The Second Apocalypse
#4823.96 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 7 books Status Complete 2003–2017 Reading commitment High R. Scott Bakker Last reviewed 2026-08-11
Overview
A philosophically dense grimdark epic fantasy saga across two sub-series, the Prince of Nothing trilogy, R. Scott Bakker's debut, and, twenty years later in the same continuity, the Aspect-Emperor tetralogy, set against a holy war and the looming return of an ancient apocalyptic threat. The Aspect-Emperor volumes, The Judging Eye (2009), The White-Luck Warrior (2011), The Great Ordeal (2016), and The Unholy Consult (2017), followed the original trilogy's completion, with the third manuscript split into two books due to its length. Critical reception has been divided: some reviewers called the concluding volume's ending "epic and impressive," with genuinely satisfying character moments, while others judged the tetralogy a falling-off from the tightly plotted original trilogy, which is still generally regarded as a complete and satisfying story in its own right.
Grimdark, Epic fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (7 works) counts toward ranking
The Prince of Nothing R. Scott Bakker
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Darkness That Comes Before | 2003 | 1 | core | 3.85 (24,687 ratings) |
 | The Warrior-Prophet | 2004 | 2 | core | 4.00 (16,266 ratings) |
 | The Thousandfold Thought | 2006 | 3 | core | 3.95 (13,561 ratings) |
Completed trilogy, the series' first arc.
The Aspect-Emperor R. Scott Bakker
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Judging Eye | 2009 | 4 | core | 4.04 (7,392 ratings) |
 | The White-Luck Warrior | 2011 | 5 | core | 4.13 (6,470 ratings) |
 | The Great Ordeal | 2016 | 6 | core | 4.10 (3,425 ratings) |
 | The Unholy Consult | 2017 | 7 | core | 3.96 (2,961 ratings) |
Completed tetralogy, set 20 years after The Prince of Nothing.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Second Apocalypse? The Second Apocalypse's Core Canon is 7 books.
- What is the reading order for The Second Apocalypse? Publication order, starting with The Darkness That Comes Before. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Second Apocalypse finished? Complete (2003–2017).
- How much reading does The Second Apocalypse take? High reading commitment (estimated from 7 Core Canon books · ~4,070 pages).
- How is The Second Apocalypse ranked? #482 in this site's official ranking, based on 74,762 reader ratings across 7 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #482?
Ranked #482 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.96 across 7 core books.
- A smaller readership (74,762 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #481, The Last Binding (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 7 books · Complete · 75k ratings · Ranks #482 overall
Good choice if you want a long-running grimdark fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (7 Core Canon books)
- The Darkness That Comes Before (2003)
- The Warrior-Prophet (2004)
- The Thousandfold Thought (2006)
- The Judging Eye (2009)
- The White-Luck Warrior (2011)
- The Great Ordeal (2016)
- The Unholy Consult (2017)
Documented internal/story chronology is recorded for every Core Canon book here, and matches publication order exactly, with no divergence to show separately.
Awards (verified)
- No award win or nomination found for any book in this series after checking Wikipedia and Worlds Without End -- admitted on genre-historical significance instead (see Research notes).
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Suggestions computed from what The Second Apocalypse and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
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- Chronicles of Amber Epic fantasy · Complete · High commitment · 4.08
- The Hythrun Chronicles Epic fantasy · Ongoing · High commitment · 4.08
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.96 across 74,762 ratings on 7 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: The Second Apocalypse (R. Scott Bakker) admitted accepted 2026-08-11
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-08-11
Rule: Core = all 7 published novels across both sub-series (2003-2017). Completed.