[Eldubb]

Hi all, posted this question in recommendation thread but no replies..

I've been looking for a new series to read and i've seen many recommend this series. However, i am a person who finds things about religion boring and from what ive heard this book revolves around it. Is this correct? Does it focus quite a bit on the subject?

anyone else read this who feels the same as me but really enjoyed it?

[imaster]

I just finished the first one and yes, it does revolve around religion. What things about religion do you find boring? The story is still about war but the religion plays a major part in inciting it.

I thought it was superb and I´m just waiting for refund for lost sparetime (paycheck ;) ) to get the next one.

[Electronic6]

What you mean focus on religion?

It does go on about prophets and the cult of the persona, and there's a lot of musings of what is faith and how it runs men. Not very intrusive and Bakker doesn't really force feed you his view on the matter, like other authors.

There's plenty of characters that offer many different views to one question.
For example there is one character that has doubts over his faith and in what he is doing, another character will use faith to his advantage to control other people, while a third character might view faith has something that drives men to do great things.

And the two warring factions are of opposing religions.(It's based on the Holy Crusade) Though you won't see Bakker saying that one religion is the true one, and during all the musings and reflections that Bakker does over the state of religion, he never validates or denies it's existence in the real world.

In layman terms:

He is not writing the bible with talking animals like C.S. Lewis, nor he is Philip "Burn the Church" Pulman.

So if you are afraid that you going to read a series that resolves around how cool/uncool religion is and you should abide to one stance, you won't get that.

Though there a religious theme in the series and his permanent in the series.

[Eldubb]

thanks imaster and electronic6, that's the kind of stuff i find boring. No offense to anyone, especially the author. Just not my cup of tea.

electronic, your examples pretty much confirmed for me that i wont like it. thanks for going into detail to explain.

now im on the hunt again for new books to read...

[trgl]

His plot is so-so. His characterization is great for the few characters that he focuses on.

What sets him apart is the style. In my opinion, his style is the best of the best in fantasy.
The whole series is just absurd. You can tell the amount of effort he puts into crafting every one of his scenes and the dialogue.

Good fantasy often has a few scenes that burns forever into your memory, exquisitely crafted to perfection, such as the Tower of Joy scene in ASOIAF.
Bakker's books is comprised of many of these scenes.

The first time I read it, I zipped through it like the typical fantasy books. You can't do that with Bakker. You have to read one scene, try to imagine it vividly, let it roll around in your mind. It'll put you in awe.

The part where Cnaur and Kellhus ride through the steppe into the Nansurium is the single best thing I have ever read, not just fantasy. When he describes the rain or the landscape, you can feel it so vividly. His narrative is unmatched.

But if people do not like the series, it is almost always because of characterization. If he can get his characterization down like GRRM, he would be one of the best author out there.