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BOOK SERIES REVIEW: THE CHRONICLES OF THOMAS COVENANT

Stephen R. Donaldson's Unbeliever Is The Ultimate Doubting Thomas

7/30/07

Short review: To many, the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant is sort of like the other Lord of the Rings trilogy, except there will soon be ten novels in all. If you're like me, you'll find the complicated moral issues faced by the Unbeliever far more interesting than the tale of straightforward, good versus evil found in Rings. Thomas Covenant is a leper (yes, I actually said leper) who is taken out of our world and asked to fight a great battle on behalf of a Land and people he doesn't even believe in. As far as the Unbeliever is concerned, the Land is just a dream that he wants to wake up from.

Meanwhile, the highly varied and original races of the Land (no elves or dwarves to be found here!) tend to treat him with far more respect than he deserves. Covenant knows this all too well. Their expectations are more than he can stand.

It would be easier to just let the Despiser take his white gold ring and use it to destroy the world than to fight the Creator's battles. At least then he could wake up from the delusion and get on with his real life.

I highly recommend these novels. They aren't the easiest read, but then, neither was the Lord of the Rings. (I preferred the movies, by the way) You can pick up copies from this series at the links listed at the bottom of the page.

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Long review: Thanks to the movies, most of you have finally heard of the Lord of the Rings. More than a few probably know that it's based on a novel of epic fantasy written by J. R. R. Tolkien. But how many of you know the name of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever? If you answered "who's that guy?" don't fret. According to Stephen R. Donaldson's web site, Thomas Covenant will make his appearance on the big screen none too soon. (Take that, Tolkien fans!) As I write this, Donaldson reports that the eighth novel will finally arrive on October 9th, 2007.

I'm a long time fan of the Unbeliever. Far as I can tell, the symbolism in Donaldson's masterpiece seems more complex than Tolkien's better known work. For starters, unlike Frodo Baggins, the Unbeliever isn't as interested in doing the right thing for the right reasons. He's a man from our world, one who was chosen to fight a great battle to save the Land by beings who could arguably be called gods. One of them wants to destroy the world which has served as his prison for generations using Covenant's ring, while the other wants to save his creation and hopes Covenant will fight to protect the Land instead. (Yes, I know you have to dig a little to really get that part, but it's there) Neither of them bothered to ask Covenant's opinion before involving him. Turns out he doesn't want the job. Can't say I blame him.

Too bad for him.

But the Creator's plan to save the Land seems likely to fail. Covenant doesn't even believe the Land is a real place that needs saving. He thinks it's just a delusion, one that keeps drawing him in at different points in his life. He wants these dreams to end so he can wake up and sort out his own problems. Yet the people of the Land, who are both generous and kind, keep waiting for him to step up and rescue them from the machinations of the Despiser. (The Despiser is one of the godlike beings who chose Covenant because he believes Covenant won't save them)

Covenant is their only hope, and the people of the Land have to put up with his selfishness, his temper, and his fear in the face of danger--dangers they must protect him from. Covenant doesn't even know how to survive in their world of Earthpower and lions made of flame. How can he hope to defeat the Despiser? Especially when he could easily be a physical manifestation of Covenant's fear and doubt.

Didn't I mention that Covenant was a leper? That's just one of the unique angles in Donaldson's series. The Land is home to many original races and creatures, instead of the usual collection of dwarves, goblins, and elves. It even turns out that Covenant's white gold wedding ring--a symbol of his failed

marriage--is a talisman of immense power in the Land. That's what makes him so dangerous. If only he could use it...

It seems that Covenant has a mental block against using the ring in the first trilogy. He's accustomed to failure, impotence, and harming the people he loves most. Covevant is an emotionaly crippled man who doesn't seem prepared to handle the responsibility that comes with a weapon that makes the One Ring look like a cap gun. The One Ring would have covered Middle Earth in darkness, but the wild magic of white gold can destroy the Arch of Time and the world itself, freeing the Despiser to wreak havoc across the cosmos. Even our world might be at risk. If the Land is real, that is. You'll have to make up you're own mind about that.

There are two things I should caution you about. One, these books aren't exactly an upbeat read. If you like dark stories with heroes of highly questionable character, The Chronicles might be for you. Covenant really stands out against the people of the Land because they are so good, so wonderful, while he's just another selfish slob caught up in his own problems. (It isn't easy being a pariah, you know) The book isn't an easy read, either. This is one quality the Unbeliever series shares with The Lord Of The Rings.

There are already eight novels in the series. The first two trilogies are called The First Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant and The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant respectively. Donaldson, who often spends years writing a single novel, began the first book of a new quadrilogy back in 2004. This is called The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. Consider all of them highly recommended by the Atheist Geek.

If you're new to the Unbeliever series, you can learn more at Wikipedia's entry on the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, or you can start reading with these links:

The second trilogy can be found at these links:

The latest quadrilogy is just getting underway. So far, the writing style reads just like the first two. You can find the first two novels here:

Note that some ad-blockers will block these links. You may have to disable them. If you're using Adblock Plus in good old Firefox, you can temporarily disable it by middle clicking on the Adblock symbol. Also, the J.R.R. Tolkien Boxed Set (The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings) can be find at Amazon as well. Personally, I prefer the Unbelievers Chronicles, but to each their own.

Final verdict: heartily recommended by the Atheist Geek.