Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Nelson Doubleday / SFBC (1977), Edition: 1st, 404 pages
Description
Thomas Covenant is a leper, a bitter and solitary pariah who is mystically transported to another Earth where time moves differently than ours, one in which magic takes many forms. The Land is threatened by many evils, the most immediate of which is a maddened Cavewight whose subterranean excavations have unearthed the ancient and puissant Staff of Law. More dangerous to the free people of the Land is the Gray Slayer, Lord Foul, the Despiser, who intends to destroy the actual foundations of the Earth that he might wage war against the universe's Creator. And Foul's intended weapon in this conflict? None other than Thomas Covenant himself.
User reviews
LibraryThing member TheCrowdedLeaf
How does one start a review on a book one despised for the first 376 pages, and wavered between love and hate for the last 98? Because that’s my general feeling about Lord Foul’s Bane. It’s a nice long book with a fantasy story, a made up land, a strange language, people with pointy ears,
Thomas Covenant is a leper living in a small town where he’s generally shunned and avoided. His wife has left him and taken their son. His utility bills are paid by unknown parties so that he doesn’t have to walk to town and expose everyone to his disease. People fear him, and he’s become bitter and resentful because of it. He’s an extremely unlikeable character; I wanted to like him, I wanted to feel his pain and loneliness, but he pushed me away, made it completely impossible to feel sorry for him. When he walks into town one day to pay his phone bill he meets a strange beggar who gives him a note with a short story about a man who finds himself in an other-world which he believes is a dream and so he refuses to defend himself, and a follow up question on courage and ethics. It appears very random, until we look back (hindsight is twenty-twenty afterall) to figure out that the story in the note is really what happens to Covenant. Covenant speaks with the old beggar (who is blind and walks with a staff – methinks this beggar will turn up again in later books) and gives him his wedding ring. The beggar returns the ring, Covenant walks away, is hit by a police car, and wakes up in The Land. He’s greeted by the creepy cavewight, a lot of clouds and smoke, and a disembodied voice known as Lord Foul (the evil guy). Lord Foul gives him a message he must take to the Council of Lords and then the voice and the cavewight disappear, and a girl comes to Covenant’s rescue, and the journey begins and doesn’t end for a long, long time.
(Sometimes I wonder how people come up with these intensely overflowing ideas. Whole other-worlds, characters, languages, scenery… it’s incredible.)
Covenant’s journey is both physical, and mental, as well as emotional for him. The entire span of the book he’s convinced he’s dreaming. You would think he’d catch on that The Land had helped heal his leprosy, but he’s in serious denial. It’s one long mental crisis that peaks three-quarters of the way through when Covenant realizes he needs to pick a side, make a decision, but he doesn’t do it right away. He has kept moving only because moving forward through the “dream” is the only way he can survive… but when he’s met over and over again with those defining moments where an action from him will make him a hero, he cowers and shakes, and runs away. Perhaps that makes him the most realistic fantasy character I’ve ever read. He doesn’t become the hero overnight, in fact, he may not be the hero at all. He doesn’t make his own choices because he wants to, he’s pushed into a corner where the only thing left is to appear as though he’s made a decision. I am not sure if he ever really did decide to be the good or bad guy, or if he did the only thing he could do because that’s all there was. He’s flawed, and that’s real.
I found the similarites to The Lord of the Rings to be slightly distracting at times. I am sure Stephen Donaldson knew what he was doing when he wrote Lord Foul’s Bane (first published in 1977, 23 years after The Fellowship of the Ring). Perhaps LOTR wasn’t as mainstream then as it is now. I am no expert.
I do want to (eventually) read the next two books in the first trilogy of the Chronicles (The Illeath War, The Power That Preserves), and perhaps the many, many books that come after (one more trilogy, followed by a tetrology). If for nothing else than to find out what happens to the characters in the beginning that affect Covenant but never return. And to find out if he ever becomes likeable. And to see if the old beggar is who I think it is.
Overall, I’m going with a neutral 2 1/2 stars out of 5 on this one. I really did not like most of the book, but the end (slightly) redeemed itself.
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people who live in trees, horses that seem smarter than your average horse, giants, mountains, a ring that glows, old men with long beards and special staffs (staves?), and a creepy underground dwelling “cavewight” who yearns for power. Sound familiar? Yes, it’s a lot like The Lord of the Rings. But it’s a little different: it’s slightly easier to read. But that doesn’t make it great. The writing was slow and sluggish at times, far too much expository description for locations which could have been understood better with less detail, “less is more” sometimes rings so, so true.Thomas Covenant is a leper living in a small town where he’s generally shunned and avoided. His wife has left him and taken their son. His utility bills are paid by unknown parties so that he doesn’t have to walk to town and expose everyone to his disease. People fear him, and he’s become bitter and resentful because of it. He’s an extremely unlikeable character; I wanted to like him, I wanted to feel his pain and loneliness, but he pushed me away, made it completely impossible to feel sorry for him. When he walks into town one day to pay his phone bill he meets a strange beggar who gives him a note with a short story about a man who finds himself in an other-world which he believes is a dream and so he refuses to defend himself, and a follow up question on courage and ethics. It appears very random, until we look back (hindsight is twenty-twenty afterall) to figure out that the story in the note is really what happens to Covenant. Covenant speaks with the old beggar (who is blind and walks with a staff – methinks this beggar will turn up again in later books) and gives him his wedding ring. The beggar returns the ring, Covenant walks away, is hit by a police car, and wakes up in The Land. He’s greeted by the creepy cavewight, a lot of clouds and smoke, and a disembodied voice known as Lord Foul (the evil guy). Lord Foul gives him a message he must take to the Council of Lords and then the voice and the cavewight disappear, and a girl comes to Covenant’s rescue, and the journey begins and doesn’t end for a long, long time.
