one of the best books and series I've ever read.

all I will say is I loved it so much I'm getting a tattoo of a symbol within the book. bakker is literary genius. this is definitely a book you would want to actually read rather than listen to, I think only listening it would be confusing.

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A test of intellect

If you’ve read hundreds of books in your life, you’ve just found the pinnacle. If it confounds, know you’re about to become more. This is the greatest story ever written. I’m not sure Bakker is even human.

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get ready to go on the crusades I guess, but not many exciting bits.

This fictional world is fairly interesting, based on the crusades but in a magical world. However it was lacking something. I found myself getting bored quite a bit. The ending was also fairly lackadaisical for me. Women are very stereotypically treated in this book, which is fine, but hard after reading something like Malazan. Hoping the other books pick up the pace a bit.

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Difficult to get into, but great once you do.

Similar to Lord of the Rings, it can get dense at times. Bear with it though, it will be confusing as the author plunges the reader right into the story. But as the story continues and it becomes more clear it gets much better.

Just as much philosophy as fantasy, a great book for those with time.

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Good narration, fairly gritty

It's a bit obnoxious in the philosophical parts, but I knew that going in. The female characters are very very dull so far, but I'm hoping that changes throughout the next books.

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Slow Burn

This book's biggest issue as many other reviews have mentioned, is the sheer avalanche of lore that the author heaps upon you in the first half of the story. It wasn't until three quarters of the way through the book that it started to come together and make sense. I think this is a good book, it just requires a bit of dedication to get past the half way mark.

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not for me

struggled to finish and almost DNF too many times. the women were very poorly betrayed and I felt very offended while reading any female POV, which were only a couple and were in my own personal opinion very negative and degrading. I will not be reading book #2. not for me

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Pretentious rubbish

This waste of time seems written by a man who believes himself far more intelligent then everyone else. But couldn’t decide wether he wanted to be a poet or a storyteller. Ultimately fails miserably at both. I only wish I had taken the advice of the previous reviewer

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3 people found this helpful

A lot of people I respect loved this book. Not I

I abandoned this book after about five hours. Only the second audio book I have abandoned in three years.

A lot of people, ok, 4, but people I respect. Literally a lawyer, a banker, a doctor and an astronomer all loved and recommended this book. The guys I play DnD with twice a month. We all read fantasy fiction, and they highly recommend this book.

I just couldn't get into it. Perhaps I'm an intellectual lightweight, perhaps it's a book you need to read rather than listen to. I found it confusing, heavy on deep detail but narrow on engaging plot. If you like R.R. Martin, Abercrombie and Rothfus but disliked The Decline and fall of the Roman Empire, this book may not be for you.

I would love to rate this book higher given that some very well red guys loved it, but it wasn't for me..

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6 people found this helpful