Aspect-Emperor

Now he returns to The Prince of Nothing universe with the long-awaited The Judging Eye, the first book in an all-new series. Set twenty years after the end of The Thousandfold Thought, Bakker reintroduces us to a world that is at once familiar but also very different than the one readers thought they knew. Delving even further into his richly imagined universe of myth, violence, and sorcery, and fully remolding the fantasy genre to broaden the scope of intricacy and meaning, R. Scott Bakker has once again written a fantasy novel that defies all expectations and rewards the reader with an experience unlike any to be had in the canon of today's literature.

The acclaimed author of the Prince of Nothing series returns with a new epic fantasy set in the same richly layered universe. With his Prince of Nothing series, R. Scott Bakker won legions of fans and comparison to fantasy luminaries such as J.R.R. Tolkien and Frank Herbert. Now comes The Judging Eye, Bakker's first novel in a new series set in the world of Earwa, twenty years after the end of The Thousandfold Thought-a world that is both familiar yet profoundly changed. To prevent a second apocalypse, an emperor gathers a vast army and draws a reluctant king into holy war. Meanwhile, an empress finds herself threatened by assassins and an exiled wizard seeks his enemy's secrets. Delving even further into his richly imagined universe of myth, violence, and sorcery, Bakker delivers a fantasy novel that defies expectations.

Praised by readers and critics around the world, R. Scott Bakker has become one of the most celebrated voices in fantasy fiction. The Aspect-Emperor trilogy follows on from the acclaimed Prince of Nothing saga, and The White-Luck Warrior is the chilling second book in the new series. Ruler Anasurimbor Kellhus and his Great Ordeal march ever farther into the Ancient North, as his consort Esmenet finds herself at war. Exiled wizard Achamian, meanwhile, leads his own ragtag mission to the legendary ruins of Sauglish. Into this tumult walks the White-Luck Warrior, assassin and messiah both . . . In this ambitious volume, Bakker delves even further into his richly imagined universe of myth, violence, and sorcery.

The epic fantasy adventure of warring emperors, wizards, and gods continues in this sequel to The Judging Eye. Ruler Anasurimbor Kellhus and his Great Ordeal march ever farther into the Ancient North, toward an epic conflict with the Consult. Kellhus's consort Esmenet, charged with maintaining the empire, finds herself at war with gods as well as her own family. Exiled wizard Achamian, meanwhile, leads his own ragtag mission to the legendary ruins of Sauglish to confront a horrifying truth. Into this tumult walks the White-Luck Warrior, assassin, and messiah both.

Praised by fans and critics worldwide, R. Scott Bakker has become one of the most celebrated voices in fantasy literature. With The Great Ordeal, Bakker presents the penultimate volume of The Aspect-Emperor, a series that stands with the finest in the genre for its grandiose scope, rich detail, and thrilling story. As Fanim war-drums beat just outside the city, the Empress Anasûrimbor Esmenet searches frantically throughout the palace for her missing son Kelmomas. Meanwhile and many miles away, Esmenet's husband's Great Ordeal continues its epic march further north. But in light of dwindling supplies, the Aspect-Emperor's decision to allow his men to consume the flesh of fallen Sranc could have consequences even He couldn't have foreseen. And, deep in Ishuäl, the wizard Achamian grapples with his fear that his unspeakably long journey might be ending in emptiness, no closer to the truth than when he set out. The Aspect-Emperor series follows Bakker's Prince of Nothing saga, returning to the same world twenty years later. The Great Ordeal follows The Judging Eye and The White-Luck Warrior, and delivers the first half of the conclusion to this epic story. Returning to Bakker's richly imagined universe of myth, violence, and sorcery, The Aspect-Emperor continues to set the bar for the fantasy genre, reaching new heights of intricacy and meaning.

Praised by fans and critics worldwide, R. Scott Bakker has become one of the most celebrated voices in fantasy literature. With The Great Ordeal, Bakker presents the long-anticipated third volume of The Aspect-Emperor, a series that stands with the finest in the genre for its grandiose scope, rich detail, and thrilling story. As Fanim war-drums beat just outside the city, the Empress Anasûrimbor Esmenet searches frantically throughout the palace for her missing son Kelmomas. Meanwhile and many miles away, Esmenet's husband's Great Ordeal continues its epic march further north. But in light of dwindling supplies, the Aspect-Emperor's decision to allow his men to consume the flesh of fallen Sranc could have consequences even He couldn't have foreseen. And, deep in Ishuäl, the wizard Achamian grapples with his fear that his unspeakably long journey might be ending in emptiness, no closer to the truth than when he set out. The Aspect-Emperor series follows Bakker's Prince of Nothing saga, returning to the same world twenty years later. The Great Ordeal follows The Judging Eye and The White-Luck Warrior, and delivers the first half of the conclusion to this epic story. Returning to Bakker's richly imagined universe of myth, violence, and sorcery, The Aspect-Emperor continues to set the bar for the fantasy genre, reaching new heights of intricacy and meaning.

In this shattering conclusion to The Aspect-Emperor books, R. Scott Bakker delivers the feverishly harrowing and long-awaited finish to a story cycle that has stretched across seven books in two series. In The Unholy Consult, the Men of the Great Ordeal have been abandoned by Anasûrimbor Kellhus, and the grand crusade has devolved into cannibalism and chaos. When Exalt-General Proyas, with Prince-Imperial Kayutas at his side, attempts to gain control of the lost Men and continue their march to Golgotterath, it rapidly becomes clear that the lost Lord-and-Prophet is not so easily shaken from the mission. When Sorweel, the Believer-King of Sakarpus, and Serwa, daughter of the Aspect-Emperor, join the Great Ordeal, they discover that the shortest path is not always the most obvious, or the safest. Souls, morality, and relationships are called into question when no one can be trusted, and the price for their sins is greater than they imagined. An uncompromising portrayal of a catastrophic world of myth, war, and sorcery, the scope and creativity of the Aspect-Emperor books stand alongside George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Bakker's groundbreaking series promises to be one of the most talked about epic fantasy books of all time.