(Sometimes I wonder how people come up with these intensely overflowing ideas. Whole other-worlds, characters, languages, scenery… it’s incredible.)
Covenant’s journey is both physical, and mental, as well as emotional for him. The entire span of the book he’s convinced he’s dreaming. You would think he’d catch on that The Land had helped heal his leprosy, but he’s in serious denial. It’s one long mental crisis that peaks three-quarters of the way through when Covenant realizes he needs to pick a side, make a decision, but he doesn’t do it right away. He has kept moving only because moving forward through the “dream” is the only way he can survive… but when he’s met over and over again with those defining moments where an action from him will make him a hero, he cowers and shakes, and runs away. Perhaps that makes him the most realistic fantasy character I’ve ever read. He doesn’t become the hero overnight, in fact, he may not be the hero at all. He doesn’t make his own choices because he wants to, he’s pushed into a corner where the only thing left is to appear as though he’s made a decision. I am not sure if he ever really did decide to be the good or bad guy, or if he did the only thing he could do because that’s all there was. He’s flawed, and that’s real.
I found the similarites to The Lord of the Rings to be slightly distracting at times. I am sure Stephen Donaldson knew what he was doing when he wrote Lord Foul’s Bane (first published in 1977, 23 years after The Fellowship of the Ring). Perhaps LOTR wasn’t as mainstream then as it is now. I am no expert.
I do want to (eventually) read the next two books in the first trilogy of the Chronicles (The Illeath War, The Power That Preserves), and perhaps the many, many books that come after (one more trilogy, followed by a tetrology). If for nothing else than to find out what happens to the characters in the beginning that affect Covenant but never return. And to find out if he ever becomes likeable. And to see if the old beggar is who I think it is.
Overall, I’m going with a neutral 2 1/2 stars out of 5 on this one. I really did not like most of the book, but the end (slightly) redeemed itself.
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LibraryThing member reading_fox
Compelling. Complex convolte fantasy.
Thomas Covenant is an author living in a small US town. He discovers he has leprosy and struggles to make his way in the world. When he is knocked unconcious by a police car, he is dismayed and unaccepting to find himself in a fantasy world where he is cast as a
As fantasyy worldfs go this one is pretty special - a more intense version our most idyllic countryside ("scenic - it means beauty is something extra we can live without") where "Earthpower" flows a a vital force visible to those with healthy eyes. As Covenant journies (oh yes the book is nothing more than one Epic quest style journey) he meets the various inhabitants. There's the usual stone/tree dwellers though Donaldson as chosen to keep them human they could equally be dwarfs and elves. All of whom continue to treat him with peace and expectation, something he finds very difficult to cope with. Eventually he reaches Revelstone one of the greatest fortresses in any fantasy novel, and meets the Lords who quickly whisk him off in another Quest. So far his mental defense has been to assume he's dreaming - externalising jis leprosy, and he way to survive dreams is to keep moving, but he hasn't realised that there are other dangers involved. The Land starts to seduce his senses, and Thomas desperately tries to come to terms with both, before the final battle forces him to decide how real the Land is.
Although many have called Donaldson's writing dark this isn't particularly. Thomas doesn't reach any depths of dispair, and the leprosy is a useful plot device for a reluctant hero rather than a point of depression. It certainly isn't a fast paced book, though there is plenty of action there is also a lot of description using Donaldon's immense vocabulary. But the characters have depth (and in the Giant's case height as well) you can share there pain and exultation) the world is fantastic and the story compelling.
Grown-up fantasy. read it.
Thomas Covenant is an author living in a small US town. He discovers he has leprosy and struggles to make his way in the world. When he is knocked unconcious by a police car, he is dismayed and unaccepting to find himself in a fantasy world where he is cast as a
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figure of power to save them from a great threat. This is anathema to the discipline that keeps him alive as a leper.As fantasyy worldfs go this one is pretty special - a more intense version our most idyllic countryside ("scenic - it means beauty is something extra we can live without") where "Earthpower" flows a a vital force visible to those with healthy eyes. As Covenant journies (oh yes the book is nothing more than one Epic quest style journey) he meets the various inhabitants. There's the usual stone/tree dwellers though Donaldson as chosen to keep them human they could equally be dwarfs and elves. All of whom continue to treat him with peace and expectation, something he finds very difficult to cope with. Eventually he reaches Revelstone one of the greatest fortresses in any fantasy novel, and meets the Lords who quickly whisk him off in another Quest. So far his mental defense has been to assume he's dreaming - externalising jis leprosy, and he way to survive dreams is to keep moving, but he hasn't realised that there are other dangers involved. The Land starts to seduce his senses, and Thomas desperately tries to come to terms with both, before the final battle forces him to decide how real the Land is.
Although many have called Donaldson's writing dark this isn't particularly. Thomas doesn't reach any depths of dispair, and the leprosy is a useful plot device for a reluctant hero rather than a point of depression. It certainly isn't a fast paced book, though there is plenty of action there is also a lot of description using Donaldon's immense vocabulary. But the characters have depth (and in the Giant's case height as well) you can share there pain and exultation) the world is fantastic and the story compelling.
