| Title | : | The White Luck Warrior (Aspect-Emperor, #2) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1841495395 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781841495392 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Trade Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 587 |
| Publication | : | First published April 5, 2011 |
As Kellhus and his Great Ordeal march ever farther into the perilous wastes of the Ancient North, Esmenet finds herself at war with not only the Gods, but her own family as well. Achamian, meanwhile, leads his own ragtag expedition to the legendary ruins of Sauglish, and to a truth he can scarce survive, let alone comprehend.
Into this tumult walks the White Luck Warrior, assassin and messiah both, executing a mission as old as the World's making...
The White Luck Warrior (Aspect-Emperor, #2) Reviews
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An Overwhelming experience. Its shocking how this, a work of words rises above, transcends words.
With this series Bakker has become Tolkiens lost, maniacally, diabolically perverted, philosophical twin. If Tolkien was the creator of fantasy as it stands today, Bakker is its proud defiler. This man is pure evil to write what he writes and still command the adoration and awe of the reader, in-spite of the disgust, in-spite of the awareness of the mutilation. -
A REAL CHOPPER
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So, volume two of the “Aspect Emperor” series has come to a close and so far R. Scott Bakker still proves that he has the chops to pull off a multi-volume epic fantasy that not only uses the standard tropes in new and interesting ways, but that gives his characters depth, darkness, and complexity and does so with prose that is always enjoyable and sometimes downright exhilarating to read. I don’t think that I really *like* any of his characters (though Achamian, and to a lesser extent Mimara and even Sorweel, come close), but I find them all thoroughly intriguing, even when they are frustrating or repellent…or perhaps it’s because they are. Kellhus is still a fascinating cypher: a saviour who is chillingly amoral and manipulative, but whose ultimate aims and decisions on how best to reach them seem maddeningly right. Achamian, the ostensible hero of the tale, comes across at best as a petty cuckold hazarding ridiculous risks (for himself and others) for the sake of ill-feelings and wounded pride, and at worst as a monomaniacal menace who is little more than a tool that could lead to the utter destruction of all mankind. Kosoter and his pack of Sranc scalpers (esp. the mysterious Nonman mage Cleric) are always an intriguing bunch and watching their inner dissolution on the trail to the Library of Sauglish as they become pared down to a nub, leaving only their most essential (and repellent) characteristics is fascinating. I have to admit that I found the struggle for power at the heart of Kellhus’ empire in Momemn a little less captivating (probably because I find Esmenet a less interesting character than some of the others), but the glimpses we get into the dysfunctional and super-powered Dûnyain family (from “Uncle Holy” Maithanet right on down to dear little psycho Kelmomas) is always a fun train wreck to watch. And Sorweel, Serwa and Moënghus? Let’s just say I’m intrigued to see where and how the heck they end up.
While much of the story is devoted to either having two of the main plot threads cover huge distances of geography (Kellhus & the Great Ordeal and Achamian & the Skin Eaters) or another main thread devoted to plunging into the labyrinthine intrigues of the slowly dissolving imperial court (with Esmenet, Maithanet, and Kelmomas taking centre stage) and thus at times it can seem that not a lot happens in a relatively large span of pages, there are some really exciting, edge-of-your-seat type moments on display. Whether it’s the kick-ass fight that Cleric and Achamian have with in the bowels of the Library of Sauglish, or the psycho machinations of ‘little’ Kelmomas in the hidden mazes of the Imperial Palace, or the endless sea of hording Sranc inundating a portion of the Great Ordeal in the midst of the ruins of mankind’s first great empire, or even the somewhat confusing but thoroughly intriguing mystery of the White-Luck Warrior and his seemingly time-warped journey through the Three Seas, there’s more than enough to maintain a reader’s interest. The Cleric and Achamian thread was especially intriguing to me as the entire scenario seemed like some untold tale taken from _The Silmarillion_ and twisted in incomprehensible and often lurid ways. It was as-if went insane, lost his memory, and went adventuring with an even darker version of Túrin and his outlaw buddies and they just happened to stumble upon and had a magical slugfest in the heart of the ruins of Nargothrond.
Ultimately Bakker seems to strike a nice balance between moving the story forward and taking time to flesh out his characters and events. One could argue that some of the storylines don’t move forward (certainly geographically and sometimes plot-wise) as far, or as quickly, as one might wish, but ultimately I never felt bored with Bakker’s pace, or thought that he was sacrificing the story in the name of broadening his horizons or navel-gazing (I’m looking at you GRRM). Despite this nice balance, however, I still have a creeping fear that leads me to ask the question: Can Bakker wrap up this story in only one more volume given the relative leisure with which he has unfolded it to this point? As noted above I don’t in any way view his unhurried pace as a bad thing and I appreciated the way in which it allowed events to seemingly unfold organically and characters (even peripheral ones) to grow in interesting and realistic ways. It’s just that in looking back and seeing that approx. 2/3 of the apparent page count allocated for the story has been expended and then looking forward to see what he still needs to cover I really hope he isn’t forced to rush to the finish in order to reach the climax of the story in only one more volume. After all he is already working with a large cast, many with significant ties to the previous series who are still only beginning to be fully sketched out at this point. How will they develop? Should they have even been introduced? It's certainly nowhere near as bad as GRRM spinning out of control and adding viewpoint characters, locations, and subplots to an absurd degree, but is at least mildly analogous and makes me squirm a bit. Bakker’s also working with some pretty significant (and indeed numerous) plotlines that need to not only resolve, but also dovetail with each other to some extent, none of which seem to have their ultimate goal in sight yet. That being said, at the end of the day I have faith that he has the chops to pull it off...don’t let me down R. Scott Bakker!
Also posted at
Shelf Inflicted -
Observational aside: I will rarely reread books. Once I finish a book it is usually off to the next one, with few exceptions. In this case the sixth book in the series,
The Great Ordeal, is coming out soon, a book I have waited nearly five years for, and I wanted to give myself a refresher on the entire series before it was released. I don't recall the first time I read "The Prince of Nothing" trilogy but Goodreads assures me it was before I joined this website. Since then I have read literally hundreds of books and grown as a reader thanks to those books as well as thinking through those books when I write reviews. Over that time my sensibilities and critical eye has changed as well (I'd like to think for the better) so it was a rather enlightening exercise this return to a time in my reading life from before Goodreads (BGR?). With that rambling out of the way on to the review.
The Darkness That Comes Before review
The Warrior Prophet review
The Thousandfold Thought review
The Judging Eye review
And we come to the last of the re-read in anticipation The Great Ordeal. Once again I am reminded of its pair in the Prince of Nothing trilogy, in this case The Warrior Prophet. Where The Judging Eye reoriented the reader to the new world order this book started to bring all the threads together and kicked the action into motion.
In this book the Great Ordeal continues north on a mission to save the world from an ancient evil that nearly brought about the Apocalypse. Before them is a literal ocean of Sranc (think Orcs, but soooooooooooo much worse) and leagues of desolate, abandoned land that offers little succor. Not the most promising prospect even with the lions share of Sorcerers form the Three Seas and the Aspect Emperor in tow. Bakker doesn't gloss over the many, many, MANY problems launching such a large campaign over such a long distance will incur. This particular story line finishes this book with a horrifying, yet cold logical conclusion that is the hallmark of so much of this series. It is ere we see some fantastic battle scenes.
