“Covenant is [Stephen R.] Donaldson’s genius!”—The Village VoiceHe called himself Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, because he dared not believe in this strange alternate world on which he suddenly found himself.Yet the Land tempted him. He had been sick; now he seemed better than ever before. Through no fault of his own, he had been outcast, unclean, a pariah. Now he was regarded as a … he was regarded as a reincarnation of the Land’s greatest hero—Berek Halfhand—armed with the mystic power of White Gold. That power alone could protect the Lords of the Land from the ancient evil of the Despiser, Lord Foul. Except that Covenant had no idea how to use that power. . . .
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My out of comfort zone book is Stephen Donaldson’s first Thomas Covenant trilogy starting with Lord Foul’s Bane. Thomas Covenant is a hero defined by unheroicness. This is not to say he is evil. That would be a different kind of story. He is not a reluctant hero, but rather a constantly disappointing one. Donaldson turns all our expectations …
Donaldson is a master at world building, and using language to reinforce cultures and world history. Not since Middle Earth have I seen a world so completely believable, because it has a history that is deep and broad. Thomas Covenant, himself, is a bundle of contradictions that make you love him and want to slap him. Spoiler, Covenant commits a …
I tried to read ‘The Hobbit’ several times when I was young and never got past the trolls. I thought fantasy was dumb. But one Wednesday night one summer decades ago, the girl who would become my life partner handed me the first ‘Chronicles of Thomas Covenant’ trilogy. I started ‘Lord Foul’s Bane’ that night and never slept. I excused myself from …
One of the best fantasy series since LOTR. It is hard to fault the series, with tormented realistic characters, amazing world building and a deep sense of realism and history to the Land.
Many dislike the main character Covenant because of his actions, but he does not go unpunished, and the ramifications of his deeds are still unfolding many, …
The first book in Stephen R. Donaldson’s masterwork The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever is epic in every sense. Powerful and thought-provoking with a darker hero/anti-hero than those usually frequenting the fantasy genre. The flawed Covenant is thrown into confusion when he arrives in- The Land- a mysterious fantasy realm where …
I read this book, fell in love with the characters, and ended up reading the entire series and all the subsequent books (except the newest after 2010 – have to get to those now, too!). I loved the series so much, I got some of my other family members to read them, as well. Mr. Donaldson (& if I remember correctly, his wife was later recognized as …
everyone who has ever been a lonely, put-upon outsider trapped by their own limitations (real and imagined) will bond with Covenant. You may not like him, but you will understand and root for him nevertheless, despite a shocking beginning in the Land that tragically shapes the entire anthology.
This is classic Fantasy at its best. I have read the first six books in the series three times, and am getting ready to re-read them again in 2018 in preparation for reading the two newer (and new to me) books.
Stephen R Donaldson is a wonderful, thought provoking writer. This book was everything promised and much more.
I read this entire series in my college years, oh so long ago, and am looking forward to revisiting. I thought at that time it was one of the best fantasy series I’d ever seen and can compare it favorably to Stephen King’s Gunslinger series.
One of my all time favorites. I first read this book shortly after it was first published and tauted as the “next LORD OF THE RINGS”. Thomas Covenant is a broken man who was unwillingly thrust into another world and into a very important quest. Along the route of the novel’s journey, Covenant discovered important things about himself and his …
One of the best I’ve read. This is the first book of a trilogy. All three a must read if you like to get lost in an epic fantasy. The good news is that there is a second trilogy (The wounded Land, The One Tree and the White Gold Wielder).
A truly original story, unlike anything you’ve ever read. Not an easy read. Thomas Covenant is not a likeable character. At times you want to shake him. Most fantasy protagonists who enter an alternate world want to there, as we
do. Not Thomas Covenant. Donaldson will make you work for it. But the supporting characters are engaging and …
In the first 40 pages, Donaldson introduces a character that you have every reason to hate, but once the reader gets past those opening pages, the reader will discover a character who is nuanced and complicated – and even sympathetic – to the point that it is worth reading the entire trilogy.
Have been a fan of this series for years. I still reread it occasionally. It follows a fascinating anti-hero in a fantasy-type world he can’t quite believe in but makes a life in halfheartedly. Great storylines and enrapturing writing.
Great story. Looking forward to reading other books in the series.
Hated it.
You will hate the protagonist but push thru it it’s worth it. He’s is a deeply flawed character. He is not your prince hid away to protect him or the stableboy who grows up to become a mighty hero. He’s a bitter, angry man with leprosy from our world who believes the world he wakes up in is a hallucination caused by being hit by a car. The entire …
main character anti-hero
I’ve read the entire series many years ago. I got started and the book was interesting and I did enjoy it. However, the more I read the more I got fed up with Thomas Covenant. He was his own worst Doubting Thomas, pun not intended. I kept reading because the stories themselves were interesting but, there were many times I would get so mad at the …