Grown-up fantasy. read it.
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LibraryThing member ijustgetbored
A warning at the beginning: if you like your heroes warmhearted, sympathetic-- the kind you can "relate" to-- then this is not your book. Thomas Covenant is more often than not grouchy, blind to the beauty of the world around him, ungrateful, and acts in ways that take the reader aback.
This is not
Moving on from the main character, you have a real assortment in the supporting cast. Some of the people of the Land are a bit difficult to distinguish in that they all seem to be rather stoic (the Stonedowners and the Ramen come to mind) and to speak in "lore-ese" a good deal. Foamfollower the giant is a quite a relief from all of this steady stoicism; he, among all the supporting cast, stands out the most. At the risk of making a bad pun, his character is larger than life. In reading this book, you have to watch for the subtle distinctions between groups of people, the subtle distinctions in lore (the hierarchy among the horsemen on the plains of Ra is an excellent example of this). Close reading will take you far in appreciating Donaldson's work; a quick read will leave you feeling that the storytelling is cookie-cutter and dull.
Finally, this is an epic-- but it is not the Lord of the Rings! Do not expect action that moves at the same pace. Yes, there will be some battles along the way, and there will be a climactic battle, but the action does not move as quickly as a person who has perhaps watched the movies would expect an epic fantasy to move. Donaldson is creating the Land for us; there is a map at the beginning of the book, and you can expect to understand most of it by the end of [Lord Foul's Bane]. This first book carefully explains the history and current state of an alternative world.
In the end, the important thing is to know what you are reading and not to go into this book with false expectations about the fantasy genre, expectations that will go unfulfilled. Also, if you're looking for that sympathetic hero who's going to be fighting his way through savage armies from page 1 until the end, this isn't your book. Be informed, and then, hopefully, you'll decide that this IS worth reading!
This is not
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to say that this is not a very good book; it is one that defies your expectations and gives you an antihero (and not a traditional comic one) instead of a hero. If you can't adjust to that, you probably won't like the book.Moving on from the main character, you have a real assortment in the supporting cast. Some of the people of the Land are a bit difficult to distinguish in that they all seem to be rather stoic (the Stonedowners and the Ramen come to mind) and to speak in "lore-ese" a good deal. Foamfollower the giant is a quite a relief from all of this steady stoicism; he, among all the supporting cast, stands out the most. At the risk of making a bad pun, his character is larger than life. In reading this book, you have to watch for the subtle distinctions between groups of people, the subtle distinctions in lore (the hierarchy among the horsemen on the plains of Ra is an excellent example of this). Close reading will take you far in appreciating Donaldson's work; a quick read will leave you feeling that the storytelling is cookie-cutter and dull.
Finally, this is an epic-- but it is not the Lord of the Rings! Do not expect action that moves at the same pace. Yes, there will be some battles along the way, and there will be a climactic battle, but the action does not move as quickly as a person who has perhaps watched the movies would expect an epic fantasy to move. Donaldson is creating the Land for us; there is a map at the beginning of the book, and you can expect to understand most of it by the end of [Lord Foul's Bane]. This first book carefully explains the history and current state of an alternative world.
In the end, the important thing is to know what you are reading and not to go into this book with false expectations about the fantasy genre, expectations that will go unfulfilled. Also, if you're looking for that sympathetic hero who's going to be fighting his way through savage armies from page 1 until the end, this isn't your book. Be informed, and then, hopefully, you'll decide that this IS worth reading!
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LibraryThing member souloftherose
This is an epic fantasy novel similar in some ways to Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Thomas Covenant is an author, happily married with a young son and his first published novel is an acclaimed bestseller. But then, horrifyingly, Covenant discovers he has contracted leprosy, a disease which will
As Covenant makes one defiant journey into town he is a given a mysterious message by an old beggar: At the time this note seems meaningless but with hindsight it summarises the problems faced by Covenant in the rest of the book. After this, Covenant is knocked down by a car whilst crossing the road and when he awakes he is in the Land, facing Lord Foul, who gives him a message to take to the Lords of the Land.
The rest of the book is taken up with Covenant's journey to the Lords to deliver his message and their subsequent journey and battle to retrieve the Staff of the Law from the cavewight, Drool Rockworm. The Land Covenant finds himself in is one of beauty and healing and Covenant discovers that the feeling has come back to his fingers and toes, that in fact the leprosy seems to be reversing, a thing which the doctors told him was impossible. Covenant cannot believe this is happening; he feels that if he believed this to be true it would prove him to be mad and all hope would be lost. His only alternative is to insist that his entire experience in the Land is nothing more than a dream and he sticks to this philosophy throughout almost the whole book.
’He could not bear the alternative. If he were dreaming, he might still be able to save his sanity, survive, endure. But if the Land were real, actual – ah, then the long anguish of his leprosy was a dream, and he was mad already, beyond hope.’
It was very interesting to read a fantasy novel where the hero is not really very heroic. Covenant is best described as an anti-hero in this book. However, it did make it very difficult to sympathise with or like this character. His anger and bitterness rarely relents, the characters he meets in the Land are generally sympathetic towards him although they seem to completely misunderstand him most of the time (I imagine it’s hard to understand someone who persists in believing that you’re nothing more than a hallucination!), yet one of Covenant’s first actions in the Land is to rape the first character who helps him, an act which he refuses to face the consequences of for most of the book as, of course, it didn’t really happen. Towards the end of the book Covenant does begin to accept that his actions in the Land impact the people who live there and begins to appreciate the consequences of his actions more.
I think the similarity to The Lord of the Rings mentioned above comes from the depth Donaldson has attempted to give the book by giving glimpses of an ancient history underlying all the events in the Land, through the stories and songs told to Covenant on his travels. I didn’t feel this worked quite as well as Tolkien managed it but I’ve only read one book in this series so far, it might just be that I’m much more familiar with Tolkien’s world.
To conclude, I wouldn’t recommend this book to someone new to the fantasy genre but it is a well written fantasy novel with some interesting ideas though it was sometimes a bit of a slog to read. I’m going to continue onto books two and three shortly as I’m interested to see where Donaldson goes with these ideas.
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slowly cause him to lose feeling over his whole body and become susceptible to injury and infection as he will no longer be able to feel pain. His wife leaves him, fearing for the health of their child and Covenant is left alone. Once his neighbours find out what is happening he is completely ostracised by the local community to the extent that his bills are paid for him and groceries are left at his door to prevent him even coming into town. To survive amidst all this Covenant has become increasingly bitter and angry, relying on this bitterness and anger to give him the energy he needs to keep going instead of giving in to despair.As Covenant makes one defiant journey into town he is a given a mysterious message by an old beggar: At the time this note seems meaningless but with hindsight it summarises the problems faced by Covenant in the rest of the book. After this, Covenant is knocked down by a car whilst crossing the road and when he awakes he is in the Land, facing Lord Foul, who gives him a message to take to the Lords of the Land.
The rest of the book is taken up with Covenant's journey to the Lords to deliver his message and their subsequent journey and battle to retrieve the Staff of the Law from the cavewight, Drool Rockworm. The Land Covenant finds himself in is one of beauty and healing and Covenant discovers that the feeling has come back to his fingers and toes, that in fact the leprosy seems to be reversing, a thing which the doctors told him was impossible. Covenant cannot believe this is happening; he feels that if he believed this to be true it would prove him to be mad and all hope would be lost. His only alternative is to insist that his entire experience in the Land is nothing more than a dream and he sticks to this philosophy throughout almost the whole book.
’He could not bear the alternative. If he were dreaming, he might still be able to save his sanity, survive, endure. But if the Land were real, actual – ah, then the long anguish of his leprosy was a dream, and he was mad already, beyond hope.’
It was very interesting to read a fantasy novel where the hero is not really very heroic. Covenant is best described as an anti-hero in this book. However, it did make it very difficult to sympathise with or like this character. His anger and bitterness rarely relents, the characters he meets in the Land are generally sympathetic towards him although they seem to completely misunderstand him most of the time (I imagine it’s hard to understand someone who persists in believing that you’re nothing more than a hallucination!), yet one of Covenant’s first actions in the Land is to rape the first character who helps him, an act which he refuses to face the consequences of for most of the book as, of course, it didn’t really happen. Towards the end of the book Covenant does begin to accept that his actions in the Land impact the people who live there and begins to appreciate the consequences of his actions more.
I think the similarity to The Lord of the Rings mentioned above comes from the depth Donaldson has attempted to give the book by giving glimpses of an ancient history underlying all the events in the Land, through the stories and songs told to Covenant on his travels. I didn’t feel this worked quite as well as Tolkien managed it but I’ve only read one book in this series so far, it might just be that I’m much more familiar with Tolkien’s world.
To conclude, I wouldn’t recommend this book to someone new to the fantasy genre but it is a well written fantasy novel with some interesting ideas though it was sometimes a bit of a slog to read. I’m going to continue onto books two and three shortly as I’m interested to see where Donaldson goes with these ideas.
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LibraryThing member socialchild
Oh man. I have never been able to get through this one. I first tried to read it in the 80s. I had read and fallen in love with Tolkein's work, and was looking for more in that style. My dad got me this, ad I couldn't get through it. I rediscovered it in a box of books that I was cataloging earlier
I still couldn't get through it. Not because Covenant is a cranky and ungrateful boor, but because the writing was so clichéd. It probably wasn't at the time, but all I could picture when Covenant is transported into the Land and meets Lord Foul the Despiser was Viggo the Carpathian. "Aww. He misses his kitty." Then after he third or fourth page of Lord Foul just talking, it occurs to me. He's monologuing!
Monologuing! I kept waiting for his cape to get caught on something and suck him into oblivion.
I just had to put it down. Life is too short to read bad books. Unless they are wonderfully bad like Eragon.
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this year, and I thought I'd give it another try. After all, I'm more than 20 years older, got an MA in English (did my thesis on Geek Literature), and had a much wider experience in both fantasy and anti-hero books.I still couldn't get through it. Not because Covenant is a cranky and ungrateful boor, but because the writing was so clichéd. It probably wasn't at the time, but all I could picture when Covenant is transported into the Land and meets Lord Foul the Despiser was Viggo the Carpathian. "Aww. He misses his kitty." Then after he third or fourth page of Lord Foul just talking, it occurs to me. He's monologuing!
Monologuing! I kept waiting for his cape to get caught on something and suck him into oblivion.
I just had to put it down. Life is too short to read bad books. Unless they are wonderfully bad like Eragon.
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LibraryThing member aethercowboy
After the rise of Tolkien came several authors writing their own tolkienoid fantasies, some to cash in on the hype, others inspired by the vivid histories, languages, and cultures painted by Tolkien and rehashed by his son.
