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A review by mikehex
Lord Foul's Bane by Stephen R. Donaldson
5.0
Re-read after.... a long time. It holds up.
This series is probably in the top 3 most influential reads in my life. While I could still appreciate easy, guilty-pleasure reads, after Thomas Covenant, I knew when I was reading them. So going back was always risky. But, it's still great. (Although I don't think it passes the Gap Cycle on my favorites list)
Reviewing the traditional pros and cons:
Pros:
The land and the characters: Both of these aren't as featured as in the follow-on books. This one is truly about what's going in Covenant's head. But there are hints of what's coming: Foamfollower, the Ranyhym, the Celebration of Spring. This is what the traditional fantasy fan likes in these stories.
Thomas Covenant's head: This is what supposedly raises the stories above normal fantasy. Re-reading it now, it's clear that this is a ongoing description of someone's walk through depression. It's fascinating.
Cons:
Donaldson's Thesaurus: I never really noticed the issue with the vocabulary used. Not that I know what every word means, but most of the time it's obvious in context.
Covenant's infamous action and general jerkiness: I know some people can't get passed one or both of these, but they don't bother me. The action is treated as a totally bad thing and the jerkiness is part of the package. You deal with it to get the good parts, where the good parts can be the reaction of the other good guys to the jerkiness.
So, my opinion hasn't changed. It's a iconic piece of the written fantasy history and it deserves that place.
This series is probably in the top 3 most influential reads in my life. While I could still appreciate easy, guilty-pleasure reads, after Thomas Covenant, I knew when I was reading them. So going back was always risky. But, it's still great. (Although I don't think it passes the Gap Cycle on my favorites list)
Reviewing the traditional pros and cons:
Pros:
The land and the characters: Both of these aren't as featured as in the follow-on books. This one is truly about what's going in Covenant's head. But there are hints of what's coming: Foamfollower, the Ranyhym, the Celebration of Spring. This is what the traditional fantasy fan likes in these stories.
Thomas Covenant's head: This is what supposedly raises the stories above normal fantasy. Re-reading it now, it's clear that this is a ongoing description of someone's walk through depression. It's fascinating.
Cons:
Donaldson's Thesaurus: I never really noticed the issue with the vocabulary used. Not that I know what every word means, but most of the time it's obvious in context.
Covenant's infamous action and general jerkiness: I know some people can't get passed one or both of these, but they don't bother me. The action is treated as a totally bad thing and the jerkiness is part of the package. You deal with it to get the good parts, where the good parts can be the reaction of the other good guys to the jerkiness.
So, my opinion hasn't changed. It's a iconic piece of the written fantasy history and it deserves that place.