Chapter 1 (***yes, there will be spoilers!!!***)

[caamora]

I trust Romeo's assertion that we will have to hold on tight 'cuz its going to be a bumpy ride. If this first chapter is any indication of the rest of the book, I will be enraptured. But, then again, how could I be anything but enraptured with SRDs writing?

I LOVED how SRD took us on a little joyride through time using TCs POV. The making of the Krill was the best!

I agree that Kevin is being a little bitch about everything and I loved how Berek kept him in line. Do I see a shadow war in the future??

I speculated to Fist yesterday that since TC became the AoT, Linden just might have to become the Worm in order to save the Earth.

[Fist and Faith]

Yeah, Loric making the krill was excellent!!! We got glimpses of lots of great stuff! Berek telling Kevin to shut the hell up was wonderful!!

One problem is three Ramen and a Stonedowner holding back an Haruchai. No way. Not even an idiot Master.

[Romeo]

I'd like to say, "don't worry - AATE will not disappoint." But I guess each of us is looking for something different from the Last Chronicles. Personally, I've already got out of it what I wanted (see my other thread, "The Death of Linden Avery the Whinerbaby") - so the rest is whip cream (and hopefully a cherry at the end - even though I don't eat the cherry). And no, I can't even TYPE the word "whip" without hearing Stewie say it with an ephasis on the H. *grin*

Both the energy and the significance are increasing as he gets deeper into the Last Chronicles. AATE is an exponential increase on both these scales. If Linden hitting Covenant was enough to make you yell out loud, I'd *highly* suggest you don't read the rest of this book in public. At one point, I wandered around aimlessly for a whole week - stunned and muttering incredulously.

Oh - ignore that "Death of Linden" stuff. I'm still in the "tease" mode.

[High Lord Tolkien]

Yeah, Loric making the krill was excellent!!! We got glimpses of lots of great stuff! Berek telling Kevin to shut the hell up was wonderful!!

One problem is three Ramen and a Stonedowner holding back an Haruchai. No way. Not even an idiot Master.

That was a real interesting exchange between Berek and Kevin!

But I think the case has been made already that a few Ramen equal a Haruchai in a fight.
(maybe not specifically but indirectly)
I always remember those few floating Grim flakes that killed a few Haruchai in Revelstone.
Haruchai are good but not invincible.

[dlbpharmd]

Both the energy and the significance are increasing as he gets deeper into the Last Chronicles. AATE is an exponential increase on both these scales. If Linden hitting Covenant was enough to make you yell out loud, I'd *highly* suggest you don't read the rest of this book in public. At one point, I wandered around aimlessly for a whole week - stunned and muttering incredulously.

Trust me, I plan to enter seclusion and read this book, will probably take a vacation day or two to do so. But I'm serious when I say that I'm pissed about this whole "Covenant's mind is broken" bullshit. When I read TOT, and Covenant is in the Elohim-induced state, I suffer. I've suffered through 2 books of Linden's POV. SRD had better not tease me with 1 chapter of Covenant's POV, then take it away.

Or, maybe this is SRD's way of "How do you hurt someone who's lost everything? Give them back something broken."

[Fist and Faith]

This is the first time I'm not taking a couple days off of work for a new TCTC release. Runes and FR were not worth using my vacation time. I'll save that for the 10th Malazan book. I'm not too concerned with reading AatE. I'll likely get around to it within a few months of release. Simply put, I no longer trust SRD. I guess he considers Linden his greatest achievement. That's fine. It's his story. Covenant was great while he lasted, and I'll always treasure the first two Chrons above nearly everything in the world.

[Romeo]

This is the first time I'm not taking a couple days off of work for a new TCTC release. Runes and FR were not worth using my vacation time. I'll save that for the 10th Malazan book. I'm not too concerned with reading AatE. I'll likely get around to it within a few months of release. Simply put, I no longer trust SRD. I guess he considers Linden his greatest achievement. That's fine. It's his story. Covenant was great while he lasted, and I'll always treasure the first two Chrons above nearly everything in the world.

Shun the non-believer! Shhhhuuuuuuunnnnnna!

