Rating: 
Summary: Powerful and compelling
Review: Thomas Covenant is not an easy protagonist to embrace. Sometimes you just want to reach into the book and slap him - open his eyes to the beauty that is surrounding him. And yet, that's part of what makes his journey so compelling. It took me a while to realize what a richly complex and interesting character he was. Donaldson's world is unique and diverse and the device of throwing someone from our world into his is done with seamless grace and allows the reader a point of view unavailable in Tolkien. While Lord Foul's Bane is a good starter, the series really heats up in the next two books. Although I don't usually re-read books (there being so many out there I need to read in the first place), I found myself reaching for The Illearth War and the climactic Power That Perserves. The second series was a little tougher to get through. The shape the Land was in was so damned depressing -- it was a tough read. But all in all, this first series is highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Strong, but just a taste of better books to come...
Review: LFB is a great story revolving around perhaps the most unique protagonist the fantasy genre has seen. One thing that incenses me is how many readers criticize the series because "it's too depressing" or "Thomas Covenant is a wimp". That's the idea. It sure isn't light reading, and if you can't take it, that's fine - but it doesn't mean the writing is terrible, or that the books are just plain bad. It just proves that Donaldson's writing is capable of evoking strong emotion - so strong as to be repulsive to many.
Rating: 
Summary: The definitive anti-hero tale
Review: Lord Fouls Bane introduces us to the character of Thomas Covenant who is, in addition to being (literally) a leper, not a very pleasant person. Unlike the typical fantasy hero who strides forth, sword gleaming and eyes glinting, Covenant has no interest in playing savior to the world and, in fact, has a rather tarnished character (during an early sequence he actually rapes another character). Unfortunately, Covenant is the *only* person who can save the world and is forced to become a hero in-spite of himself. Foul's Bane and the other books in this series are not light reading. The story is often depressing and filled with moral ambiguioty. This isn't the sort of story where you get to cheer for the good guys every seven pages. It is, however, a very deep and complex story that does not shy away from addressing difficult ethical situations and dealing with the consequences of their resolutions. Thomas Covenant is not a hero, but is far, far more interesting than any dime-a-dozen sword-slinger than you're likely to find being churned out by an endless supply of lesser authors.
Rating: 
Summary: A mixed bag that could have been great
Review: These books could have been great. Donaldson starts with an extremely compelling idea and a land which is acceptably deviant from Tolkien's map, but some of the story gets lost in the main character. Covenant is such a complete, pathetic wreck that the complex (and often hopelessly dull) descriptions of his manic psyche frequently turn a good story into a confusing psychological study of a basketcase. That the books succeed at all, despite your personal desire to throttle the central protagonist and the often turgid prose (particularly in the first book) is a true testament to Donaldson's overmastering idea, if not his execution. Ironically, the most pleasant reading in the first three books of Thomas Covanent's trilogy is in the second book when the narrative follows another inflicted, but altogether less neurotic character. Donaldson's books are worth the read (just barely), but seem to fall clearly short of both his intention and his potential.
Rating:
Summary: Did you ever have one of those days?
Review: Well, I did. Many years ago, a good friend of mine introduced me to the Sci-fi/Fantasy world of reading with this very series, and boy did it hurt! It started with reading just a few pages here and there, taking in this and that. Before I knew it, I was reading whole books of this series in just a few days, and that's no small feat at about 500 pages per book. If you're looking to completely dive into some serious reading full of expansive self-discovery and painful realities, then you've found your ideal read. I would recommend this series, (or any Donaldson books), to all readers, whether this be your genre or not. ENJOY!!
Rating:
Summary: Among the formative experiences of my life.
Review: Before writing this review, I read some of the reviews written by other readers. What they all have in common is an over-abundance of superlatives. Let me tell you what this series has meant to me: I've read all six books, many times each. Covenant's struggles and apotheoses remain to this day a source of inspiration for me. Through the force of his convictions, he manages to turn self-loathing into victory, and the love and support given him at every turn by the people of the Land is something I refuse to believe is limited to the world of Fantasy. Covenant's confrontation with Foul in 'The Power That Preserves', where he finally abandons himself to the impossibility and inevitability of his Unbelief, was the first indication to me of the importance of acceptance. Faced with the ruination of all his past victories when he confronts the Banefire in 'White Gold Wielder', betrayed by the love that made it all possible, "The Banefire was not stronger than he was, only stronger than he dared to be.", Covenant takes that acceptance to a new level. He comprehends Brinn's words, "That is the grace which has been given to you; to bear what must be borne." Forget Donaldson's arcane vocabulary, and his wordiness, for lack of a better word. I look on his creation and development of Thomas Covenant as a triumph. I could care less if no one else ever read the Chronicles (Donaldson's publisher might wimper at the thought). I treasure them for the unending inspiration and insights they've afforded me, and I look forward to re-reading them when I'm 80. If anyone would like to respond to this, I welcome the thought of a discussion.
Rating:
Summary: Unparalleled in Fantasy writing
Review: Having read this book as my first step into the escapist world of fantasy reading, it probably created an unconscious bias against all other books, fantasy or otherwise. The series stands by itself as the most thought provoking fantasy series ever written. Unlike Tolkiens series, which I read subsequent to TCOLTC and quite enjoyed, this series deals with truly disturbing subjects, eg. rape and incest, yet it does so in such a way as to make these appalling subjects paramount to the struggle and ultimately the development of the character in question, Thomas Covenant. Donaldson has the wherewithall to write an epic that captivates and involves the reader to such extents that I, like others, found myself dreaming the Land in my sleep, consciously thinking about it while away from the story. It invades your life. The mark of a truly GOOD writer. If you have not read this book and the subseqent books, then you have succeeded in depriving your self, consciously or unconsciously, of excellent escapism. If you have read LFB and didn't like it, give a second read. Disappointment, of course, is ,in the end, your own interpretive result.
Rating:
Summary: First book in a great series.
Review: Stephen Donaldson has taken the Tolkienesque fantasy and turned it inside out. Instead of a shining hero in a land of evil, Donaldson gives us a morbid, bitter man in a land of beauty, love and sacrifice. Covenant's inner despair and self resentment parallel the books major villain, Lord Foul. Covenant,a leper in body and soul, is thrust into a world where leprosy does not exist, spurring his unbelief in a land that, for him, cannot exist. Lord Foul's Bane can be a difficult read at first due to Covenant's self hatred, but do not be daunted. As the book progresses, it is truly wonderful to watch Covenant's slow tranformation from leper to hero. - Brian Dunn
Rating:
Summary: Nothing I can say will do this book justice!
Review: I LOVED this book. It took me to a land of fantasy, where I accompanied Thomas Covenant on a journey of conquest where he battles for and against his own instincts and emotions. This book is defintely a winner, and I'd recommend it to everyone!
Rating:
Summary: Greatest? Maybe!
Review: This book is defenitly one of the greatest fantasy-books ever. Stephen Donaldson surely takes me to a world which I never want to leave. But the greatest thing probably is the way in which he describes people. Thomas Covenant of course is one of the most wonderful charaters I've ever met. Because you really meet them in this book. Don't ever stop writing Stephen!
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