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

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

3.92 of 5 stars 3.92 · rating details · 8,672 ratings · 116 reviews

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 Convenant, armed with his stunning white gold magic, must battle the evil forces and his own despair...

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Published June 23rd 1997 by Del Rey (first published 1979)

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May 19, 2013 Martin Adil-Smith rated it 2 of 5 stars

The first book in the second Thomas Covenant trilogy is ultimately disappointing.

The writing is, as ever, simply beauitful.
The plot is straightforward, but goes along at a decent pace.
The events of the previous three books are covered well, without overly rehashing or dwelling to much on the past.

So what is wrong?
In the first instance, nothing is new. Covenant is as he always was, despite the passing of ten years, he character has in no way evolved and he has not made any sort of peace with his...more

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May 18, 2013 Dave rated it 4 of 5 stars

*For those who read my reviews, I am re-using the same review for each of the Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. I will include thoughts on all three novels in the one review. Cheers*

People say, all the time, how the second installment in a trilogy is usually the best or the darkest of the three. Donaldson did the "darker" bit in The Illearth War (Book 2 of the first Chronicles). But his second trilogy managed the same thing. Everything that was awesome about The Land in the first trilogy is...more *For those who read my reviews, I am re-using the same review for each of the Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. I will include thoughts on all three novels in the one review. Cheers*

People say, all the time, how the second installment in a trilogy is usually the best or the darkest of the three. Donaldson did the "darker" bit in The Illearth War (Book 2 of the first Chronicles). But his second trilogy managed the same thing. Everything that was awesome about The Land in the first trilogy is corrupted and lost in the second. Even Thomas Covenant seems darker (if that's even possible; I mean, hell, his first reaction to The Land was to rape a 16-year-old).
Anyway, The Second Chronicles are darker. Things have gone bad. Thousands of years have passed.
My first reaction was a narrow-eyed skepticism. I picked up The Wounded Land expecting more of what I'd gotten from the first series, but I immediately saw I would not be getting that. Not exactly, anyway. But as I read on, I found the good things were still there, just as in the story. There were still good people. The things that made The Land magical and fantastical were still there; they were just hidden, buried. I kept reading.
I also didn't like Linden Avery very much. Again, this was because I wanted more of the first series, and she felt like an intruder, a tourist claiming a more personal connection to something I saw as mine. I know, I'm a weirdo. But she grew on me.
It really didn't take long until I was hooked into the new series as deeply as the first. I probably make it sound like I hated the first book, but I totally didn't.
The One Tree might just be my favorite of all 6 (9, I guess, now). I absolutely loved the ship, the traveling, the visiting different places and meeting new and strange friends and enemies (probably why I liked Star Trek, too). I loved Nom. You probably weren't really meant to, but I found the Sandgorgon to be totally badass, with the no-hands and the backwards knees and the unstoppable-ness. His fight with the Haruchai was probably one of the most gripping fight scenes I've read.
And Pitchwife was like Foamfollower only even more endearing for his disability and un-Giantness, which made him all the more Giant-like in the end.
The final novel of the trilogy made me anxious. Not knowing there would be a third trilogy, I saw this as THE FINAL NOVEL, and I knew the story would have to be given a conclusion. Even at that age, I had learned enough to know most great series do not end well. That is to say, the ending given them does not satisfy.
I was wrong, in this case (I've been wrong specifically in this sense several times, but this may have been the first). The story ended in exactly the way it needed to, and I was left feeling vindicated, satisfied, lost, sad, and even a little bit healed.
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May 12, 2013 Jason Olson rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is the first book of the 2nd trilogy. If you could only read one of the books of the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, I would suggest this one.

In the first trilogy, Covenant is at his most dispicable. This series takes place 10 years after his last ordeal, and he has changed quite a bit.

So has the land itself, 4000 years have passed here, and the world is drastically different. I would say the soul of the Thomas Covenant series is the land itself. It is alive, and the people who serve it ar...more This is the first book of the 2nd trilogy. If you could only read one of the books of the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, I would suggest this one.

In the first trilogy, Covenant is at his most dispicable. This series takes place 10 years after his last ordeal, and he has changed quite a bit.

So has the land itself, 4000 years have passed here, and the world is drastically different. I would say the soul of the Thomas Covenant series is the land itself. It is alive, and the people who serve it are both humbled and exhaulted by it. I think most people who really love this series do so because of the land and the people that dwell there.

So, when we see what the world has become in the 2nd trilogy, I think we feel the ache of loss that Covenant feels with each new revelation. This land is now a pretty desolate place. There are no massive armies and lords to defend it. Practically all of its inhabitants serve Lord Foul one way or another. The natural beauty is all but destroyed by the Sun Bane, which is a great creation that never ceases to inspire dread. Donaldson is extremely clever here I think, the land is a character in it's own right in this series, in the 2nd trilogy he has given it another aspect that is equally interesting. More so I think, since the land seems to actively be causing harm to itself and its people, the antithesis of what it was before!

One of the things I really liked about this trilogy was how Thomas Covenant is ready to step up and be a hero. The TC of the 1st series had his reasons for acting the way he did, and in the arc of the whole series it has its place, but if he had not grown as a person in time for the 2nd trilogy, I think it would have become too much to continue. This Thomas Covenant is still a strange bird, but much more acceptable for someone who would like a more typical hero.

Even though Thomas Covenant is no long an anti-hero, I don't think any depth of character is lost. His depth of character never really depended on him being an anti-hero. He was an anti-hero because of the circumstances of his physical and mental condition. The events of the 1st trilogy changed him, and he's had 10 years to reflect on it and make peace with himself. All in all, it makes for a much more enjoyable read than the first trilogy. What can I say, it's more fun this way. He's not a muscle-bound sword wielding hero. But he does possess an awesome power and at last is not afraid to use it when he needs to.

This book also introduces Linden Avery to the series, and in a way, Linden is destined to become an even bigger part of these books than Thomas Covenant is. Fortunately she is a good character with an interesting past. I can't say she is as interesting as TC, but they make a good team.

I doubt anyone will read the blathering reviews I have been putting up here, but this is probably my last 5 star review for the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. The first trilogy was complete and pretty much perfect in my view. I can't really fault the writing, or the character names, or anything else I have heard criticised becuase those concerns meant so little to me. The 1st book of the second trilogy fits in just as perfectly, but the next books, The One Tree and White Gold Wielder are a different story.

Still 5 stars for this one, it was awesome and I have probably read it more than any of the others. (less)

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Oct 15, 2012 Marty Weghorn rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read the first and second trilogies back in the 80s and reread them when I recently discovered yet a third trilogy at the library. "The Wounded Land" is the first entry of the Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant trilogy. In the series, a leper, Thomas Covenant, is magically transported to The Land on several occasions to save it from the evil Lord Foul. Covenant's wedding ring is made of white gold, which doesn't exist in the Land, and so holds supreme magical power...power that could save th...more

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Feb 20, 2012 Zane rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Yet again, a review of the whole trilogy rather than each individual book. No spoilers of the story variety. The gist, for those who want to skip the lengthy review: these three books are more action-packed and immediately engaging than the previous trilogy, and Donaldson continued to hold true to the strengths that made the first novels a pleasure to read.

This trilogy was the better written, for me. More action packed, more events-driven and easier to get into. The horrors being wrought on the...more

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Jun 28, 2010 Mykl rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 with a viable ex...more

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May 30, 2010 Surreysmum rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 1984, fantasy-fiction

[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 woman doctor,...more

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Mar 10, 2011 Michael added it

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 taking ov...more

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Jul 04, 2009 Stephen Hayes rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, our-books

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 books, with Co...more

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Mar 04, 2012 Mark Mitchell rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever is as good as the first. Donaldson is able to successfully resurrect Lord Foul the Despiser, the Three Ravers, and a conflict actually more intense than the one he created the first time. Thomas Covenant has lived ten years longer with his leprosy, and has been able to find success as a writer. He meets Linden Avery, a doctor, and this time, when Covenant is called back to the Land, she accompanies him, and becomes as much a protagonist as...more

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Oct 01, 2012 Daniel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 tying in with the events in the previous books, and keeping the reader's interest in where it's all leading.

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Oct 04, 2011 Lumiens rated it 1 of 5 stars

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 continue such loathin...more

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Sep 01, 2012 Mike rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone

Read in the depths of time... (not quite four thousand years ago, though.)

As I wrote in my brief notes about the 3rd book of the original trilogy, when Donaldson decided to continue writing about the Land and Thomas Covenant, he (and his publisher) were very upfront about it: "The Second Chronicles" bit doesn't try to slip one by you.)

