Why am I passionate about this?
I am an academic at the University of Queensland whose research areas include horror films, screen trauma theory, the cinematic representation of urban spaces, and the collision of romanticism and postmodernism in fantasy literature. My first book, POV Horror: The Trauma Aesthetic of the Found Footage Subgenre, was adapted from my PhD thesis. I am an avid member of the A Song of Ice and Fire fandom, and my second book represents over a decade of talking and writing about George R. R. Martin’s epic fantasy series, having grown out of conversations in forums, podcasts, symposiums, and fan conventions, as well as my own background in literary analysis and research.
Duncan's book list on The best philosophical fantasy novels
Why did Duncan love this book?
Authored by a former philosophy lecturer, this novel was inspired as much by the works of H. P. Lovecraft as J. R. R. Tolkien. It follows a warrior monk named Anasûrimbor Kellhus as he attempts to seize control of a fermenting holy war in order to find his lost father.
Metaphysics plays a key role in the text and subtext of this story. Unlike the traditional fantasy hero, the main weapon Kellhus wields to complete his quest is not his sword but his mind: he is able to judge the cognitive biases of everyone he meets and then subtly shift their minds through rhetoric to suit his purpose.
Through his cold, clinical perspective, we come to understand the invisible threads between cause and effect that make up the world and how these threads can be intentionally resown into a new reality.
1 author picked The Darkness That Comes Before as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
The Darkness That Comes Before is the first book in R. Scott Bakker’s epic fantasy trilogy The Prince of Nothing. Set in a world scarred by an apocalyptic past, four people are swept up in the launch of an imminent crusade, during which they are ensnared by mysterious traveler Anasûrimbor Kellhus, whose magical, philosophical, and military talents have origins in a distant time.
“[An] impressive, challenging debut . . . [the book’s] willingness to take chances and avoid the usual genre clichés should win many discriminating readers.” —Publishers Weekly