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Author:
Stephen R. Donaldson
By Del Rey
Average Customer Rating:  
List Price: $7.99
Our Price: $3.12
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Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780345348661
ISBN: 0345348664
Label: Del Rey
Manufacturer: Del Rey
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 544
Publication Date: 1987-10-12
Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: 1987-10-12
Studio: Del Rey |
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Product Description
The second volume in the epic Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever.
Thomas Covenant found himself once again summoned to the Land. The Council of Lords needed him to move against Foul the Despiser who held the Illearth Stone, ancient source of evil power. But although Thomas Covenant held the legendary ring, he didn't know how to use its strength, and risked losing everything....
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 Nothing to Write Home About, 2007-06-21
If you read my review of the first book in the series, you know that I was not too impressed with Donaldson's writing style or his main character in the story, Thomas Covenant. Unfortunately, this book starts off and ends with the same old repulsive Covenant character exactly as we left him in the last book. Time seems to drag whenever Covenant is in the picture. You know what to expect around Covenant. He cowers in a corner muttering Hellfire to him self then occasionally bursts into a totally unexpected fit of rage, or performs some totally incomprehensible act. Somehow this madman always comes up with some incredible insight the much smarter characters are oblivious to. Of course he is always scheming ways to save his own rear-end at the expense of others. The other characters have to drag Covenant from point A to point B in the story which really gets tedious. My biggest complaint about Covenant is that he never learns anything from his mistakes. I think that is why his character is so totally unbelievable. The good news for this book is that at least 1/3rd of the story ignores Covenant entirely, and therefore this part flows much better, and is much easier to read.
For some reason Donaldson's use of incomprehensible words seems to abound in this book. Maybe he found a new thesaurus, since the first book? Sometimes it seems he just can't wait to use a newly found word in a sentence, so he throws it in whether it makes any sense or not. Some sentences have 3 or 4 words never before uttered by humans.
The writing is somewhat dark, and it seems that no matter what the good guys in the story do, the evil bad guys are always twice as powerful and at least one step ahead. It looks like we are falling into a consistent theme where the good guys manage to barely survive at the end, but only after a terrible number of causalities. The inconsistency in the various uses of magic by both sides makes the whole thing hard to grasp. In the first book we had rape, and in this one Donaldson brushes very closely to incest. I'm not sure what he is doing with the sexual stuff, but it adds nothing to the story. Covenant can not get any more repulsive than he already is.
Overall this book was an easier read than the firs one, but it is nothing to write home about.
Back to the Land!, 2007-10-18
The first trilogy of "Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever" was Donaldson's initial opus and launched him to immediate consideration of public & critics.
Donaldson's proposal is quite risky.
The main character is a sick man unable to compromise with the fantastic universe that deploys before him. The reader will certainly not identify with Covenant's sour & bitter personality.
Nevertheless a powerful story is constructed over this implausible pillar!
"The Illearth War" is the second volume of the trilogy and I strongly recommend reading the first volume before start reading this one. It is true that the author provides a two page summary of what happened before, nevertheless The Land scenery & characters is too complex to be understood with that intro only, and the reader risk to get confused and even bored.
The tale is as follows: after a very short return to our own world, Thomas is recalled to the Land. There forty years has elapsed since Covenant's departure.
The summoner this time is Lord Elena, new elected High Lord, young & energetic and determined to save the Land from Lord Foul's designs.
From this starting point three main & parallel stories evolve.
One line follows the adventures of a group of Lords and Bloodguard in an urgent quest to find what happened to the Giants that are silent and out of touch with the Lords.
The second follow Lord Mhoram, Warmark (Supreme Commander) Hile Troy and the Warward (Lord's Army) in a forced march to confront Lord Foul's ghastly army.
The third line follows Lord Elena and Thomas in search of the seventh Ward of Kevin's Lore.
These three lines will merge at book's end in a high voltage finale!
This second volume of the saga introduces new interesting characters.
One is Hille Troy who has many points in common with Covenant: he has been summoned from our world, he is a blind-born person and in the Land he gains vision (as Thomas recovers from leprosy). Other traits are just the opposite, Hille believes the Land is real and he is ready to face whatever risk to save it.
Elena is the other remarkable new personae, fervent defender of the Land and essentially feminine, confers a different touch to the whole story.
It is great book that may be enjoyed by fantasy fans and general public as well! But remember read Book one first!
Reviewed by Max Yofre.
Not Free SF Reader, 2008-04-21
Nutted back to The Land.
A whack on the head has Covenant back in the fantasy realm, and discovering that several decades have passed since he was there last.
He is in now in the middle of a war buildup, with new politicians, magic wielders and others to deal with, although the Bloodguard still stand.
So, your good old nasty quest to find a magic item of power you may or may not know what to do with.
Plus a couple of large battles.
Part two of First Chronicle, 2008-07-19
'The Illearth War' is the second part of the 'Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever'. In this installment Covenant returns just a week later in real time, to find that 40 years has passed in the Land. Lord Foul is on the move and High Lord Elena has summoned him in the Land's time of need.
Part of the problem with the first installment, 'Lord Foul's Bane', was that Covenant was so bitter and unsympathetic. This time Covenant is basically absent for the middle section of the book, giving the reader some respite from Covenant's perpetual dourness. The middle section centers on Hile Troy, another person from the real world. In the first book Donaldson tried to make it ambiguous whether the Land was 'real' or just a creation of Covenant's fevered mind. Centering the story on Troy with Covenant absent for so long weakens that plot device although Donaldson tries to reinforce it again at the end of the book.
Even when Covenant is front and center he doesn't do anything. His relationship with Elena borders on the incestuous and makes for some cringe inducing scenes. Still for all that, it is a good book, although if I remember correctly the next one,' The Power That Preserves' is the best of the first trilogy
Good Series, 2009-02-03
I used to have this whole series and had to replace it when my original set was tossed out. It was very good reading then, so I had to get it so I could reread it.
I would recommend this entire set to anyone who really likes science-fanticy fiction!
Thank You,
Albert Cantin
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