Customer Reviews

Darkness That Comes Before (Prince of Nothing 1)

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Wow, there's something in the water up in Canada, and US publishers are really missing out. Good thing for the Internet! Manitoban Steven Erikson, still without distribution in the states, has established himself as the penultimate epic fantasy writer of the day (except for maybe G.R.R. Martin). Now along comes 'The Darkness that Comes Before, an unequivocal stellar debut by Ontario native R. Scott Bakker.

All of the usual superlatives apply. Simply put, TDTCB is incredible, and any fan of epic or high fantasy should already have it on order. Bakker is an expert craftsman...his world is rich and believable, the characters godlike, and the plot constantly engaging and in motion. Toss in the requisite humor, flawed leads, sex and betrayal, and a true gem emerges from the fantasy morass.

Brief plot summary annotated from the book sleeve: Two thousand years have passed since Mog-Pharau, the No-God, last walked among Men. Now the Shriah of the Thousand Temples has declared Holy War, and untold thousands gather, determined to wrest Shimeh, the Holy City of the Latter Prophet, from the hands of their heathen kin. Among them, one man stands apart, a man who uses redemption to deceive, and passion to elevate and enslave... Anasurimbor Kellhus. Two couples, a barbarian chieftain and his concubine, a sorcerer and his harlot lover, share his trials and tribulations, each compelled by what they think they see: the possibility vengeance, the promise of redemption, the threat of apocalypse, or the hope of escape. As the violent fortunes of the Holy War transform Kellhus into an all-conquering prophet, they finally begin to ask: What is he really?

References have been made to Tolkein, but this novel is far more postmodern and machiavellian than LoTR. Bakker has more in common with Erikson, Stephen R. Donaldson, Martin or early Robert Jordan. There are multiple threads and disparate points of view (hence 'epic'), but as the book progresses they are wound tighter and tighter until the gripping conclusion.

Don't be misled by self-admitted Marxist reviewers.... Modern philosophies don't easily translate to fantasy novels (witness Goodkind's terrible slide), and Bakker himself wrote a great short article on sffworld.com about the current role of the fantasy genre in modern life (Why Fantasy and Why Now?). Bakker may come across as an educated, intelligent writer, but more importantly, he's a talented one. Avoid this debut at your own peril.

The Darkness that Comes Before is the beginning of yet another epic fantasy. It stands out a bit with its more gritty feel, its lack of frequent overt magic, the relative lack of supernatural creatures, and its more full use of religion and philosophy. Those with some awareness of history will also see clear parallels (though not necessarily in one on one fashion) to the Crusades, another nice twist. Like many of the more ambitious works in the genre, there are a plethora of characters and places with the book's narrative shifting back and forth between them and there is a grand sense of time, with events from thousands of years ago playing out in the present.
Darkness shares with some of those other works the same highlights and lowlights. The plot is complex enough to remain stimulating throughout and the shift in point-of-view offer up a more interesting story while allowing more in-depth characterization. Bakker handles the narrative shifts smoothly and has a good sense of when it's time to leave one character for another. The characters are also nicely balanced in terms of interest so that there is no drop-off for the reader as we move along. The same is true, mostly, for the various storylines, though some are more compelling and better paced than others.
The negatives, while not outweighing the positives, are a noticeable drag however. Because the book must recount history over the course of several thousand years and set up the reader for the coming conflict, there is a lot of exposition that must be handed out. It is rarely done in clumsy or uninteresting fashion (a few places here and there), but so much information does slow the book now and then. The number of characters also sometimes serves to dilute their individual impact. If they are well-balanced in terms of none are truly uninteresting, they are also well-balanced in that none, so far, really stand out. The sorcerer Achamiam is the best drawn and so far carries the best potential, but even he is not really forcefully compelling. The good thing though is that Bakker has truly laid some good character groundwork so the potential is obviously there.
Darkness therefore is a solid if not particularly inspiring introduction to the series. It didn't sweep me along; it didn't make me frantic to try and get a jump on the second book, as has happened with other series where I'll pay extra shipping or even go international to get hold of the next work. But it did hold my interest throughout and left me with enough interest to keep reading. And it is different enough from so much of the formulaic fantasy that is out there that the difference alone makes for a more pleasurable read. My guess is now that the foundation has been so neatly laid out in all sorts of ways--plot, character, history, politics, religions, etc.--the next book will move along more speedily and will offer up more intense and compelling scenes. Not a rave review, not a "you've just gotta read this" review, but a solid "this is good intelligent fantasy that breaks out a bit from all the other stuff and has potential to become even better" recommendation.

