Are the new Chonicles meeting expectations?

[Sharguild]

No spoilers of course please but was curios if SRD pulled a rabbit out of his hat or a rotten egg,
Personally, I'm confident that Steve did well but I did not want to read the new books until they were all out.
Now, however I've heard rumour there may be four books so I won't wait.
I'm re-reading second chronicles right now and will start the Third when done. Hopefully the third book might even be out by then.
I didn't post this at the Third Chronicles site because I don't want to view posts there yet.
Just wanted to know if the books are meeting expectations.

[StevieG]

I imagine you'll get a variety of answers to your question.

For me, overall - yes. And looking forward to what's coming next.

[Savor Dam]

Rereading the Second Chronicles is a good idea before delving into the Last Chronicles. After that, my advice is to read on...no matter whether you are immediately engaged by them or not.

Trust SRD, he knows what he is doing.

[matrixman]

My answer: they have defied expectations. That, of course, can be interpreted in different ways...

Btw, Savor Dam, very nice bison avatar!

[rdhopeca]

I like them so far; I am happy to have more Covenant.

[variol son]

No spoilers of course please but was curios if SRD pulled a rabbit out of his hat or a rotten egg,
Personally, I'm confident that Steve did well but I did not want to read the new books until they were all out.
Now, however I've heard rumour there may be four books so I won't wait.
I'm re-reading second chronicles right now and will start the Third when done. Hopefully the third book might even be out by then.
I didn't post this at the Third Chronicles site because I don't want to view posts there yet.
Just wanted to know if the books are meeting expectations.

No rumour Sharguild - there have always been four books planned, at least since news of the Last Chronicles was released back in 2001/2002.

As for Against All Things Ending, it's due out in October 2010 (give or take a month or two), so you may need to read slowly, or read all six previous books instead of just the Second Chronicles.

I have enjoyed the Last Chronicles, and as with the First and Second, I enjoy each novel more after reading the next. I'm not representative of everyone though. If you dislike Linden Avery, as many appear to, you may have some problems.

I think of the Last Chronicles as being a little like The Gap Cycle - it takes a while to get into, but once I did I was very much hooked.

[Fist and Faith]

I'm very disappointed so far.

Btw, Savor Dam, very nice bison avatar!

Yeah, that's pretty cool!

[Orlion]

I think of the Last Chronicles as being a little like The Gap Cycle - it takes a while to get into, but once I did I was very much hooked.

Well said, I've enjoyed the Last Chronicles, but they definately have a different style to them than the other two chronicles, a lot more like the GAP Cycle. Because of this, I'm anticipating an awesome series.

[wayfriend]

Yes. If you go into the Last Chronicles thinking that the way Donaldson tells stories has stayed the same after twenty-someodd years, and your looking for more of the same, then you might be setting yourself up for disappointment.

You might not be able to put your finger on it, but you'll know it's different.

But if you go into it without preconceptions, and let the books stand on their own, you'll enjoy the new series. There are treasures in there. They're just not the same ones you might be used to finding.

But all your old friends are in there.

[Warmark]

I'm very disappointed so far.

I agree, not sure if ill enjoy them more on a re-read.

[Savor Dam]

Much as I am reluctant to disagree with someone who has recently been wed (and only slightly less recently complimented my avatar), I am not particularly disappointed. What we are getting certainly is not what I would have anticipated -- but Donaldson is decidedly not about fulfilling reader expectations. This is not the first time he has taken a while to develop some narrative momentum...but I know he's going somewhere with this story and the ride will be worthwhile.

(Mazel tov, Fist!)

(and to Rob's little Lucy: Welcome to the magic show!)

[iQuestor]

The first of the new chrons was pretty tough for me to get into, the second was miuch better, and had a lot of surprises, and raises as many questions as it answered.

I will say I haven't been prompted as much to re-read the new chrons as I have the old ones. But of course they havent been around as long.

[Zarathustra]

I think the writing is better, but the story isn't as good.

The problem is simple, and yet systemic: Linden Avery is the protagonist. I happen to like Linden, but there is no way you can duplicate the tone and feel of previous Chronicles when the main character is a different person. What made the original Chronicles distinctive was Covenant--even when the Land itself changed drastically between the 1st and 2nd. Covenant was the constant.

