Stepping onto the Neuropath

Some 20 pages into R. Scott Bakker's Neuropath, I've already found his characteristic grit.

Of course, the nature of the story - a brutal killer who forces people to do whatever he wants them to via brain manipulation before offing them - lends itself to this grit.

Also on display is the same minimalistic quality found in Bakker's the Judging Eye. On my way through that tome what struck me most is that its prose was very pared down. Compared to G.R.R. Martin, Bakker's writing just has some of the fat cut away.

As a direct comparison of the two styles, Bakker's description tends more towards the internal, whereas Martin's focus is more on the external. It's been just 20 pages, but proportionately, there isn't nearly as much description of characters' clothes in Bakker as there is in Martin. It's a curious thing to notice, but I really do think that it's a major marker of Bakker's style. External details are sacrificed for the sake of internal ones.

As per the story so far, I'm intrigued by the premise, and all of the hype to be found in the blurbs all over the back, the front, and the inside. It sounds like a perception changing story, and I'm excited to read such a thing for myself.