Against All Things Ending (Last Chronicles Series #3)

Pedantic Drivel - don't bother

When an author stops writing for his readers, and starts writing for himself and his colleagues, it's time for him to move away from fiction and start writing his memoirs. In this latest book, Stephen Donaldson pummels us, page after boring page, with his intimate knowledge of the most arcane corners of the English language. His character development so outweighs his plot development that it's almost impossible to stay interested. Every step in the story line is so enshrouded in tedious detail, and the pace of the action is so excruciatingly slow, I nearly gave up. The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant were great. The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant were good. This book was insipid. Goodbye Thomas Covenant, I'll miss you!

5 out of 10 people found this review helpful.

a fascinating fantasy

Linden Avery worries about her adopted son Jeremiah as the Despiser wants the lad though she is unsure why. Meanwhile, over the objections of others who fear what she plans will destroy the world, Linden, using her Staff of Law and the High Loric's krill dagger, brings out of the Arch of Time her dead lover Thomas Covenant.

However, for every action there is a reaction. In this case her awakening her beloved from beyond the grave also rouses the dormant Worm of the World's End, who will devour all in its path. While her lover lies calmly in a field hating who he is; Linden knows she must risk her life to prevent what she wrought. Her only answer to her desperate prayer comes from the last person she would expect to possess such power.

The latest tale in the Last Chronicles arch of the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever series is a fascinating fantasy with a neat twist that makes it read different from previous entries. While Thomas is mostly negatively musing but inert, this time Linden is the prime player as she tries to undo what she caused while also keeping her lover alive; a want your cake and eat it too scenario. The story line is fast-paced and contains a strong back story though first time readers will still be lost in the complex realm of Stephen R. Donaldson. At a minimum, readers should read the first two entries in this segue (see The Runes of the Earth and Fatal Revenant). For long time fans, Against All Things Ending is a strong thriller even with Thomas taking a time out to reflect.

Harriet Klausner

4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

What We've Been Waiting For

I have been following the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant since the 70's. The series is unlike any other.

Against All Things Ending does not let me down. It is full of the same strong characters, the land, and what good people stand for, inner crisis regarding decisions, as all the rest of the Chronicles. He drops hints of where the book is going, and you raptly follow along through the twists and turns to get there.

I have seen other reviews of people complaining that there are archaic terms, and difficult reading. As a professed logophile, I enjoy this. Anyone who complains, has not read the previous chronicles!

The only negative part of the book is, this one was promised to be the last, and come out in 2008. This is not the last, there is another that we find out about at the end. I kept looking at the page number and thinking, it is getting close to the end, I hope he is not pulling some fast, dumb stunt at the end. Well, he didn't; just the promise of one more book. I guess I'll just have to wait for this one too.

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

A slog

There were a few bright climactic spots that generated genuine interest for me, but it was mostly a slog through repetitive frameworks and conventions that seemed contrived in an effort to extend page count. I will probably suffer through the final book as I did this one, but I should not have to do that - this story should have been drawn to a close in this book.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Skip

Unless you have read all the other Thomas Covenant novels and are determined to stick with it to the bitter end, skip this one. I loved the First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, in fact I re-read them every other year or so. The Second Chronicles were good and I re-read them too. But in the Final Chronicles, Stephen Donaldson has lost what made the others so wonderful. It is more like reading a dictionary than a novel. He seems to be saying, "Look how many big words I know". Doesn't matter if you spend more time trying to understand his verbage rather than fall in love with the story. AND REALLY, "She who must not be named", what is that? I felt like it was a copy of Harry Potter. I slogged my way through it, but I am sorry I ever started reading the Final Chronicles. Don't know if I will read the last one or not.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

SciFi/Fantasy Literature defined

As with the other books in this series, the conflicts surrounding Linden Avery dominate the bulk of this piece. The character development is heavily dependent on previous works that may lead the current or new reader to feel as if there is no 'real' connection between the characters. As a stand-alone series, the work has to struggle to tie in and relate. Where character development has always been a forte of the author, here, much must be either previously developed through past readings, glossed over or ignored.

The work remains a dramatic and fascinating adventure into surrealism and the definitions of who we as people really are, how we are seen, and ultimately, the need to react as instinctually as needed, trusting to the collective wisdoms of having lived a life and having gained those life experiences.

Each strict definition of the characters is forcibly applied to each other character, forcing the reader to acknowledge the 'lacking' part of the other. Psychological profiling apart, the relational dynamics is crucial to making the other life forms of the "Land" equal to the main characters in perspective and objectives. The issues of morality and ethics follow many of the Grecian models at times.

