The Power That Preserves (The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Book 3)

Whether for good or ill the end is near--in his second return to the Land Thomas Covenant appears seven years after his last arrival, nearly at the end of the seven times seven years Lord Foul said would be the maximum granted to the Lords. Twice before he has striven to balance his unbelief with the needs of the Land--now it is more important than ever. High Lord Elena's rash act of summoning High Lord Kevin Landwaster broke the Law of Death and granted to Lord Foul powers beyond any he had before weilded. There is still something pure and archetypal about the Land. The Lords devote themselves to life and its growth while the Despiser, Lord Foul surrounds himself with death and corruption. This is no mere consequence of the ages old struggle for dominance of the Land, it is the character of the Land. Donaldson has woven a picture of an epic struggle that is more than just good versus evil. There is nothing straightforward about Thomas Covenant and his journies through the land. Each step forward is painful for the Unbeliever as he causes pain to those around him. However, as he discovers the truth of his unbelief and the white gold's power so too the reader will experience the journey, perhaps on the edge of their seat. This excellent conclusion to The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeleiver isn't formulaic, it isn't predictable and like Hobbes the tiger (Calvin's toy or companion?) we may never know the truth of The Land.

Back in the 1970's it was Donaldson and Terry Brooks who proved that an audience for the genre of fantasy existed. It was Donaldson who proved that an author could publish, sell well, and still write something of definitive literary merit. While it is indisputable that Tolkien brought the genre of fantasy into existence it was still widely regarded as something for children (something fantasy fiction still struggles with today) and it is Donaldson who first wrote something that can only be aimed at adults. The Chronicles' influence over the last three decades has been and can be traced to Eddings' Belgariad, Feist's Riftwar Saga, and any of a host of crossover fantasy novels published in the genre. It's only defect and what prevents it from receiving our highest recommendations is the patina of ugliness that Covenant inevitably breeds. It's an irony about the word because it is the ugliness of Covenant that elevates the rather routine plot into something of literary merit but at the same time it will prevent The Chronicles from being the most cherished in people's minds. WHO SHOULD READ: For anyone who has complained that fantasy novels are too lighthearted or too childlike, Donaldson has answered your complaint with a staunch challenge. His Chronicles are a gladiatorial arena where in the pit metaphysics slugs it out not in the pristine abstractions of philosophers but in the blood, sweat, and madness of the arena. It is a terrific blend of pulse-quickening action immersed in carefully constructed philosophy. Any reader versed in philosophical discourse in either free will or ethics will be profoundly moved by Covenant's struggles. At the same time, readers with no taste in philosophy whatsoever who are firmly grounded in a sense of black/white and right/wrong will be equally moved by these books because the battles and action will mean something to them rather than events occurring like so many special effects in some rotten film starring Sylvester Stallone or Jean Claude Van Damme. WHO SHOULD PASS: The reader should beware of the content. It's very popular to accuse George RR Martin of having some kind of monopoly on books where bad things happen to really good (and popular) characters. That's not the case at all: next to Donaldson he is a child. Real crimes are committed and terrible sacrifices are made and it is something that the delicate should avoid. Additionally, many readers have been upset with the dense prose and idealized setting of The Chronicles. This is something that's rather important to what the book is about but that doesn't lessen the irritation that some people feel. If you have knee-jerk (and perhaps unwarranted) reactions to overt echoes of Tolkien or have a severe allergic reactions to similes (Donaldson cannot seem to write without liberal use of simile) then you might seek elsewhere. But really, these books were a groundbreaking event in fantasy publishing and shouldn't be missed. READ THE ENTIRE REVIEW AT INCH

Wow.Just wow."The Power that Preserves" is amazing. Astonishing. Breathtaking. The sort of fantasy novel that you expect to find once a decade, if it's a particularly good decade. This is the culmination of a story that so big you can barely believe it fits in three books, so intense that it seems amazing that any person could actually have written it. It is a story you will never forget.One portion of the novels follows Lord Morham as he attempts to save the Land from total destruction in a final battle against Lord Foul's forces. The giant reaver Satansfist has Morham and the other wizards and defenders of the Land under siege at the castle of Revelstone. This contest is in amazing piece of virtuoso writing, perfectly melding several great action sequences with intense psychological passages to create something dazzling. I feel perfectly comfortable saying the Donaldson is the only fantasy author who has ever equaled Tolkien in writing battle scenes. The emotional triumph at the conclusion of this one is, well, words just can't describe it.Any lesser author would have devoted an entire book just to that. For Donaldson, however, it's just the prelude to the main event. The main event, it's no spoiler to say, is the final showdown between Thomas Covenant and Lord Foul. And what a showdown it is. When Donaldson started writing this trilogy, the most important decision he made was that his main character would not be a standard fantasy hero. Thomas Covenant, of course, is the most deeply sympathetic and real character ever to appear in any fantasy novel. Having created a person as amazing as this one, of course, poses the problem of how to provide a satisfying conclusion while still remaining true to the character. Probably nobody alive could have pulled it off as well as Donaldson, but then again no one other than Donaldson would ever have attempted a fantasy series this ambitious anyway.So in conclusion, read it, love it, be amazed by it.

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 power

Once again, Thomas Covenant returns to the Land. Once again, he struggles with his unbelief, with his conviction that he cannot both believe and survive. He is a leper. When ur-Lord Covenant returns to the Land, he finds that it is palled under the shroud of decay and ill health. Has it come to this, has his unbelief doomed the land he both loves so deeply and at the same instant denies? Can his sheer hate for Lord Foul awaken the latent power of his white-gold ring? These trials surface within "The Power that Preserves".I cannot stress it enough, this trilogy of novels, "The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever", is one of the pinnacles of fantasy writing. Donaldson has both a mastery of style and voice matched by few authors. His vivid characters grip you and draw you into the Land. They almost force you to feel deep emotion about them. Whether that emotion is love, hate, or in the case of the Unbeliever, sheer frustrated anger tainted with unrelenting sympathy for those in his path, you cannot help but be moved. This series will remain a benchmark against which I judge other novels, and other realities. You owe it to yourself to read this trilogy.