(Originally published 1977, Mass Market Paperback 518 pages)
The second book in Mr. Donaldson's trilogy is not a stand-alone work. It is
important to read the first installment "Lord Foul's Bane" to appreciate Thomas
Covenant's situation. If you're interested in tackling this trilogy, it's
important to understand it is an almost 1,500-page commitment (Mass Market
paperback total.) I am not much of a fantasy-book reader. I've read "Lord of the
Rings," the Harry Potter series, as well as a few other works, but my reading
habits are much more eclectic. I revisited the first Thomas Covenant trilogy
because I was curious if I would still enjoy it as much as I did back in the
early 1980s when I was in my early twenties. My answer is a resounding
yes.
Though only about a month has transpired in Thomas Covenant's real world, forty years have passed in the Land. Many of the characters from "Lord Foul's Bane" return in this storyline such as Lord Mhoram and Bannor of the Bloodguard. Mr. Donaldson also injects three other key protagonists who have complex relationships with Covenant. There is High Lord Elena (a reminder of his past crime,) Amok (a mysterious messenger,) and most interestingly, Hile Troy (a blind man from Covenant's real world.) The structure of the book is similar to J.R.R. Tolkien's "Two Towers." Part One involves all the characters. Part Two and Three are separate adventures where one is seen primarily through the perspective of Warmark Hile Troy and the other chapter through Covenant's eyes.
"The Illearth War" is very much an adult fantasy work. It does not involve profanity, sex or very graphic depictions of violence as compared to today's sensibilities, but much of the musings are people wrestling with moral quandaries. The irasible, pessimistic Thomas Covenant is a more sympathetic character this time around. Also, there are strong female characters in the book. While "Lord Foul's Bane" was an introduction to Thomas Covenant and the Land involving many adventures, "The Illearth War" is a more robust, brutal installment. There is no way under the sun I'll be able to move on to another book before reading the last work in the trilogy "The Power That Preserves."
Though only about a month has transpired in Thomas Covenant's real world, forty years have passed in the Land. Many of the characters from "Lord Foul's Bane" return in this storyline such as Lord Mhoram and Bannor of the Bloodguard. Mr. Donaldson also injects three other key protagonists who have complex relationships with Covenant. There is High Lord Elena (a reminder of his past crime,) Amok (a mysterious messenger,) and most interestingly, Hile Troy (a blind man from Covenant's real world.) The structure of the book is similar to J.R.R. Tolkien's "Two Towers." Part One involves all the characters. Part Two and Three are separate adventures where one is seen primarily through the perspective of Warmark Hile Troy and the other chapter through Covenant's eyes.
"The Illearth War" is very much an adult fantasy work. It does not involve profanity, sex or very graphic depictions of violence as compared to today's sensibilities, but much of the musings are people wrestling with moral quandaries. The irasible, pessimistic Thomas Covenant is a more sympathetic character this time around. Also, there are strong female characters in the book. While "Lord Foul's Bane" was an introduction to Thomas Covenant and the Land involving many adventures, "The Illearth War" is a more robust, brutal installment. There is no way under the sun I'll be able to move on to another book before reading the last work in the trilogy "The Power That Preserves."
(Meyers - A few years ago, I
started writing, under the pseudonym Franklin the Mouse, short
reviews at Amazon's web site. This is my most recent review #340)
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