This one ranks right up there with The Illearth War, the second book of the first trilogy. Thomas Covenant and his companions sail deep into the Sunbirth Sea on a quest for the One Tree, from which Covenant hopes to fashion a new Staff of Law. Much of the novel (perhaps half) takes place aboard the huge Giantship Starfare's Gem. During this time the major characters have nothing to do but walk around on the boat or help with chores, so the pace of the book is clearly slower than that of the others in the series. Aside from a couple moments of excitement, Donaldson spends the bulk of the ocean sequences in developing the characters. We learn a lot more about Linden and she begins to understand her capabilities. Some of the Giants acquire distinct personalities as we spend days with them at sea. Vain is more perplexing than ever before, especially as we see how he interacts with Findail (a new character in the series). It becomes evident that these two will play some major role in the sequel "White Gold Wielder".
The story heats up in the second half, when Starfare's Gem is forced to make landfall at a fascinating but sinister port town called Bhrathairain. Here a plot unfolds to get Covenant to give up his white gold ring. We also encounter a deadly Sandgorgon, which I'm hoping will make a re-appearance in the sequel. This part of the story was my favorite. Also, the climactic events that occur at the objective of the party's quest are exciting and revealing. We learn why Lord Foul tainted Covenant with venom and get hints of the awesome might of the creature that formed the Earth.
The One Tree also has the most deaths of major characters so far in the series. So there are several tragic moments in the novel, which in my opinion gives it an element of realism and poignancy that the other novels lacked. This combined with the very good character development during the ocean sequences and the moving backstory related by the Elohim make The One Tree the deepest of the novels in the series up to this point.
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