enjoying a subgenre of fantasy that could be best summed up, as a friend did as "It's interesting, layered, and populated with bastards."

I call it my bad people doing bad things to worse people.

The series follows two main characters; one the heir to long-lost (and I do mean long - millennial) empire, trained by monks into the "perfect" being - cap...more

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Jul 05, 2010 Matt Robison rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Expert prose, good world-building that rivals Tolkien in some places, and fascinating characters.

The pace and structure are a little off, but it's the guy's first book, so I can forgive.

It's obvious what worldview the author is operating from. It's the typical New Atheist "religion is the cause of problems" view, as the whole catalyst for everything is a massive holy war, and one of the heroes, Anisurimbor Khellus(although really and anti-hero) is a being of pure logic and objectivity. But Khell...more

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May 12, 2010 Frank rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

R.Scott Bakker first book in the series Prince of nothing is a book for the mature reader. It is perhaps presumption of me when I claim this and some of you may dispute and perhaps even say that I underestimate younger reader’s ability to like Bakkers novels. It could be because of the violence, intricate and complex plot or the explicit sex scenes. But it has more to do with how the individual characters act and interact with each other.
Not saying that novel plot doesn’t stand for itself, but...more R.Scott Bakker first book in the series Prince of nothing is a book for the mature reader. It is perhaps presumption of me when I claim this and some of you may dispute and perhaps even say that I underestimate younger reader’s ability to like Bakkers novels. It could be because of the violence, intricate and complex plot or the explicit sex scenes. But it has more to do with how the individual characters act and interact with each other.
Not saying that novel plot doesn’t stand for itself, but the multitude of the characters behavior brings a perspective of persons that act out of not a single event but several random events. Which is in mine opinion is one major issue in a lot of fantasy books. Not saying that is an absolute necessity, but it does add an aspect to the story.
Anasûrimbor Kellhus ,a 33 year-old Dûnyain monk is one of the main characters. ( I think Bakker has used a lot of time just coming up with that name )
Anasûrimbor has an a mysterious background and he has been travelling from a hidden and forgotten nation that he originates from. He has the ability to look into and exploit peoples true self. What they are mistakes they have done, desires and what they are trying to hide. Anasûrimbor is the true leader. But is he the right leader?
Anasûrimbor claims to be the son of the great magician (or semigod), and that he has been summoned by his father in a dream to go to the once to an Holy city captured by now empire that has been mortal enemy for centuries.
On his way he meets up with several other characters that are not your typical sidekicks, but brings more depth and reliability to the story and how it evolves.
Cnaiur urs Skiotha (Nay-yur), is a 44 year-old Scylvendi barbarian. He is the first to encounter the mysterious Kellhus, Anasûrimbor recruits or rather manipulate Cnaiur to e his guide who through the lands of Earwa. Cnaiur is your typical barbarian, but has a great potential to be something much more. He has raging conflicts with himself, that influences his choices.

Drusas Achamian (Droo-sass Ah-kay-me-on), a 47 year-old sorcerer. He is plagued by recurring dreams of the great battle and the leader. In the first and last battle between the old enemies which poor Drusas has nightmares of, he is confronted with the old and mysterious and thought forgotten Consult. The Consult has the ability to mask their true identify and can walk amongst people as one of them. Influencing and creating conflicts between the different rulers.
In my opinion, Drusas is the most interesting character. His life has been filled with misery and he has the ability to make the wrong choices. But his meeting with Anasûrimbor will change his life in more than one way.
Esmenet (Ez-men-net) a 31 year-old whore. She has known and loved the sorcerer Achamian for a long time, but it is only when she encounters what might be the Consult that she is drawn into the midst of the conflicts. Esmenet act as an catalyst between Drusas and Anasûrimbor and the ongoing conflict with the Consult.

So what can you come aspect from this book? The novel can be a bit slow in the beginning and it can be somewhat hard to get a grasp of what the story and characters are all about. Magic is somewhat of downscaled. There is magic, but it is not you’re traditionally “casting with a wand”. It serves a higher purpose and not as an easy way out, if you get my drift. .
The novel has also a very intriguing story with some great character descriptions.
And in the end, all you want to do is run to the shop and buy the second novel.
(less)

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About R. Scott Bakker

Richard Scott Bakker, who writes as R. Scott Bakker and as Scott Bakker, is a novelist whose work is dominated by a large series informally known as the The Second Apocalypse which Bakker began developing whilst as college in the 1980s. The series was originally planned to be a trilogy, with the first two books entitled The Prince of Nothing and The Aspect-Emperor. However, when Bakker began writi...more

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Books by R. Scott Bakker

The Warrior Prophet (The Prince of Nothing, #2)

The Thousandfold Thought (The Prince of Nothing, #3)

The White Luck Warrior (Aspect-Emperor, #2)

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“Faith is the truth of passion. Since no passion is more true than another, faith is the truth of nothing.” — 39 people liked it

“The thoughts of all men arise from the darkness. If you are the movement of your soul, and the cause of that movement precedes you, then how could you ever call your thoughts your own? How could you be anything other than a slave to the darkness that comes before?” — 31 people liked it

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The Darkness That Comes Before (The Prince of Nothing #1)

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