As for the book, at first it was a surprise to see the deterioration of both the protagonist and the Land. The tone of this book (indeed all of the 2nd trilogy) is...more

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Mar 30, 2012 Ken Baumbach rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Covenant set of series is a bit of a conundrum.

Pros: Vivid fantasy land with wondrous scenery and (usually) rich, compelling story.

Cons: The protagonists are hard to care about. Thomas Covenant is crazed most of the time and Linden Avery, well, let's just say she needs to be slapped upside the head. Donaldson tends use too many $10 words that throw the reader out of the story. He also tends to beat us over the head with emotion. Okay, we get that Linden is upset. We don't really need to wall...more

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Nov 11, 2012 David Sullivan rated it 5 of 5 stars

I picked up Lord Foul's Bane, the first book of the first Thomas Covenant series, while trying to recover from my first divorce. At first, the atmosphere seemed unpleasant. But the more that I read on, I came to realize that the image being portrayed strongly resembled my own life. I read on... and on... and became so totally absorbed in the book that I quickly found Stephen R. Donaldson's style and imagery to be something that I strongly related with. Within a matter of months I completed all s...more

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Jul 23, 2010 Henry rated it 3 of 5 stars

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 and setting,...more

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Jul 04, 2011 Mathew Bridle rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 to con...more 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 to control his wild magic. Now though he does display moments of power that are capable of sundering the earth wide open. Through events in his own world he now has a travelling companion who has ‘issues’ of her own not too dissimilar at root to Covenant’s own.
The Wounded Land then, is in reality one seriously long prologue without which the rest of the chronicles would actually collapse into mediocrity. I say this because at the time of writing this review I am well into the next part and enjoying more because of the lengthy intro. There is a lot more subtly to the story’s deeper reaches.
The Land itself is a ruin of its former glory which tears at the heart of Thomas Covenant driving him to restore that land that he feels responsible for destroying. A vile and corrupted sun keeps the under its bane shifting between ravenous forms. The fierce heat that desecrates: the verdant sun that enforces wild growth, and the pestilent sun the withers life to a diseased pulp. Revelstone is in the hands of a Raver feeding the Sunbane with the blood of the people.
Covenant knows that the only hope is to restore the Law, to do that he will need to re-make the Staff of Law and thus the quest is born. A quest that will take him from one side of the land to the other and back again until at last he reaches the sea and ship-full of giants seeking to cure the ill of the earth.
So, as you can see there is a lot to get through in a single book, so fittingly, Stephen Donaldson does not try to cram it all in. Instead he spreads it out over a whole saga and digs deep into the psyche of Covenant, Linden, and a whole host of giants.
In short I found this book to be the best so far, not because of the story but because of its expanding detail and greater depth.
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Nov 17, 2012 Robert Day rated it 4 of 5 stars

I seem to remember this being a dark and depressing fantasy about someone transposed from the world as we know it, where he has a corrosive medical condition, to another world or dimension or mad dream where he makes very slow and torturous progress towards completing a quest or saving the world or something like that. Six books I read like this (2 trilogies) and guess what - I've bought the first book of the third trilogy.

I'll probably read through this trilogy too thinking the same thing as be...more

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Mar 25, 2013 Brian Schwartz rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction-fantasy

Donaldson gives us a whole new Land with this second trilogy. Juxtaposed against the Land as we knew it in the first trilogy, this is a vile place. Blood is shed to commit even small acts of survival. The weak are killed and bled so that their friends and neighbors can survive. Hostages are taken to Revelstone – once an icon of love of earthlore – to be bled to feed the Sunbane.

While Donaldson wrote from a few points of view in the first trilogy, it was clear that Covenant was the focal point of...more Donaldson gives us a whole new Land with this second trilogy. Juxtaposed against the Land as we knew it in the first trilogy, this is a vile place. Blood is shed to commit even small acts of survival. The weak are killed and bled so that their friends and neighbors can survive. Hostages are taken to Revelstone – once an icon of love of earthlore – to be bled to feed the Sunbane.

While Donaldson wrote from a few points of view in the first trilogy, it was clear that Covenant was the focal point of the story. In the second trilogy, we get a sense that Linden Avery is a greater focal point than is Covenant. She has earth sense. It is she that perceives and it is she that can reveal knowledge. Covenant, perhaps because he’s dead back in the real world – has not these abilities anymore.

