gorbag's review against another edition
3.0
Overwritten, as Stephen Donaldson tends to be, but more so. Needed a good editor.
elkneedshelp's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
hotsake's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
This was a very difficult book to read and rate. I have never liked the character Linden and in this book some of her chapters were torturous. Now I never liked Thomas Covenant either, but while he was unlikable and frustrating be was understandable, but Linden just pisses me off and is more irritating than frustrating. While this book was the first miss of the series for me, there was just so much excellence in it as well and it was wonderfully written overall. But the length of the book mixed with the sheer amount of time dedicated to Linden and her inner voice kept me from liking this book all that much.
All the positives of the book worked hard to balance my dislike of the book and barely made it.
All the positives of the book worked hard to balance my dislike of the book and barely made it.
eahaynes's review
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
odinblindeye's review against another edition
5.0
Once again Donaldson impresses with some of the strongest fantasy I've ever read. This is a master at work(although I may be biased, I've read Covenant for a long time). The world he creates is fantastic, and the Land breathes life into the story from the pages. The characters feel truly real, complex and conflicted, and though the story may be a standard one, the depth and philosophic slant of the tale adds another dimension entirely. I cannot wait to read the next installment.
taisie22's review against another edition
3.0
It pains me to give this book a generous 3 stars because I love Mr. Donaldson's writing (Mordant's Need and the first six Thomas Covenant books are some of my favorite fantasy books and I enjoyed the Great God's War series). Perhaps it was because I liked Thomas Covenant's POV more; Linden always seemed whiny and self-absorbed, but reading this book was painful.
I still love his writing style although it's become somewhat repetitive. His word usage is superlative. I know others don't like it, but I enjoy looking up unfamiliar words and noting how he uses other archaic wording.
I don't like books though that just seem like journeys for the sake of filling out a book and that's what this one is. It took me forever to read it, not just because it's a lot of pages but because they never seemed to progress very far. I am heartened by the ending which will encourage me to keep reading.
I still love his writing style although it's become somewhat repetitive. His word usage is superlative. I know others don't like it, but I enjoy looking up unfamiliar words and noting how he uses other archaic wording.
I don't like books though that just seem like journeys for the sake of filling out a book and that's what this one is. It took me forever to read it, not just because it's a lot of pages but because they never seemed to progress very far. I am heartened by the ending which will encourage me to keep reading.
neilfein's review against another edition
4.0
Picking up where the cliffhanger ending of The Runes of the Earth left off, Thomas Covenant leads Linden Avery on a quest to use the power of the Blood of the Earth. Linden finds quickly that she doesn't trust her old friend as much as she should, and refuses to surrender the power of Covenant's white gold ring to the rightful wielder.
If this makes no sense, it means you're seven books behind the story. There's no sense in pretending, "What has gone before" prologues aside, that these books are in any way standalone stories. Fatal Revenant in particular is opaque if the reader is not familiar with previous works, but very regarding if one has a good memory (or is quick to peek in the glossary).
Questions about the Ranhyn, the forestals, and Linden's son Jeremiah are all answered with more questions. The Land's history is explored like never before, and scenes of Linden healing through Earthpower while Berek Halfhand watches on in awe are among the most powerful that Donaldson has ever written.
Fatal Revenant flags in introspection and self-doubt in the middle of the book, but quickly picks up again. With the new expressions of lore that are turned over, this addition to the Thomas Covenant saga smacks of fan service a little, but I didn't mind. What I do mind is waiting until 2010 for the next volume.
If this makes no sense, it means you're seven books behind the story. There's no sense in pretending, "What has gone before" prologues aside, that these books are in any way standalone stories. Fatal Revenant in particular is opaque if the reader is not familiar with previous works, but very regarding if one has a good memory (or is quick to peek in the glossary).
Questions about the Ranhyn, the forestals, and Linden's son Jeremiah are all answered with more questions. The Land's history is explored like never before, and scenes of Linden healing through Earthpower while Berek Halfhand watches on in awe are among the most powerful that Donaldson has ever written.
Fatal Revenant flags in introspection and self-doubt in the middle of the book, but quickly picks up again. With the new expressions of lore that are turned over, this addition to the Thomas Covenant saga smacks of fan service a little, but I didn't mind. What I do mind is waiting until 2010 for the next volume.
souljaleonn's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75
camscampbell's review against another edition
4.0
My God, what a slog this was. I think it took about 18 months to get through. It kind of felt like a book I knew I should read and was making myself read but finding it a chore, a bit like reading Russian lit at university – fantastic books but a real slog at times. Yes, I read War and Peace.
