# The Prince of Nothing/Aspect Emperor by R. Scott Bakker



## Gloranthan (Dec 11, 2022)

I am about halfway through the second novel of the first trilogy (Prince of Nothing). It's well written, and incorporates a lot of things I like that Generic Fantasy has no grasp of.

Really powerful sorcerers as main characters. I like sorcerers a lot, especially when they're not all portrayed as absent-minded elderly men (Gandalf is only fake elderly).
I love the Nonmen, the Elves of this world, they're of the 'chaos elf' sort - one of the two kinds I can accept (the other is Ubermensch, ala Tolkien, ones I especially dislike being woodsy twee midgets); I especially like that they're master warriors with bodybuilder physiques who use sorcery at will - the Fighter/Mage is my ideal elf.
The integration of what's cleary Stoicism and Gnosticism as super-powers is a huge plus for a philosophy and history nerd like me. I have read _a lot _about both of these, mostly primary sources.
Steppe people. I love me some steppe folks.
*What I Don't Like*

All of the female characters are completely uninteresting to me, serve few - if any - plot functions, and seem to be included primarily for the second thing I don't like:
The overly long sex scenes. 
Navel gazing. I _hate_ navel gazing. I hate it in real life, I do not want to read about it. I don't care if he thinks it's 'realistic' or whatever, it's dumb and tedious to read.
I am irritated enough by the things I don't like that I'm about to just delete the audio book and send him an angry letter.


----------

