The Wounded Land (Book One of The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant) [Hardcover]

Stephen R Donaldson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1980

In this story Thomas Covenant returns unwillingly to the Land ravaged by 4000 years of Lord Foul's pestilence. Under the evil Sunbane, the people of the Land submit to cruel sacrifices, the rulers of Revelstone are corrupt and the countryside is laid waste.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

These books have never received the recognition they deserve. It's one of the most powerful and complex fantasy trilogies since Lord of the Rings, but Donaldson is not just another Tolkien wanabee. Each character-driven book introduces unexpected plots, sub-plots, and a host of magical beings so believably rendered you'd believe you might bump into them on your way to the bookstore.
                                                --Alex Klapwald, Director of Production --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

From the Inside Flap

Four thousand years have passed since Covenant first freed the Land from the devastating grip of Lord Foul and his minions. But he is back, and Convenant, armed with his stunning white gold magic, must battle the evil forces and his own despair....
THE SECOND CHRONICLE OF THOMAS COVENANT
Book OneTHE WOUNDED LAND
Book TwoTHE ONE TREE
Book ThreeWHITE GOLD WIELDER --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 497 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1st edition (1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345286472
• ISBN-13: 978-0345286475
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #84,601 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fans can thank their lucky stars for this return to The Land, June 30, 2004

By 

RMurray847 "afilmcritic.com" (Albuquerque, NM United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Wounded Land (Book One of The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant) (Hardcover)

THE WOUNDED LAND is a rich, and somewhat difficult book. It was certainly wonderful to return to the Land, but the book is by far the bleakest of the entire two trilogies. Donaldson clearly had to up the ante to make the book worth reading (and writing), so the despair that has befallen the Land is pretty dire.

Also, even though we get to revisit Covenant, we are 4000 years in the future of the land, and all the beloved characters we came to know in the first trilogy are gone. Donaldson does manage a brief, ghostly appearance by some of them, but they are missed. After all, Covenant is aptly named an ANIT-hero, and he is tough to like. So Donaldson, while also showing us how horrible things have become in the Land, has to also give us new characters to care about.

This time, Covenant brings someone with him from our time, the doctor Linden Avery. But she carries lots of baggage herself, and is also tough to warm up to...although she brings out a soft side in Covenant which is sorely needed. The author does a good job of introducing new characters to join on the new quest to save the Land from Lord Foul's machinations. Sunder and Hollian, two villagers who have learned all the history of the Land incorrectly, have their eyes opened to the truth by Covenant, and their plight of realization and acceptance is quite emotional. The character of Vain, a creature developed by the ur-viles to help Covenant, is fascinating and holds many secrets. I won't tell you too many more, because the book holds some delights in store.

But it isn't easy. The first half of the book feels a bit repititive, as Covenant and his growing band struggle to cross the Land to Revelstone (echoes of the first book), and we kinda get the point early on that it isn't easy going. But things really pick up once Covenant goes to Andelain and then on to Revelstone. There are some exciting chase scenes, one in particular dealing with The Grim, a malevolent "happening" sent to destroy the group from the false lords of Revelstone.

Donaldson has become an even more florid writer. His vocabulary is formidable...mine ain't too bad, but there is at least one word per page that leaves me scratching my head as to its definition, and I swear he's just made up a few. You can tell what they mean by the context, but they are distracting. He doesn't believe in subtle feelings...these characters are going through earth-shattering events, and they don't feel things mildly. They are torn, "riven", etc. etc. I still love the books, but sometimes it is a bit much.

If you've read the first trilogy and liked it or loved it...then you MUST read further. If you haven't read the first trilogy, don't start here. Go back to Lord Foul's Bane. And if, by some chance, you didn't care for the first trilogy, I don't think anything here will change your mind. You either love the Land and Donaldson's way of taking you there...or you don't and won't.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Remarkably Creative Follow-Up, January 25, 2000

By 

Jonathan Appleseed - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Wounded Land (The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

Whereas many follow ups to successful first works seem to be written purely as a vehicle to squeeze another dollar out of a good idea (see Terry Brooks' second go with the Shannara series and David Eddings' Mallorean), this beginning of the Second Chronicles logically follows the First. I read this book many years ago, and am as impressed with the concept of a "Wounded Land" now as I was then. Some refer to this work as "Dark Fantasy". I see it more as realism...within the scope of a fantasy setting, of course. Donaldson has a feel and touch to "The Land", an affiliation so natural that his third person omniscient sounds exactly so. Upon reaching the end of this trilogy--The White Gold Wielder--it is obvious that the story has not yet reached completion. We can't hold our breath, as it has been some 16 years since White Gold Wielder was published, but we can bid our time. As impatient as it seems, at times....

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good start to a darker fantasy series, January 9, 2000

By 

Christopher Dudley (Laurel, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Wounded Land (The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

Donaldson starts out his new series by allowing hints of the Land to leak out into the real world. Then he transports Covenant and Linden Avery to the Land. Only this time, the Land is sick. I won't say how or why, but the result is a very good, mildly depressing dark fantasy. Covenant is more accepting of the existence of the Land in this book, but Linden is thrown into confusion by it.

This series is more her story than Covenant's. As Covenant was ill physically when he first entered the Land, Linden's wounds are on the inside, and she struggles with them throughout the trilogy. There's a lot of symbolism and allegory one can read into these books. Or one can just enjoy them as a story of a small group of people trying to restore a Land that once held joy, but is now the kind of place where a man would have to sacrifice his own family to feed a village. Good fantasy in a well-developed world.