[Habeed]

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Ok, I started "Lord Foul's Bane". First, the Leprosy scene...eww... (by the way, is Leprosy still an untreatable disease?). I was like "man, that really sucks...". Anyway, he gets tossed into the fantasy world...and then there was a rape scene....even grosser. So Thomas and that old woman (who somehow can walk faster than him...umm...men have 40% more lung tissue, and thus have significantly greater speed and endurance on foot...not to mention age difference) start cruising across the land. Well, since there's something wrong with the "land", I figure Thomas is going to have to fight off hordes and hordes of monsters. Nope. For the next 200 pages, he cruises around, facing no opposition except that the "land" is sick and the moon is red. And there was that symbolic battle with the fire sprites...except that Thomas is somehow able to stay alive with no combat training or skills against a bunch of evil dudes...Finally, he gets to the castle and gets on the questing party. YES! Finally time to kick some ass! Nope. He cruises around, and his biggest problem is that the ground makes his foot hurt whenever he steps on it (and the moon is red). Umm.... So much for enemies to fight. I gave up around then....as there had been no conflict. I knew nothing of the bad guy's motivations or what they were up to (besides the usual...turn the world into darkness, yada yada yada). Not to mention the bad guy, while he apparently has WAY powerful magic, is unable to kill 1 guy. I thought the "living earth" was just gay (if its alive, why can't it fend for itself?). Worse still, I thought it was stupid how Thomas gets outrageously powerful magic simply by virtue of a magic ring he just happened to have (no boot camp wizard training or anything like that required).

So why is this series "brilliant"?

{added spoiler tag at top of this post}

[This message has been edited by FitzFlagg (edited June 05, 2001).]

[DarthV]

Most of the book is spent getting you to understand what the Land is and what kind of person Thomas Covenant is. It's not about battles nor someone throwing around spells left and right. It's the struggle inside Covenant that makes the series.

[Habeed]

Well, does it ever get fast and furious?

[drakon]

refering to Leprosy, it IS treatable.
It requires a pretty intense and extensive antibiotic treatment but it is curable.
so don't worry about it.

[DarthV]

Leprosy was not curable when the 1rst book was published http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/wink.gif

Habeed: yes things pick up quite a bit actionwise in the 2nd book.

[Kierk Soren]

"fast and Furious" ... I would recommend just taking a deep breath and read the book with the understanding that it was written in '77 . I have a feeling your sensibilities towords the fantasy genre are the result of an attention span weened on media over absorbtion which has given you a low tolerance for good writing. I would further recommend being patient and taking the time to look deeper at what you are reading. I am currently reading it as well by the way, and am really enjoying it. For me this is an artistic and conceptual issue.


[This message has been edited by Kierk Soren (edited June 04, 2001).]

[Eventine]

It would seem that Habeed is more intereste din mindless action than character development.
Have a look at previous posts discussing why this series is so good.
The whole theme of the series about usage of power. The whole point of giving him outrageous power is the fact that he cannot use it.
It seems to me that you have actually skimme d reading anything that wasn't close to an action scene - it is pretty clearly explained why Covenant can't just go blast the bad guys, and why they don't just blast him.
As DarthV said, it is the struggle within Covenant that makes the series. It is a very character based series.

[Bardos]

Guys, personaly I haven't read that book, but isn't there a limit to characters development. I mean (and I try to do just that in my books) you must develop the characters, yes--or else how are we going to know him/her?--but through (1) thoughts and (2) actions. If the story has only thoughts and no actions, then its misses a lot...

[Rob B]

Most of the book is spent getting you to understand what the Land is and what kind of person Thomas Covenant is.

OK the leprosy scene--leprosy is not a pleasant thing, and it does afflict a good portion of people. Donaldson's father spent time as a missionary helping lepers. Apparently it had an effect on SRD.

The Rape scene. Many people have difficulty with this scene. Donaldson is trying to show how much THE LAND has awakened and healed Covenant, to the point where he cannot control his impulses. This scene has serious repurcussions throughout the rest of the series.

Action--as DarthV's quote above indicates, Lord Foul's Bane sets everything up; Covenant, why he is the way he is, THE LAND. Covenant wants to believe in the LAND but as a leper he cannot have any hope of a normal, let alone "heroic/fantastic" life

Covenant's Wild magic--sort of balances out his Leper disease when he is in the real world. Rarely does he use this magic, however.

I will let one of the other resident Covenant experts expound further...off to you DennizM...

[Lady_Linda]

*breaks in*

I admit the main character going over and over about the same problem *is* somewhat tiering (And the rape scene is disgusting), but not to that level it is worth to miss all the good things about the books.

>>>>
I thought the "living earth" was just gay (if its alive, why can't it fend for itself?).
>>>>

Myself, I thought that Donaldson's wonderful vision of the world was what made the books worth reading - I haven't found many authors who've done it better. So, perhaps I'm not the right person to convince you why they should be read... http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/wink.gif

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Worse still, I thought it was stupid how Thomas gets outrageously powerful magic simply by virtue of a magic ring he just happened to have (no boot camp wizard training or anything like that required).
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

*SPOILER*


This is explained further on in the books - Thomas *is* actually the wild magic, it is just because he doesn't believe in the Land that he needs the ring to begin with - to focus his power. (It was quite a while ago I read this, but I think that was how it was... http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/wink.gif

~Linda~