Plot Summary: The land is on the brink of a Holy War. Factions compete for control of the army of the war, the path of the war, and the concessions after the war, all before the war begins. Something sinister may be afoot as the dreaded Consult, an evil not heard from in over 2000 years may be making a re-appearance in the world but only a few even believe they still exist. Will Drusas Achamian (who is the most prevelant "narrator" in the story, providing the historical text that preceeds many of the chapters) be able to convince the powers that be of the real impending threat? What are the motives of the players in this war? These are the questions whose answering is the story of The Darkness That Comes Before.

Opinion: This is a fantastic book but is a total lead-in to the rest of the trilogy. Somewhat hard to get into at first due to a very large assortment of strange names and places and sects. Everyone of these names has way too many syllables to be easily readable, not to mention the accent marks liberally sprinkled into almost every name. Is this a major flaw? By no means, it's just a very minor pet-peeve. Even before everything starts to make some sense as a whole, the individual stories as they unfold are extremely interesting, complex, and well drawn out. Each character is distinct and through their eyes the world begins to come into focus. The characters and lands that all ran together at the beginning are all drawn together by the events of the Holy War by the end of the book. There is alot of sex and violence in this book but it adds greatly to the story in my opinion. I enjoyed greatly the fact that there is a deep backstory that is unfolded in bits and pieces of each character. At no point did I find the story dragging. The action is perfectly integrated with the dialog, flashbacks, and intrigues of the vast politics of this world. And all those things complement very well the warlike and other actions of the characters. Much is left in mystery at the end of this novel and it feels like despite all that has happened, not much in the way of the world has gone on. It is very much just a set-up for the Holy War that is to take place in the next 2 novels on the series. "The Logos is without beginning or end" is the childhood mantra of one of the main characters but also fitting describes the way we are dropped into this world at what happens to be a crucial point, possibly on the brink of a second apocalypse. Without preamble were are thrown into the lives of these characters and Bakker assumes our understanding will work itself out.

Recommendation: Read it! Then die waiting for the remaining books (or buy them from Canada before you can in the US) like I am. This is quite similar in scope, in that it is very complex, to A Song of Ice and Fire by George Martin and yet in storyline not similar at all. No farm boy come hero (yet) either. I rate this as 5 out of 5 stars because I have not been this interested in a new fantasy world in a while now. So much is happening on and beneath the surface that the story is never dull, the characters, while sometimes distasteful, are always interesting.

I won't bother going too deeply into the story line or specific characters as you can read that in depth in a bunch of other reviews. Instead I'll talk about what type of book this is.

The Prince of Nothing series (I have read the first two) is in my opinion a combination of elements from many fantasy settings such as Dune, Tolkien, Martin and Erikson but done in such a way as to be completely fresh and often elevated in its ambitions above those others. It truly seems as if these books are trying to do more than just tell us a good story.

As with the Dune series and Erikson's Malazan books you start off almost completely like a fish out of water. Various factions, schools, countries, titles, characters and new words hit you like a steady stream. For me personally, part of the enjoyment with these types of books is discovering and learning the culture and world in which their characters live. It is obvious the author did much work on developing huge aspects of his fantastical setting prior to completing the first book. Much like Tolkien's Middle-Earth, I imagine you could write whole volumes on just the back-story and history of the setting in which this series of books takes place. Hopefully one day Mr. Bakker may treat us to more glimpses of this well-crafted and unique world.

The plot, which unfolds in this well-crafted setting, is reminiscent of the G.R.R. Martin's books and other political fantasy in that the majority of the book's conflict is driven by political and personal conflict between the many factions and cultures versus a traditional good versus evil. Although there is a quest of sorts (a holy crusade against the heathens) that forms the framework for the flow of the story it plays only a background role. The real story is the development and interplay of the characters and the figurative paths they embark on over the course of their literal journey to the Holy City. "The Darkness that Comes Before" focuses on the introduction and bringing together of the main characters, sheds light on the ambitions of the various factions and shows the preparations of the holy war. The second book, "The Warrior-Prophet", focuses on the travels and trials of the characters and the holy war as they march and fight across the heathen lands. And I imagine the last book will most likely focus on the climax of the war and the lead character's ambitions, all of which need to take place at the destination itself of the holy war. All roads lead to Shimeh!

