Lord Foul's Bane

Stephen R. Donaldson

May 2012 · The First Chronicles: Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever Book 1 · Sold by Del Rey

About this ebook

“Covenant is [Stephen R.] Donaldson's genius!”—The Village Voice

He called himself Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, because he dared not believe in this strange alternate world on which he suddenly found himself.

Yet the Land tempted him. He had been sick; now he seemed better than ever before. Through no fault of his own, he had been outcast, unclean, a pariah. Now he was regarded as a reincarnation of the Land's greatest hero—Berek Halfhand—armed with the mystic power of White Gold. That power alone could protect the Lords of the Land from the ancient evil of the Despiser, Lord Foul. Except that Covenant had no idea how to use that power. . . .

Ratings and reviews

I made the mistake of purchasing this book. Halfway through, I couldn't believe it had been published, so I checked what others had thought of it. The most accurate description I saw was "The epitome of purple prose". I had never heard this term before, but upon looking it up, I realized it was correct. If you want something to serve as an example of how not to write, or of what purple prose is, read this book. If not, your time will be spent better elsewhere. The actual story concept is intriguing, but the writing is horrid.

Mainy because, I honestly loved it at first. But soon it became clear the author wanted me to accept a great deal with no explanation. I encountered page after page of description and dialog that may as well have had the disclaimer "utter nonsense ahead," for all that I could make of it. Still I tend to just roll with that until I get used to it. The "antihero" protagonist was too much for me though. I admit freely I enjoy likable characters or at least ones whose actions make them less than reprehensible.

What a waste of time and money. Too much time spent detailing unimportant things and the whole "woe is me I'm a leper" thing became more annoying than engaging. By the end of this book I wished Covenant HAD jumped off the cliff.

About the author

Stephen R. Donaldson is the bestselling author of the series The Gap Cycle, Mordant's Need, and the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, including Lord Foul's Bane and The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant; and other works, such as Daughter of Regals and Other Tales and a mystery series under the pseudonym Reed Stephens. He is the recipient of the first prize of the British Science Fiction Society and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award.