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The Darkness That Comes Before

The Prince of Nothing, Book One

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The Darkness That Comes Before

Written by: R. Scott Bakker
Narrated by: David DeVries
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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 - its language and classes of people, its cities, religions, mysteries, taboos, and rituals - the kind of all-embracing universe Tolkien and Herbert created unforgettably in the epic fantasies The Lord of the Rings and Dune.

It's a world scarred by an apocalyptic past, evoking a time both 2,000 years past and 2,000 years into the future, as untold thousands gather for a crusade. Among them, two men and two women are ensnared by a mysterious traveler, Anasûrimbor Kellhus - part warrior, part philosopher, part sorcerous, charismatic presence - from lands long thought dead. The Darkness That Comes Before is a history of this great holy war, and like all histories, the survivors write its conclusion.

©2003 R. Scott Bakker (P)2012 Audible, Inc. Epic Fantasy Science Fiction
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Literally starts off with a bang and just keeps getting darker.
Really believable characters and an extremely gripping story.

Great!

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One of the most impressive prologues I have ever had the pleasure of reading.

Bakker's prose is an absolute pleasure to read and/or hear. Immersive reading for those who also have a hard copy is very beneficial with this series and its follow-up.

Keep in mind that this is not intended to be read as a stand-alone novel; you need to go into this knowing that the story merely begins here.

The Second Apocalypse is easily one of the finest fantasy works ever put to the page. If you can handle the themes herein, you will find no better.

An absolute masterpiece

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Intricate and detailed. Unlike any fantasy book I have ever read. Absolutely gorgeous tapestry of woe.

Brilliant

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I couldn’t get into the story or characters. Almost stopped listening on several occasions. It’s well written but disappointing.

Not my cup of tea

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The narrator is fantastic, with many distinct voices, and a good tone for a story like this. R. Scott Bakker shows the beginnings of promise here with sometimes fantastic prose and interesting characters. However, I am left scratching my head at the pace of this story, or maybe where the story starts and ends. I am not a very big fan of action or battles in my fantasy, and I really do love a good slow burn focusing on characters and philosophy. This book is heavy on the politics, but not as heavy as I would have liked on the philosophical side of things, and I am left feeling like I took very little from the book.

This book felt more like characters passively watching things happen, rather than seeing characters actually do things. I want to be clear that characters do actually do things, but I still am coming away with the strange feeling of having seen any of our characters affecting the story truly.

Great performance, narrative falls short.

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