This review applies to all three volumes of Bakker's 'The Prince of Nothing' series. First off, let me say that I'm really impressed with what Bakker achieved here. I'm reminded of something Guy Kay said when asked why he wrote The Fionavar Tapestry about wanting to prove that there was still life in the old tropes of high fantasy, as designed by Tolkien, and that new things could be done with them as opposed to mere slavish imitation. I think Bakker succeeded admirably in this (whereas Guy Kay's actual creation of something really new, in Fionavar at least, is debatable).From the explanation of the Elves' immortality, as well as a really interesting extrapolation of what that would mean for a contigent being, to the depiction of evil so utterly repulsive and frightening that it makes Melkor and Sauron look like Sunday school teachers this series really played with the traditional high fantasy motifs in ways I found very intriguing. Add to that a magic system based on principles from the epistomology of different schools of philosophy and a cast of characters whose flaws make them almost painfully real to the reader and you'd expect to get a smash hit on your hands. Except that doesn't really seem to have happened and I think I know why.In a nutshell the books, and the world they present, are just so unambiguosuly dark that I think few readers have the stomach to follow Bakker where he wants to lead them. The most redeeming character of the series, the downtrodden wizard Drusus Achamian, is ultimately a loser who seems only to be a relative good-guy in that he's too feckless to be effectively out for himself. Anasûrimbor Kellhus, the character who would be the titular hero of the series as written by anyone else, is more akin to a natural force than a man and the utter vacuity of his moral centre is so frightening that it makes him both more and less human than any other character of the novel. Cnaiür urs Skiötha, another incredibly well-drawn and fascinating character, is also so driven by his broken nature that while what he is capable of is impressive, it certainly isn't anything the reader is likely to relate to. Bakker obviously has a point to make in his story about human nature, and even the nature of reality, but it certainly isn't a point that is likely to sit well with too many readers unless they like their world view leavened with a heaping portion of nihilism. One begins to wonder, as we learn more about this world and the sleeping great evil that is apparently looming on the horizon, why anyone would bother trying to save such an utterly flawed universe anyway. Despite all of this, though, the world as Bakker paints it is an incredibly vivid and interesting one. The hints of 'what has gone before' that are dropped in the story give real texture to this place and the mysteries still left unanswered are as tantalising as those for which we do receive some explanation. It is really fascinating to see how someone using similar tropes and building blocks to Tolkien could have built something so completely different, and yet still so compelling.The story itself follows the rise of a great crusade between warring nations against the backdrop of the rise to power of an ancient force of evil which most of the world does not even believe in anymore. Behind and within this backdrop are woven the tales of the three main characters (Achaimian, Kellhus, and Cnaiur) as they each pursue their own goals and are inextricably led to one another. The climax of the series could be considered something of an anti-climax, for while each of the characters has, in some sense, found what they were seeking and begun upon a new path, the much larger movements of the story (both the crusade and the rise of sleeping evil) are left in media res for another series to pick up on. Bakker has now released two books in this continuation of the larger story, but many readers may find it frustrating that so much of what could be considered the overarching plot of the novels is left completely hanging by the end of volume three.Overall I was torn by this series. One the one hand I think Bakker did a commendable job in building a world that did truly new things with the high fantasy genre and I was always fascinated by each new mystery he revealed; on the other hand I ended up feeling like I needed a shower after reading these books. The evil in it is presented so convincingly, and the very nature of the world he created is so bleak, that I just don't relish the thought of visiting the place again. Add to that the fact that the term "sympathetic character" doesn't seem to be in Bakker's vocabulary and you are left with a series that is definitely tailored to the tastes of the minority...but then again, maybe that's a good thing.
