The Wounded Land, Chapter 26: Coercri

[matrixman]

Fire Daughter, you finished the book already? Didn't you say you were just starting on it a few days ago? Not only do I have to put up with speed typists like Fist around here, looks like I have to deal with speed readers.

I must surely read as slowly as Mr. Donaldson himself.

Er, anyway, I'm glad that The Wounded Land has meaning for you. It's grim stuff to be sure, but that makes the ending caamora even more special and vivid.

Hope you have a great time with the rest of the Second Chronicles!

[Fire Daughter]

hehehe I had it read in two days. I couldn't put it down! I'm in the middle of The One Tree right now, and am finding it just a little hard to get through. Lucky for me, I live with a Chronicles expert.

I would love to read and respond to more of these dissections, they rock!! So far, I've read all my mother's and the one Isaiah (ShadowLurker) did.

And hey Mr Faith... My mom says I get my writing and reading abilities from my Uncle Steve, so maybe he's the one guiding my hand a bit here. The Chronicles were his favorite books

[Earthblood]

hehe - "Mr. Faith"
Not only is this young lady brilliant, she's polite too, eh Fist?

Agreed with all - this is like a caamora for all of us, after the grief of what we get from reading the Wounded Land. I always feel sort of renewed after this chapter.

[Fist and Faith]

When people say "Mr. Faith," I turn around and look for my father.

[Furls Fire]

When people say "Mr. Faith," I turn around and look for my father.

[tonyz]

One thing to keep in mind -- this passage here is also a foreshadowing of the three great ordeals to come for the healing of the Land. When Covenant plunges himself into the Banefire (and Linden quenches it) to purge the venom (and fails because it's Foul's creation and not his own), then when wild magic in Foul's grasp burns away the Despiser's own venom, and finally when Linden (as Covenant with the Giants) calls the wounded Earthpower into herself with wild magic, and heals it with the Law...

Powerful foreshadowing, indeed.

[Fist and Faith]

*psssssssst* tonyz, you should put that in spoilers.

[Fire Daughter]

I thought I would bump this up.

Of the many chapters my mother did, this was the one that she was most proud of. Not only was it her favorite chapter in all the The Chronicles, but it was also her favorite chapter of anything she had ever read.

I remember her saying when she finished its dissection that she was so honored to be the one to do it. And that she hoped that she did it justice. I may be just a bit biased, but if the Watch ever had a Dissecting The Land Hall of Fame, I think my mother's dissection of coercri should be the very first inductee.

I am biased though.

Come! This is the caamora! come and be healed!

Sweet mercy, nothing compares... absolutely nothing...

You're right, Mom. Nothing does.

[Barnetto]

Just taking a stroll across the watch now I'm mid-way through rereading the Second Chronicles - chanced to look up the dissection of this chapter, since it is such a powerful, emotive chapter - there was a lot to live up to when dissecting it, but, by God, the dissection here succeeded and some!

It's such a shame that these dissections don't appear on the What's New section - so bumping doesn't appear to be effective.

Also just to say that the sharing of chapters like this with other accolytes does, undoubtedly, enhance the experience.

[Iolanthe]

I finished TWL last night and searched this morning for a dissection of this particular chapter.

This thread should be the one that every new Watchie (provided they have read TWL) should be directed to. Never mind about what else goes on on the Watch, this is pure SRD and TC. This is why we are all here. Who could refuse to recognise the beauty of this chapter, and of Furl's dissection of it?

[Savor Dam]

So say we all...

[Cord Hurn]

Ah, my Watch brothers and sisters, take hold of your handkerchiefs, get a fresh box of tissues, for we are about to enter Coercri, the ancient city of the Unhomed. I have recently learned that Coercri may mean “Crying Heart”, an appropriate name considering what came to pass there. And, oh how it must cry, for a ceaseless abomination continues to play out within the ancient walls of The Grieve. It cries for the souls of the Unhomed, Foamfollower’s people.

Truth indeed! It's an emotionally wrenching and soulfully cleansing chapter that I must concede rivals my favorite chapter from all the Chronicles books, "Lord Mhoram's Victory".

Ah, my heart!! To hear a Giant sing again!!

I've never been able to forget how grateful I was to know Giants still lived in the world the first time I read The Wounded Land. Most of the book had become a bleak litany of what had been lost, then the story became much more bearable once the Giants had been found again.

This is a chapter with a lot happening, and so many details to savor. So I'm glad that Furls made the editorial choice to delve into a lot of specifics; it really channels its deep emotional effect on readers! To be with Giants again, to see their former lands and then see many of them healed! It's an overwhelming and ultimately euphoric rush.

In this one line...

Come! This is the caamora! Come and be healed!

All the emotion and heartache of The Wounded Land just crashes down on you like a tidal wave...and as you watch the Giants flow into Covenant's wild magic caamora the grief is washed away by all the tears that fall like a flood. The triumph and the majesty of that one moment.... Oh my lord....I have never read anything so powerful, it literally made my chest cave in.

It's moments like this that make me love reading.

YES!!!


Thanks to dlbpharmd for recommending I look at this dissection; it was really worth it!
I relived a truly great chapter.

[Fire Daughter]

This is the crown jewel of my mom's dissections...glad you enjoyed it, Cord Hurn.

[FireSon]

Oh, sigh, now my friends, come with me, we will now enter The Grieve. We will follow Thomas Covenant as he leads us down into the first levels of the great Giant city. Can you feel it? Even without any Land Sense at all we can feel the sorrow, the profound grief, we can hear the “crying heart” of Coercri weep. Yet, our feet descend into The Grieve, down the Giant wrought stairways of stone, down into the Unhomed’s dwellings, where they lived in song and laughter; told their giantish tales that went on for days. We follow Ur-Lord Thomas Covenant in silence as he leads us into the ancient halls and rooms, down long Giantish corridors, we follow him, our eyes searching the wondrous and glorious heartwork of the Unhomed: we follow him to a closed door. Our hearts begin to pound, our eyes tear, we watch as Seadreamer and Brinn wrench that door open and what we see sends spasms of horror and grief through us. We weep.

Well said, Mom!

I love reading what my mom wrote about these books and especially what she wrote about Coercri. Like her and my sister, I view it as the best chapter in both the first and second chronicles. There are other great moments, of course, but Coercri is my favorite. And my mom knew just how to write about it.

[Cord Hurn]

And my mom knew just how to write about it.

Indeed she did, FireSon! It's a great chapter, and a great dissection! She left us a lot of great gifts on the Watch with her wonderful posts!