fatal revenant

Fatal Revenant
Stephen R. Donaldson
Putnam
October
ISBN-10: 0575076003
Epic Fantasy
******


When we left the Land, Linden Avery, the Chosen, had just beheld the sight that should have made her heart rejoice; Thomas Covenant and her beloved adopted son, Jeremiah, were galloping towards Revelstone. Yet, when she sees them, they tell her that she must not touch them, lest she banish them. Covenant's hold on the laws of time he is bending to allow this visitation is tenuous at best. Despite the limits, there is a blessing, her son has a whole mind. Yet, there are many things that just seem wrong about the entire situation. Covenant claims to have a plan, yet he opposes her almost at every turn. Moreover, Foul is not her only foe. Cosmic level beings of power are determined to end all goodness. Linden finds her heart and soul being tisted and turned constantly as she travels across not only the Land, but time. Yet, there remains hope.



There simply are not enough stars to award this book. It is not a lighweight, fluff piece, but an intense, mentally stimulating, and utterly satisfying read. Questions that have abided since Lord Foul's Bane are clarified, characters develop, and old themes echo from the prior series. It breaks my heart to finish a story like this.