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The Judging Eye (Aspect-Emperor #1)

3.9 of 5 stars 3.90 · rating details · 1,587 ratings · 67 reviews

A cult author now in the mainstream, the thrilling return of R. Scott Bakker and The Prince of Nothing universe.

The Darkness That Comes Before, The Warrior Prophet, and The Thousandfold Thought --collectively the Prince of Nothing Saga-were R. Scott Bakker's magnificent debut into the upper echelon of epic fantasy. In those three books, Bakker created a world that was at...more

Hardcover, 448 pages

Published February 19th 2009 by Overlook Hardcover (first published 2009)

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May 09, 2011 Terence rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Bakker fans, epic fantasy buffs

Shelves: sf-fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Reread April-May 2011:

I liked The Judging Eye better on a second read, and there was a lot of stuff that I had forgotten (or didn't mention in my original review). Like:

I had completely forgotten the possession of Incariol, the Nonman sorceror of the Skin Eaters, by Gin'yursis, the last king of Cil-Aujas. Nor had I grasped the special nature of Mimara's sight. Not only can she see the ontic bruise of sorcery but she possesses the even rarer ability to see the morality of it - the judging eye of...more

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Feb 17, 2009 Rachel rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: popcorn

This is another sequel whose success is predicated on the reader knowing and caring about characters from previous volumes. The psychological depth of Bakker's earlier books is missing here, which in most cases is fine-- we've already have about 1800 pages on the inner workings of the three main characters, Esmenet, Achamian, and Kellhus. I missed the richness of perspective, though, and Bakker did introduce some new characters that could have been the lenses through which this story was told. M...more

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May 06, 2009 Cicero rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

R.Scott Bakker, is in my opinion, criminally overlooked by many of the lists discussing the best that fantasy currently has to offer.

This book picks up 20 years after the events of The Thousandfold Thought and so there is defiantly a new feel to this book with new POVs characters and different plotlines. This book feels like book one of a new trilogy (which it is) and does not read like book 4 of the series. Unfortunately this means a lot of setting up is done and so two of the storylines had no...more

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Jul 09, 2012 James rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book follows the prince of nothing series previously written by this author, set 20+ years in the future. The story follows 3 main storylines, one focusing on the wife of the emperor and his young children, the second on a young king forced to join the emperor's crusade, and a third on a wizard bent on discovering the origins of the emperor (this last one being where most of the meat of the story is). The storytelling is much the same as the previous books, both with beautiful prose that se...more

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May 27, 2012 Justin Evans rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

For better and for worse, Bakker turned it up to 11 on this one. The psychology is more believable, more condensed, and much more revealing than in the first three books. The action is faster and more edge-of-your-seat. And the bravura set pieces are more worthy of a bravo. The first three books were more interesting than fun; this is as fun as it is interesting. Someone complained that the moral relativism is gone- well, you should read more closely, since we're told in no uncertain terms that...more

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May 12, 2009 Jonathan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As usual, well written with lots of interesting back story. Actually this is a bit of a problem. The back story of the world is much more compelling than the rather plodding present day one for the majority of the time, however it is a good back story, so one does not complain too heartily.

There is a strong feeling of the Mines of Moria, though it is well done. I'm slightly worried about what will happen if and when the old wizard dies off, given that he is the only really sympathetic character,...more

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Apr 24, 2009 Bloggeratf rated it 4 of 5 stars

The The Judging Eye, by R. Scott Bakker is set twenty years after his previous trilogy, The Darkness That Comes Before, which follows Anasurimbor Kelhus in his quest to kill kill father and save the world. Kelhus is an off the charts genius Übermensch bred in the traditions of the Dunyain, a secret cult whose only goal is to breed smarter children. Having been polluted by the outside world through a dream sent by his father, Kelhus is exiled from the Dunyain and sent to kill him. I highly recomm...more

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Aug 07, 2011 Neil Pearson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The 20 year skip forward in time is initially a shock but it works suprisingly well and gets to us to the meat of the story far quicker. Because of the passage of time we now have a very different cast and the two remaining POVs are quite changed from the last time we saw them. The new POVs are surprisingly good, Kelmomas being a favourite although Sorweel is a bit of a whiny drag (though i suspect he has a far greater role). A lot of people have complained about Kellhus taking a back seat but I...more

