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

Mar 28, 2011 Terry rated it really liked it

Shelves: canadian, fantasy

3.5 stars

After finishing The White Luck Warrior, the most recent volume in R. Scott Bakker’s fantasy novels set in the world of Eärwa, and realizing that I had many months to wait for the next book, and somehow feeling like I didn’t yet want to leave this dark and twisted world I decided to go back to the first series and give it a re-read. Eärwa is an interesting secondary world: one in which the metaphysics of its religions are objectively true, as are the consequences of not adhering to thei 3.5 stars

After finishing The White Luck Warrior, the most recent volume in R. Scott Bakker’s fantasy novels set in the world of Eärwa, and realizing that I had many months to wait for the next book, and somehow feeling like I didn’t yet want to leave this dark and twisted world I decided to go back to the first series and give it a re-read. Eärwa is an interesting secondary world: one in which the metaphysics of its religions are objectively true, as are the consequences of not adhering to their byzantine moral codes. It seems as though the entire world is damned, certainly those who practice sorcery (the ultimate mark of human folly and pride and the greatest sin against the gods and their act of creation) and nearly every character in the novel seems to suffer under the weight of this condemnation. There seems to be a lot of damnation to go around, but very little in the way of atonement, forgiveness, or mercy. As I said…pretty dark and as I have mentioned elsewhere, when not in the right mood for it, this can be an obstacle when reading Bakker. At the moment, however, I was on a role with Eärwa and decided to extend my stay for a bit…it is at least as fascinating as it is dark. These days “dark fantasy” is nothing new, indeed it’s almost become something of a commonplace in the genre, but I think Bakker may have been one of the earliest writers to explore this paradigm. “Dark and gritty fantasy” this may be, though I don’t think Bakker strays as far thematically from the high fantasy tropes and idioms of Tolkien as do many of his confrères; in fact I think he may be one of the few writers in the field who has not only made use of them, but done so in truly novel and interesting ways.

This first volume in Bakker’s magnum opus, which currently consists of five books (with, as I noted above, a sixth on the horizon and, I think at least, the possibility of at least one more trilogy to fully flesh out many of the ideas and stories that Bakker is working with), is an impressive first novel, though I did notice a few infelicities on my re-read that I think ultimately show how Bakker has improved as a wordsmith. One thing that stood out to me was Bakker’s occasional tendency to over-explain things, though I must admit that some of this may have been more the result of the fact that I already knew many of the details he reveals than any real fault in Bakker’s prose. Still, show don’t tell, right? I also found myself occasionally weighed down by political and logistical details that admittedly are understandably necessary if one is going to tell a tale about a mass crusade of nations against an ancient foe. It’s not the kind of thing you can rush through if you’re going to do it right, and many integral pieces need to be set up before anything can be set in motion unless you choose to start in medias res, which was not Bakker’s choice here. So, again not exactly a complaint, more just an acknowledgment that my favourite elements of the book were not those centring on the larger ramifications and details of the Holy War, but instead those that centred on the characters, especially, I must admit, the savage yet cunning barbarian chieftain Cnaiür urs Skiötha and his godlike yet enigmatic companion Anasûrimbor Kellhus, the titular Prince of Nothing.

I won’t go into too much detail on these characters so you can enjoy the revelations about them yourselves, but I recall being struck upon my first reading of the initial trilogy (and this feeling has certainly remained) with the way in which these two figures seemed to embody one of the main ideas that I think Bakker was working through in the initial trilogy: the concept of the Übermensch. It always struck me that in Cnaiür we saw something along the lines of a ‘true’ nietzschean superman, a man with superior physical and mental skills driven by an overpowering will to overcome all obstacles and enforce this will upon the world. In Kellhus we have something slightly different, a man who is the product of both a genetic breeding program and a highly sophisticated training process (shades of the Bene Gesserit and their search for the kiwisatz haderach here) both of which are designed to produce a human ‘conditioned’ to be able to “set himself before” the myriad influences and deterministic elements of the world such that he is both “truly free”, able to make decisions that are not merely the unthinking by-product of unperceived influences, and can as a result perceive the hidden motivations of others, thus wielding an almost inhuman influence upon them. Following these two characters as they meet, come to realize how they fit into each other’s lives and plans, and watch them play off not only each other, but the world at large (and the Holy War that is the ultimate backdrop for the whole story) is a lot of fun.

