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The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever #3
The Power That Preserves
A readable copy with slight wear to the cover and the corners of a few pages. No highlighting or writing inside. Spine has a slight curve
573 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1978
373 people are currently reading
4989 people want to read
About the author
Stephen R. Donaldson
149 books2,726 followersStephen Reeder Donaldson is an American fantasy, science fiction, and mystery novelist; in the United Kingdom he is usually called "Stephen Donaldson" (without the "R"). He has also written non-fiction under the pen name Reed Stephens.
EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION:
Stephen R. Donaldson was born May 13, 1947 in Cleveland, Ohio. His father, James, was a medical missionary and his mother, Ruth, a prosthetist (a person skilled in making or fitting prosthetic devices). Donaldson spent the years between the ages of 3 and 16 living in India, where his father was working as an orthopaedic surgeon. Donaldson earned his bachelor's degree from The College of Wooster and master's degree from Kent State University.
INSPIRATIONS:
Donaldson's work is heavily influenced by other fantasy authors such as J.R.R. Tolkien, Roger Zelazny, Joseph Conrad, Henry James, and William Faulkner. The writers he most admires are Patricia A. McKillip, Steven Erikson, and Tim Powers.
It is believed that a speech his father made on leprosy (whilst working with lepers in India) led to Donaldson's creation of Thomas Covenant, the anti-hero of his most famous work (Thomas Covenant). The first book in that series, Lord Foul's Bane, received 47 rejections before a publisher agreed to publish it.
PROMINENT WORK:
Stephen Donaldson came to prominence in 1977 with the The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, which is centred around a leper shunned by society and his trials and tribulations as his destiny unfolds. These books established Donaldson as one of the most important figures in modern fantasy fiction.
PERSONAL LIFE:
He currently resides in New Mexico.
THE GRADUAL INTERVIEW
EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION:
Stephen R. Donaldson was born May 13, 1947 in Cleveland, Ohio. His father, James, was a medical missionary and his mother, Ruth, a prosthetist (a person skilled in making or fitting prosthetic devices). Donaldson spent the years between the ages of 3 and 16 living in India, where his father was working as an orthopaedic surgeon. Donaldson earned his bachelor's degree from The College of Wooster and master's degree from Kent State University.
INSPIRATIONS:
Donaldson's work is heavily influenced by other fantasy authors such as J.R.R. Tolkien, Roger Zelazny, Joseph Conrad, Henry James, and William Faulkner. The writers he most admires are Patricia A. McKillip, Steven Erikson, and Tim Powers.
It is believed that a speech his father made on leprosy (whilst working with lepers in India) led to Donaldson's creation of Thomas Covenant, the anti-hero of his most famous work (Thomas Covenant). The first book in that series, Lord Foul's Bane, received 47 rejections before a publisher agreed to publish it.
PROMINENT WORK:
Stephen Donaldson came to prominence in 1977 with the The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, which is centred around a leper shunned by society and his trials and tribulations as his destiny unfolds. These books established Donaldson as one of the most important figures in modern fantasy fiction.
PERSONAL LIFE:
He currently resides in New Mexico.
THE GRADUAL INTERVIEW
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 483 reviews
June 27, 2022
*** 2022 reread -
Stephen R. Donaldson finished his first trilogy in his Thomas Covenant chronicles with Power that Preserves in 1978.
As fantasy fans will tell you, Covenant is one of the least likable heroes in all of fantasy writing and Donaldson’s depiction of the surly leper gave plenty of readers cause to put down the books out of disgust and never come back. I read these in HS and did not have the emotional maturity to grasp the significance of how bad Covenant was, and when I began to reread these, I saw how dark the books really were and invited fans of Gene Wolfe to try these out. Now I also consider that John Varley fans may like Donaldson’s writing.
One aspect of the books is the tension about whether The Land was real, and Covenant was transported there Narnia like or was it all in his imagination. Covenant, as a victim of Hansen’s disease, is in glaring contrast to the healthfulness of the Land and the people in it. Covenant himself is named The Unbeliever, because he blithely admits to the inhabitants of the Land that he does not believe they are real. The chief antagonist, Lord Foul, has a name that seems contrived and there are other indicators that this could all be an elaborate fantasy in the mind of a deeply troubled and depressed, diseased man.
And that idea actually made me like this even more. We can read the surface story of a vibrant land that is attacked by The Despiser, Lord Foul, and all of the beautiful people of the Land are at risk and Covenant as an outsider has been summoned here out of legend to fulfill a prophesy and rescue the Land.
Or!
We can read this as an allegory about Covenant’s own deep-seated conflicts resulting from the trauma of his disease, an ailment that changed his life forever and caused his wife to leave him, taking their infant son away from him. If we read it this way, we can see that the Land is a metaphor for a vitality and health that he can never regain nor truly be a part.
Or!
Readers can also look over the shoulder of author Stephen R. Donaldson and see that he uses references from other fantasy world buildings like Tolkien and Lewis as well as subtle but ubiquitous Biblical allusions. In this way we can see that Covenant may also be an allegory for the multiverse and there is a surreal idea that literary creations could have a life of their own. Donaldson also includes in this last book, a possible redemption for his earlier crimes and at least a semblance of heroism.
A much better work than some reviewers have assigned to him, I will go on and reread the second chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever and enjoy more of Donaldson’s fine writing.
Stephen R. Donaldson finished his first trilogy in his Thomas Covenant chronicles with Power that Preserves in 1978.
As fantasy fans will tell you, Covenant is one of the least likable heroes in all of fantasy writing and Donaldson’s depiction of the surly leper gave plenty of readers cause to put down the books out of disgust and never come back. I read these in HS and did not have the emotional maturity to grasp the significance of how bad Covenant was, and when I began to reread these, I saw how dark the books really were and invited fans of Gene Wolfe to try these out. Now I also consider that John Varley fans may like Donaldson’s writing.
One aspect of the books is the tension about whether The Land was real, and Covenant was transported there Narnia like or was it all in his imagination. Covenant, as a victim of Hansen’s disease, is in glaring contrast to the healthfulness of the Land and the people in it. Covenant himself is named The Unbeliever, because he blithely admits to the inhabitants of the Land that he does not believe they are real. The chief antagonist, Lord Foul, has a name that seems contrived and there are other indicators that this could all be an elaborate fantasy in the mind of a deeply troubled and depressed, diseased man.
And that idea actually made me like this even more. We can read the surface story of a vibrant land that is attacked by The Despiser, Lord Foul, and all of the beautiful people of the Land are at risk and Covenant as an outsider has been summoned here out of legend to fulfill a prophesy and rescue the Land.
Or!
We can read this as an allegory about Covenant’s own deep-seated conflicts resulting from the trauma of his disease, an ailment that changed his life forever and caused his wife to leave him, taking their infant son away from him. If we read it this way, we can see that the Land is a metaphor for a vitality and health that he can never regain nor truly be a part.
Or!
Readers can also look over the shoulder of author Stephen R. Donaldson and see that he uses references from other fantasy world buildings like Tolkien and Lewis as well as subtle but ubiquitous Biblical allusions. In this way we can see that Covenant may also be an allegory for the multiverse and there is a surreal idea that literary creations could have a life of their own. Donaldson also includes in this last book, a possible redemption for his earlier crimes and at least a semblance of heroism.
A much better work than some reviewers have assigned to him, I will go on and reread the second chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever and enjoy more of Donaldson’s fine writing.
May 26, 2025
Own Goal Shocker! Coach Ends Siege Early! "Well, Lord Foul sent a huge emerald sign in the sky, so I quit the siege of Revelstone and went Full Bad Guy, Attack! Attack! Attack!" - Satansfist, visiting team captain.
"We were on the ropes, everyone was losing their minds with terror, and we'd nearly run out of food. Then the bad guys ended the siege on the verge of victory and attacked. It sent Trell berserk, I levelled up to a new source of power, and fired up Loric's +5 Raver Slayer Krill. Geez, (shakes head) everyone knows you never go Full Bad Guy!" - Mhoram, home team captain.
