Fatal Revenant
Thomas Covenant fans will be pleased to learn that Stephen R. Donaldson has finished writing the first draft of Fatal Revenant, the second of four volumes in The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. Not so pleasing is that it will still be over a year until publication. Here's what Donaldson says on his website (see "from the author", and then "news", entry 2/24/06):
"The first draft of Fatal Revenant is now finished. But don't get your hopes up. I anticipate a year of rewriting -- and editorial to-ing and fro-ing -- before D&A ('delivery and acceptance'); and my publishers may not commit to a schedule for release until after D&A.UPDATE: According to amazon the release date is October 9, 2007.
"Fatal Revenant is roughly 150 pages longer than The Runes of the Earth was at this stage. As I recall, I cut about 125 pages out of Runes before publication. I think we can assume that the same thing will happen to Fatal Revenant, so the final version will still be somewhat longer than Runes.
"Incidentally, the first draft of Runes took me 20 months. I put Fatal Revenant on paper in 16."
posted by Loren Rosson III @ 3/19/2006
16 Comments:
Well, this should be interesting! I recently re-read the first two volumes of the first trilogy. I didn't even realize there was a new series. I'll have to check it out!
I recently finished The Runes Of The Earth .... astonishing to say the least.. I hope Fatal Revenant comes out SOON!!
Cant wait for this next installment!
I love the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. He is akin to the embodiment of our (my) life. The possibilities, dreams, let downs, fights between demons, demi-gods and angels that transpire in our minds. In my first marriage, I bought a white gold ring because I was so enthralled by reading these books. I will read all six again in about 4 years but I am so impatient about getting the Fatal Revenant. The Runes of the Earth was a revisist to the Land where I felt I use to live (weird, huh?). Well, that is how SRD writes---He takes you there and transcinds other authors in "my book". Thanks SRD for your commitment to satisfying your readers, but please put Fatal Revenant out NOW, NOW!!!!!
i cant wait for this. i only found out about the thomas covenant series about 2 years ago, and i read the 1st and 2nd chronicles in about 6 months. i read runes in about 2 weeks, and im itching for more. im actually thinking of rereading the series!. cant wait for this series
as a direct consequence of growing up with thomas covenant, i use the word 'suffice' way too much in regular conversations.
Despite surounds me. Despair endures. Would hurtloam reach so deep as to cure the soul, or is unbelief all that is left?
I first read TC in the late 70's. I was so enthralled, that when the second series came out, I re-read the first trilogy before The Wounded Land came out. And yet again before One Tree, and White Gold Wielder.
I am an avid reader - but not only Fantasy/Sci-Fi. I, of course, read Lord of the Rings (a couple of times), but my interests are varied. I enjoy Tom Clancy, Robert Ludlum, Louis L'Amour, Cllive Cussler, Donald Hamlilton (Matt Helm), Stephen Coonts, Jeffrey Archer and many more - I love to read!!!
I did not know Runes was out until my brother called. I immediately purchased a copy, and read it. It took me two weeks, and I was dragging out the last few chapters because I did not want it to end!!! Kane & Abel by Jeffrey Archer was the best book I had read (in my humble opinion) - until I finished Runes - WOW, what a book!!! I cannot wait until Revenent comes out.
Why does it take so long for "D&A"? For that matter, why does it take so long to write? Come on, Mr. Donaldson, let's get cracking!!!!
Vance.
I found the book lounging about on my mother's shelf around four years ago (Lord Foul's Bane). I haven't put them down since. In my opinion they are the epitome of fantasy, even if they have instilled in me a tendency to go into long philosophical tangents about the uselessness of innocence and the power of respecting limits...damn it, I'm doing it again. Ah well. Thank the merciful gods I got to read all of the first six at once-I don't think I could have waited thirty years...
I also read Covenant in the seventies. The character of Thomas Covenant gave the novels character and empathy. Not so with Runes of the Earth. This could have been a bestseller easily as far as story idea is concerned. However the telling of the story is another matter. The writing was too repetitive in places, so-called moments of revelations were not true revelations and more like filler. The use of terms such as "inchoate" and the overuse of words like "percipience" when similar terms would help flow, was insolent toward the reader on so many levels. People read to escape, not to feel alienated by the writer's egotistical need to feel superior to his or her audience. That is to disdain. As for the protagonist, Linden Avery, she is not equal to the creation of Covenant. And instead, Donaldson has resorted to using stock characters to the point of this being a spoof. Linden drops into so many different dialects on the page it is hard to say if it’s Brooklyn or Connecticut. Linden and Liand? Names are too similar in this instance and Liand’s drooling servility makes him the simple-minded stock character, Stave is stoic to the point of one dimensional as are the Ramen hardy and unflinching loyalty. And Anele’s unrelenting insanity starts to come across as dementia or plain stupidity. Only the ur-viles are of any interest. And speaking of name usage, there are too many different titles for Lord Foul and others. It is as if Donaldson writes down anything that sounds good in the moment. This could have been a bestseller, however twenty months was not long enough. Hopefully, Mr. Donaldson will have his “Runes” read before he completes his “Fatal” resurrection of Thomas Covenant.
Donaldson's work is always amazing. And it continues to get better. Fantasy has always been my favorite genre, so it was difficult for me to admit that Donaldson's Gap series was my all time favorite collection... until now. Runes was stunning, and I can't wait for Revenant. The most incredible part is the allegorical nature of his peoples. Their generic personas make the subtle failures and achievements even more profound. Cail's brittle spirit and Brin's unwavering dedication and triumph would not affect us without understanding the universal nature of their people. October 2007 seems too far away.
I started reading scifi/fantasy in high school, and I remember seeing the 1st 3 books together on the shelf and being drawn to them. I've read and reread all 6 multiple times; something I've only done with Frank Herbert's Dune series, Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time, and Pride and Prejudice. Donaldson's language is definitely different from other writers, trying to capture intense emotional needs that are fleeting in the real world. For me, what he handles so well is the dedication to others, the joy of service, the joy in service. How many sad stories do we face every day, and how can we commit to making the world better in every interaction we have? How aloof do we remain, because we could not bear the heartache if we recognized all the hurts around us? Well, I'm probably just talking about myself again - myopic as always. Thirty years later, I'm not that interested in discovering yet another new world. So, it's nice coming back to the Land, like recapturing a part of childhood that you thought you'd never see again.
I enjoy reading TC, finishing the first chronicle in two weeks, and similarly with the second. However the idea of which the author put forth is somewhat inconsistence and his facts are in effect inaccurate. ALso the narration becomes too predictable. i hope the next book is a bit better.
I don't know if this has already been asked, or how many times, but I would like to know if anybody in the movie business has taken an interest in Mr. Donaldson's work. What an amazing series of movies they would make (ala LOTR).
see www.kevinswatch.com for more details/news/discussion of SRD and his works, including The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant.
I just couldn't believe it! I went on the Stephen Donaldson website and there it was - the last chronciles of Thomas Covenant! I had to have it then and there. My poor husband made it his mission to get it for me and he did. And I was transported back to the Land - the Land that I had "lived" in and cried over and thought I would never see again. And all I can say is I was overwhelmed - I SIMPLY CANNOT WAIT FOR FATAL REVENENT. I want to go back to the Land
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