The White Luck Warrior by R Scott Bakker (The Aspect Emperor: Book 2)

9/10

This second volume of the Aspect Emperor series picks up right where the first one left off. Intense non-stop action which has you on the edge of your seat from the first pages to the last pages. I know that’s a washed out cliché to describe this book, but my emotional involvement was of the highest level. For me it seemed like the pages were used to their fullest extent without a space wasted on some too long description or needless moment. Mr. Bakker has found that blend of dialogue and description that makes the story flow along with ease and coupled it with the storylines and characters that fill it out to the extreme edges.

I found there seemed to be a shifting of characters again in that Khellus, the main character of The Prince of Nothing series, and the catalyst of all the events happening here in this series, seems to be less and less a focus. I’m sure I could count on one hand the number of times he appears at an event or gives advice to someone. Drusas Achamian does quite nicely as the main storyline with his personal quest to undo Khellus and destroy the No-god. And the secondary story of Sorweel the hostage king and his journey with the army of the Great Ordeal is no less urgent in its telling or importance. Then the third thread of Esmenet back in the Empire trying to hold things together… Well you get what I’m saying. It’s a wild gripping ride from the first page to the last and I have given this book my highest personal honour. So for the second time in my adult life, when I finished this book, I took a couple hours for a break, opened a bottle of wine, and started over again.