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3.3 AVERAGE
3.3 AVERAGE
I don't know that I really need to give a review for such a popular fantasy book. And really, how do you give a review to the first book in a trilogy of a storyline that has three separate trilogies? It seems premature.
I realize that I'm not supposed to like Thomas Covenant but there were times I didn't care about Thomas Covenant. And, maybe I'm wrong, but apathy towards the main character may not have been what Donaldson was going for. I've been told the story gets better as it goes along. I've also heard it's better the 2nd time around. I guess I'll just have to wait and see.
I realize that I'm not supposed to like Thomas Covenant but there were times I didn't care about Thomas Covenant. And, maybe I'm wrong, but apathy towards the main character may not have been what Donaldson was going for. I've been told the story gets better as it goes along. I've also heard it's better the 2nd time around. I guess I'll just have to wait and see.
This is an awful book. The similarities between "the Land" and Middle-Earth are so close they border on plagiarism. The plot is dull and breaks no new ground. The only character who piqued any interest for me was the mysterious and ever-patient Lord Mhoram, one of the Lords of the Land, but he doesn't get much time in the book and apparently even less as the series progresses.
The biggest strike against this book is the main character Thomas Covenant. He's afflicted with leprosy, which would give him some sympathy, except he acts like a total douche to everyone he meets. When he is transported to the Land, his leprosy is cured...and yet he continues to act like a dick and keeps trying to find a way home. Why? In the Land he's cured of an incurable disease, and yet all he wants to do is go back to the world where his flesh is constantly rotting from his bones. Worse, he rapes a 16-year-old girl, the daughter of the people who welcomed him to the Land. He makes no apology for it and seems to try to repress the memory and responsibility for doing this horrendous act throughout the book. Only at the very end does he have a bizarre attack of conscience, but by that point, I had already lost any shred of sympathy I had for him. What author makes the protagonist of their heroic fantasy tale a rapist and expect us to still hold any possible kind feelings towards them? The only reason I kept reading this book was because it was for a class. Otherwise I would have tossed it across the room.
The biggest strike against this book is the main character Thomas Covenant. He's afflicted with leprosy, which would give him some sympathy, except he acts like a total douche to everyone he meets. When he is transported to the Land, his leprosy is cured...and yet he continues to act like a dick and keeps trying to find a way home. Why? In the Land he's cured of an incurable disease, and yet all he wants to do is go back to the world where his flesh is constantly rotting from his bones. Worse, he rapes a 16-year-old girl, the daughter of the people who welcomed him to the Land. He makes no apology for it and seems to try to repress the memory and responsibility for doing this horrendous act throughout the book. Only at the very end does he have a bizarre attack of conscience, but by that point, I had already lost any shred of sympathy I had for him. What author makes the protagonist of their heroic fantasy tale a rapist and expect us to still hold any possible kind feelings towards them? The only reason I kept reading this book was because it was for a class. Otherwise I would have tossed it across the room.
A classic in the genre that is quite unlike anything I’ve read before. Granted, I’m not well read in said genre, but I’d like to think this statement will still ring true as time passes. I found myself surprised because the book did not feel dated (aside from some word choice at times), and in fact felt like something completely new to me. The Land has the sort of whimsical feel I’d expect from a 70s fantasy novel, but by dragging Covenant into it, Donaldson creates situations and interactions I had never dreamed of. It helps that Donaldson lays out these grim undertones in the story that make the Land feel more real than he would lead you to believe at first. Like what Covenant himself experiences, Donaldson seems to be playing with the distinction between reality and fiction.
I can understand why many would not enjoy this book, given the character they are following. I (like most people, I assume) do not find Covenant easy to connect with. And that’s fine. But in this story we follow a man who is experiencing hell before page one, and is then placed in an absurd situation. And it's important to remember that. Many of us would like to think we know how we would act if placed in Covenant’s shoes, but realistically, we do not. Regardless, Donaldson gives his take on what that might look like, and I found it both believable and fascinating, despite being disturbing at times.
I can understand why many would not enjoy this book, given the character they are following. I (like most people, I assume) do not find Covenant easy to connect with. And that’s fine. But in this story we follow a man who is experiencing hell before page one, and is then placed in an absurd situation. And it's important to remember that. Many of us would like to think we know how we would act if placed in Covenant’s shoes, but realistically, we do not. Regardless, Donaldson gives his take on what that might look like, and I found it both believable and fascinating, despite being disturbing at times.