"Excuse me? What green sign in the sky? Hey, that wasn't me!" - Lord Foul, visiting team head coach.
Ohhh ... please save me from chronically stupid bad guys.
Now for the review.
On the plus side, in this volume Covenant does not rape anyone, lust after his daughter, coerce noble intelligent horses with terror or betray those who love him to their deaths, and ultimately he defeats his own self-hatred (Despite = Lord Foul) with the power of mirth born from an act of self-remembrance and self-validation.
And there's the diminishment of Lord Foul and the destruction of the Illearth stone to boot.
On the minus side, while he acknowledges the many heinous things he's done, he never actually takes responsibility for them and the thought of seeking justice to expiate his guilt/crimes never enters his head.
In fact, the whole theme of expiation of a crime through justice vs an attempt at (in Covenant's case: impossible) redemption is ignored in this story.
Covenant also conveniently forgets how he luxuriated in the aftermath of raping Lena, and then fled the scene fearing retribution from Lena's village. He also forgets that he manipulated his own rape-sired-daughter to her death for the sole reason of avoiding any responsibility for the welfare of the Land or anyone living there.
Covenant (mostly) acknowledges what he has done, but never examines the why of his actions beyond blaming his vile deeds on his Leprosy - happily playing the victim card.
This avoidance allows both Covenant and the reader to avoid acknowledging that the why precisely defines who he is. Someone who loves to rape women, who enjoys coercing through terror, who happily manipulates those he loves to avoid the smallest amount of personal responsibility for the welfare of anyone else.
Your basic narcisstic bastard.
And then there is the pure weird fracking stuff in this novel. At 60% in, Covenant is saved from a Healer, who is trying to kill him to save her own life, by 'glaucous, alien gleams,' - a hilarious absurdity - apparently introduced to save the main character from the Author.
These 'glaucous, alien gleams,' are never explained - ever.
This is all part of the 'Morinmoss,' episode where Covenant goes through a process of death-rebirth that completely inverts the 'Gandalf vs Balrog,' death and rebirth where Gandalf fights and dies to save those he loves and is reborn as Gandalf the White.
Donaldson inverts this. Covenant stumbles (without agency and the vast help of a handful of deus ex machinas) upon the healer's domain, she saves him, heals him, and dies (is sacrificed) in the process. Covenant walks away with a new attitude and purpose in a superb white robe provided by the healer. Covenant is now 'Covenant the White.'
Gandalf becomes his true self through an act of self-sacrifice, death and rebirth. Covenant is reborn through the sacrifice of another. Pure inversion - and strikingly Satanic.
I was shocked when I read this passage - this was like (and I'm not a Christian) walking into a room to find a magic circle etched into the floor, a dead baby in the middle of the circle, and an inverted black cross dripping with fresh blood hovering a yard above it...
This weirdness is quickly followed by Covenant encountering Elena's ghost, Bannor and Foamfollower, and Raver possessed Triock, which blows away his newly acquired, 'comprehension and purpose,' derived from the Healer's sacrifice and he resolves to confront Lord Foul because, now he 'must.'
Which event, renders the whole Morinmoss sequence null and void. So why even have it in there if not to explicitly invert the iconic 'Gandalf vs Balrog Self-Sacrifice and Rebirth,' motif?
These flip-flops of purpose and motivation happen all the time. Covenant has no agency and he is not alone in that lack. The sheer absence of character agency throughout the series grates like the sound of fingernails dragging over a blackboard. I'll only say this, if you like the idea of puppet plays, then look no further than this series - for the characters are nothing more than articulated blocks of dull wood dancing on strings held by the author.
If you want multi-dimensional characters invested with life, acting out their own stories - you'll have to look elsewhere - you will not find such within the pages of this series.
Lastly...
If Donaldson wanted to tell a story about overcoming self-hatred with humour he could have done it far far better, without rape, incest fantasies and satanic inversions. By adding those elements, he takes whatever positive value may be found in his solution for self-hatred and drags it through a sewer as black as a demon's heart.
What a terrible decision, and what a terribly missed opportunity this whole series is.
And to end the story - the heroes of the Land, Mhoram and the rest, sing a song celebrating Covenant's life...
I shake my head - appalled.
Not Recommended: 1 'An Unmitigated Disaster of Satanic Foulness,' stars.
"We were on the ropes, everyone was losing their minds with terror, and we'd nearly run out of food. Then the bad guys ended the siege on the verge of victory and attacked. It sent Trell berserk, I levelled up to a new source of power, and fired up Loric's +5 Raver Slayer Krill. Geez, (shakes head) everyone knows you never go Full Bad Guy!" - Mhoram, home team captain.
"Excuse me? What green sign in the sky? Hey, that wasn't me!" - Lord Foul, visiting team head coach.
Ohhh ... please save me from chronically stupid bad guys.
Now for the review.
On the plus side, in this volume Covenant does not rape anyone, lust after his daughter, coerce noble intelligent horses with terror or betray those who love him to their deaths, and ultimately he defeats his own self-hatred (Despite = Lord Foul) with the power of mirth born from an act of self-remembrance and self-validation.
And there's the diminishment of Lord Foul and the destruction of the Illearth stone to boot.
On the minus side, while he acknowledges the many heinous things he's done, he never actually takes responsibility for them and the thought of seeking justice to expiate his guilt/crimes never enters his head.
In fact, the whole theme of expiation of a crime through justice vs an attempt at (in Covenant's case: impossible) redemption is ignored in this story.
Covenant also conveniently forgets how he luxuriated in the aftermath of raping Lena, and then fled the scene fearing retribution from Lena's village. He also forgets that he manipulated his own rape-sired-daughter to her death for the sole reason of avoiding any responsibility for the welfare of the Land or anyone living there.
Covenant (mostly) acknowledges what he has done, but never examines the why of his actions beyond blaming his vile deeds on his Leprosy - happily playing the victim card.
This avoidance allows both Covenant and the reader to avoid acknowledging that the why precisely defines who he is. Someone who loves to rape women, who enjoys coercing through terror, who happily manipulates those he loves to avoid the smallest amount of personal responsibility for the welfare of anyone else.
Your basic narcisstic bastard.
And then there is the pure weird fracking stuff in this novel. At 60% in, Covenant is saved from a Healer, who is trying to kill him to save her own life, by 'glaucous, alien gleams,' - a hilarious absurdity - apparently introduced to save the main character from the Author.
These 'glaucous, alien gleams,' are never explained - ever.
This is all part of the 'Morinmoss,' episode where Covenant goes through a process of death-rebirth that completely inverts the 'Gandalf vs Balrog,' death and rebirth where Gandalf fights and dies to save those he loves and is reborn as Gandalf the White.
Donaldson inverts this. Covenant stumbles (without agency and the vast help of a handful of deus ex machinas) upon the healer's domain, she saves him, heals him, and dies (is sacrificed) in the process. Covenant walks away with a new attitude and purpose in a superb white robe provided by the healer. Covenant is now 'Covenant the White.'
Gandalf becomes his true self through an act of self-sacrifice, death and rebirth. Covenant is reborn through the sacrifice of another. Pure inversion - and strikingly Satanic.
I was shocked when I read this passage - this was like (and I'm not a Christian) walking into a room to find a magic circle etched into the floor, a dead baby in the middle of the circle, and an inverted black cross dripping with fresh blood hovering a yard above it...
This weirdness is quickly followed by Covenant encountering Elena's ghost, Bannor and Foamfollower, and Raver possessed Triock, which blows away his newly acquired, 'comprehension and purpose,' derived from the Healer's sacrifice and he resolves to confront Lord Foul because, now he 'must.'
Which event, renders the whole Morinmoss sequence null and void. So why even have it in there if not to explicitly invert the iconic 'Gandalf vs Balrog Self-Sacrifice and Rebirth,' motif?
