I really loved this book, but it's a pain to review.

There is a lot of interwoven character development and plot. And I do mean a lot. There's material drawn from all 7 major books that go before this, that might just be worked in enough if you've not read them all but really I doubt it. Then there's a big chunk of new material, an entire new magical race for example, and a load of characters that appear from nowhere and have to be worked seamlessly into the plot - which is nicely done.

Linden is the undoubted centre of the piece and I spent half the book shouting at her (at least in my head) whilst understanding from what had been written why she was acting in the way she was - no mean feat to have me both that irritated and that sympathetic to the situation.

At the end of the day, this is basically the 8th major book in a sequence. Although it's three trilogies (assuming this one finishes with the next book) you probably need to read them all.

But, if you like richly textured, complex stories with conflicted and uncertain heroes who can't turn to a friendly sage for the right advice you should start from the beginning. If you're still here after all that time, this book won't disappoint. ( )

Reading a Thomas Covenant book is like rediscovering old friends. After a little uncomfortable small-talk, you remember why they were your friends and rejoice in renewing the friendship. I was not disappointed by my trip to the "Land" in Stephen Donaldson's latest Covenant adventure. I was surprised at various plot shifts. I was incredibly happy that the giants made an appearance towards the end of the book. And the addition of the Insequent helped explain some of the questions I had in earlier books.

Unlike those readers who really like Thomas Covenant, I had grown a wee bit tired of him. I have been much happier to get a break from his perspective and I do really like Linden Avery. Linden's total inability to forgive her son's kidnapping rings true for me. I think most moms can appreciate her furor.

I also totally enjoy the language that Donaldson uses in his books. I don't bother looking up the words, but just figure them out with context clues. I think the language flavors the book perfectly.

I only have one small quibble with this particular Thomas Covenant book. I feel like the author was constantly rehashing the plot and reminding me of details that I already knew. I don't know if someone told him that the book was too confusing, or that the readers wouldn't remember details, or what? Maybe this was done because there were so many years between the book series? Honestly, I felt the rehashing was overdone. I've read these books so many times, I remember the story of the merewives and of the giants at Seareach. So, I felt that Fatal Revenant was a bit choppy with its constant reminders of past stories.

And that IS my only quibble. Other than that, I love, love, love these books. Mr. Donaldson, please write more, soon :) ( )

Quintessentially Donaldson.

Re-armed with the Staff or Law Linden has a few decision to make, most importantly can she trust Covenant and Jeremiah even though she isn't allowed to touch them. Covenant's demonstration takes her back in time to the days of Berek (before the creation of the Staff iof Law) in order for Covenant to attempt to use the Power of Command to bind Lord Foul. They ahve to be particularly careful to leave no changes in known history because of the peril to the Arch of Time such a paradox would cause. In this she is aided again by the Insequent who although not appearing in any of the previous works appear to be compulsive medlers in the history of the Land. The Elohim their natural antaganists are also involved - through Esmer and Kastenessen. Oh and there's still a horde of ravening Demondim threatening Revelstone. Surviving and annealed through quest Linden concieves her purpose and depsite the considered opposition of the Masters departs on a quest with her friends and companions around her - to retrieve the Krill from Andelein. However the risk that her bearing this sword - and capable of wielding both Wild magic and the Law - puts to the Arch means that a wide range of powerfull beings move to prevent her - but unlooked for allies are also found.

This is better than Runes of the Earth - we've established the characters and reaquainted ourrself with the Land so there are less introductions and more moving plot. Linden though starts to doubt herself which becomes a bit tedious - but nothing like Thomas' problems in the earlier books. Possibly the obscure word count is even higher, but most are clearly divined from context.

With a bit of luck we've done with the Time travel conundrums, the cliffhanger ending has been resolved and so find a very comfortable corner sit back and in may sessions relax and enjoy this worthy sucessor to Runes of the Earth.

.................................................................................................................................................... ( )

(Alistair) So, I seem to be one of the few people I know, if not the only one of the people I know, who actually likes Stephen Donaldson's books, and in particular this trilogy-of-trilogies.

Well, I can understand that. Leaving aside the question of his writing style, which seems to bug a lot of people, the essential "inside" plot of these books is, fundamentally, Extremely Dysfunctional and Broken People vs. Incarnate God of Ultimately Vile Shit. And since said Incarnate God of Ultimately Vile Shit gets to pick which Extremely Dysfunctional and Broken People show up, it is, I would argue, fairly logical that they're going to do bad, unheroic, and so forth things as they try and deal with a set of situations that would test the Functional and Unbroken.

But a lot of people don't want to read that, which is really up to them. Just, please, resist the urge to tell me about it.

Anyway. I have to admit that when I first saw the first book in the Third Chronicles, The Runes of the Earth, (before I started booklogging, hence no reference), I was fairly sceptical. He'd done a good job on both the First and Second Chronicles, but was it going to be possible to go back to this well a third time, and still produce something well worth reading?

Unequivocally, yes. It is apparently possible to revisit this theme, now with the stakes raised even higher, Lord Foul having learned from his mistakes and come back more subtly, more players in the game, interesting themes hinted at in previous volumes revisited, and so on, and so forth. When I say the characters are well drawn, I'm not entirely certain whether I mean in the characterization sense or the torture sense, but probably both.

Criticisms: Yes, I have some. It would have been nice, I think, to at least have heard of the Insequent before they turned up in this book. Of course, I say that knowing that this trilogy wasn't planned at the time of the writing of the other two, but still, players that major at this stage of the game need to have at least some backstory, you know? And writing style - well, I fear no $10 words, and generally actually quite like the Donaldson writing style, but in this book, some scenes managed to be both slow reading and fast moving at the same time, which isn't something I'd found before. Hope that clears up by next book.

Recommended for those who've read and enjoyed the previous trilogies; if you haven't, read those first, or you'll be hopelessly lost within a dozen pages.

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