Ranking of the 10 chronicles books

[michaelm]

Not sure if this has been done before, but I couldn't find a thread where people listed their favorite to least favorite books. I haven't read the final chronicles so will only list 6 books, but wondered what other people think.

Here's mine:

1. The Wounded Land
2. Lord Foul's Bane
3. The Illearth War
4. The One Tree
5. White Gold Wielder
6. The Power That Preserves

[aTOMiC]

1. The Illearth War
2. Lord Foul's Bane
3. The Power That Preserves
4. The One Tree
5. The Wounded Land
6. White Gold Wielder
7. Fatal Revenant
8. Runes of the Earth
9. Against All Things Ending
10. Haven't finished reading

[Frostheart Grueburn]

Hmmm....

1. The One Tree (SQUEEE the cutest Giantish love ever!!12 )
2. Wounded Land Honninscrave is bloody hot!
3. White Gold Wielder (SQUEEE the cutest Giantish love ever!!13 )
4. Last Dark
5. Against All Things Ending
6. Power that Preserves
7. Fatal Revenant
8. Foul's Ritual
9. Illearth War
10. Runes

Now I must adopt a steely scowl and commence burnishing my sword, should anyone foolishly deem I might be a wee bit softhearted for Giantish goings-ons beneath this granite armor...

[Vraith]

This is rough and changeable. I need a full re-read from start to finish to semi-solidify.

But...
1-Against all things ending.
2-White Gold Wielder
3-Runes of the Earth
4-Lord Foul's Bane.
5-Last Dark
6-Fatal Revenant
7-The Illearth War
8-The One Tree
9-The Wounded Land
10-The Power that Preserves.

**4, 5, 6, and 7 are all so close...and the "points" judged so flexible, you can sort how you want on any given day. End [statistical] result: the 2nd are better than the first, and the third better than 1st or 2nd. Later, individual results may vary...but the groups unlikely.

[Zarathustra]

1. TOT
2. TWL
3. TPTP
4. TIW
5. LFB

Those were all very good books. These were not:

6. WGW
7. FR
8. AATE
9. Runes
10. TLD

[ussusimiel]

• 1-The Illearth War
  2. Lord Foul's Bane
  3. The Wounded Land
  4. The One Tree
  5. White Gold Wielder
  6. The Power that Preserves

• .
  .
  .
  .

• 1. Fatal Revenant
  2. Last Dark
  3. Runes of the Earth
  4. Against All Things Ending

I have two lists as I seriously was only able to read the LCs after I began to consider them as a completely different series. And if anyone other than SRD had written it, AATE would rank as one of the worst books I have ever had to grit my teeth through. (It's really strange that Vraith and myself, who agree on so many other topics, are almost completely at odds when it comes to the LCs How someone who usually has has such good taste and discernment can be so far off the beam is a mystery to me! )

u.

[Zarathustra]

I keep seeing TPTP ranked consistently lower, especially relative to the other first 6 books. I was wondering what issue people had with it. This was the first climactic conclusion of a SRD saga, one where TC finally resolves his inaction and his denials of responsibility. Lord Mhoram has his insight into the RoD, and then his Victory (possibly the best scene in the entire saga), breaking the amazing, horrific siege of Revelstone. We get TC's and FF's lonely, heroic journey to Foul's Creche, an Illearth "Stoned" Elena, and then FF's Hotash Slay sacrifice/caamora. The writing steadily gets better, too, as the trilogy progresses. I used to think that Illearth War was my favorite, until rereading.

How recently has everyone done a complete reread? Mine was last year. I was more impressed with each book, until WGW which was surprisingly bad, more than I remembered.

[Vraith]

(It's really strange that Vraith and myself, who agree on so many other topics, are almost completely at odds when it comes to the LCs How someone who usually has has such good taste and discernment can be so far off the beam is a mystery to me! )

u.

It IS strange. [despite your evil dismissal of my tastes at the end, you vegetable. I know you are technically a fruit... either way I will eat you up.]

[ussusimiel]

I keep seeing TPTP ranked consistently lower, especially relative to the other first 6 books. I was wondering what issue people had with it....

How recently has everyone done a complete reread? Mine was last year. I was more impressed with each book, until WGW which was surprisingly bad, more than I remembered.

I reread it very recently, Z, and I agree that it it is a brilliantly written book. Tightly plotted and excellently paced. It is a really satisfying end to the series. In the list here I am not ranking it exactly to its quality. I rank it so low because when I do a reread it is often a book I either skim, or skip to the exciting bits. There is so much (well written) grimness in the book, Just about everybody dies. I remember the first time that I read it that it was utterly gripping, and on a reread I just find the story hard-going. In terms of writing quality it would easily now be in my top three.