These flip-flops of purpose and motivation happen all the time. Covenant has no agency and he is not alone in that lack. The sheer absence of character agency throughout the series grates like the sound of fingernails dragging over a blackboard. I'll only say this, if you like the idea of puppet plays, then look no further than this series - for the characters are nothing more than articulated blocks of dull wood dancing on strings held by the author.
If you want multi-dimensional characters invested with life, acting out their own stories - you'll have to look elsewhere - you will not find such within the pages of this series.
Lastly...
If Donaldson wanted to tell a story about overcoming self-hatred with humour he could have done it far far better, without rape, incest fantasies and satanic inversions. By adding those elements, he takes whatever positive value may be found in his solution for self-hatred and drags it through a sewer as black as a demon's heart.
What a terrible decision, and what a terribly missed opportunity this whole series is.
And to end the story - the heroes of the Land, Mhoram and the rest, sing a song celebrating Covenant's life...
I shake my head - appalled.
Not Recommended: 1 'An Unmitigated Disaster of Satanic Foulness,' stars.
September 23, 2023
One of the best fantasy works in print ⚔️🔮
December 23, 2020
My reviewing vocabulary is not the strongest. Is it considered "overwritten" when an author takes way too long building up every plot point while simultaneously having too many plot points to begin with? Or is "overwritten" just when a writer uses language that is conspicuously ornate, such as "inanition" when "hunger" will do? Or maybe it could apply to both issues? I'm just trying to figure out the best way to describe the main issues I have upon completing this book. I think overwriting can explain a lot of them.
The thing is, this kept me turning pages the entire time, but turning pages angrily, because each page contained almost as much to piss me off as it did to keep me reading. Entire paragraphs of internal dialogue, or setting, or tension-building. . . at one point a half-page wasted of Covenant trying to get Foamfollower to abandon him when everyone knows that will never happen.
I think the incessant stakes-raising is what really bugged me. You can't just have Triock traveling for days to send a message. You have to have him traveling through a blizzard and battling a pack of wolves. Everything that any character struggles to do, they have to struggle inhumanly to do. You would think this would make events more impressive but it really just takes you out of the book by making everything completely ridiculous. Tension is actually diminished because you know the characters are capable of basically anything. For example, broken ankles abound, and they are apparently not too serious because people can still walk for leagues on them and even do battle. The only real effect seems to be that the character thinks about them for long lines while doing all of the journeying and fighting.
Why do this then? I can only suspect that Donaldson didn't trust his story enough to captivate his audience on its own. It's a shame really if he thought so because he was dead wrong. The story in general is great, and combined with some of the strongest characters from the 1st book there's a solid foundation here for a wonderful novel.
But man, there are whole episodes that could have been cut. Most of that Triock mess, for example. The Pietten/Morinmoss Healer episodes could have been drastically reduced. (Why do we need to see magical healing spiders if an actual Healer is about to come anyway?) Many pages of Revelstone-sieging could have been excised. And countless descriptions of hills, plains, ravines, caves, walking/running/stumbling, suffering from "inanition," being weak and unable to make it even one step further before making it many steps further, etc. Just way too much bloat.
And that's before even mentioning T.C.'s still-annoying self-pity, which is mercifully toned down from the first two books (see my reviews here and here), but which still occupies entire paragraphs and sometimes pages that can be simply skipped without missing anything. I still just cannot empathize at all with someone who is plopped into this world and whose only action is to invent excuse after excuse about why he can't do anything. At some point you either get over it and start doing stuff, or you huddle into a little ball and cower until someone comes for your head. Stringing along the tension like Donaldson does is not only unrealistic, but it's unfairly tedious to us his readers. I'm happy to report that T.C. does indeed start doing stuff here, especially in the last half. Good on him.
Overall I'm pretty disappointed in this series. I've seen it on lists of some of the greatest fantasy ever, but if this is the best that fantasy has to offer I'd have to say I'm just not a fantasy guy. I do like Donaldson's world-building (even if it's heavily indebted to Tolkien) and also the subversive aspect of having the protagonist be a non-hero, but there's too much other stuff (most of it related to poor writing IMO) in the way of good story. Here's another one: there is no mention of any biblical theology anywhere in the Land, yet some of the most feared villains are called Satans---. How does that make any sense?
Anyway I'll stop. I'm not going to subject myself to anymore of this crap in the subsequent trilogies. I'd really appreciate it if someone can recommend me some good fantasy (I've read and enjoyed LOTR, Narnia and The Once and Future King, but little else). I think I might just be a sci-fi guy at heart.
Not Bad Reviews
@pointblaek
The thing is, this kept me turning pages the entire time, but turning pages angrily, because each page contained almost as much to piss me off as it did to keep me reading. Entire paragraphs of internal dialogue, or setting, or tension-building. . . at one point a half-page wasted of Covenant trying to get Foamfollower to abandon him when everyone knows that will never happen.
I think the incessant stakes-raising is what really bugged me. You can't just have Triock traveling for days to send a message. You have to have him traveling through a blizzard and battling a pack of wolves. Everything that any character struggles to do, they have to struggle inhumanly to do. You would think this would make events more impressive but it really just takes you out of the book by making everything completely ridiculous. Tension is actually diminished because you know the characters are capable of basically anything. For example, broken ankles abound, and they are apparently not too serious because people can still walk for leagues on them and even do battle. The only real effect seems to be that the character thinks about them for long lines while doing all of the journeying and fighting.
Why do this then? I can only suspect that Donaldson didn't trust his story enough to captivate his audience on its own. It's a shame really if he thought so because he was dead wrong. The story in general is great, and combined with some of the strongest characters from the 1st book there's a solid foundation here for a wonderful novel.
But man, there are whole episodes that could have been cut. Most of that Triock mess, for example. The Pietten/Morinmoss Healer episodes could have been drastically reduced. (Why do we need to see magical healing spiders if an actual Healer is about to come anyway?) Many pages of Revelstone-sieging could have been excised. And countless descriptions of hills, plains, ravines, caves, walking/running/stumbling, suffering from "inanition," being weak and unable to make it even one step further before making it many steps further, etc. Just way too much bloat.
And that's before even mentioning T.C.'s still-annoying self-pity, which is mercifully toned down from the first two books (see my reviews here and here), but which still occupies entire paragraphs and sometimes pages that can be simply skipped without missing anything. I still just cannot empathize at all with someone who is plopped into this world and whose only action is to invent excuse after excuse about why he can't do anything. At some point you either get over it and start doing stuff, or you huddle into a little ball and cower until someone comes for your head. Stringing along the tension like Donaldson does is not only unrealistic, but it's unfairly tedious to us his readers. I'm happy to report that T.C. does indeed start doing stuff here, especially in the last half. Good on him.
Overall I'm pretty disappointed in this series. I've seen it on lists of some of the greatest fantasy ever, but if this is the best that fantasy has to offer I'd have to say I'm just not a fantasy guy. I do like Donaldson's world-building (even if it's heavily indebted to Tolkien) and also the subversive aspect of having the protagonist be a non-hero, but there's too much other stuff (most of it related to poor writing IMO) in the way of good story. Here's another one: there is no mention of any biblical theology anywhere in the Land, yet some of the most feared villains are called Satans---. How does that make any sense?
Anyway I'll stop. I'm not going to subject myself to anymore of this crap in the subsequent trilogies. I'd really appreciate it if someone can recommend me some good fantasy (I've read and enjoyed LOTR, Narnia and The Once and Future King, but little else). I think I might just be a sci-fi guy at heart.
Not Bad Reviews
@pointblaek
August 12, 2015
This is magnificent! I've reread the first Thomas Covenant trilogy after some 30ish years, mainly because I want to read the latest, concluding trilogy in the series but need to refresh my memory first. I enjoyed 'Lord Foul's Bane' and loved 'The Illearth War', but I had forgotten just how tremendous this final book of the First Chronicles is.
It ties up a lot of loose ends from the first two volumes, bringing the stories of such wounded characters as Lena, Trell, Triock and Foamfollower to their conclusions. And it repeatedly throws Covenant's prior failings in his face as Foul tries to bring him to ultimate despair. It's a very well constructed novel.