Remember, "Joy is in the ears that hear." Steve is telling the story as best he can. Yes, he personally loves Linden, but she doesn't get any special treatment because of that. So when you read it, you need to find your own joy in the telling. (see Caam's signature line for additional advice *grin*)

[dlbpharmd]

This is the first time I'm not taking a couple days off of work for a new TCTC release. Runes and FR were not worth using my vacation time. I'll save that for the 10th Malazan book. I'm not too concerned with reading AatE. I'll likely get around to it within a few months of release. Simply put, I no longer trust SRD. I guess he considers Linden his greatest achievement. That's fine. It's his story. Covenant was great while he lasted, and I'll always treasure the first two Chrons above nearly everything in the world.

Shun the non-believer! Shhhhuuuuuuunnnnnna!

Remember, "Joy is in the ears that hear." Steve is telling the story as best he can. Yes, he personally loves Linden, but she doesn't get any special treatment because of that. So when you read it, you need to find your own joy in the telling. (see Caam's signature line for additional advice *grin*)

Just don't add Romeo's signature to the end of Caam's.

[Caesar]

Yeah, Loric making the krill was excellent!!! We got glimpses of lots of great stuff! Berek telling Kevin to shut the hell up was wonderful!!

One problem is three Ramen and a Stonedowner holding back an Haruchai. No way. Not even an idiot Master.

That was a real interesting exchange between Berek and Kevin!

But I think the case has been made already that a few Ramen equal a Haruchai in a fight.
(maybe not specifically but indirectly)
I always remember those few floating Grim flakes that killed a few Haruchai in Revelstone.
Haruchai are good but not invincible.

Perhaps the Humbled are no longer 100% sure of themselves. I think I remember the Harrow calling them out:

“Self-doubt?” asked the Harrow, mocking the Haruchai. “You also have become less than you were. The truth must surely be plain to all who have witnessed the lady’s theurgy. Naught but the Timewarden’s absolute resurrection could so pierce the self-absorption of the Elohim.”

While I agree that a few Ramen can stand up to a Haruchai, perhaps it helps that all the Old High Lords are present and the ur-Lord is "back". Also, remember that the dead Haruchai tried to lead the Humbled away, as if they knew that the Humbled would not belong in this discussion/event.

I think the Humbled are going to be truly humbled...whatever that means!

[Fist and Faith]

Yes, he personally loves Linden, but she doesn't get any special treatment because of that.

Gonna have to disagree with you there. The entire first two books of the Final Chrons are told from her perspective, with her as the protagonist, and Covenant is not in them whatsoever.

But hey, I'm not saying he's doing anything wrong. It is his story. And if, in the telling of it, it evolved into Linden's story, then that's what happened. I have no doubt it came as a surprise even to SRD. He certainly didn't think it would happen when he was writing the 1st Chrons, eh? I'm perfectly free to get my lazy ass moving and write my own story in any way I want.

Alas, it is no longer a story that moves me. (The ret-cons and inconsistencies are another matter.)

So when you read it, you need to find your own joy in the telling. (see Caam's signature line for additional advice *grin*)

Just don't add Romeo's signature to the end of Caam's.

[Romeo]

I'm sure a LOT about Linden surprised him. Somewhere in an interview - or the GI - he says that Linden was not originally a doctor. She started out as a grad student who was doing her thesis (or something like that) on Covenant.

I agree that these are the chronicles of THOMAS COVENANT. Not of Linden Avery. And I SO much missed having TC as the POV character. But how else could Covenant have come back to us? Plus the things that happened in Runes and Revenant are certainly important to the story as a whole.

I read the book on the writing process by Stephen King. Very informative, even if you don't particularly like his writing or his opinions. I liked his description of how a story comes into being. He compares it to excavating a dinosaur fossil. You have a lot of tools to bring to the job - some big and rough, some tiny to make sure the intricate work doesn't get messed up. A story is uncovered in the same way - you focus on one part, dig it out, dust it off, see what it's connected to, etc. And many times (most?) it ends up surprising the author in one way or another. SRD knows where the story ends - what the general shape of the fossil will be. So he knows roughly where to dig and which pieces need to be handled with care and generally how each piece should fit together when they're all uncovered. But the "problem" is that to start out he has a pre-set parcel of blasted earth. That is, Covenant is dead - so it must begin with Linden. And it would have been pretty difficult to believe if Linden brought Covenant back a chapter or two after she arrived in the Land. And almost just as much so if the real Covenant just showed up at the end of the first book. It's too easy. If Linden wasn't first given the tool she needed (the Staff) and then beaten down pretty harshly (by Roger), she would have gone to Andelain seeking guidance - not Covenant's resurrection as her *only* hope and choice.

