Thomas Covenant?

giftgrub

I was going through the bookshelves the other night and spoted the first Thomas Covenant novel.

Now i bought it years ago, started it and gave up...went back a few years ago, same again, started and gave up, just couldn't get into it.

Should I give it another go now that I'm older and wiser?;)

BlaasForRafa

I'd say no, I hated it, too dry and boring. But I'm sure there others that loved it.

bonkey

I found it compelling...but mostly because I loved to hate Covenant. He's the type of anti-hero that you just want to go slap upside the head and tell to cop on...which make the book strangely interesting to me...a far cry from the various hero-archetypes that litter so many books.

If you're thinking "maybe", then I'd say that's enough reason to give it a shot. Honestly...I doubt you'll have changed your opinion, but I'd still give it a shot.

ixoy

I read the First and Second Chronicles ages ago and I enjoyed them, although my experience with the fantasy genre was limited to a few series at the time.

The world is interesting in how it makes the Land an almost living entity but the most memorable part is Covenant himself. He's a bastard. Now this isn't in the sense that say the characters in a Joe Abercrombie are bastards in a nasty, kill-a-child sense. No, he's just a self-pitying self-loathing bastard who many people hated (some so much they couldn't read the series).
Bear it in mind - he's not likeable. You want to smack him. You want him to get over his pain. He's memorable, but it's not for everyone.

Oh and if you do read it, don't bother with the Final Chronicles. I've read the first two books and found them annoying.

fitz

Years since I read the first Chronicles, but not a patch on Donaldson's Gap Cycle. Read that instead. Epic.

ixoy

fitz wrote: »

Years since I read the first Chronicles, but not a patch on Donaldson's Gap Cycle. Read that instead. Epic.

What this man says. The Gap series is fantastic - full of some of the best double- and triple-bluffing scenes I've read against a giant space opera. Warden Dios, Min Donner, Thermopyle - there's very few other series which were so good that I can still recall lots of the characters' names over a decade later.

fitz

ixoy wrote: »

fitz wrote: »

Years since I read the first Chronicles, but not a patch on Donaldson's Gap Cycle. Read that instead. Epic.

What this man says. The Gap series is fantastic - full of some of the best double- and triple-bluffing scenes I've read against a giant space opera. Warden Dios, Min Donner, Thermopyle - there's very few other series which were so good that I can still recall lots of the characters' names over a decade later.

Really is a masterpiece.
When you read the first book, you think, how is he going to get 4 more books out of this? Then it all opens up, and you're hooked.
Would love to see it on screen.

giftgrub

fitz wrote: »

Years since I read the first Chronicles, but not a patch on Donaldson's Gap Cycle. Read that instead. Epic.

Read it.

Twice:D:D

fitz

Read it again!

mcgovern

Thomas Covenant. I remember forcing myself through the first chronicles, don't think any other book I've ever read has been such torture. Easily amongst the worst books I've ever read. Hated it.

Gap Series. Only read the first 2 or 3 and couldn't find the rest (though I did get one of the later ones) but I think they've been re-printed recently enough so might try grab them or get them on kindle if available, quite enjoyed the ones I did read.

fitz

One of those rare series that gets better with each book, and has a really satisfying conclusion.

OwaynOTT

Id give it another go. I quite enjoyed it. Not your run of the mill fantasy book like say 'Magician'.

BlaasForRafa

OwaynOTT wrote: »

Id give it another go. I quite enjoyed it. Not your run of the mill fantasy book like say 'Magician'.

Magician may be full of the standard fantasy tropes but its an enjoyable read whereas the Thomas Covenant series (and I don't know how or why I read the first 5 books, I can only put it down to being young and persistent) are dull, boring and with a protagonist that you can only despise and loath. YMMV of course.

Ben Moore

I haven't thought of Thomas Covenant for years, I remember reading the first three books and enjoying them but being let down by the second trilogy, they were not the same at all.

Nearly worth it for one of the main characters (forgive me if I get this wrong) Saltheart Foamfollower?

Very wordy chap Mr Donaldson, I'm sure he had a thesaurus beside him when he was writing the book. I'm sure i had to dip into a dictionary more than once (which can be a good thing with literature).

Tenger

Ben Moore wrote: »

I haven't thought of Thomas Covenant for years, .........Very wordy chap Mr Donaldson, I'm sure he had a thesaurus beside him when he was writing the book....

I think he may have written his own wiki entry on the Chronicles:
Stephen R. Donaldson's works are infused with psychological undertones involving an exploration of the darker side of the protagonist Thomas Covenant whilst preserving strong humanist ideals. The contextual richness of the Land's varied geography, races, cultures and history enables all three series of the Chronicles to explore and expand upon an increasingly diverse and storied environment.


I haven't read Thomas Convenant, like the OP I tried before and it never really grabbed me. However I have read the Mordant's Need books many years ago and would definitely recommend them.

seagull

The first time I read Thomas Covenant, I found it OK. I tried rereading it, and found that it really dragged. I was anticipating the story, and found it was overly bogged down with details and minor things (and loads of his self pity and whingeing), and you'd go for 20 or 30 pages with nothing happening before you reached the next plot point that you remembered.

Lucutus

Nom.

Lab_Mouse

giftgrub wrote: »

I was going through the bookshelves the other night and spoted the first Thomas Covenant novel.

Now i bought it years ago, started it and gave up...went back a few years ago, same again, started and gave up, just couldn't get into it.

Should I give it another go now that I'm older and wiser?;)

no i hated that series.tried reading it a few times and it bored the tits off me.

I absolutely loved his sci-fi books.wish he'd continue them and not the covenant series.Lepers boo!!amnion YAA!!

dermiek

If you didn't get into it first time, may be hard now.
Personally, I couldn't read the novels quick enough.
Just may buy them again.
Obviously loved it.

Manach

I, if the this is the right word, enjoyed them. Though Ixoy's characterisation of the Covenant is accurate, there is a grim grandure in the writing that always stayed with me. I've not tried the Gap series, thanks for the info.
As well, his short stories are excellent, "Unworthy the Angel" or "Ser Visal's Tale".

PADRAGON

Loved the Covenant books although
the first was a bit of a slog in fairness.
Tremendous characters and battle scenes.
Covenant himself had me going back and forth
i'm still not sure what to make of him.
The poster who said the third set annoyed
him was bang on,i'd stop at White Gold Weilder.

The Gap series is fantastic by the way.
Got to get me a zone implant for the missus.:D

thejair

I enjoyed the first two series, and was happy to see a third... However, I now wish he never wrote the third series. Had to be the worst final book that I ever read. In fact the whole third series was pretty bad, but since I liked the first 2, I dragged myself through it all. But I was pretty pissed off when I finished the last book. It was a bad ending and he didn't wrap up any of the storyline plots (except the one big one).