The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever (The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, #1-3)

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The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever (The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever #1-3 omnibus)

3.76 of 5 stars 3.76 · rating details · 6,087 ratings · 145 reviews

The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever is a fantasy trilogy by Stephen R. Donaldson. It was followed by The 2nd Chronicles, also a trilogy & The Last Chronicles, a planned tetralogy. The central character is Thomas Covenant, a bitterly cynical writer afflicted with leprosy, shunned & despised by society, & destined to become the heroic savior of an al...more

Paperback, 1160 pages

Published 1993 by HarperCollins Publishers (first published January 1st 1978)

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Sep 27, 2007 Seth rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: existentialists, crossover fantasy fans, almost any fantasy fan

Shelves: masterpieces, fantasy, sf-f-h

This series is somewhat infamous: it's widely regarded as brilliant (which it is), it's widely considered depressing (which it can be), the hero is often unappealing (which is the point), and many find the trilogy at least 25% too long (which is true). Plus, the follow-on trilogy tells almost the same story with almost the same point to it.

So, what's the fuss about?

Covenant isn't "Tolkien with the serial numbers filed off." That it holds together with a complete fantasy story in a clear, magical...more

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Feb 16, 2013 Chris rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS SPOILAGE UP THE YING-YANG.

It's unfortunate that Donaldson opted to conclude the First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant as he did—for it reduced the showdown between the titular protagonist and Lord Foul the Despiser, which should have been epic, to one bordering upon the ridiculous. Indeed, I would have to look to David Eddings' reductio ad absurdum—in which the evil god Torak is defeated, more or less, by (Bel)Garion taunting him with the fact that Ye'll never be loved, gasb...more

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Jul 08, 2008 Katilian rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: library, fantasy

These books were a reread, although I was a teenager when I first encountered them and didn't remember too much of the plot. Honestly, I have admiration for the concept of this series more than I have liking for the actual books. On the one hand, you have a main character who is a complete jackass--probably the first antihero that I ever encountered, now that I think about it. It's not that he doesn't have a reason to be a jackass; he is, after all, battling leprosy. It's that he doesn't do it w...more

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Mar 29, 2008 Dr M rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Stephen Donaldson's epic The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever doubtlessly belong among the classics of fantasy literature, and at least among fantasy readers of my own age, they are considered part of what you are expected to have read. Now I finally have.

It begins well, with the unlikely protagonist Thomas Covenant -- a best-selling author fallen victim to leprosy who is thrown into a parallel world -- arriving in the Land, a place that cannot possibly exist and which Covenant refus...more Stephen Donaldson's epic The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever doubtlessly belong among the classics of fantasy literature, and at least among fantasy readers of my own age, they are considered part of what you are expected to have read. Now I finally have.

It begins well, with the unlikely protagonist Thomas Covenant -- a best-selling author fallen victim to leprosy who is thrown into a parallel world -- arriving in the Land, a place that cannot possibly exist and which Covenant refuses to take seriously. The Land is introduced to us as a mystic, magic and half-intangible place, setting a melancholy mood that is very appealing to me. However, as the story of the first book unfolds, the Land begins to take on the shape of any fantasy world in the tradition of Tolkien. There are points where the similarities between the Land and Tolkien's Middle Earth are on the verge of plagiarism. Such dismissals are highly unfair, however, because firstly the similarities are mostly in the "literary props" used by Donaldson to tell the story of the character of Thomas Covenant, and secondly because Donaldson clearly builds on his own ideas. Stephen Donaldson is not telling the story of the Ring of power. The white gold ring, the Staff of Law, the Illearth Stone, and indeed the entire Land itself are only the backdrop to the story of Thomas Covenants inner struggles.

