Fantasy's Best Kept Secret...
I have been a huge fan of R. Scott Bakker since i first stumbled upon The Darkness That Comes Before, nearly 4 years ago. I bought it because of the Middle Eastern Feel and because of it's mysterious cover. I had just read George R.R. Martin, and was eagerly searching for my next fix of dark, adult, character driven fantasy. Upon finishing that first book, i couldn't agree more with Steven Erickson's quote on the cover which states, "Something remarkable has begun". This series has swept me away and with the newest book in the series, "The White Luck Warrior" I can confidently say that this is my favorite book series of all time.
If you haven't yet read the first 4 books in the series, then you will be completely lost. Trust me when i say that this series is not for the faint of heart. Murder, corruption, incest, cannibalism, and human tragedy are all present within the world of Earwa. This is what makes Bakker such a powerhouse of a writer, but at the same time these themes will turn off many readers of traditional fantasy. Another common complaint with this series is it's underlining themes of philosophy. Personally this didn't bother me, but many people might find it preachy.
My headline is "Fantasy's best kept secret" because for some odd reason, many people haven't ever heard of Bakker. My boss at work is an old school fantasy fan who has read Glen Cook, Martin, Jordan, etc. I leant these books to him and he had devoured the whole series in 1 month. With this latest entry Bakker has proven that not only can he write a beautiful novel, but he is in this until the bitter end, and with each book, the writing and story only gets better. Do yourself a favor and read this series, but be careful because it has a very draining effect on you. The dark themes are often times emotionally draining, and downright depressing. I have never shed tears of sadness while reading until i read this book....seriously it's that good. Bakker if your out there reading this, thank you for writing such a unique entertaining series, and please please please keep it up!
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