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Path: utzoo!watmath!jagardner
From: jagardner@watmath.UUCP (jagardner)
Newsgroups: net.games.frp,net.books
Subject: Re: Chron. of Thomas Covenant
Message-ID: <10894@watmath.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 14-Jan-85 13:19:46 EST
Article-I.D.: watmath.10894
Posted: Mon Jan 14 13:19:46 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 15-Jan-85 01:36:57 EST
References: <366@aicchi.UUCP>
Reply-To: jagardner@watmath.UUCP ()
Distribution: net
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 35
Xref: watmath net.games.frp:1110 net.books:1212

In article <366@aicchi.UUCP> mdb@aicchi.UUCP (Blackwell) writes:

>Not only is the writing style great (sends me to the dictionary for a new
>word every few chapters :-), but it would make terrific frp gaming material.

Pardon me, but I have to object.  Sending you to the dictionary every few
chapters is not a mark of good style, it is a mark of intrusive style.
This can be forgiven when a novel has a good excuse (e.g. The Book of the
New Sun tetralogy by Gene Wolfe, four books that are written in the first
person by someone in the far future), but in the Covenant books, it always
sounds like Donaldson is just trying to sound erudite beyond his true grasp
of the English language.  Half the time when he drops one of his ten-dollar
words, he gets the meaning somewhat wrong, as if he has found the word in a
dictionary and used it without really understanding what it means.

Donaldson's great accomplishment is that the Thomas Covenant novels are
still readable despite the too too self-conscious style.  I can't put my
finger on why this is--I suppose the secret is that he is so totally at
home with the vileness of his leading characters.  I can't think of a
single fantasy book with a VILLAIN who matches the sheer despicable
natures of Donaldson's protagonists.  Their occasional good points
(only displayed at the end of the third book of each trilogy) are there
only as grudging concessions to the good that hides in even the most
self-pitying screw-ups.  So many other writers have to INVENT loathesomeness
in their novels.  Donaldson seems to be able to find it effortlessly with
no measure of falseness detectable.

It may sounds like I am damning the books, but I'm not.  I awaited each
one eagerly, and read them in as few sittings as possible.  His writing
is forced, obnoxious, and pretentious, but his unflinching pursuit of
the worst that blind insensitive people do to themselves is unrivalled
in fantasy.

				Jim Gardner, University of Waterloo