Thomas Covenant

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Lore & Background

Thomas Covenant is an American writer afflicted with leprosy, shunned by society and embittered by his condition. He is fated to become the heroic savior of the Land, an alternate world. In ten novels published between 1977 and 2013, he struggles against Lord Foul "the Despiser," who attempts to escape the bondage of the physical universe and wreak revenge upon his arch-enemy, "the Creator." The series began as a trilogy, The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, followed by another trilogy, The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, and finally a tetralogy, The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. The Creator appears to Covenant and Linden as an old man in an ochre robe in the "real" world, guiding those who attempt to make contact between the universes. Hile Troy, a man from Covenant's world who had once been Warmark of the Lords' army, became the Forestal Caer-Caveral after Lord Mhoram sang the Forestals' own song.

In Their Own Story

Thomas Covenant, a writer with leprosy, is transported from his world to the Land, an alternate reality where he is fated to be its heroic savior. He struggles against Lord Foul "the Despiser," who seeks to escape the physical universe and take revenge on "the Creator." The Creator manifests as an old man in an ochre robe in Covenant's world, guiding those who bridge the universes. In The Illearth War, Lord Mhoram sang the Forestals' own song, which got the attention of the Forestal of Garroting Deep and led to Hile Troy—a man from Covenant's world—becoming the Forestal Caer-Caveral. The Giants, sometimes called the Unhomed, were entrusted by Kevin Landwaster with the first of his Seven Wards before the Ritual of Desecration. Saltheart Foamfollower is a Giant. The Haruchai shun weapons or magic, communicate via telepathy, and each can access the combined memories of their entire race.

Reader's Guide

Thomas Covenant is the central protagonist of The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, a series of ten high fantasy novels by Stephen R. Donaldson. The series comprises three parts: the original trilogy The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever (Lord Foul's Bane, 1977; The Illearth War, 1978; The Power that Preserves, 1979), the Second Chronicles (The Wounded Land, 1980; The One Tree, 1982; White Gold Wielder, 1983), and the Last Chronicles tetralogy (The Runes of the Earth, 2004; Fatal Revenant, 2007; Against All Things Ending, 2010; The Last Dark, 2013). The story Gilden-Fire, set during The Illearth War, covers an episode from the doomed mission to contact the Giants, told from the point of view of Korik, the senior Bloodguard. The Elohim are a "faerie" people with god-like powers who inhabit Elmesnedene, accessible only via a narrow fjord called "The Raw"; their purpose is to keep the Worm of the World's End in its deep slumber. The Insequent are a mysterious race dwelling west of the Land, each with a unique skill, and have a bitter rivalry with the Elohim. Four Insequent have appeared: The Mahdoubt, the Harrow, the Theomach, and the Ardent.

Did You Know?

• Thomas Covenant is an embittered and cynical writer afflicted with leprosy, shunned by society.
• The series consists of ten novels published between 1977 and 2013, split into a trilogy, another trilogy, and a tetralogy.
• The story Gilden-Fire was originally part of a larger planned section of The Illearth War but was cut due to space restrictions and point-of-view inconsistency.
• The Elohim's purpose is to keep the Worm of the World's End in its deep slumber, prolonging the life of the world.
• The Haruchai can communicate amongst themselves via telepathy and each can access the combined memories of their entire race.