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Sep 16, 2011 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

I've always wanted to like these books more than I do. I've met Bakker, and he's an interesting, cool, thoughtful guy, with one of the best explanations of the innovative (rather than inherently conservative) qualities of fantasy (as opposed to sf) I've ever heard. However, all of the characters in his books are so broken--he seem to write about mad people in a mad world, and it's impossible to quite like or trust any of them no matter how much you want to. I actually have less of that problem i...more

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Dec 12, 2008 Liviu rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: genre-fantasy, 2009_release_read, review_fbc, series_dropped

I finished the novel after a month of reading a little from it and putting it down for another book quite a few times, it finally managed to hold my continuous interest after about 200 pages. Overall it has promise and I am on board with book 2 since things start to get interesting, but it's not as good as any of the PoN trilogy in my opinion.

A lot of setup and little action except in one of the 3 threads - though that thread involving Acha and some new characters is awesome.

Kelhus is also aweso...more

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Aug 19, 2012 Gwern rated it 3 of 5 stars

Bakker says he's influenced by Frank Herbert, and it's nowhere clearer than here - the reader of _Dune Messiah_ will notice the uncanny echos. The final sequence is the almost inevitable theft from Tolkien of the Mines of Moria, but it's sufficiently exciting and well-done that unlike a similar theft in _The Sword of Shannara_ I didn't put down the book in disgust.

_The Thousandfold Thought_ was a sheer disappointment, and I did wonder whether to continue on to _The Judging Eye_, but I don't much...more

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Jun 18, 2011 David Spencer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: best

I'd more accurately give this a 4.5 rather than 5 stars, but if I had to choose it'd be closer to 4.59 than 4.50 even, so I'll just bump it to 5. It was a triumph compared to almost any other fantasy novel I can think of, aside from Bakker's own writing. Not a disappointment in any degree worth dropping the score to a 4 by any means. I can also (especially after having finished The White-Luck Warrior) see how a lot of the more descriptive and drawn-out sections would be necessary set up for the...more

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May 30, 2009 Padraigh Mchale rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, favorites

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 05, 2011 Rosanna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, read-aloud

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. As much as I loved the Prince of Nothing trilogy, I was hesitant to read The Judging Eye because it picked up twenty years into the future and I was afraid that the characters I loved would fade into the background. However, this was not the case and I'm glad I finally read The Judging Eye. The story continues with Esmenet struggling to maintain control of the empire, all the while dealing with the harsh consequences of her choice to be with Kellhus, including: being married to a man incapable...more As much as I loved the Prince of Nothing trilogy, I was hesitant to read The Judging Eye because it picked up twenty years into the future and I was afraid that the characters I loved would fade into the background. However, this was not the case and I'm glad I finally read The Judging Eye. The story continues with Esmenet struggling to maintain control of the empire, all the while dealing with the harsh consequences of her choice to be with Kellhus, including: being married to a man incapable of love, who manipulates all those around him to reach his goals, producing children who are emotionless, mad, murderous, and/or deformed creatures. Meanwhile Achamian comes out of isolation to try and find the secret behind Kellhus' mysterious origins. Kellhus' character remains in the background; we don't see anything from his perspective and he continues to overawe people with his presence and conquer nations. Two new characters emerge: Mimara and Sorweel. Mimara--Esmenet's daughter who was sold into prostitution--follows Achamian into the depths of hell, literally, to learn sorcery and proves to have unique powers of her own, as well as a brave heart. It will be interesting to see her development throughout the series. Sorweel's character--a son of a defeated ruler who constantly struggles with his conflicted heart--was a disappoint. He is a Hamletesque figure, who remains static throughout the book and the sections on him are rather dry because nothing ever happens.
The reason this gets 4 stars instead of five is because, unlike the Prince of Nothing series, this book lacked originality and borrowed greatly from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring. At one point Achamian and the men he's hired are forced--due to a storm--to go underground through Cil-Aujas, a place very similar to the Mines of Moria. During this trek the band is attacked by sranc--creatures similar to orcs--and is forced through a chokepoint during which a staircase is broken and surprise, surprise they are momentarily relieved. Also, the band discovers that the Non-Men brought this evil upon themselves by enslaving humans for their mining purposes. Despite the fact that he borrowed ideas from Tolkien, the book remains a very entertaining, philosophical read, with some horrific images and original ideas of his own. The writing style and language are once again flawless and R. Scott Bakker does a good job exploring the nature of man. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and eagerly await the sequel.
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Feb 06, 2009 Raja rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