What would have softened the whole Linden thing for me is if Sheriff Lyton was sucked along with the summons. That would have been hill-larry-ous! First, HE needed to be taken down a few notches (and getting shot won't accomplish that). But then he could spend the whole time under Linden's skin. Muahahahahaha!!

[SleeplessOne]

alas I have to largely agree with Fist&Faith and also dlbpharmd in that I have struggled to connect with the Last Chronicles thus far ...
I figure SRD has 'earnt' my trust over the years by providing me with such great stories, but I too fear that he has lost the ability to write TCoTC in a way that will appeal to me ...
I truly hope that my fears will be proven wrong and that the final two books of the Last Chronicles will be everything that I hope they will .. but I am preparing myself for disappointment.

having voiced my concerns I will acknowledge that there were vast differences between the 1st and 2nd chronicles too - at times I felt the 2nd chronicles were more an exercise in SRD's philosophical musings than a story - however there were enough genuinely great moments and well-written characters in the 2nd chrons to allow me to overlook my gripes.

Two books into the last chronicles and there have been virtually zero 'moments' which gave me a thrill like those which captured my imagination in the first two series; think back to Amok, Hile Troy and the Blood of the Earth in TIW; or Nom and Vain in TOT ... two books in to the 3rd chrons and nothing has grabbed me like those characters or plots did

[matrixman]

At one point, I wandered around aimlessly for a whole week - stunned and muttering incredulously.

Good, good...that's just what I want to hear!

While I like Linden, I sometimes wish that SRD could somehow make her more palatable to those like Fist and dlbpharmd, Watchers I greatly respect.
But that's not going to happen. No amount of "tweaking" of Linden's character would likely appease those hostile to her, in any case.
And both camps may think less of SRD for trying to change his characters just to gain more popularity.
So I feel a bit sad that we come to the Last Chronicles as a divided group. (Though I guess we've been divided since the Second Chronicles.)
But what can you do?

I miss Covenant's POV, too. Who doesn't? But that doesn't negate my enjoyment of the story through Linden's POV.

[Fist and Faith]

I read the book on the writing process by Stephen King. Very informative, even if you don't particularly like his writing or his opinions. I liked his description of how a story comes into being. He compares it to excavating a dinosaur fossil. You have a lot of tools to bring to the job - some big and rough, some tiny to make sure the intricate work doesn't get messed up. A story is uncovered in the same way - you focus on one part, dig it out, dust it off, see what it's connected to, etc. And many times (most?) it ends up surprising the author in one way or another.

Along these lines, this is from the Foreword to Le Guin's Tales from Earthsea:

At the end of the fourth book of Earthsea, Tehanu, the story had arrived at what I felt to be now. And, just as in the now of the so-called real world, I didn't know what would happen next. I could guess, fortell, fear,hope, but I didn't know.

Unable to continue Tehanu's story (because it hadn't happened yet ) and foolishly assuming that the story of Ged and Tenar had reached its happily-ever-after, I gave the book a subtitle: "The Last Book of Earthsea."

O foolish writer. Now moves. Even in storytime, dreamtime, once-upon-a time, now isn't then.

Seven or eight years after Tehanu was published, I was asked to write a story set in Earthsea. A mere glimpse at the place told me that things had been happening there while I wasn't looking. It was high time to go back and find out what was going on now.