If you were to put all the tolkienoid authors into two groups, authors like
While an author like Brooks hits you over the head with allusions to Tolkien (read my review of The Sword of Shannara for an idea of this), Donaldson creates a new land, called "The Land" and introduces the series' titular character to it. Thomas Covenant,a leper in the real world, whose life is slowly falling apart, finds himself in this fantasy world.
As a fantasy author, he disbelieves that his is actually present, and that the world is really a dream manifestation. This is compounded by his regaining of sensation long lost to the leprosy.
He finds that he has been summoned to the Land to help battle the nefarious Lord Foul and restore the Staff of Law to the rightful Lords.
The Thomas Covenant series is one of those series that the casual fantasy reader will overlook. Donaldson writes in a way that requires many readers to have Webster close at hand. At times, it does get irritating how Covenant disbelieves his situation, but nevertheless, he's used to not taking things for granted, so I suppose it's forgivable.
I'd definitely recommend this book (and series) for those who like epic fantasy and find writers like Eddings and Brooks to be merely diluted drinks of Tolkien. This isn't recommended, though, for people who think that Tolkien got it best, and all subsequent epic fantasy is just poor imitation. You'll be gladly disappointed with this one.
If you were to put all the tolkienoid authors into two groups, authors like
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Terry Brooks would be the "fast-food tolkienoids", while authors like Stephen R. Donaldson would be closer to the "sit-down tolkienoids."While an author like Brooks hits you over the head with allusions to Tolkien (read my review of The Sword of Shannara for an idea of this), Donaldson creates a new land, called "The Land" and introduces the series' titular character to it. Thomas Covenant,a leper in the real world, whose life is slowly falling apart, finds himself in this fantasy world.
As a fantasy author, he disbelieves that his is actually present, and that the world is really a dream manifestation. This is compounded by his regaining of sensation long lost to the leprosy.
He finds that he has been summoned to the Land to help battle the nefarious Lord Foul and restore the Staff of Law to the rightful Lords.
The Thomas Covenant series is one of those series that the casual fantasy reader will overlook. Donaldson writes in a way that requires many readers to have Webster close at hand. At times, it does get irritating how Covenant disbelieves his situation, but nevertheless, he's used to not taking things for granted, so I suppose it's forgivable.
I'd definitely recommend this book (and series) for those who like epic fantasy and find writers like Eddings and Brooks to be merely diluted drinks of Tolkien. This isn't recommended, though, for people who think that Tolkien got it best, and all subsequent epic fantasy is just poor imitation. You'll be gladly disappointed with this one.
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LibraryThing member TEEnglandJ
This is my second time to read Lord Foul's Bane. Stephen R. Donaldson has hit the nail on the head with this book. It is hard to feel sympathy for such a hard man as Thomas Covenant, however; the author makes his leprosy so real. It does not excuse the foul things that Covenant does, and even still
I would recommend this book to anyone who can read with an open mind. This I believe is typical of fantasy/sci-fi readers, but with the abhorrent things that Thomas Covenant is capable of, it really forces you to re-evaluate what open mind means.
I am re-reading to prepare myself for the third and final Thomas Covenant series, and am glad to be welcomed back to the "unreal world" that Stephen R. Donaldson has created. I have read most of his other work, and Thomas Covenant is his MASTERPIECE!!!
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they are hard to accept by someone who has never touched the world of leprosy. His whole life is wrapped up in not just protecting, but DEFENDING his existence. In a world where despair is the personified enemy, he is the ultimate hero. He battles despair on a daily basis, but it is all inside. He cannot share, he cannot help, but through his failure, he forces others to extend beyond themselves.I would recommend this book to anyone who can read with an open mind. This I believe is typical of fantasy/sci-fi readers, but with the abhorrent things that Thomas Covenant is capable of, it really forces you to re-evaluate what open mind means.
I am re-reading to prepare myself for the third and final Thomas Covenant series, and am glad to be welcomed back to the "unreal world" that Stephen R. Donaldson has created. I have read most of his other work, and Thomas Covenant is his MASTERPIECE!!!
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LibraryThing member BrainFireBob
Different, novel. Disclaimer: Aside from the novelty aspect, I didn't especially care for this series.
The hero is a depressed and self-absorbed character who suffers from a true affliction- leprosy- and is either in a coma dream or literally transported to the Land, where allegory is more-or-less
I had the following impressions after reading this novel:
1) Donaldson either has depressive tendencies or fundamentally a nihilistic outlook
2) He wanted to write something different- the villain is the embodiment of depression itself, infecting the otherwise healthy Land populated with hopeful, bright personalities that lack subtlety, so he is winning. His hero is something of a villain himself- a negative personality, but one accustomed to despair and therefore not vulnerable before it.
How he does it is personally a bit distasteful to me. I realize that's a personal moral judgment; from a technical standpoint the writing is concise and excellently executed, descriptions are quick but vivid, and there are many memorable moments. However, this is perhaps best suited for those who are tired of Tolkien imitation, found the violence in Game of Thrones excessive but the dark and depressing moments perhaps a bit not enough.
I know many who adore these books. They are unique, and this first outing into the Land is an excellent introduction to the setting and the contrast between ur-Lord Thomas Covenant and the people of the Land in their struggle against Lord Foul the Despoiler, Covenant's perhaps metaphoric internalizing of the leprosy that is killing his otherwise healthy body and optimism- but for myself, I am glad I read them for their impact, do not mind discussing them with fans, but they are not generally on my re-read list. I find myself feeling depressed, and not cathartically cleansed of same, and I think it's where you fall on that line that determines where you stand on these works.