Back in the imperial capital a divine conspiracy broils as the Outside has taken aim at Khellus's empire. To the Hundred (as the gods are known) Kellus is an abomination that must be expunged and they set into motion the White Luck Warrior, an agent that exists outside time who knows everything that will happen up to and including the murder of Khellus. There are also rebel elements from Khellus's many conquest threatening the Empire that are linked in, unknowingly, with the divine conspiracy.
Finally there is Aka's obsessive quest to discover Khellus's mysterious origins. He has fallen in with a less than stable group of Sranc Hunters led by a hard veteran and an Erratic Nonman sorcerer. It is a bit stressful to say the least, especially with his former wive's runaway daughter. They must traverse countless leagues under the lie that Aka maintains to keep them in line. The kind a lie that is liable to get him killed if it is discovered.
Once again Khellus is treated as a distant and closed off character. We see him only as the Aspect Emperor, the Husband of Esmenet, the man who stole Esmenet from Aka. We don't know his motivations are true goals, he is Dunyain, I am not sure he even qualifies as human any longer. We learn more about Dunyain culture and practices and it is truly alien and horrific. I can see why the gods might find offense in his existence.
Speaking of the gods, this series really delves into interesting theological ideas. Within this universe there does appear to be some sort of afterlife, though I read a lot about damnation there was very little about salvation. The Gods appear to be distant and wrathful and willing to condemn souls to damnation at the drop of the hat. It is a pretty bleak theology that adheres to the principle of "Might Makes Right". This is little to nothing mortals can do to thwart the Gods ultimate judgement...
...Except for that the Consult, the big bad guys, are trying. They believe if they reduce a world to a mere 144,000 souls the world can be closed to the Outside and the Gods. Of course that does require them to kill everyone else and, having done this on several other planets to no avail, there is no assurance this process will even work. But that isn't stopping them from trying again. Sor tof tough to know who to root for since on the one hand you have genocidal aliens and on the other you have jealous, petty, and wrathful deities.
All in all this was a great re-read, reminded me of a lot of stuff I had forgotten (I mean it has been five years since I last read it) and got me pumped for The Great Ordeal. I think I know where Bakker is going in this series. Where the first trilogy touched upon the many forms of control I think this series is going to explore free will and divine judgement. Should be a blast!
Now, on to the fun quotes!
Let's just hope they never unionize: It is not so much the wisdom of the wise that saves us from the foolishness of the fools as it is the latter's inability to agree. -Ajencis, The Third Analytic of Men
Always remember to check you privileged before passing judgement: "Nothing makes fools of people quite like a luxurious life...they confuse decisions made atop pillows for those compelled by stones...When they hear of other people being oppressed, they're certain they would do anything but beg and cringe when the club is raised..."
Like I said, a dismal theology: "You think we worship the Hundred because they are good? Madness governs the Outside, not gods or demons - or even the God! We worship them because they have power over us."
Beware of people in large numbers: "Men are fools at the best of times, but when they gather in mobs they lose whatever little reason they can claim when alone. Someone cries out, they all cry out. Someone bludgeons or burns, and they all bludgeon and burn. It's remarkable really, and terrifying enough to send kings and emperors into hiding."
Now that you mention it, yes, a little bit: "The Ciphrang [demon] bound about your girdle. Is it true you have walked the Outside and returned?"
"Yes."
"And what did you find?" "You worry I never returned. That the soul of Anasûrimbor Kellhus's writhes in some hell and a demon Ciphrang gazed upon you instead."
Sadly all to applicable to the real world: This one thing every tyrant will tell you: nothing saves more lives than murder. -Merotokas, The Virtue of Sin
Onwars to The Great Ordeal! -
Relentless, uncompromising, poetic and vicious epic. Madness, carnage, and exultation. A journey through nightmares and great deeds. Nothing compares to these books right now for me!
"A real chopper!" -
Fifty pages in, I realized I had come to approach this as a horror story rather than epic fantasy, as if I was reading Stephen King or the Lovecraft Unbound anthology. In the opening chapters, Bakker succeeds in making forests scary. Maybe if I'd seen the Blair Witch project or played that Slenderman game longer, this would not be news to me, but I grew up among friendly, sunlit trees. The same monumental gloom that pervades the Nonman fortress our intrepid heroes (or greed-driven antiheroes, either way) barely escaped in the last book lives on in the black forest of the Mop. Which is, by the way, overrun with Sranc. A Sranc is to a Nonman what Tolkein's Orcs were to the Elves, blasphemous parodies, except unfortunately for Bakker's characters the Nonmen are already twisted, creepy, and dangerous. The Sranc are even worse--bestial, violent, equal-opportunity rapists, and worst of all omnipresent in stunning profusion.
As if that weren't bad enough, it appears that the vision of Mimara's Judging Eye is in fact reliable. This disappoints me a little for reasons described in my review of the previous book, but also adds layers upon layers of metaphysical horror, as pretty much every character we know appears damned. Bakker's running a risk here of the reader giving up in sheer despair-induced apathy, but for now everything seems confused enough that there's still hope for some sort of emotionally satisfying conclusion for somebody, I suppose. But really there are a handful of characters who, if the series ends with them being dragged to hell, will have me perfectly satisfied if the No-God succeeds in shutting off this world from what has to be the vilest Heaven ever. Perhaps that's going to be the twist ending. If so, you heard it here first.
Speaking of which, I also placed a bet early in the book that Sorwheel was the White-Luck Warrior. This would provide purpose to his ambling subplot, and after all he is clearly subject to some interest from the goddess Yatwer. But was I right? If I was, I couldn't tell you, because of spoilers. Given the White-Luck Warrior appears to exist and move in time quite differently from ordinary people, his identity may be unprovable until the last pages anyway.
The White-Luck Warrior, whoever he is, is sent by the Gods against Anasurimbor Kellhus. Kellhus himself is after the Consult, servants of the No-God--so he is in fact doing something that would be helpful to the Gods, but the Gods themselves can't see this because they're blind to the machinations of the No-God. Thus the Gods have turned against Kellhus because he sees more than they can. Is this a metaphor for Kellhus and the Dunyain vs humankind in general? Quite probably.
