What made you a believer?

Post by **FizbansTalking_Hat** » Mon Jun 14, 2004 9:47 pm

Why do the Chronicles appeal to you? Is it Thomas Cov himself, other characters, the setting, the story, the epic battle between a man and his soul, good versus evil. What drew you into the series and made you, to use a very overdone pun, "What made you a believer?"

Personally, I tried to get into the story of Lord Foul's Bane by a friend of mine at another forum, and I picked it up and read the first time up until chapter 6, Lena. I put the book down in disgust, and walked away and read a few more, came back to it, and realized how brilliant it was to do such a thing so early in teh story, I understood that it must have a higher significance later on in the Chronicles, which I'm learning mroe and more as I get into the series again.

So, how about you, what made you a believer, what really made you a fan of this series? Cheers.

Post by **Fist and Faith** » Mon Jun 14, 2004 10:06 pm

The first thing that wowed me was Trell fixing the pot. Covenant getting the healthsense was next. Then a little something called Foamfollower. Then Covenant talking to the Council. Then the Bloodguard. Then the Ranyhyn. Then the Bloodguard and Ranyhyn being the only ones to leave Morinmoss with any energy. And the Ramen were pretty cool. And Mhoram had several moments throughout.

Just sooooooooooooooo many things!!!!!!!!!!!!

Post by **Byrn** » Mon Jun 14, 2004 10:43 pm

The Bloodguard and the Giants are what hooked me first. Then I read the Second Chronicles.

"What do you do to a man who has lost everything? Give him back something broken."

Then there was nothing I could do.

Hi. My name is Jeremy and I am an SRD-aholic.

Post by **danlo** » Mon Jun 14, 2004 10:50 pm

Covenant himself-right from the beginning (maybe I identify with outcasts unclean and rebelling against authority) I said, "A leper...A LEPER

what the heck are you gonna do with a leper???" (quite alot, apparently

)

Post by **Akasri** » Mon Jun 14, 2004 11:25 pm

I'm like Danlo - TC hooked me from the beginning as a character. The rest of the 6 books (so far) was just icing on the cake

Post by **Fist and Faith** » Tue Jun 15, 2004 1:05 am

Byrn wrote:Hi. My name is Jeremy and I am an SRD-aholic.

Hi Jeremy.

Post by **duchess of malfi** » Tue Jun 15, 2004 1:55 am

Mhoram, Bannor, and Foamy.

Post by **Revan** » Tue Jun 15, 2004 8:46 am

I just finished reading The Lord of the Rings... and therefore in a Lord Of the Rings frenzy... and I read a comment on the cover of this book saying "Comparable to Tolkien at his best" Well I disbelieved... and had to see for myself if this comment was true... so I read!

And I found that the comment was true!

So that's why it appealed to me... cause it said he was comparable to Tolkien... then I loved the characters... every one... except Lena's mother.. that woman was just annoying...

Post by **I'm Murrin** » Tue Jun 15, 2004 9:38 am

In the First Chrons it was Covenant that got me hooked - in the Second the Sunbane did as good a job.

Post by **Revan** » Tue Jun 15, 2004 10:08 am

But Covenant is a git in the first Chronicles...

Post by **Seafoam Understone** » Tue Jun 15, 2004 9:16 pm

What got me? I read the Illearth War first (because it was a present from mah brudder who couldn't find Lord Foul's Bane), then I HAD to find LFB because of the story line and the fantastic stuff/people/creatures.
What hooked me though was the same thing that got Fist ... FOAMFOLLOWER and Bannor, and the Ranyhyn, and Mhoram, and Foul, and Elena, Lena, Atarian, Trell, Trilock, Prothall, and all the others... whew!
Then came the second chrons... OMG!

Post by **SoulBiter** » Tue Jun 15, 2004 11:19 pm

Trying to point to any one thing that actually hooked me is very difficult. It was the fact that Covenant was becoming the anti-hero which I had never seen an author do. Then the way the people of the Land worked with the Land to accomplish such feats. Giants, Haruchai, the Bloodguard who swore a vow that lasted thousands of years. The Lords and the council... Mhoram seer of the council and how he in some ways understood Covenant when no one else either wanted to or could.