Besides these two supermen, the story is rounded out by a very large cast of characters, both high and low, who range from the dysfunctional, one might even say psychotic, Ikurei family that rule the Nansur Empire and hope to use the Holy War as a tool for their own ends, and the contingent of Nersei Proyas an idealistic young King who hopes to retain the ‘purity’ of the crusade, to Sërwe and Esmenet, two women whose low-caste standing belies the roles they have to play in the greater story. Perhaps central to them all is the somewhat schmuck-like sorcerer Drusas Achamanian, a man of great eldritch power plagued by insecurity and uncertainty who is driven by dark dreams of an ancient apocalypse to search for an enemy who may not exist, but who might also be the hidden authors of the end of the world. These mysterious figures, the Consult, are perhaps Bakker’s most interesting development throughout his entire series: a play on the “ultimate evil” trope common to high fantasy (there’s even a fabled ‘evil overlord’ in the form of the enigmatic “No-god” Mog-Pharau), Bakker is able to make them into perhaps the most terrifying embodiment of evil I have come across in the realms of fantasy. Their origins, certainly in the context of fantasy, are novel and their methods are both insidious and far-reaching. We see only glimpses of them as they attempt to remain in the shadows and act as the unseen instigators behind all that occurs, but those glimpses are both tantalizing and fascinating.

I know in many circles that “world building” is a dirty word, but I think it is absolutely necessary to the genre and, when done well, doesn’t intrude upon the story, but rather complements it and allows for the reader to more easily suspend their disbelief. I think Bakker does an exceptional job in this regard (the already noted slight tendency to over-explain in some place notwithstanding) and he only gets better as one progresses through his books. I don’t want to say too much more, since if you have the stomach for truly dark fantasy (explicit violence and sex are pervasive elements of the story) you’re in for a treat and you ought to experience the revelations as they are brought forth in the narrative. All in all this is a commendable first volume upon which much will be built, and if you are a lover of fantasy with the stamina to persevere through a high page count across not only multiple books, but multiple series, then I highly recommend it. ...more

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Jun 02, 2008 Terence rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: speculative-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Several years ago, I suffered through a drought of decent fiction (this was my pre-GoodReads period; now I have a surfeit of potentially good stuff and I can’t choose). At any rate, I was saved by discovering not just one but two brilliant new series. The first was Steven Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen, whose virtues I have sung elsewhere. The second was R. Scott Bakker’s The Darkness That Comes Before, the first book in The Prince of Nothing trilogy. In addition to being a damn good, intr ...more

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Feb 10, 2009 Lori rated it really liked it

Starts out very confusing but comes together. I've deducted a star because of lack of interesting women. In fact there are only 2, 1 prostitute, 1 concubine, both ugly bwaha ha just kidding why of course they are astonishingly beautiful! And both are fairly cliched. Sigh.

Still very much looking forward to continuing the series. ...more

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May 31, 2011 Dharmakirti rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, fantasy

The start of a challenging and engrossing epic fantasy series. The Prince of Nothing series is one of the best fantasy series I have ever read.

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Mar 31, 2013 Daniel Roy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, sf

That. Was. Awesome.

It took this complex, original fantasy epic to break me out of a long reading funk, but what a remedy it was. This is one of these ultra-rare fantasy novels that builds a completely original world; not a pseudo-Western, pseudo-Medieval fantasy, but something unique that makes you take notice. It took me a solid fifty pages to get my bearings; Bakker throws his readers smack into the thick of things, and the results are frequent paragraphs where it feels as if you're just readi That. Was. Awesome.

It took this complex, original fantasy epic to break me out of a long reading funk, but what a remedy it was. This is one of these ultra-rare fantasy novels that builds a completely original world; not a pseudo-Western, pseudo-Medieval fantasy, but something unique that makes you take notice. It took me a solid fifty pages to get my bearings; Bakker throws his readers smack into the thick of things, and the results are frequent paragraphs where it feels as if you're just reading a string of made-up names. But in time, things come into focus, and the heart of the story reveals itself.

