Reddit mentions of The Darkness That Comes Before (The Prince of Nothing, Book 1)

Shout-out for R. Scott Bakker's Prince of Nothing series-- here's book 1.

1. The Prince of Nothing (series) - by R. Scott Bakker
   
2. 10/10
   
3. Fantasy, War/Politics
   
4. Extremely well written. Very original and fantastic protagonist/antagonist. Ambitious story and exceptional world-building, in the vein of 'A Song of Ice and Fire'.
   
5. Wikipedia and Amazon

The Darkness That Comes Before - I haven't read this trilogy yet but I've only heard good things about it. I have the first sitting on my bookshelf waiting to be read.

Here's 'the most helpful' review from amazon.

>Wow, there's something in the water up in Canada, and US publishers are really missing out. Good thing for the Internet! Manitoban Steven Erikson, still without distribution in the states, has established himself as the penultimate epic fantasy writer of the day (except for maybe G.R.R. Martin). Now along comes 'The Darkness that Comes Before, an unequivocal stellar debut by Ontario native R. Scott Bakker.
>All of the usual superlatives apply. Simply put, TDTCB is incredible, and any fan of epic or high fantasy should already have it on order. Bakker is an expert craftsman...his world is rich and believable, the characters godlike, and the plot constantly engaging and in motion. Toss in the requisite humor, flawed leads, sex and betrayal, and a true gem emerges from the fantasy morass.
>
>Brief plot summary annotated from the book sleeve: Two thousand years have passed since Mog-Pharau, the No-God, last walked among Men. Now the Shriah of the Thousand Temples has declared Holy War, and untold thousands gather, determined to wrest Shimeh, the Holy City of the Latter Prophet, from the hands of their heathen kin. Among them, one man stands apart, a man who uses redemption to deceive, and passion to elevate and enslave... Anasurimbor Kellhus. Two couples, a barbarian chieftain and his concubine, a sorcerer and his harlot lover, share his trials and tribulations, each compelled by what they think they see: the possibility vengeance, the promise of redemption, the threat of apocalypse, or the hope of escape. As the violent fortunes of the Holy War transform Kellhus into an all-conquering prophet, they finally begin to ask: What is he really?
>
>References have been made to Tolkein, but this novel is far more postmodern and machiavellian than LoTR. Bakker has more in common with Erikson, Stephen R. Donaldson, Martin or early Robert Jordan. There are multiple threads and disparate points of view (hence 'epic'), but as the book progresses they are wound tighter and tighter until the gripping conclusion.
>
>Don't be misled by self-admitted Marxist reviewers.... Modern philosophies don't easily translate to fantasy novels (witness Goodkind's terrible slide), and Bakker himself wrote a great short article on sffworld.com about the current role of the fantasy genre in modern life (Why Fantasy and Why Now?). Bakker may come across as an educated, intelligent writer, but more importantly, he's a talented one. Avoid this debut at your own peril.

The Prince of Nothing Series by R. Scott Bakker.

It's the most engrossing series I have ever read and definitely an epic sci-fi read and way above the normal sci-fi reading level.

Warning once you stop you wont put em down till you are through the first 3.

http://www.amazon.com/Darkness-Comes-Before-Prince-Nothing/dp/1585675598

https://www.amazon.com/Darkness-Comes-Before-Prince-Nothing/dp/1585675598/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Second+Apocalypse&qid=1556717143&s=gateway&sr=8-1


here is the link to book 1

The Prince of Nothing trilogy by R. Scott Bakker (a first set of three books and then he's writing a second trilogy about the same universe) . It's not very magic-heavy but there is much political intrigue. The only drawback would be that they are kind of dense and don't read like "normal" fantasy novels: it's very cerebral, the wordplay can be overly complex, and some of the author's way of describing things can be obfuscating but overall, it's an awesome series.

It's basically about a badass warrior-logician monk who uses truth and awesome martial arts to do get into to people's heads and puts himself into the middle of really important political events happening in the world.

Try it out!

One of my favorite series isn't included - The Prince of Nothing Trilogy from R. Scott Bakker.

It's definitely in the fantasy realm with magic and such, but with detailed military/battle descriptions, social and political manipulations, use of religion as a means of control and lots of fun themes.