This is slightly more conventional than Bakker's excellent first trilogy, The Prince of Nothing, but that isn't a criticism at all. Indeed, one of the plot threads in this book blends Cook with Tolkien and, in my view, one-ups them both.

Bakker has a lot of balls in the air here and handles all of them quite well. He keeps the book focused and the point-of-view character count is low despite the tremendous scope of the events.

It's definitely the first book of a trilogy. However, I didn't find th...more

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Mar 02, 2009 Curtis rated it 4 of 5 stars

Wow, This is really more of a 3.5. I think. I may end up liking this more in a little bit. Right now I'm still reeling from the similarities to Tolkein in the last section.

I'm not quite sure how intentional it was (it must have been I'm thinking).

Overall the book is more accessible, but has less interesting aspects than the previous series. The previous series was all about world and character building through hints and partial reveals, this seems to be more blunt. Also, he discards lots of the...more

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Oct 19, 2012 Ian rated it 4 of 5 stars

I've said it once, I shall say it again; Bakker is the Master of vocabulary. A criminally overlooked author who puts many to shame, but due to the lack of easy access to his books (ie; they can be quite hard going to the uninitiated, more often than not swerving people from reading further, which is a shame as once the stories get going it reads easily and is an absolute joy) he may never find immense popularity. But then Bakker doesn't care. You can tell he is writing for himself, so that he ca...more I've said it once, I shall say it again; Bakker is the Master of vocabulary. A criminally overlooked author who puts many to shame, but due to the lack of easy access to his books (ie; they can be quite hard going to the uninitiated, more often than not swerving people from reading further, which is a shame as once the stories get going it reads easily and is an absolute joy) he may never find immense popularity. But then Bakker doesn't care. You can tell he is writing for himself, so that he can rationalise and grasp human concepts before passing them on to others to teach them what he has discovered in his studies. It's philosophy given swords and magic.

The Judging Eye was perhaps a little disappointing when compared to the first three books in the series. It doesn't feel as tight as the Prince of Nothing series, but then again it is the first in the next trilogy so has yet to take off. It is also set 20 years after the First Holy War so there is some ground to make up to ensure the reader knows what is going on. The problem I found though is in the characters; they just didn't grasp me like Khellus, Akka et al did. We're introduced to a deposed boy king who was mostly annoying, leading me to hope and pray with each page turn he might do something spectacular and commit some ultimate betrayal. We meet Mimara, Esmenet's daughter, who spends most of her time being annoying as well but has potential, and you meet the children of Khellus who are all broken in some way so incomplete personalities as it is!

The Judging Eye also feels like an adventure rather than a philosophy. Did Bakker educate us in the way he wanted in the first three books, meaning he has nothing left now? The genius of his writing is in the 'Ohhhh I get it' moments, and although this book is still a riveting read, there were none of those moments to be had.

Still, as said, it's a great book and Bakker demonstrates once again his unconquerable grasp of the English language, flinging out words and descriptions from a vocabulary that is anything but limited. And as for the ending, well...(less)

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Feb 06, 2012 John Huizar rated it 4 of 5 stars

I very much enjoyed the Prince of Nothing trilogy, and so I was very much looking forward to this book. While one does not need to have read the first trilogy to begin the second (as there is a lengthy synopsis of both the first trilogy and the events that have transpired between trilogies), comparing the two is an inevitability, so let's get it out of the way.

The first trilogy had more compelling POV characters, on the whole: while the second still includes Achamian (easily my single favorite...more I very much enjoyed the Prince of Nothing trilogy, and so I was very much looking forward to this book. While one does not need to have read the first trilogy to begin the second (as there is a lengthy synopsis of both the first trilogy and the events that have transpired between trilogies), comparing the two is an inevitability, so let's get it out of the way.

