At the Earth's Core vs The Darkness That Comes Before: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Fantasy fiction, Science Fiction, Fiction
At the Earth's Core
Dr. Abner Perry has invented a high-calibration digging machine affectionately called 'The Iron Mole'. While testing his invention with his financial backer and former student David Innes, the machine malfunctions and…
vs
The Darkness That Comes Before
Strikingly original in its conception, ambitious in scope, with characters engrossingly and vividly drawn, the first book in R. Scott Bakker's Prince of Nothing series creates a remarkable world from whole cloth—it's…
The verdict
- Readers rate The Darkness That Comes Before highest: The Darkness That Comes Before 4.0 · At the Earth's Core 3.8.
- At the Earth's Core is the quickest read — about 3 hours vs 10 for The Darkness That Comes Before.
- At the Earth's Core has the widest readership — 5109 ratings behind its score.
How to choose
Scores by source
| At the Earth's Core | The Darkness That Comes Before | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.8 (5109) | — |
| Hardcover | 3.6 (13) | 3.9 (138) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (156) | 4.5 (44) |
Reception
| At the Earth's Core | The Darkness That Comes Before | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 5109 | 138 |
| Editions | 219 | 3 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 3396 | — |
| Pages | 174 | 589 |