Nope. *sigh* Obviously I'm in the extreme minority, but I'm not happy with FR.
Yes, I cheered when we learned the Seven Words. I said, "Damn, that's cool" when I realized the only name we ever knew from Berek's time was
ak-Haru Kenaustin Ardenol, and that we would
have to learn that the Theomach would turn out to be him. I cheered when Stave kicked the Humbleds' asses. I cheered loudest when Linden said,
"Nom! We need you!" The brief description of the battle between Caerroil Wildwood and the Viles was great. (Oh, to see a fuller description! CW in his full power!!)
But I get more of a feeling of individual events, not a continuous story.
I
don't like the inconsistencies:
-The one already pointed about the Appointed
Elohim Guardian at the One Tree when Berek got there.
-The
Haruchai who originally came to the Land swore the Vow because they were entirely in awe of the Land's wonders, and to pay Kevin back for
incredible (though unspecified) gifts. We were told this more than once, and the
Haruchai telling it were
not lying about it. Their passion as they told of the memory of it (either personal memories or racial) was genuine. Now we learn that they did it because they needed to regain their esteem and pride.
Anele is annoying as hell! Freakin' get over it, dude! He's been completely sane a couple times, but,
"Woe is me! I failed! I'm not good enough! I'm nothing compared to my parents! I let things fall apart because I lost the Staff of Law!" Well the Staff's been found! Grab the damned thing and fix the problems! At least
try! You have some
extremely able and/or powerful folks helping you now!
But one of the things that annoys me most is Linden! She's kept in the dark by
everyone! She can't get a straight answer from anyone about anything! Nobody trusts her with real information or truth. She's not ready; she can't be trusted; blah blah blah. She feels frustrated, and she is not happy that she's not trusted. Valid feelings, imo. So what's she do?
She refuses to tell anybody the full story about anything! All stories she relates to anyone are intentionally edited for one reason or another. Even those who fully support her
despite knowing that she's holding back, and
despite knowing that she's planning something catastrophically dangerous aren't worthy of the truth.
Another major problem is that we don't get Covenant until the last couple pages of the
second book! I don't remember how SRD worded it, but when asked if Linden was going to be the star of the Final Chrons, he said something like, "Well, it's called the Final Chronicles of
Thomas Covenant." I was under the impression that this meant Covenant would have a significant role.
My last major problem is... Well, the 1st Chrons was an incredible exploration of Covenant's psyche. I've never read anything like it! Such an in-depth look at someone; watching him change; going from hating him to loving him, but feeling that it was done
legitimately, not just "He's bad. OK, now he's good." What an incredible thing! But we couldn't do that again in the 2nd Chrons, right? What would be the point? So we have Linden. Covenant is strong and true, but she's
really messed up. But, like Covenant in the 1st, she truly learns and grows. Fighting off possession by a Raver is an
extraordinary thing!!! Absolutely boggles the mind! But, again, it seems legitimate. Ok, now we are in the Final Chrons. Obviously, just as we couldn't explore Covenant again in the 2nd, we can't explore Linden again in the Final. But wait... Looks like that's
exactly what we're doing. Paragraphs and paragraphs at a time dedicated to her inner struggles. No, they're not the
same inner struggles. She's not screwed up about her parents now. Still, enough already. I just don't feel the need to go through it with her again. Actually, I don't feel the need to do that
at all. There's enough going on in the Land and its earth. Let's see the
huge power-plays, and forget about the angst and all that.
OK, my major problems are all with Linden. I'm a member of THOOLAH, but I've never been a particularly rabid member. It's fun to make some really good jokes about her in the 2nd Chrons, but she really was important. Now I really
am sick to death of her.
(And holy cow, if I have to hear about Pahni's hand on Liand's shoulder one more time...!!!
)
) I was a little worried at how SRD would handle plausibility and continuity, but he just rocked on. And after my first read of FR, I have to say a couple things that my friends here will be shocked at: