The Last Dark - on its way.

[Foxbat]

Just had an e-mail to say my hardback copy of The Last Dark is on it's way. I first came across Covenant in the early eighties so it has been a long wait getting to here.

I have a sneaking suspicion I know how this one is going to end and I do hope I'm wrong. However, no turning back now, got to keep going and keep believing.

One thing, I'm a fairly slow reader so don't expect an opinion from me any time soon

 

[HareBrain]

I bought and started it this afternoon. I've been trying to work out why, given its tectonic pace and its depthless wells of introspection, it's so compelling. But it is.

 

[HareBrain]

Now finished it. I felt it matched the standard of the rest of the Last Chronicles, but had the same faults. I would summarise it as being tortuous but compelling. Exploration of the characters' inner lives and dilemmas is extremely well done, but done to the limits of exhaustiveness. When plot events do happen, they tend to be interesting, but only about three things happen in this entire book (until the end, at least). Compared to the first series, it's even more epic in theme (the end of the world is a genuine possibility) but much more small-scale, with almost all the action revolving around a small number of people in a seemingly uninhabited landscape. This is a very strange combination.

If I could revisit myself several years ago, I'm not sure whether I would advise myself never to start on the Last Chronicles or not. I much preferred the first series. But at least I now have closure.

 

[Foxbat]

Finished the book last night. I enjoyed it up until the last 20 or 30 pages and was then left in bitter disappointment. Here's why:
Possible Spoilers... The manner of defeat of the Despiser I can accept. Given that The Land/Healthsense has always been an inverse reflection of Covenant's Leprosy/numbness, it was logical that The Despiser become his darker half. Logical and predictable.

For a man who has shown the ability for passion/restraint and mercy, I cannot accept that he witnessed the death of his own son and seems to be mostly unaffected by it. It goes well beyond suspension of disbelief and into ludicrous.

The Worm At The World's End - to build up to such a moment of Gotterdammerung and end it the way he did was nothing short of a complete cop-out.

And finally...the very last sentence smacks of Shane riding into the sunset.

So, Am I glad I read it? Yes.
Would I read it again? No.
Do I regret buying all four volumes of The Last Chronicles in hardback (plus a copy of AATE for my kindle)? Absolutely.

 

[Brev]

If I could revisit myself several years ago, I'm not sure whether I would advise myself never to start on the Last Chronicles or not. I much preferred the first series. But at least I now have closure.

Not started it yet, but I'm with you there. I've been excited by all of his previous releases, but I'm going to approach this one with a hint of dread. I want to finish it, because it's a story which I have followed for many years (read the first ones for the first time over twenty years ago) but gah and gah again, is this last series a tough slog or what...

 

[nixie]

Oh dear, finished this today. Yes I enjoyed it and was loathe to put it down. Better than the last one but the ending was a big let down.