I'm with you, man. I'm not really into much fantasy (mild aversion to concepts of magic) so I'm not as familiar with fantasy cliches, or overly used plot devices. I have been quite drawn to the scope of world destruction here and how it relates with the higher philosophical story. And I think he's been brilliant at tying, not only the second chronicles, but the first chronicles, all together with the last. Maybe that's easier to do than I realize, but I'm impressed with how his imagination has mined the original stuff and formed new stuff and it all works together.Lord Zombiac wrote:I strongly urge everyone who does not like this book to give it another reading. I think this is the best book in the entire series. I'm riveted.
Donaldson is in top form.
Every character is vivid and human in ways that teach many lessons about the struggles of life.
As per usual, the reader will be greatly dismayed by a lot of things. Hurtloam is back, but Covenant refuses it and remains a leper by his own choice.
From TPTP on, I kept wishing he could have that healing again. The Sunbane was agonizing to put up with, as well as Covenant's Elohim imposed absence throughout "the One Tree," but that only served to make overcoming these difficulties more meaningful.
Not since "the One Tree" has Donaldson tackled such earth shattering powers and immortalities and yet managed to keep it real and gripping.
When cord Pahni demanded that Linden resurrect Liand, Linden's insistence that she could not do it were very telling-- what good would anyone's sacrifice be if Linden could simply bring the dead back anytime someone gave their life for her?
No one else but Donaldson could capture such astoundingly vast and cosmic struggles without deflating the tensions of mortality.
I'm also quite forgiving of the introduction of the Insequent and Jeremiah. I love Jeremiah's talent. (I even wondered if the creator was trapped in his mind and that's why we didn't see the creator before Linden returned to the land). I don't know how you introduce these new players in book 7 without it feeling like a hack job, but I'd rather get that feeling than do without all of them just so it feels better.
And, in the face of my lack of enthusiasm for magic, I really like how he defines and distinguishes types of lore for the various magical(?) characters.
I think I like WOTWE's appreciative distinction over likeability. The negative comments I've read here are quite similar to the negativity I've felt for all 9 books now.
I've always loathed the meticulous grind of the journey throughout the land. The first few descriptive landscapes were great, and of course from time to time were quite rewarding (like the Giant's stonework of Revelstone) - but man, pages and pages of monotonous descriptions of land features has always worn me the hell out.
The first 3 books were the only ones where the threat of the antagonist matched his execution. People you liked, freaking died. Attacks left people dead - lots of them. Quite dramatic when building up for new encounters. The next 3, quite close, and of course the Sunbane was a tortorous evil for the land and its organisms.
In these last books however, to me anyway, he's showing a dramatic reluctance to spill blood and verify the threat of the antagonists. They do require *all* of their resources to get out of these messes - but nothing really 'costs' like it did before. (Those Skurj should have demolished most of their party and required a dramatic sacrifice perhaps to save what was left).
SWMNBN was a scooby-doo monster. You know, they chase you until they catch up with you, then stand there and growl at you until you start running again. Otherwise, I suppose you could just rest if you could handle the noise and rank monster breath. And SRD really put that right in the text. Covenant could not understand why she didn't strike when she easily could have killed them all.
So, I don't know, I do see the negativity that people are writing about in reference to these last books being of an obscure quality at the moment. But I've always had hangups with this series, and now get to add a couple of more - but all in all, I really enjoy them. I love the characters. Stave matters to me. Liand mattered to me. Anele mattered to me. Phani's love for Liand and her heartwrenching demands to Linden Avery were powerful (albeit a little brief).
None of the giants are growing on me though, so that's dissapointing. Everytime I think of something good, I think of something bad....yeah, appreciate is a great word here.