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3.3 AVERAGE
3.3 AVERAGE
This was so good to re-read with my earned knowledge after finishing the last chronicles. I
So I finally made it through Lord Foul's Bane and let me tell you it was an immense struggle. This is a shame because it started off great. I mean I have stopped reading books that I hated less than this one.
I had had LFB sitting on my bookshelf for an extremely long time after a failed first attempt a couple of years back, so I was determined to finish this time. What a mistake.
When I first met Thomas Covenant I thought, 'Cool character, can't wait to see how he's going to be changed by the events in this story.' Except he didn't, well at least not by much. He remains an unlikeable bastard throughout the whole novel to the point where I wanted to reach through the book and punch him, but alas, I couldn't.
Although Covenant is unlikeable, it is an aspect I can willingly forgive if the story is awesome and compelling, which is was, for a little while. After about a quarter of the way through, LFB just became monotonous and boring. Every character besides Covenant is underdeveloped and not given much personality. The only one that was slightly fleshed out, Covenant raped and then never saw again (but he did feel super bad about it, which of course makes it ok!).
Stephen Donaldson also has a unique writing style that was interesting at the start but soon became unbearable. For instance, no character in the book ever just 'stands up', no that would be too easy. Instead everyone 'pulls themselves erect.' As I said, this was interesting at the beginning, but once it is repeated for the fiftieth time it becomes tiresome.
Obviously as this is the first in a trilogy (which is the first trilogy in a trilogy of trilogies), Donaldson leaves a lot of unanswered questions and an extremely open ending. Although I can see why he did this, I would have liked to have seen more closure to something that I have spent a lot of time reading. Some characters that were fairly important aren't seen or heard from again. I can only assume that they are going to be met again in one of the many sequels.
Overall, Lord Foul's Bane was an inconsistent and ultimately unfulfilling read. The story might pick up in the sequel, but I'm not sure as to whether I'll attempt it or not.
I had had LFB sitting on my bookshelf for an extremely long time after a failed first attempt a couple of years back, so I was determined to finish this time. What a mistake.
When I first met Thomas Covenant I thought, 'Cool character, can't wait to see how he's going to be changed by the events in this story.' Except he didn't, well at least not by much. He remains an unlikeable bastard throughout the whole novel to the point where I wanted to reach through the book and punch him, but alas, I couldn't.
Although Covenant is unlikeable, it is an aspect I can willingly forgive if the story is awesome and compelling, which is was, for a little while. After about a quarter of the way through, LFB just became monotonous and boring. Every character besides Covenant is underdeveloped and not given much personality. The only one that was slightly fleshed out, Covenant raped and then never saw again (but he did feel super bad about it, which of course makes it ok!).
Stephen Donaldson also has a unique writing style that was interesting at the start but soon became unbearable. For instance, no character in the book ever just 'stands up', no that would be too easy. Instead everyone 'pulls themselves erect.' As I said, this was interesting at the beginning, but once it is repeated for the fiftieth time it becomes tiresome.
Obviously as this is the first in a trilogy (which is the first trilogy in a trilogy of trilogies), Donaldson leaves a lot of unanswered questions and an extremely open ending. Although I can see why he did this, I would have liked to have seen more closure to something that I have spent a lot of time reading. Some characters that were fairly important aren't seen or heard from again. I can only assume that they are going to be met again in one of the many sequels.
Overall, Lord Foul's Bane was an inconsistent and ultimately unfulfilling read. The story might pick up in the sequel, but I'm not sure as to whether I'll attempt it or not.
The book has an interesting premise and story, but I had a really hard time connecting with the main character. Especially after an event early on in the book which is never really resolved.
[edit] Also, I just didn't believe Covenant's "unbelieving" was very convincing. It felt like he was only an unbeliever when it suited the story, otherwise he was fine believing in the world as a whole.
2,5*
Spoiler
He goes around more scared that someone is going to find out he raped Lena than he is sorry that he did it. And him whining about it to the Ranyhyn and getting one of them to visit her once a year is basically his attonement. Nope. Just nope.[edit] Also, I just didn't believe Covenant's "unbelieving" was very convincing. It felt like he was only an unbeliever when it suited the story, otherwise he was fine believing in the world as a whole.
2,5*
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It has been a great many years since I last read this book. I remember trying it when I was still too young and struggling. A few years later I gave it another go and loved the series. I'm not sure if I've re-read it since TBH, so while I recalled a few key touch points and indeed think I have some recollections of a very few later events, it felt mostly new to me.
