Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
We've all been here before., 22 Jun 2007
Bakker's Prince of Nothing sequence does have some merits, most notably in the characters' of Achamian and Esmenet, the complexities of their love and failures to love give the novels a sense of heart.
Unfortunately, the hero character 'Kellhus' is a serious problem. The rational for his mastery of the world into which he has been introduced, is that he's a late stage product of a multi-generational breeding and education program, which is designed to create beings capable of transcending the innate drives to which they are chained by their genetic and cultural heritage. This is done so that they can act rationally in all situations and thus master all that they confront. An interesting idea and clearly one which takes a lot from the work of behavioural psychology. The problem is that literature, and indeed all human drama, is based on the confrontations of individuals with the irrational and mostly their own irrationality, it is in the end what makes us human and interesting. Thus the 'hero' has to be seen as essentially inhuman. That is not necessarily a problem, but the way Bakker has written him makes 'Kellhus' dull and unsympathetic.
Worse though he's a mediocre copy of Paul Atreidies. Let's face it we've all been here before with this sort of end product of a breeding experiment.
So why does Dune work and 'The Prince of Nothing' fail to convince? Partly because Dune was original and this feels derivative, but much more so because of the quality of the writing. Frank Herbert, at his best was a very fine writer, Bakker is simply not that good. He throws out interesting idea's and creates a world with a much depth, but his writing lacks elegance. He crams in endless long, unfamiliar and difficult names , he fails to bring the requisite excitement to the action sequences (i feel he himself only writes those because he feels they're necessary for this sort of novel, but he personally is not interested in them, being far more involved in the underlying philosophical and anthropological issues).
All of which is a pity as the strengths and potential of the series is such that i feel it could have been a landmark in modern fantasy. But with it being difficult to find any reason to care for Kellhus and having to wade through acres of dense and uninspired prose about history, philosophy and battles 'The Prince of Nothing' is, eventually, a failure.
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10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Beautifully written, but you have to study the history for this 3rd one, 17 Feb 2007
The first two books in this series (The Darkness That Comes Before and The Warrior Propeht) really set the bar high: the were beautifully written, featured several complex characters and an excellent major plot with several sub plot lines. They were a little complicated in the "world" created by the books, but not deterringly so.
This one, though just as beautifully written, was a struggle to get through. Not nearly as good as the first two, and, because of the fast ending, seems like it was written under a severe deadline.
The plot obviously continues from the second book (and, people with poor memories like me will appreciate the 20+ page "what has come before" summary at the beginning of the book) where Kellhus the Dunyain has assumed control of the Holy War through logic and manipulation. Achamian is helping him, but struggling with that path, in no small part because Kellhus has taken Achamian's wife as his own (when Achamian was feared dead). Cnaiur believes himself mad or possesed or both, and follows his own path to redemption. All head for Shimeh, the Holy City now held by heathens, where Kellhus has been "summoned" to see and sent to assasinate his father.
The characters again are beautifully wrought and described, especially Achamian, Esmet and Cnaiur.
Three major complaints. Bakker asks his readers not only to enter his world, but to study it. The PB version has 100 pages of Glossary out of a 500 page book, and in some of the passages, it feels like you've got to read them all to understand what is happening. Very confusing at times.
Second, the end flys by. A lot of action and things tied up in a very short period of time.
Third, it's not an obvious end. There are many questions left unanswered, obviously a fourth book or a new series coming next.
I will continue reading Mr. Bakker's works, because he tackles a lot, presents a new version of fantasy writing different than most, and I learn a lot from his style of writing. But he set the bar high with the first two novels, and this one, while still good, is not at their level.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding Conclusion to the Prince of Nothing series., 24 Oct 2006
The story follows the conclusion of the Holy war. The marching Inrithi will finally clash with their enemies at the holy city of Shimeh.
After the excellent previous instalments (the Darkness that comes before and Warrior Prophet) I was wholly anticipating the final part of the trilogy. Bakker has created a gritty complex world in which to tell this tale.
First there are a couple of negative points that I would like to highlight:
There are too many peoples and names thrown around. They are described as if we should know who they are, and I am sure they have appeared at some obscure point before. I did find myself lost trying to follow so many different people and their factions.
Additionally, I am in the middle of many fantasy series which are ongoing and are many books away from their conclusion. While many of the loose ends are tied up, the overall "second apocalypse" is left unsolved. On researching this further, it appears there will be more books exploring the rest of the storyline. This story arc was only concerned with the Holy War itself, which does end in a satisfactory manner.
With that out of the way we can concentrate on the many good points of the book. The Holy War comes to an emphatic conclusion in a great battle of swords and sorcery.
The Holy War is now under the undisputed control of the Warrior Prophet himself, Kellhus. From the beginning of the series he has been a most intriguing character and has really carried the story on his journey to meet his father. His intellect and insight regarding the lesser mortals he travels with are interesting as is his manipulation of all around him.
Achamian now faces his ultimate decision, does he go against his fellow sorcerers and divulge their secrets to Kellhus? As powerful as Kellhus is, what would he help create if the Warrior Prophet learned magic? Akka struggles with this and many other inner demons during the book. He has already lost his wife to the man and considers what else he must sacrifice for him. Akka brings a human edge to the fantastical elements around him.
The savage Cnauir still fights the demons in his head, he hates Kellhus but also needs him to heal his old wounds. All the while the Consult still await to see how this affect their overall goal of bringing the second apocalypse.
I greatly enjoyed this series. The depth of the characters and their emotional struggles throughout really helped you connect with them. There are many great scenes as the story gathers pace for a climatic and frenetic finish. This is one book which does not fade out, it goes out with bang. I was hooked, spending every spare hour with the book.
The battles both with sword and magic are extremely well described, in spite of Bakker still suffering from Donaldson-itis (overcomplicated language).
There are numerous flashbacks to the first apocalypse which are extremely interesting as they reveal insight into the overall evil that the land of Earwa is facing. Additionally an extremely comprehensive glossary is attached to the back of the book, this really adds more the world of Earwa, especially elements that refer to the first apocalypse.
I hope Mr. Bakker can keep the standard for the rest of the story he is planning to write.
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