I know what you mean. I'm attracted to villains for various reasons, including what you mention. But the Foul I envision is truly unassailable. If Foul chose to be as he is, then I suppose it's possible that he could change his mind. But I don't believe he could become good, no matter how long we g...

^ I see your point, Fist and Faith. And I have to grant you that it's certainly plausible. I suppose my argument reflects a desire for a different type of explanation. It seems boring to me that Foul would simply be a slave of his nature. I'd rather a Miltonesque explanation for his enmity toward th...

^ I don't know. Your analogy seems to imply a continuity of nature in Foul that is belied by the section you quote. I would argue that it points to the notion of conviction, that Foul came to believe in, and embody, despite as a consequence of experience. That, unlike a bird, which is constrained fr...

Interesting points, Rukh. You touch on something which always intrigued me about SRD's world in relation to other more standard fantasy fare. That is that the antagonists (Foul/Ravers) both seek the destruction of their world rather than dominion over it. In a sense both are seeking freedom. A novel...

And after she abandoned TC, she felt terrible about it. Her guilt was so bad that after she called him (tIW) and he didn't speak to her (because he was in the Land), she joined a cult to try and gain forgiveness and redeem herself, but this only led her closer to despair, and allowed the Despiser t...

Sorry - typo, meant to say that Joan summoned Linden. And my impression was that Linden "wrangled" a caesure that had already been created. Again, could be wrong (good excuse to re-read ROTE). You'll find that she corrupted time to achieve a caesure - I have the passage in front of me if ...

Would you elaborate on this please? What makes Joan a moral bankrupt? Happily. The act of desertion at the beginning of the books is inexcusable. The disease is horrible, yes, a correlation between childhood exposure and its appearance has been established, indeed, but, alternatively, when one love...

And yet she's able to create caesures, and summon TC to the Land - two things that Linden is unable to do. Morality aside (I'm not defending her choices, but I'd say that they have been made out of ignorance rather than malice - I wouldn't call her evil; stupid, maybe), if we're talking about the n...

White gold, then, is like the magnifying glass burning the ants - it brings his power into focus. So SRD is leading us further down the path of the nature of these objects of power (the krill, the Staff of Law, etc.). You could say that all of them serve to articulate the power of the holder. Which...

Second... I think the wild magic is in everyone . I think it's our passion. But it can only be accessed with white gold. However, you can't just pick up something in the jewelry store, go to the Land, and have power. Their wedding bands mean a whole freakin' lot to Covenant and Joan, and it is this...

I don't think you need to be dismayed. I still see Covenant as the "white gold". However, his wedding band is how he "connects" to the Wild Magic he emboddies. I would accept that Joan's wedding band shares the same ability to connect to Covenant. [He willingness to sacrifice hi...

Like most people here I've read and re-read the first two chronicles multiple times. I've had the opportunity from my adolescence to my late 20s to digest and reflect upon the various things that were excellent in the books. Of these, the chief amongst them was the idea, so deftly brought to realiza...

This is the only flaw in my theory. A lie this flimsy and crude is beneath him. He's usually a little more complicated in his planning than that. And I can't recall any particular situation where Foul has outright lied, so there is that as well. Again, this all just a hunch with me, but I just can'...

On another note, regarding the Haruchai: When they declare that they will refuse Earthpower even though they do not suffice to defeat the Demondim, does anyone else see this as an act of Despair in and of itself? They would let the Land die rather than use Earthpower to save it... If anyone's addre...

I agree with Loremaster. I got a discount on Runes, but I picked it up after Christmas; all their hard covers were on sale at that point. Moreover, I had to check 3 different Chapters (the big box book store chain in Canada) before I could even find a copy - they'd all sold out.

Just to be contrary, I'll say I like all the words offered so far. I also admire Donaldson's use of "condign" and "incodign". Yep, I sure do.

Hey, I'm a philosophy graduaute amd interested in uncovering certain philsophical elements behind the Chronicles through a thesis i hope to write. Can anyone suggest possible avenues for intellectual analysis of these works. i’ve read the seven books in depth and want to focus on the idea that beau...

^Much appreciated, dlbpharmd. That's exactly what I was looking for.

I heard of the new book on a different forum a month or so ago. I was delighted; immediately began rereading the original 6 books in advance of picking it up. In the interim ran across this site and was made aware that Donaldson had his own site. Devoured what was on it (including the entire "g...