The Power That Preserves by Stephen Donaldson
Rate and review The Power That Preserves! | What does everyone else think?
Lord Foul grows stronger and Thomas Covenant is once again summoned to the Land by the Lords of Revelstone in their time of need. The Power That Preserves is the third and final book of the trilogy named The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever.
It is unlikely that many will read The Power That Preserves having not read Lord Foul's Bane and the Illearth War. If this is the case then you will be well aquainted with the anti-hero Thomas Covenant and have been there with him while he suffered. Covenant is not an easy character to like and you may have spent a lot of time during the first two books wanting to slap him. However, he grows on you and you really do hope that he can save the Land and be cured at the same time.
This novel brings to an end the trilogy and does that very well. Loose ends are tied up and we are able to discover what becomes of characters like Lena, Elena and Triock. It is a suffering Land that meets Covenant when he return seven years after the events of The Illearth War. The giants have been destroyed, an unnaural winter covers the Land, Mithil Stonedown is more what it once was and Lord Foul's minions are wreaking death and destruction wherever they go.
This is a deep, sophisticated novel written in a very complex, yet beautiful way. The characters are well formed with Covenant and Lord Mhoram really standing out. The Power That Preserves should be read only after Lord Foul's Bane and The Illearth War to avoid complete and utter confusion.
That Power That Preserves brings to an end a trilogy that was very important for the fantasy genre. It was perhaps the most complex work since J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and marked a new era for a new wave of fantasy authors.
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever: "Lord Foul's Bane", "Illearth War" and "Power That Preserves" (Amazon.co.uk)
Author: Stephen Donaldson
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 1168
Publication date: 1993-07-26
Publisher: Collins
RRP: £16.99
Lowest new price: £7.99
Lowest used price: £3.37
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever (Amazon.com)
Author: Stephen Donaldson
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 1168
Publication date: 1993-07-26
Publisher: Collins
RRP: $33.05
Lowest new price: $17.52
Lowest used price: $6.52
The acclaimed fantasy epic, together in one volume.
Product Description
John from Cumbria
"I thought that the series on the whole was great but was dissapointed by the ending. It really didn't work for me and I was left feeling slightly let down and for this reason did not go on to read the second chronicles. To expand a bit, the ending felt rushed and I got the impression that the author himself was not sure how to end it. Also, I did find the narrative a battle but one that was worth fighting as the descriptions of the land and some of the characters introduced were nothing short of excellent."
Submit your own mini-review
Let people know what you think about The Power That Preserves. You can write your own mini-review and give the book the rating that you think it deserves. Your reviews will go towards giving The Power That Preserves its overall rating that will decide where The Power That Preserves finishes in the top 100 fantasy books of all time.
Books you may also enjoy...
The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
J.R.R. Tolkien's masterpiece. The Lord of the Rings is the best known as most enjoyed fantasy book of all time. If you have never read this, or The Hobbit before, then you are in for a real treat! ... read the full review
Summary: It is hard to put into words the happiness that can be felt when reading literature as good as this.
The Earthsea Quartet by Ursula Le Guin
The Earthsea Quartet brings together Ursula Le Guin’s four legendary Earthsea sagas for the first time in a single volume. ... read the full review
Summary: Stunning, thought-provoking fantasy.
The Mad Ship by Robin Hobb
The Liveship Traders series continues with the second book, The Mad Ship. Althea Vestrit continues her quest to reclaim her rightful inheritance, the liveship Vivacia. The Vivacia has been seized by pirates led by the enigmatic Kennit, a man who believes that destiny leads him to become King of the Pirate Isles. The Vestrit family are nearing financial ruin which leads them closer to the mysterious Rain Wild Traders who own the ship. Amidst these events the mad ship, Paragon is once again launched despite the history of death and despair that surrounds him. ... read the full review
Summary: A spell-binding story full of wonderful characters and intrigue.
Also in this sub-genre...
- The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
- The Earthsea Quartet by Ursula Le Guin
- The Mad Ship by Robin Hobb
- The Judging Eye by R Scott Bakker
- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
- Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll
- The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
- Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
- Assassin’s Quest by Robin Hobb
- The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
- Magician by Raymond E Feist
- The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia McKillip
- Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb
- Lord Fouls Bane by Stephen Donaldson
- Ship of Destiny by Robin Hobb
- Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb
- A Darkness at Sethanon by Raymond E Feist
- The Other Wind by Ursula Le Guin
- Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb
- Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie
- The Illearth War by Stephen Donaldson
- Wizards First Rule by Terry Goodkind
- Tales From Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin
- Fool’s Errand by Robin Hobb
- The Golden Fool by Robin Hobb
- Fool’s Fate by Robin Hobb
- The Last Unicorn by Peter S Beagle
- Silver Mage by CM Debell
- Shaman’s Crossing by Robin Hobb
- The Ice Crown by Sean Beech
- The High Lord by Trudi Canavan
- The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
- The House of the Stag by Kage Baker
- The Magicians Nephew by CS Lewis
- The Diamond Throne by David Eddings
- The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams
- The Wounded Land by Stephen Donaldson
- The Silmarillion by JRR Tolkien
- Jarrak’s Darkness by Colin R Parsons
- The Riddler’s Gift by Greg Hamerton
- The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
- The Novice by Trudi Canavan
- Magyk by Angie Sage
- The Lost Barkscrolls by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell
- Fire by Kristin Cashore
Book of the Month
Apartment 16 by Adam Nevill
Some doors are better left closed . . . In Barrington House, an upmarket block in London, there is an empty apartment. No one goes in, no one comes out. And it’s been that way for fifty years. Until the night watchman hears a disturbance after midnight and investigates. What he experiences is enough to change his life forever.
Latest interviews
Interviews plus question and answer sessions with authors, narrators and publishers.
Must-reads
The following reviews are of books that begin the very best fantasy series available.
Competition: Win a signed copy of Graham Hancock's Entangled
Graham Hancock is the author of The Sign and the Seal, Fingerprints of the Gods, Keeper of Genesis, Heaven's Mirror, Supernatural and other bestselling investigations of historical mysteries. His books have been translated into twenty-seven languages and have sold over five million copies worldwide. Written with the same page-turning appeal that has made his non-fiction so popular, Entangled is his first work of fiction. We have five signed copies of Entangled to give away as prizes. Email us the answer to the following question and the lucky winner, chosen at random, will receive a copy of the book, signed by the author.
Special Feature: Fantasy Book Review talks to the Book View Cafe
Book View Cafe is a cooperative site created by a group of writers - including internationally renowned authors Katharine Kerr, Ursula Le Guin and Vonda N. McIntyre - who want to take advantage of the internet's possibilities for reaching a wider audience and to distribute their work directly to their readers. The Book View Cafe is a place where you can find free, original fiction plus the authors' best and out-of-print work for a fee. Fantasy Book Review spoke to Book View Cafe member, science fiction author and memoirist Chris Dolley in February 2010.
Special Feature: Understanding the author of Alice in Wonderland
Lewis Carroll, the elusive author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, has been the subject of enduring fascination for the past hundred years. The destruction of many major documents about his personal life by his descendants has only magnified the mystery. Jenny Woolf's biography, published to coincide with the release of the new Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland film, lays waste to the myths and suspicions that have obscured Carroll's reputation by placing him firmly in the context of his own time.
