Kevin's Watch

I just realized what day it is. (Duh!)

After finishing the whole first chapter, I feel much better now. TC's a jerk and Linden's furious. The planets are back in their orbits, and all is right with the world.

July's gonna be pretty busy, what with Harry Potter this and Harry Potter that. Dunno if I'll read Chapter 2 then or not. (What am I saying? Of *course* I will!)

Warmark wrote:Quite good, although someone should have told Linden to shut the **** up and listen to TC.

Exactly!

I doubt i'll read the second chapter, i want to enjoy the book when it comes out.

Yeah, I don't know if I'll read any more preview chapters or not. This first chapter is enough to whet my appetite.

After finishing the whole first chapter, I feel much better now. TC's a jerk and Linden's furious. The planets are back in their orbits, and all is right with the world.

Finally, someone who sees the situation properly!

Much more satisfying than the first half. It's nice to have Covenant talking and being a jerk again. Although I'd really like it to be told from his point of view again. Oh well.

Don't know what to believe yet, but could this be a trick from Foul? He always seems to like to go for the heart. After all, it's what made Kevin do what he did.

Linden in the past has shed tears too easily, ha I bet SRD put that in there in recognition of THOOLAH.

... dreamer ...

dream on SBG! Wow! after rereading my account of SRD's read last August (ch. 6) and '05's ch. 2--things really begin to click (a little ).

Cagliostro wrote: Although I'd really like it to be told from his point of view again. Oh well.

I agree, his internal thought's are much more interesting than Lindens.

I liked the fact that Linden seems to really have a pair of balls...she's not completely trusting of Covenant...and Dammit...that's the way the Chonicles are supposed to be....you can't trust Covenant; unless you trust that he'll come so close to screwing everything up; and then in the end, figure out how to win.

I like the fact, that a bunch of loose ends are explained...tied together; Like the Demondim, and why Linden can't touch Cov or Jerry.


I'll tell you one thing though...someone VERY IMPORTANT seems to be missing;
I'll give you a hint too...he's also been missing from the Watch for a few months now.

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Esmer

First off, I thnk SRD's got hsi writing groove back. while we don't get five star words (although we do get a few occurances of the Donaldson favorite, "clench") , the sheer tautness of the narrative really grabbed me. Everything here is happening fast, too fast.
A couple of specifics (spoiler shading neded?):

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Anyone else reminided of blue Lord's Fire by the description of the staff's lighting as "pure as cornflowers" (which are blue)

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Anyone else catch TC's comment (about the Demondim's caution), "There's something here they don't understand". What could that be? TC and Jeremiah's biolcation? Anele's fiery possessor? Some other secret in Revelstone we haven't run into yet?

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Are TC and Jeremiah all right or not? Are Linden's suspicions at the end of the chapter justified? Will this prove to be her "Something Broken" as Joan and the Sunbane-ruined land were Covenant's? Is it Foul's plot to sow distrust between Covenant and Linden (he surely noticed the previous distrust Linden had for TC in WGW)?

These lines give me pause about what's going on.

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“Anele is confused,” the old man informed the air of the forehall. “He feels Masters and urgency, but the cause is hidden. The stone tells him nothing.”

As for Anele's confusion:

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Did anyone else get the impression that Anele could not even see TC and Jeremiah?

yes. I mentioned it a couple times, but no one commented before
I think that is very important.
however I am hesitant to speculate...

...well; he IS blind.

drew wrote:...well; he IS blind.

I think it goes way beyond Anele's blindness.....

I just read the chapter today. Everyone here is making valid points. However, as usual, I can't help but look at this from the perspective of the writing itself.

It feels forced. It feels like Donaldson is trying too hard to make this the old Tommy Covenant we all remember--replete with a "hellfire" here and a "bloody damnation" there. We even get the old standard, "Don't touch me!" All in the space of a few paragraphs. It's like this version of Covenant is a cliche, a narrative device used to conjure up the memory of Covenant, not Covenant himself.

Yes, I know that this is part of the point, to cast doubt on the reality of this apparition. However, it comes off cheesy and forced, rather than mysterious and alarming. He beats us over the head with both Covenant's familiar quirks and the uncertainty of his identity. This isn't necessary. We already want to believe this is Covenant; we're dying for some TC! But we also already suspect his identity . . . because he freakin' died in the previous Chronicles. Donaldson doesn't have to beat us over the head to make these points. Linden suspects Foul waaayyy too easily, even though TC's explanation for his own behavior seems reasonable enough. And then we get Anele's not-subtle-at-all comments about not seeing TC. Oh, and even though Linden is waaayyy too suspicious, she doesn't give Anele's not-subtle-at-all comments another thought. "Oh there goes that silly Anele again. Always babbling about something vitally important. I'll just ignore him for now, even though his claim precisely confirms my own unjustified suspicions."

And what was up with that torch trick? That's supposed to prove that TC was real? In a fantasy Land where the entire issue of its reality is at stake, Covenant tossing around a torch is supposed to be conclusive? In the previous Chronicles, he told Linden that he couldn't prove whether or not all this was in their heads, but now he expects her to base ontological decisions upon his ability to move ordinary objects? The Reality Question has certainly diminished for Donaldson.

After showing how ineffectual the Demondim were in the last book, it's going to take a lot more than Covenant saying that "the shit will hit the fan," in order for me to get worried about them. Just because there's some half-ass explanation for their ineffectiveness doesn't remove the feeling that these guys are wimps. I'm simply not worried about them. At all.

God, I hate to say it, but this feels like a parody of the Chronicles. Or even worse--it reads like fan fiction.

Malik23 wrote: God, I hate to say it, but this feels like a parody of the Chronicles. Or even worse--it reads like fan fiction.

I agree with Malik... it *does* feel forced IMHO. The characters seem very one-dimensional.

Interesting.

I was also struck by the fact that

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Linden didn't even bother to try to heal the dying horses - all that past history of her not being able to take another creature's pain and wanting power to do something about it. She has the power now but dismisses dying horses?

Also, where did TC get the power to repel people with a hand gesture (like the Force)?

Hopefully the rest of the book will be more "polished" than what I'm seeing so far.

Good post Malik.

--A

MrK, it wasn't TC that repelled Linden, it was Jeremiah.

After rereading Runes and the 1st chaper, why do I get the feeling that:

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TC and Jeremiah are under direct control of Foul.

Isn't that the way Foul works?