Four thousand years have passed since Covenant first freed the Land from the devastating grip of Lord Foul and his minions. But he is back, and Con...
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reviews
Jun 28, 2010
Mykl
rated it: 
Went back and forth on whether to give three or four stars. Portions of the book did lag and I skimmed sections which I rarely do without feeling as though I lost out on the story. Character of Vain did not add much to the story but I will give Donaldson a chance to further develop that particular story line in future books ( If not this would be a significant flaw in the story)
I do appreciate that Donaldson did not take the easy way out and did transform the culture of the Land wi More...
I do appreciate that Donaldson did not take the easy way out and did transform the culture of the Land wi More...
May 30, 2010
Surreysmum
rated it: 
[These notes were made in 1984:]. Bk. 1 of the Second Chronicles. The title says it all - or just about. This is not the Land delightful to the imagination that we encountered in the first series, but a frightful and horrible permutation of it, under the influence of what is called the Sunbane, a work of (guess who?) Lord Foul. It is ten years later in the "real world," 4000 years later in the Land, and the principal change is that this time Covenant has unwittingly dragged along a
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Mar 10, 2011
The Wounded Land by Stephen R. Donaldson is a very good book if you’re a fan of fiction. The book explains the characters well and explains the surroundings of the characters well too. Sometimes the book is hard to follow with all of the strange words for the Land and all of the different events happening.
The majority of this book is set in a place called the Land which is kind of an alternate reality. The Land was a beautiful place that was full of life. Lord Foul has tried many times tak More...
The majority of this book is set in a place called the Land which is kind of an alternate reality. The Land was a beautiful place that was full of life. Lord Foul has tried many times tak More...
Jul 04, 2009
Stephen
rated it: 
Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever is back for another trilogy. Donaldson writes a good story, which manages to hold one's interest, perhaps because of the mcguffin of different suns, so that for the first half of the book one wonders what is going to happen next. When it seems that one is at last going to get an explanation, however, it turns out to be disappointing, and as bewildering as if there has been no explanation at all.
But Donaldson's style grates even more after three long bo More...
But Donaldson's style grates even more after three long bo More...
Oct 04, 2011
Lumiens
rated it: 
I've read thousands of books in English and Spanish and I put this book down after reading all but 80 pages and I refuse to pick it up again. Why? The self loathing that the characters express got old fast.
In the first trilogy, I understand it. Main character has a sickness that stains his soul, causing him to feel unworthy, causing him to deny feelings. Then, when he is transported to an alternate reality where his feelings overwhelm him he acts like a complete SOB.
But to c More...
In the first trilogy, I understand it. Main character has a sickness that stains his soul, causing him to feel unworthy, causing him to deny feelings. Then, when he is transported to an alternate reality where his feelings overwhelm him he acts like a complete SOB.
But to c More...
Jul 23, 2010
Henry
rated it:
I didn't like this series as much as first, although it is definitely better written, better developed, and better plotted. The fantasy world is more complex and challenging, the characters explore more of it, and the plot contains some mysteries that make you eager to keep reading.
However, it made me realize that a fundamental strength of the first series was its focus on the emotional and philosophical level of the struggle. This focus was aided by the generic nature of the plot a More...
However, it made me realize that a fundamental strength of the first series was its focus on the emotional and philosophical level of the struggle. This focus was aided by the generic nature of the plot a More...
Jul 04, 2011
Mathew
rated it:
Having enjoyed the first Chronicles of Thomas Covenant so much I could not resist diving straight into the second. Within a few pages you soon discover that this chronicles has been written as single story instead of three connected ones. How so? Well, this book does not come to a satisfying conclusion as all three previous did. There is a significant event near to the end of the book but it is not conclusive – no closure.
Thomas Covenant is still rages against himself while still learning t More...
Thomas Covenant is still rages against himself while still learning t More...
May 31, 2009
Saga
rated it:
I've become strangely attracted to this series. Fine, it seemingly started as another Tolkien rip-off with magic rings, faux-Mordor (Mount Thunder... bleh), vargs, a wannabe-Sauron with his hordes of ugly monsters and other tosh, but it soon took its own path. And it didn't turn out bad. I'm too busy to write a novel-length review, but here are some points I enjoy:
1. The main character is an anti-hero. This makes the plot awesomely unpredictable, as the reader cannot be certain wheth More...
1. The main character is an anti-hero. This makes the plot awesomely unpredictable, as the reader cannot be certain wheth More...
Apr 13, 2011
Swissmiss
rated it:
I just... can't believe I liked this so much as a teen. I gave this 4 stars originally, based on my recollection of my impressions from 25 years ago. I remember devouring these stories, and the images and ideas of a land being under the grip of a climate-changing blood curse were so impressive to me that I carried them with me throughout my life. That was the reason I was so excited when I came across this book in someone's give-away pile. I wanted to be impressed again and immerse myself in thi
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Oct 15, 2010
D-day
rated it:
It is 10 years after 'The First Chronicles' and Thomas Covenant has returned to the Land. It has been 4,000 years by the Land's reckoning, and much has changed. The land is plagued by the Sunbane, a corruption of the sun which causes either rainstorms, desertification, putrefaction or unrestrained fertility for days at a time. Summoned with Covenantt to the Land is Linden Avery a doctor in our world with a troubled past.
'The Wounded Land' is the first book of 'The Second Chronicles of Thom More...
'The Wounded Land' is the first book of 'The Second Chronicles of Thom More...
Apr 02, 2011
Zachary
rated it:
I must admit I had rather high expectations. The first trilogy wove an incredibly rich fantasy store deep into a psychological break down of fear and redemption, never really losing a step in its continuous build-up to a final absolute breakdown that managed to convey victory while still being so steeped in defeat.