It boasts some of the best and most blood-pounding battle sequences in any fantasy novel I've read. 'Lord Mhoram's Victory' is a chapter that had my pulse racing.
The ending is also dealt with in the only way that makes sense. Covenant decides to face Foul man to man. He doesn't believe he can succeed, he doesn't know how to use his ring, but he's going to do it anyway because it's the only way he can make the sacrifices of the dead mean something. Succeed or fail, he'll just have to do the best he can. And that is what makes this anti-hero ultimately a true hero. He finally realises that if he was selected to save the Land, it must be because of who he is. It is his own self-knowledge and Unbelief that gives him the only strength that can prevail against Foul, combined with his realisation of what Mhoram meant when he said, "You are the white gold".
Simply sublime.
It ties up a lot of loose ends from the first two volumes, bringing the stories of such wounded characters as Lena, Trell, Triock and Foamfollower to their conclusions. And it repeatedly throws Covenant's prior failings in his face as Foul tries to bring him to ultimate despair. It's a very well constructed novel.
It boasts some of the best and most blood-pounding battle sequences in any fantasy novel I've read. 'Lord Mhoram's Victory' is a chapter that had my pulse racing.
The ending is also dealt with in the only way that makes sense. Covenant decides to face Foul man to man. He doesn't believe he can succeed, he doesn't know how to use his ring, but he's going to do it anyway because it's the only way he can make the sacrifices of the dead mean something. Succeed or fail, he'll just have to do the best he can. And that is what makes this anti-hero ultimately a true hero. He finally realises that if he was selected to save the Land, it must be because of who he is. It is his own self-knowledge and Unbelief that gives him the only strength that can prevail against Foul, combined with his realisation of what Mhoram meant when he said, "You are the white gold".
Simply sublime.
May 8, 2013
Based on my experience of the two previous books in this trilogy, I wasn't expecting to love this book. But right from the off it grabbed me in a way the others haven't. You're thrown right in there and the pace doesn't let up for the whole rest of the book. I devoured the last about 150 pages, eager to see the resolution of everything that had happened up until that point. Thomas Covenenant even went some small ways to redeeming himself in my eyes, and it was nice to see a little more heroism from this anti-hero. He actually did stuff, and didn't just sit there, going with the flow! A wonderful conclusion.
January 10, 2014
He faltered and his eyes fell. "High Lord, does it come to this? Is this the end for us-for the Land?"
Mhoram put a firm hand on Quaan's shoulder. "No, my friend. We have noit come to the last of ourselves. And the Unbeliever-Do not forget Thomas Covenent."
After a moment, Quaan murmered, "Do you yet trust him?"
The High Lord did not hesistate. "I trust that Despite is not the sum of life."
Friends, I have a confession to make. One that I really never thought I would utter.
I have grown very fond of Thomas Covenant.
I know, I know! I know what you're thinking! He's a whiny, pathetic man who seemed so damn useless in the first two books! Not to mention the fact that he's a rapist! But something happens in this last book. Thomas Covenant has redeemed himself (sort of). He finally realized the damage he has done and actively strives to fix it.
"I've done so many things wrong. I've got to try to make them right."
In this book the battle against Lord Foul has finally come to a head. Lord Mhoram and the other Lords battle against one of the Raver's at Revelstone and Covenant and Foamfollower attempt to confront Foul himself in Foul's Creche. Loyalties are called into question, despair is found-yet hope is found as well, courage tested, all past grievances are finally put to rest, and the Unbeliever must find it within himself to save the Land.
"It is the responsibility of the living to justify the sacrifices of the dead."
Mhoram put a firm hand on Quaan's shoulder. "No, my friend. We have noit come to the last of ourselves. And the Unbeliever-Do not forget Thomas Covenent."
After a moment, Quaan murmered, "Do you yet trust him?"
The High Lord did not hesistate. "I trust that Despite is not the sum of life."
Friends, I have a confession to make. One that I really never thought I would utter.
I have grown very fond of Thomas Covenant.
I know, I know! I know what you're thinking! He's a whiny, pathetic man who seemed so damn useless in the first two books! Not to mention the fact that he's a rapist! But something happens in this last book. Thomas Covenant has redeemed himself (sort of). He finally realized the damage he has done and actively strives to fix it.
"I've done so many things wrong. I've got to try to make them right."
In this book the battle against Lord Foul has finally come to a head. Lord Mhoram and the other Lords battle against one of the Raver's at Revelstone and Covenant and Foamfollower attempt to confront Foul himself in Foul's Creche. Loyalties are called into question, despair is found-yet hope is found as well, courage tested, all past grievances are finally put to rest, and the Unbeliever must find it within himself to save the Land.
"It is the responsibility of the living to justify the sacrifices of the dead."
March 5, 2012
This is the conclusion to the first book of the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever. Though I enjoyed the first two, even now, thinking back on it more than thirty years later, I believe this book was magnificent. Donaldson is able to weave wisdom and sheer humanity into the story with such intensity that I had a love/hate relationship with Covenant and the story the whole way through, but I still had it finished in five days.
In this story, Covenant is brought back to the Land, but this time, healing is not available. But Covenant does not fully believe in the Land anyway. The only thing he completely believes is his leprosy. Therefore, as a leper, without full feeling in his limbs and full senstivity in his heart, he is actually better equipped for the final showdown against Lord Foul the Despiser.
As an aspiring writer, I would consider myself truly accomplished in this field if I could write with the intensity and insight into human character that Donaldson has.
In this story, Covenant is brought back to the Land, but this time, healing is not available. But Covenant does not fully believe in the Land anyway. The only thing he completely believes is his leprosy. Therefore, as a leper, without full feeling in his limbs and full senstivity in his heart, he is actually better equipped for the final showdown against Lord Foul the Despiser.
As an aspiring writer, I would consider myself truly accomplished in this field if I could write with the intensity and insight into human character that Donaldson has.
October 3, 2025
All theme. No plot.
Best of the trilogy!!
Best of the trilogy!!
July 9, 2025
Can a reluctant, selfish, self-loathing, pitiless antagonist save a world which he truly didn't believe? Power That Preserves is the answer to the question. Thomas Covenant was sent back to earth for a short time. He was facing the charge that could evict him from his property, at the meantime everything would remind him of his daughter Elena, which was fallen to the pit in Rlvenrock. Also the consequence breached the law of death ,and thus Lord Foul could resurrect death from the Land. Covenant would face unbearable truth that in this book. He was a victim also a persecutor to those people living in The Land. He summoned Ranyhyn to Lena every year so that they were restrained to the bond of Law by the White Gold. His atrocities had caused many people who were suffered for him and he saw the consequence in this book clearly. Witnessed her daughter were resurrected by the Despiser to devastate the Land. Pietten was the kid saved in the conflagration now he revenged on those Reman and people from the Land. Those characters were being manipulated by Lord Foul but even they were being controlled by malign force that they still had their motivations as enemy to against the Land. Comrades and friends were corrupted or afraid of desecration neither help nor support Covenant. In this book Covenant had bigger dilemma than previous books. The conflict and stake were higher for him to overcome in the quest of saving the Land.
The Land was a place which were vigorous and healthy than Covenant's world, It was facing the malice nemesis, Lord Foul whom was corrupting the Land. It reflects symbolism to Covenant such as the Land is the healthier condition to him, Lord Foul is the represent of Leprosy. It's not so uncomprehending that Thomas Covenant resisted to believe the Land is really, the place where he lived gave him permanent damages that couldn't be cured by just escaping in these kind of harbour. For Covenant, the Land was simply a intangible illusion that hardly had effectiveness as medicine. On earth people treated him like a vermin hence he was instilled to believe that he wasn't deserved to be saved. But in first chapter of this book, he started to believe that he had harm some people he loved deeply in the Land. He did not believe the existence of the Land, however tried to salvage something from previous incidents. He wasn't a hero but still tried to redeem himself from the corrupted Land.
