(urth) choices

[Gerry Quinn]

From: "James Wynn" <crushtv at gmail.com>

> As a teen, I was revolted by the rape at the beginning of volume 1 and 
> chunked the book for about a year. Then I picked it up and moved on. 
> Ultimately, I liked it pretty well. Enough to buy book 2 with anticipation 
> which I thought was even better. But book 3 just fell off a cliff. Total 
> waste of time for me. I had very specific theories about why the ending 
> failed but I can't remember what they were. However, I knew people who 
> were absolutely crazy about Donaldson in the early 80s. Not so much now 
> I'm afraid, which I have always credited to the dreadful follow-up 
> trilogy. It could be that the book captured some zeitgeist at the time. I 
> hardly ever hear about it now. I wonder how the first trilogy reads for 
> young people who pick it up for the first time now, 35 years later.

I actually started midstream, I think with the Illearth War, and only read 
Lord Foul's Bane later.  Oddly enough, I liked the second trilogy better - I 
think it seemed more of a fantasy adventure.  I know this is a minority 
viewpoint.

Like it or not, its influence on the genre cannot be denied.  It's very 
visible in Wolfe's Wizard Kinght, for example.

Donaldson is working on a third trilogy now - at least one (The Runes of the 
Earth) is out a few years ago.  I found it readable but a bit repetitive. 
But that probably goes with the territory.  [One thing I have never 
understood is the popularity of Donaldson's other fantasy series Mordant's 
Need - I read about one and a half of the two books and then gave up; the 
only thing I know that beats it for repetition and obvious villains is 
Hubbard's Mission Earth!]

- Gerry Quinn