Lord Foul’s Bane Audiobook By Stephen R. Donaldson cover art

Lord Foul’s Bane

The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Book 1

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Lord Foul’s Bane

By: Stephen R. Donaldson
Narrated by: Scott Brick
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Thomas Covenant is a leper, a bitter and solitary pariah who is mystically transported to another Earth where time moves differently than ours, one in which magic takes many forms. The Land is threatened by many evils, the most immediate of which is a maddened Cavewight whose subterranean excavations have unearthed the ancient and puissant Staff of Law.

More dangerous to the free people of the Land is the Gray Slayer, Lord Foul, the Despiser, who intends to destroy the actual foundations of the Earth that he might wage war against the universe’s creator. And Foul’s intended weapon in this conflict? None other than Thomas Covenant himself.

©1977 Stephen R. Donaldson (P)2020 Brick by Brick Audiobooks Adventure Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Science Fiction Feel-Good Magic
Complex Fantasy World • Unique Anti-hero • Masterful Narration • Complex Protagonist • Profound Themes • Rich Vocabulary
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This is among the very best fantasy i have ever known. The writing is obviously donaldsons earliest efforts, with some over used metaphores and such, but the quality of charachters and especially world building, sets the chronicles in a league of thier own. The narration took me some time to get used to, but in the end I feel Scotts dramatic tone was well suited to the tale he was telling. stick with this series and you will note be disappointed.

best fantasy series ever

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I've read this 4 times and now listened to it once across various stages of my life and I always come away learning something more, about the story, it's characters and myself at the stage at which I've been at in life while reading it. While it does borrow a bit conceptually from the likes of Tolkien it also manages to create a wholly realized and unique world of its own. Something like cross between fantasy and a Stephen King novel, it possesses an interesting multifaceted magic system for each of it's peoples and some very interesting, unique and memorable characters overall. The supporting cast are often more liked than the protagonist, and in ways I believe that was by design. Certainly not a book for those who dislike nuance or complexity or moral failings in their protagonists and clearly a product of it's time. Still, after all these years, authors and works in the genre this one still calls to me and never fails to evoke deep musings about life, illness, escapism, morality, the way humanity treats it's outcasts and the power of fiction to give insights into ourselves and this world. Highly recommended - and I'll bet you will come away wanting to learn more about the magic of The Land itself and with admiration and of love some of the interesting supporting cast standouts like Lord Mhoram, Bannor of The Bloodguard and of course Saltheart Foamfollower of The Giants of Seareach. It has a slower start but if you stick around the payoff is well worth it and books two and three are much better paced. Overall a great work of fiction especially for it's time.
Four Stars.

A Rarer Gem amongst other more known fantasy works

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I read this years ago but really enjoyed the narration and it was a lot easier to listen.

Great Listen

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I read the hardcover during COVID and to listen as a second read felt like hearing old bedtime stories. accidental nostalgia.

Unbelievabler

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I read and re-read this book as a kid, but now I listen to audio. I am glad it was finally recorded

I missed this book!

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I truly tried to like this book. The protagonist is despicable and whiny, the story a bit rambling and the character development is inconsistent. It’s obvious that the author has skill in writing but I just couldn’t get through the story line. I also get that this is the first book in a very long series, but I’ll pass. I couldn’t finish this first book. I tried very hard to do so.

Tried to Like

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Classic fantasy literature. Donaldson really did a great job. The narrator was amazing as well.

Such a good story

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A really good friend recommended this. The narration was the first to get over. He’s terrible and makes the annoying protagonist even more so, and all of the other characters lackluster. Then came increasingly frequent comments about the physique of each woman that came into the story. How holding a pot accentuating this one’s breasts and all that crap. The end for me was the terribly written rape of the teenage girl. Now I hate the protagonist and wonder where the story will end up. So I read several reviews and several blogs. Basically if you like ambiguous characters and morality this may work for you. But it’s not a redemptive read according to those who have read it so I’m moving on. Wish I would’ve read the reviews before wasting my credit.

NOPE

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Scott Brick makes a great reader for this dark noir fantasy novel series. A must listen.

Wonderful book

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The main character in this story is a selfish, cowardly, whiner with no redeeming qualities who does not grow or progress in any way. I hated him from start to finish, and since he's the sole focus of the entire story, it's a tough listen/read. There's no hero's journey here, and it's exactly what this story needs.

Unlikeable Protagonist with no Progression

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