the chronicles of thomas covenant the unbeliever

Sometimes, especially when reviewing, it is far too easy to concentrate on the negatives but it is the positives upon which I would like to focus. But in various ways I was also inspired by writers as diverse as Alfred Bester (The Stars My Destination), Robert Heinlein (Glory Road), and Frank Herbert (Dune).' Tolkien’s example convinced me that fantasy was worth writing. 'In any case, it would be foolish to pretend that I wasn’t profoundly affected by Lord of the Rings. I think this may be partly explained by both authors having similar influences, ranging from Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen to Norse mythology but nevertheless, on several occasions, I believe I picked up elements and themes that run through both these great works, and an answer in a Stephen Donaldson interview with SF Signal I recently read supported this: My re-read was also interesting for another reason, and that I was able to pick up on certain similarities to JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, which I missed first time. This is not a book/series for the casual fantasy reader and I urge those who may initially struggle, to persevere, as the books contain moments of sheer magic and the characters and locations are amongst the best to be found in the genre.

But now, twenty years on, I have embarked on a complete series re-read and this time around I was able to enjoy and comprehend the book in a way I was previously unable to. I first read Lord Foul's Bane when I was a teenager and I am now able to understand that I was simply not ready for it at that time in my life my vocabulary did not stretch far enough and by overly focussing on Covenant I missed the most beautiful aspects of the book. And it should not be forgotten that The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant had a profound impact on the genre at the time effects that can still be felt today as authors like Steven Erikson continue to write fantasy that is both brave and ambitious fantasy that is not written to simply please the masses. Whether it is due to the Covenant character himself, or simply as a response to the series as a whole, readers find themselves often divided in their opinions: Some love it, some hate it. Arguably one of the most famous names in fantasy, but not all who know it love it.

The chronicles of thomas covenant the unbeliever