Kellhus aside for the moment, if there was one Anasurimbor the White-Luck warrior were to succeed in killing, Kelmomas is very, very high on my list. He's a grating combination of whining five year old (Bakker depicts the whining so well I wonder if he has some of that in his life?) and sociopath about to stab you in the eyeball. I still can't figure out what the kid wants, since his beloved "Mommeeee" Esmenet is a mere mortal besides him, but he's not seeking world domination yet so in the scale of things, he just seems petty and bratty. Yes, it says something about this series that the "petty brat" commits murder via stabbing-in-the-eyeballs. I enjoyed the scene where big brother Inrilatas completely unnerved him, not because I like the grotesquely unhinged Inrilatas so much as I hate Kelmomas. But during a particularly tense scene, Esmenent and her companions spent all their time worrying about innocent little Kelli (to be fair, Esmenet is in fact a mere mortal compared to him and has no idea how bad he is) and completely forgot his much more interesting elder sister, Thelliopia. Thelli reminds me a bit of Luna Lovegood in a darker universe, with a penchant for designing her own clothes (with Luna-esque love for creative and glittery things, and if I'm gravely misremembering Miss Lovegood, my apologies) and also seeing to the truth at the root of all things, because she's an Anasurimbor. She also may be located on the autistic spectrum, although with the Anasurimbor influence it's hard to tell, and the characters wouldn't have the language to identify that anyway. At the least she's much less grating and far more interesting than Kelmomas, plus happens to be one of the few female characters without a history of prostitution. Don't get me wrong, sex workers deserve stories, too. But when I start noticing and perhaps planning a drinking game around how every woman in a story is depicted, that may be a call for change.
Yes, we get some additional sex worker characters, in a way that actually makes sense given the narrative and allows some reflective pathos on Esmenet's part. In justice, we also have the Swayal Sisterhood, who are really really awesome--the sorcery in general in this story has some amazing visuals. Also, Bakker does a solid job illustrating the mostly-male Great Ordeal covering up the threatening realization that women can be powerful enough to work sorcery by hiding it under facade of horniness and dirty jokes. Because when a woman is powerful enough to threaten you, you pretend she's only a ****, and presumably this makes you feel better. The Great Ordeal finds itself so enmired in awfulness and Sranc that I can even pity them despite how much this worldbuilding enjoys its casual misogyny.
Our moral compass Achaimian may turn out not to be a moral compass at all--his willingly leading most of the Skin Eater mercenaries to their deaths in pursuit of his Dunyain conspiracy theory perhaps should have tipped me off--but he and Mimara especially start going off the rails while in a Nonman-induced drug haze. There's also the lovely snarl of whether Achaimian, in being against Kellhus, is unconsciously serving the interests of Kellhus' enemies the Consult and the No-God. Mimara even wonders if her Judging Eye is revealing his damnation because he's a sorcerer, or because he's helping bring about the Second Apocalypse. This is a motive/effect snarl I haven't seen in any other novel (leave your suggestions in the comments if you have) and it will keep me with this series even if the grimdark sometimes gets grating.
Although while we're talking about motives, and Mimara, and depictions of women, the scene where Mimara tries to refuse the drug out of her mother's instinct (because having a fetus growing in your body automatically awakens maternal instinct, nevermind if your relationship with your own mother is strained because she sold you as a child into abuse so horrible and dehumanizing that you learned not to consider it abusive before you hit puberty)...I did a double-take strong enough to launch the book across the room. Really now?
It's perhaps a bit petty of me to harp on these casual slip-ups, but I guess reading almost 600 pages of such relenting grimdark (drawn on by delectable motive snarls and powerful imagery, my own drug of choice) will make you that much less charitable. It also became harder to deny that sometimes Bakker's gambles with prose get out of hand. I'm pretty certain in one instance things are described as at their "nadir" when they're actually at zenith (although his word choice in general is a masterpiece of the unexpected, so maybe I shouldn't assume). And then he writes of two characters releasing "black-haired grunting" and "high blonde cries," which if it was coming from a friend of mine would be a signal to gently stage an intervention. Perhaps with the help of the Eye of Argon.
The story ends with plenty of juicy cliffhangers, and I realize I have faith that this trilogy will be wrapped up in a more satisfying way than the first. If it takes a trilogy of trilogies to tell the tale of the Second Apocalypse, though, I'll be there the whole way, because reading these books is an experience like no other. Grunts with hair color aside, the epic scale and genuine creepiness become an addictive thrill. I'm always saddened to read the last few pages, while usually I love to gobble books as quickly as possible. Whether I'll be tagging the final book "apocalypses that weren't" hangs in the air. I could almost see Bakker writing an ending where the Consult wins--he's that brutal--and frankly I almost want to see it, because it would be just that awesome on an unparalleled scale. Also, the Gods are dicks and most of my favorite characters are damned anyway, so what do we have to lose?
This review is cross-posted from
Story Addict. -
Epic fantasy through the prism of Nietzschian philosophy, all rendered in compelling but exquisite prose. Highly recommended.
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I always find books like this difficult to review, because I acknowledge whilst I enjoyed it, most people would find it pretty tiresome. The premise, of Neitzschean superman let loose in a medieval Near East with a singular mission to prevent The Apocalypse may raise an eyebrow or two, and when it comes to the super-powers of the Anasurimbor Bakker resorts to a fair amount of hand-waving and obfuscation. It works because it does, and like the Believer-Kings, you just have to accept it. We take it on board - the premise is fascinating. It's not really a fantasy novel at all - more speculative fiction with a medieval bent; Dune with swords.
The homage/subversion of the Fellowship trope (A wizard whose wise because, like Socrates, because he knows nothing etc)is probably the strongest arc of the new series, plumbing the Ancient North you'll remember from the dreams of the first trilogy. This is brilliantly accomplished, but a little too Tolkein. Bakker's answer to the Elves, the mad Nonmen are a brilliant look at how ugly immortality can be, and this delves into their world. It's Apocalypse Now meets Lord of the Rings, and its brilliant. The other arc, featuring Kellhus' lengthy march to Golgotterath to squish the Consult is the true Slog of Slogs, and reminiscent of the Holy War of the first series - Bakker's descriptions of warfare are inspired: somehow brutally realistic and the airy stuff of the heroic epic in one. Sorweel remains my favourite character of the series, and by far the most human. However, the plotting back home on the Andiamine Heights is badly accomplished, glib and ultimately meaningles. It's just a plot arc to fill space and increase the stature of Kelhus all the more.
Stylistically, it is dark. People say A Song of Ice and Fire is dark, but this series makes ASOIAF look like an episode of The Tweenies. Bakker is controversial, yes. He plays with the unheimlichkiet with reckless abandon, and the Inchoroi are a disturbing bunch - when people aren't being raped in their wounds by Sranc their faces are coming apart in tendrils, or they're eating each other or selling their children into prostitution. Bakker takes the latest craze for grimdark to the nth degree, with all the slavery and crushing depression that necessitates. It is a little infantile, and it grates.
The prose is purple in the extreme. A lot of people will find that off-putting, and even I, a sucker for the over-long sentence find it grates. (Also, Mr Bakker, please never use the phrase 'death came swirling...'. Your editor must have missed how often you use it, and honestly it is total shit.) The wanky in-universe philosophy stuff gets on my nerves (I never read the quotes that open the chapters) and breaks the character's sense of voice persistently. They exist because Bakker has a universe-sized axe to grind about all the silly little things we untermenschen believe in - I suppose the price we pay for grandiose literature is a grandiose ego.
It's a thrilling read because it's big, it's new, and it's no-holds-barred. The world being at stake is normally a cliche, but Bakker takes that trope so seriously, with such back to the wall tension, that it works. There's realism - of a sort.