I thank the author for developing such a terrific piece of work and look forward eagerly to the conclusion in the fourth installment of the "Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant."

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Could have been shorter

I have been reading and enjoying the Thomas Covenant books since high school, and have always loved the rich descriptions of the Land, and the characters in it. Donaldson makes them seem so real. However, the Last Chronicles, this one included, tend to get very bogged down in repetitiveness and non progression at times. The repetativeness is fine, especially for those who may not have experienced the earlier books, but too much is too much. How many times do we need to revisit why Linden Avery became a doctor because of her miserable parents, and how indecisive she is. I would recommend the earlier books, as they move along quicker, and you get a better feel for why the characters are doing what they are doing. At times I found myself just reading to get to the part where things start making sense. I am not one to skip pages, just to save time, because there may be a single sentance or word that is key to understanding something later on in the story. All in all, however, I still enjoyed the story, trying to second guess what the characters will do next, or what is going on behind the scenes. It continues the saga of Linden Avery's quest to try to get her son free, and restored to her, and the interactions of the other secondary characters as they try to help or hinder her on the way. Thomas Covenant is still trying to get a grip on himself, and get ready to face his ex wife Joan, knowing he will have to do that eventually in order to set things right. All the while, they are under the gun so to speak, knowing they have only a limited amount of time, as the Worm is coming. It finally becomes clearer what Jeremia's key importance is, and the goals of the Despiser. At least, it seems to. Donaldson likes to keep you guessing, and throws surprises at you. Looking forward to the final segment of this series.

Never ending... not an easy read

I have read all of the books in this series over the years, although I have to admit with lessening interest as the newer books/series emerged. However, I was still curious to read what I thought was to be the final book. The storyline remains quite complex and relatively impenetrable, but the biggest turn off for me was the use of obscure language. I consider myself fairly well educated, and with a good vocabulary, but earlier in the book I was finding several words a page I did not recognize (and nor did the, admittedly limited, look up feature in the Nook software). I became tired of having to continually Google obsure words, and just ended up skipping over them (with no noticeable loss in comprehension....). Not sure if the frequency of the self indulgent langauge reduces as the book progresses (a relative term) but I noticed this less the further in to it I read.

Probably the most depressing thing (and you do not read one of these books for a light uplifting read) is that I reached the end of the book to find..... there will be (at least) one more in the series. While I enjoy sagas in general, and enjoyed the earlier books in this one (1 throgh 6 at least), enough already!

Overall disappointed, but perhaps thinking back to the other books in the "Last Chronicles", I should have known what to expect.

Terribly dissapointed in this book

I LOVED the first series. I have read it many times as I have the second and third. This one is lame. Against all things... is the worst. I am half way through and struggling to even continue. A lot of this book is review of what has happened in the prior books. VERY LITTLE new material. I am so dissappointed since I really liked the first and 2nd chronicles.

Classic Donaldson - Complex, thoughtful, and full of twists

No Spoilers (Yet)

A grand story begins to wind up in this volume. The protagonists face many trials both personal and physical. The volume does start a bit slow - theres a LOT of hand wringing in the beginning. Once thats done the action begins in earnest. There are fascinating new places and beings to encounter, strategy to plan, and losses to bear. Equally important are some bits of the Land's history that get disclosed and the satisfaction of seeing some story lines getting tied off. This book is definitely a good read and left me waiting for the final volume.

Minor Spoilers

-almost here-

The world definitely gets darker in this volume. Lindens self doubts grow. The stakes of this final confrontation between Covenant and Foul are already high enough (the Worm of Worlds End is awake) but Donaldson finds a way to raise them even higher. To paraphrase the 'heros' have more work to do than any mortal heart can bear. And that happens through the sacrifice of people of the Land and elsewhere. Three 'minor' characters leave the stage in this volume. One will be greatly missed.

Bottom Line: Well worth the hardback price.

I waited 3 years for pure wonder.

Thank you Mr. Donaldson.
Can you please consider not waiting 3 years to release The Last Novel?
You have made this writer so appreciative of your Chronicles for 33 years.

2012 possibly?

Thank you very much for making reading both difficult and wonderful. I purposely re-read your text 3 times in one sitting because it's so wonderful. A word or meaning I missed the first time was gained the third time.
Melenkurion Abatha Duroc Minas Mill> I'll leave off the last two words of power.

p.s. Will you consider a new novel approach concerning the New Lords? I sure enjoyed their lives, meanings and consternations. A Novel about Lords, with High Lord Mhoram to start.

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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