Kevin's Watch

People tried to get me to read Lord Foul's Bane as early as 1979, but I was not interested in Tolkien clones, and unfortunately that was the way it was presented and marketed at that time.

When I finally "caved" in 2005, I was blown away, of course. Then completely delighted to find out about the second and third Chronicles. I felt bad that I had denied myself all those years, but at the same time I don't think I was ready for them until I had gone through certain devastating experiences that tested me personally and out of which I came stronger than before. Up till then I wwouldn't have been interested in TC's agony, it would have been too much for me.

How about you?

As I've said before, a good friend tried unsuccessfully for several years to get me to read the Chronicles.

I thought Lord Foul's Bane was a retarded title and that alone turned me off. I mean, there's this bad guy named Lord Foul see, and he has this Bane see, and... well, it sounded too stupid for it to possibly be any good, so I balked.

That's called "Contempt prior to investigation," and it has been, and continues to be, the Bane of MY life.

"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance - that principle is contempt prior to investigation." -Herbert Spencer (Responsible also for coining the phrase "Survival of the Fittest.")

When I finally did pick up the books (sometime in the early 80s), I was floored. The Chronicles are in a league of their own, and remain so as far as I'm concerned.

My dad said "Here, this is good" and I read it.

My sister in law (at the time) was into this type of stuff. She was an avid reader and let me borrow several books that she considered "good." This blew me away. We read, in order of release, the first five books, then waited patiently for the sixth one. We both believed it would be the last. I joined my local library for the first time in many years in 2007 (I think it was), and went straight to a PC there to see what fantasy books were available. When "Runes of the Earth" popped up in the list, I jumped up out of my chair and almost screamed out loud. I was, after all, in a library. The rest has been a waiting game. As far as OTHER books, I was not interested in the Twilight series, as I am 52 years old, but I actually got interested and had to read the whole series. I'm not drooling, but it's pretty cute, the teenage sweetheart thing and all. Ah, memories.

CovenantJr wrote:My dad said "Here, this is good" and I read it.

Almost exactly the same with me, except it was my sister who said "Here this is good"...

StevieG wrote:

CovenantJr wrote:My dad said "Here, this is good" and I read it.

Almost exactly the same with me, except it was my sister who said "Here this is good"...

*nod*

Mine was my freshman year college boyfriend.
In fall of 1978.
So the first chrons were like only a year old or so...

I actually read the first chrons before I read LOTR.
My daddy had weaned me more on SF: Asimov, Bradbury, Heinlein.
The first chrons were not only amazing in their own right, they were amazing to me for being the first high fantasy I ever read.

Let's see, in Junior High, I was reading high fantasy like it was candy, but I was running out of others to read, so my parents got be a book of short stories called "After the King" where Reave the Just was, the idea being to introduce me to other authors. I read Reave the Just, thought it was interesting in that it was different, and read what else Donaldson wrote. "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever"! I exclaimed, "That sounds sooo lame." It wasn't until my sophmore year in high school that my seminary teacher found me reading The Silmarillion for the umpteenth time and recommended them to me. I agreed, and after TIW I was hooked! In gratitude, I've gotten her each of the Last Chronicles as they've come out.

I had just completed reading the Tolkien trilogy (1982) and wanted more. I walked into a bookstore, picked up LFB and became a SRD fan for life. It was totally a "luck of the draw" that I chose LFB. I was totally suprised that I enjoyed The Chrons far better than LOTR. I did not think it possible.

I did NOT read, nor have I read yet, RotE or FR. I own them both - bought hardback editions as soon as they were released...just haven't worked up the nerve to open them yet.

Recently, I've been re-reading the first two Chronicles, under the pretense that I wanted to bring myself back up to speed before I started the new books. But I'm just about to finish WGW, so, I guess I'll be able to answer the second part of the question soon.

Demondim-spawn wrote:I thought Lord Foul's Bane was a retarded title and that alone turned me off. I mean, there's this bad guy named Lord Foul see, and he has this Bane see, and... well, it sounded too stupid for it to possibly be any good, so I balked.

Kudos for your honesty!! I guess I could say the same.

I did NOT read, nor have I read yet, RotE or FR. I own them both - bought hardback editions as soon as they were released...just haven't worked up the nerve to open them yet.

Earthfriend, I admire your self-control. I got to read both first and second Chronicles after they were all out. If you can really wait until 2013 (gad, I'll be into my fifties by then!!!!!!!!!!!!) more power to you.

Orlion, I read "After the King", a shameless post-LOTR-movie-spinoff, but most of the stories were great.

I came across The Illearth War in the library (the one that was a little farther from my house, but I walked a bunch as a kid) and I like d it. I was 13, 14, and reading the "What has gone before" was how I was introduced to the rape. Found the other books at other branches and decided I wanted to buy them.
I think I got the first set paperback as boxed series. Maybe a Christmas gift, actuallly. They are all equally worn. Whereas I read the second series at the libraries, then bought the paperback versions of the second chronicles one at a time. The Wounded Land, I think, is the most worn of them all.
I am getting the hardcovers of the final, but actually, I like to have paperbacks.
(First time I read Wounded Land, I was playing the Raiders of the Lost Ark soundtrack ALOT, and it seemed to work. Not the main theme. But the mysterious music around the ark scenes, well of the souls. And the romantic theme for Marion is a little sad. Really works.)

deer of the dawn wrote:Earthfriend, I admire your self-control. I got to read both first and second Chronicles after they were all out. If you can really wait until 2013 (gad, I'll be into my fifties by then!!!!!!!!!!!!) more power to you.

Ye-es. Waiting to all the novels are out. That's what I'm doing. Certainly it's not because I'm too scared to start the new Chrons in case Mr Donaldson has done a George Lucas and wrecked one of the great literary influence of my life....

Still, I'll soon know. 3/4 finished WGW and counting.

Earthfriend wrote: Ye-es. Waiting to all the novels are out. That's what I'm doing. Certainly it's not because I'm too scared to start the new Chrons in case Mr Donaldson has done a George Lucas and wrecked one of the great literary influence of my life....

A bit off topic I know, but I'm actually glad Lucas wrecked SW. It made me go back and look at the originals, and realize just how childish and amateur they really were.

i walked into english class two years ago and asked my teacher for a good book to read. she brought me to another techer who had more interest in fantasy type novels. he handed me three, one of them being LFB. on the bus i read the back cover and instantly loved the shot telling of the story. i fell even more in love with it while reading and now it is my favorite book/series. when i finished LFB, i returned it to the teacher and said "thank you so much, this is the best book ive ever read. do you hve the second one?"

Totally just picked LFB up off the bookstore shelf almost at random for something to read back in the early 80's. Got veeerrrrrrrrry lucky...

My friend and I played D&D, so we were always looking for new material to steal ideas for our games. I found LFB in 1977 (beginning of my junior year of high school). I was hooked... he couldn't get into it at all.