Rating: 
Summary: This book shows why I don't read more fantasy...
Review: ...because it is so unlike most of the clichéd fantasy I see out there - very imaginative, much better written, and more realistic when it comes to the actions, emotions, and behaviours of the all-too-human characters.
Anti-heroes and flawed heroes are far more interesting characters than the two dimensional types that seem to inhabit most fantasy novels, and Bakker does a good job of presenting them here. In addition, he portrays life in the ancient world as it really was - nasty, brutish, and short. No rosy-hued bucolic fantasylands here, but instead some wretched, squalid, and unforgiving living conditions for the [prostitutes], soldiers, and common people who make up most of the characters, contrasted with the unbelievable luxury of the upper classes.
This book does take one cue from Tolkien, in that he has created a rich world to set his books in, and the setting does much to define the characters, the relationships and historical grudges of the various nationalities, and given it a believable sense of history, almost to the point where it reads like a historical novel with a few fantasy elements thrown in. Much of this history is alluded to and not detailed, but towards the end of the second book, Warrior-Prophet, we do get a much more detailed back-story on the ancient events that are returning to affect the present.
The story opens remarkably well, and I was already hooked after reading the prologue. It does drag a little in the middle, and does become more interesting when Kellhus reappears, but I never found it dull or boring. It is not, however, what you'd call an action-packed book, but Warrior-Prophet makes up for that with bloodshed aplenty. I should also point out that neither book is for the timid - there is some quite graphic sex and violence in here, so prudes beware.
Read this one if you don't typically read fantasy, or if you do and are tired of the beaten to death noble-farmboy-saves-the-world books or the hack jobs based on computer or role-playing games - it is a refreshing change.
Rating: 
Summary: Worth reading, but nothing special here
Review: All around a decent book but nothing ground breaking here. A pretty quick read that's a little confusing to start but picks up well. Characters are not equally developed, some are powerful and unforgettable, others motivations are difficult to comprehend and under developed.World building aspects are reasonable but once again nothing special. Other titles in the genre are much more rewarding. If you're more a fan of 'epic' fantasy with highly developed characters and worlds I'd look else where [Martin, Hobbs, Erikson], if you're looking for a quick entertaining read this will be worth your while. There is enough here to hold out hope that the next volumes will be more compelling.
Rating: 
Summary: Amazing
Review: First few paragraphs, you are tring to understand where it is coming from, but after that excellent read. Big scope, handled very well. Magic is there, but not overly so. Definately reading the next book.
Rating:
Summary: I really wanted to like this book too...
Review: I began reading the book with high hopes - especially after reading some of the very positive reviews here. Unfortunately, I've struggled to finish about three-quarters of the book, and have since stopped. I ask myself why - the writing is good, yes the rapid POV switches are bit irritating but everyone does them nowadays, the world-building was interesting, and so forth. But I couldn't bring myself to care about any of the characters. And quite frankly when that happens, a book just doesn't compel. A really good writer interests you even in the 'bad guys' and the bit players. And on a gender-specific note - I noticed that almost ALL the women in this book who are protagonists are [prostitute]. Even the old empress seems to have [prostituted] her way to her position. While many women throughout history used sex to advance themselves in a world where they had no power - not ALL of them did. Frankly, the insistence on [prostitute]in this book (and I suspect the future ones) is a mite disturbing.
Rating: 
Summary: Should be more then the start of a series
Review: I kept wanting to like this book. The writing style is good. The world is well fleshed out. But nothing ever quite clicks. The rapid changes in point of view lead to no character being developed well enough. I found I really just didn't care. I was never engaged by the story.
Several reviewers have said "Give it time, it's the beginning of a series." I say, why would I want to slog though 577 pages of a book that can't stand on it's own.
Rating:
Summary: It was okay.
Review: I really wanted to like this book. I didn't dislike it, but it never got to me. It had a tendency to meander aimlessly, which covered up the overall nice plot. Maybe this book will rate higher after the second book comes out and fills in the gaps, but for right now, 3 stars is max. Bakker tries to be George Martin in terms of setting up political intrigue---he fails at that, but the one thing he did succeed was creating the Emperor and the Emperor's mother and nephew--priceless characters.
