Listen free for 30 days
-
The Darkness That Comes Before
- The Prince of Nothing, Book One
- Narrated by: David DeVries
- Series: The Prince of Nothing, Book 1
- Length: 20 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Science Fiction & Fantasy, Fantasy
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Listen with a free trial
Buy Now for £27.49
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Warrior-Prophet
- The Prince of Nothing, Book Two
- By: R. Scott Bakker
- Narrated by: David DeVries
- Length: 23 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Steering souls through the subtleties of word and expression, Kellhus strives to extend his dominion over the Men of the Tusk. The sorcerer Achamian and his lover, Esmenet, submit entirely, only to have their faith - and their love - tested in unimaginable ways. Meanwhile, the warrior Cnaiur falls ever deeper into madness. Convinced that Kellhus will betray their pact to murder his father, Cnaiur turns to the agents of the Second Apocalypse and strikes an infernal bargain. The Holy War stands on a knife edge.
-
-
dark epic fantasy
- By Kindle Customer on 18-11-18
-
Priest of Bones
- War for the Rose Throne
- By: Peter McLean
- Narrated by: David Morley Hale
- Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tomas Piety takes his duties seriously: as a soldier, as a priest of Our Lady of Eternal Sorrows and as a leader of men. He has come home from the war to reclaim his family business, to provide for his men and to ensure the horrors of Abingon can never happen in Ellinburg. But things have changed: his crime empire has been stolen, and the people of Ellinburg - his people - have run out of food and hope and places to hide. With his best friend, Bloody Anne, his war-damaged brother, Jochan, and his new gang, the Pious Men, Tomas sets out to reclaim what was his.
-
-
disappointed
- By sonvagun on 10-08-19
-
The Unholy Consult
- By: R. Scott Bakker
- Narrated by: Kevin Orton
- Length: 21 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Unholy Consult, the Men of the Great Ordeal have been abandoned by Anasurimbor Kellhus, and the grand crusade has dissolved into cannibalism and chaos. When Exalt-General Proyas, the Prince-Imperial Kayutas at his side, attempts to gain control of the lost Men and continue their march to Golgotterath, it rapidly becomes clear that the lost Lord and Prophet is not so easily shaken from the mission.
-
-
Woof!
- By Kindle Addict on 31-10-21
-
Beyond Redemption
- Manifest Delusions, Book 1
- By: Michael R. Fletcher
- Narrated by: Paul Woodson
- Length: 15 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Common knowledge isn't an axiom, it's a force of nature. What the masses believe is. But insanity is a weapon; conviction a shield. Delusions give birth to foul new gods. Violent and dark, the world is filled with the Geisteskranken - men and women whose delusions manifest, twisting reality. High Priest Konig seeks to create order from chaos. He defines the beliefs of his followers, leading their faith to one end: a young boy, Morgen, must Ascend to become a god. A god they can control. But there are many who would see this would-be-god in their thrall....
-
-
Amazing
- By AlicoMendez on 14-02-22
-
The Steel Remains
- By: Richard Morgan
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 15 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ringil, the hero of the bloody slaughter at Gallows Gap, is a legend to all who don't know him and a twisted degenerate to those that do. A veteren of the wars against the lizards, he makes a living from telling credulous travellers of his exploits. Until one day he is pulled away from his life and into the depths of the Empire's slave trade. There, he will discover a secret infinitely more frightening than the trade in lives.
-
-
Up there with Hoffman, Lynch and Rothfuss,
- By B on 12-01-13
-
The Black Company
- Chronicles of The Black Company, Book 1
- By: Glen Cook
- Narrated by: Marc Vietor
- Length: 10 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Some feel the Lady, newly risen from centuries in thrall, stands between humankind and evil. Some feel she is evil itself. The hardbitten men of the Black Company take their pay and do what they must, burying their doubts with their dead - until the prophesy: The White Rose has been reborn, somewhere, to embody good once more. There must be a way for the Black Company to find her....
