The Warrior Prophet by R Scott Bakker (Prince of Nothing: Book 2)

9/10

Here in this second book of the Prince of Nothing series, we are pulled along with the characters on the holy crusade that was begun in “The Darkness That Comes Before.” As the great journey to free the holy city Shimeh begins we see Kellhus growing in power bit by bit as he reveals more of his secrets, without really revealing anything, to the point that he takes on the leadership of the armies without being visibly in charge.

As they begin their holy crusade across the desert, more is revealed of the No god and the First Apocalypse through Achamian’s dreams and his history lessons to Kellhus. It really is a great epic journey across the deserts occupied by the heathens. Now we get to see the darker side of Kellhus that we always knew was there. Battle after battle against the heathens coupled with the internal politics of the multinational army; not to mention the three rival sorcerous schools in attendance, makes for a truly riveting story. Think Moses on crack leading the way out of Egypt and taking no prisoners.

But I have to say it again, my complaint is the names. In the heat of the battles, I found I was confused at various times over who was on which team. The battles were all very well written and played out, I just wasn’t always sure I was rooting for the “good guys” when it came to the lesser known generals and bondsmen. But that’s a small gripe for the overall story here. In this his second book, Mr. Bakker shows us his true potential and why we should be eagerly waiting for more to come.