This is a dense read, as with most of Donaldson's titles, and focuses on the internal struggle of the protagonist who isn't particularly likeable. Events almost seem to pass him by as he makes pacts with himself, struggles to comprehend, and generally just snarls at everybody. It's also a fantasy story which I tend to shy away from these days.
Overall I enjoyed my return to The Land.
This is a dense read, as with most of Donaldson's titles, and focuses on the internal struggle of the protagonist who isn't particularly likeable. Events almost seem to pass him by as he makes pacts with himself, struggles to comprehend, and generally just snarls at everybody. It's also a fantasy story which I tend to shy away from these days.
Overall I enjoyed my return to The Land.
DNF
I'm sure there is a beautiful story arc where Tomas Covenant becomes a good person... but I didn't want to needlessly subject myself to this story at this point.
I'm sure there is a beautiful story arc where Tomas Covenant becomes a good person... but I didn't want to needlessly subject myself to this story at this point.
The only reason this has a generous two stars instead of one is because of the brilliant cast of characters that somehow exist DESPITE the author's terrible decisions. Every time a character was introduced, I thought how the book would be so much better written from their perspective!
The main character is incredibly unlikeable and utterly useless over the course of the journey he's on. He spends a good portion of the book asleep while others make decisions and is obsessed with shaving. He is incredibly insensitive. If he actually contributed to the plot and did anything for more than 0.01% of the novel, I'd call him a Mary Sue. As it stands, there's something Mary Sue ish about him.
Trigger Warning: Mentions of Rape in this paragraph. Soon after arriving in 'the Land', Covenant rapes a sixteen year old girl. This occurs in Chapter Seven. He isn't particularly remorseful of this until at least Chapter Eighteen or so, and even so he speaks more of how he wronged her mother, with who he has formed a fragile friendship of sorts, than the actual girl. It is not even called rape until much further on in the story. He want to make it up to her by sending her a horse every year, which is a terrible 'sorry-I-raped-you' present.
The writing in this story is like the author bit pages out of a thesaurus, then vomited them back onto a page and called it finished. Sentences are often just lists of words, or synonyms. The authour uses the archaic definitions for some words.
Every new location I could not help but compare to the Lord of the Rings. There's a discount Lothlorien, Minas Tirith, Fangorn Forest, Caradhras, Rohan and Moria complete with Khazadum. Gollum makes an appearance in the secondary villain. The primary villain never shows his face but laughs evilly, and appears in a hallucination at one point.
This book nearly put me off of reading for good, and me with walls of shelves of books of all kinds. each chapter I finished felt like a battle I'd won and I felt just as physically and mentally exhausted. I had to force myself to finish the book mostly due to obsessive completionism.
The main character is incredibly unlikeable and utterly useless over the course of the journey he's on. He spends a good portion of the book asleep while others make decisions and is obsessed with shaving. He is incredibly insensitive. If he actually contributed to the plot and did anything for more than 0.01% of the novel, I'd call him a Mary Sue. As it stands, there's something Mary Sue ish about him.
Trigger Warning: Mentions of Rape in this paragraph. Soon after arriving in 'the Land', Covenant rapes a sixteen year old girl. This occurs in Chapter Seven. He isn't particularly remorseful of this until at least Chapter Eighteen or so, and even so he speaks more of how he wronged her mother, with who he has formed a fragile friendship of sorts, than the actual girl. It is not even called rape until much further on in the story. He want to make it up to her by sending her a horse every year, which is a terrible 'sorry-I-raped-you' present.
The writing in this story is like the author bit pages out of a thesaurus, then vomited them back onto a page and called it finished. Sentences are often just lists of words, or synonyms. The authour uses the archaic definitions for some words.
Every new location I could not help but compare to the Lord of the Rings. There's a discount Lothlorien, Minas Tirith, Fangorn Forest, Caradhras, Rohan and Moria complete with Khazadum. Gollum makes an appearance in the secondary villain. The primary villain never shows his face but laughs evilly, and appears in a hallucination at one point.
This book nearly put me off of reading for good, and me with walls of shelves of books of all kinds. each chapter I finished felt like a battle I'd won and I felt just as physically and mentally exhausted. I had to force myself to finish the book mostly due to obsessive completionism.
This is a groundbreaking book with an anti-hero protagonist. A wonderful world and a great story!