Make no mistake this is NOT a light read and I often found myself having to read very slowly and carefully as much of the prose requires a good visualization and attention to nuances. Fortunately now that the last book in the trilogy is about to be released readers can and should read the trilogy beginning to end so that the complexities of the story can be maintained and very few of the nuances of the story will be lost.

The Prince of Nothing series abounds with philosophical, political and religious overtones and shows how all three often overlap and how they play together - not altogether completely without relevance in today's world. Indeed the religious and political aspects often serve for much of the philosophical arguments posed and pondered over the course of the story. About the only negative from my perspective was that on a few rare occasions the story bogged down in what felt like a thinly veiled philosophical debate about certain aspects of human nature and the forces that govern us. Thankfully the story is so intriguing that these rare and momentary slow downs were easily forgiven and were really not that surprising given the fact that the author has an advanced degree in philosophy.

In summary, this is a very well crafted and well-written book that demands a lot of its readers. It will however reward those who put in the effort with a unique, complex and fulfilling story. It abounds with extremely deep, believable characters, just enough fantastical aspects to keep it refreshing and interesting, a good deal of conflict and action and maybe just maybe might cause you to wax philosophical from time to time. After all, what is this "Darkness That Comes Before" that causes us to do the things we do and believe the things we believe?

This line of dialog from Chapter Twelve perfectly sums up R. Scott Bakker's debut novel, "The Darkness That Comes Before."

Bakker's knowledge of philosophy and ancient languages gives his epic fantasy a unique flavor. His world exudes a harsh authenticity, imbued with feudal politics and religious fervor. Competing factions of sorcerers debate philosophical quandaries. Character and place names stumble with accent marks like diaereses and circumflexes.

The novel begins with the emergence of the eerily manipulative Kellhus. Then it shifts to the sorcerer Achamian and bogs down with interior monologues. The plot finally awakens when Kellhus returns, after a 300 page absence, and the main characters converge on the Holy War. The political machinations reach a crescendo and an ancient evil resurfaces. Bakker seems caught between depicting a non-human evil, like most fantasy, or focusing on the evil that humans can visit upon each other, like George R. R. Martin. He ends up doing both. The non-human evil is frighteningly portrayed, but it makes so few appearances that the human conflicts steal most of the attention.

"Darkness" mixes three major struggles -- Kellhus searching for his father, Achamian and the Mandate hunting for the ancient evil, and the political machinations surrounding the Holy War. Any two of these could have anchored the plot, but the inclusion of all three leaves the novel jumbled. The narrative spends most of its time inside the characters' heads, winding through philosophical discourses. Once the major conflicts have been established, the repeated discourses feel like ponderous doubletalk. In the descriptive passages, Bakker's prose drips with lyricism. At many moments of tension, it crumbles into awkward sentence fragments. The philosophical tone, the poetic language, and the political conflicts combine to give the novel an erudite feel that borders on snobbish.

Bakker aims high with "Darkness," a novel of complex language, intrigue, and plot. However, he lets the complexities overwhelm the plot and characters. The best popular fiction contains deep levels, but also provides an easy entry point for readers who don't want to delve into the complexities. Bakker plunges straight into deep waters, which will leave most readers sputtering on the surface.

My current progress has brought me through book one and I am approximately 1/3rd of my way through Book 2. Book 1 is available in the US, published by Overlook Press. I had to order Book 2 from Amazon.ca, as Penguin Canada owns the initial rights on the trilogy with Overlook having a delayed US publishing contract.

The story is that of the world of Earwa, 2000 years after an apocalypse brought about by Mog-Pharut, the No-God, has destroyed the mighty kingdoms of the nothern lands, including ancient Kuniuri. As mankind flees from the forces of the No-God (the inhuman Sranc, the unearthly No-Men, and the villainous Consult), the last descendant of Kuniuri's ruling dynasty finds shelter at the secret fortress of Ishual, and the monks of the Dunyain. The line of Anasurimbor Colmemas is lost, last of the High Kings of Kuniuri. (In Earwa, familial names are used first, then the familiar.) The No-God would be defeated, eventually, leaving only the southern lands and the Three Seas as the home of Mankind.

In 2000 years, the great apocalypse forgotten, a Holy War against the Fanim heathens has been called by the Shriah, patriarch of the Church of the Tusk and the One God, to march against the Fanim and recapture the Holiest of Holies, the city of Shimeh. Sorcerers and men of war gather, and an Emperor schemes to turn the Holy War to the devices of regaining vast tracts of land lost to the infidel. One sorcerer of the Mandate school, last holder of the secret magics of the north, rides with the Holy War, a man named Drusas Achamiam. The only school of Sorcerers that still believes in the near mythical Consult of the No-God. They are ravaged each night by dreams of the final battle and the death of Anasurimbor Colmemas. Each night they hear his last words; "An Anasurimbor shall return at the end of the world..."

And then he meets Anasurimbor Kellhus, monk of the Dunyain, and the Prince of Nothing. A man who must reach Shimeh, for the isolation of the Dunyain is threatened by one of their own who had left the secret monastery of Ishual and learned the secrets of Sorcery. A man named Anasurimbor Moenghus, who promises power and hatred, and as the search for him begins, the Consult once more appears, and the No-God stirs...

The Author:

Some information to note about the author. Dr. R. Scott Bakker holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Vanderbilt University. He is also the son of a tobacco sharecropper in Ontario, and teaches currently in London, Ontario. In my reading of Dr. Bakker's web discussions about his book and philosophy, he strikes me as one of the more intelligent authors and gentlemen I've had the privilege to read. His forums are located at: http://forum.three-seas.com/index.php

Related reading:
The Crusades: Iron Men and Saints by Harold Lamb
Flames of Islam by Harold Lamb
Works by Kant and Nietzsche

My Impressions:

The first thing that struck me as I started reading this book is the cover. A beautiful psuedo-Islamic script (it reads up - down) that Dr. Bakker worked out covers the dustjacket of these books. It's what caught my eye when I purchased the first book. Dr. Bakker's writing style is very clean, in my opinion. While able to conjure vivid imagery and build a beautiful and unique world in Earwa (it strikes me as a very Mediterranean/Byzantine world with a heavy Middle Eastern flavor), he is very economical in how he does so. There are no pages of rambling exposition and there are no descriptions that run past what is needed to convery the imagery appropriate.

The cast of the book is ensemble, writing from the view of several people as the Holy War progress. Dr. Bakker frequently falls back to the Sorcerer (Achamiam), the Monk (Kellhus), and the Harlot (Esmenet, Achamiam's lover). Dr. Bakker delves into the Logos, the pathology of the Dunyain Monks, and into the magic of the Sorcerous schools of the Three Seas (I love his allusions to the words of magic as a song, and how well he works them into his descriptions). The books are very gripping and I've found it difficult to put them down. Rereading comes easily.

Having read The Crusades: Iron Men and Saints by Harold Lamb, I can see also how Dr. Bakker drew on the First Crusade as source material for basic framework of how the Holy Warriors of the Three Seas function and interact with each other. Emperor Ikurei Xerius III is a definite allusion to the Byzantine Emperor Alexis II Comnene of our own world.

Even without the added insight, the books themselves are very high quality writing and I would recommend them to anyone who enjoyed such books as Martin's Song of Fire and Ice, Donaldson's Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, and Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. When placed with those three other series, I feel it fits in perfect. It's different. It's not a rehash, and like those other worlds it has its own unique feel to it. It is, in effect, reading different fantasy. Too many worlds and fantasy novels are ripoffs of one another. Earwa is not The Land which is not Middle Earth which is not Westeros, and I think that is what makes me appreciate these particular series so much, and why R. Scott Bakker should be read along with such series.

This book has garnered outstanding reviews and the author is being hailed as the heir to Tolkien.