I love the first and second chronicles, particularly the second. In fact love might not be a strong enough word for the second chronicles. There's barely a day goes past that I don't find myself thinking of the Sunbane. Hellfire! Even my website is sunbane.com. I'm not a Linden hater - I know there are many of you out there, but I'm not one. I find her inner struggles to be quite relatable. Not sure what that says about me, but there you have it. She struggles with self esteem and self confidence and is acting out of love. She herself is a bit of an 'unbeliever' - Covenant didn't believe in the land so felt he could act with impunity; Linden doesn't believe in herself, despite her earlier achievements in the second chronicles. But now there's love of a child and that's her motivation for seeing her decisions through, even though she's not sure that they are the right ones.
Is the decision she saw through at the end the right one? I really don't know, but it's sure going to make for an interesting book 3.
I love the history that we get in this novel – I wonder how much of it was already in Donaldson's head during the writing of the previous books. Did he always plan this story right through I wonder? I guess some of you might know. Let me know if you do.
I put the book down for months and months and picked it up again right as the giants appeared, then battered through to the end. I don't know if it was the story that drew me in and hooked me on the last 100 pages, or maybe it was just my state of mind, that I was ready for the book where I hadn't been before. I don't know.
I did actually groan a bit when the giants appeared. Like 'Really? You're bringing giants in at a seemingly random point?'. It felt a bit like - 'I know. Lets put some giants into the story right here cos giants are awesome'. And yes; giants ARE awesome. So I got over that and started to enjoy them, even though some of the names are pretty ridiculous.
And talking of ridiculous – that vocabulary. Seriously. That's the worst thing about these books. Some of the words aren't even in the Kindle dictionary and some that are I find myself looking up again and again because I just can't get my head round them. There really is no need for it. I read and loved the Gap series without a dictionary. I looked up only a few words in Mordant's Need and the other one - demesne being one that I recall. But this? Mansuetude? I mean come on. That's just silly.
So - history - yes.
Story - kinda.
Editing - nope; Too long.
Vocab - ridiculous.
Plot - okay.
Giants - awesome.
Will I continue? Naturally. I'm expecting another slog, but a worthwhile one. Maybe not as worthwhile as Les Miserables, but worthwhile nevertheless.
I love the first and second chronicles, particularly the second. In fact love might not be a strong enough word for the second chronicles. There's barely a day goes past that I don't find myself thinking of the Sunbane. Hellfire! Even my website is sunbane.com. I'm not a Linden hater - I know there are many of you out there, but I'm not one. I find her inner struggles to be quite relatable. Not sure what that says about me, but there you have it. She struggles with self esteem and self confidence and is acting out of love. She herself is a bit of an 'unbeliever' - Covenant didn't believe in the land so felt he could act with impunity; Linden doesn't believe in herself, despite her earlier achievements in the second chronicles. But now there's love of a child and that's her motivation for seeing her decisions through, even though she's not sure that they are the right ones.
Is the decision she saw through at the end the right one? I really don't know, but it's sure going to make for an interesting book 3.
I love the history that we get in this novel – I wonder how much of it was already in Donaldson's head during the writing of the previous books. Did he always plan this story right through I wonder? I guess some of you might know. Let me know if you do.
I put the book down for months and months and picked it up again right as the giants appeared, then battered through to the end. I don't know if it was the story that drew me in and hooked me on the last 100 pages, or maybe it was just my state of mind, that I was ready for the book where I hadn't been before. I don't know.
I did actually groan a bit when the giants appeared. Like 'Really? You're bringing giants in at a seemingly random point?'. It felt a bit like - 'I know. Lets put some giants into the story right here cos giants are awesome'. And yes; giants ARE awesome. So I got over that and started to enjoy them, even though some of the names are pretty ridiculous.
And talking of ridiculous – that vocabulary. Seriously. That's the worst thing about these books. Some of the words aren't even in the Kindle dictionary and some that are I find myself looking up again and again because I just can't get my head round them. There really is no need for it. I read and loved the Gap series without a dictionary. I looked up only a few words in Mordant's Need and the other one - demesne being one that I recall. But this? Mansuetude? I mean come on. That's just silly.
So - history - yes.
Story - kinda.
Editing - nope; Too long.
Vocab - ridiculous.
Plot - okay.
Giants - awesome.
Will I continue? Naturally. I'm expecting another slog, but a worthwhile one. Maybe not as worthwhile as Les Miserables, but worthwhile nevertheless.
angelahayes's review against another edition
4.0
Fatal Revenant (The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant #2)
by Stephen R. Donaldson
Buddy Read. Review to come.
by Stephen R. Donaldson
Buddy Read. Review to come.