-
-
Captivating
- By John on 26-03-11
-
The Warrior-Prophet
- The Prince of Nothing, Book Two
- By: R. Scott Bakker
- Narrated by: David DeVries
- Length: 23 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Steering souls through the subtleties of word and expression, Kellhus strives to extend his dominion over the Men of the Tusk. The sorcerer Achamian and his lover, Esmenet, submit entirely, only to have their faith - and their love - tested in unimaginable ways. Meanwhile, the warrior Cnaiur falls ever deeper into madness. Convinced that Kellhus will betray their pact to murder his father, Cnaiur turns to the agents of the Second Apocalypse and strikes an infernal bargain. The Holy War stands on a knife edge.
-
-
dark epic fantasy
- By Kindle Customer on 18-11-18
-
Priest of Bones
- War for the Rose Throne
- By: Peter McLean
- Narrated by: David Morley Hale
- Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tomas Piety takes his duties seriously: as a soldier, as a priest of Our Lady of Eternal Sorrows and as a leader of men. He has come home from the war to reclaim his family business, to provide for his men and to ensure the horrors of Abingon can never happen in Ellinburg. But things have changed: his crime empire has been stolen, and the people of Ellinburg - his people - have run out of food and hope and places to hide. With his best friend, Bloody Anne, his war-damaged brother, Jochan, and his new gang, the Pious Men, Tomas sets out to reclaim what was his.
-
-
disappointed
- By sonvagun on 10-08-19
-
The Unholy Consult
- By: R. Scott Bakker
- Narrated by: Kevin Orton
- Length: 21 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Unholy Consult, the Men of the Great Ordeal have been abandoned by Anasurimbor Kellhus, and the grand crusade has dissolved into cannibalism and chaos. When Exalt-General Proyas, the Prince-Imperial Kayutas at his side, attempts to gain control of the lost Men and continue their march to Golgotterath, it rapidly becomes clear that the lost Lord and Prophet is not so easily shaken from the mission.
-
-
Woof!
- By Kindle Addict on 31-10-21
-
Beyond Redemption
- Manifest Delusions, Book 1
- By: Michael R. Fletcher
- Narrated by: Paul Woodson
- Length: 15 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Common knowledge isn't an axiom, it's a force of nature. What the masses believe is. But insanity is a weapon; conviction a shield. Delusions give birth to foul new gods. Violent and dark, the world is filled with the Geisteskranken - men and women whose delusions manifest, twisting reality. High Priest Konig seeks to create order from chaos. He defines the beliefs of his followers, leading their faith to one end: a young boy, Morgen, must Ascend to become a god. A god they can control. But there are many who would see this would-be-god in their thrall....
-
-
Amazing
- By AlicoMendez on 14-02-22
-
The Steel Remains
- By: Richard Morgan
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 15 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ringil, the hero of the bloody slaughter at Gallows Gap, is a legend to all who don't know him and a twisted degenerate to those that do. A veteren of the wars against the lizards, he makes a living from telling credulous travellers of his exploits. Until one day he is pulled away from his life and into the depths of the Empire's slave trade. There, he will discover a secret infinitely more frightening than the trade in lives.
-
-
Up there with Hoffman, Lynch and Rothfuss,
- By B on 12-01-13
-
The Black Company
- Chronicles of The Black Company, Book 1
- By: Glen Cook
- Narrated by: Marc Vietor
- Length: 10 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Some feel the Lady, newly risen from centuries in thrall, stands between humankind and evil. Some feel she is evil itself. The hardbitten men of the Black Company take their pay and do what they must, burying their doubts with their dead - until the prophesy: The White Rose has been reborn, somewhere, to embody good once more. There must be a way for the Black Company to find her....
-
-
Captivating
- By John on 26-03-11
-
The Way Knight
- A Tale of Revenge and Revolution
- By: Alexander Wallis
- Narrated by: Kathy Bell Denton
- Length: 6 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When corrupt politicians execute her brother, Daimonia determines to find her mother; the famous hero who abandoned her years before. To survive the treacherous journey, she hires the way knight - a travelling warrior sworn to protect anyone who pays his fee, no matter how dangerous the journey, or hopeless their cause. Together they will chance the battle-torn coast, pursued by the champion of the Secret God.