Also those people were afraid of corruption is really similar to those people afraid of leprosy. Ironically, leprosy is a not even a concept for the people in the Land, they can't understand why Covenant was so scared other human beings touch him. The corporeal evil had magic power which jeopardised the Land is like infectious disease ,that had to be avoided. It is surprising that to see Covenant still loved the Land completely even though he rejected the summoner from the High Lord Mhoram. He was circumspect to make any decisions to save other people instead of himself before, so that we can see he had changed a lot as a developed character. Moreover, he knew the circumstance was at high risk but still ventured himself in unfathomable darkness that witch made him almost resemble to intrepid heroes. Also Foamfollower's accompany also compelled him traversing spoiled Plains to Foul's Creche. Lot of tragedies somehow convert Covenant from inanition to be a willing savor eventually. In the end of the story, The creator who gave the White Gold to Covenant thanked him and wanted to bestow him a gift- he can live happily ever in the Land or he can return to the earth. Covenant chose the later, however he was dying owing to the allergy of reaction to anti-venom. The creator saved Covenant from dying, then Covenant woke up, was still alive. The Land was preserved because Covenant chose to save the Land willingly, that even he didn't give the damn about the Land. I think it's the most touched moment for the end of this trilogy. Although if I were Covenant, I would undoubtedly accept to live in the Land.
I really like the story and the story recounts a not quite conventional story to readers. I think even heroes who can save the world frequently also desperately need redemption for themselves. But seldom regular fantasy books talk about this question to readers.
The Land was a place which were vigorous and healthy than Covenant's world, It was facing the malice nemesis, Lord Foul whom was corrupting the Land. It reflects symbolism to Covenant such as the Land is the healthier condition to him, Lord Foul is the represent of Leprosy. It's not so uncomprehending that Thomas Covenant resisted to believe the Land is really, the place where he lived gave him permanent damages that couldn't be cured by just escaping in these kind of harbour. For Covenant, the Land was simply a intangible illusion that hardly had effectiveness as medicine. On earth people treated him like a vermin hence he was instilled to believe that he wasn't deserved to be saved. But in first chapter of this book, he started to believe that he had harm some people he loved deeply in the Land. He did not believe the existence of the Land, however tried to salvage something from previous incidents. He wasn't a hero but still tried to redeem himself from the corrupted Land.
Also those people were afraid of corruption is really similar to those people afraid of leprosy. Ironically, leprosy is a not even a concept for the people in the Land, they can't understand why Covenant was so scared other human beings touch him. The corporeal evil had magic power which jeopardised the Land is like infectious disease ,that had to be avoided. It is surprising that to see Covenant still loved the Land completely even though he rejected the summoner from the High Lord Mhoram. He was circumspect to make any decisions to save other people instead of himself before, so that we can see he had changed a lot as a developed character. Moreover, he knew the circumstance was at high risk but still ventured himself in unfathomable darkness that witch made him almost resemble to intrepid heroes. Also Foamfollower's accompany also compelled him traversing spoiled Plains to Foul's Creche. Lot of tragedies somehow convert Covenant from inanition to be a willing savor eventually. In the end of the story, The creator who gave the White Gold to Covenant thanked him and wanted to bestow him a gift- he can live happily ever in the Land or he can return to the earth. Covenant chose the later, however he was dying owing to the allergy of reaction to anti-venom. The creator saved Covenant from dying, then Covenant woke up, was still alive. The Land was preserved because Covenant chose to save the Land willingly, that even he didn't give the damn about the Land. I think it's the most touched moment for the end of this trilogy. Although if I were Covenant, I would undoubtedly accept to live in the Land.
I really like the story and the story recounts a not quite conventional story to readers. I think even heroes who can save the world frequently also desperately need redemption for themselves. But seldom regular fantasy books talk about this question to readers.
October 29, 2025
If you told me before this book you could write a hero's journey with a character with 0 redeeming qualities and have me end up liking them, I'd have called you a mad man. Might be the single best deconstruction of anything I've read so far. So I've got no reservations about this one. Donaldson did his thing alright.
September 2, 2020
Ovo je bila treca i zavrsna knjiga prve trilogije o Tomasu Kovenantu Neverniku.
I dalje je ledjima oslonjena na Gospodara Prstenova ali je takodje i dalje, sto veoma pozdravljam, u Donaldsonovom maniru, surova i brutalna prema likovima. Ipak na kraju dolazi do ublazavanja, jer svaki kraj je pretezno srecan moramo se sloziti. No ipak bas to je ono sto je ovoj knjizi dalo smek i ucinilo je u mnogim segmentima bliskoj ovom nasem realnom svetu gde su um i telo krhki i podlozni bolesti i patnji. Pored toga glavne pozitivne odlike ove trilogije su Donaldsonov kvalitet samog pisanja kao i njegove autenticne ideje koje su podosta mastovite iako se ni ujednom trenutku necete otresti osecaja da covek "pozajmljuje" svasta nesto iz vec pomenutog Gospodara Prstenova. To je ujedno i najveci minus, mada sto da budem zao i da ne kazem, pa covece ako si vec "pozajmljivao" pa dobro je sto si to radio od NAJBOLJEG :) I na kraju ne mogu a da ne pomenem Tomasa Kovenanta kao ANTI HEROJA, a ta njegova karakteristika ce vas oduseviti kao nesto razlicito (knjiga je pisana 70'tih) ili ce vam uciniti ove knjige krajnje odbojnim za citanje.
I dalje je ledjima oslonjena na Gospodara Prstenova ali je takodje i dalje, sto veoma pozdravljam, u Donaldsonovom maniru, surova i brutalna prema likovima. Ipak na kraju dolazi do ublazavanja, jer svaki kraj je pretezno srecan moramo se sloziti. No ipak bas to je ono sto je ovoj knjizi dalo smek i ucinilo je u mnogim segmentima bliskoj ovom nasem realnom svetu gde su um i telo krhki i podlozni bolesti i patnji. Pored toga glavne pozitivne odlike ove trilogije su Donaldsonov kvalitet samog pisanja kao i njegove autenticne ideje koje su podosta mastovite iako se ni ujednom trenutku necete otresti osecaja da covek "pozajmljuje" svasta nesto iz vec pomenutog Gospodara Prstenova. To je ujedno i najveci minus, mada sto da budem zao i da ne kazem, pa covece ako si vec "pozajmljivao" pa dobro je sto si to radio od NAJBOLJEG :) I na kraju ne mogu a da ne pomenem Tomasa Kovenanta kao ANTI HEROJA, a ta njegova karakteristika ce vas oduseviti kao nesto razlicito (knjiga je pisana 70'tih) ili ce vam uciniti ove knjige krajnje odbojnim za citanje.
May 19, 2020
The Power that Preserves, the final book in The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant trilogy, follows Thomas Covenant again returning to the Land, which is preparing for a final assault by Lord Foul.
Being the third in the trilogy, there’s not a lot of plot points to talk about because it risks spoiling everything, so all I can say is that this followed the series rather faithfully. And for the first time since reading Lord Fouls Bane, the first in the series, I finally started to understand Thomas Covenant as a character. Throughout the series he is one of the most despicable characters I have ever read, yet finally in this instalment, you start to see more of his motivation, and the changes to his personality and even his thought process.While none of that makes up for what a gross dude he is in the first book, he finally starts to become more a character you can understand. Not like, I still don’t think any one could like him, but you understand him.
I know a handful of people who couldn’t get past the first book because of what a despicable character Covenant is, yet now that I’ve completed the series, I want to encouraged those readers to go back and push through it. Donaldson has created an amazing world, so many of the side characters make this series what it is, and it’s worth pushing through to see what happens in the end.
Being the third in the trilogy, there’s not a lot of plot points to talk about because it risks spoiling everything, so all I can say is that this followed the series rather faithfully. And for the first time since reading Lord Fouls Bane, the first in the series, I finally started to understand Thomas Covenant as a character. Throughout the series he is one of the most despicable characters I have ever read, yet finally in this instalment, you start to see more of his motivation, and the changes to his personality and even his thought process.While none of that makes up for what a gross dude he is in the first book, he finally starts to become more a character you can understand. Not like, I still don’t think any one could like him, but you understand him.
