The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant

[Foxbat]

This Trilogy consists of
The Wounded Land
The One Tree
White Gold Wielder

Ten years have passed since Thomas Covenant has returned from ‘The Land’. His life has not improved much and still he struggles against both his leprosy and the bigotry following in its wake.
Linden Avery, a new doctor in town tries to ease his burden, make his life a little bit more bearable. But Covenant is closed to her and literally slams the door in her face. Through her persistence and suspicion that things are not right, she watches Covenant become badly injured as The Despiser tries to haul him back to The Land. She is caught up in the process and is also transported to this other world.

But things are different now. Four Thousand years have passed and Foul is stronger than ever. He has unleashed The Sunbane – a distortion of Nature itself – upon the land. All the ancient forests are gone and the people’s suffering goes unchecked. Even the Lords have become a distortion of what they once were. Foul has his plans. Quickly, they start to unfold as Covenant is attacked relentlessly by Foul’s Ravers. A venom is within him – a moral poison which multiplies the might of Covenant’s Wild Magic to unmeasurable proportions. But there is a paradox – the stronger Covenant becomes, the more damned and helpless he grows. Somewhere, somehow, among Foul’s twisted machinations - whilst all around him people die for and because of him - Covenant, with Avery’s help, must find an answer.

A well written second trilogy this might be, but for much of the time it is dark and deeply depressing. We see new areas of this world that Stephen Donladson has created – the Sandgorgons, Nicor, Sunbane, Clave – all new and imaginative stuff spread across this three book set. We learn of the enigmatic Vain and his secret role yet to be unveiled, and we see the desecration both in the land and the heart of our (anti?)hero. Is he a tool or is he free to make a choice? Is he damned or does he damn himself?
This is one of the themes explored within the story. The other is the nature of power itself – its use and its uselessness.

It felt a bit of a slog getting through this lot. It’s still better than many Fantasy books, still has that rusty edge to it, still full of suffering and helplessness. But, as one character also prophesises: There is also love in the world.

Brought to a conclusion in White Gold Wielder, I was left somewhat unsatisfied and I’m not sure why. Maybe it was the depth of darkness within the main characters – or maybe it was that I felt that the trilogy itself was deliberately drawn out to fill three books. Whatever way, it is a good set of books – just not as good as the first trilogy. The Wounded Land is definitely the best of the three.

Worth reading but not a set that I fell in love with.

[littlemissattitude]

You're right, Foxbat. The Second Chronicles are really dark. Of course, when I read them, I was in a really dark period and so was right there with the mood Donaldson sets. I know, though, that it took me an ungodly long time to read the last book in the trilogy - I knew exactly how it would end (and, no, I didn't cheat and read ahead) and I didn't want it to, so I slowed way, way down in reading.

I keep saying that I'm going to read the whole lot again, as there is the third series coming out soon, but I haven't found my copies yet. They're probably packed away, and it's hard to get the whole series out of the library system here. I don't think any of the branches has a whole set; instead, they're spread out all over the system. In fact, they do this with a lot of series.