I read Thomas Covenant many years ago, probably sometime in the 80s, I would guess. I read the first two trilogies, but I never read the final series which was released about twenty years later.
As far as I can tell Thomas Covenant gets little attention these days. It’s not one of those perennial series people buy and talk about, like a number of other series from the time. If I were to say it’s forgotten today, I think I would be wrong, but it certainly doesn’t garner the publicity of those other books.
That’s probably because of the writing, by Stephen R. Donaldson, which I think it would be fair to say is overwrought and complicated. It has a reputation for being somewhat difficult to read, and there are various jokes about the series online (Wikipedia mentions ways to enjoy the books which doesn’t include reading them).
I have to admit to devouring them though, and I suppose I would use the excuse of youth in doing so. Much like being exposed to Ayn Rand’s writings, these books don’t stand up to any kind of scrutiny. As you read more and better fantasy books, you have no desire to go back to the basics.
What are the books about?
I have to lean on the Wikipedia summary here, as only bits and pieces come back to mind. Basically Thomas Covenant has leprosy, and when he passes out he travels to a fantasy world where he battles evil and sort of turns into a savior of sorts. At the end of each book he returns to this world, and he is not quite sure if it was a real journey or not.
I don’t think I want to describe his adventures. They are about as generic a set of fantasy adventures as you could get, with slight exceptions here and there. Suffice it to say someone said Thomas Covenant is the least likable hero character you’re ever likely to read. In some ways I feel the concept of the story—him coming from another world—is a wrapper around the fantasy story designed to excuse the things he does. It doesn’t help.
Neither do the names. The land he travels to is called The Land. The big enemy he fights is called Lord Foul, also known as The Despiser. The god being who created that universe is called The Creator. There’s a giant called Saltheart Foamfollower. I could go on, but I won’t. The author isn’t good at naming things. These sound like names out of the Lego Movie.
The Themes of Thomas Covenant
The Power of Belief
If I’m remembering correctly, Thomas Covenant spends a significant amount of time not believing anything in the world is real. He thinks it’s all a dream, but slowly he finds meaning and purpose in believing what he does is real. This transforms into the actions he takes, and helps to build a new reality for him.
Self-Acceptance
Covenant begins the first book as a leper who has lost two fingers to the disease. He is getting divorced and is clearly in a downward spiral. However, in the fantasy world his missing fingers mark him as the long-awaited hero, and once he accepts he is not a failure, he is able to gather himself to help others.
A character of great interest
Normally in this section I would talk about one of the characters from the book, and compare them to a character in my own series.
I honestly don’t remember enough about the books to be able to compare characters. I’ve reminded myself of who was in the stories, but none of them are very memorable, and I don’t want to just pick one and pretend something about them.
So, let’s skip this section today.
Other series to read
Wow, where to start? Basically anywhere else. Not saying this is the worst, I’m just saying there are so many better series to read these days. I don’t think I would even recommend this as a good starter series for a teenager looking to get into fantasy.
The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan: Can I recommend this instead? Intricate world-building, complex characters, battle between light and dark. The same story, but surprisingly better.
The Lightbringer series by Brent Weeks: Another much better story of a similar tale. Head and shoulders above Covenant, and probably above Wheel of Time, too.
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss: Back to the old standby. If you want the epic story with likable characters, here’s where you should start.
In Conclusion
Oof, have I been too harsh today? It just doesn’t feel like The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant has aged well.
Sometimes when you go back and look at some of the classics you realize they were really a product of their time. It happens in music (disco, anyone?), in television (watch some early Saturday Night Live and see if you laugh even once), and apparently it happens in books too.
Very few of the things you once loved turn into the kind of thing you will recommend forever. I suppose the books coming out today will eventually suffer the same fate. Too bad, because I hope mine will last forever.