The Darkness That Comes Before, the debut novel from scholar and writer R. Scott Bakker, is an impressive addition to the high-fantasy genre. The first novel in the Prince of Nothing trilogy deftly skirts the many and considerable pitfalls of the genre, gradually revealing itself as a smart, compelling novel that will leave readers frustrated with the wait for the next volumes.

In 4110 Year-of-the-Tusk, Maithanet, the reigning Shriah of the Thousand Temples, declares a Holy War against the monotheistic Fanim countries, with the intent of regaining the holy city of Shimeh, now in the hands of the infidels. (The peril of summarizing a fantasy novel is that any brief description will likely sound ridiculous.) Bakker focuses on a handful of people swept into the tide of the gathering war, including a sorcerer (scorned in these pious times), a prostitute, a barbarian warrior, and a mysterious monk whose sudden appearance may signal the Second Apocalypse.

Bakker doesn’t disappoint fans of action scenes, magic and violence, but The Darkness That Comes Before is not the sort of fantasy novel one might give to a reluctant teen reader. Some readers may be unprepared for the attention devoted to intrigue and courtly politicking and the course of the war, all slowly unfolding in hard-fought revelation after revelation. Tension-filled and carefully considered, these scenes of diplomacy and personal interaction are the backbone of the novel.

Bakker’s scholarly background in ancient languages, history, and philosophy is much in evidence, particularly in his creation of vivid and convincing cultures and religions, with distinctive yet interlocking histories and linguistic systems. The endnotes include maps, linguistic histories, and a very handy summary of the novel’s religions and their major figures.