intresting hero?
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Thomas Covenant leper and hero? Leper certainly, hero, well that is for the reader to find out.
I must say that i did find this a little hard going at first, the form of speach in the other world took a bit getting used to, but not being one to give up on a book easily i soon fell into the flow of it.
definately a must to have all three volumes to read in succession as it would be very easy to lose the thread of the underlying story.
Thomas Covenant trying to cope with the life of a leper, alone and despised in his own world is transported to another to hopefully become the savior of the land. As with all fantasy it is not that simple. used as a pawn by both sides good and evil, and battling with his own need to survive through torment and guilt he is expected to be the weilder of the one magic that can defeat lord foul saving the land and its inhabitants to boot. Oh and dont forget he's a leper.
Very well written and one of the most intriguing books i have read in a while.
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A magical journey you will not forget!
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I read 'Lord Foul's Bane' a while ago but it still lingers around the peripheral of my consciousness. While the story is set in a world of fantasy strands of universal truth weave in and out of the various scenes.
Donaldson has the ability to pour magic from his pen with his descriptive imagery in a way that brings fantastical scenes to reality in the reader's mind.
I learnt many lessons of what it is to be a frail human in this world of trials and that even the weakest of us can be a hero, even if a reluctant one to start with. The tale causes me to dig deep within myself as Thomas Covenant walks invisibly by my side reminding me of me in various situations. It causes me to be strong when I remember the incredible things he achieved at times, despite his draw backs.
It's a motivating book and a compelling one; I just ordered 'The Illearth War' and shall be watching out for the post each morning eagerly until it arrives!
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Still good after nearly 30 years!!!
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Read all these books when they were first published and I had forgotten how good they are! Definitely on a par with LOTR - so emotive and you can't help feeling for the main character. Going on to re-read the second chronicles now as I have been bitten by the bug all over again!
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The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant
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Simply the best fantasy I've ever read! All the books in the series have been excellent and I am waiting on the edge of my seat for the next in the new series.
If you enjoyed LOTR then settle down for a treat.
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Something Really Special.
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I read The Hobbit as a kid, and LOTR later on, a lot of people are comparing covenant to those books and I'd just like to say before I get down to the review-proper that Covenant is completely different and significantly better.
I'm not a massive Fantasy fan but I've read some in the past and decided to read this on a recommendation from someone who knows much more about the genre than me.
INITIAL REACTION
At first the sheer size put me off, well over a thousand pages, and I doubted I'd finish, I'd inevitably get bored. The story didn't really grab me at first either, a leper in modern America struggling with being expelled from society by a base prejudice that hasn't evolved past medieval level - he's sympathetic but not massively engaging. But this effect quickly wore off as the story really got into full swing (about thirty pages).
LORD FOUL'S BANE
This is a fine example in world-building. The use of a normal person inexplicably catapulted into a completely abnormal situation is a clever way of providing a point of reference and also means that we don't ever get to know anything Covenant doesn't get to know, he needs this world explained to him and so do we. The story is good, though this is primarily about building the stage for the next two books' events it does keep you engaged and reading well into the wee hours to find out what happens next. This is a world where the forces of good are reliant completely on the almost incomprehensible wisdom of a long dead hero and the forces of evil are led by an ancient and experienced almost god-like commander (The Lord Foul of the title), when an incredibly powerful artifact falls into the hands of Lord Foul a brave few set out accompanied by our hero - whom they hold in messianic regard - to recover it before the land itself turns against them at the will of the artifact. This book also starts off the major character arcs of the series introducing Mhoran, Foamfollower, and of course Covenant himself.
ILLEARTH WAR
A good continuation of the story, set decades after the first book this chronicles the first full-blown military conflict between good and evil since the beginning of the age. The supernatural Ravers are leading enormous army of Foul and all looks lost for the forces of Good except for two small glimmers of hope - Covenant has returned along with his fabled white gold, and a genius military commander who claims to come from the same world as Covenant who may just be able to out-think what he can't out-fight.
This is the real meat of the story kicking in, with the war bringing chaos and bloodshed throughout the world of the novel and Covenant's character becoming even more complex and pressured. This novel pushes everyone to breaking point and gets into some much meatier character development than it's predicessor.
POWER THAT PRESERVES
This book is all about resolutions, all the character arcs come to a climax (including some you thought were over...), the thematic explorations resolve themselves, and the plot comes to its highly satisfying conclusion.
Covenant is pulled once again from his world by a desperate High Lord to aid the forces of Good as they face destruction at the hands of a renewed offensive by Foul, but this time he doesn't want to leave. Can he be brought back in time? Can Mhoram solve the mysteries of the Lords' power in time to save his city? Can Good ever triumph over an Evil this pervasive and apparently unbeatable?
I won't reveal too much of the plot if I can manage; basically if you enjoyed them this far the books do not disappoint and deliver a truly stunning ending to the trilogy.
CONCLUSION
These are highly enjoyable fantasy novels and work more like a single large book in three parts so collecting them in one volume like this is an excellent idea. They have a serious message about the nature of life and being, about what it means to be human, and about what it means to believe in ideals and in yourself, about the nature of consequence, the chance of redemption and the truth of forgiveness. A thrilling, epic and ultimately life-affirming experience that should be read by anyone and everyone.
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