Rating: 
Summary: Worth the trouble of getting through the series
Review: When I started reading the series, I was wary. Various people warned me of the brutality I would encounter. Thus, I read out of curiosity. After finishing book one, I decided that I had encountered neither the brutality nor the intricate characters or plot I had expected.However, I plowed forward. As the books went on, the characters gained depth, the plot twisted and grew more precarious, and I started taking sides. By the time I reached this final book of the saga, I was fully hooked, and rightly so. Donaldson ties it all together in the final volume. The intrigue unwinds with a domino effect and plays itself out quite nicely. Further, although many plots and subplots reach fruition, he does not insult the reader by leaving us with a happy world with carefree characters. This is as it should be - a series about a period in time, not a novel claiming to encompass all relavant times. I would recommend that readers not stop with the first book of the series, or even the second. Keep reading and you will understand the politics at work, which makes this final book all the more satisfying.
Rating:
Summary: Thermopyle could beat down Covenant anytime!
Review: While Donaldson almost seemed to just be dragging the series out in multiple volumes just to have more than one or two books,'This Day All Gods Die' (along with the 4th novel, 'Chaos and Order') is an extremely absorbing book. By the end of this one I know the characters almost as well as I know myself. It seems like I will be able to predict what Angus Thermopyle will do next, because I know the man so well (my favorite character in the series despite his actions in the first three books). Donaldson, though, seems to realize this and turns him in another direction everytime, providing a very satisfying conclusion to the Gap Cycle. Some say that the 2 Covenant series are Donaldson's best work, and I read both of them, and I must disagree. I got sick of Covenant's self-pity by the 'Illearth War', much because he is the only character that Donaldson delves into with any detail. There is a lot of psychological description in the Gap, but it is divided between four or more main characters, and not all of it is the self-pity Covenant never stops with. I love how Morn never gives up despite her hopeless circumstances in every book, in almost every chapter that she is in. And not only could Angus take on Covenant any time, but Lord Foul would certainly balk at taking on a laser equiped cyborg that shows no mercy.
Rating:
Summary: Thermopyle could beat down Covenant anytime!
Review: While Donaldson almost seemed to just be dragging the series out in multiple volumes just to have more than one or two books,'This Day All Gods Die' (along with the 4th novel, 'Chaos and Order') is an extremely absorbing book. By the end of this one I know the characters almost as well as I know myself. It seems like I will be able to predict what Angus Thermopyle will do next, because I know the man so well (my favorite character in the series despite his actions in the first three books). Donaldson, though, seems to realize this and turns him in another direction everytime, providing a very satisfying conclusion to the Gap Cycle. Some say that the 2 Covenant series are Donaldson's best work, and I read both of them, and I must disagree. I got sick of Covenant's self-pity by the 'Illearth War', much because he is the only character that Donaldson delves into with any detail. There is a lot of psychological description in the Gap, but it is divided between four or more main characters, and not all of it is the self-pity Covenant never stops with. I love how Morn never gives up despite her hopeless circumstances in every book, in almost every chapter that she is in. And not only could Angus take on Covenant any time, but Lord Foul would certainly balk at taking on a laser equiped cyborg that shows no mercy.
Rating:
Summary: Loved the series, please stop using "exigency" so much
Review: While I agree with some of the negitive comments, overall I really liked this series. Once again Donaldson embarks on a journey to a fantastic locale where none of the characters are very easy to understand or even very likeable. The same collection of lost souls you find seaching thier way through his other novels are here. Angus, who can't stop running away from the pain and horror of his childhood; Morn, who holds a grudge that finally twists her mind during zero g and causes her to kill her family; Nick, whose only purpose in life is revenge against women in payment for the scars that Sorus gave to him. Donaldson's characters are ugly and brutal and real, and head and sholders above the usual goody-goody E.T.'s, fairies and elves found in the sci-fi/fantasy genres. I especially liked Mikka, who was strong and brave and just wanted to save her brother, Ciro. I cried when she finally found the courage to accept his need to kill himself. I do, however, agree with the reviewers on the point of the dialogue. These people repeat themselves and think the same thing over and over. Sometimes it's effective, as when Angus thinks about "the crib" when he's faced with a trap. But other times, for example Davies going on and on about being Morn, it can get annoying. The same could be said for Donaldson's other series (how many times could Covenant put himself down before you just wanted to smack him?) but I don't think it seriously detracts from his work. The one thing about his books that really does grate on my nerves is his overuse of the words "exigent" and "exigency". Has anyone else noticed this? Doesn't he have an editor? How about a thesaurus? I swear, he must use it 1000 times in the Covenant series. He didn't use it as much in the Mordant's Need series although it did crop up more than needed (excellent series by the way). And in the Gap series it's on every other page. I hope Mr. Donaldson checks out this review because I have listed some alternative words to use (some almost as obsure as exigent): Exigent: pressing, burning, clamant, clamorous, crying, imperative importunate, insistent, etc. etc. Exigency: contingency, crisis, emergeny, strait, rigor, vicissitude, delemma, jam, pickle, scrape, etc. Finally, as far as not liking the happy ending goes, give it a rest. What's wrong with the good guys winning once in awhile? After all the emotional turmoil the characters go through they deserve to win. Doom and gloom are all well and good, but don't pretend that when Lassie finally saves Billy from the mine shaft you don't get a tear in your eye. Loved the book and the series, keep 'em coming, Mr. Donaldson.
Rating:
Summary: An intense story that science fiction fans shouldn't miss.
Review: You will see both good and bad reviews of this book (and series) here. Personally I believe this is one of the the hardest books to put down I've ever read. Yes the ending is somewhat predictable; after so much suffering the good guys have to win. But the path to the violent climax of this book is very unique. The characters are complex and finely crafted--(do you hate or admire Warden Dios?; is Angus a pathological criminal or a victim?; is Morn a strong or weak?). There is no relaxing in this book. Donaldson keeps things finely balanced--you know it's coming, but don't know when chaos will errupt again.For those of you that have read the Thomas Covenant books: this is just as serious and just as depressing. The characters are less shallow for the most part. This series not a fantasy, but a hard core SF story.
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