A truly fantastic finale!

I found myself reading the last three chapters not just once, but twice.

It was such a great culmination of the entire story.

The author did an amazing job of tying up all the loose ends and presenting a conclusion that was both satisfying and exciting.

The plot twists and turns in those final chapters kept me on the edge of my seat, and I couldn't put the book down until I had finished reading every single word.

The characters' arcs were completed beautifully, and I felt a real sense of closure for each and every one of them.

This finale will definitely go down as one of the best I've ever read, and I can't wait to recommend this book to all of my friends.

R. Scott Bakker's "Prince of Nothing" series reaches its conclusion with this third book.

The overall story is truly superb, but the events in the third book, particularly near the final third, seemed a touch abrupt, almost rushed.

Now I'm aware that there's a subsequent series (The Aspect Emperor series), which somewhat eases the mild disappointment with the ending.

After prefacing why I deducted a star from this otherwise overwhelmingly excellent series, let's delve into the story.

Anasûrimbor Kellhus has施展 his wiles and manipulated the hearts and minds of both men and women. Seen as the Warrior-Prophet, he leads the Armies of the Tusk towards their goal of Shimeh.

While Kellhus pursues power and his father, Anasûrimbor Moënghus, the other major players, from the Schoolmen to the Consult, all make their moves. However, only a few have any inkling of what Kellhus truly is. Perhaps the only one who grasps the diabolic levels of Kellhus' manipulation is the Scylvendia warrior - Cainur.

As Kellhus gathers his powers and learns from Achiman, the events of the Holy War rage on. It's only near the end that you begin to catch a glimpse of what Kellhus has in store for the entire world.

Kellhus is a remarkable character - morally ambiguous, yet revered as a Prophet by many. His plans and schemes are far removed from the concerns of ordinary people.

Although the story will continue in the next series, this one does an excellent job of revealing why Kellhus initiated the Holy War. We also gain a great deal of insight into Mathinet, the Consult, and even the machinations of Moënghus.

Despite the slightly rushed ending, the overall excellence of this series cannot be emphasized enough. It offers a completely new vision of fantasy, yet is firmly rooted in the traditional characters and setting that make fantasy so popular.

With a Crusades-like story and a healthy dose of philosophy, it's truly one of the more original and distinctive stories out there.

I will definitely go in search of the rest of this series to see how it all concludes in the end.

As books go, this one, just like the rest of this first-part-trilogy, is truly amazing.

However, when compared to the other installments of the said trilogy, I have to admit that I found it quite disappointing.

Bakker did manage to answer most, in fact a great number, of the questions that were laid out. But still, I couldn't help but think That's it? in response to most of the answers.

Or perhaps, I should say that I did find the answers themselves to be somewhat satisfying.

It's just that the conclusions felt lacking to me.

I had the distinct feeling that I was reading an abridged version of what should have been a more comprehensive concluding book.

There were moments when I expected more depth and substance in the way the story was wrapped up.

Overall, while the book had its strengths, it ultimately fell short of my expectations in terms of providing a truly fulfilling conclusion to the trilogy.

Standing on the doorstep of the Holy Shimeh, the Holy War is a heartbeat away from achieving its goal. Having left gore and scorched lands behind, the last city of the Pilgrimage - their final destination - remains unconquered. From the beginning of the trilogy, we could have predicted that sooner or later this is the place of a great climax where all events would lead up to.

That being said, the first thing strikingly different from the previous volume is the tone of the novel. “The Warrior-Prophet” feels like sheer military fantasy, focused on bloody battles, providing a truly grimdark atmosphere resembling Malazan’s “Chain of Dogs” mood. On the contrary, “The Thousandfold Thought” pace is much slower. For most of the time, we follow the preparation for the final battle and our heroes’ struggles with the circumstances they end up with. In my opinion, this change of mood works really well here. I appreciate that each book of the trilogy plays on a little bit different strings though still keeping the main melody. Most of the characters remain strongly relatable and all tensions built up to this point find their release.

It would be really difficult not to beat around the bush avoiding any spoilers, so I’m going to leave it there.

Though there is a lot of plotting and setting up the pawns that feels justified enough, I don’t feel satisfied by the ending itself. This is the greatest con of this book. There are definitely too many questions that the author left unanswered, knowing that he would write four more books in this world. I can relate to the criticism that this trilogy in a way feels like a giant prologue to “The Aspect Emperor”. There is absolutely enough uniqueness to The Prince of Nothing making it a separate story staying on its own grounds, but the ending trips this foundation up. I would expect more revelations about the world so that all readers’ journey throughout the series is paid off and a smoother tying up of the plots from such a skillful writer like R. Scott Bakker. What we receive is more an invitation to find answers in a colossal glossary or in another books (bear in mind, that when this book was put out the next series was non-existent so it is only fair to judge it as a separate work, a final volume of a trilogy).

However, the aspects where this series really shines are still present in “The Thousandfold Thought”. All of the metaphysics and philosophical background, the grand debate about faith, free will and religion against the backdrop of the atrocious war waged by Earwa nations are so pleasurable to read and worth pondering over them. This book, as well as the previous ones, is a mine of golden quotes forcing us to contemplate them honestly.

Despite all of its flaws, this is one of the best fantasy series I’ve ever read. Not only because of the story and lore but also the author’s nearly immaculate, brilliant prose.