I know a handful of people who couldn’t get past the first book because of what a despicable character Covenant is, yet now that I’ve completed the series, I want to encouraged those readers to go back and push through it. Donaldson has created an amazing world, so many of the side characters make this series what it is, and it’s worth pushing through to see what happens in the end.
February 28, 2023
**** 4 STARS ****
The Power That Preserves is a very good conclusion to the First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant.
The two best things about this series is, the fantasy world (The Land), and the character Thomas Covenant.
The Land feels very claustrophobic at times, despite its enormity, geographically speaking. It feels like there's so much going on, every creature imaginable is lurking within striking distance, and there are no safe havens.
As for Thomas Covenant, he is very flawed, and acts out at times on his most monstrous thoughts. But, it's these weaknesses and imperfections that not only make him an incredibly interesting character, they also make the scenes in which Thomas Covenant redeems himself that much more powerful and compelling.
The Power That Preserves is a very good conclusion to the First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant.
The two best things about this series is, the fantasy world (The Land), and the character Thomas Covenant.
The Land feels very claustrophobic at times, despite its enormity, geographically speaking. It feels like there's so much going on, every creature imaginable is lurking within striking distance, and there are no safe havens.
As for Thomas Covenant, he is very flawed, and acts out at times on his most monstrous thoughts. But, it's these weaknesses and imperfections that not only make him an incredibly interesting character, they also make the scenes in which Thomas Covenant redeems himself that much more powerful and compelling.
February 4, 2023
This was a slow and deeply personal book which was remarkable considering that 90% of the book takes place during a single battle. Thomas Covenant is not a hero, reluctant hero, or even an antihero, he is simply a deeply flawed character who remained extremely unlikable even though I could understand and sympathize with his character and some of his views.
4.75/5
4.75/5
Read
May 14, 2023Donaldson "concludes" his "trilogy" (eventually book 3 of 10 ... so far) with a logical continuation of all that a fantasy quest narrative situated in a war against an evil demagogue should possess. Thomas Covenant is, indeed, a "doubting Thomas" in the Christian narrative sense, and the resolution of this part of the longer narrative posits a foundational Christian perspective: we are put into this world by God, but totally free to mess up everything by making bad choices.
One (nagging little) thing that continues to annoy me in the series: some choices in character names. The reader is, for the most part, in The Land (not 'our' land) and meeting all sorts of characters fulfilling all sorts of roles in their own lore, history, and mythology. Their jobs usually have names that are somewhat slightly different from 'real-world' names for similar jobs (e.g. the one who looks after the health of forests is a forestal etc. ) And each character has a name: Lord Mhoram, the giant Saltheart Foamfollower, Atiaran, Trell, Quaan, Drool Rockworm, Kevin (wait, what?), Loerya, Amatin, the Ravers samadhi, turiya, etc., Loric, Tohrm, Borillar, Trevor -- now hold on!: what in the yellow wobbly fornication are names like Kevin and Trevor doing in this list? Imagine the World-Envisioning Grand Almighty Imperial Puissant Regent of us All, Bob. Minor. But nagging like a toothache.
One (nagging little) thing that continues to annoy me in the series: some choices in character names. The reader is, for the most part, in The Land (not 'our' land) and meeting all sorts of characters fulfilling all sorts of roles in their own lore, history, and mythology. Their jobs usually have names that are somewhat slightly different from 'real-world' names for similar jobs (e.g. the one who looks after the health of forests is a forestal etc. ) And each character has a name: Lord Mhoram, the giant Saltheart Foamfollower, Atiaran, Trell, Quaan, Drool Rockworm, Kevin (wait, what?), Loerya, Amatin, the Ravers samadhi, turiya, etc., Loric, Tohrm, Borillar, Trevor -- now hold on!: what in the yellow wobbly fornication are names like Kevin and Trevor doing in this list? Imagine the World-Envisioning Grand Almighty Imperial Puissant Regent of us All, Bob. Minor. But nagging like a toothache.
July 21, 2007
Another series I did in one long weekend, this was probably one of the most influential series I read during high school. For some reason I absolutely hated the main character Thomas Conevenant (probably because he was an ass) and my one driving passion was to keep reading until he was killed off. Until of course the last book in the second series where I got over it and decided he should live and then he was killed off.
As an interesting aside, this series made it remarkably less likely that I would have committed suicide since whenever I thought about it, I would promise myself I would first take out Stephon Donaldson before I did, the thought of which tended to make me somewhat happier at the time.
As an interesting aside, this series made it remarkably less likely that I would have committed suicide since whenever I thought about it, I would promise myself I would first take out Stephon Donaldson before I did, the thought of which tended to make me somewhat happier at the time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 1, 2009
Covenant as cantankerous and full of contradictions as ever; Mhoram as wise and understanding; at one moment valuing one person's need above his whole world; Saltheart Foamfollower the best friend a person might have. The part where he carries Covenant through the lava stream, even on his shoulders, and eventually throwing Covenant to the other side. I have considered that sacrifice often in recent years. To help someone that much at such cost to oneself. A remarkable thing.
Also, the fact that Foamfollower saved his world through laughter was wonderful. It reminded me of Terry Waite who, when released from his captivity, was met by the then Archbishop of Canterbury Runcie. Terry had been held for many months; when he came down from the steps he threw back his head and laughed.
Also, the fact that Foamfollower saved his world through laughter was wonderful. It reminded me of Terry Waite who, when released from his captivity, was met by the then Archbishop of Canterbury Runcie. Terry had been held for many months; when he came down from the steps he threw back his head and laughed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 23, 2017
I'm about to move, so I am going through my books and deciding which will come with me and which will ... stay in a local charity shop.
This entire series will soooooooooooooo stay right here. It sure has to be among the worst, most boring and direst fantasy spectacles I have ever had the misfortune to buy and read. I hated this 15 years ago, and my feelings haven't changed. Except that these days I also find it terminally overwritten.
This entire series will soooooooooooooo stay right here. It sure has to be among the worst, most boring and direst fantasy spectacles I have ever had the misfortune to buy and read. I hated this 15 years ago, and my feelings haven't changed. Except that these days I also find it terminally overwritten.
May 19, 2025
Much better than the first two. A bit more world building, and the end had some decent body horror.
February 20, 2011
I once heard someone describe these books as: Book 1 life is crap. Book 2 crap piles up. Book 3 we discover plumbing.
Apt description.
Mr. Donaldson should have left it at that and allowed this series to die a quiet death. I've read nothing by him since Thomas Covenant...and I only read the first book in the second trilogy as I wasn't willing to get TRAPPED in another series about "woe is me life is so unfair" Thomas Covenant.
Covenant dragged his feet refusing to believe that The Land was real throughout the entire trilogy spreading misery and pain in his wake. From refusing to give aid because "it might cost him" to committing rape he was a real winner as a protagonist. Atop all that, I didn't find it more than fairly well written.
If I could give less than 1 star I would have.
Apt description.
Mr. Donaldson should have left it at that and allowed this series to die a quiet death. I've read nothing by him since Thomas Covenant...and I only read the first book in the second trilogy as I wasn't willing to get TRAPPED in another series about "woe is me life is so unfair" Thomas Covenant.
Covenant dragged his feet refusing to believe that The Land was real throughout the entire trilogy spreading misery and pain in his wake. From refusing to give aid because "it might cost him" to committing rape he was a real winner as a protagonist. Atop all that, I didn't find it more than fairly well written.
If I could give less than 1 star I would have.
September 15, 2025
The best read in the series so far, mainly because best boy Lord Mhoram is promoted to a POV character -- and also because themes finally materialize into a somewhat recognizable form.
