Rating: 
Summary: Lord Mhoram's Victory!!
Review: After the indecision and angst experienced by Thomas Covenant in Lord Foul's Bane and The Illearth War, it is very refreshing to see him (at least partially) resolve his conflict and move to action in this, the conclusion to the first Thomas Covenant trilogy.The action begins when Covenant returns to our world immediately following the events at the conclusion of The Illearth War. Filled with agony over his perceived failures and inaction in the Land (trying not to spoil the plot here), he wanders in suffering through the woods behind his house for a few days, only to be summoned yet again to the Land, where seven years have passed since he was there (time passes differently in the Land than in the "real" world). By this time, the Lords have been reduced to only controlling their fortress of Revelstone, which is beseiged by the forces of Lord Foul, who holds the rest of the Land in his grip. Through several lucky circumstances, both in our world and the Land, Covenant is outside Revelstone and free to act. At first, he is afraid to do anything due to his inner conflicts and the demands of his leprosy, as in the first two books. But, after he sees and experiences the results of Lord Foul's depradations on the Land, he decides to finally take positive action to destroy Lord Foul and attempt to purge his guilt once and for all. As before, Donaldson proves his mastery of characterization in the peoples that Covenant encounters in his adventures. The Lords Trevor, Loerya, and Amatin are all fleshed out fully after their brief introductions in The Illearth War. Also used effectively are a trio of tragic figures from Lord Foul's Bane: the villagers Trell, Triock, and Lena, who is the ultimate focus of most of Covenant's guilt and pain. The Haruchai Bannor, who has some guilt and pain of his own, is present, as is the valorous, guilt-filled, but ultimately heroic Giant, Saltheart Foamfollower. But the most powerful and compelling figure in the whole book is the awesome High Lord Mhoram, whose struggles to defeat the forces of Lord Foul and save Revelstone, while attempting to aid Covenant in any way he can, make this book the page-turner that it is. The battle between Mhoram and the leader of Foul's army is the most epic clash of wills I have read about in a book since Gandalf the Wizard faced down the Lord of the Nazgul at the gates of Minas Tirith. It's that good. While Donaldson leaves vague the question of whether Covenant is actin out of concern for the Land or merely his desire to end what he feels is a guilt-induced halucination, the final confrontation with Lord Foul and the end of Covenant's adventure in the Land (for now) is very satisfying. The trilogy as a whole seems to state that we all carry our personal guilts and burdens over our sins, both of commission and omission. However, as flawed and guilty as we all are, we all have the capablity to overcome our shortcomings and make a difference for good in the world. It's a powerful message that we all need to hear. No fan of fantasy, or great literature in general, should fail to read this trilogy, as well as it's sequel. Donaldson is one of the VERY few writers of fantasy out there whose work will, I feel, evetually stand alongside The Lord of the Rings as monumental literary classics.
Rating:
Summary: A Groundbreaking Event
Review: Back in the 1970's it was Donaldson and Terry Brooks who proved that an audience for the genre of fantasy existed. It was Donaldson who proved that an author could publish, sell well, and still write something of definitive literary merit. While it is indisputable that Tolkien brought the genre of fantasy into existence it was still widely regarded as something for children (something fantasy fiction still struggles with today) and it is Donaldson who first wrote something that can only be aimed at adults. The Chronicles' influence over the last three decades has been and can be traced to Eddings' Belgariad, Feist's Riftwar Saga, and any of a host of crossover fantasy novels published in the genre. It's only defect and what prevents it from receiving our highest recommendations is the patina of ugliness that Covenant inevitably breeds. It's an irony about the word because it is the ugliness of Covenant that elevates the rather routine plot into something of literary merit but at the same time it will prevent The Chronicles from being the most cherished in people's minds.
WHO SHOULD READ:
For anyone who has complained that fantasy novels are too lighthearted or too childlike, Donaldson has answered your complaint with a staunch challenge. His Chronicles are a gladiatorial arena where in the pit metaphysics slugs it out not in the pristine abstractions of philosophers but in the blood, sweat, and madness of the arena. It is a terrific blend of pulse-quickening action immersed in carefully constructed philosophy. Any reader versed in philosophical discourse in either free will or ethics will be profoundly moved by Covenant's struggles. At the same time, readers with no taste in philosophy whatsoever who are firmly grounded in a sense of black/white and right/wrong will be equally moved by these books because the battles and action will mean something to them rather than events occurring like so many special effects in some rotten film starring Sylvester Stallone or Jean Claude Van Damme.
WHO SHOULD PASS:
The reader should beware of the content. It's very popular to accuse George RR Martin of having some kind of monopoly on books where bad things happen to really good (and popular) characters. That's not the case at all: next to Donaldson he is a child. Real crimes are committed and terrible sacrifices are made and it is something that the delicate should avoid. Additionally, many readers have been upset with the dense prose and idealized setting of The Chronicles. This is something that's rather important to what the book is about but that doesn't lessen the irritation that some people feel. If you have knee-jerk (and perhaps unwarranted) reactions to overt echoes of Tolkien or have a severe allergic reactions to similes (Donaldson cannot seem to write without liberal use of simile) then you might seek elsewhere. But really, these books were a groundbreaking event in fantasy publishing and shouldn't be missed.