The hero is a depressed and self-absorbed character who suffers from a true affliction- leprosy- and is either in a coma dream or literally transported to the Land, where allegory is more-or-less
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literal. The eponymous villain, Lord Foul, is a mixture of a Manichean devil figure imprisoned "inside the Arch of Time by the Creator" and an infection of Despair and Despite. I had the following impressions after reading this novel:
1) Donaldson either has depressive tendencies or fundamentally a nihilistic outlook
2) He wanted to write something different- the villain is the embodiment of depression itself, infecting the otherwise healthy Land populated with hopeful, bright personalities that lack subtlety, so he is winning. His hero is something of a villain himself- a negative personality, but one accustomed to despair and therefore not vulnerable before it.
How he does it is personally a bit distasteful to me. I realize that's a personal moral judgment; from a technical standpoint the writing is concise and excellently executed, descriptions are quick but vivid, and there are many memorable moments. However, this is perhaps best suited for those who are tired of Tolkien imitation, found the violence in Game of Thrones excessive but the dark and depressing moments perhaps a bit not enough.
I know many who adore these books. They are unique, and this first outing into the Land is an excellent introduction to the setting and the contrast between ur-Lord Thomas Covenant and the people of the Land in their struggle against Lord Foul the Despoiler, Covenant's perhaps metaphoric internalizing of the leprosy that is killing his otherwise healthy body and optimism- but for myself, I am glad I read them for their impact, do not mind discussing them with fans, but they are not generally on my re-read list. I find myself feeling depressed, and not cathartically cleansed of same, and I think it's where you fall on that line that determines where you stand on these works.
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LibraryThing member jveezer
Spurred on by having the first two books of his Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant on my shelf and knowing that the third and final should be out soon, I embarked on re-reading the first two trilogies, or Chronicles. Rather than review them separately, I thought I would treat each Chronicle as a
The Land itself is an incredible creation that for me is one of the greatest joys of reading his Chronicles and an incredible achievement for Donaldson, on par with the creation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth. The land and its inhabitants are alive with health and sentience; manifested in EarthPower. The people of the land can sense the right and wrong in rock, tree, water, and fire, as well as in themselves. When their earth-sense lets them down or where despite and evil creep into the land, it has some defenses of its own. This earth-sense is something that resonates deep in my soul and in that part of me that treasures our earth. I wish I had a little more EarthSense. He has also peopled The Land with many strange and interesting inhabitants, good and bad: the giants, the Ranyhyn, Forestals, the Bloodguard, Elohim, Sand Gorgons, Merewives, Ravers, Ur-Viles and the like.
Were the books as good as I remember from reading them in my college days 20+ years ago? Suprisingly, yes. Although I still like the genre and read it occasionally, I have moved on from those times when this was my primary source of literary escape. But I found that the books have held up very well in the time since my last read. I would highly recommend them to readers interested in one of the early masters of the genre.
In Lord Foul’s Bane we are introduced to the anti-hero and protagonist, Thomas Covenant. More importantly, we are introduced to The Land and its essential health and wholeness. From this introduction come all Covenant’s motives and hopes and despair thoughout the rest of the first two Chronicles.
Thomas Convenant himself is a deeply conflicted and complex man. His leprousy has required him to build up a shell of self deprecation and habits to prevent the spread of and complications from the disease. The misunderstanding and lack of compassion in the people around him forge the hard shell that he keeps around himself. When he is transported to The Land while unconscious in his own world, he is surrounded by compassion and health that make him doubt his sanity.
In this first book, Covenant is unsure if what he is experiencing is real or some figment of his imagination as he lies at the site of his accident. Calling himself the UnBeliever, he is nevertheless swept up into a conflict between good and evil, love and despite. He assists the Lords who have the care of the land in their keeping in a quest against the land’s enemy and depiser, Lord Foul.
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whole, as I cannot concieve of not finishing any of the Chronicles once they grab hold of you. Although many disparage Stephen Donaldson’s writing, I don’t have any problem with it and like that I sometimes have to grab the dictionary to understand a work he has used. In fact, that is one of the joys of reading him as I like to be challenged with vocabulary while I read.The Land itself is an incredible creation that for me is one of the greatest joys of reading his Chronicles and an incredible achievement for Donaldson, on par with the creation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth. The land and its inhabitants are alive with health and sentience; manifested in EarthPower. The people of the land can sense the right and wrong in rock, tree, water, and fire, as well as in themselves. When their earth-sense lets them down or where despite and evil creep into the land, it has some defenses of its own. This earth-sense is something that resonates deep in my soul and in that part of me that treasures our earth. I wish I had a little more EarthSense. He has also peopled The Land with many strange and interesting inhabitants, good and bad: the giants, the Ranyhyn, Forestals, the Bloodguard, Elohim, Sand Gorgons, Merewives, Ravers, Ur-Viles and the like.
Were the books as good as I remember from reading them in my college days 20+ years ago? Suprisingly, yes. Although I still like the genre and read it occasionally, I have moved on from those times when this was my primary source of literary escape. But I found that the books have held up very well in the time since my last read. I would highly recommend them to readers interested in one of the early masters of the genre.
In Lord Foul’s Bane we are introduced to the anti-hero and protagonist, Thomas Covenant. More importantly, we are introduced to The Land and its essential health and wholeness. From this introduction come all Covenant’s motives and hopes and despair thoughout the rest of the first two Chronicles.