I don't think this series is good brain food -- like there is nothing to take away from it that is applicable to your approach to real life, and you're certainly not going to learn anything. But this book was, if anything, entertaining and well-paced; something its predecessors very much struggled with. The war plans actually made sense this time (very by-the-book siege tactics, but you know, rock on medieval warfare) and were not dull to read pages of because you felt the stakes, and Mhoram is just a really great character who is easy to empathize with. A diamond in the muck, you might say.
For a moment, in Mhoram's last POV chapter, I thought that Donaldson was doing something really interesting in drawing a clear Covenant/Mhoram dichotomy, where they're polar opposites. Covenant, who is selfish, cowardly, alien, despised, and insistent on his own impotence. Mhoram, who is selfless, brave to the point of recklessness, native of the land and beloved by all its people, and who cannot give up even when defeat is staring him in the face. Covenant, the rapist; and Mhoram, who could not bring himself to force Covenant to help them without his consent. Covenant, who does not believe that he is the Chosen One; Mhoram, who believes it with all his heart. When Mhoram , I got really excited and thought, ohhhhhhh! This is like a lesson that heroes are not chosen but are made from their choices.
I did think to myself that this would be a difficult theme to justify only playing out in the third book when the vast majority of readers interested in such a theme would have dropped it at the rape scene in Book 1, but I was still down for it. It was slowly dawning on me how Covenant and Mhoram's dynamic had been subtly playing into them being foils of each other all along. This could be a really brilliant, if not super-effectively conveyed, theme/plot point.
And then the rest of the book proved me wrong. Covenant's the hero . Great. How exciting. Our rapist hero, everyone. Songs will be written about him. Truly transformative literature.
Look, this series is from the 70s. I did some research on leprosy and discovered that at the time these books were being published, there were over 5 million diagnosed cases of leprosy worldwide. Compare that to now, where it's about 200,000. Donaldson's father was a doctor who specialized in leprosy and worked in India for several years (over half of leprosy cases occur in India). This context is very important to the series' success and also understanding why Thomas Covenant is the way he is. The leprosy is not an allegory; it's Donaldson raising awareness of a very real medical problem and trying to teach people acceptance and empathy for people with this condition.
But...doesn't the decision to make him a generally loathsome, pesudo-incestuous rapist become even more confounding? To heavily imply that lepers are less human and more geared towards immorality does not seem helpful to actual people with leprosy, nor does it defy ancient/medieval tropes about them being inherently sinful and worth alienating from society. I find Covenant really confusing, because on one hand he's a blatant character self-insert (he's an author, so), but he is also clearly inspired by Indians with leprosy (a fact that makes the rape/incest part of this decidedly worse for me). The only theme I find consistent in him is that it's cruel to alienate lepers from society. Okay, agreed. Did we really need three books to establish that?
I just find this entire series to be very confused about what it wants to say, and it ends up being a messy hodgepodge of random things, some good, some bad. But if you were eating a stew where, say, 50-70% of the ingredients had gone bad and none of the flavors go together, you would probably not keep eating it. This is the dilemma that Donaldson puts his readers in. Do you treasure the ingredients that are good enough to keep reading? Even if the payoff is nil? Even if it leaves you hungry and kind of sick? What will I do when I no longer have Lord Mhoram to cling to? I turn to the next installment with dread.
I don't think this series is good brain food -- like there is nothing to take away from it that is applicable to your approach to real life, and you're certainly not going to learn anything. But this book was, if anything, entertaining and well-paced; something its predecessors very much struggled with. The war plans actually made sense this time (very by-the-book siege tactics, but you know, rock on medieval warfare) and were not dull to read pages of because you felt the stakes, and Mhoram is just a really great character who is easy to empathize with. A diamond in the muck, you might say.
For a moment, in Mhoram's last POV chapter, I thought that Donaldson was doing something really interesting in drawing a clear Covenant/Mhoram dichotomy, where they're polar opposites. Covenant, who is selfish, cowardly, alien, despised, and insistent on his own impotence. Mhoram, who is selfless, brave to the point of recklessness, native of the land and beloved by all its people, and who cannot give up even when defeat is staring him in the face. Covenant, the rapist; and Mhoram, who could not bring himself to force Covenant to help them without his consent. Covenant, who does not believe that he is the Chosen One; Mhoram, who believes it with all his heart. When Mhoram , I got really excited and thought, ohhhhhhh! This is like a lesson that heroes are not chosen but are made from their choices.
I did think to myself that this would be a difficult theme to justify only playing out in the third book when the vast majority of readers interested in such a theme would have dropped it at the rape scene in Book 1, but I was still down for it. It was slowly dawning on me how Covenant and Mhoram's dynamic had been subtly playing into them being foils of each other all along. This could be a really brilliant, if not super-effectively conveyed, theme/plot point.
And then the rest of the book proved me wrong. Covenant's the hero . Great. How exciting. Our rapist hero, everyone. Songs will be written about him. Truly transformative literature.
Look, this series is from the 70s. I did some research on leprosy and discovered that at the time these books were being published, there were over 5 million diagnosed cases of leprosy worldwide. Compare that to now, where it's about 200,000. Donaldson's father was a doctor who specialized in leprosy and worked in India for several years (over half of leprosy cases occur in India). This context is very important to the series' success and also understanding why Thomas Covenant is the way he is. The leprosy is not an allegory; it's Donaldson raising awareness of a very real medical problem and trying to teach people acceptance and empathy for people with this condition.
But...doesn't the decision to make him a generally loathsome, pesudo-incestuous rapist become even more confounding? To heavily imply that lepers are less human and more geared towards immorality does not seem helpful to actual people with leprosy, nor does it defy ancient/medieval tropes about them being inherently sinful and worth alienating from society. I find Covenant really confusing, because on one hand he's a blatant character self-insert (he's an author, so), but he is also clearly inspired by Indians with leprosy (a fact that makes the rape/incest part of this decidedly worse for me). The only theme I find consistent in him is that it's cruel to alienate lepers from society. Okay, agreed. Did we really need three books to establish that?
I just find this entire series to be very confused about what it wants to say, and it ends up being a messy hodgepodge of random things, some good, some bad. But if you were eating a stew where, say, 50-70% of the ingredients had gone bad and none of the flavors go together, you would probably not keep eating it. This is the dilemma that Donaldson puts his readers in. Do you treasure the ingredients that are good enough to keep reading? Even if the payoff is nil? Even if it leaves you hungry and kind of sick? What will I do when I no longer have Lord Mhoram to cling to? I turn to the next installment with dread.
February 14, 2017
Story gets a 5. Donaldson's writing style gets a 2. I struggled through this trilogy, but find that I am happy that I did so. As the author spent 90% of the book getting to where he was going leaving scant time and details to I found myself getting bogged down and a little bored. Covanant is an impotent jerkface who's primary motivations come from dealing with a disease of which I have no personal experience.
But the originality of the story--which can be so hard to come by in the fantasy genre made up a lot of ground for me. The plight of the Giants, and Foamfollower were some of the best parts of the story.
But the originality of the story--which can be so hard to come by in the fantasy genre made up a lot of ground for me. The plight of the Giants, and Foamfollower were some of the best parts of the story.
November 29, 2023
These books were incredible! Donaldson's writing is beautiful and descriptive but without losing the story line. I am sure I did not understand all the symbolism weaved into the story, but I think that's what makes a good story.
March 16, 2023
A great ending to the trilogy. Donaldson's writing here is excellently balanced between the different plotlines.
April 6, 2022
Power That Preserves is the final book in the first Chronicles of Thomas Covenant arc. I have read this book and series several times over the last thirty years. I still feel it is a pivotal fantasy series that is very much undervalued and overlooked as being a Tolkien clone. That and the fact that a scene early in book one Lord Foul’s Bane, where Covenant commits (a sexual assault) that is so emotive and a major trigger warning for some readers, many don’t continue reading. Staying with the book does pay off but like Covenant – the journey is not an easy one.