But don't be deceived - the Bakkerverse has very little to redeem it. There are no laughs in The Second Apocalypse. No Joe Abercrombie or Pratchett quips, no GRRM gentle irony. It's the closest thing to a medieval dystopia you'll read. All loves end in betrayal, all faith is an illusion, and nothing is really worth fighting for anyway - except that the fate which befalls you if you fail is so unimaginably awful. -
A fantastic follow-up to The Judging Eye. It picks up immediately where the previous book left off, with the three central threads of the Skin Eaters, the Great Ordeal, and the Imperial politics at Momemn. I would say I preferred The Judging Eye slightly more, even though The White-Luck Warrior was consistently engaging simply because it didn't have a sequence as epically compelling as the journey through Cil-Aujas.
That said, I found the Sorweel sections more interesting than before as he starts to gain a position of higher respect within his group and become less passive of a character. He becomes less of a camera through which to view the Ordeal and more of someone who can majorly influence the story. Though, I found the start of his journey in the latter half to be less engaging than what came before, as his interactions became limited to only a few people.
The travels of the Skin Eaters with the Wizard and Mimara continue to be my favourite plotline. The evocative landscape descriptions coupled with the fracturing, disturbing group dynamics as they traverse the depths of the forest to the vast plains were arresting. The continuing travels didn't feel repetitive or boring since it involved interesting characters grappling with their experiences. Time seemed to become stretched and hazy. More information about Mimara's Judging Eye, as well as the overarching motivations of characters like the mysterious Captain and Cleric, are slowly unravelled. The bombastic conclusion to this with the Wracu was just amazing.
The Momemn thread fluctuates for me: I'm the most interested when we get more about the Anasurimbor children but the other parts with Psatma Nannaferi and the Kianese I find less compelling. The chapters involving Inrilatas, Kelmomas, and Maithanet were my favourite, the dialogue and conversation dripping with hidden implications and layers of subtext as they duelled with words. Some of the small White-Luck italics passages scattered throughout the book I found the hardest to discern what was happening, although the entire conceit of the White-Luck's existence is fascinating given his abilities from Yatwer and how his story left off.
Bakker's lyrical writing enhances an already fascinating story. The battle sequences, both mundane and magical, are quite insane. It reads like a horrifyingly compelling dream that you can't turn your eyes away from. The omniscient bird's eye perspective was something I struggled with in the first trilogy, and while it is hard to keep track of the various factions, it contributes to conveying the epic scale of these conflicts. The Ordeal battles in this book though, started to blend together for me.
Overall, this was another great Bakker book that maintained a consistent level of engagement with the plot and beautiful prose while escalating the story at a compelling pace. Some of the introspective elements were very insightful and others were harder to comprehend. The philosophies of various characters coming into conflict, especially some of the more inhuman characters, were a lot of fun although it also took some effort to parse exactly what epiphanies some characters had at times.
This felt like the most uniformly paced narrative so far. However, when I think of stand-out sequences, my mind doesn't immediately go to events in this book besides a few: the end of the Skin Eater plotline and some Anasurimbor conversations. Others such as the Ordeal battles blend together somewhat, so I think I prefer the other Aspect-Emperor books I've read thus far at the time of writing this review slightly more (The Judging Eye and The Great Ordeal). -
4.5. Will post more once I’ve reflected on it.
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NB: There are spoilers galore in this review so be warned. Also be warned that I make no allowances for not having read the previous books so there are many allusions and references that will make no sense to the uninitiated.
R. Scott Baker continues to deliver on the promise shown in
The Judging Eye and its predecessor series, The Prince of Nothing. As with the first book, this one follows three paths:
Momemn: As the Great Ordeal marches north and Kellhus cuts off all communication between it and the Empire, fissures continue to develop and widen. Fanayal, the deposed Fanim Padirajah, appears out of the desert to conquer Iothiah and by the end of the book is besieging the capital itself. Esmenet's hold on power is tenuous not just because she is a woman in a patriarchal society straight out of the Old Testament but because she is a damned woman - a "whore." But it's her obsession with her children (especially after Kelmomas murders Samarmas) that scares Maithanet into staging a coup. Outside of the Palace, the Cults, in particular Yatwer's, are increasingly vocal in their opposition to the Anasurimbor dynasty. The Hundred Gods cannot "see" the No-God or recognize its threat so they can only regard Kellhus as an enemy.
Bakker's theology is one of the more unique aspects of the series. Unlike
Erikson's or
Cook's idea of ascendant mortals, or
Tolkien's Christian-derived Valar, the gods of Earwa (or the demons, if you're Fanim) know nothing of human suffering or compassion and appear to move in the world without regard to their worshippers.
The Momemn sections were the weakest parts of the book for me if only because Esmenet, the chief POV (the other being the sociopath Kelmomas), is such a cryer* and willfully obtuse. She was much smarter and better than this in The Prince of Nothing. Motherhood appears to have made her stupid since it's her refusal to recognize that her children are 1/2 Dunyain(!) that undermines her position as Empress.
The Great Ordeal: Here we continue to follow Sorweel. At the moment, he is protected from the Anasurimbors' Dunyain sight by Yatwer and has been accepted as a Believer-King, a believer in Kellhus's divinity and an ally, not a hostage. Sorweel believes he is meant to assassinate the Aspect-Emperor but when he becomes part of a hostage exchange with the Nonmen of Ishterebinth (the last Mansion in Earwa), all his assumptions are overturned.
These sections dwell on Sorweel's increasing confusion as he becomes a valued member of the Ordeal, comes to understand that its goal is "good," but still feels he must avenge his father and come to terms with what he thinks Yatwer wants.
I think Sorweel plays a similar role to Cnaiur, the Scylvendi chief from The Prince of Nothing. A "regular" mortal who can stand apart from Kellhus's manipulation. He's not as strong or unique a character as Cnaiur was, however. The Scylvendi was an implacable force of nature (shades of Karsa Orlong from the Malazan Book of the Fallen). The Sakarpi king is a naive boy whose protection comes from a enigmatic god's "blessing."
The Slog of Slogs: My favorite sections are those told from Drusus Achamian's and Mimara's POVs - their trek (accompanied by the Skin Eaters) across the Sranc-infested north to Sauglish's Great Library. Here, Bakker gives freest rein to his philosophical ruminations. Not for every reader, for myself it made fascinating reading and it didn't slow the story down at all.
In this first read, the theme that dominates is the myriad relationships between belief and reality. Examples include: The Ordeal's belief in Kellhus vs. what he really is (and what his motivations are); the Skin Eaters' belief in Achamian's motives vs. what his real goal is; Achamian's belief in what moves Lord Kosoter vs. the truth; Esmenet's belief in the love of her son, Kelmomas vs. Kelmomas's Dunyain nature; the belief of Yatwer's worshippers vs. her motives; (broadly speaking) the difference between the World vs. the Outside; or the nature of sorcery (which imposes the sorceror's beliefs on the World's reality, and explains why its practitioners are damned). And more permutations could be listed.
The Dunyain have, perhaps, come closest to true perception but at the expense of emotions like love and compassion. But, then, Bakker's cosmos bears greater resemblance to
H.P. Lovecraft's uncaring, amoral universe than to Middle Earth. And - yet - souls are damned or saved and (judging from what Mimara sees with her "judging eye") saved by those very emotions that the Dunyain have eschewed and that the religions of Earwa barely recognize.