-
The God Is Not Willing
- The First Tale of Witness
- By: Steven Erikson
- Narrated by: Emma Gregory
- Length: 23 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Many years have passed since three Teblor warriors brought carnage and chaos to the small lakeside settlement of Silver Lake. While the town has recovered, the legacy of that past horror remains, even if the Teblor tribes of the north no longer venture into the southlands. One of those three, Karsa Orlong, is now deemed to be a god, albeit an indifferent one.
-
-
Return to form...
- By Cate on 27-07-21
-
Deadhouse Gates
- The Malazan Book of the Fallen 2
- By: Steven Erikson
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 34 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Weakened by events in Darujhistan, the Malazan Empire teeters on the brink of anarchy. In the vast dominion of Seven Cities, in the Holy Desert Raraku, the seer Sha'ik gathers an army around her in preparation for the long-prophesied uprising named the Whirlwind. Unprecedented in its size and savagery, it will embroil in one of the bloodiest conflicts it has ever known: a maelstrom of fanaticism and bloodlust that will shape destinies and give birth to legends....
-
-
A fine story. Deep in Intrigue. Riveting.
- By M. G. Down on 08-03-19
-
The Wisdom of Crowds
- The Riotous Conclusion to The Age of Madness
- By: Joe Abercrombie
- Narrated by: Steven Pacey
- Length: 23 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Some say that to change the world you must first burn it down. Now that belief will be tested in the crucible of revolution: the Breakers and Burners have seized the levers of power, the smoke of riots has replaced the smog of industry and all must submit to the wisdom of crowds. With nothing left to lose, Citizen Brock is determined to become a new hero for the new age, while Citizeness Savine must turn her talents from profit to survival before she can claw her way to redemption. Orso will find that when the world is turned upside down, no one is lower than a monarch.
-
-
Saved by the last few chapters
- By Mr. R. Murray on 18-09-21
-
Prince of Thorns: Broken Empire 1
- By: Mark Lawrence
- Narrated by: Joe Jameson
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Prince of Thorns is the first volume in a powerful new epic fantasy trilogy, original, absorbing and challenging. Before the thorns taught me their sharp lessons and bled weakness from me I had but one brother, and I loved him well. But those days are gone and what is left of them lies in my mother's tomb. Now I have many brothers, quick with knife and sword, and as evil as you please. We ride this broken empire and loot its corpse.
-
-
Brilliantly dark story, fantastic narration
- By David on 10-09-12
-
Blood Song
- Book 1 of Raven's Shadow
- By: Anthony Ryan
- Narrated by: Steven Brand
- Length: 23 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We have fought battles that left more than a hundred corpses on the ground and not a word of it has ever been set down. The Order fights, but often it fights in shadow, without glory or reward. We have no banners. Vaelin Al Sorna is the Sixth Order's newest recruit. Under their brutal training regime, he learns how to forge a blade, survive the wilds and kill a man quickly and quietly - all in the name of protecting the Realm and the Faith. Now his skills will be put to the test.
-
-
Why ruin a good story with a poor narrator?
- By Jeremy on 20-10-14
-
Kings of the Wyld
- The Band, Book 1
- By: Nicholas Eames
- Narrated by: Jeff Harding
- Length: 17 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Clay Cooper and his band were once the best of the best - the meanest, dirtiest, most feared and admired crew of mercenaries this side of the Heartwyld. But their glory days are long past; the mercs have grown apart and grown old, fat, drunk - or a combination of the three. Then a former bandmate turns up at Clay's door with a plea for help: his daughter Rose is trapped in a city besieged by an enemy horde 100,000 strong and hungry for blood.
-
-
Gritty and humorous.
- By Mads on 05-03-17
-
Malice
- The Faithful and Fallen, Book 1
- By: John Gwynne
- Narrated by: Damian Lynch
- Length: 23 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Young Corban watches enviously as boys become warriors, learning the art of war. He yearns to wield his sword and spear to protect his king’s realm. But that day will come all too soon. Only when he loses those he loves will he learn the true price of courage. The Banished Lands has a violent past where armies of men and giants clashed in battle, the earth running dark with their heartsblood. Although the giant clans were broken in ages past, their ruined fortresses still scar the land.
