Kevin's Watch

I reread the First and Second Chronicles again in preparation for the Last Chronicles. It was wonderful reading those eight books from beginning to end, but it took a while and having three children takes away from concentrated reading time. I find that I am already forgetting very crucial things from ROTE and FR. I am starting to feel that I will have to read them again before AATE and then all three before TLD. There is simply too much time between books (which I understand).

I am starting to think that I will wait until maybe a year out from TLD and begin again from LFB and just go all the way through. I'd hate to have a Thomas Covenant book sitting on my shelf unread, but it is exhausting having to go back and reread everything before every new book. I did this with Harry Potter, but this is a bit more dense and complex to say the least.

Is anyone else waiting until they can devour it all at once?

I think there are a few who are waiting. Welcome, by the way!

I have been thinking about when the best re-read time is. I reckon I'll read them all roughly in conjunction with the release of AATE, so I can hopefully be right up with what's happening. I imagine I'll do the same in conjunction with TLD.

yah, I for one am not one who reads everything, so when a new TC novel comes out I reread the series (well, not the entire series... just the 3rd crons)

I just re-read Runes and Revenant...well not JUST read them...it took me a few weeks!

I posted a question to the GI about a month ago regarding this:
Here's what SRD said:

Drew (drew): Hello.

As I'm sure you're well aware, you now have Eight published Covenant books. Though I'd love to re-read all of them in preparation for AATE's publication; I *do* like to sometime's read work by *other* author's too!!

I know you don't really like answering opinion questions, but would you suggest that the average fan at least re-read Runes, and Revenant before the next book, or do you feel that it gives enough background to just jump right into it (once published)?

Also, another large name in the Fantasy world has recently passed away. David Eddings. He too was published by DelRey around the same time as you; were you two friends?

This whole point of providing "What Has Gone Before" for each book (after LFB) is to spare readers the necessity of "getting back up to speed" when a new "Chronicle" is published. Naturally I'm flattered when readers *want* to re-read the whole sequence in order to fully experience the next book. But life is short; and I don't think anyone should *have* to do that.

Naturally I knew *of* David Eddings. But I never met him, or had any kind of personal contact with him.

(07/24/2009)