For one of my classes in seventh or eighth grade, I needed to present a book report. I thought, “Why give a talk about one book when I could give a talk about an entire trilogy of books?” At the time, I was more excited about The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant The Unbeliever than any other books.
So I sat down with a large poster board and drew a map of the Land. While it didn’t look nearly as good as this one, it caught the attention of my class.
As I talked about the story, I indicated where the heroes traveled throughout the Land in their attempts to stop Lord Foul, the Despiser.
Ever since then, Stephen R. Donaldson has been one of my heroes. Although I’ve read all of the Thomas Covenant books, the first three remain my favorites.
- Lord Foul’s Bane
- The Illearth War
- Power That Preserves
I love Donaldson’s approach to show the inner lives of his characters. We get to see their thoughts when no words are being spoken. His world-building skills are extraordinary. I feel as if I’ve already visited the Land, it’s that vivid. I also like how unique and engaging his stories tend to be.
His other book series are almost as fascinating.
And I’ve enjoyed his short story collections.
While I have not read his Mick Axbrewder books, I look forward to doing so.
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