I'm not sure that I see why. While this first novel has some original touches and nicely avoids good-versus-evil cliches, it doesn't really stand out to me. The worldbuilding is that of generic epic fantasy, with civilizations lasting thousands of years, emperors, dark lords, and multiple species; some distinctly Frank Herbert-esque touches of religious cults, killing words and Mentat-like trances add interest, but are not really well developed. (I do think the Sranc, murderous creatures perhaps best described as goblin-elves, are interesting.) Rapid POV switches between characters who are broadly sketched rather than vividly developed makes the plot not so much hard to follow as hard to maintain interest in.

Sentence-level writing is sparse, at times to the point of dullness; there is an overall lack of imagery, and though I applaud the author's desire to avoid infodumps I think readers may find the setting generally underdeveloped. While reading, I never felt drawn into the world; not only visual but sensory detail is largely lacking from what feel like rapidly sketched scenes.

The work shows potential, but not brilliance, in my opinion.

This will probably appeal to fans of epic fantasy; I don't think it transcends the genre.

This series is the best fantasy written in the past ten years. Actually, this may be the best fantasy series ever, or at least the best since Lord of the Rings spawned that endless stream of unoriginal copies that have dotted the bookshelves for the past 40 years. It is certainly the most original fantasy series I've read in ages and is nothing like LOTR or basically anything else you've ever read.

This is not a book for those who are looking for a light-hearted, poorly written romp in a magical world. This is not a "coming of age" story about a young man or woman who goes on a series of adventures, quests, whatever, and defeats a bad guy or two and lives happily ever after. This is a book about adults, with adult themes and with adult characters, who do very adult things. It's not racy or pornographic, so don't get me wrong, but this not a book that I would recommend to a young teen trying to get a handle on the next "Harry Potter". In fact, this book is completely on the opposite spectrum from the Potter novels.

This is a warning about this book. It takes some time to get the feel for it. You really have to read the first 200 pages to really understand what's going on. The author litters the tale with names, places, characters, and a history which leaves you a bit baffled at times. You have to keep thinking while you read it as it constantly introduces new themes, new philosophies and new literary strategies as it weaves its way through the story of an impending Holy War (think Crusade), which various political and religous factions are using for their own peculiar ends. It is difficult to really describe the story line, the book jacket does not do it justice. It has to be read to be experienced.

I can totally understand why some of the reviewers here did not find this tale interesting. It can be rather intense and rather philosophical at times. You can literally pick up this book and turn to any page at random and read something that will make you stop and think for a few moments. Some people may want more bloodletting or action. The action does picks up quite nicely in the second book, however and the third one wraps it all up nicely. But in the end, if you're a huge fan of Jordan, Goodkind, or even Martin, this may not be the best book for you. For one thing, the story actually ends, which I know is not something with which fans of those authors have much experience, but the story also makes you think. Constantly. It's quite an accomplishment and I am very glad to have read it. It will definitely hold a place in my little world as one of the finest books I've ever read.

I look forward to reading more of Mr. Bakker in the years to come.

Pros: the author has some skill as a word-smith, no dispute there. The world he has created is interesting and unlike anything I've come across before. The writing is nuanced and mature for the genre.

Cons: the story drags terribly. I think the author is a philosophy grad student and it shows. The philosophical digressions get rather old and drag down the story.

I agree that it is confusing, with all the unfamilliar names, etc. but Tolkien is confusing too, until you spend some time with him, so I'm not sure how fair of a criticism that is (NOT that I'm comparing this guy to Tolkien--it's not even close...) It would have been better if there would have been more backstory, more explination and background for this elaborate setting.

In the end, however, it all comes back to the story: SLOW and DULL. This book is a struggle to get through, which is too bad because the author has definate talent.

This is one of those books that I could hardly wait to get a free minute or two to continue reading. It is the first of a series and I'm itching for the next volume to come out (expected sometime quite soon, in fact)

The first part of this book reminded me a lot of Frank Herbert's "Dune": that being, a rather diverse, confusing, "I wondering what's going on here", beginning: and like "Dune", your patience is rewarded as the individual pieces eventually get pulled together, making for one great story.

The story itself is fresh and intriguing; with plots and subplots involving individuals and also on a more global scale. There is a wealth of interesting characters and substantial character development. You will find war, revenge, deception, journeys, and an erotic sexy quality to the sporadic love scenes: all of which make this novel very readable and addicting.

If you liked the style of story telling you found in "Dune" or if you just like great fantasy writing, I would recommend this novel.