Regarding Linden... (:lol:) The biggest problem is that, as it turns out, she has not grown since we first met her. Covenant went back to the Land in the 2nd Chrons, and he was cool. He didn't know what was up, but he was ready to face it. He had knowledge; he understood his power; he was strong. But now, Linden is just as screwed up as in the 2nd. Maybe not because of the same issues (mom & dad), but she's still a mess. She's not confident. She doesn't trust anybody, so she's always witholding vital information. She's sure everything she does is gonna be a disaster. I've said before that we don't need the Final Chrons to be about the growth and strengthening of a character. We saw it with Covenant in the 1st, and Linden in the 2nd. Now's the time for powerful people fighting powerful foes, understanding what's going on; understanding it will be difficult; unhappy that there will be losses, but that you don't walk away from this kind of evil without losses. And if he had to show us someone going through this angst junk again, I wish he coulda made it someone else. She was annoying in the beginning of the 2nd, just as Covenant was in the beginning of the 1st. But she grew into a hero. Now she's just a loser again.

[Earthblood]

Fist said: "And if he had to show us someone going through this angst junk again, I wish he coulda made it someone else. "

That's too easy...

[Fist and Faith]

It woulda been too easy to have Covenant go through it all again in the 2nd. So he gave us somebody else, instead. If each Chrons must have a main character who is terribly fragile, and comes out the other end healed and whole (And it's perfectly fine if that's the formula he wants to use. I don't think it's necessary at this point, but it's not like I hate the 2nd Chrons because we saw it again.), I don't know why it had to be her again.

*sigh* All my arguing with rusmeister has me in the mode.

[dlbpharmd]

Regarding Linden... (:lol:) The biggest problem is that, as it turns out, she has not grown since we first met her. Covenant went back to the Land in the 2nd Chrons, and he was cool. He didn't know what was up, but he was ready to face it. He had knowledge; he understood his power; he was strong. But now, Linden is just as screwed up as in the 2nd. Maybe not because of the same issues (mom & dad), but she's still a mess. She's not confident. She doesn't trust anybody, so she's always witholding vital information. She's sure everything she does is gonna be a disaster. I've said before that we don't need the Final Chrons to be about the growth and strengthening of a character. We saw it with Covenant in the 1st, and Linden in the 2nd. Now's the time for powerful people fighting powerful foes, understanding what's going on; understanding it will be difficult; unhappy that there will be losses, but that you don't walk away from this kind of evil without losses. And if he had to show us someone going through this angst junk again, I wish he coulda made it someone else. She was annoying in the beginning of the 2nd, just as Covenant was in the beginning of the 1st. But she grew into a hero. Now she's just a loser again.

Damn well said!

[Orlion]

It woulda been too easy to have Covenant go through it all again in the 2nd. So he gave us somebody else, instead. If each Chrons must have a main character who is terribly fragile, and comes out the other end healed and whole (And it's perfectly fine if that's the formula he wants to use. I don't think it's necessary at this point, but it's not like I hate the 2nd Chrons because we saw it again.), I don't know why it had to be her again.

*sigh* All my arguing with rusmeister has me in the mode.

Keep in mind, Covenant made his progress (for all intents and purposes) by himself. Linden's progress was tied greatly to the influence of Covenant, which limited her progress. Now, she has to do it without Covenant, or at least realize that she is perfectly capable in of herself.

[rdhopeca]

It woulda been too easy to have Covenant go through it all again in the 2nd. So he gave us somebody else, instead. If each Chrons must have a main character who is terribly fragile, and comes out the other end healed and whole (And it's perfectly fine if that's the formula he wants to use. I don't think it's necessary at this point, but it's not like I hate the 2nd Chrons because we saw it again.), I don't know why it had to be her again.

*sigh* All my arguing with rusmeister has me in the mode.

Keep in mind, Covenant made his progress (for all intents and purposes) by himself. Linden's progress was tied greatly to the influence of Covenant, which limited her progress. Now, she has to do it without Covenant, or at least realize that she is perfectly capable in of herself.

As evidenced by her statement "You're the one who saves the world. I'm just trying to save my son."

[Morinmoss]

Hooooooooooooboy....ready for some more now.

I have a feeling before the final book comes out, I'll need to reread the whole thing. Page 1 of Lord Foul's Bane to the end of the next book to prepare. Hopefully I won't burn myself out.

I just got done doing that. I'm a slow reader - started with page 1 of LFB in early July and just now finished the last word in chapter 1 of AATE. I'm ready for some light reading now to rest my brain before October, lol.