The Darkness That Comes Before
The Prince of Nothing, Book One
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Narrated by:
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David DeVries
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By:
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R. Scott Bakker
About this listen
Strikingly original in its conception, ambitious in scope, with characters engrossingly and vividly drawn, the first book in R. Scott Bakker's Prince of Nothing series creates a remarkable world from whole cloth - its language and classes of people, its cities, religions, mysteries, taboos, and rituals - the kind of all-embracing universe Tolkien and Herbert created unforgettably in the epic fantasies The Lord of the Rings and Dune.
It's a world scarred by an apocalyptic past, evoking a time both 2,000 years past and 2,000 years into the future, as untold thousands gather for a crusade. Among them, two men and two women are ensnared by a mysterious traveler, Anasûrimbor Kellhus - part warrior, part philosopher, part sorcerous, charismatic presence - from lands long thought dead. The Darkness That Comes Before is a history of this great holy war, and like all histories, the survivors write its conclusion.
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- By Door on 09-07-13
By: Mark Lawrence
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Barrowlands
- Iconoclasts, Book 0
- By: Mike Shel
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 1 hr
- Unabridged
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No one enters the doom-haunted Barrowlands without royal sanction. But Hesk Atterley has. Accompanied by seedy companions and a hunger for riches, what he finds may change his life forever...if it doesn't kill him first.
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Short but Interesting
- By Michael on 02-01-21
By: Mike Shel
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Dominion
- A Coldfire Novella
- By: C. S. Friedman
- Narrated by: R.C. Bray
- Length: 2 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Four hundred years after mankind's arrival on Erna, the undead sorcerer Gerald Tarrant travels north in search of a legend. For it is rumored there is a forest where the fae has become so powerful that it devours all who enter it, and he means to test its power.
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It is what it is
- By MrBoobo on 06-11-12
By: C. S. Friedman
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Heroes Die
- The First of the Acts of Caine
- By: Matthew Stover
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 22 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Renowned throughout the land of Ankhana as the Blade of Tyshalle, Caine has killed his share of monarchs and commoners, villains and heroes. He is relentless, unstoppable, simply the best there is at what he does. At home on Earth, Caine is Hari Michaelson, a superstar whose adventures in Ankhana command an audience of billions.
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Don't Let the Cover Turn You Off
- By Paul on 08-13-12
By: Matthew Stover
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A Blade Through Time
- A Grimdark Progression Fantasy
- By: Louis Kalman
- Narrated by: Eric Michael Summerer
- Length: 11 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Leones Ansteri was only sixteen when they came to kill him for the heresies his father had committed against the Archons—the mighty demigods who keep the peace in the Civilized Lands and prevent the evil Goetia from enslaving all of humanity. But even as the flames of the Magisters burned everything Leones knew to the ground, they awakened in him a power he didn’t know he possessed: the ability to manipulate time. But as Leones grows more confident in his temporal abilities, he realizes all is not well in Odena.
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Grimdark Sci-Fi YA Romp
- By Ashley on 03-27-24
By: Louis Kalman
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The Court of Broken Knives
- By: Anna Smith Spark
- Narrated by: Colin Mace, Meriel Rosenkranz
- Length: 16 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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It is the richest empire the world has ever known, and it is also doomed - but only one man can see it. Haunted by prophetic dreams, Orhan has hired a company of soldiers to cross the desert to reach the capital city. Once they enter the palace, they have one mission: Kill the emperor, then all those who remain. Only from the ashes can a new empire be built. The company is a group of good, ordinary soldiers for whom this is a mission like any other. But the strange boy Marith who walks among them is no ordinary soldier.
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Beautiful prose, beautifully narrated.
- By superstardrifter on 09-28-17
By: Anna Smith Spark
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The Prince of Nothing
- By: Hektor Thillet
- Narrated by: Tracy Collier
- Length: 2 mins
- Unabridged
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The Prince of Nothing is a fairy tale by Puerto Rican author Hektor Thillet, set in the majestic mountain range of the Norwegian fjords. In The Prince of Nothing, a next-in-line royal of the ancient Norwegian monarchy, who has become disheartened with possessing what he believes to be everything his heart could ever desire, runs away in a desperate search to find Nothing.
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Where whimsy and the obscure are commonplace
- By Dragonlily on 09-03-21
By: Hektor Thillet
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Sons of Darkness
- By: Gourav Mohanty
- Narrated by: Homer Todiwala
- Length: 24 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Bled dry by violent confrontations with the Magadhan Empire, the Mathuran Republic simmers on the brink of oblivion. Senator Krishna and his third wife Satyabhama have put their plans in motion, both within and beyond the Republic’s blood-soaked borders, to protect it from total annihilation. But they are soon to discover that neither gold nor alliances last forever – and that they are not the only players on the board.
