The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant

Is it any good?

I think there's a 50-50 chance you'll like it. TC seems to divide people more than other series (characters). Personally I thought it was fantastic. The first book is the weakest of the bunch though.

Summary of The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant:

Thomas: I am a quiet leper despised by the world. I suck.

[bazam]

People: You are the saviour of the Land because of your wedding ring. You rule.

Thomas: No I don't.

[A while later]

Thomas: Yay, I've raped someone and saved The Land. I rule. Oh, wait, no I don't.

So thomas is an emo kid...?

Yep. He's a Bosnian leper.

They whole rape thing was a bit too much. And the results were even worse.

Hay, guyz I'll just go rape someone who'll spend the rest of her life waiting for me (then meets me again when she's an old woman and promptly gets killed), then I'll get all buddy-buddy with my daughter, who gets killed. Then she'll come back from the dead for a few moments for an amazing deus ex machina... Oh, by the way, a lot of people hate my guts and want to kill me, but don't, because I'm the savior! All thanks to some stupid ring I wanted to give away!

Look elsewhere. Thomas is a fucking emo, his life sucks, everything he touches turns to shit, everyone else in the book are sad POS, the author constantly uses stupid vouchers and corny devices, et cetera.

>>4
I contest that remark, because a) Covenant is not a kid and b) the  definition of "emo kid" on 4chan is one who angsts out of proportion to his/her troubles. Covenant has good reason for acting the way he does, however just because he has reason to do what he does does not necessarily make him palatable to the audience. He's an anti-hero through and through.

Read the books and decide for yourself.

If I want to be depressed, I'll just look in the mirror, thanks.

Novel 1 of the series had an original idea.  Novels 2 and 3 ran with it, and 4 dropped it.  Later issues failed to pick it up.  Don't bother with it.

It was good in a lot of ways, but many parts of it just dragged by and were extremely hard to get up the patience to read thru. I'd suggest reading it once anyway to see if you like it, cause it definately has its good points, but personally I'd recommend skipping it and going for something else (the A Game of Thrones series, for instance).

its hard to like the main char there.  There's a lot of anti-heroes that are more likeable than Thomas the Unbeliever. Heck, even the bad guys are more likeable than that guy.  I guess his depression was so extreme, its hard to appreciate human he really is.

The villain's name is Lord Foul. LORD FOUL. Does that even suggest to you that this series is worth picking up?

Whatever health you lack, only pray to me while I am still patient. But the voice's contempt cut too deep. . .with his teeth gritted to stop his trembling, he asked, "Who are you?". As if sensing its mistake, the voice became smoother. "I have had many names," it said. "To the Lords of Revelstone, I am Lord Foul the Despiser; to the Giants of Seareach, Satansheart and Soulcrusher. The Ramen name me Fangthane. In the dreams of the Bloodgaurd, I am Corruption. But the people of the Land call me the Gray Slayer."

Despite his rather silly name, Lord Foul is perhaps the best archetypal villain I've come across. He pulled off some classic, high-quality villainy.

Ramen?

Yes, because non-stereotypical villains just suck dead donkey balls, don't they?

Oh well, he could be worse. He could be Darken Rahl.

>>15
I didn't say that. Lord Foul is a Dark Lord through and through, but he is a well-made one, suitably sinister, cunning and malevolent. The comment has no relation to what I think of "mundane" villains.