Rating: 
Summary: The state of the Land is a rot
Review: The pain flows through the pages into the firing neurons of the brain, sending shock to the heart as the reader finds Lord Foul has raped and pillaged the Land, bastardized it to a state of flailing fish-out-of-water. There seems to be nothing but despair as the evil sunbane has taken over and the beautiful people sacrifice bits of theirselves to conjure power everytime. There seems to be no way out as Harukai are fettered in the catacombic bowels of a prison waiting to bleed for the sunbane. The unreality and the unjustification of such incidence pains the reader, praying for a panacea to cure this rotten state. Thomas Covenant is the only hope and Linden Avery makes for a new hope. This piece is written perfection of everything wrong in the world, the corruptible everything, and the curable nothing. This paralell with mankind is insightful and poignant. This book is intriging and painful, but no doubt, one of Donalson's best.
Rating:
Summary: Fans can thank their lucky stars for this return to The Land
Review: THE WOUNDED LAND is a rich, and somewhat difficult book. It was certainly wonderful to return to the Land, but the book is by far the bleakest of the entire two trilogies. Donaldson clearly had to up the ante to make the book worth reading (and writing), so the despair that has befallen the Land is pretty dire.Also, even though we get to revisit Covenant, we are 4000 years in the future of the land, and all the beloved characters we came to know in the first trilogy are gone. Donaldson does manage a brief, ghostly appearance by some of them, but they are missed. After all, Covenant is aptly named an ANIT-hero, and he is tough to like. So Donaldson, while also showing us how horrible things have become in the Land, has to also give us new characters to care about. This time, Covenant brings someone with him from our time, the doctor Linden Avery. But she carries lots of baggage herself, and is also tough to warm up to...although she brings out a soft side in Covenant which is sorely needed. The author does a good job of introducing new characters to join on the new quest to save the Land from Lord Foul's machinations. Sunder and Hollian, two villagers who have learned all the history of the Land incorrectly, have their eyes opened to the truth by Covenant, and their plight of realization and acceptance is quite emotional. The character of Vain, a creature developed by the ur-viles to help Covenant, is fascinating and holds many secrets. I won't tell you too many more, because the book holds some delights in store. But it isn't easy. The first half of the book feels a bit repititive, as Covenant and his growing band struggle to cross the Land to Revelstone (echoes of the first book), and we kinda get the point early on that it isn't easy going. But things really pick up once Covenant goes to Andelain and then on to Revelstone. There are some exciting chase scenes, one in particular dealing with The Grim, a malevolent "happening" sent to destroy the group from the false lords of Revelstone. Donaldson has become an even more florid writer. His vocabulary is formidable...mine ain't too bad, but there is at least one word per page that leaves me scratching my head as to its definition, and I swear he's just made up a few. You can tell what they mean by the context, but they are distracting. He doesn't believe in subtle feelings...these characters are going through earth-shattering events, and they don't feel things mildly. They are torn, "riven", etc. etc. I still love the books, but sometimes it is a bit much. If you've read the first trilogy and liked it or loved it...then you MUST read further. If you haven't read the first trilogy, don't start here. Go back to Lord Foul's Bane. And if, by some chance, you didn't care for the first trilogy, I don't think anything here will change your mind. You either love the Land and Donaldson's way of taking you there...or you don't and won't.
Rating:
Summary: Fans can thank their lucky stars for this return to The Land
Review: THE WOUNDED LAND is a rich, and somewhat difficult book. It was certainly wonderful to return to the Land, but the book is by far the bleakest of the entire two trilogies. Donaldson clearly had to up the ante to make the book worth reading (and writing), so the despair that has befallen the Land is pretty dire. Also, even though we get to revisit Covenant, we are 4000 years in the future of the land, and all the beloved characters we came to know in the first trilogy are gone. Donaldson does manage a brief, ghostly appearance by some of them, but they are missed. After all, Covenant is aptly named an ANIT-hero, and he is tough to like. So Donaldson, while also showing us how horrible things have become in the Land, has to also give us new characters to care about. This time, Covenant brings someone with him from our time, the doctor Linden Avery. But she carries lots of baggage herself, and is also tough to warm up to...although she brings out a soft side in Covenant which is sorely needed. The author does a good job of introducing new characters to join on the new quest to save the Land from Lord Foul's machinations. Sunder and Hollian, two villagers who have learned all the history of the Land incorrectly, have their eyes opened to the truth by Covenant, and their plight of realization and acceptance is quite emotional. The character of Vain, a creature developed by the ur-viles to help Covenant, is fascinating and holds many secrets. I won't tell you too many more, because the book holds some delights in store. But it isn't easy. The first half of the book feels a bit repititive, as Covenant and his growing band struggle to cross the Land to Revelstone (echoes of the first book), and we kinda get the point early on that it isn't easy going. But things really pick up once Covenant goes to Andelain and then on to Revelstone. There are some exciting chase scenes, one in particular dealing with The Grim, a malevolent "happening" sent to destroy the group from the false lords of Revelstone. Donaldson has become an even more florid writer. His vocabulary is formidable...mine ain't too bad, but there is at least one word per page that leaves me scratching my head as to its definition, and I swear he's just made up a few. You can tell what they mean by the context, but they are distracting. He doesn't believe in subtle feelings...these characters are going through earth-shattering events, and they don't feel things mildly. They are torn, "riven", etc. etc. I still love the books, but sometimes it is a bit much. If you've read the first trilogy and liked it or loved it...then you MUST read further. If you haven't read the first trilogy, don't start here. Go back to Lord Foul's Bane. And if, by some chance, you didn't care for the first trilogy, I don't think anything here will change your mind. You either love the Land and Donaldson's way of taking you there...or you don't and won't.