The first trilogy had more compelling POV characters, on the whole: while the second still includes Achamian (easily my single favorite fantasy character in a very long time) and Esmenet, Kellhus is now too powerful and central a character to be given a POV, and there is no one to rival the enthralling/repulsive ferocity and madness of the first trilogy's Cnaiur urs Skiotha. Sorweel is a weak character, but intentionally so, set to become stronger as the trilogy progresses.

The second trilogy has the advantage of Bakker having shown a definite refinement in technique. The first trilogy tended to drown you in exposition, throwing name after strange name at you until you learned to just ignore it; you quickly learned that two-thirds of the names were utterly irrelevant to the story, and would only ever be mentioned again when that character died in battle. With "The Judging Eye," Bakker has streamlined his approach, cutting away extraneous exposition while also refining the trademark introspection of his characters and learning to mesh it better with actions.

The storyline with Achamian and the Scalpers is easily the equal of anything Bakker has written before, and for my money, is often better. Lord Kosoter and the Nonman known as Cleric are two of the most intriguing supporting characters Bakker has ever written. And the storyline has suspense and horror in spades, culminating in the feverish and incredibly suspenseful last 100 pages of the novel. It is a nod to Tolkien's Mines of Moria, if it had been reimagined by Harlan Ellison and HP Lovecraft. Some reviewers have hated the homage, apparently, which mystifies me. Many times in his stories he has explicitly made an homage to Homer's "Iliad," and given that his work often acts as a revisionist reinterpretation of mythological and fantasy tropes and types, I think that the references to other works strengthen his writing rather than detract.

*I've recently come back to edit this review, because I realized something of major significance: Achamian's entire arc is as much an homage to Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian" as it is to Tolkien's Mines of Moria. Even more so! I can't believe I didn't see it before. You have the repulsive troop of 'scalpers,' men who live beyond law, hunt scalps (of Sranc) for bounty, and bedeck themselves with the flesh and bones of their enemies; you have the violent and scary leader Kosoter (hard-bitten man of few words, like Glanton); and more importantly, you have the leader's right hand, a mysterious otherworldly figure called simply Cleric (like The Judge), who expounds on strange and chillingly stirring sermons in the wilderness to the pack of scalpers and sanctifies their atrocities. That's why this arc touched such a chord with me: it has echoes of Blood Meridian.*

One thing that remains thoroughly intact: Bakker's exploration of human nature, belief, metaphysics, theology, and so forth. Some readers might find it tiresome or unnecessary (if so, they're far better off reading something else entirely). I find it immensely gratifying, and I dare say that after reading the five books he's written thus far (counting The White-Luck Warrior, book two of the second trilogy), he has raised questions about the nature of belief and divinity that I, myself a student of philosophy, have never considered in such a light. It is rare indeed that a fantasy novel can truly educate.

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Feb 17, 2012 Brian rated it 4 of 5 stars

I almost don't feel right giving this any sort of rating until I've read the rest of the trilogy, but since the third book hasn't been published yet, I guess I should put something down.

Full disclosure: I LOVED the Prince of Nothing trilogy. It's firmly in my top 10. So I wanted to love this. I've actually been putting off reading it because I know I'm going to want to blow through them all, and I obviously can't do that without the third installment. I'm giving it 4 stars now, but that may chan...more

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Dec 01, 2010 Stacey rated it 4 of 5 stars

The first three books of this series was a lot to take in. But now that the exposition is (mostly) over, Bakker seems finally content to let the characters live and breathe, running around in the world he's created.
What's nice is that Kellhus has moved out of the spotlight, as the Aspect-Emperor, he's become a literal living god, something beyond the ken of the common man. Since we now no longer need to be constantly reminded of his genius, we can now perceive him through the eyes of the other c...more

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Sep 06, 2009 John rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I’ve been looking forward to the sequel to R. Scott Bakker’s Prince of Nothing series for a few years now and… it was kind of disappointing, actually. Granted, the first series was a lot to live up to—almost certainly one of the greatest fantasy series ever written IMO, and I didn’t feel like The Judging Eye quite delivered. [Warning: This review contains spoilers not only to the book its reviewing, but also to the series that preceded it.]

