Written between 1977 and 1983 by Stephen R. Donaldson, The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant tell the tale of a lepper who is despised in real life and very frustrated with himself.
After an accident Covenant enters a magical Land (possibly in his own mind) where he is healthy again and is considered a hero destined to defeat an evil lord. Covenant struggles to believe the world is real and tries to prove it is not, while against his wil he does take upon himself the role of defeating The Despiser.
The story takes place in a fantasy world which is very well created and often regarded as of the same level as Tolkiens Middle-earth. However, the story itself and the characters are not that comparable to Lord of the Rings.
The main character, Thomas Covenant, is an unstable, bitter man and the story is dark and psychological, with deap meanings and moral issues. This might scare away the average, casual fantasy reader but at the same time it will grip the attention of many. I believe it is a series that should definitely be read.
In the late seventies and eartly eighties Stephen R. Donaldson wrote two Covenant trilogies, the first being “The Cronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever” and the second aptly called “The second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant”.
“The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant” is currently in the making. Donaldson has written and published first two books and two more are to come. The first of these is expected for October 2010.
Tags: Fantasy Series, Stephen R. Donaldson, The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant