The Wounded Land (The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, Book 1) Paperback – 8 Aug. 2019

I read the Chronicles when they first came out. This is genuinely unique in terms of modern literature. It takes time to get into but then you get sucked in completely!

Boom was delivered to me sooner than the estimated date which is always great. The book itself is in superb condition and includes a bookmark. Extremeley happy customer.

Like the original first book it takes a while to introduce the new cast of characters. However it soon gets going and is an exciting and thought provoking read

A story to cherish. My favourite read of all time. It makes my spirit soar. I will never stop reading these chronicles.g

Replacing really old paperbacks so not a new read, but no detracting from fact whole 2 series are an absolutely terrific read and this book pivotal. Must be read in order but a series to match Tolkien.

I think this is one of the best books in the series, very atmospheric and exciting. It also introduces a number of new characters.

A much loved series of books. Right up there with 'Lord of the Rings' in my opinion. I have just discovered a final 4 books to this series and am taking the opportunity to re-read the original 6 [again]. Thank you Stephen Donaldson for many years of reading pleasure.

Masterpieces of epic fantasy.You won'regret reading this trilogy. P.s don't buy the next ones after this though.Not so good or even close.

Got the Kindle version, was exactly as expected of course.Great series of books. The author somehow managed to keep you rooting for the main character despite trying to make him super unlikeable. Covenant's own attempts to be a tool just seem to draw the other characters to him. If you've gotten this far in the series you aren't stopping here.

First off, if you haven't read the first Thomas Covenant trilogy (Lord Foul's Bane, The Illearth War, and The Power that Preserves), I reccomend you do that first. Mainly, it's an amazing an tremendous work. Also, you'll get a lot of background that is necessary to appreciate the second trilogy, and it's hard to really feel Covenant's sense of loss and despair at the despoiling of the Land without having seen it when it was beautiful.The Second Trilogy of Thomas Covenant is very different thematically from the first. The question of dream vs. reality is disposed of almost immediately in The Wounded Land (and arguably it was just a plot trick in the first trilogy anyway, so we could comfortably both despise and sympathise with Thomas Covenant). All that the Council represents has been shattered and the strength of their convictions must now be restored by Thomas Covenant and a few friends. He must come to terms with what he has lost, who he is, and what the Land truly meant to him. Linden Avery, his new companion from the real world who is drawn in when Covenant is summoned, is herself a flawed character - but she is a product of events she could not control. In a reverse of the original trilogy, the story of her anguish, the truth she must come to terms with, and her role in the fate of the Land is drawn out slowly, over the course of all three books.This second trilogy is more personal than the first. In the first trilogy Thomas Covenant is profoundly influnced by the Land and all the people around him, and must reconcile their strength with his own anguish, eventually confronting his own failings to earn redemption; in the second everything the Land was, is lost. Linden and Covenant must personally struggle to restore it despite their own weakness and imperfection, with the help of a group of wandering Giants, the always loyal but subtly changed Bloodguard, and two natives of the Land. Wheras in the first book we know Covenant has a latent power which if he could only discover and unleash, he could defeat Foul, in the Wounded Land Covenant's power is growing out of control and any release could shatter the Arch of Time and give Foul victory - effectively rendering Covenant's White Gold powerless.Everyone must make tremendous sacrifices in their struggle to see the land restored, and the final resolution in White Gold Wielder is amazing, thrilling, tremendously moving, and ultimately incredibly satisfying - making these books arguably the greatest work of fantasy literature ever written, eclipsing even the remarkable works of Tolkien for depth and power.

We have read this series so many times. Love it.

Love this series

There's a great story screaming to get out from beneath Thomas Covenant's whining and moaning in these books. I get it, I really do. Covenant is a total neurotic. If Stephen Donaldson had reduced Covenant's incessant whining to say ten or twenty percent of what it is we all would have still gotten the point and the story would have been fabulous instead of just good.Wounded Land gets off to a slow start with Thomas Covenant and his companions drifting down a river on a raft and Covenant ranting about being a leper and complaining about nearly everything. But after they reach Andelain the story gains momentum. It's a fine story with great characters and a vast world which is in deadly peril. If you have read the First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant then it is likely a world which you grew to care about. Now it teeters on the brink of oblivion once again. The story is compelling, highly original and addictive. In fact Wounded Land and the previous Thomas Covenant books could have been downright brilliant if it wasn't for the neurotic overkill of Covenant's blathering and the author's obsessive use of obtuse, archaic words and so many similes that they seem to sprout like dandelions in an unkempt yard. Still, there's a lot to enjoy here although it makes me wonder what the heck editors do to justify their pay checks.Guilt, guilt, guilt. In the course of this book Covenant strikes out against some loathsome, evil individuals who are slaughtering innocent people and then he is racked with guilt over it since they were 'only following orders' from a Raver. It's way too much. Covenant's convoluted un-reasoning finds some irrational way to feel personally guilty for everything bad that happens. Everything is his fault and the facts be damned. Any compassion the reader might feel for Covenant is sucked away by this carnival of guilt overkill.Wounded Land gets better and better as it goes on. Eventually with all the action and giants involved (the giants are cool) Donaldson forgets to make Covenant rant so much and the book becomes lots of fun. It's really about a three and a half star book in my opinion but I'm nudging it up to four because it's somehow a bit addictive once you've read a few books and that must come from the talent of the author or maybe the wild magic.