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THE CHRONICLES OF THOMAS COVENANT

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Holbytla
Post subject: THE CHRONICLES OF THOMAS COVENANT
Posted: Thu 10 Feb , 2005 6:08 am
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Probably old news to some, but to me it is new news. All I can say is wooooohoooo!!!
goes off to google a Covenant Messageboard


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Stephen Donaldson's fantasy book series THE CHRONICLES OF THOMAS COVENANT is on its way to becoming a movie franchise. Revelstone Entertainment has bought the film rights to the first six books in the CHRONICLES series and has hired screenwriter John Orloff (BAND OF BROTHERS) to adapt the first novel. As well, Mark Gordon is onboard as a producer for the film.

Donaldson's uncoventional fantasy series followed the story of a ill writer from our world that is mysteriously transported to a world where magic exists. Believing that he's hallucinating and that the people in this "Land" are just figments of his fevered imagination, Covenant performs some actions that have long-term effects on his psyche. Eventually he comes to accept the strangeness of his situation and his role as a mythic hero to its people.



http://www.cinescape.com/0/editorial.as ... _id=43187#

BTW, just finished reading The Runes of the Earth, the 1st book of the Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant.
Very good read, and in keeping with it's predecessors.
That is if you like this sort of stuff.


edit:
And I found a messageboard...
It is called Kevin's Watch .
It's been around for three years, but the m00bie forum is fresh as a daisy.
If you can't find me, guess where I'll be???? :mrgreen:

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Sassafras
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Posted: Fri 11 Feb , 2005 2:08 am
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These books run a very close second to LOTR for me.

I know some people here don't care for them but all I say is give them another chance. Donaldson is an enormously gifted writer and The Land is a true sub-creation. It is, IMO, another character, and a fully developed one at that. Thomas Covenant is an existential hero, unique in the annals of fantasy.

The first trilogy is the best. I think.

Runes of the Earth was a tad derivitive.

And, Holby, I've had Kevin's Watch bookmarked for three years.
Why didn't you just ask me? I'd have told you.

<thumbs nose>

Me too. I am very excited about a film. Much more than the Narnia films or even The Hobbit. Needs more than one to do it justice.

ps: Holb, we opend a thread in m00bies and movies other in december about the filming of the chronicles.

Where were you, eh?


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Holbytla
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Posted: Fri 11 Feb , 2005 2:26 am
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Oh well, I am just a dolt is all. Slow on the uptake etc.
Although I did manage to get to TORC at least several years before you did. :P

Well Kevin' Watch is in for a big surprise if these movies ever get made.
I experienced TORC 2 years or so before the movies came out, and of course after. They have no idea what is in store for them. I plan on telling them if the deal is ever finalized. Oh I can't wait.


I like the 1st Chronicles best, but I do think that Donaldson is going to raise a few eyebrows with the Lat Chronicles. So many possibilities. The entire history of The Land is at his fingertips to use.

Given the choice between Andelain and Lothlorien, I would be hard pressed to chose one over the other for a visit. The Land is a marvelous place, and the themes Donaldson puts forth are the equal of Tolkien imo.
I just hope he starts publishing and writing the other books pdq.

Another thing we have in common, eh Sassy?

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Sassafras
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Posted: Fri 11 Feb , 2005 2:45 am
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Holbytla wrote:
Another thing we have in common, eh Sassy?
Yeah. You sure you're not my long-lost brother?
Maybe a younger cousin or something?

Seriously. These books I read once a year. I just fall right into the Land. I love Andalain and the Revelstone of Lord Mhoram. And the Bloodguard. Wow! What an amazing concept. A vow that forstalls sleep for thousands of years and their incredible physical abilities!!!!

I totally agree with you. <As I so often do> The themes in these books are every bit as complex and as metaphysically deep as in JRRT.

perhaps even more so. but ssshhhh! don't repeat that.i"m liable to get lynched and then you'd loose your punching bagette!

Looks as though we're gonna have a two part discussion.

The rape of Lena and how it set a whole slew of events in motion. So much can be traced back to that one tragic mistake.

Is it forgivable?


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Holbytla
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Posted: Fri 11 Feb , 2005 3:12 am
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Ah yes does the end justify the means.
Or to harp upon a them that Donaldson repeated in The Runes of the Earth, "Good cannot be accomplished by evil means".

Can he really be held liable? He thought he was hallucinating.
Certainly this was a device of the Despiser. Covenant certainly regretted it afterwards.
Will it come back to haunt him before the story is done? Again? Probably.
Although as I understand it, the Ranyhyn are holding themselves responsible for Elena's failure.
I have to believe that Donaldson is going to tie everything together in this last installment. We already saw the Illearth Stone. I am betting we see the Old Lords, and Berek, and Lena, etc.

Oh and what is the deal with Mahdoubt? Another enigma like Amok, or what?

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Sassafras
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Posted: Fri 11 Feb , 2005 3:38 am
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Man! flipping back and forth between boards is exhausting. Not to mention rapid changing of mind-sets is making me dizzy.

:roll:

Yes. You were saying ....

Mahdoubt, the offspring of a Merewife and Cerin(?) Only read the book once and that was months ago. Well, the bloodguard who asked to be released to go back to the merewives.

Another enigma? So far that's all I can come up with. Not like Amok though, because Amok was the Seventh Ward. Mahdoubt has too much power, and while he's part myth, part magic, part temporal, he's such a dichotomy and seems so tortured .... almost as though he were forced, by his dualism, to be a negative force.

Linden's adopted autistic son? Where is he going to fit in? And Joan? and Roger?

Gah, he left us with some cliffhangers, didn't he?


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Areanor
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Posted: Fri 11 Feb , 2005 3:44 am
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You two really make me curious about those books.

*goes off to buy a copy*

Edited to say:
I just found some second-hand ones....

the translated title would be Lord Foul's curse (first chronik of Thomas Chrovenant the sceptic) Is that the first one to read?

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Sassafras
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Posted: Fri 11 Feb , 2005 3:59 am
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Wait! areanor!

Make sure you start with the first chronicles.

Book 1: Lord Foul's Bane

Book 2: The Illearth War

Book3: The Power that Preserves.

You wont regret it, I promise. They are incredible and every bit as rich as LOTR.

Yay! A convert! <hopefully> More discussion.
:D :D :D

<rubs hands together in anticipation>
.
.
.
Edit: areanor, you're in Poland? Yes, that sounds right. The chronicles are called of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever ... although I suppose skeptic is appropriate.

Are they in English or Polish? Maybe I can send you an Engligh copy if you feel it's better. I'd be happy to, so just let me know, okay?


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Areanor
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Posted: Fri 11 Feb , 2005 4:18 am
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Poland? :Q No, that's Rodia. :mrgreen:

I'm a bit more south-west to her - in Germany.

And I just ordered Lord Fouls Bane - in german.

If I want them in english, I'll go to Amazon.uk, but as long as I can get them in a cheap second hand edition, I won't have to do that.

Thanks for you offer, anyway. :hug:

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Sassafras
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Posted: Fri 11 Feb , 2005 4:23 am
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Oooops :oops:

That's what I get for making assumptions and not paying attention.

Enjoy them anyway. Please come back when you've read the first one.


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Areanor
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Posted: Fri 11 Feb , 2005 5:03 am
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I will. They said it will be delievered in 2 - 4 days.
So expect me back on Tuesday.

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Jnyusa
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Posted: Sat 12 Feb , 2005 6:22 am
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Now I know what to use my Barnes & Noble gift certificate for!!

At Faramond's recommendation I bought the Dark Materials trilogy for my son-in law, and didn't want to buy it for myself when I can borrow it from him. =:)

This series sound really interesting!!

Is this the movie starring Keanu Reeves? That's something about a Covenant, isn't it? Or is the name/word coincidental?

Jn

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Holbytla
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Posted: Sat 12 Feb , 2005 7:55 am
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Areanor, I am happy to see your interest in these books. I hope you enjoy them. If you enjoy escapist fiction, like LOTR, then you probably will. Like Tolkien, Donaldson did create a world. Unlike Tolkien, some of the story takes place in this world. I have found the story fascinating, and I devoured the latest installment. It has such potential.

JNY the name is a coincidence.
Here is a LINK that leads to a blurb about the books.
Give the first book a shot and see if you like it.

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Sassafras
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Posted: Sat 12 Feb , 2005 3:09 pm
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Jn,

These are amazing books. Donaldson has created a fully developed sub-creation not seen since JRRT and certainly not duplicated since.

At first you will notice the similarities and consider it derivitive. It's not.
Not really. The hero, for a start, is an existential anti-hero unique in the annals of fantasy.

Faith, or lack of faith, and the implications play a huge part ... it raises some intriguing metaphysical questions.

These books, the first trilogy especially, made me think .... as well as just being swept along with the sheer joy of the characters and the story.

Donaldson is a remarkable writer. Remarkably good, that is.

Hurry up and read, Jn. I'm eager to know what you think and how you experience Covenant's journey.

Please.

Hmm, maybe we should bring vison in here, too. She's bound to have an interesting perspective.....


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Jnyusa
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Posted: Sat 12 Feb , 2005 9:03 pm
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I read Holby's link and it looks most interesting.