The underlying idea for the story is good and original, but unfortunately any good idea has to be transformed into prose for a book to be written and read, and Donaldson is not quite up to the challenge. There are many points that may be discussed, but in order not to repeat Donaldson's principal mistake and make my own telling too long, I will just mention those things that matter most: The story is rather long and slow at many points and of rather average quality, but here and there are a few chapters that are simply brilliant, where all of a sudden Donaldson's flowery, unwieldy and long-winded language suddenly works. The key feature of Covenant's character is his disbelief in the reality of the Land. Unfortunately Donaldson won't let his reader share this unbelief, but rather goes on to tell his story from points of view that make sense only if the reader decides that the Land is really real, and not a figment of Covenant's imagination. This ruins the illusion for me, and makes Covenant a rather less interesting anti-hero. Over all, character development, while present, doesn't always match the pace of the story. This all boils down to two things: the story is much too long, and it is told in a rather too fancy language, which seems contrived rather than poetic.

These books might have been brilliant if Donaldson had made the story one third of the length, and if he had allowed himself a somewhat more conversant English. If you are a fantasy fan, then by all means do read these classic books, but if you are just looking for a good piece of fantasy, then I'd suggest taking a look at for example Ursula K. LeGuin's stories about Earthsea instead.(less)

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Jan 13, 2009 Saga rated it 4 of 5 stars

Probably not the best fantasy book out there, but certainly different in an interesting way. I picked it up after reading somewhere that the main character is not the usual shiny hero type, but, as it turned out, a half-mad leper sometimes so arrogant you want to smack him. But that is the point. As the Chosen One Thomas Covenant is a Stu of sorts, but also human enough with all his flaws and madness that the reader can feel actual sympathy towards him.

I'm giving minus points to this book due t...more

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Jan 28, 2008 Dantalion64 rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Great, amazing books. Turns romantic, sylvan fantasy on its ear. Many people complain about these books because it moves slowly, or because the main character is reprehensible. The only thing I can say is “Deal.” When you have a series of books centering on the salvation of a lost and embittered man, he’s not going to start out being a nice guy! If you want your fantasy heroes to be handsome, valorous, strong, and virtuous, go re-read Tolkien. These books are not about saving the world from evil...more

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Feb 18, 2013 Matthew Barrett rated it 3 of 5 stars

If you don't know what these books are about, Thomas Covenant is a modern leper who has lost his wife and most everything else. After an accident, he finds himself in "The Land", a land of fantasy creatures and people threatened by Lord Foul (the names in these books are not that original). Thomas' wedding ring is supposedly a powerful artifact to combat Lord Foul. But Thomas believes it's all in his head and doesn't think his choices matter. The people all believe in him, but he doesn't want th...more

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Dec 26, 2012 W.M. Driscoll rated it 3 of 5 stars

Stephen R. Donaldson's solid world-behind-the-world fantasy turn tells the story of an at times repugnant but pitiable anti-hero, Thomas Covenant, a successful writer who is stricken by primary Hansen's disease (leprosy) and is abandoned by his wife and society at large. Almost immediately upon meeting him, we see our anti-hero rape a teenage girl, refuse to help defenseless people put upon by a great evil and impose himself on a terrified and repulsed community, and that's just in the first par...more

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Nov 11, 2012 Chrystal Hays rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read this in high school, and it made quite an impression.

I liked it very much. It has big bones, like Tolkein's work, but is more gritty, more morally complex.

The main character is a strong anti-hero (something I had not encountered much before), deeply flawed, and the structure of the alter-universe lends itself well to the notion of a free-will world.

Like a darker, infinitely more grown-up cousin of The Chronicles of Narnia, this lends itself well to discussion of theology. However, it s...more

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Aug 07, 2012 John rated it 3 of 5 stars

These books are difficult for me to rate. The rating system is based on whether or not I "liked" it. Well, Donaldson's "Sense of Life" is very, very different than mine and his universe is a bit "malevolent". (My friend's will understand the specific terminology) So, it is tricky to properly express how much I "liked" it in one-dimensional terms.