The start of the second trilogy, however, is far more reaching. Where it succeeds, it tops anything in the first books. The world is terrifying, the complexity of evil perver More...
The start of the second trilogy, however, is far more reaching. Where it succeeds, it tops anything in the first books. The world is terrifying, the complexity of evil perver More...
Jan 07, 2009
Darlene
rated it:
I didn't read the first series but jumped into this one. It is a haunting book that succeeds on several levels. The reader isn't quite sure where all of the story is taking place, in his mind after the accident, in another world or in the world he inhabits. It is not especially easy to read, but I liked it very much. Often, when I see photos of our world today and what we are doing to it, this title comes back as a caption of our madness.
Sep 19, 2011
Keith
rated it:
The Sunbane is probably Donaldson's most interesting idea in the Thomas Covenant series. The way it randomly cycles through rain, drought, fertility, and pestilence result in different effects each time depending on which order they appear in. But if you thought the First Chronicles were bleak, this series starts after the good guys have already been defeated.
Oct 11, 2009
Paul
rated it: 
The second series was even more gripping than the first. At points it did lag somewhat, but the character development left me feeling like I knew exactly what they were thinking, which left the descriptions of their thoughts always intriguing and sometimes startling. I had to read to the bitter end to find out how the various threads resolved themselves. The lesson learned was that without choice, we are powerless. The only real control we have over our lives is the power to make choices between
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Nov 17, 2008
Peter
rated it:
I was tempted to give this four stars, but hesitate--it's probably a 3 1/2. I appreciate the conflict that is present in these series' of books by donaldson. I thought, though, that the conflict was a little more forced in the second chronicles. Covenant has already come to terms with the possible realit/un-reality of the Land, so that conflict is not present--the focus here is more on trusting/not trusting his power, which is interesting but with one less conflict present--there is just less
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Oct 13, 2011
Willis
rated it:
Donaldson resurrects the Thomas Covenant series with a fourth book. Good twist put in about the fantasy world itself becoming corrupted: like a virus that, when it gets into the characters for Good, turns them into evil monsters. Makes Covenant's inner struggles even more poignant. This book makes you want to read the next one.
Jan 16, 2009
Asa
rated it:
How many times can one person come as close to dying as possible without dying? The constant onslaught of horrible things happening gets tiring after a while, as does the frequent use of words I've never seen before. Aside from that, this book is excellently written, with an amazing depth of imagination.
Dec 26, 2008
Valerie
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Sometimes I wonder if I would still enjoy the books I read in High School now. This is one of them, I have a feeling that I would find, as I have when I reread other favorites, that although I've lost part of the stories over time, what stayed with me are the moral underpinnings of the story.
Dec 20, 2011
Daniel
rated it:
Great book, probably the most compelling so far (out of these first 4 books). While the main character still struggles with the fear of his power and the necessity of using it, he seems to be coming to terms with it. WOUNDED LAND does a good job of trying in with the events in the previous books, and keeping the reader's interest in where it's all leading.
Oct 22, 2009
Xopowo
rated it:
I didn't like this series (6 books) for one simple reason: the main character is a depressed whiner who refuses to believe in the fantasy world or his tremendous power. Even if it were all a dream, he should have used his power (for good) instead of being a coward.
Apr 13, 2011
Swissmiss
rated it:
Important note: This rating is for my memory of how much I liked it when I read it as a teenager. I have now re-read it, and as an adult I have given it only 2 stars. I have also provided a more extensive review if you search through my book list a bit.
Jan 26, 2011
Monica!
rated it:
Imagine a series of books that reads like a car crash, where the main character has leprosy and whines all the time and manages to get all the semi-likable characters killed, and you'll have some understanding of what the Thomas Covenant books are all about.
Jul 28, 2011
Daragh
rated it:
I thought a Covenant book couldn't get better than The Illearth War, but he manages to match it and better it. The descriptions of the siege of Revelstone are magnificent - beats the battles of Helm's Deep and Minas Tirith hands down!
Mar 12, 2009
Andrew
rated it:
I loved the second series, being set in a contiguous block of time, deepening the mythos of The Land, full of drama and twists. Many of the characters came across quite flat, but the setting so many years on was entrancing.
Mar 21, 2011
Rick
rated it:
Series is growing on me. Once you understand the concepts of despite vs hope the series becomes enjoyable. With this second trilogy, the story takes an interesting twist and some new concepts to the fantasy genre.
Jan 20, 2010
David
rated it:
I still confess a fascination with the whole idea of the Sun-bane and the way an otherwise relatively standard fantasy realm is twisted out of shape from the consequences of the loss of natural order.
Feb 11, 2008
Mr. Baad
rated it:
This is the first book in the second Thomas Covenant trilogy, and I am hooked! After ten years, Thomas Covenant - along with the doctor Linden Avery - returns to The Land to find that 4,000 years have passed. The Lords, who protected the land from Lord Foul's evil, are long gone, having slowly been defeated by Lord Foul's minions, and now an unnatural power known as the Sunbane wreaks havoc on The Land's people. Throughout the novel, Covenant seeks for a way - using the power of his white gol
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Jun 23, 2011
This was quite enjoyable. There's a nice sense of horror and loss finding that the familiar land from the first series has been turned upside down. Nice sections at Revelstone and in the forest midway there which allow Covenant to understand what is going on.
Dec 06, 2010
Emily
rated it:
I was not at all as impressed with the second trilogy as I was with the first. It seemed much, much whinier and the inhabitants of the Land, and the Land itself, were not nearly as engaging.
Dec 18, 2011
Zenodotus
rated it:
Self-pitying leper is self-pitying. Our tedious and whiny protagonist sets off to find a new staff of plot, armed with an array of plot-vouchers.