The writing is superb, much better than a lot of books in the genre. It's intricate, complex, often surprising. You can't just skip through cliches: this writing commands your attention. It's pretty fantastic, especially in the service of a world that is so alien and different. When dark sorcery rears its head, the prose makes it nightmarish and unforgettable.

The customs of the people of the Three Seas are barely recognizable as analogs of our own. There are hints of the Crusades, sure, and even some philosophy that borders on Buddhism (with a clear reference to Vipassana meditation, cool!), but these are mere inspirations, not instructions. Jnan, for instance, is a concept of caste and proper behavior for which I can find no equivalent in our world; it reminds me of a few similar concepts in East Asia and India, but it's definitely its own thing.

There's an underlying philosophical framework in the novel, but I wouldn't go so far as other reviewers and say these are philosophical books. It's clear that Bakker is a student of philosophy and likes to infuse it in his works, but it never overshadows plot or characters. They're fun, but not so difficult to understand, and they give a heck of a heft to some characters. (For instance, I love what the title of the book refers to. I thought it was some evil being from the past, but it's way cooler than that.)

My only irritation with the book is its treatment of women. Two of the POV characters are women, and both are deluded, dependent on a man, and with greatly reduced agency. They're still great, complex characters who are resourceful in their own ways, but the trend is there. There is some dark sexual aggression going on here, and perhaps I'm giving it a pass because it's written with such an effective air of menace and mood in the service of a killer plot. If the prose came from someone less talented, it might beg the question of what issues Mr. Bakker is working through here.

A dark, complex, well-written fantasy epic filled with convoluted politics, complex and unpredictable characters, and original ideas and ambitions. It reminded me of Dune and Game of Thrones in all the right ways. What more could I ask for? I'm starting on the next in the series right away. ...more

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Jan 25, 2008 This Is Not The Michael You're Looking For rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, high-fantasy, own, fiction

The first book of a trilogy, The Darkness That Comes Before is something of a character study masquerading as epic fantasy. The book has a bit of an odd structure: the difficult-to-get-into opening prologue starts with some deep historical background, overwhelming the reader with unusual names of people and places and nations, then introduces you to a character who feels like they are to be the protagonist. However, once the prologue is over, this character disappears from the text for almost 30 The first book of a trilogy, The Darkness That Comes Before is something of a character study masquerading as epic fantasy. The book has a bit of an odd structure: the difficult-to-get-into opening prologue starts with some deep historical background, overwhelming the reader with unusual names of people and places and nations, then introduces you to a character who feels like they are to be the protagonist. However, once the prologue is over, this character disappears from the text for almost 300 pages.

Thankfully, the book picks up in both style and draw with the end of the prologue, and the characters who form the central focus of most of the book are actually much more interesting than the one introduced in the prologue.

An interesting aspect of this book is the multi-layered, interacting conflicts that form the impetus for the character actions. The open conflict involves the start of a Holy War between the "Godly" nations and the heathens who have long occupied their holiest city (a not-too-subtle reimaging of the Crusades). Among the "Godly" there are many smaller conflicts for control over the Holy War. A deeper conflict is between an ancient evil who destroyed much of the world thousands of years earlier and the small group of sorcerers who are the only ones alive who believe the ancient enemy even exists. Is the enemy back? Are they behind the Holy War and, if so, which factions do they control? Finally, there is the conflict between a son and his father, monks from a secret reclusive order who believe in extreme forms of observation and the elimination of emotion such that they are able to read and manipulate others almost as if by magic. What is the father's role in this conflict? Where is he hiding? Who is he controlling?

A fantasy world, to be sure, but much of the more fantastic elements are kept in the background. There are relatively few monsters, mostly on the outskirts of the book, although the threat of the ancient evil certainly gives promise to more. Magic exists, but is more talked about than observed (or explained, with sorcerers viewed as heretics by the vast majority of people.

The book suffers a bit from the plethora of unusual names and languages thrown at the reader, a not uncommon problem for large fantasy works (the fact that there is an appendix with a multi-page chart showing the historical relationship among the *languages* of mankind perhaps should have been an indication to the author that he may have taken this a bit too far).

Overall, a good book and I'm looking forward to finally reading the remainder of the trilogy. ...more

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