Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever by Stephen R. Donaldson

(94 ratings) Submit Review / Comment More reviews by author A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z

Submitted by Tony 
(Jul 23, 2001)

I have read all the Thomas Covenant books .. wonderful storytelling if a less than ideal hero. I remember thinking the first time I heard that a cure for Leprosy had been found how it was too bad Covenant wasn't around! I had to remind myself that he was a fictional character after all. Well, kudos to Mr. Donaldson .. his work has touched me in a rare way. I recommend it to anyone who loves the written word. And believe me, his writings will expand your vocabulary! Oh Yeah, Pejay? Check out Barnes and Noble on line .. Or Amazon.com; I would be willing to bet one of them can secure you all six of those books. No matter the cost, they will be worth it.

Donaldson is able to describe an area in such precise detail while keeping the description short. I must admit I enjoy the Wheel of Time better, but Jordan sometimes goes on for pages at a time to finally get to the point where Donaldson can gain as much detail with fewer words. Besides the fact that Donaldson has a serious problem when it comes to his feelings toward women, he is an excellent author. If you enjoyed this series, read the GAP series as well. Each book gets progressively better. I have read the covenant series several times and Donaldson definately appeals to my desire for "crucial moment" passages. You can just feel the tension welling up all to a specific moment. Donaldson does this well. Lord Morham's Victory, Covenant's escape from the Sandhold, the entrance into Revenstone at the end of White Gold Wielder. I love "Nom"! I would never want to see a picture because it would ruin my visual image of the sandgorgon. :)

Well first three books are really good. I read them as the second major fantasy series that I ever read. After Anne McCaffrey. His writing is very good and you definitely get a good feel for the characters. He really fleshes them out to the point where although you can't condone the actions of the characters, you can understand why they do what they do. All three books end on their own and are well thought out. Unfortunately the same cannot be said about books 4-6. They are unimaginably depressing. Once again Stephen Donaldson character development is fantastic but the story falls short as I found that I started to dislike the main characters more and more. In the end I was almost glad to be finishing the series as the boredom and depressing nature of the books was more than I could take. My advice is to read the first three books and skip the last three so that you end the story on a better note.

He has a very original idea for the main character. The books themselves are magic. Open a book and step inside. I liked the first series best only because each book finished itself, whereas I was kept hanging in suspense for three whole books. It was torment! Well worth it!!

Stephen R Donaldson's Thomas Covenant books are works of art! It is obvious to me that Stephen spent some time living in his fantasy world before he put it down on paper.