Stephen R. Donaldson
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Lord Foul's Bane
by Stephen R. Donaldson 
Thomas Covenant is an author who has contracted leprosy.
He has been abandoned by his family and shunned by society. One day he
appears to have a car accident and is magically transported to The
Land. The Land is a world full of health and people
dedicated to the preservation of life and The Land. Covenant is convinced
The Land is a dream after he is treated with a mysterious substance called
"hurtloam" and his damaged nerves begin to heal. He refuses to
believe in The Land thinking he is dreaming and dubs himself the Unbeliever.
But Covenant is the incarnation of The
Land's greatest hero, Berek Halfhand (Covenant had two fingers amputated
due to his leprosy). He also bears a magical talisman; his wedding ring
made of white gold. White gold is not found in The Land and is
supposed to be a substance that commands wild magic. Covenant has been
warned by Lord Foul, who more or less represents Satan, that The
Land will come under his control within 49 years. Covenant journeys
to warn the Lords of The Land who are wielders of great magical power. The
Lords wish to enlist Covenant's help (wielding the magic of the white gold) in
defeating Lord Foul, but no one knows how to make use of the white gold.
Will Covenant learn to use his power in time to aid The Land?
The first part of the novel contains an excellent
explanation of leprosy and how lepers must protect themselves from injury.
You want to feel sorry for Covenant, but he is a very dark character who is
difficult to care about. Upon recovering his health, he loses his self-control and rapes a young girl. Covenant is definitely not going to be
voted "Man of the Year." However, stick with the series and you
will eventually learn to care about him. This books mainly covers
Covenant's struggles to deny that The Land exists and avoid learning how to use
his power.
The mythology that surrounds The Land is well
thought out, but is refreshingly simple. I was unable to put this book down
the first time that I read it. The story moves along at a brisk
pace. This book pays a lot of homage to Lord of the Rings, but is
in no way a copy of that venerable work. Assuming you like this book, save
yourself some time and trouble and buy the other five Covenant novels. I
guarantee you will want to read the entire series multiple times.
Reviewed by: Alan
Stephen R. Donaldson
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The Illearth War
by Stephen R. Donaldson
Thomas Covenant has only been back in the "real"
world less than two weeks when he is summoned to The Land once
again. There, 40 years have passed and the Lords have been preparing for
war against Lord Foul. They are certain his army will be on the march
soon. They feel they have been unable to master sufficient lore to defeat
Lord Foul, so the High Lord Elena has summoned Covenant to ask him to use the
power of the white gold to fight Lord Foul. But Covenant is still
uncertain how to use the white gold.
The armies of the Lords are lead by a blind
strategist named Hile Troy. Five years earlier, Troy was summoned from
Covenant's world in a failed attempt to bring Covenant to The Land. Covenant agrees to go with the Lords and the army when they go forth
to meet Lord Foul's army in battle. Outnumbered by at least ten to one,
the army of the Lords faces a seemingly insurmountable obstacle. Will
Covenant find a way to aid them? Is Hile Troy up to the task of pulling
off a seemingly impossible victory?
Most of the first half of this novel focuses on
Hile Troy and the Lords as they face Lord Foul's army. The action is
exciting and the battle sequences are very well written. Hile Troy is
another dark, flawed character, but he is a bit easier to empathize with than
Covenant.
The second half of the book deals with Covenant
accompanying the High Lord Elena (actually his daughter from his despicable act
in the first book) in search of powerful lore that may help defend The
Land. Covenant's struggle to come to terms with the rape he
committed and to develop a relationship with his daughter makes for fascinating
reading. Donaldson does a superb job of character development with
Covenant in this book.
Reviewed by: Alan
Stephen R. Donaldson
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The Power That
Preserves by Stephen R. Donaldson
After only a few days back in the "real"
world, Covenant is again summoned to The Land. This time
though, he resists the summons. High Lord Mhoram pleads with Covenant for
his assistance, but Covenant refuses, since he was on the verge of saving a
little girl from a snakebite in his own world. Mhoram lets
him go.
Covenant goes back and carries the little girl to
her family. But just as he gets there, he is summoned back to The
Land by Triock, the lover of the girl he raped 47 years before.
Covenant finds that Lord Foul's armies are on the march again and that the Lords
and their armies are besieged in their keep. Covenant, along with a few
companions from the other novels, decides to take the fight directly to Lord
Foul in his lair. However, Foul's lair is many leagues away and Covenant
still needs to somehow master the use of the white gold.
In this novel, Covenant finally begins to believe The Land is real, or at least he believes he must aid the people of
The Land to end his mad fantasy. He finds reserves of inner
strength that he didn't know he possessed in his efforts to assail Lord
Foul. I finally began to empathize with Covenant in this novel.
Again the battle scenes are exceptionally well crafted. This novel
provides a very satisfying conclusion to the first trilogy. Onward to the
second trilogy...
Reviewed by: Alan
Stephen R. Donaldson
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