I'm disappointed in myself...*SPOILERS OBVIOUSLY*

[lucimay]

i hope he gets leprosy.

[burgs]

[Borillar]

The thing I don't understand is why Roger chose to act ... well, so un-Covenant-like. Surely he had to know that his crass and selfish behaviour would set off about a million warning bells in Linden's head, despite his "bending time" excuse. Perhaps he was so arrogant that he didn't care if he was discovered, although he needed the ruse to work long enough to deter the Elohim.

[emotional leper]

I think he was banking on the idea that Linden would just assume that spending several thousand years as some sort of demi-god would change a man.

[Stutty]

I went through alternating waves of "it can't be TC" and "well... maybe it is...."

Spending a few millenia stuck in this stupid arch of time has got to make anyone want get liquored up on springwine.

Never saw the Jerimiah thing coming.... didn't even remember the croyel (which is why I'm re-reading the first 6 before the next book)

stutt

[Seareach]

I was fooled. Until his true identity was revealed under Melenkurion Skyweir I wasn't confident that it *wasn't* Covenant.

[Krilly]

I too jumped back and forth on my opinion if it was him or not, but mostly because of my distrust at trying to second-guess SRD.

At some point though I noticed his powers seemed to rely on heat/fire. I suspected Kastenessen's power (gawd I hate trying to spell that) but not Roger.

[High Lord Tolkien]

I would have been really disappointed if it was TC afterall.
I accepted the whole "stress of being the Arch of Time so I'm an a-hole" thing for a few chapters then I bet my money on something not being right.
I didn't think it was Roger but I knew it wasn't TC.
I liked the surprise though!

[burgs]

I just started re-reading FR, and I think the reason that so many of us were fooled was that we were only given information through the eyes of Linden, and Linden confirmed his identity as Covenant many, many times.

[Aleksandr]

The fact that he couldn't recall how he got his forehead scar was proof positive to me that no way was it the real TC. He fell and hit his head on the coffee table with Joan on the phone to him during the 2nd Summoning, and no way could TC have forgotten that.
Roger only seems to have his father's memories (or detailed knowledge about his father's deeds) while in the Land. I assume that Kastenessen was able to do that much. Linden should have quizzed him about other non-Land details of his past.

[dlbpharmd]

The fact that he couldn't recall how he got his forehead scar was proof positive to me that no way was it the real TC. He fell and hit his head on the coffee table with Joan on the phone to him during the 2nd Summoning, and no way could TC have forgotten that.
Roger only seems to have his father's memories (or detailed knowledge about his father's deeds) while in the Land. I assume that Kastenessen was able to do that much. Linden should have quizzed him about other non-Land details of his past.

Right, this memory lapse was the first big clue.

[burgs]

When I read that, I wanted to smack my own head on the coffee table.

[emotional leper]

When I read that, I wanted to smack my own head on the coffee table.

Unless you're a pervy concussion fancier, I recommend against that, most seriously.

[iQuestor]

I went through alternating waves of "it can't be TC" and "well... maybe it is...."

Spending a few millenia stuck in this stupid arch of time has got to make anyone want get liquored up on springwine.

Never saw the Jerimiah thing coming.... didn't even remember the croyel (which is why I'm re-reading the first 6 before the next book)

stutt

me too. doesnt SRD rock? He tells you the answer the whole damn time, and you get it only when he wants you to get it.

[Guest]

I was mostly fooled about Roger, but had no clue about the croyel bit...it's not like Jeremiah was going around holding anything suspicious like an ever-sleeping baby or had some mini-me perched on top of him.

I have to say it was getting pretty clear that TC wasn't exactly TC, and Roger was starting to come to mind, but I was still pretty surprised when TC was actually revealed to be Roger. But then again, the whole "where is Roger?" thing was starting to become Donaldson's elephant in the living room he wasn't talking about at about 1.5 books into the Last Chronicle series.

[Ur Dead]

I knew something wasn't right when TC(Roger) and Jeremiah were very condesending toward Linden.

TC has nevered been on a power trip like showed in FR.
So when I voiced my concerns I was told to read on...

Which I did.. and like how Linden go PO'ed at them..
That Lady can sure crack a mountian when she angry.

[Xar]

I think the various clues were there, and there really were a lot of those:

- TC's "younger" appearance, which Linden remarks upon when she first sees him in Revelstone (this immediately brought to mind the description of Roger Covenant in Runes, that he looked similar to his father);

- TC's speech and, yes, even the profanity (TC never used it before, but Roger did);

- TC's lack of some memories (how did he get the forehead scar? Linden did not know, so Roger didn't know also, because all he knew about TC was passed to him by the croyel, who in turn extracted the knowledge from Jeremiah, who in turn had acquired it because, as it was said in Runes, Linden used to tell him tales of the Land and of what she had seen there);

- TC's insistence upon wanting his ring (that positively screamed "Roger");

- TC lying to Linden repeatedly to manipulate her (she even realizes it herself);

- TC getting drunk (and allowing Jeremiah to get drunk), which was rather uncharacteristic of Thomas Covenant;

- TC's incongruence between what he says ("Law and Earthpower will destroy us") and what happens (Berek's touch, but also standing under Melenkurion Skyweir and being sprayed with Earthpowerful water);

- The Theomach's cryptic comment about "revealing him";

- The Theomach's equally mistifying comment about the danger of what would have happened if Linden had been brought to Damelon's time as Roger intended;

-TC requesting the ring from Linden trying to use her situation (alone with the Viles) as leverage.

There were even more clues spread around, but all in all, even just the ones I mentioned screamed that "TC" wasn't the real Thomas Covenant at all. I didn't foresee the Elohim-hand, but apart from that, I had the feeling that his reluctance to being touched by the Staff of Law was because it could dispel the glamour.

I also admit that up until Linden actually Commanded, "Show me the truth!", I had no idea of what she was supposed to Command according to Esmer... but when she said those words, and the truth was revealed, well... that was one of the best moments in FR, in my opinion.

[Seareach]

... but when she said those words, and the truth was revealed, well... that was one of the best moments in FR, in my opinion.

Agreed!!!

[dlbpharmd]

Good post, Xar!

[Ur Dead]

Very good Xar..

A very powerful and moving moment.

But a little bettter one was when she sticks the Staff in the Earthblood and recites the seven words.

(Always wondered why you couldn't bottle the Earthblood in a stone container and take it with you.
Would have made a nice little power cove for any Lord's staff or High Wood)