HarperVoyager Lord Foul’s Bane

Read it. Read it. Read it. You may have to get past a central theme that the main character is a very dark individual and commits a despicable act early on. But you will fall in love with the characters and their trials. Beautifully written

It's the first book of the series (10 novels in total) and since the beginning Thomas Covenant is a hideous character. But the Land and its inhabitants are fantastic. I read it in Italian long ago, now I finally have all the series in English.

Beautiful cover and good story

Cover is not as pictured, which I am not happy about at all, I specifically wanted the newer cover but worried if I send it back I will just get the same cover again. Please Amazon make sure you’re sending the same item as pictured in the product page! Very unhappy and annoyed! 😡

I'd heard a lot about this series over the years and finally decided to dive in. Lord Foul's Bane begins a fantasy trilogy set in a land known simply as, well, The Land. Actually, the book begins in 20th century America down South somewhere (Louisiana is mentioned as being nearby). We learn the bitter protagonist Thomas Covenant's background: soon after writing a successful book he contracts leprosy and becomes an outcast of society almost overnight, losing his wife, son, and friends. In addition, every day becomes a gamble of the disease killing more nerves in his extremities if Covenant doesn't keep a vigilant watch for physical damage and the ensuing infection. Donaldson depicts Covenant's deplorable situation admirably, and his decision to make a leper the hero of his series certainly makes for a unique start.Though the novel begins in the U.S., a scant 30 pages into it Covenant suffers an accident and is whisked away to The Land, a classic fantasy setting similar to many others in books you may have read. Covenant soon christens himself The Unbeliever because he thinks he's dreaming. Is he? Well that question isn't really answered in this book, but if so it's one heck of a dream! I was greatly intrigued by this connection to the "real world" and hope to see this question resolved by the end of the series.The story is enjoyable but standard good versus evil, swords and sorcery. With the added twist of Covenant, the stranger from another world with a magic wedding ring that he doesn't know how to wield. Donaldson's writing is excellent, especially with regard to renditions of settings and battle. Characterization of Covenant and a couple others is quite good (i.e. Foamfollower), but the majority of the characters all seem to have about the same personality: heroic, strong, somewhat bland. Covenant himself is frustratingly bitter and negative, not the sort of guy you'd want your kids to hang around with (and they wouldn't want to either). So bitter that it's hard to believe he was a nice guy before the onset of leprosy. The pacing of the story is perfect for most of the novel but seems a bit rushed for the last 100 pages or so. Nevertheless, the climactic final battle is a real page turner!I recommend this as an excellent beginning to, by all accounts, one of the best fantasy series around. I just started the sequel (The Illearth War) and am anxious to see how Lord Foul meets his demise! Painfully, I hope.