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Violence
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm going to rank this based on the memory I had of it from when I first read them nearly 40 years ago. I have a sneaking suspicion that I'd have a very different reaction now. I've heard that the third set of follow-on books are good, so maybe I'll reread these some day. I do remember being fascinated the author's vocabulary.
some interesting ideas in here and is truly the definition of a reluctant protagonist
Did you ever watch a movie, sit back after, and go, "What happened?"
That happened with this book. I'm happy to know that it's the first in a trilogy because it really felt incomplete to me. While I remember certain events, it all strung together rather oddly and the end was anti-climactic as I never think we really reached the climax. When we did, everything got foggy.
We follow Thomas Covenant, a leper, is determined to go into town and make an appearance, even if his fellow townsfolk think he should be outcast. What ends up happening is far different; he winds up in a world that he swears is a dream. And he has to bring a message of ill-will to the leaders of that world.
Throughout the novel, I wanted to punch Covenant. He's rude, he's whiny, and he does things that made me stare at the page and go, "Why would someone have their MC do that?" Through the whole story, everyone is trying to help him but himself. And some of his decisions prove that he doesn't want to really help himself either. And at the end, he has this...I suppose it's a revelation though I'm not sure why.
But the world-building is so intriguing that I read on.
I liked almost every other character better than Covenant. In fact, I think the only character I liked less that Covenant was Drool, but Drool was at least meant to be a bit creepy. Of course, giving him the name Drool made me chuckle at first.
I'll finish the series because I'm a completionist like that. And it wasn't the worst series I've ever read. The writing is there, the worlds are interesting, and I have hope that Covenant has gotten over his whiny-emotional-breakdown and decided to act like a decent human.
That happened with this book. I'm happy to know that it's the first in a trilogy because it really felt incomplete to me. While I remember certain events, it all strung together rather oddly and the end was anti-climactic as I never think we really reached the climax. When we did, everything got foggy.
We follow Thomas Covenant, a leper, is determined to go into town and make an appearance, even if his fellow townsfolk think he should be outcast. What ends up happening is far different; he winds up in a world that he swears is a dream. And he has to bring a message of ill-will to the leaders of that world.
Throughout the novel, I wanted to punch Covenant. He's rude, he's whiny, and he does things that made me stare at the page and go, "Why would someone have their MC do that?" Through the whole story, everyone is trying to help him but himself. And some of his decisions prove that he doesn't want to really help himself either. And at the end, he has this...I suppose it's a revelation though I'm not sure why.
But the world-building is so intriguing that I read on.
I liked almost every other character better than Covenant. In fact, I think the only character I liked less that Covenant was Drool, but Drool was at least meant to be a bit creepy. Of course, giving him the name Drool made me chuckle at first.
I'll finish the series because I'm a completionist like that. And it wasn't the worst series I've ever read. The writing is there, the worlds are interesting, and I have hope that Covenant has gotten over his whiny-emotional-breakdown and decided to act like a decent human.
Read this a long time ago, didn't take any notes but I did give it 4 stars.
This time it's getting 2 stars. I have never been into the "reluctant hero" archetype and Thomas Covenant is the ULTIMATE reluctant hero. All he does through the entire book is complain and yell at people. There were a very few instances when he's talking when you don't want to punch him in the throat, I just don't understand why an author would write this kind of main character. And the fact that he seems to think he's dreaming through the ENTIRE book, doesn't seem very realistic.
That said, I'm still going to give the 2nd book a try. If it's more of the same I'm out. If he's just less of a crybaby, actually does something, and starts to really believe in the world I think I'll start to enjoy it.
This time it's getting 2 stars. I have never been into the "reluctant hero" archetype and Thomas Covenant is the ULTIMATE reluctant hero. All he does through the entire book is complain and yell at people. There were a very few instances when he's talking when you don't want to punch him in the throat, I just don't understand why an author would write this kind of main character. And the fact that he seems to think he's dreaming through the ENTIRE book, doesn't seem very realistic.
That said, I'm still going to give the 2nd book a try. If it's more of the same I'm out. If he's just less of a crybaby, actually does something, and starts to really believe in the world I think I'll start to enjoy it.
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault