The Unholy Consult Audiobook By R. Scott Bakker cover art

The Unholy Consult

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

The Unholy Consult

By: R. Scott Bakker
Narrated by: Kevin Orton
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $25.79

Buy for $25.79

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

The highly anticipated and explosive finale to the master of grimdark R. Scott Bakker's acclaimed high fantasy series.

In this shattering conclusion to The Aspect-Emperor books, praised for their "sweeping epic scale and detailed historical world building" (Grimdark Magazine), R. Scott Bakker delivers the series' feverishly harrowing and long-awaited finish.

In The Unholy Consult, the Men of the Great Ordeal have been abandoned by Anasurimbor Kellhus, and the grand crusade has dissolved into cannibalism and chaos. When Exalt-General Proyas, the Prince-Imperial Kayutas at his side, attempts to gain control of the lost Men and continue their march to Golgotterath, it rapidly becomes clear that the lost Lord and Prophet is not so easily shaken from the mission.

©2017 R. Scott Bakker (P)2017 Recorded Books Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Historical
Epic Scope • Compelling Plot • Excellent Performance • Gripping Character Impetus • Original Storyline
Highly rated for:
All stars
Most relevant  
The beginning of the end, the Great Ordeal finally arrives at the foot of the Golden Horns and having survived the journey to Golgotterath and their own dark desires brought to life. Now they must face the end of the world and they will bring their own doom or salvation with them. The truth of the White Luck and the heart breaking revelations that will strip Esmenet to her core, while Achamian and Mimara finally arrive in the hopes to cast judgement on the aspect emperor, Sorweel and the siblings flee from the clutches of the mad Nonmen to an even deeper madness of men. But he Consult has unknown hands to play and the world will shiver when they are revealed.

The cliffhanger that will lead to the No-God

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Reviewer Josh said exactly what I was going to say. I have a love hate relationship with these books. Bakker makes his point then drones on and on about it babbling about until you start to zone out. these 7 books could have been 4 but he likes to hear himself ramble. He must get paid by the word. If I had $1 for every time he said the word crotch I could have paid for the books. 1/2 of the time it doesn't every make any sense. Like masticating anus, what the hell does that even mean. I am still lost. I keep going back to the next book hoping for some clarity. Still trying to figure out why all the 3 youth went to the Non men other than to let you know just how crazy they were. That seemed like hours of my life I will never get back. What was the ending about? you spend 7 books leading up to the confrontation and then just kind of glaze over it. Some characters do not seem to have any point at all. I am sure there are books being written for the next chapter of the No God. but I don't know if I can sit through them

when will it end?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Greatest series in the history of all series. GoT is pathetic children's story in comparison.

Amazing, perfect, outstanding!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
idk what to say about this book. It's raw, unexpected, at times profound, ridiculous rhetoric. not for the feint of heart. Just WOW

wow

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Now what? How to find a story that even remotely compares to the epic scope and intricate execution of this masterpiece? I know of none.

will ruin all other stories for you

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Many fantasy and sci-fi series lose their way but not Bakker who sticks the landing.

Best of the Best

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A very deep riveting and enjoyable story even the ending which was nihilistic.
I would have preferred a different narrator. I'm certain that listening to other books that he narrates would probably be enjoyable but not this particular series.

continually changing pronunciations

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A true gem, a brilliant culmination to an original world. Fantastically-delivered, and brought to life

Epic fantasy

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Dear R. Scott Bakker -
Yes, we get it...you know more about philosophy and religion than most other people...good for you. It's just too bad that fact got in the way of your very compelling story.

--now for my review--
I've heard people either love or hate this series...I both love AND hate it. And this book is exactly why. All of the important plot points are obfuscated to the point of nonsense or pure guesswork by the reader. The author tortures his few clear points so far that he condescends to the reader. Many characters have absolutely no purpose whatsoever - i.e hundreds of pages/tens of audiobook hours are spent on characters who could disappear entirely and the plot would change not one bit.

I so desperately want to only love this book and series at large. I have also always wanted to see someone make a serious effort at exploring the 'uber man' idea to it's logical conclusion in a compelling story. And I was given that with this series. Unfortunately it was written by someone more in love with his own 'cleverness,' than he is with writing coherent, enjoyable stories.

I love the grimdark sub-genre of fantasy, but also want to enjoy reading such books. This series and this book felt much more like required reading for a college course than something to read for enjoyment, and I almost dreaded pushing through it. Again, don't get me wrong...I love this series and it's incredibly compelling story... but I also hated reading it...if that makes any sense...

Bakker still too impressed with himself

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I suffered. Truly suffered through this series. Like most I fear, I had hope for an ending that would make me feel better after enduring, imagining that what I listened to would end in something giving me some grim satisfaction. No hope NoGod in this story.

I was amazed and enthralled the whole series. I imagine after I recover, I say recover because this review is part of my recovery process, I will relisten to the series minus all of the 30 second skips required for me to finish it the first time.

I guess, thank you for not giving a warning and titling the first book the Great Ordeal. I would have been second guessing and eventually blamed myself for putting myself through this. I'm of the opinion that the title "The judging eye" is a setup and the author new or was told not to use the Great ordeal as title for the first book in the series. I'm not sure how I feel about hearing all of this. I mean I don't think I would ever have imagined such a sordid turn of events. Yet the plausibility is there in this writing. There is gratitude but also numb disbelief mixed with grudging respect and awe for the author.

What an ordeal.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews