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The Power That Preserves
(The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever #3)
by
"A trilogy of remarkable scope and sophistication."--Los Angeles Times
Twice before Thomas Covenant had been summoned to the strange otherworld where magic worked. Twice before he had been forced to join with the Lords of Revelstone in their war against Lord Foul, the ancient enemy of the Land.
Now he was back--to a Land ravaged by the armies of Lord Foul. The Lords were bes ...more
Twice before Thomas Covenant had been summoned to the strange otherworld where magic worked. Twice before he had been forced to join with the Lords of Revelstone in their war against Lord Foul, the ancient enemy of the Land.
Now he was back--to a Land ravaged by the armies of Lord Foul. The Lords were bes ...more
Mass Market Paperback, 480 pages
Published
October 12th 1987
by Del Rey Books
(first published 1977)
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The second book of the series ended with a fairly bad situation. As a result the last defenders of the Land have almost no hope to win. Their last resort it to try summoning Thomas Covenant yet again; only this time he managed to resist the summons - and for good reasons. Thus High Lord Mhoram must lead the resistance to the onslaught for as long as he can while still hoping for a miracle.
After the first two books I did not expect any kind of action from Covenant - except for the very minor one ...more
After the first two books I did not expect any kind of action from Covenant - except for the very minor one ...more
My reviewing vocabulary is not the strongest. Is it considered "overwritten" when an author takes way too long building up every plot point while simultaneously having too many plot points to begin with? Or is "overwritten" just when a writer uses language that is conspicuously ornate, such as "inanition" when "hunger" will do? Or maybe it could apply to both issues? I'm just trying to figure out the best way to describe the main issues I have upon completing this book. I think overwriting can e
...more
I'm about to move, so I am going through my books and deciding which will come with me and which will ... stay in a local charity shop.
This entire series will soooooooooooooo stay right here. It sure has to be among the worst, most boring and direst fantasy spectacles I have ever had the misfortune to buy and read. I hated this 15 years ago, and my feelings haven't changed. Except that these days I also find it terminally overwritten.
This entire series will soooooooooooooo stay right here. It sure has to be among the worst, most boring and direst fantasy spectacles I have ever had the misfortune to buy and read. I hated this 15 years ago, and my feelings haven't changed. Except that these days I also find it terminally overwritten.
He faltered and his eyes fell. "High Lord, does it come to this? Is this the end for us-for the Land?"
Mhoram put a firm hand on Quaan's shoulder. "No, my friend. We have noit come to the last of ourselves. And the Unbeliever-Do not forget Thomas Covenent."
After a moment, Quaan murmered, "Do you yet trust him?"
The High Lord did not hesistate. "I trust that Despite is not the sum of life."
Friends, I have a confession to make. One that I really never thought I would utter.
I have grown very fond of ...more
Mhoram put a firm hand on Quaan's shoulder. "No, my friend. We have noit come to the last of ourselves. And the Unbeliever-Do not forget Thomas Covenent."
After a moment, Quaan murmered, "Do you yet trust him?"
The High Lord did not hesistate. "I trust that Despite is not the sum of life."
Friends, I have a confession to make. One that I really never thought I would utter.
I have grown very fond of ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Based on my experience of the two previous books in this trilogy, I wasn't expecting to love this book. But right from the off it grabbed me in a way the others haven't. You're thrown right in there and the pace doesn't let up for the whole rest of the book. I devoured the last about 150 pages, eager to see the resolution of everything that had happened up until that point. Thomas Covenenant even went some small ways to redeeming himself in my eyes, and it was nice to see a little more heroism f
...more
Story gets a 5. Donaldson's writing style gets a 2. I struggled through this trilogy, but find that I am happy that I did so. As the author spent 90% of the book getting to where he was going leaving scant time and details to I found myself getting bogged down and a little bored. Covanant is an impotent jerkface who's primary motivations come from dealing with a disease of which I have no personal experience.
But the originality of the story--which can be so hard to come by in the fantasy genre ...more
But the originality of the story--which can be so hard to come by in the fantasy genre ...more
This is magnificent! I've reread the first Thomas Covenant trilogy after some 30ish years, mainly because I want to read the latest, concluding trilogy in the series but need to refresh my memory first. I enjoyed 'Lord Foul's Bane' and loved 'The Illearth War', but I had forgotten just how tremendous this final book of the First Chronicles is.
It ties up a lot of loose ends from the first two volumes, bringing the stories of such wounded characters as Lena, Trell, Triock and Foamfollower to their ...more
It ties up a lot of loose ends from the first two volumes, bringing the stories of such wounded characters as Lena, Trell, Triock and Foamfollower to their ...more
I thought this book was a commendable third chapter in the series; it ties up all the loose ends from the first book while factoring in the changes made in the second book. Also because of the way Donaldson wrote the first two books, the reader is in no way certain that there is going to be a happy ending. When the giant leads an army against Revelstone he really does seem impossible to defeat, and Covenant's situation seems hopeless.
