I don't want to give too much away, but I will say I found this every bit as riveting as the first book. It's true that you have to be prepared to do battle with Donaldson's style when he's writing about the Land. The constant repetition of his heroes' fear, anguish, trepidation, suffering, loss and uncertainty which was such a signature feature of the first two trilogies is here once again, in spades, and it can get very wearing.But overwhelmingly, this is a monumental success. Not only does Donaldson pick up the threads of every story, race and being that has gone before, and weave them into a narrative that fits as comfortably as an old cardigan, but he then skilfully embroiders that cardigan with a host of new characters, races and situations that are so cleverly explained and so thoroughly well thought-out that you can't tell the embroidery was never part of the original cardigan.
Moreover Donaldson's skill as a story teller, already epic at the time he wrote the first Chronicles, has achieved a hitherto undreamt of level of mastery. The complexity of this tale, as Linden Avery confronts a host of opponents some of whom endure bitter rivalries of their own and hence can occasionally appear to be her allies, others who are virtually their own hero and foe simultaneously, and continues to journey with a rare admixture of characters each of whom has a mystery to solve or at least one hidden aspect, is breathtaking. One of the most satisfying and rewarding reads I can remember for many years.
5 comments:
I think I'm going to have to go back and start reading "Lord Foul's Bane".
I remember the whole series being an incredibly enjoyable series, that I'm forgetting the details!
OMG you're not telling me there are more Thomas Covenant books? Damnit I though I passed that test 20 years ago when I read the first 2 trilogies.
Frankly I've always regarded it as a badge of honour that I was able to actually drag myself through the treacle-esque style and finish all 6 books (plus the short half-book thing).
I did enjoy the Covenant books but my god they were hard work. Like trying to drink a McDonalds Mik Shake through one of those impossibly thin british straws they used to give kids to make their drinks last longer during rationing.
But if there are new books then to appreciate them I would have to go back and read the old ones in order to remember who everyone was. And, honestly, I don't think I have the heart to do it. Perhaps I could get them on Audible and play them to myself while I'm asleep...
PhotoWalkthrough, That's really funny.
I said I'd have to read Lord Foul's Bane again, but honestly, I don't know if I could do it either.
And if I started the new series, could I connect the dots?
I am looking for a way to watch old "Outer Limits" episodes on my iPod Touch, though. I haven't figured it out yet, but I'm sure I will.
Haha! I used to be really anal about re-reading the books as the new ones came out. I read them as he wrote them, so I ended up reading Lord Foul's Bane three times for the first trilogy. I read the whole First Chronicles again before starting The Wounded Land, but I gave up on the practice after that and only read each of the Second Chronicles once.
I think it was The One Tree that did it for me. Of all the "treacle-esque" (great word!) books he's written that one dragged like the treacle was actually in the process of crystallising.
I'm finding the new treacle flows pretty well in the absence of rereading old material. Most back references come with enough context to spark memories, which while sparse (their 20+ years old for me too) are sufficient to carry the story.
Post a Comment