Take a photo of a barcode or cover
lesserjoke 's review for:
White Gold Wielder
by Stephen R. Donaldson
A satisfying conclusion to this second trilogy in the Land, that mystic realm that can be understood as either a real place to which denizens of our world are magically summoned or an internal dreamscape in which they can work through their various psychological crises. From the former perspective, this era's band of champions are returning from their disastrous sea voyage and seeking a new way to challenge the wicked Clave and their master the Despiser, who have been twisting the beauty of the natural environment to foul ends. From the latter viewpoint, stalwart antihero Thomas Covenant is desperately resisting the forces that are increasing his destructive power and striving to prove to himself that nonviolence can be an effective and meaningful response in the face of evil.
This book is also a changing-of-the-guard moment from the Unbeliever to his companion Linden Avery, who will henceforth be our main protagonist in the wider saga (although author Stephen R. Donaldson wouldn't return to write her further travels in the Last Chronicles for another 21 years, breaking from the roughly annual schedule he'd maintained since 1977 over these first six releases). For the good doctor, her present conflict stems from a difficulty in trusting both her own impulses and those of her friends -- believing that she sees truly when others caution against her instincts, and learning to accept that her allies may in turn have insights she lacks that should not be abrogated by her will and her newfound ability to possess people. In essence, she and the ur-Lord alike are working on restraint: him not to lash out in anger and her not to overrule the self-determination of anyone else.
As ever, the story works as a pure genre adventure as well, with thrilling combat scenes, wondrous wizardry, and pleasantly surprising reveals to a few outstanding mysteries. The characters are lovely, and while I'm not a huge fan of the Sunbane setting in general, this is a solid sendoff to its particular horrors. I'm so glad that we eventually got additional sequels, but this tale really could have functioned as a finale to the entire franchise, as I suppose it initially did.
[Content warning for sexual assault, suicide, and gore.]
Find me on Patreon | Goodreads | Blog | Twitter
This book is also a changing-of-the-guard moment from the Unbeliever to his companion Linden Avery, who will henceforth be our main protagonist in the wider saga (although author Stephen R. Donaldson wouldn't return to write her further travels in the Last Chronicles for another 21 years, breaking from the roughly annual schedule he'd maintained since 1977 over these first six releases). For the good doctor, her present conflict stems from a difficulty in trusting both her own impulses and those of her friends -- believing that she sees truly when others caution against her instincts, and learning to accept that her allies may in turn have insights she lacks that should not be abrogated by her will and her newfound ability to possess people. In essence, she and the ur-Lord alike are working on restraint: him not to lash out in anger and her not to overrule the self-determination of anyone else.
As ever, the story works as a pure genre adventure as well, with thrilling combat scenes, wondrous wizardry, and pleasantly surprising reveals to a few outstanding mysteries. The characters are lovely, and while I'm not a huge fan of the Sunbane setting in general, this is a solid sendoff to its particular horrors. I'm so glad that we eventually got additional sequels, but this tale really could have functioned as a finale to the entire franchise, as I suppose it initially did.
[Content warning for sexual assault, suicide, and gore.]
Find me on Patreon | Goodreads | Blog | Twitter