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The Darkness That Comes Before

The Prince of Nothing, Book One

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About this listen

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 Epic Fantasy Fantasy Science Fiction Fiction Emotionally Gripping
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I read this series 10 years ago and thought it would mix things up to listen to it in the "re-read". The story is still enjoyable and boldly sets out its own lot in the crowded realm of epic fantasy. The narrator does an excellent job of providing the characters with distinct voices and lends authority to extended ponderings from the author that could have come off as farcical in lesser hands. Recommended for those seeking something a little different and darker.

the start of a great series

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I loved reading these books but avoided the audio books due to the bad reviews of the narration. I was presently surprised when I finally took the leap. Infact by the end of the book I was very happy with it. Really looking forward to the rest. Although only the unholy consult is the only book of the 2nd trilogy available on Audible, which is odd.

Narrator is good.

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That was absolutely incredible, compelling, and just bloody brilliant. The Darkness That Comes Before is the first is first book in the Prince of Nothing trilogy, and damn, I'm just in awe.

This book is, without a doubt, one of the most detailed fantasy books I have ever read and has an incredibly rich world with dozens of religious factions and rivalries, whether they be political, cultists, barbarians and heathens. Multiple converging storylines and sub-plots will keep you gripped whilst R Scott Baker, a richly dark imagined historical world that takes place, will draw you in hook line and sinker.

A full cast of intriguing and amazing characters that you will absolutely love, some of my favourites are Kellhus, the superhuman who has mastered himself, and may just be a god, we will find out soon enough, a brilliant, if deeply troubled, tribesman named Cnaiur, an old mandate sorcerer and teacher, Achamian and the prostitute, Esmenet are they are just the tip of the iceberg.

Excellently written, and the prose is just beautiful. Fantastic worldbuilding, plot, and setting are sublime. As Steven Erikson has put it, Something remarkable has begun, and I couldn’t agree more.

In The Darkness That Comes Before, A score of centuries has passed since the First Apocalypse, and the thoughts of men have turned, inevitably, to more worldly concerns.

The spiritual leader of the Thousand Temples seeks a Holy War to cleanse the land of the infidel and heathens.

But the fate of men - even great men - means little when the world itself may soon be torn asunder. Behind the politics, beneath the religious fervour, a dark and ancient evil is reawakening. After two thousand years, the No-God is returning. The second apocalypse is coming, and you best be ready when it does.

I implore you beautiful fantasy readers to check this out. You will not regret it, I very, very highly recommend....😁🖤🔥🗡💀

Incredible.

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I think there's certain types of book that require you to read rather than listen to, as the ideas presented need time to ferment in the mind for you to fully get the meaning of whats going on.

This book I feel is one of them, we have a wide open world full of characters and deep history that's being built in the first book and the nightmare problem of the book is that it is telling multiple stories of something all at the same time and I'm sure that there's a lot of good in it, but the mere fact that you're meant to listen to this while relaxing or doing something else works in direct contradiction to what is being done in the book.

We've got a war, an empire, a civil unrest, a plot and multiple people throughout that are all involved in someway shape or form and all of them are in their own plots and own lives.

And nothing of it has connective tissue except for the simplest and merest bits and pierces.

This has nothing to do with the narrator, he does a decent job with what he has it's just the story itself.
It goes from breakneck speed to grinding slowness to breakneck speed to slowness and sometimes within the exact same chapter multiple times and over multiple chapters.

I've tried to listen to this 4 times now in this attempt and 4 additional times since I bought this in 2020 and each time I slowly get sick of hearing things that aren't connected and aren't making sense storywise.

I'm sure this has a wonderful plot and brilliant characters, but it's not something I'll be trying again. and I doubt I'll buy the paperback for it either, this has seriously soured for me.

Bear with me here

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Please, Please, PLEASE.... get Steven Pacey to record this!! For whatever reason... the reader/storyteller just doesn't get it. I have had SO much trouble listening because his reading, voices and timing are just plain OFF.

Good read!! Bad Narrator!!

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