Lord Foul's Bane
Ratings1
Average rating3
15
Ratings1
Average rating3
He called himself Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever, because he dared not believe in the strange alternative world on which he suddenly found himself - the Land. But the Land tempted him. As a leper, in his own world he had been an outcast, unclean, a pariah. Now he was regarded as a saviour, the reincarnation of the Land's greatest hero - Berek Halfhand. Only the mystic powers of the white gold he carried could protect the Lords of the Land from the ancient evil of the Despiser, Lord Foul. Yet Thomas Covenant had no idea how those powers could be tapped . . .
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The father of Stephen Donaldson was a medical missionary in India, where he worked extensively with leprosy patients. This undoubtedly served as inspiration for the character of Thomas Covenant. Thomas, the hero, or anti-hero if you will, is a writer with leprosy. Because of this, his wife left him, and he became an outcast. Survival is his key word.
Covenant finds himself in a fantasy world, where he is seen as the chosen one. He himself is convinced that everything is a dream or hallucination and chooses not to believe his new reality, hence his self-chosen title “unbeliever.”
The first two chapters are excellent. Thomas Covenant could easily be a character from Stephen King. A troubled writer, an outcast, strong character traits, vivid descriptions of the local setting. A very captivating opening.
Then the fantasy part begins. The way Thomas ends up in another world reminded me a lot of the Dark Tower.
Next, there's a first introduction to Lord Foul, which was a big monologue about how evil he is. Almost literally with an evil laugh at the end. Very caricatural. I couldn't reconcile this with the strong opening.
Now a fairly classic fantasy story unfolds, with the difference that Thomas is absolutely not a hero and not likable at all. Donaldson explores questions about reality and mortality, which is interesting in itself. But I didn't find the story itself and the quest very interesting. As the book progressed, it became a bit annoying. After 400 pages of self-pity, it gets old.
Nevertheless, this book is interesting within the fantasy genre. They say that this trilogy is the basis for the current grim dark fantasy genre. And I understand that label. Because of this and the strong opening, it's still a 3-star rating.
