Lord Foul's Bane (The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Book 1)
“Covenant is [Stephen R.] Donaldson's genius!”—The Village Voice
He called himself Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, because he dared not believe in this strange alternate world on which he suddenly found himself.
Yet the Land tempted him. He had been sick; now he seemed better than ever before. Through no fault of his own, he had been outcast, unclean, a pariah. Now he was regarded as a reincarnation of the Land's greatest hero—Berek Halfhand—armed with the mystic power of White Gold. That power alone could protect the Lords of the Land from the ancient evil of the Despiser, Lord Foul. Except that Covenant had no idea how to use that power. . . .
He called himself Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, because he dared not believe in this strange alternate world on which he suddenly found himself.
Yet the Land tempted him. He had been sick; now he seemed better than ever before. Through no fault of his own, he had been outcast, unclean, a pariah. Now he was regarded as a reincarnation of the Land's greatest hero—Berek Halfhand—armed with the mystic power of White Gold. That power alone could protect the Lords of the Land from the ancient evil of the Despiser, Lord Foul. Except that Covenant had no idea how to use that power. . . .
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Community Reviews
There are certain books that change the course of fantasy forever. Lord Foul's Bane is one of them. This is one of the first books that I think really established a foundation for what I call "realistic fantasy." First, the main character has leprosy. Second, he is taken to a fantasy world and cannot accept that it is anything other than a dream (thus, Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever). The characters are real, complete with flaws, and they make mistakes that can have long-term consequences. It's wonderfully written with characters you love and love to hate. Highly recommended!
This has been an almost lifelong DNF for me. I first attempted to read this as a teenager and could not get past Thomas' heinous act of violence. Yes, I get that he is supposed to be an unlikable character, but he is just too unlikeable for me. I have tried several times in the 30 or so years since to pick it back up and read it but have never succeeded. It shall forever be DNF...
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