READ THE ENTIRE REVIEW AT INCHOATUS.COM
Rating:
Summary: Thomas Covenant trilogy is a stunning fantasy epic
Review: Donaldson brings the 1st Chronicles of Thomas Covenant to a wonderfully written conclusion. The trilogy seemed to get better and better with each installment. Covenant, everyone's favorite depressed, leperous, anti-hero, is one of the finest characters to be developed by any author. Read the first two books in the trilogy first, then make sure you have some time to spare when you pick up the Power That Preserves. You won't want to put it down.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Conclusion to an Outstanding Trilogy
Review: Donaldson's trilogy is a uniquely adult fantasy. Like The Lord of the Rings, many of the characters are flat avatars that combine for rapid successions of epic scenes that can be terrifying, uplifting or both. Unlike The Lord of the Rings, however, the characters whom the narration follows are morally complicated, fascinating and, in the case of Thomas Covenant, often descpicable people. It is Donaldson's attention to the moral shadings of his characters that makes his trilogy so worthwhile. The character of Thomas Covenant, horribly unlikeable as he is, has the most complicated and yet consistent moral dynamic of any character portrayed in fantastic fiction. His painstaking evolution, which should often seem cliche, is made fresh by novelty of his situations -- they can be horrific or magical and yet always exist in contrast to his self-proclaimed role of "Unbeliever". This perfect control of the characters moral identities leads step-by-step to the trilogy's conclusion, making at the same time reasonable and exciting. Many of the elements of Donaldson's trilogy are very traditional, drawing from The Lord of the Rings, Dante and The Bible to name a few, but as with Tolkien's use of myth and tradition, it is the challenging prose that not only brings things to life, but does so in new ways. Donaldson's writing is not for a passive reader -- his usage is both technical and fanciful at the same time. It is the perfect tone for a work of fantasy that I consider to be the best I have ever read.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Conclusion to an Outstanding Trilogy
Review: Donaldson's trilogy is a uniquely adult fantasy. Like The Lord of the Rings, many of the characters are flat avatars that combine for rapid successions of epic scenes that can be terrifying, uplifting or both. Unlike The Lord of the Rings, however, the characters whom the narration follows are morally complicated, fascinating and, in the case of Thomas Covenant, often descpicable people. It is Donaldson's attention to the moral shadings of his characters that makes his trilogy so worthwhile. The character of Thomas Covenant, horribly unlikeable as he is, has the most complicated and yet consistent moral dynamic of any character portrayed in fantastic fiction. His painstaking evolution, which should often seem cliche, is made fresh by novelty of his situations -- they can be horrific or magical and yet always exist in contrast to his self-proclaimed role of "Unbeliever". This perfect control of the characters moral identities leads step-by-step to the trilogy's conclusion, making at the same time reasonable and exciting. Many of the elements of Donaldson's trilogy are very traditional, drawing from The Lord of the Rings, Dante and The Bible to name a few, but as with Tolkien's use of myth and tradition, it is the challenging prose that not only brings things to life, but does so in new ways. Donaldson's writing is not for a passive reader -- his usage is both technical and fanciful at the same time. It is the perfect tone for a work of fantasy that I consider to be the best I have ever read.
Rating:
Summary: An Incredible Series
Review: For Thomas the Savior, The Land is idealized beauty in which Thomas believes he is (unwittingly) pure evil. For Thomas the Leper the real world is pure agony in which he is the innocent victim. In both worlds he believes he is without free will. The crux of the series is his self-exploration into the nature of his evil in The Land, his victimization in the Real World, and the true extent of his free will. All this in incredible sub-plots and settings and an engrossing narative. True, these are NOT trivial books - but if you are willing to explore these books in depth then they are truly fantastic.
Rating:
Summary: a good sendoff for the trilogy
Review: I found one narrative flaw in this book--the revelation thatthe Land is more likely to be real than merely the product ofCovenant's imagination as demonstrated by scenes of the Lords before Covenant's advent into the Land. Aside from this, the book continues faithfully the tale of the Unbeliever in the Land. The ending, despite superficial cliches, was very good. In fact, given the evidence in the rest of the series, there was no other way to end the story. However, I consider the strong qualities of the book to outweigh the narrtive weaknesses to such an extent I will grant it five stars.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Wonderful!
Review: I read this book years ago and still to this day I remember it vividly. The characters are etched into my memory as if I knew them personally. The story line ... well, I dare you to find a better fantasy book. Tolkien is wonderful. Jordan is Great. But, the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant will live forever.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent conclusion to the Covenant Chronicles
Review: I think this is a wonderful conclusion to "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant". It was suspenseful with a surprise at every turn. The hardship the characters have to face on their journey across fantastic lands goes to show how far people can go when bound to a task. It is an all-around great book.
Kyle Buchma
Rating:
Summary: Best in the series so far.
Review: I was purely shocked by this volium.The first one was pretty good,the second one was quite mediocre,but this one was the bomb!It was interesting,(like usual)quite fast moving,and had a wonderful ending.Unfortunately,I cannot tell you the ending except for the fact that its wonderful.
I loved how Bannor and Foamfollower came back in,they were some of my favorite characters.
I also enjoyed how dark and foreboding the style was.
Any Donaldson fan is in for a treat.
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