Ethan Manning

Rating is 3.5

Overall:
The world Donaldson has created holds lots of promise. Thomas Covenant is a tortured and at times very frustrating character to read, but when he makes progress it feels very touching and real. The beginning of the book really grounds TC's character, it helps to explain why he is the way he is, this was critical to appreciating the character growth. Lord Fouls Bane is controversial to many, but for what it is I think the fantasy genre is much better with it, and all that has sprung from it, than without it.

Minor cons:
The narrative is blatantly structured like The Lord of the Rings, so make sure you read it after a long rest from Tolkien and classic high fantasy narratives. Donaldson's prose is at times rough, and the long passages without dialogue can test ones patience. In the end I still enjoyed this story and the character arc of Thomas Covenant. I'm hoping the writing improves.

Better than book 2. The Jordan quirks are still there and still annoying. But the different story arcs were more consistently interesting compared to the first 2 books, and the finale was also better. I was definitely impressed with the quality improvements in some areas, I felt much more balanced and there was an improved pace to the story. But it still has long plain descriptions, juvenile relationships and conflict, a weird gender dynamic with heavy undertones of repressed sexuality, and the main plot is just good and evil. It can still be fun despite all this. I'll say I hope future books have setting/culture changes because each place feels the same and the people act the same with paper-thin cosmetic changes.

I loved the richness of this story, from our main characters unique personality and adventures, to the long family saga we become familiar with. The POV of a young person accentuates every part of this book, kids are at the mercy of adults, there is a powerlessness and a refuge found in imagination and invention and our main character embodies this. I don't remember reading a book that so carefully and exhaustively renders the inner workings of a kids mind. We see her in full dimensions, we know what drives her, her curiosity for the wide world, we see her try to understand things that kids can't really understand, it's stunning character work. Tartt also weaves into this the relations between white society and black housekeepers in Mississippi, it was powerful and sad esp through the eyes of a kid.

A decent sequel to Red Mars, I was most interested in the continuation of the political storyline. Some of the familiar characters had good sections, others were a little too introspective for my taste. For some reason the technicalities of the geology and terraforming bored me, and there was something missing from the narrative that RM had. The Convention and third act are the best parts. For all my problems, the “point” of this series and what it's exploring is too interesting to put down. There's little like it that engages with what a revolution or alternative econ. structure would look like (with nuance and critical detail) if it was to be built alongside the modern neoliberal capitalism model. It's not perfect but it's refreshing, and relevant to modern day with parallel crises occurring on the periphery/Mars and in the interior/Earth.