The Darkness That Comes Before

[edited from original to expand into fuller review] Proper epic fantasy - in fact, it’s dark fantasy written before the grimdark explosion, in a truly well developed world. We we follow the tale of three people who are instrumental in arranging a holy war reminiscent of The Crusades; one sorcerer, one warrior and a monk who’s trained in being able to perform miraculous feats of psychological manipulation.

We’re literally dropped right into a world that has so many religions, philosophies and political factions, and it’s difficult to get through the first chapters as there’s no exposition at all - I even had to find a version of the map online with dates on because it hangs together better if you at least follow the locations of the places referred to.

But if you persevere, there’s so much reward. Sure it’s dense and intense, especially with the hefty doses of philosophy that our characters indulge in.

I find it remarkable that the world is assembled them in a way where philosophies and cultures that are diametrically opposed can make sense together.

There isn’t really any complexity to the plot, this first book is just about the political machinations involved in the instigation (yes/no) of holy war, but I always enjoy political fantasy.

Our three main characters are well realised - but none of them are at all likeable, two of them are absolutely sociopaths. The sorcerer (Achamian) is the most interesting - he’s trying to find his place in the world but, partly because he’s being tortured by dreams of an apocalyptic past event, has a difficult path.

However, saying it’s weaker when it comes women characters doesn’t come close. There’s only three women characters of any note, and despite it being a facet of setting, it would have been so much stronger if the book could have any women that weren’t just the whores that every male character denigrates them as. I suspect the author just can’t write women.

3 to 3.5 stars for me. I knew going in that general response to this book is to either love it or hate it. I fall in-between. I enjoyed the epic scope and the writing in this tale of a holy crusade in an old world on the verge of an Apocalypse. I did not enjoy the depiction of female characters who are pretty much walking orifices as far as their significance goes. There's only three women of note: a whore, a concubine and the mother of the Emperor with incestuous tendencies.

I like the Mandate - Consult conflict but not enough to love the book. For that it made me too uncomfortable too often. However I will likely continue reading the series.