All three threads end in cliffhangers: In Momemn, Esmenet and Maithanet reconcile only to have Maithanet assassinated by the White-Luck Warrior, and the rebel armies of Fanayal appearing at the city's gates. The Ordeal ends with a bloodied but still intact host approaching Golgotterath, and Sorweel and the Anasurimbors Serwa and Moenghus journeying to Ishterebinth, which has become an ally of the Consult in the two thousand years since the First Apocalypse. The Slog ends with only Achamian and Mimara surviving to reach Ishual, only to find it a deserted ruin.
In all this I've hardly mentioned the titular "white-luck warrior" because he remains an enigma. Some parts of the Momemn sections are told from his POV. He exists both within and outside of the World and perceives everything that comes before and everything that comes after. In that sense, he's what the Dunyain aspire to be but his origins and motives remain unexplained (I see a set up for an exploration of free will vs. determinism in the final volume).
I have no idea where Bakker is going to end up with this series and so look forward to The Unholy Consult, which can't come out too soon for me.
Highly recommended.
* I'm surprised Esmi hasn't gone blind from all the tears she's shed (or collapsed from dehydration). I swear that every page mentions - at some point - tears or crying or incipient crying. -
Even for Scott Bakkers' high standards, this was an amazing book. Epic, Rewarding, Delicious.
-
The originality is back!! For those disappointed in Bakker’s previous book, The Judging Eye—due to its complete knockoff of Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring— Bakker more than redeems himself with The White Luck Warrior. Only Bakker can get away with combining the extremely bizarre and grotesque, while remaining philosophical and intellectually stimulating. This book has it all: an evil, murderous child infatuated with his mother, sranc who couple with the dead in the most gruesome way imaginable, an Empress consumed with power to the point of losing her original self, a non-man who supplies a drug to his followers and in return gains worship, a damaged whore who can open her “third” eye and see the sins and damnation of her fellow companions, a wizard who has forsaken his school, his god and his wife and has let his desire to gain vengeance overtake his higher thinking skills, and a young warrior who can communicate with an Earth goddess—Yatwer—bent on assassination. Bakker manages to combine high level action with graphic battle sequences, all the while showing the emotional strain and psyches of the people involved.
This book is wonderfully written and full of interesting twists.
Go read the book. It is fantastic. Bakker remains a master of fantasy. I can’t wait till the last book comes out. -
I read a lot of this whilst travelling across Central Europe and climbing many steep hills/mountains. Some of the phrases that kept me going included: “the coffers, lads!” “No sobbers! No limpers!” “The slog of slogs!”. If you know, you know.
All 3 main stories moved along at a good clip, with significant developments in all. This series continues to be grim, unpredictable, philosophical and full of memorable quotes. I’m eager to see where it goes next. -
Here's a extract from my review, full link:
http://afantasyreader.blogspot.ca/2012/04/white-luck-warrior-review.htmlWhen I read the Prince of Nothing several years ago, I was awestruck at the dimension of the characters, the depth of the plot, the ingenious, tangible and inflated world building and the philosophical/anthropological exploration found in the protagonists insights while they marched to war. I read that this last aspect (mostly so in the author's case) is seen for some as an author who is overreaching, spreading to far into the complex breakdown of the human psyche, desires and passions but I tend to disagree. You really don't have to be overly learned to enjoy Bakker's work. Still, as I'm sure I'm not alone, I probably missed on some principle dissection and have to admit that the prose can get tiresome and wander mostly around suffering which could draw away its share of potential readers.
Concerning The White-Luck Warrior, like its predecessors, I delightedly found an intricate work of thoughtful, lengthily descriptive and engaged epic Fantasy. There are times while reading the book that I felt a hundred miles away from the common tropes like the prophetical farm boy looking for a special artefact to help him in fighting the evil wizard but the roots are still presents and, stripped off of Bakker's particular touch, it remains true in its foundations to the references of epic Fantasy. The hero is turned out into several all-powerful or inspired human beings with a couple of dubious beacons at their head and the evil wizard is Mog-Phaurau, the No-God. Although, the humans themselves could be the greatest evil of all...
To move the plot forward, the threads found in WLW are the same that started in The Judging Eye. There is no new major point of view and in the end, it's basically (and I know some may have grown tired of the term) a bridging novel. Many trilogies have them and this is not an exception. Still, the ending of the book is satisfying but I'll get to it later. The stotylines follow specifically Achamian and Mimara, Sorweel and co, Proyas and Kellhus, Kelmomas and Esmenet and finally a point of view of a point of view (you have read correctly).
That one is the actual namesake of the book, the White Luck Warrior himself. Frankly, I'm quite perplexed as to the reason behind that choice for the name of the book. There are only three apparitions of the 'thing' and they could be considered as epigraphs. The principle of a being seeing himself living and acting while grasping all the possibilities these actions could take him to is unorthodox and complicated. Still, we should see more of him in the following book and he could become more interesting or at least, a puzzling perspective or variable. -
First of all - I rate Bakker's The Darkness that Comes before as one of my favourite trilogies of all time.
And I have to say when Judging Eye came out I was most disillusioned. Where D.T.C.B was populated with strong characters and forboding, The Aspect Emperor seems bogged down in the petty factitions that previously formed the background of Bakker's writing but wasn't the key focus.
White Luck Warrior does improve on the Judging Eye however. More of significance happens, each of the three story arcs makes a leap worthy of a stand alone novel, even if Bakker appears to be falling into the fantasy trap of dragging his epic into more and more books.
See, I was dissapointed when the first trilogy didn't really feature much on the second apocalypse - now that Aspect Emperor chugging along, I'm feeling the same dissapointment as it becomes apparent this trilogy is merely an interlude. The revelations seem only self important, the tension feels contrived and if I hadn't enjoyed D.T.C.B then I don't think I would have related to any of the characters at all.
Of course much of this rant is due to high standards - White Luck Warrior is high powered fantasy, highly recommended and I still can't wait for the next one.
edit 2016: Re-read in prep for upcoming The Great Ordeal.
It's funny what a bit of time and experience will do for a reader. In many ways The White Luck Warrior reads the a better second half for The Judging Eye, which I liked for seeing where the characters went, but wanted more action than catching up after 20 years. White Luck delivers on the action part and has tonnes of action to satisfy any hard core fantasy fan. The twists are in my opinion even more powerful than GRR Martin's at times because the cast is less diluted with characters. And as gritty as Martin's work is Bakker pulls far less punches and in my opinion disturbs on almost every level (not sure if thats a compliment or not)
Weirdest thing - wasn't really much white luck warrior involved (assuming I didn't miss a metaphor somewhere and the warrior isn't a new character). Which exemplifies the best thing about this book in generating to many freaking questions one cannot wait to get them answered. -
Continuing on with, what is in my opinion, the best fictional series ever written, I have finished book five of the Second Apocalypse series and book two of the Aspect-Emperor trilogy. 'The White Luck Warrior' is a bit different than previous installments in the series because it is far larger in scope. Whereas in those novels the overall plot can feel a bit claustrophobic (being an appeal to these books overall), this novel carries us across several distinct areas and scenarios, all incredibly unique and terrifying.