Even after the conflict rights itself following a beautifully ...more
Even after the conflict rights itself following a beautifully ...more
This is the conclusion to the first book of the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever. Though I enjoyed the first two, even now, thinking back on it more than thirty years later, I believe this book was magnificent. Donaldson is able to weave wisdom and sheer humanity into the story with such intensity that I had a love/hate relationship with Covenant and the story the whole way through, but I still had it finished in five days.
In this story, Covenant is brought back to the Land, but thi ...more
In this story, Covenant is brought back to the Land, but thi ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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I'm giving this book 5 stars, because I can't give it 4 1/2. I've given the first two 4 stars each.
The Power that Preserves was by far the best book in the trilogy. The siege of Revelstone is epic, and Covenant's final showdown with Foul was its equal. This is great fantasy writing.
The Power that Preserves was by far the best book in the trilogy. The siege of Revelstone is epic, and Covenant's final showdown with Foul was its equal. This is great fantasy writing.
After a long period of waiting for something to happen, I finally find myself liking a book in this trilogy. It took until the middle of the book, granted, but then I flew right through it. The pace picked up, the characters gained interest. It was good, but I'm sad that it was so long coming. However, saying that, I must emphasize again that Donaldson's style is a much vaguer, slower-paced style than I prefer to start with, so those who like that type of writing style will have probably liked t
...more
*For anyone reading my reviews, this is a cut-paste of my review of Lord Foul's Bane. I will write a separate review for the Second Chronicles, but for each of the first series, I will use the same review. Thanks*
Tolkien was not my introduction to fantasy fiction (neither was Donaldson); my first experience with SFF was RA Salvatore's The Crystal Shard. However, I immediately jumped into Tolkien, and afterward, Donaldson.
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant are as different from Tolkien's world as ...more
Tolkien was not my introduction to fantasy fiction (neither was Donaldson); my first experience with SFF was RA Salvatore's The Crystal Shard. However, I immediately jumped into Tolkien, and afterward, Donaldson.
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant are as different from Tolkien's world as ...more
The Power That Preserves (The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever #3) - Stephen R. Donaldson | Estabelecendo as bases da GRIM FANTASY - Fantasia Brutal Contemporânea! | NITROLEITURAS #resenha
Um final super sombrio e simbólico para a primeira e revolucionária trilogia de fantasia brutal, a Saga de Thomas Covenant.
The Power That Preserves (The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever #3) - Stephen R. Donaldson | 480 pgs, Del Rey 1987 (1ed. 1977) | Lido de 11.05.18 a 14.05.18 #fantasia ...more
In this, the third and final book of the Illearth War series, Donaldson (enervated beyond all reckoning, but yet with a gargantuan exertion whose puissance he could not attribute) (or something like that) pries his gaze out of his navel, stops trying to use plot to expostulate an impenetrable personal philosophy, and actually puts the storyline front and center. It's as Dire and Grim and Fraught with Self-Inflicted Misery as the other two books, but reads as legitimate fantasy, with the conflict
...more
Too eldritch, too loamy, too mordant, too incondign.
I am being a little sarcastic here. Usually it's pleasing when a book sends me to the dictionary, and this is definitely one that stretches me, like the others. After a while it is tiring, especially because, as alluded to above, Donaldson will seize on an adjective and wrangle it about like a Labrador Retriever with a water toy. The ground is loamy, then the atmosphere is loamy, the tears are loamy, the smoke is loamy, ad nauseum.
My second di ...more
I am being a little sarcastic here. Usually it's pleasing when a book sends me to the dictionary, and this is definitely one that stretches me, like the others. After a while it is tiring, especially because, as alluded to above, Donaldson will seize on an adjective and wrangle it about like a Labrador Retriever with a water toy. The ground is loamy, then the atmosphere is loamy, the tears are loamy, the smoke is loamy, ad nauseum.
My second di ...more
Oct 08, 2009
Mike (the Paladin)
rated it
did not like it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy
I once heard someone describe these books as: Book 1 life is crap. Book 2 crap piles up. Book 3 we discover plumbing.
Apt description.
Mr. Donaldson should have left it at that and allowed this series to die a quiet death. I've read nothing by him since Thomas Covenant...and I only read the first book in the second trilogy as I wasn't willing to get TRAPPED in another series about "woe is me life is so unfair" Thomas Covenant.
Covenant dragged his feet refusing to believe that The Land was real thr ...more
Apt description.
Mr. Donaldson should have left it at that and allowed this series to die a quiet death. I've read nothing by him since Thomas Covenant...and I only read the first book in the second trilogy as I wasn't willing to get TRAPPED in another series about "woe is me life is so unfair" Thomas Covenant.
Covenant dragged his feet refusing to believe that The Land was real thr ...more
Also read in the dim past...
In this book, the vacuum of action in "The Ilearth War" comes to an end and battles are fought, choices are made, and our hero becomes the hero. Many ends are made ship-shape and the story arc was resolved to a reasonable state. Hence the return of the 4th star.
Since at the time this was where the story ended, I thought it was a pretty good way to wrap things up. I wasn't expecting Thomas Covenant to re-appear in the future.
(At least when Donaldson started up again, h ...more
In this book, the vacuum of action in "The Ilearth War" comes to an end and battles are fought, choices are made, and our hero becomes the hero. Many ends are made ship-shape and the story arc was resolved to a reasonable state. Hence the return of the 4th star.
Since at the time this was where the story ended, I thought it was a pretty good way to wrap things up. I wasn't expecting Thomas Covenant to re-appear in the future.
(At least when Donaldson started up again, h ...more
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.
Listening to the entire Covenant series on audiobook, narrated by Scott Brick. First Chronicles is complete (thank-you, Stephen and Scott). Now carrying on to the Second Chronicles. Looking forward to it.
While sometimes slow reading and you get bogged down in the ramblings of the main character these are very good books. The fantasy world Donaldson created is unique and rich in characters. Very recommended
Self-pitying leper is self-pitying. You may open this book hoping the end is in sight. It isn't.
read my review for "Lord Foul's Bane" it's the 1st book of the serious, i wrote it for the series in general
For reals, the book is a chore. It's a slog. It's not just because the writing is dementedly dense (with Donaldson favouring elaborate synonyms and sentence structures just for fun, "demesne" and "celerity" peppering the page), but because dammit, NOTHING goes right, EVERYTHING is hard, for EVERYBODY, all the time. The entire book — heck, the entire series — is a downward trod into greater despair and more dire circumstances, with fewer and fewer options for the good guys.
And that, strangely, i ...more
And that, strangely, i ...more
Sep 04, 2017
Shannon Appelcline
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy
By the third book of The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, we the readers have a totally different perspective on reality than Covenant. He still refuses to believe in The Land, but for us, it's the real world that seems unbelievable. It's a shadowy place, seen only at the start and end of each novel, like the black & white prelude to The Wizard of Oz. It shows that reality is truly in the eye of the beholder.
But Covenant's unbelief has changed too over the course of the series. ...more
But Covenant's unbelief has changed too over the course of the series. ...more
Terzo libro della prima trilogia.
In questo libro si concludono le avventure dei personaggi incontrati fino ad ora, molti nodi vengono al pettine e si chiudono questioni irrisolte.
E' un romanzo di rinascita e redenzione, il protagonista finalmente prende a cuore la situazione e la finisce di piangersi addosso.
E' incredibile quanto questi libri mi siano piaciuti pur non amando affatto il protagonista!
Forse questo evidenzia ancor di più la maestria nella narrazione di Donaldoson, ma ribadisce comun ...more
In questo libro si concludono le avventure dei personaggi incontrati fino ad ora, molti nodi vengono al pettine e si chiudono questioni irrisolte.
E' un romanzo di rinascita e redenzione, il protagonista finalmente prende a cuore la situazione e la finisce di piangersi addosso.
E' incredibile quanto questi libri mi siano piaciuti pur non amando affatto il protagonista!
Forse questo evidenzia ancor di più la maestria nella narrazione di Donaldoson, ma ribadisce comun ...more
This series did not redeem itself as other readers have suggested.
I first read Lord Foul's Bane way back in junior high when, after reading and loving the Shannara books, I was looking for more awesome fantasy. Even then, in the early 90s, the fantasy genre was small. Shunned by authors and mainstream critics alike because it was considered a lesser form of literary art. As a result, the quality of fantasy available was lacking, apart from a few awesome and enduring works.
I did not enjoy LFB the ...more
I first read Lord Foul's Bane way back in junior high when, after reading and loving the Shannara books, I was looking for more awesome fantasy. Even then, in the early 90s, the fantasy genre was small. Shunned by authors and mainstream critics alike because it was considered a lesser form of literary art. As a result, the quality of fantasy available was lacking, apart from a few awesome and enduring works.
I did not enjoy LFB the ...more
I was pleasantly surprised by re-reading this trilogy for the first time since I was a teen-ager about the time they originally appeared I would guess. Since then I do not spend a lot of time on fantasy books, but for some reason I always wanted to try these out again.
Lot of folks go on and on about how much they hate Covenant, but I find him refreshing to read since I think that most fantasy has either characters too good, or too bad. Covenant definitely exists in the gray areas. Even then, I d ...more
Lot of folks go on and on about how much they hate Covenant, but I find him refreshing to read since I think that most fantasy has either characters too good, or too bad. Covenant definitely exists in the gray areas. Even then, I d ...more
Waited six years to read this.
(view spoiler) ...more
(view spoiler) ...more
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Stephen Reeder Donaldson is an American fantasy, science fiction, and mystery novelist; in the United Kingdom he is usually called "Stephen Donaldson" (without the "R"). He has also written non-fiction under the pen name Reed Stephens.
EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION:
Stephen R. Donaldson was born May 13, 1947 in Cleveland, Ohio. His father, James, was a medical missionary and his mother, Ruth, a prostheti ...more
EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION:
Stephen R. Donaldson was born May 13, 1947 in Cleveland, Ohio. His father, James, was a medical missionary and his mother, Ruth, a prostheti ...more
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“You did not cause his despair. Had you treated him with distrust, you would have achieved nothing but the confirmation of his distress. Distrust—vindicates itself.”
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“He had no idea where he was headed, but he knew he had to go. On each breath that panted through his locked teeth, he whispered hate as if it were a question.”
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