After the indecision and angst experienced by Thomas Covenant in Lord Foul's Bane and The Illearth War, it is very refreshing to see him (at least partially) resolve his conflict and move to action in this, the conclusion to the first Thomas Covenant trilogy.
The action begins when Covenant returns to our world immediately following the events at the conclusion of The Illearth War. Filled with agony over his perceived failures and inaction in the Land (trying not to spoil the plot here), he wanders in suffering through the woods behind his house for a few days, only to be summoned yet again to the Land, where seven years have passed since he was there (time passes differently in the Land than in the "real" world). By this time, the Lords have been reduced to only controlling their fortress of Revelstone, which is beseiged by the forces of Lord Foul, who holds the rest of the Land in his grip. Through several lucky circumstances, both in our world and the Land, Covenant is outside Revelstone and free to act. At first, he is afraid to do anything due to his inner conflicts and the demands of his leprosy, as in the first two books. But, after he sees and experiences the results of Lord Foul's depradations on the Land, he decides to finally take positive action to destroy Lord Foul and attempt to purge his guilt once and for all.
As before, Donaldson proves his mastery of characterization in the peoples that Covenant encounters in his adventures. The Lords Trevor, Loerya, and Amatin are all fleshed out fully after their brief introductions in The Illearth War. Also used effectively are a trio of tragic figures from Lord Foul's Bane: the villagers Trell, Triock, and Lena, who is the ultimate focus of most of Covenant's guilt and pain. The Haruchai Bannor, who has some guilt and pain of his own, is present, as is the valorous, guilt-filled, but ultimately heroic Giant, Saltheart Foamfollower. But the most powerful and compelling figure in the whole book is the awesome High Lord Mhoram, whose struggles to defeat the forces of Lord Foul and save Revelstone, while attempting to aid Covenant in any way he can, make this book the page-turner that it is.
The battle between Mhoram and the leader of Foul's army is the most epic clash of wills I have read about in a book since Gandalf the Wizard faced down the Lord of the Nazgul at the gates of Minas Tirith. It's that good.
While Donaldson leaves vague the question of whether Covenant is actin out of concern for the Land or merely his desire to end what he feels is a guilt-induced halucination, the final confrontation with Lord Foul and the end of Covenant's adventure in the Land (for now) is very satisfying. The trilogy as a whole seems to state that we all carry our personal guilts and burdens over our sins, both of commission and omission. However, as flawed and guilty as we all are, we all have the capablity to overcome our shortcomings and make a difference for good in the world. It's a powerful message that we all need to hear. No fan of fantasy, or great literature in general, should fail to read this trilogy, as well as it's sequel. Donaldson is one of the VERY few writers of fantasy out there whose work will, I feel, evetually stand alongside The Lord of the Rings as monumental literary classics.
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