Anybody read Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever? *spoilers*

Snow

Snow

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Jun 3, 2001
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I just got these 3 books from Half Price Books this weekend and I am 8 chapters into the first book. Kind've interesting so far, but then I got to the rape. He just raped Lena! WTF?! Does this series get better from here? I just about got sick to my stomach. I don't know if I want to read a story where the protagonist is a rapist. Discuss.
 
Read them a loooong time ago. Yes... they do get better, but I seem to remember TC being somewhat of a bitter whiney bitch. Tough to like him as a hero.
 
As I recall they were good. Nothing exceptional IMHO. I think the one you are reading now might have been the best one. Anyway read them all ( I think there are 7 in all) and report back. I'm curiouswhat you think. I might reread them.
 
I read them a long time ago, like 20 years ago. By the time I realized that I really didn't like them, I had invested too much time in them not to finish reading them:o
 
Shann said:
I read them a long time ago, like 20 years ago. By the time I realized that I really didn't like them, I had invested too much time in them not to finish reading them:o
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I hate that. I recently read the first 4 books by Terry Goodkind of the Sword of Truth series. I really enjoyed them, but felt they got a little repetitive. The ending of the 4th book pissed me off because it was literally like, "oh well we are all alive and stuff. oh crap the chimes are loose! oh well we'll worry about it later." It just made me think of a movie with a very obvious setup for a sequel. Then I read the backs of a few of the later books in the series and they were all the same: Richard and Kahlan get separated, or one of them loses their power, or both, and they spend the entire book trying to get back to one another and/or get their powers back.

It's a shame because I really liked the first four, but I just don't want to read the same plot line over and over. Not to mention the way Goodkind gives little quick histories as if you haven't read the previous books. I felt like I wasted 10 pages reading descriptions of events and places I'd already read about in a previous book. Nobody just jumps into an epic fantasy series at book 4, Terry.

Well I guess I hijacked my own thread. "Chime" in about the Sword of Truth if you wish.

Anyway, I have continued reading the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant and will let you guys know what I think.
 
Started both the Thomas Covenant stuff and the Sword of Truth stuff oddly in my mind they sort of both occupy the same compartment. Personally I think they are both a colossal waste of time with heroes that spend far to much time in self doubt and loathing and are forever getting their collective tails kicked. Or maybe both are just to dark for my liking I couldn't say. I expect you've probably already read George R.R. Martin's Songs of Fire and Ice series (or what's completed anyway) but if not I'd suggest checking it out. All the plot twists and characters with none of the angst. :thumbup:
 
Triton said:
Started both the Thomas Covenant stuff and the Sword of Truth stuff oddly in my mind they sort of both occupy the same compartment. Personally I think they are both a colossal waste of time with heroes that spend far to much time in self doubt and loathing and are forever getting their collective tails kicked. Or maybe both are just to dark for my liking I couldn't say. I expect you've probably already read George R.R. Martin's Songs of Fire and Ice series (or what's completed anyway) but if not I'd suggest checking it out. All the plot twists and characters with none of the angst. :thumbup:
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Yeah I have the first 3 but I am holding off on Feast for Crows until it comes out here in paperback. I've forgotten a lot of it by now so I'll probably wait until he finishes the series, and then buy the new books and read them all from the beginning.
 
I read the first couple of books many years ago. Having already read "Lord of the Rings", I found them humourless, shallow and lacking in real imagination or insight. I've read worse, though.

Andy
 
Snow said:
Yeah I have the first 3 but I am holding off on Feast for Crows until it comes out here in paperback. I've forgotten a lot of it by now so I'll probably wait until he finishes the series, and then buy the new books and read them all from the beginning.
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I've been thinking of doing the same thing. I really am kicking myself a little. After waiting YEARS for Tad Williams to finish Memory, Sorrow and Thorn (another excellent alternative to the Covenant and Sword of Truth drama) I swore I would NEVER start a series that hadn't been finished yet. Then I started reading the Wheel of Time (turned out to be another colossal waste of time didn't it?) and now this series.
 
A.W.U.K. said:
I read the first couple of books many years ago. Having already read "Lord of the Rings", I found them humourless, shallow and lacking in real imagination or insight. I've read worse, though.

