Kevin's Watch

Amok? Nah, Jar-Jar is a Raver, no doubt about it. He just puts on a harmless, jovial front, like Gibbon did.

Roynish, you should seriously check out the Dissecting The Land section for further in-depth discussion of The Wounded Land (and the other books, of course). Rest assured that there are more than just "a few other devotees" of TWL.

Personally, The Illearth War and The One Tree rank as my favorites; however, I would agree that in a lot of ways, TWL is the best of the Chronicles books (thus far).

- TWL has, I think, the most compelling, best-written opening scene of all the books -- aside from the opening of Lord Foul's Bane. Both opening scenes just dazzle me with the virtuosity of the writing. Covenant walking into town to pay his phone bill. Linden moving into her new apartment. Simple scenes that SRD enriches with so much drama and pathos. Well, I can tell you that I accepted Linden Avery as the protagonist right away; it didn't trouble me that TC himself did not "open" the Second Chronicles. As far as I was concerned, Linden was every bit as compelling a character as Covenant was.

- When I first read the blurb "4000 years had passed in the Land..." for The Wounded Land, I think that was a jaw-dropping moment for me. The long passage of time was one of the coolest things about reading TWL: things were so familiar, yet so alien as well.

- The Sunbane, of course, was an awesome, ingenious creation. Dragonlily in one of her chapter dissections said that "the Sunbane is one of the most intelligent, thoroughly-realized magical systems I have ever read."

- In TWL, Donaldson (via Covenant) also gives us one of the best lines ever: "There’s only one way to hurt a man who’s lost everything. Give him back something broken." If I may quote Dragonlily again:

This is the kind of insight that makes me wonder what Donaldson had to suffer to know so much. Then I remember he was raised surrounded by people who had suffered so much, and by their doctor who probably suffered along with them. Did he know someone wise enough to tell him this, when he was a child? None of my business to ask, I know, but the question demands out. Where did he learn such knowledge of humanity? Was it taught, or realized?

Well, there's a lot more that can be (and needs to be) said about such a great novel as The Wounded Land, and I could ramble all day about it...but I have to go right now, so discuss away while I'm away!

Wow - excellent post, MM! I think I just fell in love with TWL all over again.

Covenant finding the Giants again - ahhhh - tears to my eyes!!

Mangled quote: And most of all, he wept because
there were still Giants in the world...

sigh.

I sure hope the Giants make it into the 3rd
Chronicles..

TWL - yes my favourite as well

for me the best bit is Marid - pure Lovecraft, conversion of good to absolute evil, eep!

bloodrun (dukkha!) and Lifeswallower also good and powerful

overall the sense of "returning home" that is imbued and obviously manifests itself within Covenant (LA become the unbeliever!)

Only one or two other books have evoked so much emotion in me me like that (Silmarillion + Bury my heart at Wounded knee to name a couple)

MR KABC hit the nail on the Head.
TC finally pulls his head out of his butt, and does stuff right away.
He just left the whinning for Linden.

Hey, I like Linden! By the way, what do you think of the idea of casting Jodie Foster to play her in the movie?

any film with jodie foster in it i will go to see.....

hmmm..i think she would be good as Linden Avery....

i loathe the sunbane. It sent chills of anger down my back. i miss the old Land.

The Wounded Land has always been my favorite. I was browsing in a library, and didn't realize another trilogy had been started. I picked it up, and initially thought it was some trade type of romance or something, then was astonished to see another Covenant book. I went home, started it in bed, and stayed up until 4 am to finish it!


: For someone who finds love for the land itself, like Covenant,
this book was an unanticipated chance to return there.

: Lots of Giant action, and their story is well-fleshed out

: Incredible imagery, and incredible imagination in the
perversion of nature via the Sunbane.

: As evidently one of the few who really likes Linden's character,
some interesting development of her character in the "real world"

: As I've said before, I look quite a bit like Covenant on the
cover of the earlier paperback versions at Glimmermere.

: A great ending - not really a cliff-hanger, but as "they walked
down to the ship" some anticipation of a journey to new and
fascinating territory outside of The Land.

senor trout (It's snowing here tonight!)