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Nice book. flawed narration
- By Reader of a lost Art on 11-03-23
By: Gourav Mohanty
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The Curse of the Mistwraith
- The Wars of Light and Shadow, Book 1
- By: Janny Wurts
- Narrated by: Colin Mace
- Length: 28 hrs
- Unabridged
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Athera is besieged by the Mistwraith, which blights the land and dims the mysteries guarded by the last fugitives of the old bloodlines. But from a prophecy springs hope: the gifts of two brothers – one dark, one fair, raised on opposite sides of a relentless war – when paired may challenge the Mistwraith’s invasion, though at brutal cost.
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The start of a masterpiece
- By Blaise Ancona on 04-25-24
By: Janny Wurts
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The Dragonbone Chair
- Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, Book One
- By: Tad Williams
- Narrated by: Andrew Wincott
- Length: 33 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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A war fueled by the dark powers of sorcery is about to engulf the peaceful land of Osten Ard—for Prester John, the High King, slayer of the dread dragon Shurakai, lies dying. And with his death, an ancient evil will at last be unleashed, as the Storm King, undead ruler of the elvishlike Siti, seeks to regain his lost realm through a pact with one of human royal blood. Then, driven by spell-inspired jealousy and hate, prince will fight prince, while around them the very land begins to die.
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A Work of art
- By Andre on 10-22-16
By: Tad Williams
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Smoke and Stone
- City of Sacrifice, Book 1
- By: Michael R. Fletcher
- Narrated by: Rosa B. Watkinson
- Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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After a cataclysmic war of the gods, the last of humanity huddles in Bastion, a colossal ringed city. Beyond the outermost wall lies an endless desert, haunted by the souls of all the world’s dead. Trapped in a rigid caste system, Nuru, a young street sorcerer, lives in the outer ring. She dreams of escape and freedom. When something contacts her from beyond the wall, she risks everything and leaps at the opportunity.
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Speed up play back to 1.1 speed
- By Hera on 01-19-21
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Lord of a Shattered Land
- Chronicles of Hanuvar, Book 1
- By: Howard Andrew Jones
- Narrated by: Kevin T. Collins
- Length: 21 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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The Dervan Empire has at last triumphed over Volanus, putting the great city to the torch, its treasures looted, temples defiled, and fields sown with salt. What little remains of Volanus is scattered across the empire, its wealth plundered and its survivors sold into slavery. It is an absolute victory for the Dervans in every way but one. Hanuvar, last and greatest general of Volanus, still lives. He now travels the length of the Dervan Empire that conquered his homeland, driven by a singular purpose—to find what remains of his people who were carried into slavery across the empire.
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The best fantasy novel of the decade, now in audio.
- By Sean CW Korsgaard on 11-01-24
What listeners say about The Darkness That Comes Before
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Jesse Soileau
- 01-06-24
Too many characters with multiple names
I wanted to like it. There are just too many strange names and terms for an audiobook. Perhaps printed where I could stop and look up characters or concepts would have helped. I kept getting lost and couldn't gain more than a broad understanding of what was going on. The details were obscured by the foreignness of the setting.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Kowth
- 11-27-21
An all time favorite
The series definitely has its issues, first and foremost how uncomfortable the cultural situation is in the three seas and beyond. Pre-to-just-slightly-post-Medieval in most of the worst ways.
On the other hand, I’m very fond of the way magic is handled, the way faith and the history of the world is rich and detailed, and of the light philosophy heavily salting the meat of the text, which is just layers and layers of political and religious conflict and subterfuge, broken up by the mysteries of the Dunyain, the reality of the gods and demons, and the unholy consult.
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- Kindle Customer
- 04-30-20
Beasts of burden and philosophy
4.5/5
I have heard much about R. Scott Bakker; many stating he's an undisputed genius that will make rethink your entire life to overblown darkness and disparity for shock value wrapped in overly purple prose. For me, while not a 'fun' read, it certainly has depth and is something that makes one want to become enveloped in the world and apply philosophical debates with yourself on life's meaning or nature vs. nurture.
The plot is intricate, allowing for various kingfoms/empires to be enraptured and manipulated into engaging into a holy war. Allmin the background there's Eldritch horror that awaits to bring about the apocalypse. The second, in fact :p
This works for me since it echoes real life atrocities (that are still performed in these 'civilised' times), mesmerizing conversation and dialog about philosophy, deep world building, drags of supernatural horror, warfare, and some of the best political maneuvering as my beloved A Song of Ice and Fire. The characters are all fascinating...but not necessarily likeable save for a couple. They are well-wrought characters, have no doubt but some you are not going to be rooting for. This is really the only qualms I have with the book and it's a 'me' thing. Furthermore there is loads of sexual violence and women are defining treated as meat within the book which will make you squirm. However, I feel this was all done with specific purpose (see men are at their base, depraved-- the author's thoughts, not mine) and it accomplishes what it sets out.
If you're looking for a comment on how humanity is inherently base or evil...look no further. It's a very well-done portrait of the human experience as a car wreck. I'll be continuing because this was thought provoking and gave me much to ponder on, both for and against. I think that's the point
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4 people found this helpful
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- Eric
- 10-10-19
Good Dark Fantasy
I really liked the depth with which Bakker built this very dark and very interesting world but I wasn't a huge fan of all the political intrigue and the way that women were reduced to demeaning roles. the only two main female characters are used for sex, one willing and one unwilling. That's it. The audio performance was really good. Overall, I'd give it 3.5 stars (rounding up to four).
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- Kindle Customer
- 07-05-23
My number one favorite series of all time.
I almost wish I had never read through this seven book series. Not because I didn’t enjoy it, but because every book I’ve read after has been a little paler than it would have been prior. In my personal opinion, Bakker is the gold standard of the grimdark genre. Inspired my many other books but fully and wholly it’s own world and story, nothing comes close to this for me. Going through it a third time and I’m still finding little bits and pieces that only make sense after having finished the whole, but don’t detract from the story at all without being on the second or third listen-through. The performance is also masterful, and I personally wish they kept this narrator for the last four books, but the other guy is good, too.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Kat
- 08-18-24
Greatest Debut Fantasy Book Ever
Book is incredible: Plot, Dialogue, Characters, Worldbuilding, Magic System, Politics; Everything.
Only complaint is the choice of using certain accents/voices.
Conphas is the second youngest of all POV’s yet he’s given the voice of a whiny old man.
Kellhus is a middle-aged man yet sounds like a teenage-boy, removing a lot of his intensity when he speaks.
The choice to give the Ainoni and Kianene Indian accents makes literally no sense and breaks immersion.
Other than that, perfection
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- Laura Bethard
- 06-02-16
Strong worldbuilding, unlikeable characters
Would you try another book from R. Scott Bakker and/or David DeVries?
no
Any additional comments?
In the abstract, I appreciated what the author was doing here - he's clearly put a ton of thought into his world and his philosophy. The narrator I thought did a reasonable job with a (in my opinion unnecessarily large) cast of characters. That said, it felt a bit like having to suffer through a D&D campaign run by a medieval-studies major whose favorite movie was Idiocracy. The story came off as a smug dismissal of the value of anything but logic and probability. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given that premise, pretty much every character is unlikeable or incompetent within the world or both. By the end, I was kind of rooting for everyone to die. Unfortunately, if they do all die, you won't find out for another three books and I've put in my time, so I won't be finding out.
Further, the characterization of women in general and in the specific is appalling. If you're into the rape-ier bits of Song of Ice and Fire, then I guess you'll like this book but for me it was a punishment to get through. I made it to the end but once there, found myself wondering why I'd bothered.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Chris Reitenour
- 08-22-22
Very heavy world-building
This book may be better suited to reading as a physical copy or eBook, as I found myself having a hard time following all the names of people and countries, even if they don’t end up being relevant. It is meant to lead to a rich world, but ends up just leading to reader asking themself “Who is that again? What country is it that cares about this?”
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- Gary Girod
- 12-01-21
A hidden gen
Unbelievable book. A classic that more should read and enjoy. Great narration too, all good.
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- Alec Phillips
- 04-23-22
One of my all time favorite fantasy series
I picked this book up randomly one day at Barnes and Noble years ago because the title was intriguing and the cover was cool looking. I am so extremely happy I did! This book is unlike any other I've ever read. Bakker's writing style is insanely unique and incredibly impressive. He has a certain way of describing mundane things that makes every sentence sound like a work of art, it's awe inspiring (as a fantasy writer myself, he's one of my major inspirations). His vocabulary is awesome, his characters are extremely realistic and so is the world. The subgenre is grimdark so it's super gritty, doesn't shy away from anything, and is a realistic portrayal of the world in medieval times - like maybe around the 9th to 11th centuries in the real world. The names are likely hard for most people but they are also really realistic if you know anything about ancient historical names from around the world, and beautiful if you pronounce them right. Bakker is a student of history and philosophy (like me) and his insights are astounding, literally had me gaping occasionally. The way he perceives things and then writes about them is so unique I was awestruck multiple times reading this honestly. I don't want to oversell the book, it fits me personally well so I love it, but I do think if you have the patience and are really into fantasy you will love this book. However, it is definitely dense and a somewhat difficult read: the vocab is intense sometimes (in an impressive way, it'll teach you amazing new words), and the way he writes can at times be hard to understand but when you read the sentence again and understand it, it is totally worth it. But you do need a certain amount of patience or else an extreme love of realistic fantasy. I'm not very patient but I love fantasy, words, and writing and worldbuilding, and the world Bakker has created is intensely deep, sunken with history, unique cultures and races, languages, amazingly cool magic, and so much more. The sorcery is unbelievably awesome (i think) and is super unique in its description (and in how it works when you eventually find out). Bakker does such a good job of portraying the realistic thoughts and random whims of a real person in all his characters, the uncaring twist and turn of worldly events, and the complex interactions between people, I was obsessed with this book once I got into it, which takes a little bit of time, but definitely worth it. And there are two more books, then another trilogy after in the same world. Bakker is obviously super smart and I often found myself wondering how he wrote such insanely cunning characters and complex plotlines, especially for his debut novel. Gives me hope! Love this book!!!!
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