| Date: 11 April 2011, 22:03
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I enjoyed the first two novels in R. Scott Bakker's "Prince of Nothing" series -- his weaving of action, humor, sex, and metaphysics into a fully-realized alternate universe demonstrated astounding dexterity and full-fledged commitment to his story. I can't imagine the permutations this story must have gone through as Bakker wrestled with a plot that was truly epic in scope, not to mention his philosophical, slightly archaic diction.
I eagerly dove into "The Thousandfold Thought," anxious to see how Bakker was going to wrap up this announced trilogy. In some respects, the plot of "TTT" is straightforward: the otherworldly Prince of Nothing, Kellhus, has led the Holy War to the threshold of its goal -- the plains outside the city of Shimeh. What ensues is, for approximately the last 20% of the novel, a battle between invader and invaded that rivals anything since the Battle of the Pellenor Fields from Tolkien's "Return of the King." It's hard to say who is more terrifying -- Bakker's battle-hardened human soldiers or their sorcerer allies. Nobody writes a more powerful, more dazzling battle scene than Bakker, and that's high praise indeed.
But much of "TTT" is given over to metaphysical debate as Kellhus confronts his father, the sorcerer Drusas Achamian confronts the truth of Kellhus and his love for his former wife Esmemet (now Kellhus' lover), and the barbarian Cnaiur confronts his former lover and tormentor. Plus, "minor" characters plot, scheme, and kill as they seek to twist the Holy War to their own ends.
To be honest, I am not all that interested in philosophy, so much of the metaphysical stuff Bakker obviously adores was lost on me. Bakker writes it well, but I am not the correct audience. I liked it fine, but it's not the kind of stuff I'm going to eagerly revisit, and it made much of "TTT" pretty slow going.
Much of the humor found in the first two books in this series is absent from "TTT," as the major players are moved to peaks of triumph and despair in the midst of war. There's naturally not much room for levity. That's unfortunate, but it's not a weakness. "TTT" is just a weightier tome than the first two novels.
Bakker takes the interesting step of ending his trilogy with what is essentially a cliff-hanger. Does he intend to keep the story alive? He's got more than a few plot threads left to tie up. Or does he want the reader to puzzle over their own interpretation of these plot threads (such as, what's going on with the bird-with-the-human-head, what happens to Cnaiur, etc.). That would be a daring choice considering all the work that went into this trilogy.
Ultimately, I admire the "Prince of Nothing" series more than I enjoy it. I don't shun complexity, but this series is the first one I've really wanted to finish where the third novel starts out with dozens of pages summarizing what happened in the first two novels, and attaches 100 pages of expository appendices to the end. Again, Bakker has created a complex world populated with a staggering cast of characters and with its own extensive history -- I'm sure his world's version of the "Silmarillion" is out there just waiting to be published. And I'd probably check it out.
Not for the faint of heart, the "Prince of Nothing" series is probably better suited for armchair reading than the stairmaster at the gym -- you're going to need the time and the energy to work through Bakker's complex stories. And in the end, it's worth it.
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