Andy
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Have you ever tried Steven Brust's Vlad Taltos or his prequel Phoenix Guards books? Lots of dry humor, highly recommend. :thumbup:
 
Triton said:
Have you ever tried Steven Brust's Vlad Taltos or his prequel Phoenix Guards books? Lots of dry humor, highly recommend. :thumbup:
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No, though I'll keep them in mind. I'm going through a Napoleonic War phase at the moment, working through Bernard Cornwell's "Sharpe" series and Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series.

Andy
 
A.W.U.K. said:
No, though I'll keep them in mind. I'm going through a Napoleonic War phase at the moment, working through Bernard Cornwell's "Sharpe" series and Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series.

Andy
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I need to check out this Sharpe series, that's the second or third time someone has mentioned it recently.
 
Triton said:
I need to check out this Sharpe series, that's the second or third time someone has mentioned it recently.
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Sharpe is a very good series. So are the Patrick O'Brian British Navy books.

One fantasy series that I do want to finish is the Steven King Dark Tower series. I read the first three years ago and never followed up; for a llong time I thought he had quit writing them and then the last three came in a rush. Its been so long, I should read the first ones again, but don't really want to.
 
Snow said:
I just got these 3 books from Half Price Books this weekend and I am 8 chapters into the first book. Kind've interesting so far, but then I got to the rape. He just raped Lena! WTF?! Does this series get better from here? I just about got sick to my stomach. I don't know if I want to read a story where the protagonist is a rapist. Discuss.
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Yeah, the rape kinda comes out of nowhere.
A recurring theme through the books is the consequences of the rape - Covenant's actions don't exist in a void, despite his disbelief.
The first trilogy is fairly good, although the second one is better by far. If you like very dense writing, implied action, and existential dilemmas, you'll like the Thomas Covenant books (but a lot of people don't, understandably). And a lot of the material is about Covenant's sturggle to remain operable in spite of being a bitter, whiney bitch.
It's an excellent series, but not necessarily for the reasons you'd normally read a fantasy series. Especially in the first trilog, the protagonist is niether a hero nor a nice guy.
 
Will P. said:
Yeah, the rape kinda comes out of nowhere.
A recurring theme through the books is the consequences of the rape - Covenant's actions don't exist in a void, despite his disbelief.
The first trilogy is fairly good, although the second one is better by far. If you like very dense writing, implied action, and existential dilemmas, you'll like the Thomas Covenant books (but a lot of people don't, understandably). And a lot of the material is about Covenant's sturggle to remain operable in spite of being a bitter, whiney bitch.
It's an excellent series, but not necessarily for the reasons you'd normally read a fantasy series. Especially in the first trilog, the protagonist is niether a hero nor a nice guy.
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Hmmm maybe that's the problem. I know it's sort of trite but I like my heroes in stories to be well... heroic. Covenant isn't. It can't be good when you keep hoping that some accomodating bad guy will off him and put him out of your misery... :)
 
I read those covenant books along time ago, never was that fond of them, I found them derivative and long winded, that said, they must have had something going for them for me to have read 'em all. IMHO, no one writes a better fantasy anti hero than Michael Moorcock, Elric, Hawkmoon etc are all great. My favourites are the six Corum books.:thumbup:
 
oz23 said:
IMHO, no one writes a better fantasy anti hero than Michael Moorcock, Elric, Hawkmoon etc are all great. My favourites are the six Corum books.:thumbup:
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Man, I read all of those books more than once when I was younger. It seems the Hawkmoon books stuck with me more than the Elric stuff. I think one of my favorite characters in any of the books was Huillam d'Averc. :thumbup:
 
Shann said:
Sharpe is a very good series. So are the Patrick O'Brian British Navy books.

One fantasy series that I do want to finish is the Steven King Dark Tower series. I read the first three years ago and never followed up; for a llong time I thought he had quit writing them and then the last three came in a rush. Its been so long, I should read the first ones again, but don't really want to.
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Read through #4, then make up your own ending. IMO the 4th book was the best by far and they just want progressively downhill from there. I would give anything to go back in time and stop myself from reading the last book. Stephen King didn't give that series the proper ending it deserved. I feel so cheated.:mad:
 
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