This is my first post and I didn't think it would be one where I vented my spleen considering I thought Bakker was one of the greatest writers of fantasy of all time. TUC dispelled that belief.
1) I never thought I would see a Deus Ex Machina (god in the machine) used by Bakker to conclude a book. There was literally a God (No-God) in the Machine (Carapace which was described by the Dunyain as a prostheses for Ark). Notwithstanding the other God that shows up (Ajokli) with no set up.
2) Serwa described the Consult as possessing no more ferocious souls in existence, save her Father. We see Aurang taken out within a couple of paragraphs (Kellhus' battle with Meppa was more fulsome). Aurax seemed like a beaten dog (don't know if he was always like that or just beaten into submission by the Dunyain). Mekeritrig was knocked out instantly by a magic lasso. Shauriatas was written out of the story with a sentence. The conclusion of the book felt like things just ran out of steam. Perhaps if half the book wasn't spent describing sodomy, rape, cannibalism, necrophilia, and general leper licking and other fun acts, there could have been more emphasis placed on a more refined conclusion.
3) Speaking of Shauriatas: he was the Archidemu of the Cunning School, took out Titirga through trickery (the legendary Hero-Mage who was possibly the most powerful sorcerer ever before Kellhus), Cheater of the Gods, figured out a way to penetrate the Artisan's glamour, overall evil genius par excellence, etc. And he didn't even make an appearance because he was taken out off-camera because they were dumb enough to bring, not one, but five Dunyain into their keep.
4) Speaking of the Dunyain, the Consult had a healthy wariness of them considering, you know, everything that Moeghus and Kellhus were able to achieve, being provided with intel by Cnaur, and probably having access to Achamanian's unauthorized biography. Kellhus, when Aurang possessed Esmenet, saw that they FEARED him because he represented something new to their hoary souls. Heck they went through the trouble of finding and destroying Ishual. I find it beyond implausible that they would bring 5 of them to Golgotterath to brainwash them to their side.
5) It also seemed somewhat silly that the Consult, considering how smart they were, couldn't figure out how to activate the No-God. You'd think they would just refer to the last and only time they were able to activate it...you know the time they tossed Nau-Cayuti in, and extrapolate from there. Guess they should have kept better notes.
6) Then there was the question that has been lingering since The Judging Eye - what would Mimara see if she looked at Kellhus with the Judging Eye (seemed that was the whole point of Mimara and Acha's journey). Nope, that didn't happen did it? Conveniently, we get a sentence describing how the Eye just wouldn't open.
7) Then there are things that just seem to break all the rules of this universe with no explanation e.g. Kelmomas apparently able to disrupt or outright banish the Gods from the world, e.g. Yatwer's White-Luck and exorcising Ajokli out of Kellhus by standing in front of him. Right.
Then there are the general things that we probably won't ever get an answer for, which leads to the question, why were they even there to begin with, eg. somebody commissioning Kosoter to keep an eye on Acha during the Prelude of the Judging Eye, why the heck was there an eyeball in that Scalper's heart down in the Mansion, etc.
I don't think I'll read the next two books. Time to cut my losses.
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