Continuing with the harrowing journey of the Skin Eaters, we are introduced to "the Mop", a massive and ancient deadly forest. In addition to this we are re-introduced to expanding plot lines in Momemn with House Anasurimbor, as well as the Great Ordeal on the Istuyli Plains. Beyond this the reader also gets introduced to ancient Kuniuri and the notorious Sauglish later on in the story. Overall 'The White Luck Warrior' feels like a much larger, cohesive and epic read.
This novel is filled with intricate plots and surprising twists and turns so I don't want to say too much, but what I can confidently say is that this is yet another masterpiece from the brilliant mind of Bakker. I almost do not want to read on for fear of finishing this series...but of course, I will surely continue on very shortly. -
Ths first half of this book was only 4 stars but the second half brought it home to a definite 5. Kellhus is one of the best book characters ever and I still have no idea whether he is our hero or the baddy! Consequently I do not know about any of the other characters either. Is the White Luck Warrior going to be a saviour or an assassin - or both? Is Akka ever going to actually achieve anything? And what about that evil little boy sitting in a half empty palace eating dead bodies (quickly while they are still warm). I guess he is definitely a baddy. Can't wait for the next book.
-
And we are back on the track! After The Judging Eye, which I enjoyed less than the original trilogy, The White Luck Warrior assured me, that R. Scott Bakker still can reach those hights.
This book was stunning. The philosophy, the tention, the atmosohere, the characters (even the new ones), the action, the darkness, the prose.. OH, THE PROSE!
I am all in now. I am absolutely amazed by R. Scott Bakker's world. There are layers upon layers and he just keeps on adding new ones.. and I really do not know what to say more not to repeat my previous reviews. Maybe just that I am enxious to read the next book.. and yet, I am scared, because I can already feel the death coming swirling down.
Second best book in the series so far, 9/10. -
This remindes me of the
Dune books in some ways. Very complex plot, with much of the explanation of why and how hinted at rather than spelled out. Intellectual concepts and not an easy read. Expect to take your time. The protagonist is still not clearly good or evil. -
![[redacted by S.H.I.E.L.D.]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1341983836i/5224823.jpg)
Mind = blown.
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I can’t tell you how much I loved this book! The White Luck Warrior reads more like the continuation of The Judging Eye than a “bridge book” of a trilogy in my opinion.
The White Luck Warrior answers some of the questions raised by The Judging Eye while raising new and deeper questions. The three main story arcs from The Judging Eye continue, and there is one new POV character: The mysterious and supernatural-sounding White Luck Warrior, who is sent by the goddess Yatwer, or the Hundred Gods in a broader interpretation, to slay Aspect-Emperor Kellhus. White Luck Warrior’s chapters are few, but quite intense. He seems to move in a time warp, seeing the timeframe from a non-linear vantage, kind of like the Dûnyain probability trance on steroids.
As Mimara’s Judging Eye opens and she sees the extent of everyone’s sins and damnation, you begin to realize how crappy the gods are. The scalpers are horrible scum for sure, but Achamian is overall a good guy and he appears as damned as the band of cutthroats, which includes a child rapist. He is damned cause he is a sorcerer and sorcery is an abomination in the eyes of these wrathful gods.
This made me question the legitimacy of the motives of the gods: They are after killing Kellhus and his progeny, but is it because Kellhus is a heartless bastard manipulating the population of the entire Three Seas for power, or because they are unable to see the No-God and Consult’s motives, which is going to bring the Second Apocalypse and decimate the entire population of the world, and Kellhus happens to see further than they can? Kellhus may not be the good guy, but he is warring against the ultimate evil forces which are about to decimate the mankind. We already know the amount of blight and ruin they heaped during the First Apocalypse from Akka’s narrative and also the ruins of cities various characters encounter during their journeys.
Which also made me question the legitimacy of Akka’s motives. Akka is on a quest to uncover the Dûnyain origins of Kellhus to undermine his power. Akka is also the sworn enemy of the Consult and spent a lifetime hunting their agents, his life was dedicated to prevent the Second Apocalypse and the summoning of the No-God by the Consult. Did he abandon this lifelong quest along with the School of Mandate? I have a hard time to believe that, it’s so illogical. The rational thing would be to wait until Kellhus launches the offensive on Golgotterath and puts an end to the horrendous and vile Consult. I sure as hell hope that’s what Akka is planning.
On the other hand, abhorrent and revolting as they are, the Consult is going to save the souls of everyone from damnation if they succeed with their plan. Even though they will reduce the world’s population to 140.000 souls, all those who die won’t be damned for eternity. Which means horrible criminals, murderers and rapists will get away with their heinous crimes, but the good people damned cause of the stupid and petty whims of gods will also be saved. It’s really a catch 22 situation. Gods are not so much better than the Consult and its horrible No-God, it seems, and they are loath to dole out salvation even to those who deserve it for having good hearts.
Akka and Mimara’s epic “slog of slogs” with the scalper band continues on, the party is now reduced greatly after the battles in Cil-Aujas, and they trek on into the great, gloomy and extremely creepy forest called the Mop. Like the awesome Cil-Aujas journey, the Mop reads more like Lovecraftian horror than epic fantasy, but it is still one hell of an epic fantasy. Cleric, who was my #1 favorite from The Judging Eye (I know, I’m weird. Don’t judge!) became even more fascinating, and his sermons got more intense. His rationing of Qirri becomes sort of a religious ritual, and from Mimara’s point of view it was quite a delight to read. Like the Judging Eye, Cleric parts were awe-inspiring and a great delight to read. Nonmen are truly fascinating.
Speaking of Mimara, her inner strength and resilience becomes even more impressive in this book. The horrible band of cutthroats now see her as one of them and show her respect, which is no mean feat. Some people complained about her being a former prostitute, but like I said before I have no problem with such things and I don’t judge sex workers. Mimara’s flashbacks to her life in the brothel and how she learned to deal with the harsh aspects of life were great to read. When shit hits the fan, she grabs her sword named Squirrel and hews the bad guys like no tomorrow! I am not a feminist per se (or more like a classic style feminist, not the Tumblr 3rd wave kind) but I see absolutely nothing wrong with Mimara from a feminist point of view, either. She is the strong female character who perseveres where big burly dudes die like flies, she has native intellect and peculiar strength of character.
The Great Ordeal arc got more interesting from Sorweel’s point of view, and Sorweel’s bonding with Zsoronga as brothers was great. Zsoronga is a great side character, with his snarky comments and attitude. There were some cool twists in that arc, and Sorweel truly grew on me in this book. The Sranc hordes keep massing up before the advancing Great Ordeal army, and the enormous amount of dust they kick into the air while they move along the arid Istyuli Plains in their tens of thousands create a huge curtain of dust the people call the Shroud, it lingers in the air all day, blocking the horizon and the Sranc hordes, and it kept lingering in my head even after I put the book down, much like a Lovecraftian horror element.
