Lord Foul's Bane
No. 1 in The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever series
by Stephen R. Donaldson
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Del Rey (New York): 1977. Paperback: 480 pages. ISBN-10: 0-345-34865-6 Suggested retail price: $6.99 (US) Tags: evil; Fantasy; horses; leprosy; white gold Tactical strength: [8/10] |
Donaldson creates one of the most complete and unique fantasy worlds-- especially for a first novel--that in itself keeps you reading just to learn more about the world's history and characters. Donaldson also chooses one of the most unique main characters: a middle-aged man named Thomas Covenant.
On 20th-Century Earth, Covenant has leprosy, over which his wife divorces him and the local town shuns him. Covenant has lost two fingers on his right hand and lost most of his tactile sense. On a trip into town, Covenant encounters a beggar who asks him if a man transported to another world believes he is dreaming and does nothing to preserve himself is that man cowardly or courageous? Then, Covenant finds himself transported to another world ("the Land") where his nerves regenerate and he can "see" the health of the Land and its inhabitants, including plants and animals.
Covenant believes that he is dreaming his experiences in the Land and never really thinks much about the message from the beggar. If Covenant truly believes that he is dreaming, then he should not really care about the consequences of his actions. And many use this argument to explain Covenant raping Lena, a 15-year-old girl at the start of Covenant's adventures in the Land. But Donaldson never has Covenant really ponder the issue of morals. Covenant does come to regret raping Lena, but somehow Covenant believes that he must not give up his leprosy survival skills or he will not be able to survive when he wakes up. So the message from the beggar plays no critical role in Covenant's actions or in the conclusion of this book's plot.
In fact the only real exploration of heavily foreshadowed moral issues comes from the Land's inhabitants. In the Land, many take "the Oath," which limits them to using necessary force. But Donaldson's beggar set an expectation for a strong moral statement that Donaldson does not fulfill.
From beginning to end, I never liked Covenant. Imagine taking a character as crass as a New York City cab driver and dropping him into a high fantasy novel and you get Thomas Covenant in the Land. Covenant rarely acts polite, argues with everyone, and persists on telling everyone not to touch him because of his leprosy. Covenant does change his view from not caring about the Land, to wanting the Lords (the wizards and ruling class) to succeed in their battle against evil, personified in Lord Foul.
So why even bother reading Lord Foul's Bane? Because Donaldson creates such an interesting adventure that you want to find out what happens next, regardless of how snotty Covenant treats the Land's inhabitants. Donaldson also has a gift for suspenseful, vivid action scenes.
But you should also prepare yourself for some very purple prose. Donaldson seems to only know two descriptive methods: big, obscure words and constructions with "like" and "as if." Donaldson loves to show off with words like tortuously, which I could accept occasionally, but not for every twisted path the characters traverse. Or how about chiaroscuro, which I could accept once, but not several times in the same volume.
To show Donaldson's limited descriptive style, here's an example from page 381:
At this, she frowned as if she could hear his complex dishonesty. For a long moment, she studied the floor as if she were using the stone to measure his duplicity. Then she got to her feet, filled Covenant's flask to the brim from her jug. As she turned away, she said in a low voice, "You do consider me a child." She walked with a defiant and fearful swing to her hips, as if she believed she was risking her life by treating the Ringthane so insolently.
Three "as if" constructions in one paragraph. Not a page goes by without a "like," an "as if," or some lengthy word. Maybe Donaldson's has gotten over these habits in his more recent works. One can only hope.
As a footnote, Darrell K. Sweet drew the cover art for the original Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, which is far superior to the cover art available on today's edition. So go visit your local used book store, if only to see Sweet's interpretation.
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