The Warrior-Prophet: The Prince of Nothing, Book 2

Steven Greenhalgh is the research librarian in the Department of Public
Health Sciences at the University of Alberta.

The Warrior-Prophet continues the exploits of the Holy War as it moves
across the land of Eдrwa and makes its way south toward the holy city
of Shimeh. Followers of the Inrithi faith intend to wrestle control of
Shimeh from the heathen Fanim, who have held the city in their grasp for
centuries. In addition to the classic, never-ending battle between the
followers of the two faiths (Inrithism and Fanimr), attention is brought
to bear on Anasыrimbor Kellhus of Atrithau—aka the Prince of Nothing.
Kellhus is thought to be the fulfillment of a prophecy whereby a lost
heir of the Anasыrimbor royal line will bring about the second
apocalypse. As the story progresses, the reader witnesses Kellhus’s
skill in gaining control over the Men of the Tusk, as well as his
relationship to the Mandate sorcerer Drusas Achamian, who begins to
question if Kellhus is truly the fulfillment of ancient prophecy.

Bakker creates a fantasy world in The Warrior-Prophet that is
reminiscent of J.R.R. Tolkien. And like Tolkien, he is adept at
languages (a glossary is provided at the back of the book), as shown by
in his use of unique place names throughout the book. Unfortunately,
these elaborate—and at times unpronounceable—names may hinder
readers and actually detract from their enjoyment of the story. Also,
the novel is a little too heavy with prose that is descriptive and
introspective in nature and would be improved with more dialogue.
Finally, female characters are often referred to in very unflattering
terms.

Despite these flaws, however, Bakker has successfully woven together a
decidedly elaborate tale with a number of strong characters that will
appeal to fans of fantasy fiction.