Customer Reviews

Gilden-Fire

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A series of chapters, removed from the Illearth War book (it was already too large a volume and required editing) These chapters remove Covenant as the narrator, and focus on the Bloodguard, including rituals, origin and why THEY chose to protect the Lords. Their history and involvement is clarified with this text. I agree it has no place within the chronicles as the viewpoint is that of a third party, however, as a separate book it makes interesting reading when positioned as originally written in the middle of the Illearth War, although the tome was released as an afterthought following the end of the second chronicles. Is this an attempt by Donaldson to sell more books? Or is he genuinely concerned that the reader understands more about the Bloodguard? Read it and make your own decision.

This book is really nothing more than a vignette, a deleted scene from The Illearth War. According to Donaldson's foreward this was part of an initial separate section to the novel. However, he realized (after being told by his publishers to cut the manuscript down) that the story (told from the perspective of Korik the Bloodguard) didn't have a narrational connection to Covenant's world, thereby weakening the perception of the Land's unreality so key to Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever. Therefore along with Tull's story this episode would have comprised the fourth section of the novel.

However, all of that said I would definately recomend this to anyone who loved the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever. You learn more about the Bloodguard in these few pages than in almost the three novels of the first Chronicles--furthermore it is simply insightful and interesting to see things from the perspective of a Bloodguard.

Don't bother with this if you've not read The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever. Simliarly you don't need this if you already have Donaldson's collection of short stories Daughter of Regals.

However, if neither of the above apply then you should hunt down this book, especially since this volume will fit better with hard back volumes and includes several illustrations not found in the collection (though the one of Revelstone clearly does not mesh with the book description and the one found in the Atlas of the Land).

You have to read this missing chapter. Somehow it adds even more depth to the Bloodguard...and I didn't think that was possible.

This is the same Illearth War out-take that appears in Donaldson's compilation of short stories entitled, Daughter of Regals and other Tales.

Gilden-Fire is like 2 missing chapters from the Illearth War. In this book, you get insight into how the minds of the bloodguard work, as well as a more expansive tale of lord Shetra and Hyrim. A good book and a quick read.

Gilden Fire is is the result of one of the earlier modern fantasy writers inability to write anything short. Obviously a disease that has proved seriously catching.

Because the Illearth War was too long originally and threatened to turn into a black hole, this is a part chopped out of there and deals with Korik the Bloodguard's quest to Seareach, so is not a Thomas Conveant story as far as that goes, directly.

Lords, Giants, fighting as a big finale, too.

3.5 out of 5