Thomas Convenant himself is a deeply conflicted and complex man. His leprousy has required him to build up a shell of self deprecation and habits to prevent the spread of and complications from the disease. The misunderstanding and lack of compassion in the people around him forge the hard shell that he keeps around himself. When he is transported to The Land while unconscious in his own world, he is surrounded by compassion and health that make him doubt his sanity.
In this first book, Covenant is unsure if what he is experiencing is real or some figment of his imagination as he lies at the site of his accident. Calling himself the UnBeliever, he is nevertheless swept up into a conflict between good and evil, love and despite. He assists the Lords who have the care of the land in their keeping in a quest against the land’s enemy and depiser, Lord Foul.
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LibraryThing member Karlstar
This is a controversial but amazing book that takes a leper from Earth into a magical Land that he does not believe in but only he can save. Amazing characters and description make this one of the best fantasy books ever.
LibraryThing member stephanie_M
I can live with a main character who's a dick. I can live with any character who has leprosy, and is impotent. I can live with a main character who is in a constant state of VERY bad mood, because his life sucks so badly. I can live with a character who thinks the world they have fallen into is
But in this incoherent, disjointed novel, is too much for me... and mainly because the main character is such a WHINEY-ASSED BABY. ALL he does is whine and cry about his horrible life, the ENTIRE time throughout this novel. And to this day, so many years after reading this novel, that is ALL I can remember about it... just what a DICK the main character is. Yep, that's it. Nothing else, except that b.s. rape scene....
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just a dream, and have done so, happily.But in this incoherent, disjointed novel, is too much for me... and mainly because the main character is such a WHINEY-ASSED BABY. ALL he does is whine and cry about his horrible life, the ENTIRE time throughout this novel. And to this day, so many years after reading this novel, that is ALL I can remember about it... just what a DICK the main character is. Yep, that's it. Nothing else, except that b.s. rape scene....
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LibraryThing member helver
I first saw these books in Crown Books and Walden Books back in the mid-1980s when I would cruise the mall looking at the various DragonLance books and occasionally shelling out the $8 to buy one. I always saw these books and thought they looked interesting, but I never actually read them until I
This particular volume tells the story of the recently divorced Thomas Covenant, a novelist who has lost his family, his standing within the community and his will to live because he's contracted leprosy. He's come to accept this fate, but in order to cope he's had to adopt a very fatalistic view of life and to accept his own limitations. A bump on the head lands him in "The Land", a place that appears to be able to heal him. For most people this would be a blessing, but Covenant believes that if he succumbs to the appeal of the Land, then in the real world he'll lose his nerve and will begin to be truly affected by the leprosy. So he fights against the Land and refuses to accept the bounty that the land freely provides. Unfortunately, the white gold of his wedding band is viewed as a symbol of power by the inhabitants of the Land, and, indeed, Covenant is able to unleash enormous power, but only when his subconscious takes over... He's unable and unwilling to use the White Gold otherwise...
And so the story goes into it's oppressive, draining depths...
Read 2/2004
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was 33... which is probably for the best because the whole series is dark and oppressive and uses complex, opaque, challenging language. On most pages, I would have been well-served to have had a copy of Webster's beside me. Accepting those things, the series, and this book in particular, is amazing. I've never been as emotionally drained by a book (or series of books) as I was by these books. I just seemed that every obstacle avoided lead to another, more disastrous obstacle and just continued to spiral further and further down...This particular volume tells the story of the recently divorced Thomas Covenant, a novelist who has lost his family, his standing within the community and his will to live because he's contracted leprosy. He's come to accept this fate, but in order to cope he's had to adopt a very fatalistic view of life and to accept his own limitations. A bump on the head lands him in "The Land", a place that appears to be able to heal him. For most people this would be a blessing, but Covenant believes that if he succumbs to the appeal of the Land, then in the real world he'll lose his nerve and will begin to be truly affected by the leprosy. So he fights against the Land and refuses to accept the bounty that the land freely provides. Unfortunately, the white gold of his wedding band is viewed as a symbol of power by the inhabitants of the Land, and, indeed, Covenant is able to unleash enormous power, but only when his subconscious takes over... He's unable and unwilling to use the White Gold otherwise...
And so the story goes into it's oppressive, draining depths...
Read 2/2004
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LibraryThing member TadAD
I just couldn't get into this series. Maybe I'll try again in the future.
LibraryThing member JapaG
"Comparable to Tolkien at his best" says the cover. Well, I think that this book is really comparable to Tolkien, but at his worst. Long, boring descriptions of fantasy lands and their semi-interesting habitants.
I read half-way through. Could not make myself read further. I'm sorry, because the
I read half-way through. Could not make myself read further. I'm sorry, because the
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premise of the book seemed interesting enough, and the first 50 pages or so were good. But then the main character got into the epic mode, and it all went downhill... Show Less
LibraryThing member ConalO
I first read this book when it was released in 1978 and was immediately captured by the rich and varied world that Donaldson had built. This series was a significant departure from other well known fantasy novels of this time as the characters faults and issues are detailed as the story moves
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along. I still found myself empathizing with the main character (Thomas Covenant) and Bannor of the Bloodguard and Saltheart Foamfollower are two of my favorite characters of any fantasy novel I have read since. This and the other novels in this trilogy are a great read. It is on my list to re-read in the near future. Show Less
LibraryThing member Motherofthree
Originally I read this in high school while driving in the car on vacation. My older sister introduced it to me, for which I thank her. This was one of the first books I read in the land of fantasy. And outside Lord of the Rings, this is not an arena I enter into very frequently as a reader. The
So why do I so love this book? The interplay of relationships between people, the land, Lord Foul, and their maker are very real and fascinating to me. And the themes of pain, grace, forgiveness, duty and responsibility I believe are well done. I never read through the entire series as a teenager, partly because I don't think I realized there were additional books. I believe book two was the furthest I read; so I'm looking forward to the entire series this time.
