Lord Foul's Bane
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| Cover of Lord Foul's Bane | |
| Author | Stephen R. Donaldson |
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| Cover Artist | Darrell K. Sweet |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Del Rey |
| Released | 1977 |
| Media Type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 480 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-8050-1272-9 (USA hardback) |
| Preceded by | None |
| Followed by | The Illearth War |
Lord Foul's Bane is the first book of the first trilogy of The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever fantasy series written by Stephen R. Donaldson. It is followed by The Illearth War. The book is a minor classic in fantasy and has received some bizarre tribute in the form of a public-access television show called Fantasy Bedtime Hour, in which two girls in bed attempt to understand the text.
[edit] Plot summary
Thomas Covenant is a young, best-selling author with a wife, and an infant son, whose world is turned upside down when he is diagnosed with leprosy. When he is discharged from the leprosarium he finds himself divorced, alone and an outcast in his hometown. On a rare trip into town, he is accosted by a beggar who makes a number of cryptic pronouncements, leaving Covenant with the admonition to "be true". Confused and disturbed by this encounter, Covenant stumbles into the path of an oncoming car. The impact, although seemingly minor or non-existent, knocks him unconscious.
He wakes to find himself in The Land, a classic fantasy world. Covenant quickly learns he has been called there by the evil Cavewight Drool Rockworm, wielding the magical power of the Staff of Law. Drool has been guided by the malevolent, seemingly incorporeal Lord Foul the Despiser. Foul addresses Covenant as "groveler" and taunts him with the prophecy that he, Foul, will destroy the Land in 49 years; however, unless Drool is stopped, such a fate will come to pass much sooner. Foul tells Covenant to deliver this message to the Lords of the Land so that they can combat the Cavewight and recover the Staff of Law.
Covenant's loss of two fingers on his right hand (a consequence of the failure to promptly diagnose his leprosy) causes him to be identified by the people of the Land as the reincarnation of Berek Halfhand, an ancient Lord. He is befriended by a young girl named Lena who uses a special mud called hurtloam to heal some minor cuts caused by his fall. To Covenant's astonishment, the hurtloam also cures his leprosy. This is only one example of the Earthpower: a rich source of healing energy present throughout The Land.
Believing that he is unconscious from his collision with the police car, therefore experiencing a fantastical dream or delusion, Covenant refuses to accept the reality of the Land. Appalled and indignant at the expectations the people of the Land have for him as their new-found savior, he gives himself the title "The Unbeliever".
He is also unprepared for the sudden restoration of his health, which cures the impotence brought on by his leprosy. His mental turmoil over the reality he feels but does not believe drives him into a frenzy, causing him to rape Lena, an act which will be pivotal to all that follows. When Lena's friends and family learn of what happened to her, they are barely able to comprehend the enormity of or reasons behind this crime, but the Oath of Peace to which they are sworn forbids them from taking vengeance.
Lena's mother Atiaran Trell-mate takes Covenant to the Land's rulers: the Lords. There he is initiated into their council as an Ur-Lord because of his connection to Berek, and his possession of a white gold ring, which the Lords recognize as having the power to unleash the "wild magic" which may be the key to defeating Lord Foul.
Covenant delivers the message told to him by Lord Foul. Despite the obvious danger, the Lords decide to make an effort to take the Staff of Law from Drool's evil grasp. Rather than waging an all-out war (which they lack the strength to do in any event), the Lords send four of their number and a band of forty warriors to attempt to infiltrate Drool's base at Mount Thunder.
Led by High Lord Prothall, and accompanied by the Lords' sleepless and undying protectors the Bloodguard, and a Giant named Saltheart Foamfollower, the Lords and their warriors arrive at Mount Thunder after a long journey and by overcoming many hardships. Covenant accompanies them in the hope that the recovery of the Staff of Law will somehow assist in his return to his "real" world. Along the way, Covenant attempts to come to terms with whether or not to believe in the reality of the Land. He also attempts to redeem himself for his outrage of Lena by commanding the Ranyhyn, the wild, free and intelligent horses of the Land, to do homage to her yearly.
In the end, at the cost of the death of many of their companions, the Lords succeed in seizing the staff, temporarily securing peace for the Land. Covenant destroys Drool Rockworm, and saves the party from total destruction, by using the wild magic of his ring, although he does not fully control his power or even understand it.
After the death of Drool, who had used the Staff of Law to summon Covenant to the Land, Covenant feels his physical body fading away, loses consciousness, and wakes up in his own world, a leper once more.
[edit] External links
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| Novels |
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| The First Chronicles: Lord Foul's Bane | The Illearth War | The Power that Preserves |
| The Second Chronicles: The Wounded Land | The One Tree | White Gold Wielder |
| The Last Chronicles: The Runes of the Earth | Fatal Revenant | Shall Pass Utterly | The Last Dark |
