I have just finished the book and I must say, I have mixed feelings about it.
Maybe I should wait until I have finished my reread of the book and clearly understand some things better, but I have to write about it now 

In my opinion, Bakkers writing style improved significantly since the first book, but sometimes it is a little bit too...much, I think.
Ok, english isn't my native language, but I haven't had such problems understanding most of the language in the last 5 books.
In The Great Ordeal however, I read an entire passage with Sorweel in Isterebinth the first time and understand absolutely nothing of it . I have to analyze and reread most of the sentences to understand the meaning of it. A second example is the nuke explosion in Dagliash. Only after the second time I had a rough idea about what happened.

And I think, the whole "soul" thing was a little bit too overdone. Everyone seems to see or read the soul of his or her opponent. Be it Kellhus, Mimara or some other protagonists, every person talks and thinks about souls all of a sudden. I know it is a very important theme in the books, but in the first trilogy it wasn't so....mmhhh... should I say "in your face" like in The Great Ordeal.

Overall I like the new book, the story is still fascinating, the characters interesting, but I miss some of the clearer writing about the inner thoughts of the protagonists in the first books.
Anyway, Bakker is my favourite writer at the moment, and none of the other fantasy books I have read in the last few years could match my enthusiasm about the series. I can hardly wait for the Unholy consult

Should I reread the whole book a little bit slower to grasp the style a little bit better? I am a little bit too nostalgic about the first trilogy? Should I celebrate Bakker's unique ornate writing style rather than criticise it?
What are your opinion about my points? I gladly await some response

When was the last time in your real life, you have talked about Bakker, his books, especially the Second Apocalypse?

Here is a little tale from my last weekend:

Four guys, two women, sitting in a brewery pub.

One of the guys likes to talk about literature, strange movies, philosophical problems and the way of life. I must say, his intellect is mostly superior to mine, and he is a little bit of an asshole ( maybe it is my opinion only, because he IS clearly more intelligent than I    aaahh, mankind are ever deceived... ). But I like him, sometimes, because he has some cool and interesting ideas and thoughts about many things.

Anyway, we two talked about the meaning of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation and how our own actions in the daily life are influenced by either one of the two.
This conversation clearly was the reason, the three other guys and the two women began to complain about us. They wanted a nice, little evening with alot of alcohol and slight talk about their last relationships and some talk about movies, books and mainstream movies.
Ok, when my dialog partner drank his eighth or ninths beer , I finally surrendered to the alienate stares of the two women and switched to their current discussion. About books.
I wasn't too drunk at that moment, but five beers, and flashing thoughts about my love for the Second Apocalypse were enough to threw the shit against the wall.
One of the girls talked about the silly Shades of Grey books. I wasn't to impressed by her statements about it.
She was a little bit pissed by my following comments and asked:"And what literature is YOUR cup of tea?"

"Oh, mostly fantasy and history books."

She had a little twinkle in her eyes. Clearly a touch of triumph. "Oh, Fantasy? Like the Lord of the Rings, or that Hobbit nonsense?"

"In some way...yes. But more about aliens and creatures who would fuck your skull, when it was seperated from your body or raping children and innocents."

Short silence. Frowning. Irritation. A short attempt to say something significant, which I interrupted.
"Oh, that's only the bad guys. There are some good guys too. One is a barbarian, who kills men and children alike and rapes women, clearly one of my favourite characters. The other some sort of monk, who feels no love, who uses and controls other men for his own reasons. Ahh, and a slightly depressed sorceror and a ingrained whore."

More Silence, then:"What? What is this pervert shit you are talking about? Who wants to read about THAT?"

"Oh it is very interesting, you should read it. There is also philosphy in it and some new and fresh ideas. It is EPIC!"

"I didn't want to read fantasy. Most certainly not this shit about rape and aliens. But it seems, some men like to read about killing, rape and about denigrate women."

"But you liked the ridiculous Shades of Grey? Oh, here is a realistic tale about strong and thoughtful women..."

"It isn't about rape. It is about a strange and difficult relationship and the dreams and erotic fantasies of a young and initially naive woman. But you know nothing about women, it seems."

I grabbed my beer and drank it with one gulp. Then ordering another. "Ok, you think so. Then we shoud talk about another topic."

The following topic was about movies. Not a good idea....
Maybe I should accept my fate and continue my search for a woman, strong enough to bear my seed. 

Ok, the text is too long and the story a little bit insignificant episode in a whole, but that evening was the last time I talked about Bakker in the public. Maybe I didn't really point to the STRONG works in Bakker's books  but my inner prick demanded it