Rating:
Summary: A Blight Scars The Land
Review: The Wounded Land is an apt title for this book. For those who have read the First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, this sequel trilogy is as stark a contrast as one author can offer when creating new ideas on a familiar subject. If you are unfamiliar with the first chronicles, I strongly recommend you go read it first to fully appreciate this contrast. Donaldson seeks to create a feeling of revulsion for something loved that has been violated in a way the reader could not imagine or be prepared to face. The living Land is dieing, rotting before the people who live for it. The biggest shock is for the lepor who has come to love the Land, not just for the renewed vibrance it gave him, but because of what it has done to the people. Life, love, evil, vileness, hope and sacrifice are intertwined in a heart wrenching, emotional roller coaster. A must read for Donaldson fans. Some may feel betrayed by the intentional devastation of the Land. Some may feel thrilled by the new adventure. At any rate, be prepared to FEEL!!!
Rating: 
Summary: The Land . . . wasted by Foul!
Review: The Wounded Land is the first book in the Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. In the first excellent trilogy, Covenant ultimately triumphed over the evil Lord Foul and brought centuries of peace and prosperity to the Land. Unfortunately, Foul was not destroyed, only forced to retreat and lick his wounds for a while. But surprisingly, Foul finds a way to strike at Covenant in his own world. This leads to Covenant returning to the Land, accompanied by a rather bitter and serious woman named Linden. Sort of a female version of Covenant I guess, but unlike Covenant her strength stems from a couple tragic childhood events that hardened her to emotion. Covenant returns to the Land (where about four thousand years have passed) to find it shockingly wasted, as if the Apocalypse itself had hit it. The change was caused by the Sunbane, a sinister creation of Foul's. Covenant spends half the book just trying to figure out what the heck went wrong and how he can turn things around. Fortunately he finds that he can unleash the wild magic at will, or at least whenever he's upset (sort of like Nynaeve's channeling block in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series). Each book of the first trilogy had a major resolution at the end. The Wounded Land is difficult to evaluate on its own because there is no real resolution or even climax. About two thirds of the way through the book, Covenant's party embarks on a major quest that clearly will not be completed by the end of the novel. The ending isn't really climactic, but merely segues nicely into the sequel The One Tree. Donaldson's pace is generally slower in this trilogy than in the first one, but that's not to say that The Wounded Land doesn't contain plenty of action. Covenant barely escapes death a few times. The times when he uses the wild magic are exciting moments, and Donaldson is skillful at quickly heightening dramatic tension. Covenant's stay at Revelstone and his discoveries there are a high point in the novel. The page-turning trek through the treacherous Sarangrave Flats recalls the similar quest of the Bloodguard in The Illearth War. I haven't read the two sequels yet, but this second trilogy is looking great so far! Highly recommended for fans of simple fantasy with a dark flavor to it.
Rating:
Summary: The Land . . . wasted by Foul!
Review: The Wounded Land is the first book in the Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. In the first excellent trilogy, Covenant ultimately triumphed over the evil Lord Foul and brought centuries of peace and prosperity to the Land. Unfortunately, Foul was not destroyed, only forced to retreat and lick his wounds for a while. But surprisingly, Foul finds a way to strike at Covenant in his own world. This leads to Covenant returning to the Land, accompanied by a rather bitter and serious woman named Linden. Sort of a female version of Covenant I guess, but unlike Covenant her strength stems from a couple tragic childhood events that hardened her to emotion. Covenant returns to the Land (where about four thousand years have passed) to find it shockingly wasted, as if the Apocalypse itself had hit it. The change was caused by the Sunbane, a sinister creation of Foul's. Covenant spends half the book just trying to figure out what the heck went wrong and how he can turn things around. Fortunately he finds that he can unleash the wild magic at will, or at least whenever he's upset (sort of like Nynaeve's channeling block in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series). Each book of the first trilogy had a major resolution at the end. The Wounded Land is difficult to evaluate on its own because there is no real resolution or even climax. About two thirds of the way through the book, Covenant's party embarks on a major quest that clearly will not be completed by the end of the novel. The ending isn't really climactic, but merely segues nicely into the sequel The One Tree. Donaldson's pace is generally slower in this trilogy than in the first one, but that's not to say that The Wounded Land doesn't contain plenty of action. Covenant barely escapes death a few times. The times when he uses the wild magic are exciting moments, and Donaldson is skillful at quickly heightening dramatic tension. Covenant's stay at Revelstone and his discoveries there are a high point in the novel. The page-turning trek through the treacherous Sarangrave Flats recalls the similar quest of the Bloodguard in The Illearth War. I haven't read the two sequels yet, but this second trilogy is looking great so far! Highly recommended for fans of simple fantasy with a dark flavor to it.
Rating:
Summary: very good
Review: This book is incredibly good, though as yet it doesn't make the sheer magic of the first series by devaluing Covenant's relationship with the Land to the point of a mere footnote. I also take issue with a previous reviewer's asinine declaration that this book is disappointing because of the end of the last book.
Rating: 
Summary: This book was horrible
Review: This book was horrible and depressing. While it might have had its redeming points, I couldn't get past the his raping of the woman in the beginning of the book. I don't care if he's a leper and can now feel his lower region. This story was horrible and should be avoided at all costs.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!!
Review: This entire series is an incredible journey of emotional torment and self-discovery in a land filled with amazing foes and friends. Most importantly, Donaldson is able to inject such real emtion and pathos into his characters. I actually cried when Elena died. Amazing from a fantasy work. READ THIS SERIES.
Rating:
Summary: Believe us, it's without a doubt a Five!
Review: This entire series ranks as one the definitive Fantasy series. Don't be surprised to look up at the clock to find it's 6:00AM when you thought it was no later than 11.
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