It IS strange. [despite your evil dismissal of my tastes at the end, you vegetable. I know you are technically a fruit... either way I will eat you up.]

I merely describe my perfection and my bafflement at your singular imperfection (And if you'll note my new avatar, you will see that I am currently in an experimental phase regarding my identity. I still make a mean soup though! )

u.

[starkllr]

This is tough...

The Illearth War
The Power That Preserves
The Wounded Land
The One Tree
Lord Foul's Bane
White Gold Wielder
Fatal Revenant
The Runes of the Earth
Against All Things Ending
The Last Dark

[rdhopeca]

TWL
TIW
TOT
TPTP
LFB
WGW
FR
TRoTE
AATE
TLD

[aliantha]

A tough exercise indeed.

LFB
TLD
TOT
TPTP
WGW
TWL
FR
AATE
TRoTE
TIW

[Cambo]

The Illearth War
The Wounded Land
White Gold Wielder
The Power That Preserves
The One Tree

Lord Foul's Bane

Fatal Revenant
The Runes of the Earth
Against All Things Ending

The Last Dark

Listed in descending order of quality, with the books that are very close in quality grouped with each other. The top five are all equally fantastic, and it came down to which book held the best moments. The Illearth War is my clear favourite, because it has Hile Troy and Elena and the battles at Treacher's Gorge and Garroting Deep. But I like those only a little more than the group battling the na-Mhoram's grim and the caamora at Seareach...and I like those moments only a little more than Covenant in the Banefire and the final confrontation with Foul...and so on. Really, the surprise of the top group was that the two "endings" didn't push WGW and TPTP higher up the list, but there you go.

Lord Foul's Bane, while still a very good book, has some pacing issues that make me enjoy it less that the five above it, and has less WOW moments in comparison.

I seem to be a little odd in that I liked the first three Last Chronicles significantly more than a lot of people, but then hated The Last Dark just as much as those same people. Honestly, while FR, ROTE and AATE weren't nearly as good as I hoped, I still got a hell of a ride out of them. My enjoyment was no fluke since it held up to multiple re-reads. Not sure exactly what they have that TLD doesn't. Maybe it's just that, since they are journey books and not a book that brings to an end a ten book series, I can go along for the ride and enjoy it for what it is.

Was bitterly disappointed by The Last Dark.

[Avatar]

My top two in order are

The Wounded Land
The Illearth War

The order of the rest may change depending.

The bottom two are probably (in descending order)

Runes
Fatal Revenant

--A

[aTOMiC]

Gender, age and experience may play a small part in the ranking as I a was a teenage, male, freshman in high school when I read the first chrons. That experience shaped my impression of the entire saga. Because of its brilliant battle sequences and evolved character development TIW has always stood as the zenith of the series for me.
Though I believe I was the perfect age (16) when I bought and read The Wounded Land a year later it was that first wondrous experience that I really identified with making the 2nd chrons ever so slightly less wondrous. If my first exposure to SRD's work was Runes of the Earth my whole outlook on the series would probably be quite different.

[Frostheart Grueburn]

Mmh. Obviously nine equals ten after half an hour in the sauna mere instances afore sleepytimes...

The last chrons teem with kickarse women past their prime: a path meandering past the highways paved with clichés, apart from the strong feminine aspect. I happened to read the 2nd chronicles during the aftermath of a difficult RL occurrence, and I have to say that something within helped me shove matters into the past better than the holy books of organized religion. So grant Linden some mercy.
(Why do you think I adopted this character as my avatar? )

[kevinswatch]

Damn good topic, but heck if I can remember the books well enough to rank them! It must be 15 years since I has read the original books...

I do remember TPTP being the one that I enjoyed the most, if I recall correctly. Just from the sheer intensity of it, from start to finish.

Damn, I need to reread these things.

-jay

[aliantha]

Yes, you do. Get going, Jay!

[Orlion]

Definitively, the books in order are:

1) Against All Things Ending
2) The Power That Preserves
3) The Wounded Land
4) The Illearth War
5) Lord Foul's Bane
6) The Runes of the Earth
7) Whitegold Wielder
The Last Dark
9) Fatal Revenant
10) The One Tree

[sgt.null]

well I really loved the first three.

I really liked the next three.

I had no idea there were any after that.

(yes I will get around to reading them, someday)