All the skirmishes and epic battles, especially those involving the sorcerers and the witches were such a great show. Sorcery visuals would be amazing to see on the big screen, if the movie producers realize these books are the real deal and make them into movies in my lifetime.
Esmenet and Kelmomas threads in Momemn got legendary level epic with some neat plot twists. Kelmomas is a little psycho brat, not just the kind of psycho you hate with passion like Joffrey from Asoiaf/Game of Thrones, but the kind of psycho that creeps the hell out of you on top of being an awful creature you hate. He is downright scary. Theliopa is ever so interesting, too bad she didn’t get more page time. She is perhaps the most likeable Dûnyain out there.
I particularly liked the Esmenet parts, and felt sorry for her. I don’t see why many fans of the series dislike her, I think she is a great character. She has some rather annoying aspects and weaknesses, but overall she is quite rich, realistic and does hell of a better job keeping the empire together than any of her critics could.
The ending chapters were pure badassery featuring one of the most epic fights I have read in fantasy, Robin-Hobb tier emotional depth and the Silmarillion-esque aura which made me think of the journey of Beren and Finrod Felagund. This one made me literally weep.
There is one other arc which involves the Fanim attacking the now weakened empire and the Zeümi diplomat Malowebi. That is a rather intriguing POV character, and then there is Meppa, the last Cishaurim and his awesome power. I really liked Meppa, despite him being a Fanim heretic. Second Negotiant Malowebi is craven and can get annoying at times, but interesting nonetheless.
You are missing out a damn lot if you aren’t reading this spectacular series. It is one of the best things that happened to the fantasy genre, and it is as addictive as ASOIAF but with a smaller cast of POV characters and a much more manageable number of plot threads.
This series is worth reading, not only for all the badassery I have detailed in my reviews so far, but also for the sheer hilarity of the Second Apocalypse jokes being produced by our beloved fan artist Quint von Canon, such as this fine piece of work here:
http://quintvc.deviantart.com/art/So-...
This one made me fall off my couch and laugh until I couldn’t laugh anymore.
This review is also posted on
my blog -
It should probably go without saying, but the second book in a series--and a series that is intimately tied to a trilogy that preceded it--is not an ideal place to jump in. If you haven't read Bakker's other work, you can't start here.
The White-Luck Warrior continues where The Judging Eye left off, following the same basic threads of story: Sorweel, son of Harweel, the young King of Sakarpus traveling north with the Great Ordeal toward Golgotterath; Esmenet presiding over a crumbling empire as Empress, more concerned about her children (including the psychopathic youngest whose true nature she is oblivious to) than her empire; Psatma Nannaferi and the Yatwerian cult plotting the demise of Kellhus and his empire; and Achamian, Mimara, and the Skin Eaters traveling toward Sauglish (The Coffers!) and ultimately toward Ishual and Kellhus's origins.
Re-reading The Judging Eye immediately prior to diving in here, I was struck by how tightly structured each novel is, with a relatively limited (for epic fantasy) number of POV characters and plot threads, each of which we get to inhabit for an extended period.
Within each chapter, we do jump around a bit: with the Great Ordeal, we see things not only through Sorweel's perspective, but also returning to Nersei Proyas, a significant character from the first trilogy who receded well into the background for The Judging Eye), and even to Kellhus himself, which surprised me a bit--his remoteness and the increased opacity of his character made sense to me when reading the first book, but he's still plenty mysterious, so no worries on that score). We also get a number of scenes from an impersonal POV, showing the battles and progression of the armies of the Ordeal. Sorweel's character, who I couldn't really get into in The Judging Eye, started to grow on me here as he wrestles with competing loyalties, competing truths, and some coming-of-age stuff. He's blessed by Yatwer, given powers to hide from the Anasurimbor and, he believes, eventually assassinate Kellhus, but he's also coming to believe in the war that Kellhus is waging. And he's falling in love (or lust--he is a teenage boy, after all) with Anasurimbor Serwa. So yeah, he's growing on me.
In Momemn, we're still following Esmenet and Kelmomas, but I appreciated where the storyline went here, spiraling out of any one character's control. I also felt like I was developing a greater understanding of Kelmomas's character: we'd seen already that he had a large portion of Kellhus's ability to stand aloof from events, to act with complete amorality to achieve his ends, but it became clear to me just how thoroughly these abilities are wedded to the very childish goal of having his mother all to himself. He's almost completely blind to any other considerations, except as they touch on his goal or possible impediments to it. It gives me some small hope that he could grow out of this phase (like I said: it's a small hope). Meanwhile, Esmenet's storyline got more interesting as the distrust that Kelmomas has sown between her and Maithanet flowers into her attempt to arrest him and his subsequent coup. Esmenet the fugitive was, for me, more interesting than Esmenet the Empress. And then that arc wraps up with the Fanim Fanayal ab Kascamandri showing up to besiege Momemn (I guess I should add that this Fanim storyline was its own storyline as well, bringing together the rebel Fanim with Malowebi, a representative of Zeum trying to decide where his nation might offer its support to break the empire without suffering Kellhus's retribution if unsuccessful).
And then there's the Slog of Slogs, where we gradually discover that nothing was quite as it seemed. They have a skin-spy in their midst, but he seems to have more autonomy and character than any of the skin-spies we've seen before. Lord Kosoter's motives were not as simple as they seemed, and Achamian becomes a prisoner rather than the director of their expedition to Sauglish. One thing I loved about this storyline is the deeper and deeper view we get of Nonmen through Incariol. One of the things that I've been particularly conscious of in this second series is the way that Bakker plays with tropes and precursors, such as the way that Cil-Aujas echoes the Mines of Moria from Tolkien (while also being quite different). I've always been intrigued by the Nonmen, who seem like a unique take on the trope of elves in fantasy. Much like elves in Tolkien, Nonmen come before humans, they tutor them, and they are a race that is fading from the world as Men become ascendant. Yet Nonmen are, to my mind, so much richer than elves, because where elves are basically just humans who live a long time, Nonmen have a much more alien quality that at least partially derives directly from their immortality. Their memories decay, degrade, drive them insane. And with prolonged exposure to this race we get to know them better here (side note: we also get to see them in the story thread around the Great Ordeal, as Kellhus meets with emissaries who purport to be from Nil'giccas, which is interesting given that we find out that Incariol is actually Nil'giccas...). And this whole thread--and the novel as a whole, wraps up with a pretty bad-ass battle in which Achamian and Incariol don't just battle a wracu, a dragon, they fight against the FATHER OF DRAGONS. And then Achamian and Mimara get to Ishual only to find it destroyed and, apparently, deserted.
