Rating: 
Summary: A real disappointment!
Review: All the other books of the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant rate from good to excellent, except this one! It is wandering disjointed morass of bizarre places and people. The story switches from the main character to the viewpoints of other characters throughout this whole book. Thomas Covenant is rarely heard from in this book. He is just some body everyone else drags around. The whole book is pointless! Nothing of real consequence happens until the next book WHITE GOLD WIELDER.If you want to read the whole second trilogy, do yourself a favor and make sure you get this one used or from a library. You won't want to keep it.
Rating: 
Summary: An absolutely gripping addition to the Covenant Trilogies.
Review: Anyone who has enjoyed the works of S. Donaldson will be sure to enjoy this addition to the Covenant Chronicles. I can not recomend this series highly enough.
Rating:
Summary: Dark voyage of the dawn treader
Review: As Wounded land ended, Covenant and Linden found new giants, ones who after thousands of years had come to the Land again. Enlisting their help to find the One tree and emulate Berek Halfhand in crafting a Staff of Law, Covenant hopes to restore the Law that allows the Sunbane. From the fey lands to the deserts of the sandgorgons, they travel across seas of water and the soul, finding love, danger and agony, all woven into a grand tapestry that opens new vistas inward and outward.
Rating: 
Summary: Haiku Review
Review: Expands the world
Created in first series.
Is this Noah's quest?
Rating:
Summary: Best Set of Books of its kind
Review: I've read this book, and this series, twice, with a span of twenty-some years in between. When I first read it, I liked the characters, images, and story, but the language seemed deliberately over-complicated and intellectual. Now, after re-reading it, I think that I just wasn't ready for it the first time. After thousands of years, as far as The Land is concerned, but a short time, as far as Thomas Covenant is concerned, our hero has found again thrown back into The Land. However, it's almost unrecognizable, as everything is weirdly corrupted. Again, without fully accepting its reality, Covenant does what he can to battle evil and restore The Land to its past beauty and magic. He still does not have fill control of the white gold magic, but he now must be the driving force to save The Land, instead of a tool, as the people of The Land are either locked into a mode of surviving one day at a time, or they have given up. He and his physician/friend, Linden Avery from the "real world" go on a quest for the One Tree, from which a new Staff of Law can be forged. The Staff of Law will restore health and order to The Land. Covenant and Avery have a love/hate relationship and, at times, Covenant has a hard time accepting that Avery might be a key factor in saving The Land (Covenant has always been the savior/hero, whether he wanted to be or not). This is the second book of the new trilogy and the fifth book in the series. The first three can stand alone, and the second trilogy probably could, as well, but it is best to think of this series as a sextet. While this is the slowest book of the six, Donaldson continues to have characters that are deep and well-developed; complicated, intelligent, and extremely sophisticated writing (the exact opposite of Hemingway's stunning simplicity and not far off from Faulkner's esoteric and obtuse complexity); and a riveting story. What gets introduced is the dawning realization by Covenant that, whether the Land and its people are real or not, he is beginning to care about them. This is NOT a quick, easy read. This IS deep, major fantasy on an epic scale.
Rating:
Summary: The Slowest of Six Books Still Gets Four Stars
Review: I've read this book, and this series, twice, with a span of twenty-some years in between. When I first read it, I liked the characters, images, and story, but the language seemed deliberately over-complicated and intellectual. Now, after re-reading it, I think that I just wasn't ready for it the first time. After thousands of years, as far as The Land is concerned, but a short time, as far as Thomas Covenant is concerned, our hero has found again thrown back into The Land. However, it's almost unrecognizable, as everything is weirdly corrupted. Again, without fully accepting its reality, Covenant does what he can to battle evil and restore The Land to its past beauty and magic. He still does not have fill control of the white gold magic, but he now must be the driving force to save The Land, instead of a tool, as the people of The Land are either locked into a mode of surviving one day at a time, or they have given up. He and his physician/friend, Linden Avery from the "real world" go on a quest for the One Tree, from which a new Staff of Law can be forged. The Staff of Law will restore health and order to The Land. Covenant and Avery have a love/hate relationship and, at times, Covenant has a hard time accepting that Avery might be a key factor in saving The Land (Covenant has always been the savior/hero, whether he wanted to be or not). This is the second book of the new trilogy and the fifth book in the series. The first three can stand alone, and the second trilogy probably could, as well, but it is best to think of this series as a sextet. While this is the slowest book of the six, Donaldson continues to have characters that are deep and well-developed; complicated, intelligent, and extremely sophisticated writing (the exact opposite of Hemingway's stunning simplicity and not far off from Faulkner's esoteric and obtuse complexity); and a riveting story. What gets introduced is the dawning realization by Covenant that, whether the Land and its people are real or not, he is beginning to care about them. This is NOT a quick, easy read. This IS deep, major fantasy on an epic scale.
Rating:
Summary: The most perfect middle book ever in a trilogy!
Review: In most trilogy's when you read the second book, all you can think about is getting to the third and final book to find out what is going on. In this book, you enjoy the journey so much you don't care that it doesn't have all the answers. The Keep in the desert, the Elowhim, the One Tree, awesome story!!!
Rating:
Summary: I couldn't waut to find out what happened next!
Review: It was amazing! Even though we were transported to a strange and unfamiliar world, which I found a bit unsettling. I loved the Harucahi (as always, they're my favourite characters ( : ) I almost cried when **** died, and I was at work at the time! Linden Avery continues to annoy me however, she seems too petty and selfish to be anyone who has the ability to save the world. I can't _wait_ till I get my hands on the next book. If you're considering reading or starting the series, do it! Perservere and you will be rewarded : ) Donaldson does use some words that are a bit complicated (I'm 15) but if you have a dictionary handy, they do add to the story. This book (like the entire series) is cool, and definately worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: One of my All-Time Favorites
Review: Of all of Donaldson's books (I've Read them all) this one is my favorite. This second book in the second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever is possibly the most imaginative of them. It introduces my personal favorite character of the series--Nom, a Sandgorgon. Often, I go back to certain chapters of the book just to relive my favorite parts. A must for anyone who appreciates true imagination and masterful descriptions.
Rating: 
Summary: Never trust a man who uses "uxorious" in casual conversation
Review: The first time I read this book, it was a trial to get through. Of course, I was 16 at the time. I recently re-read it and enjoyed it a lot more the second time around. The main problem I would cite is that it seems too episodic, as if the many things that happen to the giantship are unrelated and just serve to fill the book up as much as possible. Linden is the focus of this story, as she is most of the second Trilogy, so don't wait for Covenant to get into the action. He spends a good portion of the book out of it.
|