Donaldson tries to make Linden an emotional cripple the equivalent of Covenant in the first trilogy and doesn’t quite get there. Yes, she is sullen, emotionally detached from other people, and excessively deliberative. But she lacks Covenant’s status as an anti-hero. There’s no reason to dislike Linden as there was with Covenant. Therefore, she is a weaker hero in this trilogy (so far) than was Covenant in the last.

There is a profound change to Thomas Covenant’s character in the second trilogy. He is much more proactive. In the first trilogy, everyone else laid out the plans and decided what was to be done. Covenant was always passive; going where he was told to go and complaining about his plight all the way.

In THE WOUNDED LAND, it is he who is decisive, dictates action, and fights. Donaldson brings forward this transformation admirably. We learn how much Covenant has come to love the Land since he left it ten years before and how he has come to love those with whom he fought for its safety. The transformation of Covenant from a pitiful whiner (albeit effective anti-hero) into a decisive, heroic figure, is the most remarkable trait of the new trilogy.

Instead of transporting us back to the real world at the end of this book, we stay in the Land. This is good. While the first trilogy was superb in its execution, these seams in the story were a distraction. It is apparent that our entire story is going to take place in the Land – or at least in the world in which it exists.

The next book, THE ONE TREE covers the search for the One Tree. It is aptly titled, The One Tree. In it, we will learn about other lands exist outside the Land and we will learn of the source of the Staff of Law – and Vain’s purpose. (less)

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May 31, 2009 Saga rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

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 whether he'll mes...more 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 whether he'll mess it all up or actually manages to perform something good. Even till the fourth book, Covenant cannot fully master his powers, which leaves room for character development. While I often wanted to smash his teeth in in the first two-three books, he gradually manages to become softer and more sympathetic, and in this installment felt like much, MUCH less of a bloody selfish coward. Seriously looking forward to the continuity.

2. Giants. FINALLY someone depicts them as the wise, long-living characters they're supposed to be in the older Norse-Finnic mythologies, instead of the usual lumbering oafs too thick to separate left from right. While Saltheart couldn't be precisely called 'handsome', First of the Search (giantess) is at least described as beautiful. According to Kalevipoeg and other relevant folklore, the Nordic giants were 'the fairest of men', and I've truly wanted to see someone upholding this standard. I was slightly hopeful with Harry Potter when Madame Maxime emerged, but this soon turned into annoyance and yawning. Yup, moar of those damn gruesome, low-browed bumblers.

3. Language. Having a mother tongue a zillion times more complex and colorful than English, I often get bored with the latter's simpleness. I seriously don't understand this ongoing trend about calling anything even minutely out-of-ordinary 'dictionary raep'. In my opinion, that's just an indirect way of telling, "Whoa, that's, like, a big, scary word, like, jus' thar. I dun wanna, like, learn nuffin', like, new! Them dik-shu-naa-rees is fer, like, like, pussies." No wonder so many people in, ahem, a certain country don't even bother to learn to spell their one and only native tongue properly.

When I read, I want my brain to get a little bit of exercise. One such means is discovering new words and thus extending my vocabulary. Donaldson's frequent similes can get tiresome, but he at least has the guts to transform your gray, mundane English into something a dash more animated. It's lamentably hard to find authors that create works interesting in both ways: language and plot. I've ravened most of Tolkien, Pratchett, Waltari, and some other rare writers capable of this, and hopefully have found something of the sort now. Well, I'm not through yet, but so far I haven't headdesked or gnashed my teeth. Much. :P

It has its Sues, but so does A Song of Ice and Fire. Guess you never can get fully rid of them.

On the topic of colorful language: nope, don't recommend me Paolini. I don't want to find out once more how exquisitely, elaborately slanted Arya's sculpted eyebrows are. :P(less)

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Feb 12, 2008 Swissmiss rated it 2 of 5 stars

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...more 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 this fantasy.

Reading it now, though, with more reading experience under my belt (and 4 years of college English courses as well as a Master's degree in Linguistics), I cannot say that I was able to duplicate my original experience.

The worldbuilding is still impressive, the vast mythology carried over not only from the first trilogy but from the intricately worked-out history which goes back millenia and is, yes, reminiscent of Tolkien in its detail and depth. The author doesn't go the standard (and cliched) way of elves and dwarves, either, but has invented his own races and creatures, including Ravers, Demondim, and Coursers.