-
-
Excellently read, and a good story
- By G McIvor on 23-10-18
-
Blackwing
- The Raven's Mark, Book 1
- By: Ed McDonald
- Narrated by: Colin Mace
- Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The republic faces annihilation, despite the vigilance of Galharrow's Blackwings. When a raven tattoo rips itself from his arm to deliver a desperate message, Galharrow and a mysterious noblewoman must investigate a long-dead sorcerer's legacy. But there is a conspiracy within the citadel: traitors, flesh eaters and the ghosts of the wastelands seek to destroy them, but if they cannot solve the ancient wizard's paradox, the Deep Kings will walk the earth again, and all will be lost.
-
-
It turns out I like grimdark fantasy after all
- By Luke Beckett on 24-08-17
-
Prince of Fools
- Red Queen's War, Book 1
- By: Mark Lawrence
- Narrated by: Sean Ohlendorf
- Length: 13 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Red Queen is old but the kings of the Broken Empire fear her as they fear no other. Her grandson Jalan Kendeth is a coward, a cheat, and a womaniser; and 10th in line to the throne. While his grandmother shapes the destiny of millions, Prince Jalan pursues his debauched pleasures. Until he gets entangled with Snorri ver Snagason, a huge Norse axe man, and dragged against his will to the icy north.
-
-
It's Broken - don't fix it!
- By D. Menashy on 09-07-14
-
The First Law
- A Dismas Hardy Novel
- By: John Lescroart
- Narrated by: Robert Lawrence
- Length: 13 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At last recovered from a near-fatal gunshot wound, Lieutenant Abe Glitsky is back at work. But instead of returning to his old job as chief of homicide detail, he's assigned a desk job in the payroll department, where he has no business investigating murders -until his father's closest friend is shot dead in a downtown pawn shop.
-
The Fifth Season
- The Broken Earth, Book 1
- By: N. K. Jemisin
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 15 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is the way the world ends...for the last time. It starts with the great red rift across the heart of the world, spewing ash that blots out the sun. It starts with death, with a murdered son and a missing daughter. It starts with betrayal, and long dormant wounds rising up to fester. This is the Stillness, a land long familiar with catastrophe, where the power of the earth is wielded as a weapon. And where there is no mercy.
-
-
Good and enjoyable book.
- By AudiobookDevotee on 19-07-18
Summary
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.
More from the same
What listeners say about The Darkness That Comes Before
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Timothy
- 30-07-20
Narrator ruins a good book
I have read the book(s). And I enjoyed them. But I lasted about 5 minutes with this audio book. The narrator is, being polite, not good. Super flat, monotone reading. It sounds like a computer program reading the book. I don't want to be cruel. But some quality control should be done over the narration.
What I thought was a sure bet, as I have read the book(s), turned out to be a disaster. I feel like I wasted my money :-(
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jay
- 07-05-14
Good read!! Bad Narrator!!
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.
17 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 17-02-21
difficult to follow the narrative
the story line is very unclear, the characters pop in and out is the story, couldn't understand what's happening. I usually really enjoy this type of book, but unfortunately this one is not one of those. It could be just me and my expectations.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kindle Customer
- 23-08-18
the start of a great series
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.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 03-09-17
Serious adult fantasy
Written before the time of adult gritty TV and Film. This story takes gritty fantasy to the next level. Huge story arc fantastic characters. An Original good vrs Bad story.
A huge book. Nice to be able to get through it quickly listening this via the audio version. Narrator did a fair job. So many characters to portray must have made it tough creating so many voices. Throughly Enjoyable. Well recommended.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- N. Thompson
- 22-01-17
Please don't take notice of the below reviews
What made the experience of listening to The Darkness That Comes Before the most enjoyable?
Awesome book. If you like an adult-version of Bakker mixed with the depth of of Frank Herbert's 'Dune' then this could be for you. Forget Tolkien, Martin and anyone else. This is dark, complex and easily the best Fantasy series of books I have ever read. Outstanding.
What other book might you compare The Darkness That Comes Before to, and why?
Dune, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones. This book is for adults and has the complexity and depth that 'wipes the floor' with anything else i have read or listened too. Fantasy for adults.
Which scene did you most enjoy?
