A retelling of the Crusades in an alternate universe.

Thousands of years have passed since the great Apocolypse when the No-God Mog Pharau came within a hair of wiping all life from the world, only to be slain by a desperate band of heros, sorcerers and the last High King of the North, but victory came at great cost and all the lands of the North were laid to waste.

Now the Consult, dark wizards in the No-God's service who have remained hidden for centuries until the world has forgotten them, seek to restore their master. Only the Mandate, an order of sorcerers entrusted with the lost arts of the ruined North, seeks to stand against the Consult, while the world mocks their mission as they chase down shadows and ghost stories.

At this time, civilization flourishes around the Three Seas in the South and the various cultures are united by the two dominant religions: the Tusk (Christianity) and Fannism (Islam).

A charismatic religious leader rises to dominate the order of the Tusk. This prophet declares Holy War on the 'heathen' and the nations prepare for battle. Every faction vies with each other for advantage, even as they fight those their faith declares are enemies.

Only the Mandate suspects the truth, that the leader of the Tusk is himself a Consult agent, and the war is being orcestrated to serve the No-God's evil purpose.

Into this mire of politics and fanaticism comes a new player. A warrior monk bearing the name and the blood of the last Northern king. The chosen one the Mandate has awaited for millenia. This enigma, a man neither good nor evil, who will save the world or damn it forever.

Either way, nothing will ever be the same.

Fans of complex history and myth. Tolkein lovers who don't shy away from the dark side of medieval life. Readers who enjoy being challenged intellectually and emotionally.

How it was complex, yet easily accessible. The care and work the author invested in his book. The non-stop action (conversations between characters were as exciting as the battles).

There's nothing wrong with this book. Some parts made me uncomfortable, but they were necessary and served a purpose.

Read the next book in the series.

Exhilarated, shocked, drained, angry (at the injustices some characters suffered)

"The Darkness that Comes Before," the first book of "The Prince of Nothing" series by R. Scott Bakker, is the first novel that shines like a polished gem. On the surface, a retelling of the Crusades, set in an alternate, fantasy world, this series explores humanity and the forces that move us, both as a race and as individuals, as it traces the web of religion, philosophy and politics.

The first book hurls the reader face-first into the middle of this alternate world with all its thousands of years of history and leaves the reader to fit the pieces into place as Bakker propels you forward in his increasingly complex plot.

Fortunately, an attentive reader will quickly pick up the threads and Bakker provides no shortage of anchors for the story and the characters are so vibrant they seem ready to step out of the pages (a frightening thought, considering many of them).

Bakker knows his history, and history - especially medieval history - wasn't pretty. Bakker doesn't spare his readers this brutality, but the violence has less to do with the physical than the emotional damage it inflicts, and more often than not from the point of view of the victims. Far from desensitizing the reader, the violence is designed to increase empathy, to the point where every character is sympathetic, with the exception of the central character, Anasurimbor Kellhus the Prince of Nothing.

Kellhus evokes fascination, not sympathy. He is a heartless manipulator, a creature of pure intelligence as alien and monstrous in his own way as the dark creatures he fights, and yet he is a necessary evil. The only one capable of defeating the dark forces at work in the world.

In closing, these are demanding books, but they are rewarding as well. From the love and the sweat of a brilliant new author.

If you're not bothered by blood and death, read this book and you will be. If you dislike explicit violence and don't like to have your views and preconceptions challenged, read it. It'll do you good.

However, these books should be kept out of reach of children and the emotionally immature.

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Created Feb 17, 2006 at 1:38pm • Submit your own review...