And there we are. As the second of four books in the series, it's bound to be something of a bridge in the story, but overall I was quite happy with it, with the shape of the individual arcs as well as the whole. I'm about halfway through to followup,
The Great Ordeal and know it will all be over far too soon and I'll be left to wait desperately for the conclusion. Given what a master of the craft Bakker is, I trust it will be epic. -
Κουραστικό βιβλίο, διαβάζοντας το είχα την αίσθηση ότι παρακολουθούσα κουλτουριάρικο road movie όπου οι πρωταγωνιστές προχωράνε και προχωράνε φιλοσοφώντας ακατάπαυστα, έχοντας που και που ένα ακατανόητο ξέσπασμα που εμείς καλούμαστε να το ερμηνεύσουμε. Ακόμα, όμως, και στις περιπτώσεις όπου ξεφεύγουμε από αυτό το μοτίβο ο συγγραφέας καταφεύγει ξανά στον υπερβολικό συναισθηματισμό που αγγίζει τα όρια του συναισθηματικού εκβιασμού, με ακόμα περισσότερες εξομολογήσεις από θλιμμένες πουτάνες και λοιπά κακοποιημένα άτομα. Υπάρχουν, φυσικά, και κάποιες ελάχιστες σκηνές δράσης όμως η απόδοση τους είναι πολύ βαρετή για να βελτιώσει πρόσκαιρα την κατάσταση.
Οπότε στο τέλος απλά... βαρέθηκα και διάβαζα με το ζόρι για να δω πού θα καταλήξει η ιστορία και τελικά δεν νομίζω ότι καταλήγει πουθενά. Με αυτό το υποκειμενικό δεδομένο η βαθμολογία μου είναι ανάλογα χαμηλή και θα χρειαστεί αρκετή σκέψη για να αποφασίσω αν θα φτάσουν στο τέλος της σειράς. -
Otro libro fenomenal de una saga que me encanta. Cualquier lector de Malaz, Dune o El señor de los anillos alucinaría con estos libros y es una pena que sean un tesoro desconocido en España.
Mientras el ejercito de Kellhus se interna en los territorios del consulto y encuentra auténticas hordas de skrang, Achamian se las verá canutas buscando las ruinas de Sauglish. En esta antigua biblioteca espera hallar unos mapas donde está el antiguo hogar de los Dunyain y donde espera obtener respuestas al origen semidivino de Kellhus. El mago,junto a Minara y el resto de su menguada compañia sobrevive gracias a una extraña droga llamada quirri, subministrada por el misterioso clérigo no-hombre. El final con el hallazgo de la biblioteca y lo que allí se encuentra es genial.
Mientras la emperatriz Esmenet se las verá con inesperadas traiciones que harán tambalearse al reino.
Una maravilla de saga que no hace más que mejorar a cada tomo y que es de lo mejor que he leído en fantasía en mucho tiempo. -
For re-read project. Kickass. Go read now, greasers.
Develops a quasi-anthropophagy thematic through its three sub-narratives. not sure what to make of that. -
The Aspect Emperor Quartet by R. Scott Bakker continues to be an outstanding work of fiction that is probably going to wind up being in my top 5 series of all time. When I say that I think it's important to say that I include Prince of Nothing in that as well because while I think Aspect Emperor has been more enjoyable it really couldn't exist without the foundation laid in Prince of Nothing. Even though there is a (I believe) 30 year time skip in between the series it really feels like one complete work, The Second Apocalypse.
What makes this particular book so good though? The same things that make all of these books good. Bakker's writing. His prose is absolutely fantastic. He can write about characters in these novels devolving into madness or doing the most insane and dark and dastardly things and make it seem poetic. I think White Luck Warrior has maybe some of the most difficult to read parts so far of any of these books in that the writing gets very dense and metaphorical, but while you may be questioning whether something is literally happening or not it's always a joy to read. If I do have one complaint though it's that Bakker sometimes will imply things instead of telling you, and it might go over your head unless you discuss the books with others or seek out discussion videos. If you're someone who likes that kind of storytelling though, but still like it to be a little more straight forward than Malazan this is going to be your jam.
In addition to the writing I'm so invested in the plot and characters of these books, and how they have grown and changed and how things have just escalated since The Darkness That Comes Before. There are some sequences in this book that absolutely blew me away as I was reading them (Wraccu anyone?) and some things that were clearly foreshadowed that I still didn't see coming. Also, while a lot of grimdark authors love to go down the road of less magic or magic disappearing from the world Bakker leans into magic, specifically combat magic, full bore. The magic users and battles in these books are absolutely insane. While it's still magic on the softer side with some explanations, but not too many hard and fast rules it is omnipresent and in heavy use. I love the way magic is used in this world.
I am sad I only have 2 more books left in these series before I'm done with Bakker's work. Reading these books as part of a one-a-month readalong is both great and frustrating. It's great because these books really benefit from discussion with other readers. It's frustrating because the desire to go ahead and immediately pick up the next one is almost impossible to fight off. I'm just hoping the final 2 books have the same level of quality as TJE and TWLW because if so it's going in my list of all time favorite series near the top. -
3.75
Definitely the most confusing one so far. 🥴 -
Man, these just keep getting better and better. This is the second book of the second trilogy of the overarching Second Apocalypse story, the third (and last?) being released in 2015, if I'm not mistaken.
The first trilogy - The Prince of Nothing - reads like a fantasy take on the first crusade to Jerusalem, coupled with elements of Dune, the Silmarillion and LoTR. Imagine Aragorn going insane, and becoming a prophet with a mission to unite the whole world under an iron rule, in order to protect it against an unspeakably perverted evil out to kill every single human being.
Having achieved this, the second trilogy - The Aspect Emperor - details the ordeal of actually going out to destroy said evil, and the results of trying to do so by any means necessary, while the newly founded empire is imploding due to the insanity of the imperial family and plotting of alien gods.
I admit these books aren't for everyone. They are grimdark in the very bleakest sense, there is nary the tiniest glimmer of hope found anywhere, and the characters are invariably flawed, making bad decisions and constantly suffering the consequenses. The setting is very dark, a real crapsack world where greed, bloodlust and lechery are the driving forces of most everyone. Hierarchies of power are relentless, and a human life, least of all the lives of the millions of slaves, are worth next to nothing. Above all of this, the gods offer no solace or redemption, only eternal damnation, which incidentally is the driving force and motivation of the antagonists.
Bakker's language is quite dense, with plenty of references to names and places, in a manner that feels rather archaic (partly it reads like the Bible, or like I compared it earlier, to the Silmarillion). It is also partly very poetic. This is even more pronounced in this particular book - The White-Luck Warrior. There is often great beauty to be found in the tragic events that permeate the story. Bakker is a philosopher, which is noticeable for example in the different Schools of Magic, which are based on classic schools of philisophy. So, do not expect a light-hearted fantasy romp, featuring strong-jawed righteous heroes, or wizened wizards wearing pointy hats. Said wizard is more likely bound to be a drunken, cowardly loser, driven by petty revenge, and bound to repeating the same stupid mistakes over and over again.
Oh, and erect phalluses. There are lots of erect phalluses. Being the distinguising mark of the antagonist (yes, really), there are plenty of erect phalluses, and heinous acts being performed by the bearers of them, mostly on dead or dying people. So, you've been warned.
But, all in all, this series have become perhaps my favorite "modern" fantasy series - in close competition with Joe Abercombie's books (which, funnily I found very bleak when I first read them, but actually feature quite a bit of humor, and one or two glimpses of hope here and there - something that is entirely missing from Bakker's works). I am definitely looking forward to the next, and last, part of the trilogy.