However, Donaldson is a master storyteller and wordsmith. His prose is rich, vivid and captivating. The world, characters and events he portrays are ent...more

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Jun 16, 2012 Matthew Lippart rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-sci-fi

As a kid, this was my favorite fantasy series, bar none. Thomas Covenant is one of the coolest characters I have ever read. He was the first "anti hero" type dude I can remember, and the whole series (there are three in this first compilation, all available separately as well) reads like a screed against the tropes created by Lord of the Rings. I don't want to go into the plot too much here, but what I loved about this book is how it turned fantasy on it's head. In the mind of the main character...more

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Mar 06, 2012 Jack rated it 5 of 5 stars

Existentialist fantasy.
Cleverly written.
Brutal and dark.

That's all you really need to know before tackling these novels. That and the fact that this is one of the finest trilogy's ever penned, period.

At a surface level, these fantasy novels would appear as nothing out of the ordinary - outcast get's cast off into a fantasy world, is the only one who can save the land, is destined to destroy great evil threatening it yada yada. But Thomas Covenant is a bitter leper, and refuses to acknowledge...more Existentialist fantasy.
Cleverly written.
Brutal and dark.

That's all you really need to know before tackling these novels. That and the fact that this is one of the finest trilogy's ever penned, period.

At a surface level, these fantasy novels would appear as nothing out of the ordinary - outcast get's cast off into a fantasy world, is the only one who can save the land, is destined to destroy great evil threatening it yada yada. But Thomas Covenant is a bitter leper, and refuses to acknowledge the land a real because to do so would lead to the end of his own sanity...

It is this manipulation of fantasy conventions that Donaldson employs to creative a novel of intricate paradoxes and intelligent commentaries on how we deal with pain in our lives - and the cost dwelling on our misfortunes. Thomas Covenant is a despicable character, but his plight, and more importantly the lands is a compelling one.

Of course, all this wouldn't matter if the story was weak. Lord Foul's Bane (the first of the trilogy) falters a little in this department, it lingers to long on certain aspects, and Covenant is frustrating to the point of wanting to make you throw the book across the room. But it is worth persisting, because the two novels that follow (The Illearth War, The Power that Preserves) are incredible. The scope and charters really come into their own - far from the cliche's that they originally appeared to be. Quite frankly, some of the moments in these two books surpass almost anything else I have ever read, their passion is truly inspiring. The battle scenes that fill the books are also worth mentioning, unique and well written, they surpass many of their peers, putting great wars like those in Lord of the Rings to shame.

However, this may not be for everyone. As I said, the first book is weak compared the rest of the trilogy and contains a scene near the start so repulsive that it might deter some readers from persisting. Furthermore, Donaldson's operatic style and elaborate language might also annoy some. Finally, the brutality may be just too much for some readers, at it's darkest moments it will leave you feeling gutted in ways that other fantasy books skimpily don't.

In a genre full of happy endings, loveable heroes, simplistic plots and themes no deeper than good and evil "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant" sticks out like a sore thumb. It transcends it's genre, and firmly places itself amongst the ranks of one of the greatest series ever written. It might turn some readers off but there is no denying this is nothing short of a masterpiece. (less)

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Jul 19, 2011 Doug0915 rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

So this is a review of the Audio Book, which was unabridged by Scott Brick who also was part of the ensemble who did the Ender's game and Ender's Shadow books within the Ender Universe.

It had been about 25 years since reading the first Chronicles and I had forgotten just how good these books are.

First on stories themselves followed by the audiobook.

Covenant is the ultimate Anti-hero. There are some that come close (Croaker in Glen Cooks the Black company series) but nothing quite as low. Quite...more So this is a review of the Audio Book, which was unabridged by Scott Brick who also was part of the ensemble who did the Ender's game and Ender's Shadow books within the Ender Universe.

It had been about 25 years since reading the first Chronicles and I had forgotten just how good these books are.

First on stories themselves followed by the audiobook.

Covenant is the ultimate Anti-hero. There are some that come close (Croaker in Glen Cooks the Black company series) but nothing quite as low. Quite simply Covenant in the first three novels is nothing short of a class A ass hole. He's damaged severely by his illness...mentally and he does mental jujitsu to make sense of what is happening to him.

But....the character is the basis for the entire series and touches on some very basic questions concerning the nature of reality and ethics which is a hell of a lot more than a lot of modern typical hack and slash fantasy. If you have not read or listened to it I HIGHLY RECOMMEND it. Get past the first 50 pages in the first book "Lord Foul's Bane", stick it out and look at the situation from the perspective of the main character. You HAVE to look at it that way because he is just as befuddled as to what the hell is going on as you are, otherwise it's easy after 30 or so pages to chuck the book across the room.....DON'T DO IT.

Now...as for the Audio book...

It's amazing how many people disregard audio books. This is probably because up until recently for the most part they were dry recitals. Fact of the matter is, an audio book is essentially an audio performance. Qualitatively it's not the same as reading. You would no more think that two different productions of Shakespere were such that if you saw one you would not want to see another than you would an audiobook vs reading (yes, audio is closer to reading somewhat but my point still stands).

I was first exposed to Scott Brick after listening to the ENTIRE catalogue of the Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow series of books by Orson Scott Card. Scott does..well a simply incredible job. I was curious as to how well he would be able to pull off the persona of Thomas Covenant and quite frankly I can't imagine Covenant sounding like anything else after the listen.

Hope that helps

And yes...I said almost NOTHING about the actual Plot except it's about some guy named "Thomas Covenant". That is as it should be. If I said anything about it it would ruin it. :)(less)

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Aug 01, 2007 Todd rated it 5 of 5 stars

The entire Chronicles by Donaldson is one of my all-time favorites. Such a fascinating concept, to give us a main character who is not heroic but must in the end redeem the sacrifices made on his behalf. Out of all the fantasy I've read I think Donaldson is the best writer I've come across in the genre.

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May 03, 2012 Jimmi Zito rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

I cannot say enough good things about this series. From beginning to end the series does not disappoint. I am looking forward to the conclusion of the series.

A word of caution though. This is a dark series, and it is extremely hard to read at times. It will make you angry, I mean really angry. This is not just a story of one man against evil, this is a story about redemption. The main character again, and again tries to overcome and make-up for unspeakable acts of violence that he himself has pe...more

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Feb 21, 2012 Karen rated it 5 of 5 stars

If I could give this series of 6 books (I am including the following trilogy) a great many more stars - I would. I first read these when I was 18, first year at college, in hospital for an appendectomy, needed something to read, as a treat my parents got me these - well the first three anyway. I have loved them ever since and have reread them nearly as many times as I have Jane Eyre (yes I know, that's a strange combination). I love Thomas - I love that he is flawed and selfish and horrible at t...more

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Sep 24, 2012 Hebe (The English Student) rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fantasy fans, philosophers

