The Darkness That Comes Before by R. Scott Bakker – review
Over the course of the next month or so, I’ll be relocating some reviews I did some years ago over at my old blog (The Bodhisattva) over to BSC. Some content that no longer makes sense (if it ever did!) and is no longer applicable, like links that don’t exist anymore, will be removed. Also, I now have the benefit of handing this to a second pair of eyes for editorial corrections–which I didn’t have or really care about before! This time around is my review of R. Scott Bakker’s The Darkness That Comes Before.
Check it out after the jump…
The Electric Mayhem: Furnace Room Lullaby
In this edition of The Electric Mayhem I take a look at Clash of Civilizations Over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio by Amara Lakhous, Private Midnight by Kris Saknussemm and In the Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami.
Book Review – Rifling Paradise by Jem Poster
Rifling Paradise is the second novel of the critically acclaimed novelist and poet Jem Poster. The praise is indeed well-deserved – Rifling Paradise is a very well-crafted piece of literary fiction; it is intense, vivid and thoughtful in its exploration of the hidden passions, forbidden desires and the unspoken social codes of Victorian society . . .
Exclusive – The Stranger by Max Frei (excerpt)
Today at BSC I have an exclusive excerpt from a novel I’ve been hearing a lot about for several months now. Max Frei’s The Stranger is set to be published by Overlook Press on April 15th.
Synopsis:
Russian literary sensation Max Frei makes his English language debut in The Stranger, a highly philosophical comic fantasy infused with extraordinary wit, a voice that is beyond unique, and a complex web of clues that keeps the pages turning. A bestseller in Europe for years, this astonishing story is the fantasy epic for a new century.
Once a self-described “classic loser” who, if it weren’t for bad luck, wouldn’t have any luck at all, Max is an insomniac who sleeps all day, a night owl in a world of larks, a social outcast and a glutton with nothing to show for himself but empty cigarette packs. At twenty-something, Max is never the early bird and he never gets the worm. Then one day he suddenly finds himself transplanted into an alternate dream universe in the city of Echo, summoned by the chief of the Secret Police. In this world, he is deemed a species of magical secret agent, is made a member of the Department of Absolute Order, and must solve unimaginably extravagant cases with his exceptional new powers. Fate smiles on Max in the city of Echo, where everything that happens to him happens for a reason, and the one-time slacker is known reverently as the “unequalled Sir Max.” As Max learns how to navigate through his bizarre new reality, he takes readers on the journey of a lifetime punctuated by incredible events and a cast of unforgettable characters.
In an additional twist of fantasy, the true author behind the endearing narrator of The Labyrinths of Echo series is revealed in reality as Russian writer Svetlana Martynchik.
BSC would like to thank Overlook Press for allowing us to present the following excerpt at our venue!
Please check out all of our other exclusives for more chapters/excerpts from novels and complete short stories from collections and anthologies. BSC is the choice for publishers to bring you the goods!
I hope you enjoy!
Book Review – The Republic of Vengeance
Author: Paul Waters Publisher: Overlook Press Publishing Date: February 2009 Binding: Hardback The Republic of Vengeance marks the entry of a new and interesting author into the newly revitalized field of historical fiction. Paul Waters is trained as a classicist and his first novel is a testament to his historical expertise in its depiction of [...]
Contest Warning Bell – Worlds Apart: An Anthology of Russian Fantasy and Science Fiction edited by Alexander Levitsky (5 possible winners!)
Did you have a warning bell in high school that came before the bell that told you that you now had D-Hall? We did! Because the way we are set-up now tends to have much more updates than our last format at Fantasybookspot.com, I’m going to start giving people a warning bell on contests that [...]
Contest – Worlds Apart: An Anthology of Russian Fantasy and Science Fiction edited by Alexander Levitsky (5 copies!)
New contest, and first one of the ’09. Before I get into Worlds Apart: An Anthology of Russian Fantasy and Science Fiction I just want to remind folks that today is the last day to get in on our contest to win copies of Best American Fantasy 2008 (5 winners!) and you only have one day left to get enter to win a limited edition lithograph from the World Fantasy and 4-time Chesley Award winning artist, Alan Clark.
Now on to Worlds Apart: An Anthology of Russian Fantasy and Science Fiction. . .
Book Review – The Warrior-Prophet
Author: R. Scott Bakker Publisher: Overlook Press Binding: Hardcover Publication Date: 2005 The Warrior-Prophet, the second volume of R. Scott Bakker’s The Prince of Nothing trilogy, brings his complex characters closer to their goals and ramps up the tension in their conflicts. Yet ethereal philosophical concepts and inner monologue still dominate this erudite epic fantasy [...]
Contest – Win The Prince of Nothing trilogy signed by R. Scott Bakker
Very excited to announce that Fantasybookspot.com’s March Drawing will give everyone an opportunity to experience what is I think, one of the landmark completed epic fantasy sequences, The Prince of Nothing trilogy, by R. Scott Bakker. Brought to its end with the release of the powerful concluding chapter, The Thousandfold Thought (my review here), this [...]
Book Review – The Thousandfold Thought
Author: R. Scott Bakker Publisher: Overlook Press Binding: Paperback Publication Date January 2006 Fans of epic fantasy love debuts, and even if not true debuts, the introduction to a new sequence by an established author. We enjoy; fresh, new material blazing a trail, that continue us down the path that is our reading experience. This [...]
Book Review – The Darkness that Comes Before
Author: R. Scott Bakker Publisher: Overlook Press Binding: Hardcover Publication Date: 2004 “‘He is less. And he’s more.’” This line of dialog from Chapter Twelve perfectly sums up R. Scott Bakker’s debut novel, The Darkness That Comes Before. Bakker’s knowledge of ancient languages and his doctorate in philosophy give his epic fantasy a unique flavor. [...]