But look at this:

"The figure's eyes were like fangs, carious and yellow; and they raged venomously out of the flames. Their malignance cowed Linden like a personal assault on her sanity, her conception of life. They were rabid and deliberate, like a voluntary disease, telic corruption." (p. 60)

That's two words that exist only in a thesaurus, and three similes in as many sentences. You don't even need to search for passages like this. Open up to any page, and there will be six words you've never heard before, minimum, and so many similes you begin to wonder if anything has any actual attributes, or only exists as a comparison to something else.

That's point one that all but ruined the reading experience for me. Point two is, the utter uselessness and inertia of the main character, Thomas Covenant. I remember this bothering me the first time I read the books as well: Why doesn't he just do something? Why does he keep moaning about not being able to do anything? Why does he wander from one place to another, seemingly just to see the sights? It has something to do with him being a leper, and thus unable to take charge or have any influence on anything, because if he does, he will corrupt it. I never really understood this point, and it made the book feel like moving through molasses.

"Covenant's legs quavered as if they could no longer bear the weight of who he was. But he braced himself on the rocks, remained erect like a witness and a demand."

I just had to throw that out there, as it illustrates both Covenant's inaction and the omnipresence of those infernal similes.

Finally, everyone has pretty much the same character traits: serious, dramatic, and grim. There's very little to differentiate anyone, other than their assigned role (guide, female with sensory overload, bodyguard). This means that the most interesting character, and the only one whose fate interested me, was the mute, black orc-like creature, Vain. He never spoke, and in (not) doing so, distinguished himself from all the pathetic speech-making of the other characters, who all spoke in the same urgent, impassioned voice, as if delivering their lines at a staging of Shakespeare-in-the-park. See, now he's got me doing it with the similes.

All in all, a disappointing experience. (less)

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Oct 15, 2010 D-day rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 Thomas Cov...more

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Sep 13, 2012 Sue Thoroughman rated it 4 of 5 stars

Well-written, good character development but depressing! And Thomas Covenant, the main character, is really irritating with his anger and self-castigation. Half the time I just wanted to smack him. I have to say, though...I kept reading! Both trilogies, though I haven't yet read the third trilogy in the series. I don't think I will after all this time, since my main recollection is how irritated I felt with Covenant. Still...I kept reading through SIX books!

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Apr 02, 2011 Zachary Harper rated it 3 of 5 stars

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 perverting good...more

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Feb 16, 2013 Daryoosh rated it 5 of 5 stars

WOOOOT! The Wounded Land is the first book the Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. I really enjoyed the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, and I was worried that this book would not live up to my expectations. To my great surprise, it did! Not only did the writing improve from the first series, but the story is just as engaging. Donaldson even continues to expand my vocabulary with words I have never heard of. Donaldson really likes the word "roynish" (so do I). I recommend this book to anyone who...more

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Jul 10, 2012 Abhinav Neelam rated it 4 of 5 stars

It's a very slow paced book and thus not for everyone. Interesting, its slow pace derives not from too much atmospheric description, but rather from a minute and frequent analysis of the state of mind of the protagonists. I usually advocate a describe-the-actions, leave-their-state-of-mind-for-us-to-work-out approach, but in this case, it sort of worked for me. It was still tortuous reading, and I still maintain that over-description is no substitute for a great story, but all that slow boil in...more

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Jan 07, 2009 Darlene rated it 4 of 5 stars

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.

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Sep 12, 2012 The Amazing Teacher Mr. Walsh Walsh rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Arguably the best epic fantasy since JRR Tolkein (with apologies to Roger Zelazny and the Prices of Amber series), this is the first in the second trilogy of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever (read the other trilogy first to appreciate this trilogy). However, I must note that it starts off with a violent act and should only be read after your parents have signed off on the mature themes.

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Sep 19, 2011 Keith Davis rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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.

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Jul 04, 2012 Matthew Lippart rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-sci-fi

first book of the second trilogy, and for those who read my first review, my thoughts are much the same. Covenant is a much less bitter (but perhaps more helpless because of it) character, but the sweet, sweet rage position is filled by Linden Avery, a woman who gets sucked into The Land whilst trying to save Covenant in the "real world". If you liked the first books, you'd like these. this one takes place thousands of years after the original story, which provide3s many cool moments for changes...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)

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

The One Tree (The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, #2)

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

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