Covenant is not your atypical hero, he’s not even an antihero. It is not exactly easy for any reader to like a person who is so embittered and cynical about life. How do you cope with personal misfortune and health is something at the forefront of Covenants life and existence as he makes his journey? However, what Covenant lacks, he makes up for as you follow him on his journey. The reality of the Land is something he just can’t except, that is the paradox of Covenants life. To counter-balance such an embittered man, we get a whole series of memorable characters to root for, this allows us as the reader to put our faith in Covenant. Characters such as Lena, her daughter Elena and her father. There is my favourite character the giant Saltheart Foamfollower who gives such unwavering loyalty. There is Mhoram, who has wisdom, Bannor of the Bloodguard, who doesn’t judge people, lots to choose from. There are scenes of anguish and struggle, even a little bit of humour. In the end, Covenant does realise that he loves the Land but as much as he hates the position he’s been put in. As I read, I began to look for this faith myself…what did they see in Covenant that I didn’t. I figured it is back to that blind faith and that self-assuredness that a person can be better they just need the time to recognise it in themselves and to act accordingly.
The key themes to this series are health, not just Covenant’s leprosy but the spiritual, mental and moral decay he goes through. Which erodes his ability act for good and the constant need to question the validity of everything. Covenant continues to believe that he can’t make these choices anymore. That decision to take charge of his life and give it meaning is brought into question by his perceived unreality of the Land. Covenant needs to experience these trials and journeys in order to have that epiphany, to give hope and relearn the value of his responsibility has a human being.
As you read Donaldson’s writing a dictionary, it is well worth it just to expand your vocabulary. What I liked about this series in the forty-four years after it was written, the characters are not your usual or typical epic fantasy characters.
Like real life, these characters are full of flaws and contradictions, some are not the most pleasant characters to spend time with. But it is the personal journeys that the characters go through, especially when they’re damaged physically and mentally. This is what makes it such powerful series in a modern cluttered fantasy market.
Covenant is not your atypical hero, he’s not even an antihero. It is not exactly easy for any reader to like a person who is so embittered and cynical about life. How do you cope with personal misfortune and health is something at the forefront of Covenants life and existence as he makes his journey? However, what Covenant lacks, he makes up for as you follow him on his journey. The reality of the Land is something he just can’t except, that is the paradox of Covenants life. To counter-balance such an embittered man, we get a whole series of memorable characters to root for, this allows us as the reader to put our faith in Covenant. Characters such as Lena, her daughter Elena and her father. There is my favourite character the giant Saltheart Foamfollower who gives such unwavering loyalty. There is Mhoram, who has wisdom, Bannor of the Bloodguard, who doesn’t judge people, lots to choose from. There are scenes of anguish and struggle, even a little bit of humour. In the end, Covenant does realise that he loves the Land but as much as he hates the position he’s been put in. As I read, I began to look for this faith myself…what did they see in Covenant that I didn’t. I figured it is back to that blind faith and that self-assuredness that a person can be better they just need the time to recognise it in themselves and to act accordingly.
The key themes to this series are health, not just Covenant’s leprosy but the spiritual, mental and moral decay he goes through. Which erodes his ability act for good and the constant need to question the validity of everything. Covenant continues to believe that he can’t make these choices anymore. That decision to take charge of his life and give it meaning is brought into question by his perceived unreality of the Land. Covenant needs to experience these trials and journeys in order to have that epiphany, to give hope and relearn the value of his responsibility has a human being.
As you read Donaldson’s writing a dictionary, it is well worth it just to expand your vocabulary. What I liked about this series in the forty-four years after it was written, the characters are not your usual or typical epic fantasy characters.
Like real life, these characters are full of flaws and contradictions, some are not the most pleasant characters to spend time with. But it is the personal journeys that the characters go through, especially when they’re damaged physically and mentally. This is what makes it such powerful series in a modern cluttered fantasy market.
February 15, 2018
For reals, the book is a chore. It's a slog. It's not just because the writing is dementedly dense (with Donaldson favouring elaborate synonyms and sentence structures just for fun, "demesne" and "celerity" peppering the page), but because dammit, NOTHING goes right, EVERYTHING is hard, for EVERYBODY, all the time. The entire book — heck, the entire series — is a downward trod into greater despair and more dire circumstances, with fewer and fewer options for the good guys.
And that, strangely, is what makes this work compelling and worthwhile. We rarely get treated to the depth of trouble this author steeps us in. It is truly an awful set of circumstances we become immersed in. And through it, we still emerge, with new wisdom that is only possible because it was delved from these depths.
Covenant the character has slowly yet entirely transformed by the time this third book reaches its climax. He's far different from the reluctant leper we met him as in book 1, and yet, it's his fundamental unbelief, and his fundamental leprosy, that is unchanged, and equips him for his task. The whole concept of this series sets us up for a profound and dramatic final 50 pages, where the tale comes to fruition.
May I also observe that Donaldson's ability to describe "emotional turmoil" as if it were a concrete object is amazing. As he describes states like the weight of shame, or the agony of a dilemma, or the pain of betrayal, or an uncarry-able burden, or the pain of carrying a secret, or the reluctant obligation of a confession, he describes these states like they are physical places. I can only assume he has perhaps dwelt inside them himself, inside his own real relationships, because the tangible-ness they take on the page is one of the high-points of his whole writing style. His accuracy in expressing what it FEELS like to be one of his characters experiencing hard times (and they all experience hard times) seems forged in the fire of personal experience, and is a true gift Donaldson has. Many times, I felt as if his words were prophecies on the page intended only for me, so truly and accurately did they describe aspects of the inner world I experience.
Yeah, holy smokes, by book 3, the elaborately fancy prose was getting a little tiresome. But it still can't erase the amazing settings, conflicts, characters, experience and overall story of this book. I don't think I'll ever forget the character of Thomas Covenant and his friends, Saltheart Foamfollower, Lord Mhoram, Lena, Elena, the Ramen, the Bloodguard...the last few sequences (no spoilers) are memorable, beautiful, powerful, and the Land gets to live on in my mind as a symbol and setting to return to often.
And that, strangely, is what makes this work compelling and worthwhile. We rarely get treated to the depth of trouble this author steeps us in. It is truly an awful set of circumstances we become immersed in. And through it, we still emerge, with new wisdom that is only possible because it was delved from these depths.
Covenant the character has slowly yet entirely transformed by the time this third book reaches its climax. He's far different from the reluctant leper we met him as in book 1, and yet, it's his fundamental unbelief, and his fundamental leprosy, that is unchanged, and equips him for his task. The whole concept of this series sets us up for a profound and dramatic final 50 pages, where the tale comes to fruition.
May I also observe that Donaldson's ability to describe "emotional turmoil" as if it were a concrete object is amazing. As he describes states like the weight of shame, or the agony of a dilemma, or the pain of betrayal, or an uncarry-able burden, or the pain of carrying a secret, or the reluctant obligation of a confession, he describes these states like they are physical places. I can only assume he has perhaps dwelt inside them himself, inside his own real relationships, because the tangible-ness they take on the page is one of the high-points of his whole writing style. His accuracy in expressing what it FEELS like to be one of his characters experiencing hard times (and they all experience hard times) seems forged in the fire of personal experience, and is a true gift Donaldson has. Many times, I felt as if his words were prophecies on the page intended only for me, so truly and accurately did they describe aspects of the inner world I experience.
Yeah, holy smokes, by book 3, the elaborately fancy prose was getting a little tiresome. But it still can't erase the amazing settings, conflicts, characters, experience and overall story of this book. I don't think I'll ever forget the character of Thomas Covenant and his friends, Saltheart Foamfollower, Lord Mhoram, Lena, Elena, the Ramen, the Bloodguard...the last few sequences (no spoilers) are memorable, beautiful, powerful, and the Land gets to live on in my mind as a symbol and setting to return to often.
October 20, 2021
I loved the last book in the series. It is difficult to write since the ending is all important, but I will not spoil it for you. Foamfollower, the giant, returns to assist the Unbeliever as well as Trioc, but the Ravers and the Despiser are very powerful. Revelstone is placed under siege and appears as if the Despiser will win. The Unbeliever steps up and the fight begins in earnest.
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