In The Prince of Nothing we were introduced to Drusas Ac...more I’ve been looking forward to the sequel to R. Scott Bakker’s Prince of Nothing series for a few years now and… it was kind of disappointing, actually. Granted, the first series was a lot to live up to—almost certainly one of the greatest fantasy series ever written IMO, and I didn’t feel like The Judging Eye quite delivered. [Warning: This review contains spoilers not only to the book its reviewing, but also to the series that preceded it.]

In The Prince of Nothing we were introduced to Drusas Achamian, a sorceror of the Mandate, at once the school of sorcery with the most powerful magic, but also one of the least respected because they have devoted themselves to fighting the mysterious Consult (in whom no one still believes) and preventing this enemy from bringing about a Second Apocalypse. As the Holy War, a sort of crusade by the Inrithi religion to recapture its holy lands from the heretical Fanim, begins, Achamian is sent to join it as a spy to seek any hint of the Consult. He finds just that, and also find Anasurimbor Kellhus, who may well be the harbinger of the Second Apocalypse.

Kellhus, the scion of a reclusive sort of monastic sect devoted to the Logos, dedicated to mastering circumstance, they’ve been training themselves to self-driven rather than pushed and pulled by the sort of irrational passions that move most of humanity, and at the same time they’ve been breeding themselves selectively for almost superhuman speed, strength, and senses (training as well). For these Dunyain, humanity is like a collection of children, easily understood and manipulated by their superior intellect. Kellhus was the titular Prince of Nothing, who (though he is apparently descended from ancient kings) went from having nothing but the clothes and sword on his back to being the Aspect-Emperor, uniting most of the known world under his rule. By the end of the first series, he has also learned the Mandate’s Gnostic sorcery from Achamian, and his superior intellect has made him more powerful than even any Gnostic sorcerer in at least a thousand years and probably ever. He is seen as not only the Aspect-Emeror, but a sort of living embodiment of the god.

Among the many other characters we meet in that first series is Esmenet, a whore who is the lover of Achamian, as they are both something of outcasts (sorcerers are understood to be damned for their magic). Their complicated relationship develops over the course of that trilogy, but when at one point Achamian appears to be dead, Esmenet eventually becomes Kellhus’ second wife.

The Judging Eye follows three basic plot-lines. First, there’s court life in Kellhus’s empire, told from the point of view of the Empress Esmenet and her youngest son Kelmomas. All of Kellhus’s children are blessed with some measure of his physical and intellectual abilities, but most are flawed in some fundamental way. Kelmomas is a dangerous child who appears mild, a boy who in testing his physical and mental capabilities and his power to manipulate those around him gets away with murdering his twin brother and another important character later. We also see Esmenet managing the Empire that Kellhus has built as Kellhus manages the decades-long process of uniting almost the entire known world and mobilizing it to march upon the ancient stronghold of the Consult.

On the war’s front, our perspective is mostly centered upon Sorweel, the son of the deposed king of the final country Kellhus’s armies subdue, as he tries to come to grips with the inversion of the world brought by his nation’s defeat and also struggles with his contradictory feelings toward his conqueror. Speaking of the conquered, we also follow the Cult of Yatwer, a goddess who apparently resents the Aspect-Emperor as a false god, largely through its Priestess-Mother Psatma Nannaferi. There seem to be strong indications that this goddess exists in some literal form, but the facts of the matter still aren’t clear.

