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Summary: You've got to be kidding! Protagonist, Covenant, is a worm!
Review: I can't believe all the positive reviews on this book/series. I have struggled through Book I and Book II holding onto scant hope that the author would somehow redeem the main character, Thomas Covenant. He is an unlikable, egocentric, cowardly, whiny, sniveling, and I'm afraid, unredeemable worm. Try as I might I can't like him. I don't care if he lives or dies. I can't even feel sorry for him. I've read quite a bit of fantasy, some very good, some not so good but this is really awful. I'm afraid that I would find the author's style to be quite tedious even if I did like the characters. Do yourself a favor and read George RR Martin, Guy Gavriel Kay, Tad Williams, almost anyone else, but don't bore yourself with the Unbeliever
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Summary: THE ILLEARTH WAR
Review: I found this book to be truly exciting. The reluctant Thomas Covenant is once again summoned to the Land, as he holds the ultimate power in his white gold wedding ring. The only trouble that plagues him is that he has no idea how to use it! The 'Land' as the world is called in this trip is building towards an enormous confrontation between good and evil. Lord Foul's evil servants have amassed an army that is overwhelming in size, and the army of the good lord's seem out-matched. The darkest times begin to fall on Thomas Covenant and his companions, and only Covenant can save them. This book has some of the greatest characters in fiction, and Donaldson's creativity is astounding. You will certainly enjoy this whole series if you are a lover of a good story that gets you captured in it. For several days in a row I could do nothing but read these books (and think about the next free time away from work that I would get a chance to read them!) They are a great collection, and the Illearth War is one of my favorites as it is quite dramatic and emotional in comparison to the other books. Definitely a top shelf series all together.
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Summary: The best non Tolkien fantasy series I have ever read
Review: I just finished reading the lord of the rings series, I was expecting a let down on my next read. It was quite the contary, you should find out for yourself how wonderful these books really are.
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Summary: OUTSTANDING!!
Review: I read the Thomas Covenant series in 1984 and loved it then. I was recently telling a friend about the series and decided to purchase them again. I enjoyed the books because they are more than just imaginitive and creative. Donaldson interweaves a lot of human nature into the story line. You can learn a great deal about doing what is right, even if it is difficult. Thomas Covenant is an 'unwilling' hero in this series, but he deals with his problems and stilll comes through in the end. His motivation isn't always based on the right reasons, but I think we all struggle in life with our motivations, both positive and negative. These books are great....not only for their story line, creativity, and the way it draws you in, but also for a look at human nature and dealing with different problems, responsibilities, and values. You can take away much more from this series than just a great fantasy epic.
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Summary: Excellent
Review: I read this series of books many years ago. They were exciting and enjoyable although could be a little depressing. I read them one after another without a break and sometimes it seemed overwhelming. I would recommend these books to anyone. The characters our well rounded and well written, Enjoy!!
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Summary: Too much the whining anti-hero
Review: I read this series when it first arrived on bookshelves at the suggestion of some well respected book reviewers. While it was imaginative and certainly well written, I really could barely stomach the constant whining and under-achieving of the main character. In the genre of heroic fantasy you expect the lead figures to step up to the plate more often than just once at the end of the novel after almost everyone around them has suffered enormously. If you want to read a good anti-hero, I'd suggest giving this one a miss and read Moorcock's 'Elric' series. Far faster paced and a challenged character that actually makes an effort, which to me is far more entertaining.
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Summary: Exhausting!
Review: I recently re-read this for the first time in 20 years. My reaction was the same: Holy crap! Could things get any worse?!
While I do see the similarities between the battle at Garrotting Deep and the battle at Helm's Deep in Tolkien's "The Two Towers" the power of this book cannot be denied.
It also introduced one of my favorite characters in literature: Hile Troy. I found the descriptions of how he viewed the world and how he was able to think through battle situations fascinating and his distaste for Covenant's lack of belief for The Land not unjustified.
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Summary: Second in a wonderous series
Review: I'll keep this simple. If you haven't read the first book in this trilogy, "Lord Foul's Bane," then you should look at the reviews for it and decide if you would like to read it. If you have read "Lord Foul's Bane," you already know whether you will like this or not.
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Summary: WOW! What a fantasy novel!
Review: I'm close to 30 now, and I"m kicking myself for not reading this series of books when I was younger. I was turned off when I was a kid by the whole aspect of the present-day leper who journeyed via mysterious means to "The Land". Now I can accept the plot more freely, and what a great plot it is. I liked this book even more than "Lord Foul's Bane". SD does a great job weaving this story into its predecessor's, maybe because both were written in the same timeframe. I like these books compared to most fantasy novels because they are very dark, and in this sense, realistic. Several protagonists have been killed off during my journey through the series; something unusual for a fantasy trilogy. This makes the story more believable and more entertaining, since if everything was "happy go lucky" I probably wouldn't find it too interesting. As a closing note, I like Tommy Covenant since he is a person who has been picked on and mistreated and yet rises to become a hero. I compare him with "Neo" of "The Matrix". He has been given this great power he does not yet know how to control but he will learn it over time and rise to the level of superhero. As a closing comment I'll make sure to get a white gold wedding ring if/when I get married!
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Summary: Difficult to top
Review: I've read better fantasy but The Illearth War is five-star material nonetheless. This is the sequel to Lord Foul's Bane, in which Thomas Covenant first discovered the Land and assisted in the recovery of an important magical artifact. This time around he again gets transported from the "real world" to the Land but while Covenant is only a few weeks older, 40 years have passed in the Land and the struggle against Lord Foul has become desperate. Foul is about to march against the Lords, who simply aren't prepared for what's coming!The novel is slow to get going and most of the highlights come in the second half. The first half provides a lot of backstory and character development. We meet the important woman Elena, who develops a close relationship with Covenant (for good reason too, as you'll learn to your surprise later in the novel). Hile Troy, a military tactician who claims to also be from Covenant's world, leads the war effort and plays an even more central role in this book than Covenant. Lord Mhoram is a leading character this time around. Trell, the former loving gravelingas of Mithil Stonedown, is now a tragic and unpredictable character. The mysterious creature Amok holds a key to ancient and terrible power. The second half of the book is where the action really hits. Donaldson gives us three simultaneous plot lines to follow; each is exciting and keeps you turning the pages. My favorite plot line was the mission to Seareach but all three are excellent! Just as in the last book, scenes of battle and gore are depicted admirably. Settings are described in lavish detail but the prose never gets exceedingly verbose unlike some other fantasy out there (*cough* Wheel of Time *cough*). The ending ties things up nicely, yet leaves the big picture unresolved and hence leads perfectly into the sequel. Though still bitter from his experience as a leper, Covenant seems to have lightened up a bit. In fact in a couple parts of the book he actually feels genuinely happy, albeit briefly. Unfortunately, as in Lord Foul's Bane, most of the other characters aren't too unique and their personalities tend to be uniformly strong and heroic. Troy is an interesting one though. Overall, top notch fantasy and certainly not to be missed after reading Lord Foul's Bane!
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