Don't get me wrong, it's still a very distinctive tale, but now for a different reason/character. And taken as a whole (all three Chronicles) this progression away from Covenant has already been set up in the 2nd Chronicles, creating a symmetry of narrative perspective as Donaldson shifts his focus.

Thus, the shift in perspective isn't a flaw per se. However, a larger problem is LA's motivation. While her motives are noble, they aren't compelling from a story-telling perspective. The reason is because this motivation is unfamiliar to the readers, and then remains "off-stage" for much of the tale so far. Even when we eventually get a closer look at this source of motivation, it's a view that is obscured in such a way that it remains at a narrative distance from the readers, and fails to engage. (That sounds vague, but there's no way to explain it without spoilers. ).

Whether or not these issues will be remedied is still unknown, given that we're only halfway through. There are signs (again, spoilers) that these issues will become less alienating to readers.

But it's a great read if you let go of your expectations of a repeat of the first two Chronicles. The writing is brilliant. And I believe it must be judged as a whole, rather than by what we have thus far. The story is obviously building to a compelling climax . . . . which, in my opinion, is the whole point to Donaldson stories.

[Vraith]

The writing is brilliant. And I believe it must be judged as a whole, rather than by what we have thus far. The story is obviously building to a compelling climax . . . . which, in my opinion, is the whole point to Donaldson stories.

Absolutely. [the rest of your post was good too...except the first line, I think needs to be qualified...we don't know if the story is as good until it's all written...though I understand how some feel a disconnect both in style of writing and shift to Linden, there are things that Linden stands for that are necessary for the story/Land to resolve that TC alone couldn't have. It's too complex.]

[Vader]

Is it like I expected it to be?

It's different because the pace is different.
It's different because LA is not TC.
It's different in so many ways, yet it's familiar in so many other ways.

Even if it sounds cryptic (or worse: commonplace) because it's different it is just what I hoped it would be (considering how different the TC1 was from TC2).

At the end of the day I enjoyed reading TC3 so far as much as I did reading TC1 and TC1 back then.

[danlo]

The first book is a massive attempt to get from there to here, and to get a fairly large number of characters involved. So it's a major set-up effort. The second brings in many facets, many we are familiar with and some we're not. Then again remember we are many years henceforth in the Land. Fatal Revenant is more of a modern LFB, but very different in many ways. It's sort like Donaldson waking up after years of sleep; flexes the right side of his brain (stretches his left arm) "....oh yeah RotE: the Land, Linden, how do we get back?", flexes the left side (right arm), "...ok FR: here we are in the Land, things have changed drastically, now I'm going to throw all this stuff at you to process, but you won't really be able to make all the connections till AATE.

Now he's, finally, got the kinks out and the next two books will be brilliant. (I thought FR was great, though a tad overbearing in places (perhaps trying too hard? He'll settle down. ))

[iQuestor]

Now he's, finally, got the kinks out and the next two books will be brilliant. (I thought FR was great, though a tad overbearing in places (perhaps trying too hard? He'll settle down. ))

AH, give SRD a break. He's got leprosy fercryinoutloud

[Infelice]

I found ROTE hard going the first time I read it . I felt it took a long time to get started. But thinking back to my first read of LFB, my impressions of that book were the same, it took a long time to get started and i didnt fully appreciate the book until i had finished the entire first chrons.

I have a feeling it will be the same for me with the last chrons. I wont truely appreciate the full story and the development of it until the full story has been told.

I enjoyed reading FR much more for lots of reasons.... same as for TIW. Based on this observation, I have a feeling that book 3 and book 4 are gonna rate off the chart

Expectation-wise.... yeah, its doing ok.

[deer of the dawn]

I'm very disappointed so far.

F&F, what specifically disappoints? That is, what did you expect and not get out of the two that are out so far? Did you not think it would take several hundred pages to

Spoiler

bring the real Covenant back into the story

? Or do you not like Linden? Or the way the story is told, which is stylistically somewhat different?

For me, after 30 years you cannot expect an author to just continue as he did back when bell bottoms were the new thing. Maybe as someone who is middle aged, I understand the changes and can go with them. I guess I am willing to accept what comes. The only way SRD could disappoint me would be to die and not finish the Chrons. I trust him.

[danlo]

He's a baby, a newlywed baby, but still a baby. You're right dofd you simply can't expect any author to pick up the same style, pace and magic after 20 year. That SRD is working as hard as he can to recapture that is a big compliment to his readers (except Fist of course). Did I say he's a baby?