The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant and the use of sexual assault in fiction. February 17, 2024

The Gap I think is pretty solid but again with the sexual assault overtones, slavery etc. it started a bit slow but builds to a good series imho. The Mirrors series is my personal favorite - the world is well developed and is a great adventure with a real grounded medieval/feudal feel. I wasnt a super fan of the magic system in it but its self consistent and works. Perhaps my favorite single story from Donaldson was in his short story collection - I cant remember its name but its a Island of Dr Moreau meets Cyberpunk transhumanisum. Ive lived in hope of him fully developing a series from this short story as I think its excellent. I've yet to read the last series of TC books and after your overview I think i'll pick them up. (PS I've started Sam Sykes Seven Blades I'll let you know my opinion).

Enjoyed your commentary. I'd like to finish at least the first trilogy of this series. I read the first book a number of years ago. I did enjoy it, but I remember the first couple chapters of setup about Covenant's leprosy being so compelling that the fantasy stuff in The Land kind of suffered in comparison. And I like fantasy. Unfortunately, I got distracted and never got to the other two books, but the first one has lingered wth me enough to want to return to them eventually.

As for the assault, I remember it reading like an extreme act of refusal to accept the reality of The Land, its inhabitants, and the curing of his leprosy -- sort of like doing something crazy in a dream and fully expecting to wake up. It didn't feel like a lazy device to make a story "grimdark" or to titillate readers with certain tastes. It's been years though. It might read differently to me now.

This is definitely a series that I love in spite of the main character! I do appreciate that the ramifications of his actions on the first book are very much explored and there sre certainly long ranging consequences. I'll note that Demon Cycle (Warded Man is book 1) is i think a great series in spite if the overuse of that kind of thing.

I am enjoying lord fouls bane

There is nuance to this otherwise terrible event. You could describe as eating after years of starvation, but even that does not help. I think the shock effect was meant to demonstrate just how catastrophic Thomas's life had become, and then all his normal sensations returned at once? I understand and appreciate that it was an unjustified passage in the story but it is incredibly memorable and also powers subsequent areas of the timeline. The guilt is a massive millstone round his neck and this also feeds the narrative, so I kind of understand that a truly shocking and horrible act was probably the only way to set the other events in motion...