Rating:
Summary: Drew me into fantasy
Review: I've never really been one for fantasy, but after reading about this on Amazon.ca's site, I picked it up and was thoroughly blown away by the intrinsic philosophies and metaphysics, and the developed characters. Plot turns keep it intrigueing. If you're a fan of Clive Barker, Frank Herbert, or more cerebral fantasy, then you'll be an instant Bakker fan. His writing style is poetic and erudite, and very much his own. The Prince of Nothing series has quickly become one of my favourite stories ever. If you're not into complex epics, however, such as Dune, perhaps skip this and come back to it when you're more comfortable with the number of characters and its depth of meaning.
Rating:
Summary: Martin-esque
Review: If you are a George R.R. Martin fan that is painfully waiting the release of A Feast For Crows, this is the book for you. I have not read the 2nd book "Warrior Prophet", but this book was a pleasant surprise. This set up the future books quite well. Full of back-stabbing characters that you just don't know who to trust. The characters are very well developed, plot well thought-out. Definitley had me ready to launch into the 2nd book. One caution is that if you aren't into female-bashing and a book with a heavy sexual component, this is not the book for you. I thought it was great and definitely recommend this.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Modern Epic Fantasy
Review: It has been some time since I've read epic fantasy--about four years--and the only reason I bought "The Darkness That Comes Before" was because I discovered in the jacket biography that the author is from my home town (London, Ontario). I had given up reading epic fantasy because I found it too predictable, formulaic, and banal: most authors in this genre are just Tolkien imitators; Michael Moorcock was the only exception, in my opinion, to this rule. Years ago I was initially excited by the books by Robert Jordan and Terry Goodkind because I thought they were attempting to do something new. Jordan, however, seems to have run out of ideas and is merely capitalizing on an idea that has gone sour and has been rendered mundane. Goodkind is now mimicing the Tolkien genre and, furthermore, has begun to reveal his conservative, right-wing, political idiocy. And so I stopped reading both, feeling that epic fantasy could no longer make me think. Which brings me to R. Scott Bakker's "The Darkness That Comes Before". This book is not only well-imagined, it is decidedly non-Tolkien in its approach: the fantasy frameworks Bakker uses are lush with philosophy, religion, and social criticism (thank you educated grad-student writer!). Moreover his characters are original and three-dimensional. The only problem I have is the Nietzchean philosophy that seems to underscore the text (I am a PhD student in philosophy and a rabid Marxist who hates N. for the aristocratic, decadent, poor philosopher he is). But this problem is my own personal bias and, even with this bias, I was completely gripped by Bakker's book. Now I have to wait for who knows how long for the next installment to be released. It is my sincere hope, however, that Bakker doesn't take the Jordan path and continue to pump this series ("The Prince of Nothing") for a good ten or so books that take forever to be released so that, by the time you've read the most recent, you've forgotten the story and soon forget even why you liked the series in the first place. I guess I'll just have to wait and see if Bakker can wrap up the epic in a trilogy and thus prove he is a superior writer to all of his epic fantasy contemporaries.
Rating:
Summary: Wow, another fantasy author we can read!
Review: Lately, I have given up trying to discover new authors to read in the fantasy genre. All too often they are horrible writers that struggle to create a believable and moving story.
I was pleased to discover Bakker and his new series, able to finally enjoy myself in a new fantasy series. His writing is fluid and understandable - and, most of all, it is believable. The battle depictions and movements are real, and the dialogue and character interaction is not forced. Finally, a new author that will help breathe life into a genre that is fast gaining a bad reputation.
If I have to say anything bad about this book, I would say that he fell into the oh-so-common role of feeling the need to use foreign and hard to pronounce names throughout his book. All to often the fantasy genre attempts to pull you away from our every day lives by creating an environment that we are not familiar with, such as names and places alien to us. Where this can be a plus in some cases, Bakker may have overdone it in this one. Now, this is petty, I realize, but I don't see the need to create everything so foreign. But, it is also petty for a reason, because I couldn't find too much that was bad about this book.
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