martryn
12-06-2005, 05:29 AM
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever, by Stephen R. Donaldson
Donaldson is one of the great writers of this time. He seems to draw heavily from Wagner's operas for inspiration in his work. This trilogy of novels is considered by many hard core fantasy fans to be even better than Tolkien. Reading it will give you an idea why.
The books are about a man, Thomas Covenant, a best selling novelist who has a great life with his wife and new born daughter. He then gets leprosy. His wife leaves him, his friends and neighbors shun him. He lost part of his hand so he has trouble writing now. He's all alone.
Then he is summoned to the land.
In the first book, Lord Foul's Bane, Thomas Convenant is hit by a car on the way to town to pay some bills. It doesn't hit him very hard, but he falls unconscious none the less. When he awakes, he is in "The Land", an alternative world or magic. There, he is greeted like a hero, the reincarnation of the world's first Lord, Beren Half-Hand. The white gold wedding ring around his finger is a sign to the people of the land that he weilds great power. Course, Covenant doesn't think any of it is real. He thinks he's imagining the entire thing. He calls himself... The Unbeliever. When a young girl named Lena heals some minor cuts on him with magic that is a part of the land, Covenant finds himself healed of not only the cuts, but of leprosy as well. Even his impotency is healed. And the first thing he does? Rapes 15 year old Lena.
The books are all about reality, and the question of whether sin in your dreams are the same as sin in the waking world. As Covenant desperately tries to not believe anything, the people of the land look up to him as their hero and last hope against Lord Foul (who is Satan, pretty much) in his war to destroy reality to escape his prison and get revenge on the Creator (God). A must read series. There are two trilogies out now, with a fourth series of four books not yet released. The first series was written in the 70's, so its been around a while.
Donaldson is one of the great writers of this time. He seems to draw heavily from Wagner's operas for inspiration in his work. This trilogy of novels is considered by many hard core fantasy fans to be even better than Tolkien. Reading it will give you an idea why.
The books are about a man, Thomas Covenant, a best selling novelist who has a great life with his wife and new born daughter. He then gets leprosy. His wife leaves him, his friends and neighbors shun him. He lost part of his hand so he has trouble writing now. He's all alone.
Then he is summoned to the land.
In the first book, Lord Foul's Bane, Thomas Convenant is hit by a car on the way to town to pay some bills. It doesn't hit him very hard, but he falls unconscious none the less. When he awakes, he is in "The Land", an alternative world or magic. There, he is greeted like a hero, the reincarnation of the world's first Lord, Beren Half-Hand. The white gold wedding ring around his finger is a sign to the people of the land that he weilds great power. Course, Covenant doesn't think any of it is real. He thinks he's imagining the entire thing. He calls himself... The Unbeliever. When a young girl named Lena heals some minor cuts on him with magic that is a part of the land, Covenant finds himself healed of not only the cuts, but of leprosy as well. Even his impotency is healed. And the first thing he does? Rapes 15 year old Lena.
The books are all about reality, and the question of whether sin in your dreams are the same as sin in the waking world. As Covenant desperately tries to not believe anything, the people of the land look up to him as their hero and last hope against Lord Foul (who is Satan, pretty much) in his war to destroy reality to escape his prison and get revenge on the Creator (God). A must read series. There are two trilogies out now, with a fourth series of four books not yet released. The first series was written in the 70's, so its been around a while.