From beginning to end
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
It touched me on an intellectual level. It is complex, dark with many characters. I found it better listening to the audiobook than reading it.
Any additional comments?
The narrator is American, which doesn't normally work on fantasy books inspired by the middles/dark ages, but his characterisations are excellent. Overall, he does a great job.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mr
- 04-06-14
Awful Narrator
What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?
I agree whole heartedly with the previous reviewer. Get a narrator like Steven pacey to tell this story. The current reader is terrible and unsually for me, i gave up listening after about two hours and put the radio on. Ive often found the narrator can bring a book to life while this one simply detroys it. One stars all round, but in all honesty I might be doing the author an injustice because of the poor reader. Sort it audible and ill try the book again!
Would you ever listen to anything by R. Scott Bakker again?
Yes
How could the performance have been better?
Listen to it yourself and you will understand why. A little emotion, different accents/voices. Too stiff, too wooden. I've heard computer generated voices with more fluency.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Alan. Hardman
- 07-07-22
Bear with me here
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.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 07-06-20
Not your average Sword and Sorcery!
A complex world of intrigue, politics, violence, faith and magic are explored with meandering, intertwining events that delve into the history and destiny of the people of Eärwa.
I love the story and characters in this book, and I was hooked from the epilogue onwards, with its probing internal monologues to the epic events that unfold. However, this is a story you have to engage with and not just have on as background distraction
I am no audio book aficionado, but I have listened to many recently and have found that a poor choice of narrator or an odd reading style can be really jarring and make a book hard to engage with. For me this is not one of them.
The rhythm can be a little flat at times, but the reader does a fantastic job of injecting drama and urgency at the right moments, and distinct character voices brings everyone to life. I don't envy his job of coping with really complicated names of people and places, as this was something that made me struggle with reading it for myself. So bravo for that! He certainly did as good a job as the text would allow as some passages are very heavy with unusual words, unique to the world of Bakker's creation.
.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 04-12-19
hectic
the book is all over the place too many words too obscure words I know what they mean but it takes some time to figure it out and it is a pain the story is all over the place the plot is confusing I mean WHO IS THE MAIN CHARACTER is it the guy in the first chapter that fight a non-man leader or something the prince or is it the other characters that I don't care about it is honestly hard to concentrate on the story by how little I care about those characters that get put in and out and in and out die and more names names names names names too many I don't want a spread sheet to figure out a story
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Andy
- 28-06-12
Finally in audiobook!
I have been waiting and waiting for this to finally come out in audiobook. And just in time for summer! Great writing - a bit overwrought, but in a good way - like a blend of MAR Barker and HP Lovecraft and Gene Wolfe.
I got these in book form on a lark when they came out and have gotten most of my family and friends to try it out. In that same spirit, I am writing a review so that someone out there will also give it a try and like it.
If you like Joe Abercrombie, Brent Weeks, or any of the new school reflective fantasy (as in fantasy more reflective of our real world - its what I call it anyway), I suggest you give it a try.
Lots of Characters and intricate language, do yourself a favor and find the printed book's character list and lexicon appendixes online somewhere as a companion to the audio version.
40 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Cody
- 12-07-12
Rough start, solid overall.
David DeVries voice drove me absolutely nuts when I listened for the first fifteen minutes. I gave it a chance because I thought it could shape up to be an excellent story.
I'm glad I gave it a shot because the story and narrator quickly evolved into something great. The story is interesting and mysterious and most of the characters are really well done. The first half of the book is a lot of world building and character introductions, while the last half really gets into the meat of the plot and builds the premise of what is to come.
Right after I hit submit on this review I will be purchasing book 2.
29 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Joe
- 30-08-12
A very strange series
Would you listen to The Darkness That Comes Before again? Why?
I believe that I would listen to the entire series again, yes. It is very deep and complex, and at some times even confusing. I pride myself as an attentive listener of audiobooks, I don't jsut put them on and then tune them out, and at times I had a little trouble following along. However, this is in no way a refutation of the book or the series. They are both wonderfully written and performed.
What did you like best about this story?
