Just from these summaries, I can understand why I bounced on this series at the time it was offered to me. The amount of description over action would have made it too slow a start for me to get going on at the time.
If I'd tried to read it right now, I'm quite sure I would abandon it, too. In my case, I think I began by reading bits near the beginning and ending first, and then the whole book? I was young enough that stuff like this didn't bother me much, in any case, and after that... I do recall stalling on a re-read, actually. With the last series, which has much the same problem, but with thoughts instead of description, I did get through, but I don't think I absorbed all that much. In short, I certainly unserstand!
Now, I'm not sure I would like it because the protagonist seems determined to make himself an unlikable character, without any of the usual compensation that unlikable characters get to make the reader want to stay with them.
I get the definite feeling that Donaldson misunderstood just how to make a character like Covenant compelling. Sure, he'll eventually have his Unbelief... but since I don't care much for that, it doesn't help. (The second trilogy's much better at this, I find.)
Maybe if the lore of the Land becomes interesting and compelling, we can get around the fact that it drags the lead weight of the protagonist along. Or if the people of the Land treat Covenant like the potential world-ending threat he is.
The second would be really nice to see in this trilogy, especially since Covenant's clearly not trustworthy. Instead, white gold seems to equal instant respect, without the appropriate caution. For the first... this book will be delivering on it reasonably well (though it's rather clumsy at it), and often as stories, which I do quite like. That said, I think the travel that will soon start, and the different situations Covenant gets in, is what will make me engage more.
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Just from these summaries, I can understand why I bounced on this series at the time it was offered to me. The amount of description over action would have made it too slow a start for me to get going on at the time.
If I'd tried to read it right now, I'm quite sure I would abandon it, too. In my case, I think I began by reading bits near the beginning and ending first, and then the whole book? I was young enough that stuff like this didn't bother me much, in any case, and after that... I do recall stalling on a re-read, actually. With the last series, which has much the same problem, but with thoughts instead of description, I did get through, but I don't think I absorbed all that much. In short, I certainly unserstand!
Now, I'm not sure I would like it because the protagonist seems determined to make himself an unlikable character, without any of the usual compensation that unlikable characters get to make the reader want to stay with them.
I get the definite feeling that Donaldson misunderstood just how to make a character like Covenant compelling. Sure, he'll eventually have his Unbelief... but since I don't care much for that, it doesn't help. (The second trilogy's much better at this, I find.)
Maybe if the lore of the Land becomes interesting and compelling, we can get around the fact that it drags the lead weight of the protagonist along. Or if the people of the Land treat Covenant like the potential world-ending threat he is.
The second would be really nice to see in this trilogy, especially since Covenant's clearly not trustworthy. Instead, white gold seems to equal instant respect, without the appropriate caution. For the first... this book will be delivering on it reasonably well (though it's rather clumsy at it), and often as stories, which I do quite like. That said, I think the travel that will soon start, and the different situations Covenant gets in, is what will make me engage more.