Recommended to Hebe (The English Student) by: Dad

Shelves: sf-and-fantasy

This is the story of a leper, Thomas Covenant, who finds himself in a fantastical world called, in a brilliant display of originality, the Land. It is threatened by a being who essentially epitomises pure evil, and Covenant is called upon to save it.
Sound familiar? Yes, it's a fairly typical plot for a fantasy novel. The Land is a typical fantasy world remarkably like Middle-Earth, with intelligent horses, wizards with staffs (staves?), a powerful ring and hopeless Quests with a capital Q.
Howev...more This is the story of a leper, Thomas Covenant, who finds himself in a fantastical world called, in a brilliant display of originality, the Land. It is threatened by a being who essentially epitomises pure evil, and Covenant is called upon to save it.
Sound familiar? Yes, it's a fairly typical plot for a fantasy novel. The Land is a typical fantasy world remarkably like Middle-Earth, with intelligent horses, wizards with staffs (staves?), a powerful ring and hopeless Quests with a capital Q.
However, what is untypical about the book is Covenant's response to the Land. He believes it's a dream, although, to be entirely fair, he doesn't always act as if it's a dream. Never mind, I'm not going to get hung up on that, because the premise is an interesting one when it comes to morality. If you're in a dream, do you have responsibility for the choices you make? Can you commit any crime - because, after all, it's not really real? These are interesting questions that you don't often see in fantasy, which is a shame, because fantasy is best placed to explore them.
As for me, I'm inclined to believe the Land a dream, primarily because it is so much like Middle-Earth. If it were a dream, you could reasonably expect it to be like Middle-Earth, because Covenant, being a writer, has almost certainly read his Tolkien, and even if he hasn't, he would probably have a good idea of what Middle-Earth is like; so you might almost expect him to dream a typical fantasy universe rather than something entirely new. Also, the story (I won't call it a novel, because it's actually three novels in one) often features dreamlike ridiculousness - there's a race called the Ramen, for instance (like the chicken dish) - which you wouldn't expect to find in a fantasy world that is supposed to exist.
Well, this is a very persuasive interpretation, but it falls down on one point: we see things that Covenant doesn't. If the Land were a dream, things couldn't exist without Covenant seeing them, so we would never get to experience, for instance, the great battle of Garotting Deep in book 2, The Illearth War. So we know that the Land exists while Covenant doesn't, which, I feel, alienates us from him. It also reads like Donaldson meant it to be a dream, especially at the end, which feels like a battle within Covenant. With all this in mind - inconsistent action on the part of the protagonist, silly names, impossible changes of perspective and a change of mind from the author - you'd think it was just a very bad fantasy novel with a promising premise.
However, I'm giving it four stars because, on an emotional level, I really enjoyed it. The Land, for all its similarity to Tolkien, is genuinely engaging, with mirthful Giants, musical magic and splendid cities; Covenant's plight as a leper brought a lump to my throat more than once; and it's very dramatic, all last stands and courageous sacrifice. And I also liked the intellectual challenge: not just a fantasy novel, but a fantasy novel that asks questions. Not perfect in its detail, but well worth a read.
For more reviews see www.theenglishstudent.blog.com (less)

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Nov 02, 2012 Amoebot rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: No one, ever.

Shelves: fantasy, horrible

At first, I thought this book was going to be pretty interesting. It started out well enough, I guess. I was willing to look past the main character's whininess because he was in a pretty tough situation, and a little whininess was understandable, given his circumstances. The story starts out well for the first few pages, but it is all downhill from there.

When the author has the main character (view spoiler) and then tries to turn it in...more

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Sep 17, 2011 Jonathan rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fantasy readers, role players

I really enjoyed this trilogy. Thomas Covenant is a leper and failing author who was recently divorced and left to die alone on a farm. However, life takes a serious detour when he discovers the war raging against the earth. He struggles to understand the magnitude and ramifications of this ongoing battle of good versus evil, but is constantly confronted with himself.

I would have given a higher rating, but the author is often hard to read because of his overuse of similes. I began reading the se...more

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May 09, 2012 Robert rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: _owndont, _reviewed

“Part of him wanted to weep... but his purpose was rigid within him. He felt he could not bend to gentleness without breaking.”

And part of me wanting to dive out a window. This was one of the least satisfying, uninspired and ponderous series Ive had the misfortune and stubbornness to slog through. Anti -hero's should be written in a way that the reader developes some shred of empathy or understanding for, otherwise you're left with a story centered around a character that you don't give a damn a...more

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Sep 20, 2010 Caitlin rated it 4 of 5 stars

I am not too familiar with the fantasy genre. I have not read "Harry Potter," or "Lord of the Rings." But this fantasy series, series 1 and 2, is excellent. It is compelling, well written and realisitic in the sense that the creatures aren't too fantastic. I don't know how to explain it. The setting and plot are fantastic, but the way Covenant thinks and his experiences have a realistic, rather than dream quality to them. It is hard to read about an anti-hero, but stick with this one because the...more

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May 10, 2011 Mathew Bridle rated it 4 of 5 stars

When Vamplit Publishing offered to take on my book they likened my style to Stephen Donaldson Author of the Thomas Covenant Chronicles and others. Now I have never heard of Stephen Donaldson so that meant little to me. I have now however acquainted myself with the author’s work and stand perplexed. Does my publisher really think that I right like the creator of Thomas Covenant?

