The Darkness That Comes Before vs The water of the Wondrous isles: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Fantasy fiction, Science Fiction, Fiction

The Darkness That Comes Before

The Darkness That Comes Before R. Scott Bakker · 2003 ★★★★☆ 4.0 589 pages · ≈ 10 h 54 m · Moderate Find on Amazon

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Cover of The water of the Wondrous isles

The water of the Wondrous isles William Morris · 1897 ★★★★☆ 3.9 144 pages · ≈ 2 h 40 m · Challenging Find on Amazon

The verdict

Ratings are close: 4.0 vs 3.9 — either is a safe pick by score.
The water of the Wondrous isles is the quicker read — about 2 hours vs 10 for The Darkness That Comes Before.
The Darkness That Comes Before is the easier read (Moderate), The water of the Wondrous isles more demanding (Challenging).

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