REVIEW: The Warrior Prophet by R. Scott Bakker

The Warrior Prophet by R. Scott Bakker
Publishing Information: 2004 (first publishing) 2005 (current edition)
Publisher: Overlook Press, Trade-Paperback, 607 pgs
ISBN-13: 978-1-59020-119-0
Series: The Prince of Nothing Trilogy Book #2 (The Second Apocalypse)
Reviewer: Andy
Copy: Out of Pocket

Synopsis: (from back-cover): With his spectacularly powerful debut The Darkness that Comes Before, a fantasy epic that rewrote the conventions of the epic fantasy genre and garnered thunderous praise from reviewers and readers alike, R. Scot Bakker introduced readers to his richly imagined world of myth, violence, and sorcery. In The Warrior Prophet, the thrilling story of the powerful logician-monk Anasurimbor Kellhus and the apocalyptic Holy War continues, as we venture further into the darkly enchanting, horrifyingly threatening battlescape upon which the war will be decided. As the crusade plunged violently southward, struggling with both the enemy and internecine turmoil, the enigmatic Kellhus finds himself ever closer to the elusive goal of meeting his father, while gaining further mastery of the ancient knowledge he will need for the encounter. And amid the brewing apocalypse, his swift-rising career has aroused more than curiosity from his enemies. Boldly imaginative, wickedly suspenseful, tantalizingly adventurous, The Warrior Prophet furthers Bakker's claim to the highest ranks of the fantasy genre.

Bakker's debut, The Darkness that Comes Before had a ton of promise. The setting was intriguing, the characters were complex, and the drama was riveting. However, the book ended abruptly. The first book of the Prince of Nothing trilogy, put simply, was a book full of promises. Bakker had yet to flex his muscle by including major plot turns - instead his debut was merely an exercise in setting the stage for things to come.

In triumphant fashion, Bakker has demonstrated that he is in the same league as the other heavyweights of fantasy, such as Kay or Martin. However the term "fantasy" often doesn't do the series justice. The world of the Second Apocalypse often reads like a black mirror of our own world's darker history, a quality that only adds to the appeal of the series. Dogmatic zealots expend their energies warring with one another while a far more ominous danger looms in the distance. A small group of sorcerers, the only ones who are aware of this apocalyptic peril, are relegated to heathens and pariahs, since sorcery is considered an abomination. Meanwhile, the more sinister forces behind the scenes are manipulating the practitioners of sorcery and holy men against one another to disastrous results.

Even theologically, the world of the Prince of Nothing series is well constructed. The Fanim, the victims of the Holy War hold a staunch and extreme monotheism similar to Islam while the Inrithi who lead the holy war are more akin to the Christians. Anasurimbor Kellhus, a monk from a secret monastic sect, begins to travel with this holy war, and he is trained as a master manipulator. Kellhus slowly endears himself to the holy men, becoming a prophet and savior, hiding his sociopathic nature behind a veil of presumed godliness. The depth of psychology and philosophy injected into the series is implemented so well that Bakker proves that scholars can still write fantasy in the tradition of Tolkien, while still pushing the genre forward. While so many other fantasy authors simply confuse obscurity with depth, Bakker's series genuinely contains authentic richness.

But, Bakker still isn't perfect. Though he does an excellent job in writing a battle scene, the long trek of the Inrithi Holy War begins to get tedious after one to many stops along the way. Meanwhile, readers who are used to indicators of who to love and who to hate will instead only find characters with serious weaknesses and often despicable qualities. To really love any character in this series, you have to forgive some other major character flaw, which some readers will find hard to swallow. Basically, Bakker makes the moral ambiguity in Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire look as rigid as the Chronicles of Narnia. However, readers looking for realistic characters will find Esmenet's struggles with identity and promiscuity compelling, and the sorcerer Achamian's conflicts of loyalty and duty absorbing. This is simply because Bakker is talented enough to create interesting characters that reside in an interesting world, a combination that is such a rarity in the genre.


Plot……….8.5/10

Characters………9/10

Style……….9/10

Overall……….8.5/10