The Unholy Consult is the fourth and final novel in the Aspect-Emperor trilogy and the seventh in The Second Apocalypse cycle. R. Scott Bakker finished the final manuscript and delivered it to his publishers in January of 2015. Originally, The Unholy Consult was intended to be the third and final novel the Aspect-Emperor trilogy, however, due to the manuscripts length the book was split into two volumes—the first being The Great Ordeal (Book) and the second The Unholy Consult.