Thursday 28 October 2010

FANTASY REVIEW: The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covanent 3: Against All Things Ending - Stephen Donaldson

Release Date: 28/10/10

BOOK BLURB:

Desperate for help to find her adopted son, Jeremiah, Linden Avery has resurrected Thomas Covenant in a cataclysmic exertion of Earthpower and wild magic. But the consequences of her efforts are more terrible than she could have imagined. Sorcery on that scale has awakened the Worm of the World's End: the ultimate end of all Time, and therefore of all life, has been set in motion. And on a more personal level, the results are no less extreme. The stress of reincarnation so many centuries after his death has fractured Covenant's mind. He cannot tell Linden where to find her son. And his leprosy has renewed its grip on him, inexorably killing his nerves. The Ranyhyn had tried to warn her. Now, plunged to depths of desperation and despair for which she is entirely unprepared, Linden seeks radical responses to the dilemmas she has created. Searching for Jeremiah, and accompanied only by a few friends and allies - some of them unwilling - she takes chances that threaten her sanity, forcing her to confront the Land's most fearsome secrets. Dreadful futures hinge on all of her choices, and she and her companions are driven beyond the limits of their endurance. Yet she still walks paths laid out for her by the Despiser, and his forces are ready ...


REVIEW:

Fan’s of Thomas Covanent will be chomping at the it for this offering and at over 700 pages they won’t be disappointed. Beautifully executed, this, the third part of four of the Last Thomas Covanent series will definitely be snapped up.

The story arc is spellbinding (in more ways than one), the characters exactly what Donaldson does well and above all else, it’s the authors style of pace with his prose that won’t let you put it down. Whilst some may worry about the size (yes it is big and it is clever) it’s definitely a tale that adds to the full Thomas Covanent mythos although I personally wouldn’t advise reading this without having read the rest as you won’t get the full value or nuances from within.

Overall a great book and one that shows why Donaldson is a master although be warned that his story telling style may not be for everyone.

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