Odd thing this ... when I was in college I had a friend who was quite a bit older than I ... we met through a mutual interest in sci fi, and I knew his wife and all but most of my contact was with him because of our book discussions.

He was from the southern U.S. originally and had contracted leprosy in early adulthood. He told me quite a bit about his experience with the disease ... it is not anywhere near as contagious as it is made out to be, nothing like AIDS or Herpes for example, and the physical deterioration is controlled today with drugs. Yet the social censure attached to it remains enormous, far out of proportion to its contagion. There are certain states, for example, in which it is against the law for him to live.

He couldn't possibly be the author of these books, in fact I doubt he is still alive because his lifespan would have been affected by the disease, but I'm curious whether he might not have met the author in his travels through sci fi conventions and such and had a hand in the inspiration. It's such an unusual disease ... though one with a great deal of mythical and superstitious content, so I suppose an author might settle on that for its symbolic value.

Anyway, I am certainly intrigued enough to read the series.

Jn

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Sassafras
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Posted: Sat 12 Feb , 2005 9:57 pm
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The connection between Donaldson and leprosy is that Donaldson's father was a surgeon who worked extensively with lepers in India. Donaldson lived there from the age of 3 to 16 and, apparently, after hearing one of his father's lectures on the subject, conceived the idea for Thomas Covenant.

You won't be disappointed. And I'm literally aching to discuss something besides the practical side of b77 or why we should or should not invite certain people.

Hell, I'm even ready to debate Balrogs and wings.

:Q


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Holbytla
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Posted: Sat 12 Feb , 2005 10:38 pm
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Quote:
Hell, I'm even ready to debate Balrogs and wings.
There is nothing to debate. Of course they have wings.

The downside of the new Chronicles is that we have to wait quite a while for the next installment. Did I hear someone mention 2007? :Q
Not sure of the date, but the first book is still in hardback. I want the next book now damnit now!!

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Sassafras
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Posted: Sat 12 Feb , 2005 10:55 pm
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2007?

:Q :(

Sheesh! that's as bad as waiting for A feast for crows or whatever the hell G.RR.Martin is calling it. I've been waiting for that book since 2002 (or was it 2001?) Well. A long time.
Quote:
Of course they have wings.
I'd like to argue with you just for the sake of arguing. Unfortunately, I agree.

:poke:


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Jnyusa
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Posted: Sun 13 Feb , 2005 1:38 am
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Yeah, me too.

debate fizzles

Sassy - that makes all kinds of sense then, if his father worked treating leprosy. I hardly ever hear or read anything about the disease, so when it is mentioned I always think right away of my friend from years ago.

Jn

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Holbytla
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Posted: Sun 13 Feb , 2005 5:56 am
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Reposted from Kevin's Watch. Amonthly Q&A with Stephen R Donaldson.


Chris Allan: Stephen, thanks for writing the last Chronicles.You will be pleased to know that it appears to me to be getting prominence in the better book stores here in Australia..More so than the re release of the first 2 chronicles.

After such a long wait ( nearly 20 years, although I have kept an eye on things via this website), I decided that the first 2 Chronicles deserved another reading before taking on series 3.

My question. I was apalled to read that Book 2 may still be 3 years away. Does that mean Book 4 is 9 years away. This was not the case with either of the first 2 Chronicles, nor with the Mordant and Gap series. It seems very unfair to us readers. Is this a marketing decision, as you seem to suggest you have always had the structure in place for this series ?
.... and dont let those producers make the Film as a 'Lord of the Rings' Clone' . The temptation must be there for them. As the Old Beggar says, ' Be True'......

Will you be doing a Book tour in Australia some time?






These questions keep coming up. Until I get a FAQ in place, I guess I'll keep answering them.

My contract for "The Last Chronicles" requires me to deliver a book every 36 months. I accepted 36 because I couldn't get 48. Deadlines are destructive to my creative impulse. And I need every scrap of that time. TLC <grin> is by far the most difficult challenge I've ever tackled; each new installment will be more difficult to write than the one before it; and I'm not young anymore, so even when I'm writing something simple I can't write as quickly as I once did. I'm sorry you consider this unfair. It isn't the fault of my publishers. They would love it if I could produce books more quickly.

At present, a "Covenant" film remains entirely hypothetical. If one is ever made, I will have absolutely no control over it whatsoever.

I post all of my tours and appearances on this site. If you don't see an Australian tour listed there, it isn't happening.

(02/06/2005)




Good golly Miss Molly !!! :Q
I can't wait 9 friggin years for him to finish this !!
I hope they at least start making a film before then. :roll:

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