I've been recommending this book to all of my friends as of late, encouraing people to take a risk on a genre of book that might not usually read. This is one of my favorite, fiction reads for pleasure. And I think it's well worth the time and enjoyment.
Tags: books, stephen donaldson, the chronicles of thomas covenant
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themes and characters in this book have stuck with me over the years, thus the reason for my returning to it now. I have poor memory when it comes to book titles, but I remembered the main characters name, thus it being in the title of the book was a saving grace. So why do I so love this book? The interplay of relationships between people, the land, Lord Foul, and their maker are very real and fascinating to me. And the themes of pain, grace, forgiveness, duty and responsibility I believe are well done. I never read through the entire series as a teenager, partly because I don't think I realized there were additional books. I believe book two was the furthest I read; so I'm looking forward to the entire series this time.
I've been recommending this book to all of my friends as of late, encouraing people to take a risk on a genre of book that might not usually read. This is one of my favorite, fiction reads for pleasure. And I think it's well worth the time and enjoyment.
Tags: books, stephen donaldson, the chronicles of thomas covenant
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LibraryThing member Jubercat
This series was my introduction into the world of fantasy, so I will always have a soft spot for it. My friends who read the series became impatient with Thomas Covenant's constant whining of "Leper! Outcast! Unclean!," but I enjoyed the story of his adventures in The Land, and it led me to other
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(perhaps better?) books and series in the genre. Show Less
LibraryThing member Rosenectur
This is a good book, but it borrows a lot from fantasy 101, and we all know that Fantasy 101 borrows heavily from Tolkien. This story has many of the recognizable Tolkien elements, twisted around, and wrapped up differently.The book is about a leper from the mid-1900′s who travels to fantasy
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world bringing with him white gold which is magical in this new world. A very different “hero” is the center of this fantasy novel. It plays out the reluctant hero bit to the extreme, in fact making him do some repulsive things. A lot of his motivation centers around his leprosy, which seems to be healed in this new world. It digs deep, and it’s main character asks questions of himself we are not use to fantasy characters asking. Show Less
LibraryThing member sisyphist
Worst book I've ever read.
LibraryThing member Lizparker
My first fantasy book, given to me by my older brother when I was 14. Thomas Covenant is an author with a wife he adores and a son, when he finds out he has leprosy and his world falls apart. His wife leaves taking his son, and his neighbours shun him. On a trip into town to pay a bill, he is
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accosted by a beggar who tells him to stay true. Hit by a car while crossing the street he wakes in an alternate reality in which he is assaulted by a voice calling itself Lord Foul and told that he will damm both worlds. Saved by a young female villager, he proceeds to rape her after the health of "The Land" gives him back feeling in his body. That act goes on to affect everything that happens subsequently, ultimately leading to him to have to decide whether this experience is real or an hallucination in a coma. Absolutely brilliant book. Show Less
LibraryThing member danconsiglio
When I was in high school I hit the Stephen Donaldson pretty hard. What can I say? The dude does epic world creation well. If only his characters weren't so emotionally overwrought, I wouldn't feel so guilty about having read almost everything he ever wrote.
LibraryThing member hayesstw
If the hype on the blurb had bot tried to compare this with Tolkien, I'd probably have enjoyed it more. But it didn't live up to the hype. The most interesting things are the strange creatures, cultures and customs. But the characterisation, plot and writing are poor. The protagonist's habits of
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clenching himself and chewing ground class soon become boring. Show Less
LibraryThing member alexis3700
Finally, the end of the first trilogy. Might take a while to get to the second trilogy. Pretty good, not great. Like that it ended well.
LibraryThing member pjskimin
I found myself struggling to finish this one after about half way. I have read that many people have a hard time with this series due to the main character being so unlikable. While I too did not warm up to Thomas Covenant I don't think he's the reason I started losing interest. There just didn't
As far as Covenant being unlikable, considering his situation and the fact that he thought he was in make believe land I'm surprised he didn't do more horrible/unlikable things than he did. After all, in his mind there can be no consequences as nothing he is experiencing is "real". Doesn't necessarily excuse what he did but I feel it makes it easier to understand the why he did it.
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seem to be much action in the story and the few spots there were seemed underwhelming. It does seem like there is a very deep world that has just barely started to be revealed. I don't know if I was convinced enough to read on in the series. As far as Covenant being unlikable, considering his situation and the fact that he thought he was in make believe land I'm surprised he didn't do more horrible/unlikable things than he did. After all, in his mind there can be no consequences as nothing he is experiencing is "real". Doesn't necessarily excuse what he did but I feel it makes it easier to understand the why he did it.
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LibraryThing member www.snigel.nu
I like Stephen Donaldson (The Gap Cycle being my favourite without doubt), possibly because I have nothing against depressing stories. This one becomes a bit too much at times, mainly because of the main characters attitude. Awfully nice titles, though.
Subjects
Awards
Language
Original publication date
1977
Physical description
404 p.; 8.3 inches