Post by **W.B.** » Wed Jun 16, 2004 4:22 am

Morbid curiosity.

Actually, aside from great characters like Thomas Covenant and Foamfollower, I was intrigued by the recurring paradoxes in the First Chronicles, and by the time I finished those, it was necessary to read the Second....

Post by **Furls Fire** » Wed Jun 16, 2004 4:32 am

My hero, Thomas Covenant. And of course, Foamy,Mhoram, Ranyhyn, Lords, bloodgaurd, Giants...etc. Then, there was the Land itself. But, what really really really made me a "believer" in this wonderful story...it's creator, SRD himself. He took a self-loathing, completely unlikable man and made me fall in love with him. By the end of the WGW, no other literary hero meant as much to me as Thomas Covenant did. And I owe that to the tale-spinner, Mr. Donaldson.

Post by **Ninquelote** » Wed Jun 16, 2004 2:21 pm

I agree with Furls Fire. How SRD can change a man, that you from the beginning so much despise and hate, to a loving and beautiful (mentally, don't really know physical) man that you actually feel connected to and understand, is quite amazing.

I haven't read anything like the character/anti-hero Covenant before.

The whole work is just breathtaking.

Post by **A Gunslinger** » Wed Jun 16, 2004 2:24 pm

Furls Fire wrote:My hero, Thomas Covenant. And of course, Foamy,Mhoram, Ranyhyn, Lords, bloodgaurd, Giants...etc. Then, there was the Land itself. But, what really really really made me a "believer" in this wonderful story...it's creator, SRD himself. He took a self-loathing, completely unlikable man and made me fall in love with him. By the end of the WGW, no other literary hero meant as much to me as Thomas Covenant did. And I owe that to the tale-spinner, Mr. Donaldson.

Right-o. Also though, long before I got to like Covenant, I really indentified with Mhoram. I sorely missed him in the second chronicles.

Post by **amanibhavam** » Wed Jun 16, 2004 2:51 pm

The sheer difference between the desert of TC's soul and the Land. The bold move to put such an anti-hero into such a setting. SRD's ability to pick familiar concepts and figures and give them a twist to make them unique. The emotional force of the supporting characters. The overwhelming wish that the Land existed actually.

And no, I was never disgusted with the Lena scene.

Post by **Haruchai** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 11:42 am

The first thing that got me really hooked was Bannor. I think I first liked him, because Covenant seemed to have a problem with him. I disliked Covenant so much, that I was liking everything he didn't like/believe in. ( I liked Covenant by the second chrons, though).
Then I found out more about Foamfollower, and Mhoram and Ranyhyn, and the Land, and..well...everything.

Post by **variol son** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 9:18 pm

I loved the way that I was sucked in, and made to experience these characters most intense feelings of love, hate, joy and revulsion. I had never before (and with the exception of the GAP cycle, never again) read anything so emotionally draining ans satisfying all at th same time.

But if there would be one specific moment, it was when Covenant realised that High Lord Prothal had already decided to undertake the quest for the Staff of Law, and marvelled at his bravery.

Sum sui generis
Vs

Post by **matrixman** » Fri Jun 18, 2004 9:25 am

amanibhavam wrote:The overwhelming wish that the Land existed actually.

Yes, I had that powerful feeling, too. I had never felt such emotion over a fictional place before. Maybe that accounted for my intense dreams about the Land.

What made me a believer? The Unbeliever himself, I guess. The fact that this man questioned the reality of the situation he was in made a lot of sense to me. That was maybe the single most brilliant stroke on Donaldson's part. (Or maybe not. Just my opinion.)

Also, Covenant's circumstances made him an outsider--maybe the ultimate outsider. I related deeply to him in that sense. His character crystalized my own feelings of alienation at the time, and he still represents in my mind someone who stands on the outside, someone who questions the status quo.

Kevin's Watch

Kevin's Watch

What made you a believer?

What made you a believer?