Kevin's Watch

Would any of you perfered it if the Second Chronicles had a different ending. I thought it was a shame that Thomas died, however I do think that something like this had to happen. The reasons for this are that a happy ending would spoil the books. So it was necessary that Linden and Thomas did not end up being a happily married couple.

Did he have to die? No of course not. BUt it would of been a different story if he hadn't.

I suppose from my point of view TC giving up his life indications 2 main things.

1) Its the ultimate expression of his love the the land giving up his life

2) Its also the indication of either his acceptance that The Land really exists or that TC doesn't actually care if it exists or not.

Either way it the "Hero" making the ultimate sacrifice for something they love deeply.

The other thing to consider is that each time TC returns to our world something happens to make his condition in The Land as near as damnit identicle to the condition he entered it in, and in the case of the 2nd Cronicals he was dead or very near.

Unny

I think I was very disappointed the first time I read the books that they did not end differently but afterwards I have come to consider the ending condign.

And I really do not think that TC and LA would have ended up a happily married couple anyway.

Yes, I agree Ryzel about TC and LA ending up a happy couple!

No, the ending was perfect. Thomas Covenant will be very sorely missed by met at least in the Thrid Chronicles, but I've gone too far to turn back now!

who said you'll have to miss him? remember, the Law of Death is broken...

I think the ending was perfect; the ultimate expiation for his long list of sins, and the ultimate sacrifice for the Land he became to love so much

it is so cruel, though, that he began to value the beauty of the Land really when it had been lost already...

I can't even imagine a better ending. Covenant had to come up with another answer to Foul - what happened in the First Chronicles wouldn't work again. I actually think that it would have been a fabulous ending to the Chronicles as a whole.....not to say that I am not looking forward to the next Chronicles!

amanibhavam wrote:who said you'll have to miss him? remember, the Law of Death is broken...

I think the ending was perfect; the ultimate expiation for his long list of sins, and the ultimate sacrifice for the Land he became to love so much

it is so cruel, though, that he began to value the beauty of the Land really when it had been lost already...

I was devastated at his death when I first read the Chrons. I like happy endings (a bit boring) but over time I came to see his death as a sacrifice for the Land and the death of his "Unbelief" and perhaps the birth of his "Belief".
Ryzel, I agree with you about TC and LA. I could not foresee a happy future for them as a couple.

Heehee. You said condign.
*anyway*
I know that the ending was necessary, and it would have lessened the books for the ending to be any different. But I still WANTED it to be different, just sortof couldn't help it. Heck, I wanted TC to go blast LF w/wild magic after the Banefire. I'm a violent person who likes happy endings. THat's why it's a good thing I didn't write them; they wouldn't be as good. And I do hope we see TC in the third chrons.

Yes, I wanted a different ending at first, and to an extent, still do. Of course I have never wanted to actually replace the existing ending, but it would be cathartic to send TC into Mount Thunder saying "To hell with this sacrifice malarky! Eat this, Foul!"

amy's right ofcourse! TC hasnt gone anywhere .. now the law of death has been broken .. and the chronicles are the 3rd chrons .. of TC .. which denotes his pivotal role still ..

I cant wait to see how SRD writes TC's role in this 3rd series ..

I agree that TC and LA's relationship was perfectly seized .. seperated but still together .. after all TC did tell LA he would always be with her .. thus affirming their connection ..

but a marriage ..would have been too sickly sweet .. and I would've hated an ending that happily married them .. the ending to me was perfect .. apart from TC's death .. but in some way .. it was good .. because it freed him from the disatisfaction of his mortal life in our world .. and in the 3rd chrons .. we may see TC realising a degree of fulfillment that he would not have been able to experience in our world ..

and it is also great that now he is very much with those characters he loved so much .. Foamy Bannor Mhoram .. and every other dead person he cared about .. and they were all pretty animated for dead folk ..

Of course, I wish I had won in the end, but Mr. TC continued to pick on me, ala Juan Valdez.

Skyweir wrote:amy's right ofcourse! TC hasnt gone anywhere .. now the law of death has been broken .. and the chronicles are the 3rd chrons .. of TC .. which denotes his pivotal role still ..

I cant wait to see how SRD writes TC's role in this 3rd series ..

I agree that TC and LA's relationship was perfectly seized .. seperated but still together .. after all TC did tell LA he would always be with her .. thus affirming their connection ..

but a marriage ..would have been too sickly sweet .. and I would've hated an ending that happily married them .. the ending to me was perfect .. apart from TC's death .. but in some way .. it was good .. because it freed him from the disatisfaction of his mortal life in our world .. and in the 3rd chrons .. we may see TC realising a degree of fulfillment that he would not have been able to experience in our world ..

well, he at least had the surety of existence after death which we won't have until that moment after the last - or won't have at all

you're right .. its is just a fantasy afterall!! .. or is it??

yeah Foul .. you never stood a chance .. the chips were down from the moment you hired Joan as a stooly

jk lol jk lol jk lol

Giving up your life for what you love is a theme for the whole Chronicles, all six books. From that first Unfettered we meet right up until the end of White Gold Wielder. So that ending was not completely unexpected to me.

And don't you think that he might be happier there with his friends, the people who were willing to accept and love him in spite of his illness when our whole world rejected him, than he would be here? Even if he and Linden DID get married, everyone would probably still reject him, and what sort of a life would that be for either him OR for Linden?

I'm not so sure that the books would have had such a lasting impact on us and any other/future readers if TC hadn't been killed.

I thought it was great. I really like the non happy ending.

If you subscribe to the belief that TC and LF are somehow one (another well trodden thread I know), then his death was inevitable if Foul was to be beaten properly.

But yes , the snetimental part of me would much rather have a 3rd chronicles with TC as the main character again, but this could be seen as treading over old ground. Anyhow, there's a lot of fallability to be explored in Linden. I reckon she could be corrupted good and proper and could end up on the same side as LF, something TC wouldn't have knowingly done.

So many potential angles with LInden as the main protagonist don't you think?

So , no I don't wish they'd ended differently.

A thought has just occurred to me. The Law of Death was broken in the Land at the end of the second chrons, but wouldn't the new Staff of Law restore all of the Laws that had been broken?

As for the ending, I thought it was in keeping with the tone with the rest of the book. "and Thomas and Linden lived happily ever after" really wouldn't have cut it for me.

I'm still a little shell-shocked by the ending of the Ian M. Banks book that I finished last night. All the way through the book the central character is portrayed as somekind of expert warmonger who is consistently put on the losing side of conflicts by his employers, for reasons which they keep to themselves. He's kind of disillusioned and is a fairly amiable chap. On literally the last page of the book, however, it is revealed that he raped his cousin, killed her, made her bones into a little chair (partially upholstered with her skin, in fact) and sent it to her brother and sister. As this is pretty much the book's resolution, it leaves you with a rather unpleasant taste.

But didn't SRD say in an interview somewhere that the LoD would stay broke? Someone help me out, I think I read that somewhere...

I was a great ending. A happy ending would not have suited the The Chrons as a whole but it was a powerful and heroic ending anyway.

No a happy ending to a largely unhappy series would not do at all!

...it was the beginning! Oh, the poor Land!