Lee Hunts

I just finished reading The White-Luck Warrior, which is the fifth book in The Second Apocalypse series, and the second book in The Aspect-Emperor series. I definitely took my time with this one, and I don't think this trend is going to change any time soon. This book picks up right where the last one left off, continuing all of the storylines that were started in the last one: The march of the Great Ordeal north toward Golgotterath, the slog of slogs led by Achamian as he tries to discover the secrets of Kellhus and the Dûnyain, Esmenet and her trials as the remaining head of the Empire, and the other more peripheral storylines involving Psatma Nannaferi and the titular White-Luck Warrior. And every one of these storylines ends in a cliffhanger to be continued in the next story. This book is a major step up from the last one, with so much of the payoff from the last story coming on hard in this story. There are major battle sequences with the Great Ordeal throughout this entire st...

I just finished reading The Judging Eye, which is the first book in the Aspect-Emperor series, which is in turn the second series within the larger Second Apocalypse series by R. Scott Bakker. The book picks up twenty years after The Prince of Nothing. Before I begin, this whole review will have spoilers of that initial series because there really is no way to talk about this series without do so. Click off now if you want to protect yourself.  Anasûrimbor Kellhus has taken over the Three Seas to form an empire, and now, after twenty years of painstaking care and preparation, Kellhus is now declaring a Great Ordeal that will march up to Golgotterath to destroy the Consult before they can resurrect the No-God. It is the ultimate gamble taken to stop the world from ending. It took me about a month to get through this book, which is longer than any of the other entries. This is in part because I chose to read the story slower, because Bakker is so dense as a writer, and in part becaus...

I just finished reading The Warrior Prophet, the second book in The Prince of Nothing trilogy. This book picks up right where The Darkness That Comes Before left off and follows three consecutive marches south by the Holy War, as they move inexorably closer to Shimeh, their ancient holy land. What follows is another stunning entry in the series, as the Holy War is embroiled in multiple climactic battles, infected by a manipulative third party who is taking advantage of the war for his own agenda, and internal political conflicts that are inherent to any war. This book is a step up from the last in terms of pacing, character, worldbuilding, and twists, providing compelling motivation to move right on into the next book. No Spoilers Characters As characters are the most important part of the story, I will start by talking about that aspect. For each of them, I think they have been developed in interesting ways, or they are allowed to shine in amazing ways. Achamian goes through hell and ...