The Illearth War: The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Book 2

Staring back down the corridors of Time to when I was a skinny, long-haired aberration, I first read this book. I enjoyed it immensely but over time it was forgotten. I've been on mission like some insane knight errant to read all the wonderful things I can no longer remember. This has been a most enjoyable experience.

I'm in the middle of a re-read -- my first, since the 70's, when I read it as a kid.Good Lord, does it hold up and then some! This is every bit as excellent as I remember, maybe better.This is like watching one of the very best old Star Trek episodes and it doesn't feel old at all but fresh and new -- and you suddenly realize that it's better than anything else on TV.So much originality, so much craftsmanship.If they ever got around to filming these books it would be a smash hit on par with LORT and GOT.If it were me, I'd start with Wounded Land, and but flash back a lot to the major events in Illearth War and Power That Preserves. And It would be a mini-series -- roughly 10 eps per book, including flashbacks to the first trilogy. This book is amazing, and really, for me THIS was what hooked my on Covenant, this book. The whole Amok storyline, the Hile Troy as Warmark and then ending in Garroting Deep -- all of it, deeply magnificent.

The first trilogy of “Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever” was Donaldson’s initial opus and launched him to immediate consideration of public & critics.Donaldson’s proposal is quite risky.The main character is a sick man unable to compromise with the fantastic universe that deploys before him. The reader will certainly not identify with Covenant’s sour & bitter personality.Nevertheless a powerful story is constructed over this implausible pillar!“The Illearth War” is the second volume of the trilogy and I strongly recommend reading the first volume before start reading this one. It is true that the author provides a two page summary of what happened before, nevertheless The Land scenery & characters is too complex to be understood with that intro only, and the reader risk to get confused and even bored.The tale is as follows: after a very short return to our own world, Thomas is recalled to the Land. There forty years has elapsed since Covenant’s departure.The summoner this time is Lord Elena, new elected High Lord, young & energetic and determined to save the Land from Lord Foul’s designs.From this starting point three main & parallel stories evolve.One line follows the adventures of a group of Lords and Bloodguard in an urgent quest to find what happened to the Giants that are silent and out of touch with the Lords.The second follow Lord Mhoram, Warmark (Supreme Commander) Hile Troy and the Warward (Lord’s Army) in a forced march to confront Lord Foul’s ghastly army.The third line follows Lord Elena and Thomas in search of the seventh Ward of Kevin’s Lore.These three lines will merge at book’s end in a high voltage finale!This second volume of the saga introduces new interesting characters.One is Hille Troy who has many points in common with Covenant: he has been summoned from our world, he is a blind-born person and in the Land he gains vision (as Thomas recovers from leprosy). Other traits are just the opposite, Hille believes the Land is real and he is ready to face whatever risk to save it.Elena is the other remarkable new personae, fervent defender of the Land and essentially feminine, confers a different touch to the whole story.It is great book that may be enjoyed by fantasy fans and general public as well! But remember read Book one first!Reviewed by Max Yofre.

I've read better fantasy but The Illearth War is five-star material nonetheless. This is the sequel to Lord Foul's Bane, in which Thomas Covenant first discovered the Land and assisted in the recovery of an important magical artifact. This time around he again gets transported from the "real world" to the Land but while Covenant is only a few weeks older, 40 years have passed in the Land and the struggle against Lord Foul has become desperate. Foul is about to march against the Lords, who simply aren't prepared for what's coming!The novel is slow to get going and most of the highlights come in the second half. The first half provides a lot of backstory and character development. We meet the important woman Elena, who develops a close relationship with Covenant (for good reason too, as you'll learn to your surprise later in the novel). Hile Troy, a military tactician who claims to also be from Covenant's world, leads the war effort and plays an even more central role in this book than Covenant. Lord Mhoram is a leading character this time around. Trell, the former loving gravelingas of Mithil Stonedown, is now a tragic and unpredictable character. The mysterious creature Amok holds a key to ancient and terrible power.The second half of the book is where the action really hits. Donaldson gives us three simultaneous plot lines to follow; each is exciting and keeps you turning the pages. My favorite plot line was the mission to Seareach but all three are excellent! Just as in the last book, scenes of battle and gore are depicted admirably. Settings are described in lavish detail but the prose never gets exceedingly verbose unlike some other fantasy out there (*cough* Wheel of Time *cough*). The ending ties things up nicely, yet leaves the big picture unresolved and hence leads perfectly into the sequel.Though still bitter from his experience as a leper, Covenant seems to have lightened up a bit. In fact in a couple parts of the book he actually feels genuinely happy, albeit briefly. Unfortunately, as in Lord Foul's Bane, most of the other characters aren't too unique and their personalities tend to be uniformly strong and heroic. Troy is an interesting one though.Overall, top notch fantasy and certainly not to be missed after reading Lord Foul's Bane!

A un certo punto non ne potevo più di leggere del protagonista chesipiange addosso. Peccato perché l'ambientazione è bella e si legge bene.

I loved Lord Fouls Bane so I grabbed this one as soon as I had the time and dived back into the world.The good: it starts strong, it moves Thomas’s personal story along in the real world and makes him a far more sympathy character this time. He doesn’t growl “Hellfire!” every page anymore. It introduces nome interesting new characters like Elena. It raises the stakes of the war.The less good: although it starts strong, it branches out into several sub-plots that aren’t as interesting. We spend much of the book through the eyes of Hille Troy, which I didn’t enjoy quite as much. Covenants story is also interesting, but is a little slow and feels a little repetitive from the first book (ie: a quest into a mountain to find a magic artefact)But the ending was satisfying and it was a good enough story to make me want to come back and find out how it all ends. Worthwhile reading.

Not really much to say about this. It is a great series with characters that could be good or evil but often just come off as 'human' in the way that we all try to do the right thing but don't always succeed.

It's a great tale, with an main character that ineffectively does everything he can to stay uninvolved in the events unfolding. He's been infected with leprosy, and shunned, and clings to the belief that it's all a dream. He's a totally depressed hero, very human and in his disbelief often behaves quite badly. It's an unforgettable story.

words cant describe these books !… do yourself a favour and read the entire 3 series… i promise you will not be let down