The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever

Just last week I finished Stephen R. Donaldson's "Against All Things Ending", his ninth book in the Thomas Covenant Series. This series has, by far, been one of my favourite reads! There are not many books that can create so much emotion and outright despair in the reader.

Now, admittedly this will not be everybody's cup of tea. It is not a happy story. It will never be a happy story. But it is, nonetheless, a great story.

These books are separated into two trilogies and a tetralogy ~

The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant: Covenant, a writer with leprosy who has been abandoned by his family and town, is summoned to a mysterious land where he is found to resemble an ancient hero and unwillingly becomes a part of the Land's fate.

The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant: Covenant, along with a new character, Linden Avery, is once again called back to The Land to save the people he has come to love from the hands of Despite.

The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant: Unlikely events have brought Linden Avery back to The Land in the final and heart-wrenching end to this amazing series.

Now, if you decide to read these books be warned, Thomas Covenant and Linden Avery are not your usual protagonists. They have a darker side that most fantasy novels wouldn't dare give the heroes of their story. And no amount of warning can prepare you for what you will experience whilst reading these books. They are filled with tragedy and tears, but there is always hope :)

The last books seem to have been the most intense, as it is all coming together in one catastrophic conclusion. I have a friend who is reading these book along with me, and I couldn't seem to go more than an hour into reading without texting him and freaking out about some insane event that just took place, or something so unexpected happening I nearly threw the book away to save my heart the trouble of enduring any more of what Donaldson might have in store. I find that people either love or hate Thomas Covenant, and it is easy to understand why.

Take note that the first book gets off to a slow start, you may also come across some slower bits throughout, but stick it out and you won't regret it! They are there for a reason.

I am greatly anticipating his final book, "The Last Dark", set to be released sometime in 2013.