Finally, we have a plot-line centered around Achamian, who at the end of the last series repudiated Kellhus, repudiated his School, and repudiated his love for Esmenet. He has gone off into extreme isolation as he tries to grapple with two related problems. First, it should be noted that all Mandate sorcerors nightly re-live the dreams of their ancient founder Seswatha, who passed along the highlights of his life-long fight against the Consult during the First Apocalypse in order that they would never forget the stakes for which they fight. Achamian has dedicated himself to sorting through these dreams and, in fact, expanding his perception into Seswatha’s life further than perhaps any Mandate sorcerer has ever done. All this is done, however, in an effort to uncover the secret origins of Anasurimbor Kellhus as Achamian seeks revenge for the way that he feels Kellhus has taken everything important from him. Into this life comes Mimara, the daughter that Esmenet sold into slavery while still a whore. Esmenet used the reach of imperial power to recover this daughter, but Mimara has never forgiven her. She seeks out Achamian, who she believes to be her father (he’s not) because she is one of the Few, those who can learn sorcery, and she wants him, now a renegade wizard, to teach her. He refuses, but throughout the novel the two are entwined, even as Achamian sets off into the dangerous wilderness seeking Kellhus’s secret origins.

Bakker is still an excellent writer, but I couldn’t help feeling that this book fell short of his previous works. In part, this is probably because The Judging Eye is a set-up novel. We need to know the characters and the situation and all that, but it just didn’t seem to go anywhere fast. Bakker seemed to be fighting against epic fantasy sprawl by limiting us to just a handful of perspectives, and it was probably a good choice, for instance, not to see things from the POV of Kellhus—his perspective was used sparingly in the first series and not at all now. At this point, he probably just knows too much. At the same time, the POVs we do get are not, for the most part, as compelling as those we met in the first series. Gone is Cnaiur, the complex barbarian warring with and against Kellhus. Esmenet, when we see her, seems somehow diminished. Mimara offers some compensation here, but neither Sorweel nor Psatma Nannaferi command the sort of interest that the best characters of the last book (and to be honest, some of the minor characters in the first series were more interesting). Even Kelmomas isn’t all that interesting as a sort of villain (he’s more of a disaster waiting to be unleashed). The Prince of Nothing had incredible complexity in its characters, its plot, and its background—down to philosophical and religious systems in addition to everything else. The world of The Judging Eye is still pretty good, still as good as most of the fantasy out there, but not as good as Bakker’s best.

But then, it’s given me enough that I still have high hopes for the sequel. If it doesn’t exactly deliver, it has enough promise that I believe Bakker can still make this second series an amazing work of epic fantasy. If there were half-stars, I'd probably give it 3.5.(less)

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Dec 04, 2008 Crowinator rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: booklist-review, fantasy, 2008-reads, arcs, adult

This new series begins twenty years after the conclusion of Bakker's Prince of Nothing trilogy. Kellhus, the all-seeing Aspect-Emperor, is leading a second war, the Great Ordeal, against the evil Consult, intending to prevent the rise of the No-God. While his army continues to subjugate once proud nations, others plot to contest his domination. Nannaferi, of the Cult of Yatwer, awaits the Goddess' White-Luck Warrior, prophesied to destroy the Demon Kellhus. Sorweel, the young king of conquered S...more This new series begins twenty years after the conclusion of Bakker's Prince of Nothing trilogy. Kellhus, the all-seeing Aspect-Emperor, is leading a second war, the Great Ordeal, against the evil Consult, intending to prevent the rise of the No-God. While his army continues to subjugate once proud nations, others plot to contest his domination. Nannaferi, of the Cult of Yatwer, awaits the Goddess' White-Luck Warrior, prophesied to destroy the Demon Kellhus. Sorweel, the young king of conquered Sarkarpus, seeks to defy the invaders while traveling with its army. Achamian, the exiled Schoolman, and Mimara, a witch with the Judging Eye, begin a dangerous trek to discover Kellhus' true nature. Esmenet, Kellhus' wife, navigates the brutal politics left in her care, while their son Kelmomas manipulates those around him with disquieting motives. This was a challenging, dense read, especially to someone who hasn't read the other series. I would almost recommend reading the first trilogy before picking this one up, because though Bakker gives plenty of backstory (almost too much), it's hard to place it within the context of his world and his characters' history. Part of this is because even the structure of the novel is challenging; it's not linear, there are tons of characters and storylines to keep track of, and sometimes transitions between past and present and reality and dreams are not telegraphed. The writing itself is often beautiful and very grand, appropriate to the epic feel of the story, but it takes attention to appreciate it. This is not a book you can skim parts of; you'll be lost within seconds. Still, the book left an impression, and I will be reading the next one. Philosophically, the book is very interesting as well. One of the most intriguing questions I kept asking is: Is Kellhus a benevolent messiah or a cruel despot with god-like powers of manipulating others? He certainly is horrifying, but wouldn't a god be horrifying by definition, with all that power and no one to keep him in check?(less)

