Favorite Chapters?

[mikojb]

I have 2, both from the first chronicles:

1. Tull's Tale
2. Lord Mhoram's Victory

I am basing this on the emotional response I got from reading the books the second time. These two chapters impacted me the most, albeit in drastically different ways. The former I consider to be the darkest, most distressing chapter of any fantasy series I've ever read. The latter might be the most uplifting.

[Warmark]

I really enjoy the chapter in which Nom makes an appearence for the first time to fight the haruchai, cant think of the name off hand. Ghaddi's punishment mabye?


Also The descent from Earthroot with Tc and bannor, again the name escapes me.

[Relayer]

Jeez, there's so many!!

The Ritual of Desecration blew me away the first time I read it.
This summer I re-read the series again and it was Lord Mhoram's Victory. I sat there just stunned after reading it.

Actually, any of the chapters from Mhoram's point of view...

[High Lord Tolkien]

There are too many to choose from and I don't have the books near me today!!

But one (this might be two chapters I can't remember) that thrilled me was from "Nom" to the death of the Kemper.
Reading how TC and Brinn worked so well with each other to reach the Kemper was just exhilarating.

And where ever it was when Cail kicked Linden to keep her from killing Ceer...that was just awesome too!!

[The Laughing Man]

not sure what my favorite chapter WAS, but.......

Spoiler

when Esmer shows up in Runes? Gives "The Master" what for? awesome.....simply awesome......I so hated the Bloodguard for what they had become......

[Relayer]

You might want to spoiler that one

[Anele]

The Unhomed.

[The Laughing Man]

You might want to spoiler that one

[Warmark]

The Ritual of Desecration blew me away the first time I read it.

Good one.

[Cail]

Coercri.

No ifs, ands, or buts.

[Rocksister]

All chapters dealing with the Giants of Starfare's Gem. IMHO, they are the greatest part of the 2nd Chronicles.

[Relayer]

Coercri.

No ifs, ands, or buts.

Which time?

[Cail]

TWL, of course....

I choke up just thinking about it.

[High Lord Tolkien]

This passage chokes me up every time I just think about it forget about reading it (and it takes almost an act of God to choke me up):

Covenant wept for them, for the loss of so much love and fealty. He wept for Foamfollower, whose death had been gallant beyond any hope of emulation. He wept because the Giant standing before him now could not be one of the Unhomed, not one of the people he had learned to treasure.
And because, in spite of everything, there were still Giants in the world.
He did not know that he had cried aloud until Hollian touched him. "Ur-Lord. What pains you?"
"Giant!" he cried. "Don't you know me?" Stumbling, he went past Linden to the towering figure. "I'm Thomas Covenant."
"Thomas Covenant." The Giant spoke like the murmuring of a mountain. With gentle courtesy, as if he were moved by the sight of Covenant's tears, he bowed. "The giving of your name honors me. I take you as a friend, though it is strange to meet friends in this fell place. I am Grimmand Honninscrave." His eyes searched Covenant. "But I am disturbed at your knowledge. It appears that you have known Giants, Giants who did not return to give their tale to their people."
"No," Covenant groaned, fighting his tears. Did not return? Could not. They lost their way, and were butchered. "I've got so much to tell you."

[Relayer]

I figured you meant TWL. That whole storyline involving meeting the Giants is just so poignant. Covenant experiences so many different emotions, and he so wants to tell them what happened, but between his own pain and joy, his need for their aid, and his need to tell them the story in a way that they can hear, is just gut-wrenching. And then, the caamora! Truly beautiful.


One thing always puzzled me about this passage, though. Why does TC ask if the Giants know him?

[wayfriend]

If this topic has become "Chapters which Make You All Sally" ...

Different ones choke me up at different times. Currently, this one is the worst.

But Pitchwife and Cail caught him, lowered him from the boulder, and Linden came to him in a blur of vertigo. He had never been good at heights. He knew that she was saying his name, yet he felt unable to hear her. Her face was impossible to focus. She should have been protesting, A Sandgorgon? Are you out of your mind? What makes you think you can control it? But she was not. Her hands gripped his shoulders roughly, then flinched away. This time, her gasp was like a cry. "You — !" she began. But the words would not come. "Oh, Covenant!"

The First's voice cut through the wild reel of the hills. "What harms him?" All his friends were crowded around him and spinning. He saw Mhoram and Foamfollower, Banner and Elena — and Caer-Caveral — all there as if they deserved better from him. "What has transpired to harm him?" They had met him in Andelain and given him everything they dared, and this was the result. He was caught on a wheel that had no center. "Chosen, you must speak".

"He's on fire." Linden's tone was wet with tears. "The venom's on fire. We'd already be dead, but he's holding it inside. As long as he can. Until it eats its way out."

[Rocksister]

Exactly what I meant, HLT. It was in the 2nd Chronicles that SRD finally expanded on the Giants as a people, and I, for one, feel this one sole addition more than makes up for "other" things that are in there. Of all the things that SRD birthed from his incredible imagination, the Giants are his masterpiece. Just MHO, of course. Vain speaking was pretty awesome, too. For shock value alone, this was a huge moment in TCoTC.

[Ur Dead]

HLT and Cail.. has the parts.

The storytelling of the slaughter. Where the Giants feel the pain of Kinslaughters deeds. Cable Seadreamer jumps into the bonfire because of the grief suffered. All those Giants suffered the demise of their lost brethrens. And when Covenant used the wild magic to free the bounded from their plight. That was a very stirring event in the WL.
Shows that TC finally and fully accepted the Land and tried to redeem himself of his pass transgressions.

[mikojb]

That's interesting that so many people agree on Coercri in TWL. I see it as the feel-good resolution of the story thread that started with Korik's Mission to Seareach and continued through Tull's Tale. To me, it's almost like SRD felt that this was one terrible event from The First Chronicles that was never "fixed", so he had to do so in the The Second Chronicles. I for one am glad he did. I think it's a great scene, but there are so many great scenes in these books IMHO.

[jwaneeta]

I really liked the race to Doom's Retreat in TIW. There's so much momentum and energy, and the Ranyhyn kick so much butt.

A moment later, the massed ur-vile wedge hit the wall and tore it. Dark, liquid power shredded the blue flame, ripped into fragments and scattered it. Instantly the rest of the kresh flooded after the escaping Ranyhyn. And the wolves pouring around the ends of the wall changed direction to interept the riders.

But the Ranyhyn outdistanced them. The great horses of Ra pulled past Verement and thundered toward Doom's Retreat.