Oh...this book. Not only did it take me forever to get through it, but it also left me entirely unsatisfied. About halfway through the book I decided it was only getting two stars (a fantastic final scene in which Achamian finds within him the strong, vicious man I always knew he could be made me consider giving it three, but it just doesn't deserve it).Three books ago, I stumbled upon The Prince of Nothing and was immediately intrigued by its promise of wasted kingdoms, dark history, sorcery, long-forgotten royalty, and the doom of a Second Apocalypse. I bought book one for those things; I kept reading for those things; and I am disappointed because I never received those things. Sure, the Second Apocalypse looms in the background, but it is not the driving force of the plot in this trilogy. What drives the plot here is the Holy War and Anasurimbor Kellhus's rise to the title of Warrior-Prophet and Aspect-Emperor. This isn't necessarily bad (I can see the set-up for the second trilogy, Aspect-Emperor), but it becomes incredibly tedious when there is nothing to like about Kellhus. Believe me, I've tried to like him. I've never tried as hard to like a character as I've tried to like Kellhus. But I just can't. He's awful. And I don't mean to say that he's got an awful personality (he doesn't have one at all) or that he's awful because he does terrible things (which he does), what I'm saying is that he's awful as a character. I've read three books in which Kellhus plays a prominent role as the trilogy's namesake (Prince of Nothing), but I still know absolutely nothing about what motivates him. I don't understand what he is doing or why he is doing it, which makes it impossible to like him when does things such as use and manipulate the only character in this entire series worth liking: Achamian.What really hurt this final book, though, is the ending. It jumped from place to place, person to person, and became little more than a jumble of confusing images and events. I'm still not quite sure what happened during the last moments of the Holy War, and my brain still hurts from some of the philosophical fluff that filled most of the pages dealing with Kellhus and his father. The ending, as a whole, was rushed and unsatisfying (except for that fantastic scene with Achamian I mentioned earlier). It really seemed like Bakker had already moved on to the next trilogy and suddenly realized he hadn't ended this one.Also, I need to add that I am painfully intrigued by the events of the First Apocalypse, the appearance of the Inchoroi, the tragedy of the Nonmen, and the return of the No-God. My desire to know more is what kept me reading this far, but there's not much revealed on these subjects beyond the glossary. I'm tempted to read The Judging Eye in hopes of learning more about them and of finally getting to the Second Apocalypse, but I've lost faith in Bakker. I'm still just as uncertain as I was after The Darkness That Comes Before.I'm a stubborn optimist when it comes to books—especially fantasy as deep and intricate as this—but I'm just so disappointed. There is such potential, but I don't think I can endure another few books of Kellhus, which is really a shame. The world and races and history Bakker creates in this series are some of the most intriguing I have ever come across, but it's a slow and challenging read that offers up very little reward for your time.
What do You think about The Thousandfold Thought (2007)?
What a disappointing ending to an otherwise promising trilogy. Bakker almost abandons the Holy War until the very end then wraps it up in a somewhat disjointed and confusing finale that lacks any depth of understanding. Instead, the reader is subjected to a cerebral cacophony of redundant "mumbo-jumbo" that really seems to beg the question of the story, especially the importance of Khellus' father. By the end of the story, it seems Bakker is more interested in setting up his next series rather than closing this one satisfactorily. Worth reading if you really want to find out what happens with the Holy War, but don't expect to completely understand how and why things unfold as they do.
—D. Eric
Despite the lower rating I don't think this was really much worse than The Warrior Prophet. The difference is that while the previous book took advantage of the momentum of the excellent "The Darkness that comes before", this one suffers from the flatness of its predecessor. I started reading this already fed up with the numerous faults of The Warrior Prophet and all I got was another 500-pages-long serving of them.The characters are stil flat, Kellhus is still awesome in everything, everyone is still crying over silly things, key concepts are still repeated to you every two pages, the dark atmosphere is still a joke, the sex element is still ludicrous.Regarding the sex content, I'm pretty sure Bakker is trolling us... Really, why else would one describe the bark of a tree as "phallic"? I mean, come on now! The ending is basically a massive dialogue on metaphysics, which could've been interesting if it wasn't exactly the same massive dialogue on metaphysics seen a dozen times before.The epic battle for shimeh felt like white noise in the background: flat, mildly annoying and completely uninteresting.I feel sad for this trilogy, and all the more bitter because I loved the first book.
—Pietro
The Thousandfold Thought was an excellent finish to the Prince of Nothing trilogy. The culmination of the Holy War was very interesting and many of the ideas I had about where the plot was going based on the first two books were thrown aside or changed, but in very interesting ways. Without giving anything away, the book definitely leaves itself open for sequels (but since there's an entire sequel trilogy that doesn't really spoil anything). Overall a very good book which I would recommend to anyone who enjoys fantasy novels. I'll definitely be picking up the next trilogy.
—Robby