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Apr 24, 2011 Veach Glines rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: quit-reading-part-way

There are convoluted plots that engage and keep the reader reading, then there are books like this. That do not. And it is less about the plot, or the convolutions, or the author's ability (because Mr Bakker has ability in spades)...and more about the tight rope artist trying to balance on a thinner cable with a shorter balance beam, with a stronger wind, from a more dangerous height, yada, yada ... Bakker is testing himself, slipped, and I fell.

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Jul 27, 2010 David rated it 4 of 5 stars

Started a new saga of fantasy read for me. As it is a hard read to begin with. Lot's of new language, new people, new regions and new believes. But a satisfying read.
Prompted me to want to then go back and read his pre-quel trilogy.
In a new world of civilization, filled with plotting, history, awe and wonder, wizard, foul creatures and powerful tribes converge. Thus is the way of a world called Erwa.

A story to the likes of Lord of the Rings.

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Mar 02, 2009 Gray rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'm only going to give this a three... and his last before this a four.

It is simply that the first two were so good, no earthshatteringly good that this book would have to maintain that level of writing to get a five.

Simply put, I love the battles... book 2 especially... I've read it a dozen times.... and certain passages 30 times or more.

With this new series, I doubt I would pick it up again, at least for a long while.

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Nov 24, 2012 Ghoule added it · review of another edition

À titre de francophone, j'ai littéralement été incapable de lire plus que quelques chapitres de ce livre.

J'ai beau avoir développé l'anglais comme langue seconde depuis très longtemps, mais le niveau de langage de R. Scott Baker se situe définitivement en dehors de mon registre de compétence. Les structures de phrase lourdes et l'utilisation de mots rares en anglais ont eu raison de mon intérêt pour ce livre.

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Apr 19, 2011 Robert rated it 5 of 5 stars

I was both hopeful and wary going into this second trilogy in Bakker's apocalyptic saga. In fact, I re-read the Prince of Nothing trilogy as much to enjoy it all once last time in case he managed to retroactively tarnish their brilliance. Fortunately, I have not been disappointed. "The Judging Eye" is very much the first volume in a new trilogy, despite all that happened in the three previous books. Twenty years have passed and new factions, conflicts and mysteries have emerged. Much like "The D...more

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Jul 25, 2011 Matthew rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

While I really enjoyed this book, and I'm heavily invested in seeing the conclusions to the story arcs that were set up in this book, it took me a very long time to finish. I found that the ending of the book was dragged out just a little too long, and the description became repetitive and a little too trite. I will certainly read the next installment, but I can only hope that the pace is better in the next book. I find the characters in this book series to be very interesting, deep and emotiona...more

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Apr 12, 2009 Herreroluis rated it 1 of 5 stars

Dark fantasy novel. The first series by this author was a great if grisly hack and slash fantasy series. I was eager to read this book and was greatly disappointed. Bakker abandoned his strengths (bold characterizations, Homeric depictions of military combat) and instead tried to embrace his inner Proust. In short, way too much talky-talky far to little smashy-smashy.

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Nov 12, 2012 Laura rated it 2 of 5 stars

Many unfamiliar terms and hard to track. I felt like I landed in the middle of a trilogy and was lost. Took a lot of concentration to stay with it. I did admire his world-building ability, but the themes were very dark. I don't feel compelled to read more books in the series.

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

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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Quotes from The Judging Eye

“I remeber asking a wise man, once . . . 'Why do Men fear the dark?' . . . 'Because darkness' he told me, 'is ignorance made visable.' 'And do Men despise ignorance?' I asked. 'No,' he said, 'they prize it above all things--all things!--but only so long as it remains invisible.” — 21 people liked it

“Darkness shields as much as it threatens.” — 13 people liked it

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The Judging Eye (Aspect-Emperor #1)

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