Some people do not like The Thomas Covenant Chronicles because of the self-pitying angry anti-hero. I for one do. The wr...more

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Mathew Bridle Lord Foul’s Bane
When Vamplit Publishing offered to take on my book they likened my style to Stephen Donaldson Author of the Thomas Covenant Chronicles...more
Apr 25, 2011 12:59pm

Apr 19, 2011 Richard Benoit rated it 1 of 5 stars

When I first read all the glowing reviews for this series, I thought I had found a winner. I purchased all of the first three books of the initial trilogy. I assumed with so many great recommendations I couldn't go wrong. Boy was I wrong! The hero?, Thomas Covenant ( a leper), whines, cries and rages his way thru page after page after page. Covenant is one of the most despicable characters I have ever come upon. A quarter of the way into the book a young, innocent girl of 16 tries to befriend Co...more

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Aug 05, 2010 Tessa rated it 5 of 5 stars

I am one of those who love love love this series, and I think one of the reasons is that it is so dense and unappealing. We don't like the main character, but we're not meant to, we can't really understand the Land because of barriers put up and it's inherent strangeness but then there are the parts that linger, the phrases and ideas, you find yourself mouthing along as Foamfollower repeats "joy is in the ears that hear" or Mhoram's dread declaration that "in dreams i hear him laughing"

the story...more I am one of those who love love love this series, and I think one of the reasons is that it is so dense and unappealing. We don't like the main character, but we're not meant to, we can't really understand the Land because of barriers put up and it's inherent strangeness but then there are the parts that linger, the phrases and ideas, you find yourself mouthing along as Foamfollower repeats "joy is in the ears that hear" or Mhoram's dread declaration that "in dreams i hear him laughing"

the story is reasonably simple, following a bizarre altercation with a beggar Covenant is knocked down by a police car, but wakes up in a place called the Land where a shadowy ominous figure gives him a message, either you can help me now and I'll attack you in 49 years, giving you plenty of time to prepare and still lose, or you can be defeated now by this lesser evil.
Covenant believes the whole thing to be a dream at first but later maintains that the Land cannot be real even when it's determined to prove otherwise. But one thing Donaldson never does is actually say whether or not the Land is real or a figment of Covenant's authorial imagination. The Land wants him not to experience guilt, because dear god does he feel guilty for everything, including at one point walking on grass, but to accept that just because he is ill that he is not powerless.
The first time you read it it's about the story and you want to slap Covenant and shout at him and say look at the world you're allowing to be destroyed.
The second time it's about the twists you missed the first time, Lord Foul's sneaky machinations and the Ravers, the desolation of the Bloodguard "womanless, ascetic, and old" and the slow desperation of the Lords, even when you understand Covenant's enforced antipathy.
The third time it's about the language, the way he fits words together, although I'll be the first to admit he often uses $10 words when something simple would be just as effective, there is a scene about being left untransmogrified that had me scrabbling for my dictionary, and feeling cheated. It's Elena's "look of apocalypse" and the "sense of wrongness" and "joy is in the ears that hear,"
I know why people hate it, I'm not the world's biggest fan of the second series, finding it inferior to this one, and I'm holding off on the third until it's finished, but for once it's not a fantasy book about a perfect hero, or Tolkien and his trees, it's a world we feel the lack of when we close the book.

i think it's best to let the book sell itself

" "We have beauty, too. We call it 'scenery'"

"'Scenery.'" Mhoram echoed. "The word is strange to me--but I do not like the sound."

Covenant felt oddly shaken, as if he has just looked over his shoulder and found himself standing too close to a precipice. "It means that beauty is something extra, " he rasped. "It's nice, but we can live without it."

"Without?" Mhoram's gaze glittered dangerously.