I'd have to say that I liked the depth of all the characters the best. Baker does an amazing job at characterization. Each and every one of them is complex, conflicted and unique.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
While I didn't laugh out loud or cry while listening to The Darkness That Comes Gefore, I did have a strong reaction to the entire series. The main character, demands one from the reader. Love him or hate him, you will feel something towards him.
12 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Tom
- 12-11-15
holy Shrial shit batman!that was a good listen
i knew it would be a good listen because it was a great read! This series is every bit as enthralling as Erikksons Malazan series, and Ruthfuss's Kingkiller chronicles.
10 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Geoff
- 23-04-15
Great Book, Poor Reader
What didn’t you like about David DeVries’s performance?
Yes, this book is challenging, but Devries' reading complicates, rather than clarifies. Very little distinction between different characters' voices makes it easy to lose track of who is saying what. Choices on inflection make it sound like he himself has no idea what's going on. Paragraphs are picked up with no breaks, missing the fact that a new idea is starting.
I would often listen to a section two or three times before going to the text and finding it much easier to understand.
Any additional comments?
I'm really enjoying this story, but I'll have to somehow find the time to read the sequels without audio.
8 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Derek
- 09-06-13
Absolutely amazing, second read
If you could sum up The Darkness That Comes Before in three words, what would they be?
Unique epic fantasy.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Darkness That Comes Before?
Nearly everything about the novel is memorable. There are some characters that fascinate me more than others, but even the ones I am less interested in remain gripping. The intellectual, moral, philosophical and political complexity of the story is amazing. I read it 5 years ago, read the whole series, in fact, and came back to this now. And it is still amazing.
What about David DeVries’s performance did you like?
I don't normally read epic fantasy, so am not accustomed to this many characters and wondered if the vast creativity and the suspense would translate into audio. DeVries' capacity to do a dozen different accents, and another half-dozen tones of voice, made this a really good audio book. That is not to say there are not a lot of complex names and geographies to keep in your head as you listen, but Bakker is writing to an intelligent audience.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
Just loved it (again). And just bought the second in this series.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Ian Nichol
- 13-09-12
I never write reviews but I loved this
What made the experience of listening to The Darkness That Comes Before the most enjoyable?
This is a fully realized world. Great conflicts. Original characters.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Darkness That Comes Before?
Dark dark magicians.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
I drive long distances and tend to listen in long blocks. I could easily listen for 6+ hrs
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Ryan
- 05-12-15
Heavy world-building, but didn't engage me
I got about 2/3 of the way through this one and just couldn't sustain interest. This is elaborately plotted fantasy in which many factions and individual players are scheming for control of a world with a lot of history. A religious leader has appeared to organize one group of kingdoms into a Holy War against another country. "Schools" of magicians aligned with one group or another play their own shadowy games. A decadent emperor and his ambitious young nephew have their own agendas. A wandering monk with exceptional powers of psychological manipulation gets involved, and recruits a northern barbarian from a Mongol-like people.
Bakker doesn't do much in the way of easing the reader into his world, but throws us into the middle of the political games, leaving us to figure out who's who and what's what. While I can appreciate that kind of challenge and did find the world-building somewhat interesting, the storytelling just didn't engage me.
The major problem I had with it is that it simply doesn't feel very organic. Bakker clearly had some Big Ideas, and mapped out a complex plot and gave his main players complex motivations, and I applaud him for that. However, for my taste, he's too focused on moving the chess pieces and not enough on giving us a visceral connection to the world and characters. One guy from one kingdom does one thing, and another guy from another kingdom counters with a brilliant stroke, but so what? It's hard for me to care when I don't have much of a feel for either kingdom or either guy. When he does get into backstories, it's mostly to tell us information about the character, rather than really get in the person's head.
For political machinations in a fantasy world, A Song of Fire and Ice is still my go-to series. The characters there feel more like people in a lived-in reality. This one, I'm sorry to say, didn't offer me a comparable experience.
17 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Gary Girod
- 01-12-21
A hidden gen
Unbelievable book. A classic that more should read and enjoy. Great narration too, all good.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Dave Williams
- 28-08-20
Terrible
No character development, no background for anything else. You're just thrown into thie middle of a really strange story made stranger by the narrator.
2 people found this helpful