Kevin's Watch

Okay, I just finished The Last Dark, and can't honestly say whether I'm disappointed or grateful. Maybe a little bit of both. The First and Second Chronicles set the bar pretty high, so meeting or topping it was going to be tough. I really liked parts of the Last Chronicles, but missed Covenant and a more epic feel. Sometimes the story was a bit bogged down by too much internal psychological elements. Still, having Covenant say, "I'm white-gold, you crazy bastard," was great. Our hero was back!

One thing I keep wondering about is why no mention of the Creator. It's not as if Donaldson forgot to put him in the last book, so there must be a reason. Possibly, Covenant is the Creator himself. This would explain why he doesn't show up in Runes of the Earth since Thomas is dead. It's also possible Donaldson didn't want a Creator to overshadow the choices each character (Covenant, Linden and Jeremiah) must face. Each is a creator in their own right. Other thoughts?

Thank you Mr. Donaldson for finishing the tale.

So,,on purpose,,the Creator remains The Mystery...What a fantastic metaphor...

The Mystery of who or what the Creator is..Who am I or What am I...is answered at End..by not Who or What but by...How...

Donaldson said that to reveal why the Creator didn't show up in Runes would be the "mother of all spoilers." Turns out, it's not. As said on page 411, the Creater didn't warn Linden because he knew she would run away with Jeremiah, saving him from Roger and going to the Land, and the Creator needed Jeremiah in the Land.

Why did the Creator need Jeremiah? Well, apparantly because he knew ahead of time that Jeremiah would have to "forbid" Lord Foul long enough for Covenant to hug him. But we've seen that the krill can do that job. So can a She-Bitch slap. Or, Linden could have done it with the staff. After all, she's the one who was given the Runes, who made the staff.

I don't see how the Creator needing Jeremiah for two seconds was the "mother of all spoilers," as SRD said. We've known from the beginning that his metaphorical point was that we all have a Creator and a Destroyer inside of us.

In a sense the Creator does make an appearance in The Last Dark, albeit indirectly. On page 535 as Covenant, Linden and Jeremiah walk in a newly reborn sunlit land, "Struck by sunlight, the showers returned a rainbow to the heavens: one bright instance of the world's inherent splendor."