And from behind him Foamfollower breathed in ashtonishment, "Life without beauty? Ah, my friend! How do you resist despair?""(less)

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Jan 24, 2009 James rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

I haven't read much fantasy literature but I'm glad I read this trilogy. The entire trilogy by Donaldson is one of my all-time favorites. After an accident Covenant enters a magical Land (possibly in his own mind) where he is healthy again and is considered a hero destined to defeat an evil lord. Covenant struggles to believe the world is real and tries to prove it is not, while against his will he does take upon himself the role of defeating The Despiser.
The story takes place in a fantasy worl...more

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Sep 25, 2012 Gerardo rated it 4 of 5 stars

Heard once that Donaldson wrote the first book to show someone that "real", "important" philosophy can be written as fantasy.
The books are definitely dense. Read a review that said "You need to read it with a dictionary by you", which is definitely true. Donaldson's use of English is amazing, and it's very educational.
Very interesting, but you'll have to persevere through some sections. Keep at it, it gets good as it goes in spite of some hard-to-follow sections.

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Nov 04, 2010 Anthony Sherman rated it 1 of 5 stars

One of the dryest most boring fantasy books I have ever read. Usually I can find some virtue in a well constructed story but the snivelling cowardly lead left me cold.

Even a cowardly hero can have virtue and build a good story, but this character and the book over all I just could not warm to. Even by the end when I realised that there were another three books in the series I believe my first though was I will be a cold dead corpse before I read that.

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Aug 14, 2012 Tamara rated it 2 of 5 stars

I bought all 3 but only read book one. I am planning to take them all to the used book store before I drop my guard, forget how awful book 1 was, and try book 2. I would hope I don't hate myself enough to continue reading about the most miserable, awful, hateful character I have ever encountered. I don't mean he is a bad guy, there are lots of bad guys I have enjoyed reading about. I mean Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever was probably an accidental shortening of the real title: Thomas Covenant the...more

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Feb 08, 2011 Ice Bear rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

There is a tendency to compare fantasy fiction using Tolkien as a benchmark. Often themes are repeated and the mix of characters similar. However some books mark new ground, and for me, this was one of those series that did so. As often is the case, I found the first triology was the best, even if the last one is not yet ended. If I was to have a sub category of 'books you cant put down and end up reading all night' this is one of them.

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Sep 23, 2010 Mike (the Paladin) rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Run...run far and fast don't get caught in this book! I had to finish the first trilogy (for some reason) once I started, and I was miserable! I picked up the first book in the second trilogy and it was again "Oh woe is me. My life is awful, I dare not believe anything good. I will make everyone around me miserable. I will bemoan my fate constantly no matter what...." I threw it away. A friend recommended another completely different series of books by Mr. Donaldson and said "oh no it's not like...more

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About Stephen R. Donaldson

Stephen Reeder Donaldson is an American fantasy, science fiction and mystery novelist. He earned his bachelor's degree from The College of Wooster and master's degree from Kent State University. He currently resides in New Mexico.

Stephen R. Donaldson was born on the 13th May 1947 in Cleveland, Ohio. His father, James, was a medical missionary and his mother, Ruth, a prosthetist (a person skilled i...more

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Books by Stephen R. Donaldson

Lord Foul's Bane (The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, #1)

The Power That Preserves (The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, #3)

The Illearth War (The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, #2)

The Wounded Land (The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, #1)

White Gold Wielder (The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, #3)

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“Stone and sea are deep in life
Two unalterable symbols of the world
Permanence at rest
And permanence in motion
Participants in the power that remains” — 7 people liked it

“It is wrong to ask for more than you give freely. In this way, we come to resemble what we hate.” — 6 people liked it

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/179033.The_Chronicles_of_Thomas_Covenant_the_Unbeliever?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347947707l/179033.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/179033.The_Chronicles_of_Thomas_Covenant_the_Unbeliever?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever by Stephen R. Donaldson[/url]

The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever (The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever #1-3 omnibus)

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